Orlando

Best time to visit Orlando

Spring (March to May)
This is one of the best times to visit. The weather is warm but not too hot, and the crowds are generally lighter, especially in March and early May. Flowers are in bloom, and the theme parks often have special events.

Summer (June to August)
If you don’t mind the heat and crowds, summer is peak season in Orlando. Expect higher temperatures and humidity, but also longer park hours and more entertainment options. This is a popular time for families due to school holidays.

Autumn (September to November)
Another great time to visit, with cooler temperatures and smaller crowds. October is especially fun with Halloween events at the parks. Plus, you might find some great deals on accommodation.

Winter (December to February)
The holiday season is magical in Orlando, with festive decorations and special events. January and February are cooler and less crowded, making it a good time to visit if you prefer milder weather and fewer people.

Discover Orlando

In 1964 a series of unknown companies started buying up plots of land in varying sizes in the heart of peninsula Florida. It wasn’t until the end of the following year, when Walt Disney arrived in Orlando and announced that the companies were in fact a front for the Disney Corporation, that the plans were revealed: the land was required to build the world’s most spectacular theme park - "even bigger and better than Disneyland". On 1st October 1971, Mickey Mouse escorted the first visitor into Disney World. At this time Disney World consisted of just the Magic Kingdom, based on Disneyland in California, but it has since been joined by sister parks EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and its two waterparks – Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon.

On the back of their success over on the West Coast, SeaWorld and Universal were next up to launch their collection of parks and make their presence known in Florida’s playground, firmly cementing Orlando’s reputation as the theme park capital of the world.

With so much attention placed on the phenomenal, incomparable entertainment opportunities, a visit to actual Downtown Orlando has become an increasing rarity. The former home of the original Orlando it is now very much the hidden gem among an ever-expanding fantasy world, revealing a surprising variety of attractive neighbourhoods and providing a complete change of scene brimming with personality and charm.

Things to do in Orlando

Disney
With four fantastic theme parks and two waterparks, Disney offers a truly fun filled experience for all visitors. Magic Kingdom is where fairy tales come true with Cinderella’s Castle and parades where you can see your favourite Disney character close up. Spend a day travelling around globe at Epcot’s World Showcase and step into a land of exhilarating attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In Animal Kingdom, see rhinos, Asian tigers, water buffalo, gorillas and zebras in Africa and Asia lands. With thrilling one-of-a-kind rides and interactive experiences, countless restaurants, bars, and shopping opportunities, you can’t help but fail to fall under Disney’s magical spell.

Universal Orlando Resort
Experience thrills like never before on some of the most innovative and technologically advanced thrill rides and attractions, many of which are themed on your favourite films and television series at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter straddles both parks, and Universal City Walk is a 30-acre entertainment complex of restaurants, night clubs and cinemas.

Scroll to see more!

Things to do in Orlando

Orlando’s waterparks
Disney has two fun-filled water adventure parks. Blizzard Beach Water Park features one of the world’s tallest, fastest free-fall speed slides in a whimsical “winter” setting – Summit Plummet. It is the largest of Disney’s water parks, with 22 water slides and “icy” bobsled runs that stay comfortably warm and thrillingly fast. Typhoon Lagoon Water Park offers guests twisting tides, roaring rapids, and relaxing rivers. Escape to an island paradise at Universal Volcano Bay, with turquoise waters and sandy beaches with swaying palm trees, this is the ideal place to relax whilst not enjoying the fun-filled rides and slides. Enjoy animal encounters including snorkelling with tropical fish and swimming with dolphins at Discovery Cove. Aquatica offers epic rides including Reef Plunge and Tassie’s Underwater Twist and wave pools and an opportunity to get up close to dolphins.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort
LEGOLAND Florida Resort is is in Winter Haven, 45 minutes southwest of Orlando and is an interactive theme park with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions designed for families with children aged 2-12. The resort features themed roller coasters, family rides, hands-on building activities, oversized LEGO creations, atoddler attractions area and an adjoining water park.

Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex
An hour’s drive from Orlando takes you to the Kennedy Space Centre the site of NASA’s space programme and the location for shuttle launches to the international space centre until 2011. Allow a full day to see the $100-million Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction that lets guests get nose-to-nose with the historic spacecraft and “be the astronaut”, with never-before-seen multimedia presentations and more than 60 interactive, touch-screen experiences, and high-tech simulators. Visitors feel what it’s like to blast into space in the Shuttle Launch Experience. The Apollo/Saturn V Centre provides an inspirational look into America’s quest for the moon and features an actual Saturn V moon rocket, one of only three in the world.

Top tips for Orlando holidays

• Where to stay
  Orlando offers a diverse range of accommodation to suit all budget, tastes, and size of party from moderate hotels and magical onsite resorts and private homes with pools. Choose to stay in International Drive, or I drive at it’s known, an 11-mile road that meanders through the main entertainment area, flanked by hotels, restaurants, and attractions. It makes a good base when visiting Universal Orlando Resort and Discovery Cove. Lying on the edge of Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista is all about Disney. You can’t stay closer to the Disney Theme Parks and you’re just moments away from excellent shopping and golfing opportunities as well as Downtown Disney. Kissimmee offers up a quieter, family-oriented experience, providing the best of both worlds due to its proximity to Walt Disney World Resort and its off-the-beaten track location.
  
• Choose your theme parks
  The first thing to realise is that you can’t do absolutely everything that Orlando has to offer in just one trip. Once this is understood then you can plan – and plan you must! Multi day passes to theme parks work out the best value option but only if you are going to take full advantage of them. It’s important to get an idea which parks you want to visit and how many days you want to spend at each one. American Affair offer a wide selection of theme park tickets, that include multiple theme parks for different durations, which offer a good saving compared to buying tickets locally.
  
• Remember to take a break
  When it comes to quality of theme parks, Orlando is second to none; it really does have the largest collection of the finest theme parks in the world. However, if you are planning a very park-centric vacation, do try and give yourself a break from them. This can be hard – especially due to family pressures from some of the younger members – but it does help you recharge your batteries. You can expect to walk a mile for every hour you are at the park, and it can be exhausting.
  
  Scroll to see more!

Top tips for Orlando holidays

• Getting around Orlando
  Dependent on what parks and attractions you want to visit will determine whether you need to hire a car or not. If you’re staying out in Kissimmee or in a private villa with pool, we recommend for ease and convenience hiring a car. Many hotels in Lake Buena Vista and I-Drive and the onsite hotels at Disney and Universal include free transportation to the theme parks. For extra convenience the I-Ride trolley travels up and down International Drive and taxi companies such as Bolt and Uber also operate in the Orlando area.
  
• Shopping
  Enjoy a day off from visiting the theme parks and pick up a souvenir or some clothes or shoes – Orlando is a shopper’s paradise! The Mall at Millenia boasts 150 stores including the popular department stores of Macy’s and Bloomingdales and the high-end brands of Gucci and Chanel. Pick up a bargain at one of four outdoor outlet malls and buy a Mickey mouse cuddly toy or Harry Potter wand from the shops inside the theme parks.