We're back! with questions.....

[alibeau]

Hi Guys

We are back, landed yesterday morning so just getting ourselves sorted out!

We had a wonderful time, going for 19 days was fab and we will definately want to go for the full 3 weeks next time

Our highlights would be
Seaworld on our first day, we dined with Shamu (apologies as I know this is a 'hot' topic)
Lunch at T-Rex (expensive but the food was super and the girls loved the whole dinosaur theme)
Soaring (our first time on it as the queue's have always been too long previously)
And the girls going on test track

Lowlights are
The weather
The weather and
The weather.... don't get me wrong, we had a great time but it was just so chilly, at this point I find it hard to picture going back again in Feb even though on our two previous trips in Feb we had great weather....

So this leads me to a couple of questions...

For our 2011 trip we definately want to do three weeks. It's not so much to do with the parks, we just love being in Florida. We love the sunshine and the restaurants and being able to go out without having to get 'dressed up'....

So we are considering August - are we mad??
We will only be doing a couple of days at the parks the rest will just be a 'pool' holiday.... Would we be better off staying further away from the parks, would restaurants be quieter etc? we have stayed at St Pete's Beach many years ago, can't remember much about it TBH..... Could we fly to Miami instead? Would love to hear any feedback from people who have stayed elsewhere?

We want to fly PE next time but if we go for three weeks, does that mean we will miss out on the better prices that may be sold first as we can't book til our return date becomes available?

Any advice for going in August? We had our first european holiday to Spain last August and found that we coped with the heat quite well and just stayed out of the sun at the hottest times, can you compare the August heat in Spain to Florida?

Thanks guys and at least for those who are travelling soon, the weather seems to have picked up, pretty much from the day we left

Toodles

Ali

PS Wish me luck, I'm off to start on the washing

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Ali,

Glad you had a great time

Weather? Tell me about it, we went early March in 2005 and it was extremely cool in the morning and evening, unfortunatley the early months can be unpredictable.

I don't think August is the ideal time to go by any means, though that is when we have been the most including this year.
Mainly down to high flight prices and high temperatures. It is extremely hot and humid, and touring the parks can be difficult especially with children. However, if you can visit parks at cooler and quieter times of the day, take plenty of shelter in the shops/attractions etc it can be made tolerable.
Getting there for park opening is vital in my opinion, as you get a good 2 hours or so before the crowds build and the temperature really starts to rise.

Mid August onwards tends to be quieter, I don't think where you stay really matters, generally we are in a villa around Kissimmee.
With a 3 week holiday personally I think a few days at the coast would be a great idea and is something we have done many times.

Clearwater and St Pete's have some of the best beaches in Florida and provide a good contrast from Orlando, I prefer that coast to the likes of Daytona on the east side.
Even further on down Naples is just fab in my opinion, a longer drive, but totally laid back, classy and refined.

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

Welcome home! We have always been in the summer as it is the only time I can get three weeks off. Although it is hot and busy I can't imagine anything better to do! Go for it, especially if it is mostly a pool holiday.

 

[wilma-bride]

We have been in August once before and, yes, the heat and humidity can be very draining. HOWEVER, if you get to the parks early and take a break during the hottest part of the day, returning early evening it's very manageable.

More importantly, did you do Philharmagic?

 

[dgutte]

I live in Spain and the Floridian weather last May was about as hot as I experience in Spain in August BUT, the humidity was unbelievable. Spanish summers are dry in terms of humidity but in Florida it really took your breath away.

 

[alibeau]

Hi Ali,

Glad you had a great time

Weather? Tell me about it, we went early March in 2005 and it was extremely cool in the morning and evening, unfortunatley the early months can be unpredictable.

I don't think August is the ideal time to go by any means, though that is when we have been the most including this year.
Mainly down to high flight prices and high temperatures. It is extremely hot and humid, and touring the parks can be difficult especially with children. However, if you can visit parks at cooler and quieter times of the day, take plenty of shelter in the shops/attractions etc it can be made tolerable.
Getting there for park opening is vital in my opinion, as you get a good 2 hours or so before the crowds build and the temperature really starts to rise.

Mid August onwards tends to be quieter, I don't think where you stay really matters, generally we are in a villa around Kissimmee.
With a 3 week holiday personally I think a few days at the coast would be a great idea and is something we have done many times.

Clearwater and St Pete's have some of the best beaches in Florida and provide a good contrast from Orlando, I prefer that coast to the likes of Daytona on the east side.
Even further on down Naples is just fab in my opinion, a longer drive, but totally laid back, classy and refined.

CLASSY AND REFINED - We'd best give Naples a miss then

Thanks for your reply Johnny, we seem to go around in circles a bit when it comes to an August holiday. We really want to return to Florida but only want to do a couple of days at the parks, so we ask ourselves should we just go to Europe instead But we just love being in Florida. Anyway I've had a couple of villa quotes for Windsor Hills and Formosa Gardens for Aug 2011 and they seem pretty good so I think I have already decided.....

I just get very uneasy about planning so far ahead, so much can happen in near on 18 months, I feel as though I am taking for granted that everything will be ok when the time comes, gosh that sounds like I am a doom monger

Ali

 

[alibeau]

We have been in August once before and, yes, the heat and humidity can be very draining. HOWEVER, if you get to the parks early and take a break during the hottest part of the day, returning early evening it's very manageable.

More importantly, did you do Philharmagic?

Hiya Joh,

Only planning on literally a couple of days at the parks next trip, so I think I am just going to take the plunge and get a villa booked for Aug.....

YES, we did Philharmagic.... We (the grown ups) loved it, the girls were ok with it but didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, they literally jump out of their skins when anything comes towards them from the screen So I guess we'll just keep on trying each time we go and see if they change their minds as they get older!!!

Ali

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

I've been in August and while the heat wasn't too bad, the constant rain was. Last three visits have all been made in May and all three visits have been blessed with glorious sunny weather and very little or no rain. Crowds where moderate as opposed to busy August which is also a very big bonus.

I can heartily agree that three weeks is a great amount of time to be away for and it's great to see people trudging off with their suitcases while you still have a week left. Sadly for the next 15 years I'll be reduced to being one of those unhappy peeps who leave after two weeks (blooming work changed my conditions).

 

[UKDEB]

unfortunatley the early months can be unpredictable.

We've visited in virtually every month and the one thing you can rely on is that the weather is unpredictable whenever you go . Statistically August should be hot and humid with hourly showers, but we've never experienced that typical summer weather. One year, the last 3 days of our trip were washed out by relentless rain; in 2000, we didn't see rain during the day, but it set it around 5pm each evening and didn't let up (we also had a similar experience in May 2003, go figure); and in August, 2007 we only saw rain once. That day, the morning dawned with sun and blue skies, but the oppressive humidity built and built until early afternoon and then the showers came. The rest of the trip, the weather was very hot, but not at all humid (more like the dry heat dgutte describes as being typical of Spain).

Like you, ali, we just love being in Florida and I'd also go for 3 weeks every time given the choice (although I can't always get that past Matt ). As Johnny says, the last two weeks are significantly less busy than the first. In 2000, we went for the last two weeks of August and the first week of September and the crowds dropped noticably after the first few days. The parks were dead towards the end of the trip.

As far as the Orlando area goes, we've stayed all over and staying further away from the parks won't make any difference - if Disney is busy, the area is busy. Further afield, we didn't fall in love with Miami. We liked it and would go back, but would stay in a different area (we were in South Beach last time). I wouldn't want to stay for more than two or three days. We loved West Palm Beach. It's upmarket like Naples (we haven't been, but my brother and s-i-l who've been to both and who have the same taste as us, enjoyed them both equally). I've always fancied Key West - I totally buy into the whole island living thing - but friends who have been there say I'd prefer Captiva and Sanibel, so they're next on my list.

Have you surfaced from that pile of washing yet?

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I suppose my 'unpredicatable' comment stems from our March holiday in 2005 when it literally was unpredictable, cold at times, sunny at times and UK style rain at times (ie all day).

August as Deb says can be erratic too, but you know it's gonna be hot, can be wet of course but will never be cold!

Naples we have been to twice, really like it there but it's a long drive and would be taking Joshua away from what he likes best, he doesn't like to chop & change too much, once we are at the villa he won't want to go anywhere else.
The beach is nice, some good shopping malls, lots of small and classy streets with boutiques and art galleries, in a way like Winter Park.

Probably the first luxury resort we stayed at, still remember Joshua in his stroller, little matching outfits with a nice hat, think he was only 2 on our 1st visit there - http://www.naplesgranderesort.com/

We liked Miami but it's not for kids, if visiting that area I would prefer to stay in Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton which is along this coast too is full of retired doctor's and like Naples is quiet, but probably tooooo quiet.

Overall if you are going for 3 weeks, a few days on the coast somewhere is a fab idea.

By the way - Formosa Gardens & Windsor Hills, both ideally located.

 

[Clare D]

In the past we have done Disney for a few days before heading South and this gave us the best of both worlds.
Last year we did Orlando after Chicago in August and were very lucky with the weather. It was hot and humid but we had very little rain. We just gor up early and came back in the afternoon and then went out again later.
We loved Naples and stayed at the Naples Grand (like Jonny suggested). It was the Registry resort then. Whilst there we visited the Bubble Room on Captiva and thought how beautiful the Island was. We also did the airboat ride in the Everglades. The shops were great in Naples and Fifth Avenue was lovely to walk around. I didn't feel out of place at all. There was a Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs which suited us as Joe was nearly 3 at the time.
We have done Boca Raton and again the shops are great with the usual restaurants. We also visited West Palm Beach and then went South on the A1 (the beach road) and visited Deerfield Beach and ate at the Whales Rib which is well worth a visit

I wasn't overly keen on Miami to be honest though.

I prefered the Gulf Coast to the Gold Coast though.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

It was called the Registry when we were there too Clare, they do small bunaglow accomodation there too now and very reasonably priced.

 

[Clare D]

It was called the Registry when we were there too Clare, they do small bunaglow accomodation there too now and very reasonably priced.

It is a shame as this no longer features in the Virgin brochure so the Brits miss out. Joe was forever up and down on the slide and the beach was beautiful. I would stay here again no problem.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

It is a shame as this no longer features in the Virgin brochure so the Brits miss out. Joe was forever up and down on the slide and the beach was beautiful. I would stay here again no problem.

So would we especially with some fond memories of our last stay there when Joshua was so young, the bungalow apartments are great value for money too.
It's just the travelling part of it, can't really see him getting much out of it, apart from the beach perhaps. We do have 3 nights accomodation not booked for August though, hmm.

 

[alibeau]

HI Guys and thanks so much for your replies and ideas.....

I think part of the problem is that we are a bit set in our ways I had always said I would never fly indirect but Wayne has now got me thinking about that and also never really faniced the idea of changing accomodation during our stay, I don't think I would mind too much now but I am pretty sure that DH would not be up for this which kinda brings me back to staying in Kissimmee for the full three weeks.......

I have a good quote for three weeks in a villa on FG and we love that area but both DH and I have a real problem with booking so far in advance, we just don't feel comfortable with it but we also realise that wanting to go in the school summer hols means that we are going to have to make a decision sometime soon.....

Thanks again,

Ali

 

[Claire-Bear]

I think anyone going to Florida in August who is from the UK does, at least initially, struggle to get used to the heat during its peak

But, as long as you spend most of your time in a sheltered / indoor environment during the hottest time of the day (early afternoon), you'll be fine. E.g. when we go to the theme parks, we try to queue for indoor rides or watch the covered shows during the hottest parts of the day.