When planning a vacation, most people think of visiting Orlando Florida. Why? Because Orlando is not only home to the magnificent Disney World, but it is also ranked very high on the list of places where families want to spend a vacation. As I have mentioned in previous articles, over 40 million people visit Orlando every year. It is really one of the best places to go on vacation because of its great theme parks, tourist sites and gorgeous hotels. Orlando has countless vacation resorts that cater to tourists but you also have several other options for your family vacation. (photo courtesy: orlandovillagemagic.com)

First of all, booking a hotel is easy to do and you do have lots of them to choose from. But you also want to discover the sights around Orlando and the fun places you and your family can enjoy. You really should become acquainted with the city of Orlando and its people. Of course, a visit to Disneyland should be included in your vacation plans to Orlando Florida. After all, Disneyland is a place where most people do plan to visit on their Florida travel vacation.

So what are your options for your family vacation to Orlando? For starters, you can check local ticket agencies and see what they are offering as a package. Some packages include your hotel accommodations, tours and meal arrangements. One benefit about these vacation packages is that you don’t have to worry about where to go in Orlando because they will have your vacation itinerary planned for you. It is also a great way for you to meet other families who are on vacation. Sightseeing around the city of Orlando you can make lots of new friends who also purchased the same package you have.

There are also lots of time-share packages to choose from. Most resorts do offer time-share packages for value conscious families. The best part of this is that some of these time-share packages allow you to stay at very nice resorts that are close to all major tourist attractions. Normally, these resorts are located within a few miles from major attractions like Disneyland. The time-share vacation condo units or resort packages as they are sometimes called can often be much cheaper than going out on your own. You can save lots of money as time-share plans will let you enjoy your stay at economical cost. (photo courtesy: timeshare101.com)

Another option you have is to rent a vacation home. Believe me, there are lots of vacation homes available for rental in Florida and especially in the Orlando area. If you are planning your dream vacation to Orlando for more than a two week stay, renting a vacation home may be ideal for you. Extended stays in hotels can be expensive and more so if you have children. Time-share vacation packages normally offer just a two week stay for use of the resort or condo so renting a home for a longer stay may be just what you need. (photo courtesy: discount vacationrentalsonline.com)

Here is another option for you. If you made your vacation plans with the idea of visiting Disneyland, then consider staying at a Walt Disney resort. These resorts offer packages that are built around the plan of touring Disney. You do have numerous resorts to choose from that cater to different tastes so choosing the right one will not be a problem. Find one that includes lots of fun things to do at a price that you can afford. And remember that Florida travel is still very affordable for most people.

Most people that travel to Disney World in Orlando are a bit confused and probably overwhelmed when they arrive. The reason for this is that Disney is not only huge but an absolutely incredible place with all its magic. What usually happens when you arrive at Disney is that you don’t know where to go first. My recommendation is that you start your day at Fantasyland. This is one of the most popular areas at Disney World because there are no age or size requirements. The only height restriction that I’ve heard is a 35 inch requirement at the Matterhorn attraction. (photo courtesy: gastipster.com)

Be sure to get to Fantasyland early in the morning to avoid long lines. As the day progresses, the place will fill up quickly and you will see very long lines later in the afternoon hours. An important thing to remember is that none of the attractions in Fantasyland have FastPass which basically allows you to make an appointment to go on certain rides but this option is not available at Fantasyland. What you can do is cover the areas you want at Fantasyland and then go and get FastPasses for other attractions.

Believe me, the crowds will start growing rapidly within a few hours of Disneyland opening every day. But if you arrive before the park opens you can be amongst the first ones through the gate and you can head straight to Fantasyland before going anywhere else. This will allow you to go on all the rides you want while people are waiting on long lines to get in. While at Fantasyland, start collecting FastPass tickets for other attractions that you want to visit throughout the park. You can start doing this early in the morning because the longer you wait, the longer it will be for your appointed time. One thing to keep in mind is that your appointed time is dependant on how many FastPasses have been issued for each ride. (photo courtesy: concierge.com)

Don’t waste any time though. While waiting for your first FastPass appointment, go ahead and enjoy some of the other attractions. You can also visit some of the shops or maybe get a snack. This is also a good time to visit the restrooms and just sitting down to get a little rest will be nice. But do remember that in order to enjoy everything that Disney has to offer you should start your day at Fantasyland. You can then proceed to gather FastPass tickets and enjoy other attractions in between. By all means, don’t put yourself on a very tight schedule that you forget to have fun.

If you are thinking about vacationing in Orlando Florida and spending time at Disney World, planning that vacation carefully is very important and can save you money. Some people just don’t focus on doing any planning because it can sometimes seem like a daunting task. Arranging all those little details about your vacation can make or break the vacation and impact how you will enjoy it. But the thing to remember is that you must plan that vacation and there are helpful guides to help you in the process. (photo courtesy: wvschool.com)

There are many places on the Internet where you can do extensive research and give you ideas as to where to stay and the places you want to visit. These are two of the most important things to consider when planning your vacation keeping in mind how much you want to spend. What I normally do when planning a vacation is find the official websites and travel sites where they review what the various resorts have to offer as part of a package deal.

What I like about these official resort sites is that they have lots of information on just about anything and everything you need to know about their resort. One of my favorite websites to get resorts and hotel information is Hotels Combined. They have the most complete information about all hotel accommodations. Most of these sites also provide a customer support center in case you want to speak with a representative by phone that can answer your questions. While doing the research, you can view photos of the resorts and become familiar with whatever attractions and extras they may offer.

You can also do research online and make your travel plans by visiting the many travel related websites like Orbitz or CheapOair and save some money because these travel agencies offer no hidden fees. Keep in mind that Orbitz also offers price assurance so that if someone books a flight cheaper than what you paid, they will refund the difference of the price to you. And these online travel agencies also offer car rental and vacation packages for your convenience. With an estimated forty million visitors to Orlando every year, online travel agencies compete with each other to offer the best value for your vacation plans.

Once you have your travel and accommodations plans in place, think about the places you want to visit at Disney. You can save time and money if you purchase your theme park tickets ahead of time. One place that I really like is the Official Ticket Center because they offer tickets to all the theme parks and everything that is related to Disney. Check them out and you will get ideas as to the places you want to visit as well as price range for the whole family.

All in all, the final decision is still with you and your family as to where you want to go and where you want to stay when going to Disney for your vacation. So do the research so you can make some informed decisions ahead of time. Remember that planning is the most important aspect of your Orlando Florida vacation.

One of the most important questions that usually surfaces when planning a Florida Disney vacation is choice of hotel. Some travelers think that choosing a hotel associated with Disney might be a better choice while others may opt to choose a hotel offsite and away from the theme parks. To help you make this very important decision and come up with the best choice for hotel accommodations, here are some of the pros and cons of choosing a hotel on or offsite. (photo courtesy: goflorida.about.com)

Advantages of Staying at an Off-Site Hotel

•    When staying offsite, the hotels usually offer more variety of amenities to compensate with its location and they also offer lower prices since staying at hotels situated near Disney World can be costly

•    Normally, hotels located outside Disney World are larger which can be a huge advantage for those who are traveling in large groups since these hotel rooms are good for 5 to 6 people. Disney hotel rooms are usually only good for four people regardless of the age of the guest.

•    Most offsite hotels offer free transportation to Disney World as well as to other attractions such as Universal Studios and SeaWorld while hotels onsite only offer free transportation to Disney parks.

•    Disney World has many other tourist attractions worth exploring and by staying in an offsite hotel there is an easier access to these smaller scale tourist spots.

•    Lots of offsite hotels also offer discounts for Disney World tickets as well as SeaWorld or Universal Studios if you choose to have you accommodations with them.

•    Some offsite hotels offer free breakfast and last minute specials even on peak season.

•    You could wind up in a newer hotel since there are lots of new ones going up all the time.

Disadvantages of Staying Off Site

•    There is a great difference between onsite and offsite hotels in terms of quality.

•    Onsite hotels offer free transportation to and from the International Airport.

•    A free shuttle service to all theme parks in Disney World will also be provided. Offsite hotels share the same shuttle services resulting in a crowded ride. There is no difficulty finding these free shuttle services even during the busy seasons since they run every thirty minutes.

•    Disney World offers one “Magical Hour” as they call it to those who choose to stay in the Disney properties. The guests will be allowed to enter the park an hour before other guests who are not staying at the Disney World Resort.

•    Most of the employees working in offsite hotels are not very familiar with Disney World or perhaps even Orlando. Employees at the Disney World Resort are trained well to attend to your needs.

•    When you stay at a Disney hotel, you can charge stuff to your room giving you a less hassle tour to the park.

•    Guests staying at a Disney hotel also have the chance to have a character tuck the kids to bed before they have that wonderful slumber. Awesome!