5 weeks in the Disneyworld

[lundve]

You my friend are putting a new definition out their for the people who are always wondering if they should do split stays. Good luck and have fun!!

Sorry I do not have any good advice for you as we usually only go to Disney.

 

[TreesyB]

Tampa is great. There's also the Tampa Aquarium there. It's a great day trip, see lots of aquatic life, and they offer dolphin tours.

I think driving to Miami is about 6 hours. Not sure it's really worth it.

 

[queenie82]

WOOHOO another Aussie taking advantage of the discount airfares (I'm assuming)

As a Sydneysider the beach in Florida isn't all that exciting an idea to me (I can go the beach any day I want without paying for accommodation)

We are spending 4 weeks in the area in December but confined the Disney nights to a 2 week stretch so we could loop around the bottom and go down to miami, the keys, Vero Beach and then loop around the North to go to Hilton Head, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston etc.

I'm not sure of you desires to visit other theme parks but if you want to...
Tampa Busch Gardens is ok but not wildly exciting and Tampa itself isn't all that great.
I would go to Seaworld! I found that great. It has different attractions to our one so I enjoyed it. Manta also looks great
Universal is also worth visiting. The Spiderman ride is amazing and their new rollercoaster looks great.
Kennedy is also worth it. It might be worth checking if any launches are happening but they are very hit and miss so a ticket doesn't ensure you will see it.

Miami is about 4 hours so a bit far for a weekend but you should visit it at some point.
Vero Beach is closer so as DVC members you could stay there with points? I don't know their weekend chart rates.

Certainly make the most of it and have fun!!!

 

[Bribrittmom]

I would take a four day cruise out of Port Canaveral.While I love DCL it is very expensive. Try a four day cruise on Royal Caribbean or Carnival.The January cruises are a grat value and a good chance to relax from all the hustle and bustle of Disney World.

 

[Pootle]

We like the Mount Dora area, about 25 miles north of Orlando. It's a pretty old town with a lake and a good selection of shops. Article recommending it here. We like to take a lunchtime trip on one of the old trains in the area. Very relaxing.

DH is a railway enthusiast so we often go up for the day, but it is close enough to comfortably just go up on a Friday evening, spend Saturday in the area and be back in time for mid morning check in.

Hope it all works well for you - sounds good to me

 

[tay72699]

I would have to go with a 3-night DCL cruise. Most of the 3-nighters leave on Thursday and return on Sunday--that would cover those weekend nights. Yes, they are costly, but everything is right there for you to enjoy.

 

[SamSam]

We just drove from WDW to Miami a month ago and it's a 4 hour drive on the turnpike.

 

[tvwalsh]

Just make sure you rent or bring a GPS with you! It makes all the difference in finding your way around.

 

[locodemickey]

Wow! You're braver than we are! Moving 7 times! - makes me tired just thinking about it. Have fun!

 

[VLee]

We just returned from a 4-week trip. Began at AKL Concierge for 6 nights, then moved to BWV 1 BR for 8 nights, next to BCV studio for 5 nights, then to Vero Beach OVIR for 3 nights and last to Royal Pacific at Universal for 5 nights.

Was lucky and did not have long checkin waits at any resort. Although we moved around, it gave us a chance to experience several resorts. Loved the concierge. Had dining plan one week. First trip to Vero and also Universal property. That week, we also went to SeaWorld and Kennedy Space center, along with outlet mall and of course, spent the last day at Disney before heading home.

Even with 4 weeks, I did not get done everything I had thought we would have "time" to do.

Will probably skip Disney next summer (or enjoy 1 short trip with GD during school year) and begin planning our RCI North Baltic cruise and the Disney Transatlantic in Sept 2010. We will have two weeks to explore Europe between cruises, for a total of 6 weeks.