Author Topic: Orlando in July? (Read 5096 times)

clanadam · « **on:** 25 March 2016, 10:23:17 pm »

I'm under pressure from SWMBO and kids to book Florida for a summer holiday - I'm not convinced!

Anyone got experience of going through Virgin (holidays not anything else....)? I'm sure the parks will be heaving and mega hot/sweaty!

downey · « **Reply #1 on:** 25 March 2016, 11:32:04 pm »

NOT BEEN ,,BUT I BET THAT DESCRIPTION IS SPOT ON ,,ENJOY

darrsi · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 March 2016, 07:20:45 am »

Their gun laws are a bit savage over there, you don't wanna get in a row with anyone in the street, plus i've heard it's overrun with fat mice!

clanadam · « **Reply #3 on:** 26 March 2016, 07:22:52 am »

You'd have thought the guns would easily take care of the big mices!!

Grayo · « **Reply #4 on:** 26 March 2016, 08:15:06 am »

Quote from: clanadam on 25 March 2016, 10:23:17 pm

I'm under pressure from SWMBO and kids to book Florida for a summer holiday - I'm not convinced!

Anyone got experience of going through Virgin (holidays not anything else....)? I'm sure the parks will be heaving and mega hot/sweaty!

We've been in just about every month and the best time to go is April/May as it's fairly warm but not unbearable. October/November can also be very warm. I would avoid June/July as it's school Summer Holidays over there and, as you say, the parks are packed. Not only that but the last time we went in June it was 105 degrees by 11am and it was unbearable going out in the day. July is the same. The kids go back to school beginning of August over there so the parks will be quieter then but it will still be extremely hot. The parks are always fairly busy as there are always lots of school trips at all the attractions including the water parks but if you avoid the school holidays above then queueing times are minimal. Always take your own food and drinks to the parks as it is very expensive to buy once you are in. Security will search your bags at every park entrance, this is standard practice but they are fine with you taking your own food and drinks in.
Anything you want to know about anything in particular just ask.

Graham.

esetest · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 March 2016, 08:50:54 am »

Went in April 2008 , had a fantastic time , a fly drive is a good way of doing it , rather than staying on one of the parks , we rented a villa with a pool (check for alligators before you jump in ) , hiring a car is an advantage , you can get away from the parks and go to the beaches instead of the everglades and the keys .. Universal studios is my favourite park in Florida .

clanadam · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 March 2016, 10:54:11 am »

Not fussed about alligators - that's what the BBQ is for right!!!!

Unfortunately we can't choose when to go - missus holidays are hard to get and had to be booked well in advance so July is the only option. Just trying to work out whether to book a package through Virgin holidays or book it all separately.

Didier9 · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 March 2016, 11:53:41 am »

Quote from: clanadam on 25 March 2016, 10:23:17 pm

I'm under pressure from SWMBO and kids to book Florida for a summer holiday - I'm not convinced!

Anyone got experience of going through Virgin (holidays not anything else....)? I'm sure the parks will be heaving and mega hot/sweaty!

I live in Florida. I have been to the parks a number of times. School holidays are busiest, if you can avoid it, it will be somewhat more pleasant. 4th of July and Christmas are particularly busy.
The parks are actually extremely well organized and they can move people through fairly well. Still some attractions may have 45 minute wait times or more by lunch time, others will require you to use a FastPass and reserve your time window early when you get in the park otherwise you simply won't get in (it is important to get there early when the park opens and make your reservations for the most popular attractions) https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/fast-pass-plus/product-description/

Depending on if you have kids and their age, making the most of the parks requires a little bit different planning. Teenagers typically want to flock to the most popular attractions (->FastPass absolutely required). Little kids will be amazed simply walking through the streets and doing the smaller attractions that will have smaller lines (FastPass not so useful).

Summer is hot and humid in Florida. Even though I have lived here for 30 years now, my brain has somewhat accommodated but my body has not.
Sunscreen, hat, white or other bright colored clothing will help your body, so will regular drinks of water (stay away from the sweet stuff unless you want to look like most Floridians, overweight...)

Most important, enjoy it for what it is, an opportunity to be a kid again and forget your worries

If you have specific questions, I'll be glad to help as much as I can.

clanadam · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 March 2016, 12:56:36 pm »

Many thanks Didier9. The "kids" are 17 and 15 so sounds like FastPass is a must!

Didier9 · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 March 2016, 03:11:00 pm »

Do not forget SeaWorld and Universal Studios, and a number of smaller parks that are still very nice and not so crowded, like Wet'n Wild and Cypress Garden.

For Disney World, the best deal is probably the 3 day pass (at least for Florida residents), with Magic Kingdom (best for smaller kids), Epcot (best for the parents and older kids) and Animal Kingdom or Disney Studio for the 3rd day (good for everybody and a little less crowded than the two main parks), then we would also go to Sea World and Universal Studio (one day each) with possibly a smaller park to finish off the week.

If you want to take a break from Orlando, you can take a day off and drive to St Augustine just south of Jacksonville. It's a couple of hours drive (maybe 3...) and it is the oldest town (Pensacola is older but was totally destroyed by fire), with a good bit of history, great restaurants and a pedestrian-only downtown that I am sure your better half will love, and the Alligator Farm is only a few miles off and worth a trip. The ride there along the coast is also interesting (not motorcycle interesting unfortunately)

Alternately, you can go to Bush Garden in Tampa, but it's not all that different from Orlando. That's also about an hour's drive.

One thing to keep in mind (from someone coming from France) is that in Florida in the summer, clouds tend to but do not always come from the west, sometimes they just build up right above your head, particularly in the afternoon. Do not ever ever (ever ever) leave your windows open, even if the sky is blue and you are going to a store for 5 minutes. It could be pouring rain when you get out because clouds have formed over your head almost instantly because the conditions were right. Then you will be caught in a vicious circle, where you leave the windows open because you car is soaked and you want it to dry, except that you will just get more rain. Not that I ever did this myself, that would have been silly...

To put a motorcycle note in this posting, be aware that the highest point in Florida is 265 feet ASL. It is not far from where I live and very far from Orlando. After 30 years at sea level, my nose bleeds when I drive there... Needless to say, no twisties or canyons around here. As a matter of fact, I firmly believe the state of Florida must had had a law against turns in the roads until the latter part of the 20th century, or maybe they simply did not know you could make a turn in the roads, I dunno.
On the other hand, motorcycle season is 12 months long. Yes, it is hot in the summer, which probably would make it very hard if I had any serious traffic, but there is no traffic to speak of where I live, so I can commute to work on my bike pretty much year round.

lew600fazer · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 March 2016, 06:52:26 pm »

Best value holiday we ever had kept going back for 10 years on the bounce then we sold our time share. Kids had grown up so had we but love the place.

Punkstig · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 March 2016, 08:08:15 pm »

I went in November weather was fantastic, queues were very reasonable- the fast pass thing was all included in the standard ticket when I went, take the day trip out to Bush Park, well worth it!

BBROWN1664 · « **Reply #12 on:** 26 March 2016, 08:30:39 pm »

I went in August 1982, I saw ET while I was in Florida before it was released in the UK. Temperature in Florida is quite warm in the summer. Rains a bit in the afternoons too, just like the Caribbean. Is that any help?

Probably not.

Virgin holidays are OK. No better, no worse than any others really. I used them to go to Cuba and just booked the flights direct with Virgin when I went to Las Vegas.

Personally, if you really ant to go to Disney, and just Disney, look at LA. Flights are cheaper.

fazersharp · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 March 2016, 11:01:06 pm »

Yup we went in 2006 April and one of the days was 34C -sun bouncing off concrete waiting in a que, that would of been a good day for the water park we went for 3 weeks in a private rented villa with pool and rented a car and got lost every day going to a park. We also did sea world and Universal studios and bush gardens, and don't forget to go to Cape Canaveral nasa we were lucky enough to witness a launch a Delta with 2 boosters. If you are into that then you can check the nasa launch dates and time your trip so you are there for one, its a great buz. I am looking at right now on my desk a kids small vending machine egg full of sand from satalight beach which we visited on another day - not for launch, beach was a bit crap though

clanadam · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 March 2016, 12:34:39 pm »

Would have been good to see a launch but looks like nothing scheduled for early July. Would still be good to visit though.

We're looking at a FlexTicket plus which gives access to:

Aquatica, SeaWorld's Waterpark
Universal Studios Florida
Universal's Islands of Adventure
SeaWorld Orlando
Wet 'n Wild Orlando
Busch Gardens
Tampa Bay
Universal CityWalk

We're not interested in the Mickey nonsense - just rides and fun.
Also debating whether to "treat" ourselves to Premium Economy for the flights. I have a dodgy knee so extra legroom could be hugely beneficial for a 9 hr flight!

Love the comment about the car windows - I'll bear that in mind Didier

Mick-H · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 March 2016, 02:27:27 pm »

We've been a few times and would go every year if we could afford it.
These are good sites for info.

https://www.orlandovillas.com/
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/

We've never done an all in one package as booking separately has usually worked out cheaper and you get more choice as to where you want to stay.

If your not going as a package, first off book your flights as prices can differ by quite a few quid day by day.
We've flown with quite a few, Virgin was probably the best plus it's a direct flight, American Airlines was good with a change a Philadelphia.
We've stayed in a hotel once rest of time in villas which for us was a nicer more relaxed option, the kids were young and we could keep an eye on them at all times.

Their are thousands of villas to chose from, put a search in with what you require on one of the sites at the top and owners will get back to you with everything you need to know.
Good luck.

Didier9 · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 March 2016, 03:24:13 pm »

One last thing, particularly for you, my British friends...

Water parks in Florida in the summer do quite a job on the fair skin of those more used to rain than sunshine.

We (long term Florida residents) see you (fair skinned tourists) coming from a mile away. The white skin hurts our eyes by reflecting so much sunlight.

I cannot emphasize enough that you need to be careful with the sun. It is particularly hard in a water park because the default is to be in swimsuit, so my recommendation is to wear a T shirt and put sun block on your skin every hour. You are here for fun, not to make a fashion statement. Besides, you can wear a funny T shirt

The issue is that you have to wait for the rides, and you wait in the sun. There is very little shade anywhere on the rides and everybody gets creamed. It feels good in the water but even while in the water, the sun is extremely hard. Do not waste your vacations by getting badly burned the first day. So if you are going to spend a week in Orlando, keep the water parks for the end of your stay, when you are somewhat used to the sun, and don't forget the sun block.

Tmation · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 March 2016, 04:20:51 pm »

There is a very good book that is updated every year explaining how to navigate the parks, which rides get full first and do park day rest day etc. Brit guide to orlando. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brit-Guide-Orlando-Simon-Veness/dp/0572045476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459091849&sr=8-1&keywords=brits+guide+to+orlando

If you like cars and bikes the Don Garlits drag racing museum is worth a visit. [size=78%]www.garlits.com[/size]

Don't forget the space centre and cape canaveral.

Daytona Beach and a trip round the speedway.

Air boat ride in the Glade was fun

And if still available, swimming with the manatees at crystal springs was fantastic

Have a nice trip

fazersharp · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 March 2016, 08:15:59 pm »

Oh yes I forgot about hiring a fan boat, impossible to steer - turn left to go right turn right to go left and you need to do it before you need to turn as nothing happens at first

clanadam · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 March 2016, 08:42:18 pm »

Oh I like the sound of a fan boat - maybe a few beers before would make it all make sense!! (joking!).

Daytona Beach and swimming with manatees are good shouts too - I need to go for a month not two weeks!

Maybe unusally I am conscious of the power of the sun. We've been to e.g. Cyprus in August and wouldn't even contemplate a water park until we were more accustomed to the heat and made sure we were well covered up - makes you go faster on the slides too

Shoutbox

Author Topic: Orlando in July? (Read 5096 times)