Going back sooner than we thought possibly..

[MorningGlory]

My dad phoned earlier, he's offered to pay for the 4 of us to go back to Florida again this year!

Sounds great you might think, but we'll be on a tight budget if we are doing it and there's alot of things to think about. First off, Dad wants flights from Glasgow so this cuts down on our dates and airline availability. There is also the problem that being on a budget, we cant go in the peak summer months (and besides, it would be just too uncomfortably hot then if our mid to late June holiday last year was anything to go by) so I would have to take Junior out of school for a couple of weeks. Also, Dad wants to stay on I Drive so he is closer to a bigger variety of entertainment. Im not thrilled at that prospect, but I couldn't complain really. Plus we would need 2 rooms.

And we have to do all of this on a budget as close as possible to 2 grand

Unlikely you would think, but I have actually managed to find 2 rooms at the Clarion Hotel Universal on I-Drive with TCD, flying from Glasgow on 2nd June, for only £2300!! So, it might just be a goer

Still have lots to think about though. If we go in June, there is precious little time to save up spending money plus I would have to still fork out for car hire, park tickets, etc. Im going to phone TCD tomorrow to go over some options, and find out when their latest scheduled flights from Glasgow are for 2008 because September or October would be better (more time to save the pennies! ).

I'll let you all know how I get on

 

[Cyrano]

Great news

 

[scottishsue]

Brilliant news Paul

(If you were to decide on October we could meet up again) !

 

[natalielongstaff]

Good luck, hope you get what you want

 

[cherjp]

Hi there,
we stayed at the clarion universal 2006 and it was fine, great location for universal studios and it took a lot less time to get to wdw as well, i liked the location of this hotel , but the only thing we didnt like was the breakfasts the hot food was rubbish in the restaurant but they have a shop which sells coffee, donuts etc which was much better, they also have pizza and sandwiches later as well, the other hotel in I drive we stayed at was the quality inn plaza which is the other end on i drive, the food was great there and location was fab too, at the end of the day unless you are using the hotel facilities all the time then its just a place to rest your head. this year we are staying at the enclave suites which is next to the clarion and we have a 2 bedroomed apartment with kitchen, booked with TCD from glasgow,
as far are taking your kiddo out of school in june i would do it if mine were younger cos at that time of year they are winding down for the holidays our schools finish 27th june anyway and the dont seem to do much in june at all.

 

[PoppyAnna]

Lucky you
Any trip, even a budget one is a good thing.

We went in May and booked through VH - cost a fourtune, wouldn't do that again.
We had the chance of going again in October, if on a budget and it was a great trip. For four of us we paid £1100 for the flights with VA, £700 for a house in windsor hills, on top of that was car hire, park tickets and spending money. We managed on under £800 spending money, we ate well and really enjoyed ourselves - it can be done.

 

[stephensmum]

Great news - hope you can manage it, I'm sure you will.

 

[jen_uk]

Great news, hope you can book it

 

[MorningGlory]

Slight change to things now....

Went up and spoke to my dad about it today. He has had a think about it and has decided he doesn't want to go now due to personal health problems. However,on the proviso that I take my brother John with us, he will still pay for me and Junior!

So basically, on the same £2k budget, we just need flights for 3 people and 1 room which must be do-able surely? So, im thinking now about changing it to October as Junior gets the October week off, as i'd only need to keep him out for 1 week. And it would give us the all-important time need to save up

A couple of questions;

When would be the best time to book miles+money flights for October with Virgin?

What is the best website to go through to book hotel rooms? Both on and off-site would be good, as im thinking now about having a few days in one of the Disney hotels.

When would be the best time to book the rooms?

Any other ideas or info would be greatly appreciated My head's in a bit of a muddle right now, this has all come about totally unexpected

 

[Netty]

A couple of questions;

When would be the best time to book miles+money flights for October with Virgin?

What is the best website to go through to book hotel rooms? Both on and off-site would be good, as im thinking now about having a few days in one of the Disney hotels.

When would be the best time to book the rooms?:

Hi Paul, nice to see you back!
wayneg knows his stuff on getting a bargain, especially hotel rooms, sure he'll be along to help you!
Have you thought of a villa?
October's a nice time to go, as you get to be there over halloween which is great oh and of course you'll get to meet up with Sue
the weather is pleasant that time of year, still hot but bearable, we went last year 26th Oct-10th Nov, wore shorts and t shirts most of the time

 

[MorningGlory]

Hi Paul, nice to see you back!
wayneg knows his stuff on getting a bargain, especially hotel rooms, sure he'll be along to help you!
Have you thought of a villa?
October's a nice time to go, as you get to be there over halloween which is great oh and of course you'll get to meet up with Sue
the weather is pleasant that time of year, still hot but bearable, we went last year 26th Oct-10th Nov, wore shorts and t shirts most of the time

Hi Netty

Yeah, im hoping wayne or Obi turn up with some advice about hotels and flights I've had a think about a villa, and it's something im definitely not discounting. I seen one the other day when I was having a mooch around the net for $100 per day, with a pool (think it was in Windsor Palms, not sure). Is that a decent price for a villa anyone?

So far, i've been able to find flights with Virgin from Manchester on the 12th October. Miles+money was around £1250.

On bookit.com, we seen the Comfort Inn LBV for $68 a night inc. taxes, and the All Star resorts for approx. $120 per night. So, I was thinking 10 nights in the Comfort Inn ($680) and 4 nights at ASM ($480) which totals approx. £600. Added to the flights above, we would still be under budget

Does anyone think we will be able to better these prices? Even if it means waiting a month or 2 to book, or flying different airlines/staying in different hotels.

Im open to any and all suggestions

 

[scottishsue]

Paul, I've emailed you a list of web sites for hotel rooms.

We are staying at the Quality Inn Plaza for 2 nights before we move into Saratoga Springs.

Might be best to go through Virgin and get the whole package. I know they do the Quality Inn Plaza. We paid 1.8K for flights for 3 of us with Virgin, but that includes BMI Aberdeen to Manchester and Manchester/Orlando.

The rooms in QIP are round about £25/£30 a night so that would be about 2K if you did it that way. Expedia or lastminute.com are good for flights if you want to do it separately. But Virgin might do the whole package cheaper.

If you want to stay in Int. Drive we recommend QIP. Give us a call if you need any more info.

 

[scottishsue]

oh and of course you'll get to meet up with Sue

Don't frighten the poor boy Jeanette !!

Paul.............. you'll have to rely on wayneg for info from now on, Obi won't be coming back to this site.

 

[cherjp]

Don't frighten the poor boy Jeanette !!

Paul.............. you'll have to rely on wayneg for info from now on, Obi won't be coming back to this site.

OH NO

what will we do without Obi?

 

[wayneg]

The rooms in QIP are round about £25/£30 a night so that would be about 2K if you did it that way.

£25/£30/night Just priced it up for last 2 weeks in Oct £17.49/night incl.

Hi Paul.

Been looking at hotels for last 2 weeks in Oct(Is that when you want to go?) Like I say QIP as low as £17.49 or Value resort onsite £51.25. So many places to choose from, its cheap season in Oct. Comfort Inn LBV £19.15 incl breakfast Even the Marriott Grande Vista is under £50/night. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcogv-marriotts-grande-vista/
These prices include a 15% discount code I have, don't know when it will expire and 10% cashback thru rpoints(free) or Quidco(£5/year).

 

[Daysleeper40]

I have no helpful advice (apart from that we really enjoyed staying on I-Drive) but just wanted to say...


WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! How exciting! You LUCKY people, and would you mind letting my dad know how generous your dad is!

October definately sounds like a better option than June - I know you can do holidays on a tight budget but it can be a bit stressful having to think about how much you're spending all the time. At least October would mean an extra few months saving time.

 

[Netty]

OH NO

what will we do without Obi?

Thats a shame, I wonder why he isn't coming back He was such a great help -our very own Virgin Guru.
I've been here far too long now to leave so your stuck with me!

 

[MorningGlory]

£25/£30/night Just priced it up for last 2 weeks in Oct £17.49/night incl.

Hi Paul.

Been looking at hotels for last 2 weeks in Oct(Is that when you want to go?) Like I say QIP as low as £17.49 or Value resort onsite £51.25. So many places to choose from, its cheap season in Oct. Comfort Inn LBV £19.15 incl breakfast Even the Marriott Grande Vista is under £50/night. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcogv-marriotts-grande-vista/
These prices include a 15% discount code I have, don't know when it will expire and 10% cashback thru rpoints(free) or Quidco(£5/year).

Hi wayne, thanks for the info

What site are you going through to get those kind of prices? The price for the Comfort Inn and the Disney value resorts are much better than anything I have found

By the way, im looking at either 5-19th or 12-26th October.

Do you think £1250 for 2 adults 1 child is reasonable for the flights?

 

[Netty]

I personally think that for 3 of you the flight prices are great for that time of year, as its half term

 

[wayneg]

Yes I agree with Jeanette, I would book at that price(don't look again though )
Miles and money prices have not been great this year, hope they improve for next year.

Best prices I am finding just now is with Hotelopia (Tui/Thomsons) Use code 31245630 still working just now, that will give you 15% off. Then if you use Quidco or Rpoints you get 10% cashback (rpoints is 6% but will match Quidco's 10%)
They also have 3 bed villas on there from around £35/night after discounts
or http://www.caneislandrental.com/ 2 bed condo for about £27/night
We are staying Country Inn and suites in August, paid around £21/night incl breakfast and free internet access. see this thread about it http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1676497

Now you have too many options.