Advice off topic/ Disneyland in Orlando

[Chris L]

Hello all, am interested in some advice from fellow Cobra folk regarding travelling with my family to Disneyworld, Orlando.

Coming from Australia we have 2 dates that seem to suit , early June or early October 2011. We want to aviod the crowds as much as possible and dont mind the heat, the kids love swimming.

Are the schools still in on these dates ?. We have 4 kids so we are looking for a self contained place to stay in where we can prepare and cook some meals if needed. We would like to stay somewhere close ( short shuttle to Disneyworld ) and it would be ideal if we could walk to shops/ supermarket and dining/entertainment areas without seeking transport from our accomodation.

Would appreciate some input to help make this holiday even better than it will be.

Cheers
Chris Lidgerwood
Australia

[D&M2]

Hi Chris,

From our experience, the October dates would be much better for smaller crowds. We were in Orlando a couple of years running in the late September, early October time frame and were able to pretty much walk onto any of the attractions with almost no waiting. The longest line we were in was for Its a Small World and that was less than 10 minutes.

The only issue with the October time frame is that it is still hurricane season so the potential exists for some bad weather. The two times that we were there in Sept/October there was no problem but you never can tell.

Hope that helps,

Mike

[SunDude]

We once rented an large apartment at the Blue Heron Beach Resort, which we'd booked through Expedia, and were very pleased. Good rates. Nicely furnished and fully equipped. Very short drive to Disney and nearby Publix supermarket and restaurants; far better selection than onsite Disney resorts.

Seems to me that it would suit your needs. PM if you'd like more details.

[Silverback51]

We use this site to rent vacation homes when we travel and have always had good luck.

http://www.vrbo.com/

[BBfangs]

Hi Chris,

I used to live in Florida and found that October is better for smaller crowds but as said the potential for rainy weather exist. Although in June you can count on 90% of the time afternoon thunderstorms to pop up. Take a look at the area called Downtown Disney. There are some nice places to stay, there are nice shops and activities outside the Disney attractions plus I beleive there is shuttle service to the parks. Have a great time.

[CobraDan]

In June all the schools are out and the park would be full of kids, October is the start of snowbird season as it is the start of one of the nicest months in Florida. With the economy and the prices at all the theme parks attendance is down. As far as finding a place to stay there are over 5,000 rooms located in the area.

[767Jockey]

By all means check out Mousesavers.com. My ex swore by it, says she got tons of great info and deals on that site.