Family Holiday to Florida – Planning Guide 2026

Planning Your First Family Holiday to Florida: Disney World & Universal Made Easy

If you’re planning your first ever family trip to Orlando, Florida, you might be feeling slightly overwhelmed… Walt Disney World, Universal, villas, tickets, dining, weather – it’s a lot, isn’t it?

The truth is, almost every first-time family feels this way. Orlando is an amazing destination, but the choices can feel endless. The good news? You don’t need to know everything straight away. With the right starting points, planning your dream holiday can feel exciting instead of stressful.

Let’s slow things down and start at the very beginning:

Set a Rough Budget (This Makes Everything Easier)

Before you start looking at hotels or parks, think about your rough overall budget.

This doesn’t have to be exact – just a ballpark figure. Orlando has so many options at different price points, and it’s very easy to fall in love with a resort only to feel disappointed when the numbers don’t add up. I’ve definitely been there!

Once you know your budget, decisions become much easier and far less stressful. Your budget will help guide where you stay, how long you go for, and even which tickets work best for your family holiday to Florida.

Think About When You Can Travel And For How Long

Next, have a think about dates.

Ask yourself:

Are you tied to school holidays?
If so, planning early is key, as prices and availability can change quickly. Check your children’s term dates and inset days. Flying a day or 2 before or after a school holiday can reduce the price. Some areas of the UK have completely different holiday dates, so playing with date you fly out/back can change the price.

Can you be flexible with dates to save money?
Even shifting your trip by a week or two can sometimes make a big difference to the overall cost.

Would very hot weather work for your family?
Florida is warm year-round, but summer months (June–August) are very hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. Some families love this, others find it too much- there’s no right or wrong, just what suits your family.

If you can travel outside peak school holidays, you’ll usually find lower crowds and better prices, especially in January, February, May, September and early October. If you are wanting a quieter experience, try to avoid busy seasons like the main week of Christmas to New Years Eve, Easter, American spring break, Independent day and Thanks giving.

How long do you need in Orlando?

This is completely down to you and what you are aiming to get out of your holiday. There is so much to do in Orlando, so you need to decide what you want to get done. It is recommended to have 7 days in Walt Disney World and 4 days in Universal. Be prepared that you may not get everything done and I would highly recommend make a list of what is a priority each day once you are out there. Other parks like Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Legoland Florida can be done in a day but again be prepared you might not get everything done.

Family Holiday to Florida – Decide Where You Want to Stay

This is often the biggest decision for first-time visitors planning a family holiday to Florida, and it’s completely normal to feel unsure at this stage.

Staying On-Site (Walt Disney World or Universal Resorts)

Staying on-site can make things feel easier and more immersive, especially for your first visit.

Benefits of staying at Walt Disney World  include:

• Early Entry to Walt Disney World parks (all resorts)
• Extended Evening Hours for deluxe resorts
• Free water park admission on check-in day
• Resort transportation (bus, boat or skyliner) 
• Can book your dining reservation at 60 days out for the 10 days of stay (if you’re there longer, you’ll need to to book again for the rest of your stay at 60 days)
• Can purchase Individual Lightning Lane selections 7 days in advance for your entire stay
• Free standard parking at their resort and Disney parks 
• Themed resorts with pools, playgrounds, activities, restaurants and free style machines
• Magicbands can be used for unlocking your hotel room, entering the theme parks, and charging food and merchandise to your room. 

Benefits of staying at Universal Resorts include:

• Early Entry to Universal parks (all resorts)
• Universal Express Unlimited Pass (signature hotels only)
• Resort transportation (bus, water taxis and walking paths) 
• Priority seating at selected restaurants throughout the resort (signature hotels only)
• Complimentary Delivery Of Merchandise Purchased Throughout The Resort To Your Hotel
• Your key card allows you to charge your purchases everywhere at Universal Orlando Resort, as well as entry to parks and unlocking your hotel room
• Themed resorts with pools, activities and restaurants

For many families, staying on-site helps remove some of the logistics, allowing you to focus on enjoying the parks.

Staying Off-Site (Hotels or Villas)

Off-site stays can be brilliant too, especially for families who want more space and flexibility.

You’ll often get:

• More space (great for larger families)
• Lower prices
• Easy access to both Disney and Universal
• Locations close to shops and restaurants

Popular areas include Kissimmee, International Drive, and Lake Buena Vista – close enough to the action but perfect for relaxing too.

Tip for first-timers: Some families choose a split stay-a few nights on-site for the full Disney/Universal experience, followed by an off-site hotel or villa to relax.

Getting to Your Hotel

Once you land, you have a few easy options:

• Pre-booked airport transfers
• Car hire (great for flexibility)
• Uber or Lyft
• Transfers arranged by travel company

Tip for first-timers: pre-booking transfers or car hire can make arrival day much less stressful, especially after a long flight.

Understanding the Theme Parks (Don’t Worry-It’s Simpler Than It Sounds!)

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has:

• 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom)
• 2 water parks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach)

For UK families, the 14-Day Magic Ticket is often the best value and gives you plenty of flexibility-perfect for first-time visitors who don’t want to rush.

Disney 14-Day magic Ticket includes:

• 14 days unlimited to all Disney parks
• Park hopper access
• Memory maker (photo pass)
• Mini golf & ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
• 18 day validity window to use the 14 day ticket

Universal Orlando

Universal has:

• 3 theme parks (Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe)
• Volcano Bay water park

Universal tickets often come as 14-day unlimited park-to-park tickets, which is fantastic for first-timers wanting to take things at a relaxed pace.

Universal Orlando All Parks Ticket includes:

• Instant ticket delivery
• Gate ready digital ticket
• 14 days unlimited park-to-park admission
• Move freely between all parks

Special Events to Be Aware Of

Both Disney and Universal run seasonal events throughout the year -Halloween and Christmas are especially popular.

Walt Disney World Events

• January-February 2026 – Epcot International Festival Of The Arts
• March-June 2026 – Epcot International Flower and Garden festival
• August-October 2026 Halloween Season, Mickey’s Not-so-scary Halloween party *
• August- November 2026 – Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
• November-December 2026 – Christmas Season, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom *, Disney Jollywood nights in Hollywood Studios *, Epcot International Festival Of The Holidays in Epcot

 Universal Resort Events

• January 2026 – Rock The Universe
• Feb-April 2026 – Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavours of Carnival
• August-November 2026 – Halloween Horror Nights*
• October 2026- Universal Volcano Bay Nights *
• November-December 2026 – Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort

* Some events require separate tickets, but they can add something really special to your trip if timed right. For first-timers, it’s worth checking event dates early so you know what’s happening during your stay.

Extra note – my honest thoughts when I first planned my Orlando holiday:

We went to Orlando for the first time as a family in 2024, and I honestly found the planning overwhelming. We’re tied to school holidays and chose August so we could stay longer. August was extremely hot, but we took breaks in shops, queues for rides, snack stops, as well as having fans and cooling towels with us. Everywhere has air-conditioning and we would happily go back again in the summer. Next time, I would plan more down time in the pool and water parks to break up the heat.

I initially priced up two weeks staying onsite at Walt Disney World, but then we decided we wanted to visit Universal too. I looked at a split stay instead and we saved over £1,000 with British Airways!! We loved the split stay so much that we’re doing it again this year. As first-timers, we loved staying onsite because it gave us the confidence of knowing where everything was, how it all worked & the convenience of the shuttles. I booked standard rooms at both Universal and Disney, but we were lucky enough to be upgraded at Universal.

I booked all our tickets through AttractionTickets.com during their fantastic Black Friday sale, which saved us even more money. We flew direct from London Gatwick into Orlando International and loved every minute of it. On the flight out, the cabin crew were amazing with my neurodiverse children, the food was good, and there were so many films to watch. We’re debating on an indirect flight home this year, as it’s coming up cheaper.

My top tips for saving money:

• play with your dates
• try flying indirect
• have a variety of hotels to choose from
• try a split stay
• book theme park tickets when there is a sale on

Take a look at the deals I’ve found on my Disney specialist page, and keep checking back, as I’ll be adding more hotel reviews very soon.

Why not check out my Pop Century Resort Review?

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