Accommodation help needed - brain in freefall

[lojo]

This is going to be a bit wordy but I desperately need help, so persevere if you can.

Recently booked our flights for first ever visit to Orlando (three weeks Jan/Feb 2013).

Have decided to spend first two weeks on site at Disney, and last 2 or 3 nights at Univeral. Orginally we thought we'd hire a car and see a little bit of the real Florida but having read several guidebooks and browsed countless trip reports we're just not that drawn to any particular area. We love nature and scenery, but while Florida is no doubt beautiful, it seems very samey, and it's non-theme park resorts seem aimed at sun worshippers rather than hikers/strollers.

A couple of years ago we spent some time in Las Vegas, sandwiching a road trip around Arizona and Utah, topped off with nearly a week in San Francisco. We absolutely loved this trip, especially the road trip part, but we strugged to adjust to the noise, crowds and pace of the cities after the amazingly beautiful and varied great outdoors. This makes me reluctant to combine two such different types of holiday again, but I don't want to miss out either!

So what do we do with the 'spare' days between Disney and Universal? Should we change our plans and spend the whole three weeks at Disney, taking time out for the odd day trip, and visit to Universal? Is it worth spending the last week at I-drive when we might end up visiting the parks anyway? Should we spend the last week at Universal, using it as a base for visiting other places? Or have I completely missed a lovely coastal town worth spending a few days in?

I'm sure I'm going to be torturing you with more questions, but for now I'd really appreciate your opinion so I can settle on some kind of basic itinerary in preparation for booking when offers start coming out.

 

[bazzanoid]

Hotels on I-Drive will be cheaper than on-site at Universal, but that is of course for good reason - it's the equivalent of comparing something like a radisson to a travelodge! I would say if you're planning on staying at universal then do so after disney, and if you do have a spare few days then why not stay on i-drive and use it as a base to do some alternative stuff - florida's great outdoors isn't just for sun worshippers. How about:

A horseback or zipline safari at EcoSafaris
A day with a picnic and camera at Disney's Wilderness Preserve down in Poinciana
Helicopter tour
Day trip to Clearwater or Daytona or one of the beachs

Plenty to do, it's just a matter of having a dig about :

 

[bazzanoid]

Forgot to add...

Airboat tour of the swamps at Boggy Creek
Trip to Gatorland...

 

[Eliza32]

If you're willing to do the miles, a trip across to St Petes Beach or even Sarasota are definitely worth it. Lovely coastline and some time to chill. We usually just stay in a Fairfield Inn or something similar, as we're only using it to sleep as we're out all day. There are some good malls for shopping over that side too. Don't forget to book extra baggage with the airline to bring home all of those bargains....and make sure you eat at a Cheesecake Factory at least once!!!!!!

 

[merlin307]

If you fancy some history then take some time to head noth to St Augustine....if you head up the atlantic oast there's some gorgeous coastal scenery away from the touristy hotspots.

Or you could visit the Fort Desoto national park on the gulf coast-stunning ex military fort right on the beach.......one of the most amazing sunsets i've ever seen.

We're going on the nighttime airboat ride this year, tried the daytime one but the gators were a bit elusive -so hoping we'll see more at night

 

[lojo]

Thanks to you all for replying.

Hotels on I-Drive will be cheaper than on-site at Universal, but that is of course for good reason - it's the equivalent of comparing something like a radisson to a travelodge! I would say if you're planning on staying at universal then do so after disney, and if you do have a spare few days then why not stay on i-drive and use it as a base to do some alternative stuff - florida's great outdoors isn't just for sun worshippers. How about:

A horseback or zipline safari at EcoSafaris
A day with a picnic and camera at Disney's Wilderness Preserve down in Poinciana
Helicopter tour
Day trip to Clearwater or Daytona or one of the beachs

Plenty to do, it's just a matter of having a dig about :

Forgot to add...

Airboat tour of the swamps at Boggy Creek
Trip to Gatorland...

Definitely going to check out some of your suggestions (was already planning Cape Canaveral and an airboat ride). Been digging for weeks, could end up in Australia instead of Florida - throwing down my spade and consulting the experts - will pick it up again when I know where to dig.

If we did decide on I-drive it would be as a base, but would like to be coming back to a pleasant environment - would you recommend any particular area or hotel? Would Lake Buena Vista or Kissimee area be better? I suggested I-drive because it appears to offer transportation to most tourist related areas - we might hire a car but would prefer to have a choice.

If you're willing to do the miles, a trip across to St Petes Beach or even Sarasota are definitely worth it. Lovely coastline and some time to chill. We usually just stay in a Fairfield Inn or something similar, as we're only using it to sleep as we're out all day. There are some good malls for shopping over that side too. Don't forget to book extra baggage with the airline to bring home all of those bargains....and make sure you eat at a Cheesecake Factory at least once!!!!!!

Gulf Coast would probably be marginally better that time of year - think about 2 1/2 hours would be max. Was considering Sanibel for the nature reserve but it might be just too quiet (the town not the nature reserve!) after Disney. Are you kidding - seriously.... be in the same state as a Cheesecake Factory and not visit! It was the very first restaurant on my places to eat spreadsheet.

If you fancy some history then take some time to head noth to St Augustine....if you head up the atlantic oast there's some gorgeous coastal scenery away from the touristy hotspots.

Or you could visit the Fort Desoto national park on the gulf coast-stunning ex military fort right on the beach.......one of the most amazing sunsets i've ever seen.

We're going on the nighttime airboat ride this year, tried the daytime one but the gators were a bit elusive -so hoping we'll see more at night

St Augustine looks like a good candidate for a couple of days side trip - looks like a nice drive off the freeway. Would definitely appeal to DPs inner history geek. Will check out Fort Desoto later.

Which airboat company did you use? And what time of day was your trip? What about other wildlife other than gators? I like the idea of the night trip but I'm a big wuss re insects and I've read that you can get quite a few mysterious flying creatures colliding with your face in the dark.

 

[merlin307]

Thanks to you all for replying.





Definitely going to check out some of your suggestions (was already planning Cape Canaveral and an airboat ride). Been digging for weeks, could end up in Australia instead of Florida - throwing down my spade and consulting the experts - will pick it up again when I know where to dig.

If we did decide on I-drive it would be as a base, but would like to be coming back to a pleasant environment - would you recommend any particular area or hotel? Would Lake Buena Vista or Kissimee area be better? I suggested I-drive because it appears to offer transportation to most tourist related areas - we might hire a car but would prefer to have a choice.



Gulf Coast would probably be marginally better that time of year - think about 2 1/2 hours would be max. Was considering Sanibel for the nature reserve but it might be just too quiet (the town not the nature reserve!) after Disney. Are you kidding - seriously.... be in the same state as a Cheesecake Factory and not visit! It was the very first restaurant on my places to eat spreadsheet.



St Augustine looks like a good candidate for a couple of days side trip - looks like a nice drive off the freeway. Would definitely appeal to DPs inner history geek. Will check out Fort Desoto later.

Which airboat company did you use? And what time of day was your trip? What about other wildlife other than gators? I like the idea of the night trip but I'm a big wuss re insects and I've read that you can get quite a few mysterious flying creatures colliding with your face in the dark.

We used Boggy Creek the last couple of times - great service and nice area. Saw lots of birds and stuff , nothing really exciting, but i'm a wuss too when it comes our creepy crawlie friends but thought we'd give it a try

Time will tell

 

[Emma1987]

Thanks to you all for replying.





Definitely going to check out some of your suggestions (was already planning Cape Canaveral and an airboat ride). Been digging for weeks, could end up in Australia instead of Florida - throwing down my spade and consulting the experts - will pick it up again when I know where to dig.

If we did decide on I-drive it would be as a base, but would like to be coming back to a pleasant environment - would you recommend any particular area or hotel? Would Lake Buena Vista or Kissimee area be better? I suggested I-drive because it appears to offer transportation to most tourist related areas - we might hire a car but would prefer to have a choice.



Gulf Coast would probably be marginally better that time of year - think about 2 1/2 hours would be max. Was considering Sanibel for the nature reserve but it might be just too quiet (the town not the nature reserve!) after Disney. Are you kidding - seriously.... be in the same state as a Cheesecake Factory and not visit! It was the very first restaurant on my places to eat spreadsheet.



St Augustine looks like a good candidate for a couple of days side trip - looks like a nice drive off the freeway. Would definitely appeal to DPs inner history geek. Will check out Fort Desoto later.

Which airboat company did you use? And what time of day was your trip? What about other wildlife other than gators? I like the idea of the night trip but I'm a big wuss re insects and I've read that you can get quite a few mysterious flying creatures colliding with your face in the dark.

Hey Lucy!

This is just my personal opinion, but I'd never really recommend anyone to stay on International Drive. For the simple reason of costs. Unless you're driving your own car, it's pointless. The money you save on the hotel, you'll make up for in taxi fares to and from Universal and Sea World.

We are also planning on doing the night time gator ride. Can't wait for it really. Who did you book your flights with?
I've got a pretty good idea of hotel prices around the Lake Buena Vista area, and would be happy to help you out!

 

[lojo]

We used Boggy Creek the last couple of times - great service and nice area. Saw lots of birds and stuff , nothing really exciting, but i'm a wuss too when it comes our creepy crawlie friends but thought we'd give it a try

Time will tell

It seems to come highly recommended (especially by BritGuide). Which of the locations did you use (East or West lake), and how did you get there? Glad to hear a fellow wuss survived and is going back for more.

Hey Lucy!

This is just my personal opinion, but I'd never really recommend anyone to stay on International Drive. For the simple reason of costs. Unless you're driving your own car, it's pointless. The money you save on the hotel, you'll make up for in taxi fares to and from Universal and Sea World.

We are also planning on doing the night time gator ride. Can't wait for it really. Who did you book your flights with?
I've got a pretty good idea of hotel prices around the Lake Buena Vista area, and would be happy to help you out!

Hi Emma,

Booked with Aer Lingus - direct flight, cheapest and preclearance in Dublin, hard to go past it really. Who are you going with? (which I note is much sooner than me .)

I've been doing lots of net research all afternoon, based on the advice of the good people who replied to me earlier, and I'm starting to think we might hire a car and do a bit of a mini road trip (taking in some of the State Parks and historic towns, with the possibility of a zipline adventure thrown in for good measure). Yeah I know, doesn't sound too much like a time out for relaxation! Will probably change my mind again and be back with more questions....

 

[Emma1987]

We're going with Delta...but we booked everything through Trailfinders. They've always been great for us!

 

[lojo]

I liked Delta - used them for our last US trip. Would have used them again if they had been same price as Aer Lingus - wanted to get a few more miles on my "frequent" flyer account.