DisneyWorld Florida advice

[Rayyan]

We are looking at booking a Disney Florida holiday for 14nights.

Family of 5 our children will be 12, 6 and 5 years old.

Any recommendations on where to stay, we’d ideally like a nice hotel close to the parks.

Any advice for tickets? Is there a better way to purchase them other than with the travel agent? Is two weeks in the parks too much?

Disney Dos and don’ts?

Best time of year to go that won’t be too busy?

Any recommendations/advice is appreciated!

Thank you

 

[tofubeast]

You should ask this on the WDW board. I am sure the Mod might move this post for you.

While two weeks at Disney does sound fun... As a Floridian, I would suggest shortening the stay unless you plan on hitting up Universal or other Orlando sites. Otherwise, if two weeks, I'd explore other parts of Florida....road trip to the Gulf, Keys, or Emerald Coast. Brightline to South Florida. Perhaps consider a short cruise out of nearby Port Canerval? There are many beautiful spots in our state.

Year-round is pretty busy nowadays. The least busy time of the year (late Aug and Sept) comes with high heat and humidity (and rain). Also hurricanes can affect plans. There are some good less-crowded times before Thanksgiving in Nov, after the holidays in January, and most of February, and late April/May.

If this is your first visit, I'd recommend using a travel agent. It won't cost you anything to do so.

 

[Iceman93]

Nice hotel close to the parks? I recommend splitting your stay between the Grand Floridian and the Boardwalk.

Is two weeks too much? Not at all, and I disagree with the above poster that you need to hit other sites around Florida. There is so much to see at Disney just with the four theme parks and two water parks, plus you'll want some "down days" in between to just relax by the pool, do some shopping, or whatever. I find two weeks to be pretty much perfect for a WDW-only vacation.

 

[Wesley815]

While two weeks at Disney does sound fun... As a Floridian, I would suggest shortening the stay unless you plan on hitting up Universal or other Orlando sites.

I disagree with that. Perhaps living in Florida causes a different point of view however (to me) two weeks is perfect to visit Disney and have time between parks- maybe throw in Universal if interested.

Is two weeks too much? Not at all, and I disagree with the above poster that you need to hit other sites around Florida. There is so much to see at Disney just with the four theme parks and two water parks, plus you'll want some "down days" in between to just relax by the pool, do some shopping, or whatever. I find two weeks to be pretty much perfect for a WDW-only vacation.

I agree. My last visit (from California) was a week and didn't feel long enough with basically 2 days of travel time and trying to see a lot in each park. Next trip will be at least a week and a half or two if possible.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

You might want to start with learning some of the basics from the Disney World site and perhaps some of the more popular blogs our YouTube. Everything at WDW is so subjective that asking such a broad question here is going to yield a wide variety of answers. Disney lists 25 hotels on property and hundreds of restaurants - which doesn’t even include the many many hotels near WDW property. If you list your budget and interests, that might help.

If you’re really struggling, there are some good travel agents that can be helpful for people who are new to Disney.

 

[miksicnarf]

I strongly recommend staying onsite, and the options vary wildly according to your budget. When we made our first trip to WDW when our 3 kids were young, in 1997, we considered either 2 rooms at a Value resort, or a 2BR DVC resort. We went with DVC and ended up buying but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that today. Maybe check out renting DVC. For a 2 week stay the extra space and amenities can add a lot of value--kitchen and laundry in the unit for example. Have fun planning!

 

[LAS2AMS]

“Nice hotel” depends on what you’re looking for and your budget.

Disney’s cheapest resorts (All Stars) typically sell for over $200 (including taxes and fees) most of the year. They’re glorified motels with few amenities, smaller rooms and poor soundproofing. For a similar price, you can stay at a much nicer resort - anything from the Hiltons in Disney Sorings to a 2,000 sq ft room on the outskirts of Orlando. But many people just prefer the Disney Bubble.

Orlando has more options than any other market. You need to be specific .

 

[Boopuff]

Download the MDE (My Disney Experience app) play around with it, learn how to navigate around the app, it has everything. If you need a more visual help, go to youtube and watch many of the excellent helpful vloggers (Mr. Morrow, Mammoth club to name a few). There are tons of hotel tours/reviews as well. Do a bit of research if this is your first trip. Good luck

 

[subtchr]

There are a couple of clues in your post that indicate you are from the UK, am I right?

If so, be sure to look into the ticket deals available to you as a UK resident. They are MUCH better than those here in the US. That includes the ability to purchase a 14-day ticket.