I've stumbled across some cracking flights in the August school holidays to Miami for around £250pp - a bargain, for British Airways flights and well worth the drive from Miami to Orlando. There are limited dates and I struggled to get any longer duration.
I've put this package together, with a breakdown of the different stages. As I know theme park tickets are a big cost I've included everything you will need in terms of flights, car hire, hotel with breakfast and tickets.
Book flights with omegaflightstore.com for a bargain £1007.10. These do have a short stop in Philadelphia on way out and London returning home, but they are £250pp, small compromise.
As you arrive on 17/08 in the evening, and you don't want to be driving to Orlando late, you will stay the night at a nearby airport hotel. Free shuttle is available and breakfast is included. Book on booking.com £56
On 18th you can leisurely make your way to Orlando feeling refreshed after some sleep and pick up the hire car which is a 4-door £195.90
In Orlando you will stay at Comfort Inn & Suites which includes breakfast for a bargain £500.84. There are cheaper, and more expensive but I've read quite a few reviews on different places and this one looks a solid good value place to stay.
I've included park tickets and found the cheapest place for these orlandoattractions.com
You can pick different tickets but I've included the full monty tickets which basically include everything you'll need £2692.50. You are paying for a 14 day ticket but due to the restrictive flights I can't seem to get a full two weeks in Orlando :-(
If you don't want these specific tickets you could just buy individual tickets and reduce the cost a bit.
On 29th August you will check out and you don't leave Miami until 5:10pm so you leisurely can check out and make your way to Miami for your flight home.
The total for the family of 4 £4452.34/£1113.08pp
All comments (89)
cdennis1990
21 Sep 17#1
great as ever !!
imiskeen
21 Sep 17#2
Those flight prices are epic! Anyone used the Omega flight store before? Can they be trusted?
rachelandgromit to imiskeen
21 Sep 17#4
Yes I have. Just make sure you have the right dates, right name spellings etc etc and if possible pay on credit card. They normally send e-ticket through the next day but the flights were showing on other sites too for a bit more.
Like anywhere there are good and bad reviews but most bad ones are from people who complain because they made an error in the first place with wrong dates, spelling names wrong, etc etc....
imiskeen to rachelandgromit
21 Sep 17#5
Thanks - Booking via Philly right now as £800 cheaper than my staff discounted flights through Virgin!! Thanks. :smile:
Gollywood to imiskeen
22 Sep 17#7
Used Omega this year. No complaints from me
cpandk
21 Sep 17#3
heat for all the detail and effort - looks a good deal ! :-) :innocent:
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#6
Flights are available on Travelup for a little more or with BA direct (where they are more expensive but you can reduce cost with your Avios if you have any).
satty83
22 Sep 17#8
Can't see how this would appeal to those with small kids. I've just come back from Orlando. The last thing I would have wanted was to drive 3+hr with 2 little ones then jump on a 9-10hr flight home. Crazy. I'm sure anyone with older kids this might be ok. For those whom this might help our trip is below.
We went back end of Aug paid £360pp flight Orlando from Manchester with virgin Atlantic £320pp for kids. Stayed at fountains resort (highly recommend) 4 bed villa really nice. which worked out £110 per night there for 10 days. 15 min drive to all the disney parks. Car hire is cheap £26 per day for a large grand jeep. Bought the ultimate 14 day pass from florida tickets. The memory maker and fast pass are a must if your planning your trip in advance. Disney really was worth it. My kids still miss it. Amazing.
imiskeen to satty83
22 Sep 17#9
£360PP with Virgin would sadly mean eating in to some school time. Absolutely guaranteed. Lowest staff discounted price getting you home by Sept 5th 18 (in time for School) is £520PP.
Obviously - other carriers may come in slightly cheaper than that, and not sure what non-staff prices would be. Suspect 20% more. :disappointed:
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#10
I guess an alternative is to head back to Miami a day earlier or even break up the return journey staying around FL etc. This year there was some good last minute Florida deals but they were just outside of school holidays, so leaving back end of August and returning in September when kids had gone back. To actually guarantee school holidays without eating into July before they break up or September when they return, it's nigh impossible to get decent prices.
My friend and her husband flew into Miami with their twin 4 year old girls and drove straight from Orlando to Miami after a long haul flight - crazy! I guess it all depends on your budget and what, if any compromise you want to make.
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#11
BTW: We have teenage kids, so spending a few days in Miami is actually a good thing. In fact,I may drop over the 75 and head straight for Sanibel/Captiva from Miami for a few days before heading up to Orlando etc. Loads more to Florida than just Orlando.
satty83
22 Sep 17#12
I agree especially since you have older kids. We had a 3yr and 18mth old so no way were we going to drive long distance. Hopefully go back when there older to see some of the rest of florida. Such as miami and keys
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#13
Also - top tip: always check this link for you hire car before looking elsewhere:
used it 15 years running and always comes in cheaper when considering insurance cover and extras added.
Publix
22 Sep 17#14
I agree the small kids thing; Driving from MIA to Orlando on a dark wet Friday evening in August - the wet season, (Hurricane season June 1st to November 30th). Hope you've thought about car seats. "Florida law requires that all drivers, all front seat passengers, and all passengers under the age of 18 wear seat belts.* Children under age 4 must be in a safety seat, and children ages 4 and 5 must be in either a safety seat or a booster seat.
Drivers will be charged with a seat belt violation if any passenger under the age of 18 is not restrained with a seat belt or child restraint device. Passengers 18 years old or older will be charged with the violation if they fail to wear a seat belt when required by law"
Many years ago now, car rental had run out and we had to go shopping for them. (Before it became law.) Little kids shouldn't be exposed to exploding air bags in front seats either, which can go off in just a minor prang. For the second year running Florida has the worst drivers (Been going to Miami in February for the last 36 years.) Florida Driver's Handbook
imiskeen to Publix
22 Sep 17#15
Seriously - (and with respect) This comment is a bit of a nonsense. I've been Mid-August for the last 15 years, sometimes staying for up to six weeks at a time. what happened this year in Mid-September is a very rare event indeed. The weather in Central Florida is so NOT something you need to be concerned about for 99% of the time. Yes - It's possible that you may miss the odd morning due to a small rain shower. If you need any confirmation for this, try checking the Stats on Disney websites for Park Closures due to Inclement weather for the last 3 decades.
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#16
My point being - at these prices - tag a day on to either side of your planned holiday and drive up at your leisure. Standard price flight in school holidays would cost you at least £800 - £1000 more than this.
grillnun
22 Sep 17#17
Have you not been watching the news? Hurricane season too much of a gamble.
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#18
I don't recommend driving up in the evening after a long haul flight, which is why on the first night you stay in an airport hotel.
On this itinerary I did put driving to the airport from Orlando to Miami on the same day as your flight home which doesn't leave til tea time, but you could also leave Orlando a couple of days earlier as recommend so you are closer to the airport.
sarah_tranter
22 Sep 17#19
Great deal. Weather does need to be considered though. We got badly stung last year with the weather - end august, early September. Tropical storm building and huge amount of rain from middle of first week. Don't mind getting wet but rides were constantly being shut due to threat of lightening. Would head back to hotel to find pool shut for same reason. Happened regularly and was no fun. Second week was worse. All that plus fears a hurricane was on the way (storm had grown) and tornado alerts - getting that alert flash up on your phone to immediately find safety is scary stuff. Thought it was spam at first! Spent an evening with other hotel guests (a Universal)in a glass-less room in centre of hotel with distraught kids. Never likely to be able to afford to go again but fair to say weather was a concern.
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#20
I realise the weather situation may not be ideal but if you want school holidays and longer than a week you are kind of stuck to August unless you take your kids out of school or go at Christmas.
grandads50
22 Sep 17#21
We booked yesterday direct with ba holidays Fly drive from Manchester to Miami via Heathrow ( 2 hour between flights) leaving 10 Aug 18 for 19 nights returning 29 Aug 18 with car insurance prepaid for a 12 seat van. 4 adults and 2 kids £3300 with only £350 deposit Hopefully pick up a villa for about £1200 so all in £4500 for 6 people for 19 nights all in the school holidays and includes bank holiday weekend Works out £750 each with low deposit Will book hotel for one night in Miami when we land and then drive to Orlando next morning when we get up at silly o'clock lol
sarah_tranter
22 Sep 17#22
Personally I wouldn't risk August again - far too much of our Hol was lost. We have been once before in May and around then is good. Boys' school used to have a long May half term with INSET days tagged on. We managed 2 weeks with only 1 day out of school. Weather was good. In the unlikely scenario we will ever be able to go again, I'd probably look at Easter or after exams.
hawk299
22 Sep 17#23
Interesting, we're doing something very similar but we wanted to stay for 3 weeks
The drive up from Miami is only 3 and a half hours, no big deal. We do it every year (always sleep over in Miami or Fort Laurerdale first)
We found TAP Portugal had flights back from Miami (to LON via Lisbon) on 29th/30th/31st Aug for £120pp so started there (upgraded to £150pp for luggage) Found a flight out on the 8th with Norwegian for £300pp (to Fort Laurerdale direct)
I know this is £450pp but as you've said it was hard to find anything longer, this is 23 days and only £800 more (for 4) which considering the total cost is acceptable (to me anyway)
We've not booked the first night in Ft. L yet. I was thinking of picking up something nice with a beach view for the first morning from groupon.com
We're then spending 3 weeks in a villa just of the 192. It works out about £400 a week for Villa's and if you've got kids who love the pool is amazing (It's what makes the holiday for us)
We've bought tickets from orlandoattractions.com too (Disney Ultimate 21 days) but we checked elsewhere and got them to price match (can't remember who) but knocked the price down a little and included some gatorland tickets for just $8 each
We used Tripwheels.com for car hire (pick up Ft.L, drop off Miami was no extra)
parky200
22 Sep 17#24
This won’t be flying BA . BA do not fly Manchester to Philadelphia It will be American Airlines - still a good price though
rachelandgromit to parky200
22 Sep 17#26
Codeshare on way out with AA, return BA via London.
stef232 to parky200
22 Sep 17#28
We thought AA were way superior to BA, BA felt like a budget airline in comparison.
Nigel.Owen
22 Sep 17#25
whoop de whoop. Cheapest I could get with all sorts of changes for flights was just under £3k. Booked the flight segement alone for 19days in Florida for £1800 for the family of four. Not even thought about Miami but tacking a few days on appeals. Many thanks OP
stef232
22 Sep 17#27
Great find - Just got back 1 week before the Hurricanes started and desperate to return again Aug. next year. Couldn't find any flights until you posted this , we paid a £1300 for 2 Adults and 2 kids this year from Manchester to Miami. I loved the drive and the night in Miami, Plus saved loads on flights doing it this way. Heat added and I'll book if i can confirm my summer leave for next year.
Madchester
22 Sep 17#29
Hot for the flight prices but £2700 to spend 2 weeks in theme park hell is not my idea of a good holiday.
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#30
Thanks Rachel - We're booked! we booked the outbound via Phillie and the return via Heathrow, 18th Aug - 3rd Sept for less than £1300!! Thats an absolute steal!
Experienced school holiday visitors to Florida know to take no notice of nay sayers around the weather conditions in florida for this time of year. We will spend first few days on Sanibel / Captiva then up the 75 and across the 4 to Orlando for a week, returning on the same route to do a few nights on Anna Maria Island on the way home. PERFECT combination of fun and relaxation. :wink:
rachelandgromit to imiskeen
22 Sep 17#32
Brilliant! Did you get the e-tickets confirmed? The flight prices were brilliant, the dates in the deal were the cheapest I could find but sounds like for a little more you got September dates making the trip a bit longer.
imiskeen to rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#33
Not yet - Will update when they arrive. :smile:
mastablasta
22 Sep 17#31
I wouldn't fly into Miami for a Orlando holiday with children. Why spend all that money and cut corners and reduce your vacation time and happiness level.
imiskeen to mastablasta
22 Sep 17#35
Seriously worth doing the maths on this one. Not that we'll be using our flights solely for Orlando, but - Have you seen the price of direct flights to Orlando in the summer hols? Tag on more days and stay longer. Even with added hotels you're quids in. Longer, happier holidays exploring etc.
Mitch_s_s
22 Sep 17#34
Fantastic deal, very thorough too!
Are you a travel agent or something? Have a blog or anything?
rachelandgromit to Mitch_s_s
22 Sep 17#36
Nope, just #travelobsessed. I just post on here do everyone can go on cheap holidays.
Mitch_s_s to rachelandgromit
22 Sep 17#39
Awesome!
Hopefully by the time we're going to Florida, you are still posting! :innocent:
plazaplus
22 Sep 17#37
Take a screen shot of the "omega flights" page with all ticket prices and dates then book with B.A at the higher price. Email them the same day and claim the difference back under the "price match" . I've done this earlier this year and B.A paid the difference back within a few days
ThePhilMachine
22 Sep 17#38
I'm seeing £1,130 for flights now instead of 1,007 - anyone else:?
ThePhilMachine
22 Sep 17#40
Can someone give me some advice here please, I'm trying to work out potentially options around payment.
Flights: Need to buy now to lock in the deal Accomodation: Can be paid on small deposit and settled next year as shown above Park Tickets: This is such a big part of the cost, can I easily leave it until next year to buy these or is this an exceptionally good price? Will I generally be looking at the same kind of cost for the park tickets at anytime?
Thanks very much.
The_IMF
22 Sep 17#41
Awesome flight prices. Heat for that.
Flying to Miami airport on the other hand... no thanks. Done that twice, suffered twice. Never again :smile:
mittromney
22 Sep 17#42
Whenever you go. Make sure you check and find out when the South Americans are on their school holidays.
They all turn up like locusts buy everything in the designer outlets and lengthen the queue to rides so it's like Alton Towers on a bank holiday.
defgimp
22 Sep 17#43
Seems to be £1212 for the flights now?
ThePhilMachine
22 Sep 17#44
At this rate it's probably worth looking at the BA direct prices...
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#45
Err. I think not. Cheapest BA Direct flights for a family of four on my dates are £3466 from BA.com!!
I just paid £1290 inclusive of fees for my entire family to fly to Miami via Philadelphia and home via Heathrow. No brainer for the extra 2hrs 35 mins of inconvenience.
Lowest outbound Single / direct = £665 Lowest Inbound single / Direct = £457 Total Return for ONE PERSON = £1122
I''ve booked all four flights for £1290 total
satty83
22 Sep 17#46
Theme park hell? Hmm makes me wonder if you've been. My kids loved it as did I. We never really had to queue for rides.
All the parks with staff are soo well organised puts British themes parks to shame. I for one would recommend it to anyone.
ThePhilMachine
22 Sep 17#47
Really? That's strange as the direct price coming up on BA right now is £1218 - so you're wrong.
MacPhisto
22 Sep 17#48
Wow, doesn't seem that long ago we paid a similar price for a family of 4 during the summer holidays flying into Sanford, 2 weeks staying at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney passes, dining plan and car hire for duration :smile:
Booked with Travel City Direct and flew home less than a week before the went into administration. How times and prices have changed :cry:
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#49
For a family of four leaving in August 2018. £1218 in total, Direct? Unlikely. If so, Link please?
I just paid £1290 inclusive of fees for my entire family to fly to Miami via Philadelphia and home via Heathrow. No brainer for the extra 2hrs 35 mins of inconvenience.
Lowest outbound Single / direct = £665 Lowest Inbound single / Direct = £457 Total Return for ONE PERSON = £1122
I''ve booked all four flights for £1290 total
stef232
22 Sep 17#50
I'll try and help .
Flights will need to be paid in full right now - They have gone up slightly from the advertised price though but if you tweek the dates and also tweek the dates using BA you'll still get 2 weeks for less than £1300 which is great.
The accomodation could be searched through Bookings.com and secured without paying a penny until you check in, you can cancel at anytime upto 24hrs before arrival - Theres also accomodation on there for about £350 for 2 weeks, so this all depends on your budget and what accomodation you'd require.
The tickets are a massive cost of the holiday , again these can be purchased any time you want, have a look on FloridaTix and choose the parks that suit your needs , Ive just returned and only had the 14 day Disney and Universal parks which cost approx £2100 for a family of 4 and when we return we'll probably skip disney next time. These tickets can also be purchased whilst in florida itself as most hotels offer them ( I think you get a better deal buying before you go though)
Basically this is not a package deal so as long as you secure the flights you can then book everthing else you need anytime before you fly out next year. So get saving and beg the Boss for all the overtime thats goinig as you'll have the best holiday ever.
Good luck
sixfingers
22 Sep 17#51
Well said Satty. I couldn't think of anything worse than Thorpe Park or Alton Towers, but the Orlando parks are just magical. Id go twice a year if I could.
imiskeen
22 Sep 17#52
Good Advice. The only thing I would add to that is don't over ticket. It's easy to try and cram too much into the 2 week holiday and over do it. The whole thing basically just turns into a massive theme park blur. Best to save a few £ on the tickets and go back again another year to visit the parks you missed this time around. Remember its meant to be a holiday. :wink:
random_dude
22 Sep 17#53
Good luck with the weather in august, we were lucky, just a tropical storm!
Rastafari
22 Sep 17#54
Yes normally Chinese people use them to buy flights back to China.
dealerxxx
22 Sep 17#55
I've had a problem with omega, they change the original dates so cancelling car hire was a problem and hotel. There maybe ways out of it but took them a month the refund my money as it wasn't my fault with date changes.
antony1971
23 Sep 17#56
I can’t see these flight prices with BA, what dates are you looking at? Lowest I can see is still over £500pp with a stop.
roberts432
23 Sep 17#57
great price but is omega a live price, hope they not like e dreams as they can be a nightmare.
Miami has quite a bit to offer, and sometimes its easier without a car, If ever wanting to do a dolphin swim its great in key largo, much better than rip off discovery cove, I know it was a exception this year the weather, but me personally I never go during hurricane season, its far too humid, I prefer march-april time
psiron
23 Sep 17#58
Applause for the effort alone let alone a whopper deal!!!!!
goldy12
23 Sep 17#59
Brilliant prices for the school holidays. Flight I was looking at shows Manchester to Miami , with a connection at Heathrow which is fine, but does anyone know if I can book these flights and just go straight to Heathrow rather than travel up to Manchester to fly back down to Heathrow to connect for Miami thereby missing out the Manchester Heathrow connection. If I booked straight from Heathrow to Miami it's nearly £1000 for the same flight,. Mad how they work these things out.
Matzi2000
23 Sep 17#60
It should be cheaper as there's not much left of florida
jpayne36
23 Sep 17#61
Immigration at Miami is horrific. Took us over two hours to get through this August and it was sweltering.
rachelandgromit
23 Sep 17#62
No, definitely not. If you miss the first leg they will cancel the remainder of your flights.
As a tip, may I suggest the following for those in London:
Book a multi-stop flight.
Leg 1: Manchester to Miami Leg 2: Miami to LHR Leg 3: LHR to Manchester
The third leg make sure you do the next day after landing in London, you will therefore get your luggage back in London and then you can exit. As your third flight isn't until the next day you can choose whether to take this or not, thus exiting at London.
Never, ever tell the airline you are planning to do this!!!
As an example this was something I found on travelup.co.uk
Under £300pp based on family of 4.
Screen shots below; Any help let me know.
goldy12
23 Sep 17#63
Thank You, didn't know that. At these prices thou worth us travelling to Manchester
Rastafari
23 Sep 17#64
Best off flying via Ireland for this reason. Clear US immigration in Dublin / Shannon. Plane arrive in US domestic terminal and out you walk. Easy.
rachelandgromit
23 Sep 17#65
See edited message above with screen shot, you can just do one night in Manchester and return to London, maybe better for you. If you have Avios with BA you could fly one way down to Manchester the night before.
imiskeen
23 Sep 17#66
On the way home you "could" leave the flight at Heathrow and not take the remainder of the journey up to Manchester. I've known people do this. BUT (and its a pretty big but) Any luggage you're travelling with still gets forwarded to Manchester. So if you're travelling VERY light, you're good to go. :smile:
rachelandgromit
23 Sep 17#67
Or do as per the screen shot above, make it a multi-stop and book the third leg LHR to London a day or two later and you will get your luggage back.
I've done this lots of times, sometimes it's because the third leg has been something like London to Stockholm and we have exited at London and drove home, but make that third leg is a day or two later.... Sometimes the airline staff were a bit odd, but we were like oh we are seeing some family in London then heading back to Sweden for a city break. They don't like it when you do this, but for those that are exiting in London, you had an emergency which meant you had to stay in London and didn't need to go to Manchester the next day etc etc etc.... Once you've got your luggage and exited, job done.
xchaotic
23 Sep 17#68
"Comfort Inn & Suites " you want to upgrade from that. It's cheap for a reason.
Also the later you go the likelihood of stormy weather increases. Id go June at the latest unless you enjoy tropical storm every midday.
rachelandgromit
23 Sep 17#69
It actually has brilliant ratings and reviews - there are a few different ones and this is rated really good but yes lots of options to choose from.
I'm sure there are better months to go, great if you aren't stuck to school holidays.
imiskeen
23 Sep 17#70
Just FYI to all thinking of booking parts of this deal. My E-tickets arrived this morning for my flights with Omega. So far, so good. I also grabbed this 14-day 2018 Disney park ticket deal from Orlando attraction tickets:
There were 49 Adult tickets available at this price left (£370) when I reserved this morning. Also took advantage of their £10 deposit offer, just in case I find them cheaper elsewhere next year - (which is possible given the current rise in the price of the £ vs $) But best to get covered just in case!
roberts432
23 Sep 17#71
if you don't board at Manchester your flight will be cancelled, be classes as a no show
sweep_the_leg_
23 Sep 17#72
Absolutely ridiculous to put a package like this together and price it with flights to Miami. The last thing you want for your trip to Orlando is to have to drive immediately or the day after all the way up the state to get to your destination.
imiskeen
23 Sep 17#73
What a bizarre comment. I guess some people struggle with the concept of driving an automatic car in a straight line for 3.5 hours to save (at least) £1500. Ho hum.
To counter this rather bizarre comment I will add that this "ridiculous" Miami option has afforded me a Three week stay next year as a pose to only being able to afford to stay for 14 days because of rip off expensive school holiday flights! :wink:
Yin & Yang I guess.?
Rastafari
23 Sep 17#74
If someone would pay me £1,500 to drive in a straight line for 3.5 hours I'd quit my job tomoorrow.
machomansavage
23 Sep 17#75
Bloody deer this
roguesspam
23 Sep 17#76
Anyone planning to drive from mia to orlando, look into how youll be paying for toll roads, the turnpike at least is a toll. Some rental companies will bill charges to you, others try to rent sunpass units (dont, its generally cheaper to buy one from wallmart) and some roads still allow you to pay with cash.
Alternatively, if you dont need a car you can usually fly from mia to mco for ~100.
abigsmurf
23 Sep 17#77
Can only talk about park tickets but generally they don't come down in price. Disney recently had a big price hike so I wouldn't expect their ticket prices to go up significantly. There are no quiet days anymore at Disney, only busy and insanely busy so they don't need to worry about reducing prices to fill the parks.
Disney Tickets are generally cheapest buying direct from Disney. When I went to Florida, pretty much everywhere only offered tickets at prices above Disneys and didn't offer the Fastpass+ and Memory maker (memory maker is great, you just scan your tickets at some glowing orbs at the park exist and it'll automatically upload them to you account only and you can get as many photos as you like without paying anything). Disney also offer cashback.
It's universal and Seaworld where the ticket sellers have more flexibility and offer big reductions. I'd shop around a bit as a quick check has 14 day Disney tickets and 14 day universal tickets from Disney and Travel Republic respectively come out £200 cheaper than the OP so I'd guess you could find some with Seaworld included for a bit cheaper.
Remember: parking is $20 a day and food inside the parks is phenomenally expensive (Stuffing yourself at a Golden Coral or hotel breakfast can be cheaper and mean you won't waste an hour in the park for lunch).
sweep_the_leg_
24 Sep 17#78
Not bizarre at all.
I wouldn't struggle to drive 3.5 hours in a straight line (in an automatic car- like that makes a difference?) but I wouldn't be that tight to put 2 young kids through it. Then there's the journey back.
This is without even taking into consideration that the vehicle that the OP has priced in this "deal" is a Chevrolet Spark (or similar) so effectively a Compact vehicle. Good luck getting all of your luggage for 10 days, 2 kids and partner/wife/husband in one of those. Oh and let's hope the vehicle you get assigned or can select from has AC! (not a given)
Then the OP poster has priced for "full monty" tickets for 14 days. Absolutely ridiculous to think that you can squeeze, not even everything but even most things these tickets offer into 10 days!
Most of the money you are saving by inconveniencing yourself by not flying direct to Orlando is then wasted in this overkill combo ticket as well as the 2 nights/day you are losing travelling from and to the airport.
Be realistic. Yes the flights are relatively cheap for that time of year, but there is a reason!
Each to their own I guess, but personally I'd of hated for people to see this "package" and think it's a great deal with just 1 sided opinions and book it all as laid out.
sweep_the_leg_
24 Sep 17#79
Not really relevant to the original priced deal is it? Yes there's loads more to Florida than just Orlando, but then don't spend just shy of £2700 on tickets for Orlando (and Tampa) theme parks?
annedawso
24 Sep 17#80
Already booked our flights for next August with TC or would have considered this. Probably would have flown from Miami to Orlando rather than drive. 'We normally stay at a Disney hotel so use Disney transport from the airport. Love Disney and spend far too much each year going, theme parks in the UK are totally different. We wouldn't go to them at all. if you have never been before there is a brilliant site "thedibb" for UK visitors to Disney which gives loads of advice. I have found out so much info from their forum. main advice is to get to the Parks early and make good use of FP+.
Gchapman
24 Sep 17#81
Heat! This is a cracking deal!
imiskeen
24 Sep 17#82
Thank you - I will fill my boots on the part of this deal that appeals to me and my family. I think you're clearly missing the point of this site if you feel that each deal needs to be spoon fed to an individuals requirements.
However when broken down. This "Package" identifies options that clearly indicate one of the cheapest ways to accomplish a Disney Package with this specific ticketing choice per person. In fact if you want that specific ticket, with that specific flight, the only way to beat it would be to buy cheaper, better accommodation. Good luck with that.
Also - Just FYI, If the price is per person. Many flight operators consider children to be up to the age of 17. Now I know you will probably counter my opinion here with a witty comment about the amount of "leg room" in a "compact car" for that horrible 3.5 hour journey, but believe me, when I gave my daughter the choice, she was more than happy for me to choose a compact vehicle size to get us across the state to our accommodation.
In fact, when I gave my 13yr old lad (Still a child the last time I looked) the option of compact car versus "not" going to Florida. Guess what? He opted to take the compact car and 3.5 hour journey as well.
As I said. Yin & Yang depending on budget and attitude. Some people clearly have more money than I do. Good for you if you fall in to that category. Well done.
BTW: When talking about units of time, you can actually compare any two journeys from point A to point B.
ABTW: I actually agree with you about potentially NOT over ticketing. But, each to their own. I've checked and the tickets posted in this deal are currently the cheapest available for that specific ticket.
KimSherriff to imiskeen
25 Sep 17#85
Do not touch omega they did spelling error in my ticket then said they can't amend as they only third parties eventually good tip got credit card company to ring them as I would have claimed on credit card and surprisingly they could ammend did cost 120 instead of 40 they advertised !!!
toysdude to KimSherriff
28 Sep 17#86
Thats a cracking deal - we flew via miami this summer and the drive is dead easy - loads of services on the florida turnpike and the road is smooth and straight. while your in Orlando, Definitely get the fastpasses and memory maker from disney - the pictures are amazing. and check steak and shake for a great burger.. Our kids 13/10/5 are still talking about the holiday 2 months later, It was worth every penny of the £6000 we spent and are now saving for the Universal / Busch trip in 2 years. We stayed in disney springs which was perfect as the kids loved typhoon lagoon
Have a great time in flordia those who grab this deal!
wakeywarrior to toysdude
28 Sep 17#88
Disney knocked £100 off their 14 day ticket last year on 15/12. They did it when the free dining offer eventually ended. May well find them doing it again, so keep your eyes peeled. Park attendance is down. Certainly worth hanging on for if you are not buying the Disney package
imiskeen
24 Sep 17#83
Making a calculated decision to save money, or at least, reducing the amount of money you spend on something is not being "tight". In fact the very reason most people visit this site is to save money that they could better spend elsewhere.
Tens of Thousands of people choose to fly in to Sanford airport when visiting Orlando for this exact reason. Flying in to Miami (if only visiting Orlando) is simply adding another 2 hours over and above what most people would consider "The norm"
On the grand scale of things, If you choose to tag Two hours driving on to your holiday to save well in excess of £1500, I personally would not think it as being "tight". But then I do not have money to burn.
WRT: Hire car. Did you ever consider that some/many people may own properties in Florida and may not need luggage? Some people also may be frequent visitors to Florida and KNOW that travelling with a 20Kg Suitcase full of clothes is not always necessary for 14 days. They may also not have young children.
Park ticket requirements are always subjective and dependant on the individual requirements.
Pretty certain most of the items detailed in this deal are there to help others make decisions around how they holiday rather than to push them in to copying the deal in its entirety.
I think the temp of this "ridiculous" deal speaks for itself really.
sweep_the_leg_
24 Sep 17#84
1/ You cannot compare flying into Sanford and flying into Miami.
2/ I think your 2 hours driving that you are choosing to tag onto your holiday might want a re-think.
3/ No, sorry, I didn't consider that some people own properties in Florida and might not need luggage when I replied, simply because the OP has submitted this deal as a "package" and is suggesting to stay in 2 Hotels.. Days Inn Miami International Airport and then switch to a Comfort Inn near Universal. I also didn't take into consideration that people interested in this may not have young children, for the same reasons above, this is posted as a "package" for 2 adults and 2 children and even broken down into a price per person!!!
The temperature of the deal doesn't mean anything, as proven time and time again on this site where a deal can be posted and not even surpass 50 degrees and then someone can come along and post exactly the same deal a day or so later and it reaches 1000. It is more than likely people reading the title and hitting the heat button without looking at the finer details.
If the OP hadn't posted this as a "package" and just made it about the flights, then I could take your points on board, but as that isn't the case, you have just made totally irrelevant comments to what the original deal is about.
As I said, each to their own! But if you are looking to travel on these dates and are willing to effectively lose a night on arrival, most of the following day travelling up and getting checked in and then half a day or so on the last day travelling back down, completing an approx 450-500 mile round trip all in a compact vehicle with room for a couple of holdalls, then fill your boots!
toysdude
28 Sep 17#87
we got though in 40 minutes - guess there are good and bad days like all uS airports - miami nowhere near as bad as LA
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Opening post
I've put this package together, with a breakdown of the different stages. As I know theme park tickets are a big cost I've included everything you will need in terms of flights, car hire, hotel with breakfast and tickets.
Book flights with omegaflightstore.com for a bargain £1007.10. These do have a short stop in Philadelphia on way out and London returning home, but they are £250pp, small compromise.
As you arrive on 17/08 in the evening, and you don't want to be driving to Orlando late, you will stay the night at a nearby airport hotel. Free shuttle is available and breakfast is included. Book on booking.com £56
On 18th you can leisurely make your way to Orlando feeling refreshed after some sleep and pick up the hire car which is a 4-door £195.90
In Orlando you will stay at Comfort Inn & Suites which includes breakfast for a bargain £500.84. There are cheaper, and more expensive but I've read quite a few reviews on different places and this one looks a solid good value place to stay.
I've included park tickets and found the cheapest place for these orlandoattractions.com
You can pick different tickets but I've included the full monty tickets which basically include everything you'll need £2692.50. You are paying for a 14 day ticket but due to the restrictive flights I can't seem to get a full two weeks in Orlando :-(
If you don't want these specific tickets you could just buy individual tickets and reduce the cost a bit.
On 29th August you will check out and you don't leave Miami until 5:10pm so you leisurely can check out and make your way to Miami for your flight home.
The total for the family of 4 £4452.34/£1113.08pp
All comments (89)
Like anywhere there are good and bad reviews but most bad ones are from people who complain because they made an error in the first place with wrong dates, spelling names wrong, etc etc....
:innocent:
We went back end of Aug paid £360pp flight Orlando from Manchester with virgin Atlantic £320pp for kids. Stayed at fountains resort (highly recommend) 4 bed villa really nice. which worked out £110 per night there for 10 days. 15 min drive to all the disney parks. Car hire is cheap £26 per day for a large grand jeep. Bought the ultimate 14 day pass from florida tickets. The memory maker and fast pass are a must if your planning your trip in advance. Disney really was worth it. My kids still miss it. Amazing.
Obviously - other carriers may come in slightly cheaper than that, and not sure what non-staff prices would be. Suspect 20% more. :disappointed:
My friend and her husband flew into Miami with their twin 4 year old girls and drove straight from Orlando to Miami after a long haul flight - crazy! I guess it all depends on your budget and what, if any compromise you want to make.
alamo.co.uk/par…ts/
used it 15 years running and always comes in cheaper when considering insurance cover and extras added.
Driving from MIA to Orlando on a dark wet Friday evening in August - the wet season, (Hurricane season June 1st to November 30th).
Hope you've thought about car seats.
"Florida law requires that all drivers, all front seat passengers, and all passengers under the age of 18 wear seat belts.* Children under age 4 must be in a safety seat, and children ages 4 and 5 must be in either a safety seat or a booster seat.
Little kids shouldn't be exposed to exploding air bags in front seats either, which can go off in just a minor prang.
For the second year running Florida has the worst drivers
(Been going to Miami in February for the last 36 years.)
Florida Driver's Handbook
On this itinerary I did put driving to the airport from Orlando to Miami on the same day as your flight home which doesn't leave til tea time, but you could also leave Orlando a couple of days earlier as recommend so you are closer to the airport.
Fly drive from Manchester to Miami via Heathrow ( 2 hour between flights) leaving 10 Aug 18 for 19 nights returning 29 Aug 18 with car insurance prepaid for a 12 seat van.
4 adults and 2 kids £3300 with only £350 deposit
Hopefully pick up a villa for about £1200 so all in £4500 for 6 people for 19 nights all in the school holidays and includes bank holiday weekend
Works out £750 each with low deposit
Will book hotel for one night in Miami when we land and then drive to Orlando next morning when we get up at silly o'clock lol
The drive up from Miami is only 3 and a half hours, no big deal. We do it every year (always sleep over in Miami or Fort Laurerdale first)
We found TAP Portugal had flights back from Miami (to LON via Lisbon) on 29th/30th/31st Aug for £120pp so started there (upgraded to £150pp for luggage)
Found a flight out on the 8th with Norwegian for £300pp (to Fort Laurerdale direct)
I know this is £450pp but as you've said it was hard to find anything longer, this is 23 days and only £800 more (for 4) which considering the total cost is acceptable (to me anyway)
We've not booked the first night in Ft. L yet. I was thinking of picking up something nice with a beach view for the first morning from groupon.com
We're then spending 3 weeks in a villa just of the 192. It works out about £400 a week for Villa's and if you've got kids who love the pool is amazing (It's what makes the holiday for us)
We've bought tickets from orlandoattractions.com too (Disney Ultimate 21 days) but we checked elsewhere and got them to price match (can't remember who) but knocked the price down a little and included some gatorland tickets for just $8 each
We used Tripwheels.com for car hire (pick up Ft.L, drop off Miami was no extra)
Heat added and I'll book if i can confirm my summer leave for next year.
Experienced school holiday visitors to Florida know to take no notice of nay sayers around the weather conditions in florida for this time of year. We will spend first few days on Sanibel / Captiva then up the 75 and across the 4 to Orlando for a week, returning on the same route to do a few nights on Anna Maria Island on the way home. PERFECT combination of fun and relaxation. :wink:
Are you a travel agent or something? Have a blog or anything?
Hopefully by the time we're going to Florida, you are still posting! :innocent:
Flights: Need to buy now to lock in the deal
Accomodation: Can be paid on small deposit and settled next year as shown above
Park Tickets: This is such a big part of the cost, can I easily leave it until next year to buy these or is this an exceptionally good price? Will I generally be looking at the same kind of cost for the park tickets at anytime?
Thanks very much.
Flying to Miami airport on the other hand... no thanks. Done that twice, suffered twice. Never again :smile:
They all turn up like locusts buy everything in the designer outlets and lengthen the queue to rides so it's like Alton Towers on a bank holiday.
I just paid £1290 inclusive of fees for my entire family to fly to Miami via Philadelphia and home via Heathrow. No brainer for the extra 2hrs 35 mins of inconvenience.
Lowest outbound Single / direct = £665
Lowest Inbound single / Direct = £457
Total Return for ONE PERSON = £1122
I''ve booked all four flights for £1290 total
We never really had to queue for rides.
All the parks with staff are soo well organised puts British themes parks to shame. I for one would recommend it to anyone.
Booked with Travel City Direct and flew home less than a week before the went into administration. How times and prices have changed :cry:
I just paid £1290 inclusive of fees for my entire family to fly to Miami via Philadelphia and home via Heathrow. No brainer for the extra 2hrs 35 mins of inconvenience.
Lowest outbound Single / direct = £665
Lowest Inbound single / Direct = £457
Total Return for ONE PERSON = £1122
I''ve booked all four flights for £1290 total
Flights will need to be paid in full right now - They have gone up slightly from the advertised price though but if you tweek the dates and also tweek the dates using BA you'll still get 2 weeks for less than £1300 which is great.
The accomodation could be searched through Bookings.com and secured without paying a penny until you check in, you can cancel at anytime upto 24hrs before arrival - Theres also accomodation on there for about £350 for 2 weeks, so this all depends on your budget and what accomodation you'd require.
The tickets are a massive cost of the holiday , again these can be purchased any time you want, have a look on FloridaTix and choose the parks that suit your needs , Ive just returned and only had the 14 day Disney and Universal parks which cost approx £2100 for a family of 4 and when we return we'll probably skip disney next time. These tickets can also be purchased whilst in florida itself as most hotels offer them ( I think you get a better deal buying before you go though)
Basically this is not a package deal so as long as you secure the flights you can then book everthing else you need anytime before you fly out next year. So get saving and beg the Boss for all the overtime thats goinig as you'll have the best holiday ever.
Good luck
Miami has quite a bit to offer, and sometimes its easier without a car, If ever wanting to do a dolphin swim its great in key largo, much better than rip off discovery cove, I know it was a exception this year the weather, but me personally I never go during hurricane season, its far too humid, I prefer march-april time
Flight I was looking at shows Manchester to Miami , with a connection at Heathrow which is fine, but does anyone know if I can book these flights and just go straight to Heathrow rather than travel up to Manchester to fly back down to Heathrow to connect for Miami thereby missing out the Manchester Heathrow connection. If I booked straight from Heathrow to Miami it's nearly £1000 for the same flight,. Mad how they work these things out.
As a tip, may I suggest the following for those in London:
Book a multi-stop flight.
Leg 1: Manchester to Miami
Leg 2: Miami to LHR
Leg 3: LHR to Manchester
The third leg make sure you do the next day after landing in London, you will therefore get your luggage back in London and then you can exit. As your third flight isn't until the next day you can choose whether to take this or not, thus exiting at London.
Never, ever tell the airline you are planning to do this!!!
As an example this was something I found on travelup.co.uk
Under £300pp based on family of 4.
Screen shots below; Any help let me know.
I've done this lots of times, sometimes it's because the third leg has been something like London to Stockholm and we have exited at London and drove home, but make that third leg is a day or two later.... Sometimes the airline staff were a bit odd, but we were like oh we are seeing some family in London then heading back to Sweden for a city break. They don't like it when you do this, but for those that are exiting in London, you had an emergency which meant you had to stay in London and didn't need to go to Manchester the next day etc etc etc.... Once you've got your luggage and exited, job done.
Also the later you go the likelihood of stormy weather increases. Id go June at the latest unless you enjoy tropical storm every midday.
I'm sure there are better months to go, great if you aren't stuck to school holidays.
orlandoattractiontickets.co.uk/Sal…017
There were 49 Adult tickets available at this price left (£370) when I reserved this morning. Also took advantage of their £10 deposit offer, just in case I find them cheaper elsewhere next year - (which is possible given the current rise in the price of the £ vs $) But best to get covered just in case!
To counter this rather bizarre comment I will add that this "ridiculous" Miami option has afforded me a Three week stay next year as a pose to only being able to afford to stay for 14 days because of rip off expensive school holiday flights! :wink:
Yin & Yang I guess.?
Alternatively, if you dont need a car you can usually fly from mia to mco for ~100.
Disney Tickets are generally cheapest buying direct from Disney. When I went to Florida, pretty much everywhere only offered tickets at prices above Disneys and didn't offer the Fastpass+ and Memory maker (memory maker is great, you just scan your tickets at some glowing orbs at the park exist and it'll automatically upload them to you account only and you can get as many photos as you like without paying anything). Disney also offer cashback.
It's universal and Seaworld where the ticket sellers have more flexibility and offer big reductions. I'd shop around a bit as a quick check has 14 day Disney tickets and 14 day universal tickets from Disney and Travel Republic respectively come out £200 cheaper than the OP so I'd guess you could find some with Seaworld included for a bit cheaper.
Remember: parking is $20 a day and food inside the parks is phenomenally expensive (Stuffing yourself at a Golden Coral or hotel breakfast can be cheaper and mean you won't waste an hour in the park for lunch).
I wouldn't struggle to drive 3.5 hours in a straight line (in an automatic car- like that makes a difference?) but I wouldn't be that tight to put 2 young kids through it. Then there's the journey back.
This is without even taking into consideration that the vehicle that the OP has priced in this "deal" is a Chevrolet Spark (or similar) so effectively a Compact vehicle. Good luck getting all of your luggage for 10 days, 2 kids and partner/wife/husband in one of those. Oh and let's hope the vehicle you get assigned or can select from has AC! (not a given)
Then the OP poster has priced for "full monty" tickets for 14 days. Absolutely ridiculous to think that you can squeeze, not even everything but even most things these tickets offer into 10 days!
Most of the money you are saving by inconveniencing yourself by not flying direct to Orlando is then wasted in this overkill combo ticket as well as the 2 nights/day you are losing travelling from and to the airport.
Be realistic. Yes the flights are relatively cheap for that time of year, but there is a reason!
Each to their own I guess, but personally I'd of hated for people to see this "package" and think it's a great deal with just 1 sided opinions and book it all as laid out.
Love Disney and spend far too much each year going, theme parks in the UK are totally different. We wouldn't go to them at all.
if you have never been before there is a brilliant site "thedibb" for UK visitors to Disney which gives loads of advice. I have found out so much info from their forum.
main advice is to get to the Parks early and make good use of FP+.
However when broken down. This "Package" identifies options that clearly indicate one of the cheapest ways to accomplish a Disney Package with this specific ticketing choice per person. In fact if you want that specific ticket, with that specific flight, the only way to beat it would be to buy cheaper, better accommodation. Good luck with that.
Also - Just FYI, If the price is per person. Many flight operators consider children to be up to the age of 17. Now I know you will probably counter my opinion here with a witty comment about the amount of "leg room" in a "compact car" for that horrible 3.5 hour journey, but believe me, when I gave my daughter the choice, she was more than happy for me to choose a compact vehicle size to get us across the state to our accommodation.
In fact, when I gave my 13yr old lad (Still a child the last time I looked) the option of compact car versus "not" going to Florida. Guess what? He opted to take the compact car and 3.5 hour journey as well.
As I said. Yin & Yang depending on budget and attitude. Some people clearly have more money than I do. Good for you if you fall in to that category. Well done.
BTW: When talking about units of time, you can actually compare any two journeys from point A to point B.
ABTW: I actually agree with you about potentially NOT over ticketing. But, each to their own. I've checked and the tickets posted in this deal are currently the cheapest available for that specific ticket.
Have a great time in flordia those who grab this deal!
Tens of Thousands of people choose to fly in to Sanford airport when visiting Orlando for this exact reason. Flying in to Miami (if only visiting Orlando) is simply adding another 2 hours over and above what most people would consider "The norm"
On the grand scale of things, If you choose to tag Two hours driving on to your holiday to save well in excess of £1500, I personally would not think it as being "tight". But then I do not have money to burn.
WRT: Hire car. Did you ever consider that some/many people may own properties in Florida and may not need luggage? Some people also may be frequent visitors to Florida and KNOW that travelling with a 20Kg Suitcase full of clothes is not always necessary for 14 days. They may also not have young children.
Park ticket requirements are always subjective and dependant on the individual requirements.
Pretty certain most of the items detailed in this deal are there to help others make decisions around how they holiday rather than to push them in to copying the deal in its entirety.
I think the temp of this "ridiculous" deal speaks for itself really.
2/ I think your 2 hours driving that you are choosing to tag onto your holiday might want a re-think.
3/ No, sorry, I didn't consider that some people own properties in Florida and might not need luggage when I replied, simply because the OP has submitted this deal as a "package" and is suggesting to stay in 2 Hotels.. Days Inn Miami International Airport and then switch to a Comfort Inn near Universal.
I also didn't take into consideration that people interested in this may not have young children, for the same reasons above, this is posted as a "package" for 2 adults and 2 children and even broken down into a price per person!!!
The temperature of the deal doesn't mean anything, as proven time and time again on this site where a deal can be posted and not even surpass 50 degrees and then someone can come along and post exactly the same deal a day or so later and it reaches 1000. It is more than likely people reading the title and hitting the heat button without looking at the finer details.
If the OP hadn't posted this as a "package" and just made it about the flights, then I could take your points on board, but as that isn't the case, you have just made totally irrelevant comments to what the original deal is about.
As I said, each to their own! But if you are looking to travel on these dates and are willing to effectively lose a night on arrival, most of the following day travelling up and getting checked in and then half a day or so on the last day travelling back down, completing an approx 450-500 mile round trip all in a compact vehicle with room for a couple of holdalls, then fill your boots!