TIPS

Book Early!

Whether it’s booking Maison Du Soleil, your flights, or dinner reservations, book early to avoid disappointment. It’s not uncommon for hotels and flights to fill up long in advance of the desired date.

Dining

Eating at home can help save you money on your trip, but sometimes you might want to spoil yourself. Two ways to do that is either a buffet breakfast, or a character meal at Disney. Buffets are big in Florida and there are plenty of them on Hwy 192.

Many people aren’t aware that you can dine with your favourite Disney characters at Walt Disney World. There are many locations to choose from: have breakfast with Cinderella and the princesses at the Castle; join Winnie the Pooh and the gang for a meal at the Crystal Palace; join Chef Mickey for dinner at the Contemporary Resort; or maybe join Alice in Wonderland for a tea party at the Grand Floridian. There’s lots of other great character dining experiences for kids of all ages. Book these in advance – Cinderella and Winnie are very hard to get into without a priority seating reservation.

Cooking at home

The Maison Du Soleil has a fully equipped kitchen – except food, of course. Nearby there are some excellent grocery stores on Hwy. 192, as well as two Publix grocery stores near the house. One is <3 miles at the corner of Old Lake Wilson and 532; the other is a hidden gem in nearby Champions Gate about 5 miles from the house (both locations are open 7a.m. to 10p.m.). Publix has everything you’d want in a grocery store, and even beer and wine. Some handy meal ideas: "salad in a bag" – sounds odd, but a great way to get a complete salad with salad dressing. Frozen meatballs can make a nice addition to a pasta dish.

Afternoon nap

If the kids get tired at Disney, you can always come home mid-day for lunch and a nap. When you leave the park, just get your hand-stamped to return later in the day. Best of all, parking at Disney allows in/out privileges, so you can come and go from the parking lots of all four Disney parks and only pay once for the day.

Is that all there is to do in Orlando?

When you think of Orlando, the first thing you think of is Disney World. Some people worry that staying in Orlando means missing out everything else. However, Florida is a small state with a great network of highways, therefore many great things are within a short drive. Cocoa Beach is less than one hour away on the Atlantic coast. Clearwater is on the gulf coast about 90 minutes away. Kennedy Space Center is also less than an hour away, and Daytona Speedway is about 90 minutes N/E of Orlando.

Discount tickets

As soon as you leave the airport you will be see endless offers for discounts on tickets to area attractions. Is there a catch? Usually, yes. At the very least, the deep discount and free tickets usually come with the catch that you have to spend some time at a time share seminar - and you probably don't want to waste valuable vacation time sitting through a sales pitch. Other times, the tickets offered are "used tickets with days left on the them" (that is, a 7 day Disney Park Hopper, with two days left on it). The problem is that remaining days can only be verified at the Disney park itself, therefore you could find yourself arriving at the park to find that the used tickets you bought have no days remaining at all.

We have found one really good dealer: Kissimmee Guest Services . They offer very competetive prices on tickets to all attractions, and can also arrange tee times and other services.

Best bet is to buy your tickets from authorised dealers: the parks, travel agents, and at your hotel. When you're checking in, the office of our management company can give you advice on trusted locations to buy tickets. And remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true - it probably is!

Coupons

Speaking of discounts, while you're checking in at the front desk be sure to check out all the coupon books. There are a number of booklets that have great area maps, plus information about area attractions, and best of all - discount coupons to attractions, restaurants and shopping. No catch with these, and they sometimes help you find little gems like Longhorn's Steakhouse.

For more tips, check out this guide. It's been geared towards visitors from Britain, but it's loaded with great tips, and is written with a great sense of humour. It's especially good if this is your first trip to Florida, or America.

If there are any questions about the Orlando area that you’d like to know, just email us!