The moment you all decide that Orlando is the choice of your destination for a family holiday, is the moment your planning should begin.
Let’s face it, if over 50 million tourists visit Orlando each year, there has got to be something pretty good about this place.
From the endless hours of sunshine to the magic and rush of adrenalin in the theme parks, there is plenty for all to do for every age, young and old. Speaking from experience, my Mother 86 and Mother in Law 75 have been with us twice and they enjoy it as much as our teenage daughter.
Here we all are at Disney on New Years Eve 2009. We will all be back here for NYE 2014 🙂
Okay, so first off you have to get there, and the good part is that you can do it all from the comfort of your own home.
First decide if you want to fly direct or through a number of stops at UK or US Airports, pricing will be different here, as direct flights are obviously going to be more expensive, but you have the comfort that with 8 – 9 hours you will be at your chosen destination.
The main airport to fly into in Orlando is McCoy Airport (MCO), you can also fly into Sanford, Orlando or Tampa, but MCO is the Main International Airport and is the closest to the Theme Parks and Surrounding areas.
There are many ways to get there from Ireland and the UK. From Ireland you can fly direct with Aer Lingus, alternatively you can fly to the UK and catch a connecting flight to Orlando.
From the UK you can fly direct from many airports which is of great benefit, especially if travelling with young children
To book from Ireland, simply log onto http://www.aerlingus.ie
To book Flights,
Select Departure Airport Select Arrivals Airport
DUB Orlando (MCO)
Dates From Dates To
No of Passengers and press return
This will bring you onto a screen where you can click the dates you want and check the price.
Once you have clicked all, it will give you a total price, and from here you can select the part pay option and pay only 50% of the total, with the balance to be paid 12 weeks before departure.
Flights can be booked 330 days in advance from your departure date, so this gives you plenty of time to save.
Flights from the UK
To book through the UK Airports, the process is the same, the choice of airports that you have are as follows:
London, Manchester, East Midlands, Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham and Belfast.
You will also have many options of Airlines to fly from here ie., British Airways, Virgin, US Airways, Continental etc.,
You can also fly from Dublin with US Airways, Continental, Virgin and British Airways, however this will involve flying from Dublin from a carrier airline to a selected UK Airport. There is then a 2 – 2.5 hour stopover and then a 9 hour flight.
Benefits of flying out from a UK Airport is that the flights will be slightly cheaper, and there is more of a selection of flights and times. It will also benefit if you want a Two Part Holiday (ie) fly to New York for a few days and then onto Orlando.
What to do once flights are booked
Once the flights are fully paid, you can select your seat and specific meals ie., vegan, vegetarian, gluten free etc.,
Simply Log into your selected Airline and click Manage Booking.
All flights have inflight entertainment, which certainly makes your flight that much more comfortable and dare I say it, but the time “Flies”.
To View the best seats on your chosen flight, check out Seat Guru at http://www.seatguru.com all you will need is your flight number and you will be able to view the best available seats.
Now that your flights are organised, it is time to look forward to the Holiday of a Lifetime.
See Follow up Blogs on Accommodation, Car Hire, Tickets and once you get there how to make the best of your time . .
See below a picture of Lauren at McCoy International Airport, sad because we are on our
Orlando International Airport is a shopping mall in itself, you will find many of the shops that you would have visited during your stay in Orlando.
planningyourorlandoholiday 