When booking a villa...

We think the best place to stay is just off the highway 192 we are at the point of this that is nearest to disney. some visitors like to stay at the far east end of this highway towards Poinciana but there is not much around there apart from a big walmart and now there is a walmart near disney so there is not much point staying that far away. west near the davenport area is in our opinion to far way away from the attractions.

Pool heating works better being gas powered. solar heated pools don't work to good in the winter (our pool is gas powered) and the pool is also south facing good for sun bathing and it keeps the pool nice and worm.

Car rental...

if there is one thing that i don't like about going to orlando its the sales desk of the car rental company's

we think the best thing is to book online before you go the rental companies The Orlando rental agencies that get the most complaints are L&M and Payless. These are sometimes the least expensive agencies on first glance, but if you can find the right combination of codes, coupons and other discounts, I think you'll usually find you can go with a more dependable agency at a similar price. I've received many complaints about these agencies, including: car type reserved was not available at pick-up, aggressive selling of insurance, overcharging, poor car quality, etc Did you know that you probably do not need to purchase the extra insurance offered by rental car companies (i.e. Loss Damage Waiver/LDW, Personal Accident Insurance/PAI) on your rental car? Skipping the extra insurance can result in a savings of $15 or more a day, so be sure to check this out with your own insurance and credit card companies before you go! Most US residents are covered by their own auto insurance policies unless they are renting an unusual vehicle. (Note that some policies may exclude rented SUVs, luxury cars or convertibles.) Call your insurance company to confirm what type of coverage your policy provides for rental cars.

Another misleading insurance sales ploy that has been reported is this: the rep refers in passing to "basic coverage" and implies that this is something included or standard. Rental car companies do NOT include any basic insurance coverage in the US, unless you have some kind of specially-negotiated corporate contract with them (i.e. if you are traveling on business, your company may have some kind of insurance included in its master contract with the agency). Statements like "okay, so you just want the basic coverage" are a way of misleading you into buying insurance you don't need or want. Again, if you have determined that you don't need additional insurance from the rental car company, it is very important to examine your paperwork and make sure no insurance has been added.

If you have determined you don't need extra insurance, the easiest way to avoid having insurance added during the rental process is to sign up for the rental car company's frequent renter program. This allows you to do almost all of the paperwork in advance (and usually you get to avoid the check-in line, or stand in a special line). Because you have already chosen "no insurance" in advance, the issue shouldn't even arise.

Beware of Suggested "Upgrades" at the Counter

Among the various misleading tactics car rental companies use is the "upsell" or "suggested upgrade." You show up at the rental counter with your confirmation in hand, and the rep offers to upgrade you to a bigger car for "just a little more" money. (Alternatively, sometimes they will look at your family and say "The car you reserved isn't going to be big enough for all of you and your luggage. You need a bigger vehicle." Then they offer an "upgrade" for a few dollars more per day.)

This is a scam, pure and simple. 99% of the time, if you turn down the "upgrade," it will turn out they don't actually have any cars left in the category you reserved. They know this, and they know they are going have to upgrade you into a larger vehicle without additional charge. But first they'll try to get you to pay for the upgrade. Don't let them.

Prepaid Gas Option

When you pick up your rental car, most companies will offer you the option of prepaying for a full tank of gas, often at a temptingly low per-gallon rate. The pitch is that this is "convenient" and will "save you money."

Well, it may be convenient, but I don't think it's a good idea. When I'm in Orlando I usually drive across Walt Disney World several times a day and visit multiple off-site locations -- and after 5 days, I'll still have a half-tank of gas left.

Even if you're able to use a whole tank of gas during your trip, to make the prepaid tank worthwhile you'd have to return the car on fumes. Personally that would make me very nervous!

try expidia is a great site to compare deals on the rental car companies, and sometimes has special rate offers. also there is travleocity

Flights...

Which Airport to Use.

If you are going to Walt Disney World, the closest airport is Orlando (MCO). The next-closest airports to Walt Disney World are Sanford (SFB) or Tampa (TPA).

Disney tickets...

for stays of 3 days or under buy form the disney gate for 4 days and up try undercovertourist.com

Where NOT to Buy Disney World Passes

There are lots of legitimate ways to get discounted Walt Disney World passes. Unfortunately, there are also many ways to get ripped off. 

You should never buy partially used passes. For instance, perhaps someone bought a 7-day ticket and ended up using only 5 days of it, so he or she is reselling the remaining 2 days. (Unused days on the old Hopper tickets sold before January 2, 2005, and on Magic Your Way tickets with the No Expiration Option sold on or after January 2, 2005 will never expire.) Sounds good, right? The trouble is, there is absolutely no way to tell whether the pass does, in fact, have the number of days remaining that the seller claims, until you get to the gate and see if it works.

Disney tickets are nontransferable. That means they can be used only by the original purchaser. Disney uses a biometric finger scan system (which takes a partial fingerprint) that prevents you from selling or sharing a ticket. Only one person can use each ticket. While the old Hopper tickets did not use the finger scans originally, as of June 20, 2005 Disney is requiring the scans with ALL tickets. So if someone has used that old Hopper ticket recently, that person's scan is now recorded on the magnetic strip on the ticket.

Last but certainly not least, in Florida it is illegal to resell partly-used multi-day admission tickets: click here to read about the arrest of some people who were doing just that.

Used ticket brokers are everywhere in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. They are generally fly-by-night operators with small storefronts or a desk in another business, such as a motel or restaurant. They mostly sell partially used passes. It's likely that you'll get to the gate and find out the passes are no good. Needless to say, Disney is not going to help you with this. It is a great way to ruin a holiday. Here's a link to a news story that describes one ticket fraud ring.

There are now many web sites out there that seem to be offering super low prices on Disney tickets. Many are total scams. Since at least late 2005 there have been con artists and fraudsters (mostly operating from Romania) running web sites and eBay auctions that offer ridiculously low prices on Disney tickets. There is no way they can offer tickets at such low prices without losing money. Most require you to pay by Western Union or other cash-equivalent services, which means you'll never be able to get the money back. ALWAYS pay by credit card (not debit card) when making purchases on the Internet! This is your best protection.

Disney does not allow its authorized ticket dealers to use the word Disney in their URLs (domain names or web site addresses). Also watch for URLs ending with .ro (the designator for Romania). Many of the shady sites offer tickets that are no longer sold by Disney (i.e. Park Hopper PLUS, which hasn't been sold since 1/2/05) and/or offer items like "free meal vouchers" with your purchase (meal vouchers were phased out in 2005).

It is a very bad idea to buy Disney passes on eBay or Craigslist. Unfortunately both of these online resources are extremely popular with con artists. The passes being sold are often partially or completely used up (if they even bother to send you anything at all). There is no way to find out if the tickets are any good in advance of your trip. You are very likely to arrive at the gate and find out you have invalid passes.

Web sites that offer exceptionally low prices for Disney tickets may be promoting timeshares. Look at the very bottom of the site -- it probably says something like "This advertising material is being used for the purpose of soliciting sales of vacation ownership interests." That means you would have to attend a timeshare presentation in order to get tickets at the advertised price.

Yes, many timeshare resorts will give you some sort of discount on Disney World passes -- or maybe even a couple of free one-day passes -- if you will sit through a hard-sell "90-minute presentation" (which usually takes 2 hours or more). Some people don't mind spending part of their vacation doing this, but to me this is not worthwhile.

Food we liked...

I am a bit of a fast food junkie and being from england the choice we have here is limited so florida is a bit like fast food paradise to me. but if you don't like hamburgers coming out of your ears there are loads of other restaurants for any taste.

but here are some of the things i like (but in no particular order)

* The Cheesecake Factory was absolutely amazing! don't get thrown off by the name Cheesecake Factory, they have much more than just cheesecake! Although their cheesecake is THE BEST, the actual food is amazing too!

* steak 'n' shake do the best steak burgers ever and also they do amazing shakes.

* For ribs its got to be ruby tuesdays they make a fine rack of ribs, let me tell you.

* When you need chicken fast go to Chick-Fil-A it is the best fast food chain restaurant ever! I love the barbecue sauce. The service is great, the people are MORE than friendly, almost over friendly and are reasonable. The chicken is so good and the fries top it off.

* Fat burger also do a really good burgers and nice thick shakes.

* best locally is The outback is really near to the villa. i recommend starting with cheese fries.

* if you want to splash out try charley's steakhouse it has huge steaks and its is rated one of the top 10 Steak Houses in America.

* bahama breeze off international drive is a good place to enjoy great food and a buzzing atmosphere.

Shopping...

Orlando may be the theme park capital of the world, but believe it or not, shopping is the number one activity of many visitors. And it’s no wonder — Orlando’s incredible upscale malls, outlets centers and trendy boutiques offer a variety of enticements for all shoppers. Whether you’re looking for affordable deals, unique personal shopping trips or the latest in luxury brands, Orlando has something to please even the most discerning visitors.

Retail therapy in Orlando is an exciting affair with a dizzying array of options. With free shuttle services from local hotels to the area’s top shopping destinations, planning an incredible shopping trip will be a snap when you visit upscale one-stop shopping areas like The Mall at Millenia. Guests can browse premium brands such as Betsey Johnson, Channel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and more.

Enjoy Orlando’s famously warm weather while exploring year-round indoor/outdoor malls such as Prime Outlets International Orlando, where bargain hunters can find 175 luxurious brands including the only Victoria’s Secret Outlet in the southeast. Shoppers are in for a real treat when they visit Central Florida’s largest mall, The Florida Mall. This retail showcase features an impressive array of more than 250 stores including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, The Apple Store, the M&M Store, Sephora and MAC Cosmetics.

Or, get incredible deals on luxury brands at the centrally located Orlando Premium Outlets; home to one of only three Dior outlet stores in the country. And with so many different choices in a compact area, you won’t have to choose one shopping experience over another.

Events...

February - florida state fair has more than 100 rides and games and there is nothing like fair food – cotton candy, ice cream, and things fried that you never thought of frying. Exhibitors come from all over the state to continue the tradition of showing off their handiwork, children participating in 4H and FFA are eager to show their skills and animals, and a visit to the Florida State Fair isn't complete without stepping back in time in Cracker Country – a rustic turn-of-the-century village.

Feb - March - central florida fair - with stalls rides and livestock show

March - florida strawberry festival - has a really big fair and headlineing country and pop music acts daily (this years show has Taylor Swift )

a bigger list of events is here

See and do...

there is to much to list here. the choice of beach's, bars and parks is endless.

but there is a quick list here.