First Time in Orlando? Here's Where to Start

Planning your first Orlando holiday is incredibly exciting – but we'll admit, it can also feel a little overwhelming.

Disney World. Universal Orlando. Flights. Villas. Car hire. Theme park tickets. Restaurants. Shopping. And that's before you've even started deciding what you're going to do each day!

The secret is not to try to plan everything at once.

Here are a few things we'd suggest thinking about first.

Start with when you want to travel

School holidays will naturally influence many families, but if you have some flexibility, think about the weather, theme park crowds and your budget.

Orlando is a year-round destination, but visiting in February can be quite different from August. Summer means hotter temperatures and regular afternoon thunderstorms, while the cooler months can be ideal for long days exploring the parks.

Decide how long you need

For a first Orlando holiday, we'd normally suggest around 14 nights if your time and budget allow.

There's an enormous amount to see. Walt Disney World alone has 4 main theme parks, and then there's Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Kennedy Space Center, shopping, dining and dozens of other Central Florida attractions.

Most importantly, don't feel that you have to visit a theme park every day. Build some villa days into your plans as well. A leisurely morning around your own pool can be very welcome after several busy days exploring Orlando.

Choose where you want to stay

For families, this is where an Orlando villa really comes into its own.

Instead of everyone sharing a hotel room, you can have separate bedrooms, living and dining areas, your own kitchen and, with many villas, your own private swimming pool.

Some homes also offer games rooms, cinema rooms, themed children's bedrooms, spas and access to resort facilities.

Popular villa areas include Kissimmee, Davenport, Clermont and Haines City. Each has its own advantages, so don't choose purely on the basis of which villa looks nicest – think about location and the facilities that matter to your family too.

Don't try to choose from hundreds of villas!

It's very easy to disappear down a rabbit hole comparing one Orlando villa with another.

Instead, make a list of your must-haves.

How many bedrooms do you need? Would you like a private pool and spa? Is a games room important? Would the children love themed bedrooms? Do you want resort facilities? Would you prefer a lake, conservation or golf course view?

Once you know what's important, narrowing down the choices becomes much easier.

Think about how you're going to get around

Orlando covers an enormous area, so don't underestimate travelling distances.

For many families staying in a villa, hiring a car provides the greatest flexibility. You can visit the theme parks, supermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls and other Florida attractions without planning everything around transfers.

And if the thought of driving on the right is making you nervous, don't worry – most UK visitors adapt surprisingly quickly.

Make a theme park wish list

One of the easiest mistakes on a first Orlando holiday is trying to do absolutely everything.

Sit down as a family and ask:

What are the things we absolutely don't want to miss?

Perhaps that's Magic Kingdom, seeing Hogwarts at Universal, swimming with dolphins at Discovery Cove or watching a rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center.

Start with your priorities and build the rest of the holiday around them.

Buy yourself a good Orlando guidebook

This is one old-fashioned holiday-planning tip that we think is still incredibly useful.

Having a proper guidebook beside you makes it much easier to understand how everything fits together, make notes and discover things you might never have thought to search for online.

One we'd recommend is the Best Orlando Villa Holiday Guide, written by acclaimed travel writers and Orlando specialists Simon and Susan Veness. (And if you book your Orlando villa with Debbie's Villas, we'll even send you a complimentary copy to help you plan your holiday.)

Simon and Susan have been writing about Orlando for decades, and their new guide covers far more than just the theme parks. There is practical advice about flights, travel insurance, getting around, ESTA requirements, spending money, choosing an Orlando villa and villa community, grocery shopping, dining, shopping, Florida beaches and days out, as well as detailed coverage of Disney World, Universal Orlando and the other major attractions.

The book is available from Amazon, Waterstones and other leading bookshops.

It's the sort of book you can start reading months before you travel and then take to Florida with you for reference while you're there.

And finally... enjoy planning it!

Planning an Orlando holiday should be part of the excitement.

Don't feel that you need to know everything immediately. Start with your dates, decide where you'd like to stay, choose your family's priorities and gradually build your holiday from there.

And remember, you don't have to do it alone.

At Debbie's Villas, we've been helping UK families plan Orlando villa holidays for many years. If you're unsure which area to stay in, which villa would suit your family or how to put the different parts of your holiday together, just ask us.

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll be happy to help.