Easter Florida fun
We flew indirect from Heathrow to Orlando via Atlanta with Virgin Atlantic and Delta. We chose Atlanta because of the vast number of flights going to Orlando every day, so we knew if there was a problem with our first flight, we wouldn’t have too much of an issue getting a connecting flight. We were glad we did as we missed our connecting flight due to the queues at immigration but were put on standby and got on the next flight only an hour later.
We stayed for 7 nights at a Disney resort and booked during Disney’s free dining promotion. We decided to upgrade to the standard dining plan which gave us one table service and one quick service meal per day, which was definitely worth the extra money for us. We chose Port Orleans Riverside, a fantastic hotel with a lovely main pool and a series of smaller pools near to the rooms. It connects to all the Disney parks, as well as the entertainment and shopping area called Disney Springs, by a series of buses that are a fantastic perk of staying inside the Disney “bubble”.
We had an amazing week at Walt Disney World, visiting all 4 parks as well as both waterparks. If I could give one recommendation for getting the most out of Disney it would be to get up early (at the start of the holiday, the time difference means you will probably be doing so anyway). If you get to the park first thing, you will beat the crowds and you can return to your accommodation for a rest and go back to the park for the evening.
We didn’t need a hire car at the start as we had taken Disney’s complimentary Magical Express to the hotel from the airport but as we were moving hotels we had booked one from day 7. We were picked up and taken to the Disney Car Care Centre to pick up our spacious hire car to drive to our next hotel. This was the budget, but perfectly comfortable, Rosen Inn at Pointe on International Drive. For anyone who is wary of driving in the USA, don’t be! I loved driving out there as was very easy in an automatic car.
Our room at the Rosen Inn had two very comfortable double beds, plenty of drawers and hanging space and a microwave, coffee machine and bathroom. From the Rosen Inn we visited Universal. We loved it and can’t wait to go back as we didn’t get to visit their new water park as it hadn’t opened when we went. We also visited SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Centre and the unmissable Discovery Cove. We ate at numerous wonderful restaurants including Bahama Breeze, Olive Garden, Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company and the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium.
After 15 days of back-to-back activity we packed up and drove to the sublime and laid-back Anna Maria Island where we spent the last 4 days of our holiday relaxing on the beautiful white sandy beaches and enjoying the sunsets.
We flew home via Atlanta from Tampa as it was easier than driving back to Orlando. It was a holiday we will all never forget and we will go back!
My top tip – Book a 1-night stay at one of Universal’s top 3 hotels to take advantage of early entry and free express passes for the parks for the day of arrival and the day of departure. This is a fantastic time-saver as you get to skip the regular queues in the parks allowing you to experience so much more in a shorter time.