Help please with flights/accom possible 2012 trip

[Jayney73]

hia,
we are looking at going to WDW in August 2012..( hubby a teacher so no flexability there unfortunately).. have just got off the phone with a very nice lady from WDW and she is quoting me £4739 for 14 nights at OKW 2 bed for 5 of us( 4 adults and one 10 year old) with 14 day park tickets and DDP Is this a good price?
How much can I expect to pay for flights and when is the best time to book them? Who is the best to book with and do any operators fly into MCO so you can use Disney Express?
I would appreciate any help you can give as the planning is looking a bit daunting at the mo!! Thanks

 

[wayneg]

Never going to be cheap onsite booking for 5. Just checked Disney.co.uk you quote is correct: Total price for your party : £4,739.40
You can get 3% off this by using a cashback site, I use Quidco & Topcashback. That would get you £142.18 back.
Other option is Complete Orlando, their price would be: your total holiday cost is £4,423, £174.22 cheaper than Disney and no waiting 2 months for the cashback.

Someone sent me a PM a few days ago saying they got a good quote from Charter travel offering a standard room for 5 people at Port Orleans(not available on Disney UK or Complete Orlando) with free DDP, not in a same league as a 2 bed villa at OKW but would be a lot cheaper if its available.

Flights, all Scheduled carriers fly into MCO, charters into SFB.
Where you flying from? BA & Virgin are the only 2 to fly direct into MCO. Because they are the only 2 they charge high prices, expect around £800pp+. This year we have a VA Miles & Money rate, fly out economy, return PE for £880pp. Indirect expect around £700 but if you are patient of willing to fly from other UK airports or into other Florida airports you could find a bargain, its all down to patience and being flexible, I found a great rate for someone this August indirect London to MCO for £370pp but those price are very hard to find.

 

[Jayney73]

Thanks so much for helping very much appreciated.
We will probably fly out of Manchester, being our first time Im trying to make the whole holiday as simple as possible. The cheapest flights ive found so far are just over £4,000 for the five of us flying into Sanford from Manchester. But I think Ill wait a while and jusy keep crunching numbers and hope for a bargain!

Could I just ask if we stay at OKW and dont rent a car how easy would it be to get to Universal, can we book taxis there and back? and how much approx would it be?
Could you also recommend a good transfer company from Sanford if we cant get into MCO to use disney express.
Sorry for all the questions but from lurking on here recently you seem to be the one to ask and I will appreciate any help going.
I think we will probably book OKW as the place looks fab and for the five of us it seems it will be very roomy ;with 2 teenagers it isnt much fun all of us crammed in together and I dont mind paying a little more if we get the space and good accomodation.
Once again thanks.

 

[wayneg]

Sorry for all the questions but from lurking on here recently you seem to be the one to ask and I will appreciate any help going.

Even after 25 trips to Florida I still don't know everything, I never will, there are many on here who know more than me or know things I don't, for example the transfer from SFB, no experience with that, only flown into SFB once and we were not impressed, others don't mind it.
As for taxis to Universal, there is a guide on Mears website http://www.mearstransportation.com/services/taxi-fare-estimator.asp
OKW is close to Typhoon Lagoon to Universal is showing at $29 each way plus tip so expect around $70 return trip. I am sure there will be a way by bus but again I don't know, a trip to Orlando without a car is something we would not consider. Is it possible you could rent a car? Full size for 2 weeks would cost around £250+ petrol+ car parking(free at Disney if you stay at OKW) It is possible to do a trip without car but we do so much beyond Disney it would not work for us without one.
Just Googled and found this http://www.orlandocarriers.com/rates_sanford_uk.php
$280(no doubt plus tip) from Sanford to Disney round trip. Just with your airport transfers and 1 day at Universal you could be almost upto the cost of car rental for 2 weeks. Fly into MCO and Disney give you free transport so if you are not renting a car it might be worth paying slightly more into MCO.

 

[jesuslovesyou]

Complete Orlando (if you email them) will give you the 5 person room at POR

No difference in price if you ypgrade to ddp. a little cheaper than Charter travel if you have the quick dining plan.

 

[Jayney73]

Thanks for all the help
I really dont want to make the wrong decision with regards to flights and accomodation and going to Universal is important as we are all huge HP/Marvel fans
We will definately look to fly into MCO if possible and decide whether car rental or taxis are the best option.
Ive just emailed complete Orlando to give me a quote so will wait and see what they come back with, though hubby seems quite taken with OKW now!
we may try maybe 10 days at Disney and maybe 4 in a hotel closer to Universal if that is even possible (?) and cost efficient for us to do.

 

[Invisable89]

Universal Orlando has a few on-site hotels & staying at one has it's benefits!
My favourite on-site hotel there is the Hard Rock Hotel.

I would definitely suggest staying at an Universal Orlando Hotel if you're planning on visiting their parks over a few days (a must do if you're holidaying during August!).

 

[WiganTony]

To get to Universal from OKW by bus is a bit of a trek:

Disney bus from OKW to Downtown Disney, Lynx bus DTD to Seaworld, another Lynx Bus from Seaworld to Wet'n'Wild and a final Lynx Bus (or 5 mins taxi) to the Universal parking garage!!! This journey would probably take you around 90 minutes, whereas we have driven from Disney to Universal in around 25 minutes.

With regard to flights, I suspect that you would prefer direct flights. However, it may be worth checking the cost of indirect flights. Currently from Manchester there are options to travel to Orlando with American Airlines via Chicago or JFK, Delta via JFK or Atlanta, Continental via Newark, US Airways via Philadelphia, Aer Lingus via Dublin, and BA via Gatwick. I guess that only yourself can determine if the savings outweigh the increased overall journey times.

We've already booked OKW for next August and will start looking for flights from Manchester around mid-September - try using the flight search engines available on Opodo, Kayak etc. On Kayak, you can set up a daily e-mail giving you the best flight prices.

 

[Jayney73]

Thanks for that useful info I will def consider indirect flights and I have signed up for email alerts and quotes from various places.
.
We have def decided on OKW and are going to book it this week, from the great advice earlier we now also have to weigh up car hire against a mears shuttle bus for Universal. But now I know its at least do-able its not such as big stress as it was.
Next item on the check list working out the DDP...but at least we have a while to attempt to master that!!

 

[Li-sa]

We're staying at OKW, flying Virgin this August. We got a good deal with discount on OKW with free DDP by booking last October. Flight were expensive, but we figured that it was worth paying extra to fly direct.

We''ll have no car and will be doing one day at universal to see WWHP. I think we''l be taking a Mears taxi, as that seems the best option for us.

 

[Howellsy]

We've never rented a car so I can let you know my experience sans car.

On the matter of Sanford transportation - my parents fly into SFB every year and do their transfers through American Coaches, which was $52 pp for a round trip on a coach, but they have lots of options for larger groups.

Also, we normally get the Mears shuttle bus to Universal for approx $17 pp roundtrip but again, with more people it's definitely worth the taxi fare (we've also done this and it's normally around $70 as Wayne says).

Always get the Lynx bus to Seaworld though as this trip isn't as long and confusing as the Universal one but it is still possible to visit Universal by bus.

As for flights, my August flights this year were £640 return Heathrow-Miami-Orlando/Orlando-Boston-Heathrow with Delta, whilst my parents got theirs for around £700 Bristol-SFB, which is far more convenient as we're from the Cardiff area.

 

[ToonTagTrolleyDollie]

We're flying First Choice from Manchester this August and July 2012 (5 of us, Premium both ways) with a minivan (for luggage purposes, and because we're cool like that ) for £5201.80 and £4595 respectively. July is cheaper because we leave before schools break up
FC flys into Sanford and, although I have never visited Florida without a rental car before so can't comment on the ME etc., Sanford is a much more chilled and well organised airport, although it is further away. If you upgrade to premium you also get use of the VIP lounge on the way home, which is beautiful with free drinks, snacks, dvds, playstation, internet, TV and magazines! If you're renting a vehicle, this could well be the way to go
We flew Delta a few years ago, which meant travelling via Atlanta airport. I would strongly recommend NOT putting yourself through this! It is the busiest airport in the states, and possibly the world, and we almost missed a connecting flight to MCO with a 3 AND A HALF HOUR CUSHION between landing and boarding because of the queues. It isn't worth the stress!
I love having a rental, because it means flexibility for us when we want to visit the mall, or US/IOA, we pick the time, and it can be as spontaneous as we like! One day on last year's trip, we decided at 8.30 in the evening that we wanted to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, so we just got in the car and went and did it, simple as that If Disney transport is enough for you, then it probably isn't worth the expense, but if you plan on visiting the attractions off property more than once, it is well worth it
Finally, you may have noticed that we take an annual trip to the World if this is something you're interested in, why not go later in August, and in July the following year, and get annual passes? It's cheaper than 2 lots of 14 day passes, it's free parking if you have a rental, and you get discounts everywhere plus it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling of being a special member of the Disney family (maybe that's just me! ). We actually have both Disney and Universal APs for the next two trips
Hope this helps, rather than confuses, and let me know if you have any questions! x

 

[Jayney73]

Thanks for that, just trying to get my head round it all there is alot to sort and plan DLP is much easier!! But at least we have a year yet