Orlando, Florida

I lived here for four years, and I loved it here!

I especially enjoyed visiting the theme parks with my late sister, and the rare times he came down, my younger brother, and the one time she came down, my mother.

There are seven theme parks in Orlando: Walt Disney World (which includes the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, and Sea World.

You can make it from Downtown Orlando and the other six largest metropolitan areas (Orlando is #4) in the Southeast USA to Walt Disney World in a day's drive (well, obviously Orlando and Tampa, that goes without saying since they are in such close proximity!), although outside the Southeast USA (and perhaps even outside Florida if you have the money for multiple people or are only one person as flying is often cheaper than driving for one person) I highly recommend you fly:

All driving times are driving times ONLY and do not consider stopping for rest stops (refueling, restroom breaks, eating) or account for traffic signals (of course, these are MOSTLY expressway where there are no traffic signals on expressways, very little non-expressway), and are calculated at the following:

Florida Turnpike Mainline, I-75 between Florida Turnpike Mainline and I-475 Macon Bypass southern interchange, I-475 Macon bypass:  10 mph over (if posted 70, I have it calculated at 80)

All other expressways (for the most part, except a few in mountainous areas where it's unsafe to drive 5 over):  5 mph over (if posted 65, I have it calculated at 70)

All other roads that are NOT expressway:  Exactly the speed limit (if posted 55, I have it calculated 55)

Adjust your driving time accordingly.  I'd advise allowing an extra 30 minutes for Miami, an hour for Atlanta, and two hours for Charlotte, Raleigh, and Nashville.  More if you have elderly people and / or young children.  My first cousin made it from the Walt Disney World Resort to Farragut (suburb of Knoxville) with his two children in 9 hours including rest stops but he did that at night so his wife and kids would not ask him every 30 minutes to go to the bathroom.  I have made it from my mother's house in Collegedale, Tennessee (suburb of Chattanooga) to my house in St. Cloud, Florida (suburb of Orlando) in an unheard of 7 hours 18 minutes including rest stops, which is slightly better, but I was driving alone.

Theme park tickets are not cheap!  Resort hotel rooms are even more expensive!  I would know because I am planning a trip for my mother, my younger brother, my sister-in-law, my ex-sister-in-law, and my two nephews for my mother's 72nd and my older nephew's 13th birthdays, and I fully expect to pay $25,000 for their trip.  Expect to shell out multiple Benjamin Franklins for your vacation as well!  If you're not affluent and / or have saved up, you could find yourself shell-shocked!

If flying, I recommend the following airlines highest:  Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air.  Southwest flies into the main airport "McCoy" (MCO), Allegiant flies (or used to fly) into Sanford (SFB).  Both are international airports, although Sanford is VERY small (although not as small as Chattanooga), although I prefer small airports due to faster security checkpoints, they usually were 15 minutes long when I flew, as opposed to one hour at MCO!  I used Allegiant Air all the time when I lived in Orlando and would visit my mother, late sister, and younger brother in Chattanooga, as they flew directly into Chattanooga.  Southwest is more expensive initially but your bags fly free and they serve free refreshments.  Allegiant is cheaper initially (when I flew the cheapest I booked was $17 and the most expensive was $99 but that was 5 days before Christmas, usually my mother or I paid $29 - $49 each way, and when they first start serving an airport, they offer introductory offers from $9, yes, you read that right, NINE dollars, you can hardly even buy a meal at a fast food restaurant for that after COVID-19, much less at a casual dining restaurant you can actually sit down and enjoy your meal at) but you pay for bags and for refreshments, but when I flew they were fairly reasonable, they weren't quite as obscene as some airlines.  I usually would bring just a carry-on (the largest they'd allow) on my trips and keep some changes of clothes at my mother's house when I lived in Florida and buy maybe one drink in flight.