Is there such a thing as a cheap Flordia vacation?

[jimmysgirl424]

DH and I want to take a few days vacation in January of next year and would really love to go to Flordia. We are thinking about the Orlando area but would probably go somewhere else nearby if it ended up being cheaper. I typed in Flordia vacations in Google and was completely overwhelmed by the hundreds (thousands) of sites. Does anyone have any good, solid recommendations for Flordia vacations that won't break our bank? We want to fly there from BWI (Baltimore Washington) and maybe stay for 4 days, go to Universal Studios theme park and just hang out.

[1MegMeg]

Do you want to stay in Orlando the entire time, or do you want to go to the coast/beach? Let me know and I can probably give some advice. :)

[jimmysgirl424]

I would say stay in Orlando the whole time.

[HeatherFL]

I live in Tampa Bay and it's a quick drive on I-4 to Orlando. I am originally from Miami and while it's my favorite place in Florida, I live in Tampa now and much prefer Tampa to Orlando. Less traffic, the beach is a quick drive and we do have great attractions (Busch Gardens, etc.) and other things to do. Plus to me, it's much less "touristy". That written, if you choose to stay in Orlando I would go to Expedia.com and click on "Vacation Packages". You can choose Orlando and enter the dates you want to go and then it will give you packages in a wide variety of price ranges. You can choose hotel only, hotel + flight + rental car or just hotel + flight. I have used this for European and California packages and loved it!

Hope this helps. :)
~H.

[jimmysgirl424]

Thanks ladies!! At least I have better idea what to look for now. I feel like an idiot though; I didn't even realize January would be 'peak' season. :o

[HeatherFL]

FWIW I have family in Sarasota, st pete, naples, ft meyers and orlando is WAY cheaper than those places. Not to dis FLA but those locations are like shopping, eating and beaches 24/7 and the driving there is absolutely TERRIFYING.

LOL I find driving in Orlando terrifying! ;)

Also, Southwest Airlines has vacation packages too. The website is www.swavacations.com.

~H.

[bookworm]

If you buy your tickets early, you should have no problem with fares. I travel to Orlando a lot (for work) and find the fares are highest between February and April--school vacation time. January is usually still ok.

You probably know this, but Orlando in January is not usually lounge-by-the-pool weather. I believe last year there was even frost :).

[Brandy]

I'm in Sarasota and Orlando AND Tampa scare me ;)

It is cold in January (like long sleeves no sweaters). I know for Orlando, January is the off season (theme parks are noticeably slower, lower hotel rates, etc. We got Annual Passes for Disney in Janurary one year, went to the parks and never waited more than 5 minutes to ride anything, and stayed at one of the Disney Value Resorts for $50/night.) but for anything south of there, it is full on PEAK TIMES for snowbirds. For deals, I'd check with AAA and if you have one, an Entertainment Book.

[juliemag]

Come to Ft. Lauderdale! There's beaches, shopping. You're close enough to Miami and Palm Beach to make day trips. It's nice all year long, except the summer - too many tourists and it's too darn hot!

Concerning theme parks... you could go up to Orlando and back - its about a three hour drive. There's also theme parks in Tampa (Busch Gardens) - which I prefer to the Orlando ones.

Side note: It's so funny b/c when I read this thread I was like "huh?"... b/c I've always thought of Florida as a way cheap vacation! I guess that's because I live here. </stupid moment!>