I'll be able to tell you in mid-August how good it was!!
Update please
14th Sep 2018 10:33 am
Rnclayton
Member Since: 13 Apr 2018
Location: Radstock, Bath
Posts: 564
Well, by the end of the weekend, we will have confirmed our 2019 dates.
We had allowed for flying with Virgin into Orlando, so knew a rough budget.
Thomas Cook and Virgin are both, around £1500 dearer than BA. Also, for the sake of the extra bit of driving, we are flying into Tampa. Saves an extra £900 as well off the flights.
Savings, based on original budget, allows us to:
Upgrade flight seats to Premium Economy
Upgrade Car hire, from a 6 seater for 6 of us (Plus cases), to a 12 seat minibus thing. Cant find a Discovery to hire...
Treat my daughters, and book a 2 night stay at a Disney hotel while we are out there.
And still have change for some shopping...MY07 Freelander2 SE Santorini Black - Gone
MY10 D4 XS Buckingham Blue
MY06 D3 HSE
14th Sep 2018 2:08 pm
Sheepy
Member Since: 20 Feb 2013
Location: Bedfordshire
Posts: 630
Charliecloud wrote:
Sheepy wrote:
Andy (the owner of the place we're staying) has sorted a new website:
I'll be able to tell you in mid-August how good it was!!
Update please
It was fantastic! We stayed in the town house on Renshaw St. It's very clean and tidy, much bigger inside than I was expecting (high ceilings). The pool out back is small, but enough to splash about it (as the kids did) or chill with a beer (as I did!). The Windsor Hills resort itself has a big pool and recreation area (cafe/shop, sun loungers, small gym, pool tables etc) which was nice to chill out in. Location-wise, it's 10-15 minutes from Disney, 20-30mins from Universal. There's several large supermarkets nearby, and plenty of places to eat.
Would I stay there again? Hell yeah!
19th Sep 2018 8:26 am
Jubbly
Member Since: 20 Nov 2016
Location: Stourbridge
Posts: 401
Just got back from 3 weeks, used https://www.homeaway.co.uk/, though I wouldn't recomend the villa i stayed in, quite worn out.
I only paid £4900 for full size suv,upgraded insurance, flights, Kennedy Space centre and 14 days universal tickets with virgin sale.
2 adults 3 kidsJaguar I-Pace HSE imminent.
Gone HSE with Flappy Paddles. IID BT tool. RLD Spare Protector, Altox GPS.
11th Jan 2019 11:45 am
Rnclayton
Member Since: 13 Apr 2018
Location: Radstock, Bath
Posts: 564
Nice.
Accommodation is now booked through Trip Adviser in the end.
So all in, it is:
3 Ad & 3 Ch. ( 1 child is counted as adult price for most things as she is 14)
Flights with BA to Tampa
Pre booked seats Prem Economy out - Economy back
3 week hire of Chevy Suburban
3 week hire of 5 bed villa with Pool (sleeps 10)
Insurance
3 weeks car parking at Gatwick
2 rooms in Gatwick night before flight.
£6k for school Summer holidays.
Obviously tickets on top of that.
Jubbly - What was NASA like? Did you do any of the additional bus tours? We are definitly going there, just trying to decide whether the optional bus trips are worth doing.MY07 Freelander2 SE Santorini Black - Gone
MY10 D4 XS Buckingham Blue
MY06 D3 HSE
11th Jan 2019 1:11 pm
Jubbly
Member Since: 20 Nov 2016
Location: Stourbridge
Posts: 401
I liked nasa, the bus trip takes you round the launch pads and then over to a Saturn 5 rocket, took a good two hours. But worth it. That’s the only one we did and was included with the ticket price. Not sure what the other bus trip was.Jaguar I-Pace HSE imminent.
Gone HSE with Flappy Paddles. IID BT tool. RLD Spare Protector, Altox GPS.
11th Jan 2019 1:37 pm
Rnclayton
Member Since: 13 Apr 2018
Location: Radstock, Bath
Posts: 564
It seems there is an included 1, another for a 2 hr trip, and a 3rd, that includes the nearby airforce base.MY07 Freelander2 SE Santorini Black - Gone
MY10 D4 XS Buckingham Blue
MY06 D3 HSE
11th Jan 2019 2:16 pm
Jubbly
Member Since: 20 Nov 2016
Location: Stourbridge
Posts: 401
Ah, I only did the included one. I don’t see you’d have much time in a day to doo all of them.Jaguar I-Pace HSE imminent.
Gone HSE with Flappy Paddles. IID BT tool. RLD Spare Protector, Altox GPS.
11th Jan 2019 2:23 pm
Rnclayton
Member Since: 13 Apr 2018
Location: Radstock, Bath
Posts: 564
Thanks. Think we will just do the included one. I am keeping an eye on launch dates, as there maybe 3 in July/Aug. Might be lucky.MY07 Freelander2 SE Santorini Black - Gone
MY10 D4 XS Buckingham Blue
MY06 D3 HSE
11th Jan 2019 2:28 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 10 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6767
I went to KSC at a time when the shuttles didn’t go up anymore, spacex wasn’t yet leasing launch complex 39 and the vehicle assembly building was open to the public.
I spent a whole day on site, took the tour to 39A including walking in the flame trench, took the tour of the VAB. I’d liked to do other tours, too, but I didn’t have the time so I optimized on experiences. The shuttle museum had just opened as had the shuttle launch simulator.
All in all excellent spending of my per diem
Note that it might make sense to get 1 year visitor badges rather than a day ticket if you expect to buy anything, parking was free then (at least at that time) and some other benefits. Some of the tours are cheaper (at least they were then) if one had the 1 year membership rather than a day ticket. Besides you get a cool ID card.
Do go to the control center exhibition, it looks like it did when the Apollo rockets launched. Most stuff is interactive. Do go to the Saturn V museum (it’s along the bus tour). I didn’t have the kids with me then as it was a work related trip but would not hesitate to recommend KSC for any age-any gender audiences.
Edit: VAB is now closed to the public (I think) and LC39 is now operated by SpaceX so most likely it is off limits too. There used to be a “old launch complex tour” (early rocket launch sites) which would have been awesome.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
