what can I expect to pay??

[nattyk]

Hello experts

We are looking to go to Florida either Sept or Dec this year (have not decided yet) we are hoping to stay in a villa which is a first for us, but we now have 2 kids so think it is the best option (always used hotels before).

What can I expect to pay for a direct flight? 2 adults 2 kids, Joshua will be under 2, however thinking long flight and he would be best to have his own seat, so don't mind paying. I just need some idea so when I then start looking I know what a good price is.

And re the villa, which is the best area to be, would like to be near to Disney, but also near (ish) to I-Drive as they have lots of restaurants and things to do.

What about going Sept or Dec? of we go Sept will aim for end of, but if we do Dec thinking of spending Xmas and New Year, just worried it will be too busy to enjoy anything? when does it start to get really busy over xmas?

I am sure I will have lots more questions, even thought dh and I have been to Floriday loads of time, we have not been for 4 years and this will be first trip with 2 kids under the age of 4!!!!

Thanks
Nathalie

 

[vernon]

Personally I would prefer December to Sept, the weather in Sept tends to be pretty wet and towards the of Sept you're running into "hurricane season". Granted December is likely to be the coolest time of the year but the temps are usually in the 70s and although you may be unlucky and get a cold snap for longer than a couple of days it's unusual to last the whole fortnight.

As far as the Villa there aren't that many complexes that are between WDW and I-Drive, I would opt for somewhere along the 192 west of WDW. The developments there are close to the I4 entrance so getting to I-drive isn't too bad, there are a lot of restaurants and supermarkets along the 192 and Disney is just a couple of minutes away if you use the "back road" that takes you passed Animal Kingdom Lodge ( Sherbourne road??) . Among the many fine complexes in that area are Lindfields, Formosa gardens + Indian Ridge Oaks if you use those as a guide you'll find a number of others in that area. Xmas can get busy, but if you're going for 2 weeks I'd suggest getting the main Disney parks done early and try to avoid Dec 24-29 (particularly MK).

for flights check http://www.ba.com it gives you the chance to check dates around your ideal ones (I usually look at 2 weeks either side) you can often find that leaving a couple of days earlier/later than you planned can yield a significant saving. This year I booked one daughter a filght for Dec 9th and it cost £225 for the other daughter to fly out on the 17th (to fit in school hols) it was £450. so you can see that avoiding school hols is important if you can do so.

 

[JANNYANS]

The other thing to consider is that xmas and new year are peak times for villa owners and prices are higher too.Sept is usually slower in the renting department and therefore prices could be a little lower
Vernon the road is Sherbeth and if you are staying in a villa on the 27 close to the 192 juntion you can also take Black Lake road which meets up with Sherbeth there by missing out abit more of the 192 between markers 4 & 6

 

[2 Point]

Our last trip was Sep, the one before that Xmas and our next one Xmas.

Sept -
much warmer, maybe too warm to be comfortable for young children.
risk of rain - it rained once in the day during the 14 days when we were there
Sept +
Middle to end of Sept the parks have wait times of around 5 to 10 minutes, max.
Waterparks are a viable option every day
Cheaper villas
Cheaper tickets (10 day ticket expires 30th Nov)

Dec -
Can be cold, we had 3 or 4 days when it was cold, only managed a waterpark for a few hours once
Gets incredibly busy just before and during Xmas, everything from eating out, parking to rides is a huge contrast from the virtually deserted place beforehand
Dec +
It's magic and a sight to see
It's a whole heap colder at home
Very quiet before Xmas, if you can return before the 24th then you will get all the benefit of Dec and little of the minus points
Cooler for kids.