Never been to Florida, where to start???!!!

[brandysticks]

Hi all, I am new to the board, just have loads of questions on planning a Florida holiday-never been before and don't know where to start-just all seems so daunting!

So.. originally I was planning on waiting until the kids are 6 and 9 (both old enough to swim with the dolphins and young enough to count as child price) to do a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip, which takes us to 2017 (seems ages off but will need at least a couple of years to save) but now I'm getting 'itchy-feet' and considering bringing it forward to 2015 (as a 30th birthday celebration for myself!).The kids will only be 6-7/4-5 but was thinking I would maybe just take them for a 7 night 'taster' holiday on a budget and return again when they're a bit older to do Discovery Cove,Universal (if not done the first time-I'd love to see Harry Potter world (and get my own wand from Ollivanders!) but kids don't have a clue about Harry Potter, and Kennedy Space Centre (maybe more suited to slightly older children?). Anyway, I'm just going to list my questions and if any of you seasoned Florida travellers can help answer any of them that would be great!

1) Is 6 and 4 too young to be worth it?(stress of jet-lag, long flight etc)
2) Best flight times? Overnight??
3) How do you deal with jet-lag?
4) I understand that my husband may need to apply for a visa due to a couple of previous dealings with the police for minor offences as a teenager - how do I go about this and do I sort the visa 1st before booking holiday-as want to book holiday as early as possible before travelling but want visa to still be valid
5)hotel or villa?(and best area to stay in-ID,Kissimee,Lake Buena Vista)
6)driving or shuttle-bus? (got friends who swear by self-drive/villa but others who swear by hotel/shuttle bus-me personally I can see advantage of a villa for a longer stay but scared of driving abroad and cost of parking at parks puts me off.
7)what parks are actually there-I'm so confused!!!!Isle of aventure/epcot/seaworld etc etc and ticket options for them.
8)Best time of year to go (crowds,weayher etc)?Don't want to take kids out of school so was thinking either easter, may half term or October half term.
9) Is a week as a 1st introduction long enough if it means we can go sooner and twice?!
10) Best place to book through
Sure I will have loads more questions as I start planning properly!Just need to start saving the money now!Thanks

Just wanted to add been looking for ideas of prices for October 2015 on Virgin Holidays there seem to be lots of options for October 2014 for around £2500 for flights and accommodation for a week which I thought was reasonable.

 

[torsie24]

I'm on my phone so can't do a huge reply. And someone will be along soon an answer everything.

But

I wanted to say Welcome!! You're definitely in the right place. There's a LOT to learn about a trip to Orlando but you'll get there.

My advice would be to start by getting a guide book (best I'd say is the Brits Guide to Orlando) and read that.

It'll give you a great overview of what there is to see and do. X

 

[LauraDaveCharlie]

Hi,

You definitely have a lot of questions!! I can give you some idea on most but I am sure you will get lots of other opinions too

I would recommend buying the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World as this will give you lots of information in depth and you will feel much more knowledgeable after reading that.

1. I don't think 6 and 4 are too young. We have taken our son at 3, 4, 5 and 6 and he has loved every trip and we have all had a great time. I think the key is realistic expectations, being organised and going with what your children need when you are there. They will not be able to keep up the pace two adults on their own would and it will only make you miserable to try. The time difference means that you will be awake very early for the first few days. Particularly when Charlie was younger we were out early for park opening, stayed until approx. 2pm-3pm and then called it a day with relaxing by the pool and an early evening meal. This worked perfectly for us. Last year we added the odd later night in the park too and he just about coped!

2.Most flights go out by lunchtime and get you there late afternoon (if direct). Indirect it can depend on your connection but you save a fortune doing it this way - especially in school hols. Ideally you want to be in Orlando early evening as they are five hours behind and it can make for a very long travel day - especially with kids! Your flight back will be overnight - I find this a necessary evil but hate it! You will usually come back early evening and be back in the UK early morning.

3.Personally I don't have a problem with jet lag on the way out. I love being awake early on the first morning full of excitement for the start of your holiday. I do find we need to be in bed not long after 9pm on the first few days. Coming back is, I find, much harder. It takes me ages to recover - a week really. No tips apart from try to sleep on the plane, try to stay awake when you get back until a normal UK bedtime and force your body back into UK time - it's painful!!

4. Not sure about this one - hopefully someone else can help

5. Most people on here stay at the WDW resort - wonderful but generally more expensive than offsite. We personally love the Port Orleans French Quarter best but visited the Art of Animation Resort last year and loved it - could be great for your little ones. With this you get a free shuttle from the airport and all your transport on buses, monorails and boats at WDW so you don't need a car. We have done the villa twice and loved that too - great space and own pool with kids. But you do have to drive. It's easy but no point in doing it if it's going to stress you. Other choice for us is one of the Marriott Village at Lake Buena Vista hotels - great budget friendly hotels in a super location.

6. see above!

7. WDW is the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach waterparks. You get a multiday pass for these. Then Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are on a different multiday pass. There is also LEGOLAND (not been) and Sea World and Discovery Cove - all separate from WDW and Universal resorts.

8. If you have to go in school hols (I do!) I would personally choose the last two weeks in August. It's hot, relatively quiet and a bit cheaper. Easter is very busy and very expensive. Spring bank weekend is busy (US Memorial Day is a bank holiday weekend) so October would be a better choice.

9. Personally I don't think one week is long enough for a first visit. Getting there is the most expensive bit and the WDW tickets are usually the same price (or only slightly more) for two weeks rather than one. With some careful budgeting and some compromise you needn't spend a lot more for a second week.

10. Cheapest way is usually to book all your parts separately especially in schools hols. But we did get a great deal through Thomas Cook one year that was a package.

Finally I would say that Kennedy is for kids older than yours unless they are space nuts. Personally I also think the same of Universal although some will disagree. I am not saying they wouldn't enjoy parts but a lot of it is pretty scary or height restricted. I think around 8 or 9 is probably the best age to start with Universal.

Hope all this helps - happy planning!!

 

[royal99]

Hi, Welcome

Others are far more knowledgeable than me and will be along soon but thought I would try and answer some of your questions. Just to say as well I started going in 1996 and the first time is always the best as its all so new. Ever since then I have been around 8 times and done onsite, offsite and villa so can give some advice:

Questions:

1: perfect ages to go. Jet lag on the way is fine you just head to bed early on the first night and your be up early the next day ready to start your holiday. You may need a couple of days after the holiday to recover but nothing major.

2. Flight times 99% of the time are late morning departure arriving mid/late afternoon, with return overnight on way back arriving early the next day.

3. Jet lag is not a major issue for me as its only 5 hours, others may have advice

4.Aplogies cant answer on visa others will

5/6 This is a difficult one to answer. If your just basing yourself at disney then you wont need a car but if your venturing to other parks and attractions and want to eat away from disney then its a must. You get advantages to staying at all three options, but main ones are:

Disney hotels: free transport, extra park hours, good standard of hotel disadvantage its much more expensive

off site hotel: main one is cheaper, you don't get disney over load. Disadvantage you need a car

Villa: privacy, can save money on cooking yourself and obviously you get a house not just a room and for big families its works out a lot cheaper

You cant say which is best all I say is look at all three options and decide whats best for you and your budget.

7. Disneyworld is massive as big as a city. Four theme parks, Magic kingdom,Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney studios. It also has two water parks, downtown disney and many hotels and other smaller attractions so as you can see its massive. It also has its own transport system to get people around.

Universal is a few miles away and has Universal Studios and Islands of adventure and other attractions.

Then you have Seaworld and Discovery Cove! And top of that lots of smaller attractions.

As you can see its massive. To do it properly you need three weeks. So my advice is if you can afford it do two weeks and Just do Disney then if you can afford to return and do a little bit Disney and the other attractions. The two universal parks have more attractions for older children but are as good as as the disney parks and have added attraction of Harry Potter.

Personally I would say a week holiday is not worth it, it would to rushed and not as enjoyable. I would wait until you could afford two weeks.

Some people plan every second of the day, my advice yes you need to plan but you also need to rest and enjoy the parks and the resort, hence the two weeks, you don't want to leave the holiday needing a holiday!

Couple of other things you save money on travel via indirect but with under 10's I would advise to go direct, its worth the extra bit of money.

Also buy the Brits guide to Orlando it will really help you.

Happy planning

 

[bazzanoid]

Totally agree with the above posters.... Quick links for those books:

Unofficial Guide

Brits Guide

With regards to the visa, the specific question on the visa waiver that is relevant is this:

Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or have been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or have been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities?

If your husband can answer that question with a No, then he will not need a visa. A caution will be as the result of an arrest (as far as the US are concerned), so he will answer yes if the caution was for drugs or a crime of moral turpitude such as fraud etc. and therefore need a visa.

All travellers who can go on the visa waiver program need to apply for an ESTA from esta.cbp.dhs.gov before travelling. Costs $14 each and is valid for two years.

 

[brandysticks]

Just wanted to say thanks for all your quick and informative replies.i will def look at the 2 books suggested.will consider perhaps a 10 day trip then but will look at the price difference for 2 weeks.thinking end August or October half term 2015.when do you think I'd be able to book for then?

 

[torsie24]

Flights normally become available at 11 months out. So I tend to book my flights first and then within the same week or so get my accommodation all sorted.

 

[chmurf]

1) Is 6 and 4 too young to be worth it?(stress of jet-lag, long flight etc)

no, not too young. They'll probably even cope better than you

2) Best flight times? Overnight??

you don't have much of a choice.
To Orlando you'll get a morning or mid afternoon flight, landing in Orlando between 4pm and midnight (I would suggest to take a flight that lands mid-afternoon)
the journey back will take off between noon and 8pm, and land in the UK very early morning (or around noon) the next day

3) How do you deal with jet-lag?

Do not go to bed early on your first night.
If you land in Orlando at 5pm, it can be tempting to go to bed at 8 or 9pm (it would be 1 or 2am UK time by then) but you'd wake up at silly o'clock and then really feel the jet lag early in the afternoon. Try to stay up until 10 or 11pm.

4) I understand that my husband needs to apply for a visa due to a couple of previous police cautions for minor offences as a teenager - how do I go about this and do I sort the visa 1st before booking holiday-as want to book holiday as early as possible before travelling but want visa to still be valid

getting a Visa can be a very long process, especially if he gets several interviews. I would suggest to apply for a visa as soon as possible.
Also make sure that the minor offences on his record do disqualify him for ESTA. Check with the Embassy. Read the guidelines on the CBP website.

5)hotel or villa?(and best area to stay in-ID,Kissimee,Lake Buena Vista)

If you're booking far enough in advance, try to go for a Disney hotel deal. It will be more magical for the kids, and as it's a first time you'll be taken care of by the Disney CMs instead of trying to figure your way around the orlando area.
That would be my advice anyway.

6)driving or shuttle-bus? (got friends who swear by self-drive/villa but others who swear by hotel/shuttle bus-me personally I can see advantage of a villa for a longer stay but scared of driving abroad and cost of parking at parks puts me off.

I don't rely on hotel shuttles. I'd rather drive. (Or stay onsite and take the disney bus, but TBH I stay onsite and drive anyway - parkings are free is you stay onsite.)

7)what parks are actually there-I'm so confused!!!!Isle of aventure/epcot/seaworld etc etc and ticket options for them.

WDW : Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Downtown Disney.
Universal : Universal Studios, Island of Adventure, Citywalk
Seaworld : Seaworld, Discovery Cove (+ Busch Gardens in Tampa)
plus other parks and attractions (Gatorland, Kennedy Space Center, Wet'n'wild, etc)

one thing is for sure, you won't be able to see it all.
If you're going just for a "taster", then stick to one location. With 10 days you barely have time to scratch the surface with Disneyworld only.

8)Best time of year to go (crowds,weayher etc)?Don't want to take kids out of school so was thinking either easter, may half term or October half term.

Easter can get crazy busy. I'd rather go in October

9) Is a week as a 1st introduction long enough if it means we can go sooner and twice?!

to be blunt : no.
The main cost factor in your trip will be the airfare and the park tickets.
Going twice means twice the airfaire, and twice the tickets.
If you get WDTC-UK's ultimate tickets for 14 days, you'll get them for the price of 7 days. Meaning that, from a ticket price standpoint, you get a second week free if you stay longer.

with one week you'll probably rush through the parks. You'll be first timers so you'll lose a big amount of time trying to figure the place out. If you're staying offsite you'll also spend a good amount of time on the roads (shuttles or car) you will have a harder time getting back to your accomodation for breaks (very important with young kids)
So I think you'll definitely need to allow yourself more florida time.

Going twice for a week each time will cost you more than going for 3 weeks at a time.
Also consider that going to florida will eat about 2.5 days of your time (talking about the days off you'll need to take from work) If you go 2 times 1 week, 5 of those days will be spent in airports, transfers and transportation. You'll see that it's absolutely not worth it going sooner or more often.

 

[MrRomance]

Hi all, I am new to the board, just have loads of questions on planning a Florida holiday-never been before and don't know where to start-just all seems so daunting!

So.. originally I was planning on waiting until the kids are 6 and 9 (both old enough to swim with the dolphins and young enough to count as child price) to do a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip, which takes us to 2017 (seems ages off but will need at least a couple of years to save) but now I'm getting 'itchy-feet' and considering bringing it forward to 2015 (as a 30th birthday celebration for myself!).The kids will only be 6-7/4-5 but was thinking I would maybe just take them for a 7 night 'taster' holiday on a budget and return again when they're a bit older to do Discovery Cove,Universal (if not done the first time-I'd love to see Harry Potter world (and get my own wand from Ollivanders!) but kids don't have a clue about Harry Potter, and Kennedy Space Centre (maybe more suited to slightly older children?). Anyway, I'm just going to list my questions and if any of you seasoned Florida travellers can help answer any of them that would be great!

1) Is 6 and 4 too young to be worth it?(stress of jet-lag, long flight etc)
2) Best flight times? Overnight??
3) How do you deal with jet-lag?
4) I understand that my husband needs to apply for a visa due to a couple of previous police cautions for minor offences as a teenager - how do I go about this and do I sort the visa 1st before booking holiday-as want to book holiday as early as possible before travelling but want visa to still be valid
5)hotel or villa?(and best area to stay in-ID,Kissimee,Lake Buena Vista)
6)driving or shuttle-bus? (got friends who swear by self-drive/villa but others who swear by hotel/shuttle bus-me personally I can see advantage of a villa for a longer stay but scared of driving abroad and cost of parking at parks puts me off.
7)what parks are actually there-I'm so confused!!!!Isle of aventure/epcot/seaworld etc etc and ticket options for them.
8)Best time of year to go (crowds,weayher etc)?Don't want to take kids out of school so was thinking either easter, may half term or October half term.
9) Is a week as a 1st introduction long enough if it means we can go sooner and twice?!
10) Best place to book through
Sure I will have loads more questions as I start planning properly!Just need to start saving the money now!Thanks

Just wanted to add been looking for ideas of prices for October 2015 on Virgin Holidays there seem to be lots of options for October 2014 for around £2500 for flights and accommodation for a week which I thought was reasonable.

First of all and welcome! The first piece of advice I have is take a deep breath and don't worry, it's not as daunting as you think and you've come to the right place. There are so many experienced and helpful DISer's that can help you out!

6 & 4 are actually great ages for kids to go. They are old enough to cope but still young enough to be absolutely amazed by it. The older they get the more tainted they become because of their desire to be mini grown ups!

Transatlantic flights (and even indirect) are almost always day flights. They usually depart between 10am and 1pm and arrive in Orlando 4pm - 6pm. With little ones, direct is probably easier because getting through immigration, customs etc. in another state and catching a connecting flight is stressful enough for adults, let alone kids. It's doable with a connection, but much easier if you go direct. If you go charter (with a tour operator such as Thomson or Airtours) you'll go direct, if you go scheduled the 2 airlines that go direct are BA and Virgin.

Some people don't experience jet lag but the biggest tip I can give you for dealing with it is get yourself on Florida time as quickly as possible. Travel day can be a long day, especially if you have a very early start to catch the plane. By the time you arrive at your resort, it will be around midnight UK time and 7pm in Florida. Have the kids take a nap on the plane for the last few hours, they'll be tired anyway because it will be their usual bed time and it will give them the boost they need to stay up when you get to the hotel. Try to stay up until your usual home bed time and you should fall into FL time quite easily.

I also have to apply for a visa because my wife is from the US and years ago they denied me entry because they thought I was not going to leave again! The process is quite intimidating and make sure you get all of your paperwork in order beforehand. Whether or not to book your holiday before you get the visa is a difficult one. The embassy will tell you not to book travel until you've been approved, but the visa form requires you to tell them your travel plans, where you're staying, when you're travelling etc. and if you can't answer their questions, they are more likely to decline your application. There is no right answer on this one, but as someone who has been through the visa process 5 times and been declined twice...my honest advice would be to prepare well for the interview and have EVERY piece of information with you because you never know what they'll ask. If there are no convictions only cautions, you're in a better position, because when I was last at the embassy applying for my visa, I saw a lot of people denied visas with minor convictions for shoplifting 10 years previous.

If you are apprehensive with driving then staying on-site is your best option (but won't be your cheapest!). You can get the Magical Express at the airport that will take you to your resort and then you'll have all the Disney transport to get you around.

There are 4 Disney Parks, 2 at Universal, Sea World, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens (Tampa) and water parks (Wet & Wild, Aquatica). For a short trip (7 days) I would say just do the Disney parks, if you go for 14 days, then you can get a multi park ticket (Orlando Flex Ticket) that will cover the others.

If you want low crowds, then don't go at Easter. October or Feb half term are pretty good times to go.

Personally, I like to book directly with the Disney Travel Company. They have consistently been cheaper than Virgin over the last few years. If I were in your position, I'd probably go for a 14 night trip (they are not that much more expensive than 7 nights) booking with Disney directly with an on-site stay but it won't be the cheapest option, just the most convenient and easy to manage.

Good Luck

 

[Tony Toon]

Hi - welcome to Disboards. As you have obviously discovered you are in the right place to have your questions answered. Having said that we all have different tastes and what works for some ....

A lot of your questions have been answered already but there are some things you can ponder.

A car has advantages and disadvantages. I personally love to have a car at my disposal as it opens up so many opportunities. Driving in Florida is not difficult although I can understand your initial nervousness. You will be amazed just how quickly get used to it. The automatic gear box takes a lot of the concern away imo. You are free to go shopping at your leisure at the many spectacular malls. The off site restaurants are considerably cheaper than their WDW counterparts. For instance last year we spent 2 weeks onsite with free dining and then 2 weeks in a villa eating in local restaurants (off site restaurants could be your next question). The free dining was fantastic BUT we found we spent more on tips which are not included, than we did during the second fortnight for our entire meals. Although we regularly stay in a villa we rarely eat in as the local restaurants are so inexpensive (we stay near Formosa Gardens off the US192).
Someone said that the first visit is the best and yes the impact is something you will never forget - but - you WILL waste a lot of time finding your way about, even between attractions. Subsequent visits will be even better as you will have acquired a lot of knowledge you can't read about in books.

Don't forget that you can eat in any of the hotels/resorts. not just in the parks - and they are worth a visit.

Christmas/Easter is very busy but Easter weather is perfect as is October, our recommendation. Summer is very warm and humid but is the time we visit most frequently as it suits with school hols.

Must dash just now but keep the questions coming.

 

[brandysticks]

Thanks for all the wonderful tips.I will look at pricing up both a 10 and 14 night trip and see. I am hoping I can save the money to make it for 2015 but will just start saving and see how I go!
With the visa thing someone mentioned about making sure your paperwork is correct - how to you get details of cautions etc? My husband is not sure what is on his police record but thinks there may be a couple of cautions on there (oops ) all for minor things when he was a teenager needless to say he has since grown up and not been in any further trouble for a good number of years now.

 

[Tony Toon]

Hi - welcome to Disboards. As you have obviously discovered you are in the right place to have your questions answered. Having said that we all have different tastes and what works for some ....

A lot of your questions have been answered already but there are some things you can ponder.

A car has advantages and disadvantages. I personally love to have a car at my disposal as it opens up so many opportunities. Driving in Florida is not difficult although I can understand your initial nervousness. You will be amazed just how quickly get used to it. The automatic gear box takes a lot of the concern away imo. A car means you are free to go shopping at your leisure at the many spectacular malls. The off site restaurants are considerably cheaper than their WDW counterparts. For instance last year we spent 2 weeks onsite with free dining and then 2 weeks in a villa eating in local restaurants (off site restaurants could be your next question). The free dining was fantastic BUT we found we spent more on tips which are not included, than we did during the second fortnight for our entire meals. Although we regularly stay in a villa we rarely eat in as the local restaurants are so inexpensive (we stay near Formosa Gardens off the US192).
Someone said that the first visit is the best and yes the impact is something you will never forget - but - you WILL waste a lot of time finding your way about, even between attractions. Subsequent visits will be even better as you will have acquired a lot of knowledge you can't read about in books.

Don't forget that you can eat in any of the hotels/resorts. not just in the parks - and they are worth a visit.

Christmas/Easter is very busy but Easter weather is perfect as is October, our recommendation. Summer is very warm and humid but is the time we visit most frequently as it suits with school hols.

One last thing I'm sure everyone would agree - 1 week is not enough at any time.

Must dash just now but keep the questions coming.

 

[Tony Toon]

Sorry about the double post, the first one appeared to not go.

 

[bex7583]

Totally agree with the above posters.... Quick links for those books:

Unofficial Guide

Brits Guide

With regards to the visa, the specific question on the visa waiver that is relevant is this:



If your husband can answer that question with a No, then he will not need a visa. A caution will be as the result of an arrest (as far as the US are concerned), so he will answer yes if the caution was for drugs or a crime of moral turpitude such as fraud etc. and therefore need a visa.

All travellers who can go on the visa waiver program need to apply for an ESTA from esta.cbp.dhs.gov before travelling. Costs $14 each and is valid for two years.

my partner could answer no to all those esta questions but i was further advised that by been arrested in the past he was unable to travel with a esta as he did not qualify for the visa waiver ?

i found the whole process very stressful and expensive !! he had to pay to get police records prior to even applying !!

however there is so much conflicting advice its hard to know whats the best thing to do , most describe it as a grey area ? the usa embassay website says you do need one then other advisory official pages say its possible to go without if you can honestly answer a no to the esta !!

i would pay to get a copy of his records the embassy website will have a link , we got dhs and he was expecting it to have a lot more on it than was actually listed he was 13-15 for most of his convictions???so looks like some were removed?
then decide you may find they are no longer even recorded if he was a young teenager xx

after reading everything and spending hours he decided to not start a visa application !! i admit as our holiday date is getting nearer i am nervous !!

 

[MrRomance]

Thanks for all the wonderful tips.I will look at pricing up both a 10 and 14 night trip and see. I am hoping I can save the money to make it for 2015 but will just start saving and see how I go!
With the visa thing someone mentioned about making sure your paperwork is correct - how to you get details of cautions etc? My husband is not sure what is on his police record but thinks there may be a couple of cautions on there (oops ) all for minor things when he was a teenager (1 does include a caution for possession of waccy baccy)-why couldn't he just be a law-abiding citizen like me when he was younger?!needless to say he has since grown up and not been in any further trouble for a good number of years now.

You absolutely need to get your paperwork ducks in a row and I always like to be honest with people and say that the experience is really quite intimidating. The one thing you can be sure of with consular officers (and immigration officers at the port of entry) is that they are by the book and many of them have had a sense of humour bypass!

You will need to review the US Embassy website. The visa you're looking for is a non-immigrant (B Visa). Gather as much information as you can because the information lie you have to call for information (and to set a visa appointment) is charged at EXTORTIONATE rates, so the minimal amount of the time on the phone is best.

As my applications were not due to police cautions, I never had to get my police record but the embassy will tell you what you need to get. I believe you can go to your police station and ask for your record. It used to be £10 but I don't know how much it is now.

I would suggest that you find out what is on the record because if it was considered youth "offences" it may have cleared his record now. Trust me when I say if he doesn't need a visa, it'll be a lot less stressful!

Make sure he can prove all of the following:

Ties to the UK
Financial ties (mortgage etc)
Social ties (stable address, employment, family ties etc)

I would also suggest that if he can get character references from his employer they will definitely help, but one of the things you will have to prove is that you have enough ties to the UK that you are not a risk for staying in the US or overstaying your visa.

I am sending you a PM that explains the process.

 

[brandysticks]

my partner could answer no to all those esta questions but i was further advised that by been arrested in the past he was unable to travel with a esta as he did not qualify for the visa waiver ?

i found the whole process very stressful and expensive !! he had to pay to get police records prior to even applying !!

however there is so much conflicting advice its hard to know whats the best thing to do , most describe it as a grey area ? the usa embassay website says you do need one then other advisory official pages say its possible to go without if you can honestly answer a no to the esta !!

i would pay to get a copy of his records the embassy website will have a link , we got dhs and he was expecting it to have a lot more on it than was actually listed he was 13-15 for most of his convictions???so looks like some were removed?
then decide you may find they are no longer even recorded if he was a young teenager xx

after reading everything and spending hours he decided to not start a visa application !! i admit as our holiday date is getting nearer i am nervous !!

Thank you I will look at the link and start by getting a copy of his criminal record then and go from there!

 

[MrRomance]

my partner could answer no to all those esta questions but i was further advised that by been arrested in the past he was unable to travel with a esta as he did not qualify for the visa waiver ?

i found the whole process very stressful and expensive !! he had to pay to get police records prior to even applying !!

however there is so much conflicting advice its hard to know whats the best thing to do , most describe it as a grey area ? the usa embassay website says you do need one then other advisory official pages say its possible to go without if you can honestly answer a no to the esta !!

i would pay to get a copy of his records the embassy website will have a link , we got dhs and he was expecting it to have a lot more on it than was actually listed he was 13-15 for most of his convictions???so looks like some were removed?
then decide you may find they are no longer even recorded if he was a young teenager xx

after reading everything and spending hours he decided to not start a visa application !! i admit as our holiday date is getting nearer i am nervous !!

Be aware that appointments can be booked up for months. I ran into this problem and had to travel to the Dublin embassy to get an appointment in time! I don't know when you're travelling but don't leave it too long because I read somewhere (the DIBB I think) that they are referring a lot of applications for extra screening with homeland security that is taking months to resolve.

I'd hate for you to miss your trip!

 

[brandysticks]

Be aware that appointments can be booked up for months. I ran into this problem and had to travel to the Dublin embassy to get an appointment in time! I don't know when you're travelling but don't leave it too long because I read somewhere (the DIBB I think) that they are referring a lot of applications for extra screening with homeland security that is taking months to resolve.

I'd hate for you to miss your trip!

Thanks got your pm but wouldn't let me pm you back as I'm such a newbie to the boards!Thank you for explaining the process in such great detail-very helpful! We do not have a trip booked yet-hoping to book 2014 for 2015 but wanted to look into this issue now rather than leaving it until nearer the time. I will start by getting my husband to request a copy of his criminal record from the police station and go from there. Thanks again for all your help.