About Darren Conway, Founder of Orlando Holiday Planner

I’m Darren Conway, the founder and editor of Orlando Holiday Planner.

I created this website to help UK families understand the choices involved in planning an Orlando holiday, including theme-park tickets, accommodation, transport, itineraries and holiday costs.

Having planned and taken multiple trips to Orlando, I understand how difficult it can be to compare the available options from the UK. A ticket, hotel or itinerary that works well for one family may be unsuitable for another.

My aim is to explain those differences clearly so that readers can make decisions based on their own budget, holiday length and choice of parks.

My Orlando Planning Experience

Planning an Orlando holiday involves much more than choosing flights and a hotel.

Families may need to decide:

  • Which theme parks are right for them

  • How many park days to include

  • Whether to buy individual or multi-park tickets

  • Whether to stay on-site or off-site

  • Whether hiring a car is necessary

  • How to balance park days with rest days

  • Which additional costs should be included in the budget

  • How early important bookings should be made

My guides draw on the practical lessons gained from planning and taking multiple Orlando trips.

Personal experience is used to add context, but I do not assume that my preferred way of visiting Orlando will suit every reader.

Why I Created Orlando Holiday Planner

A large amount of Orlando information is written primarily for visitors travelling within the United States.

UK families often plan their holidays differently.

Many UK visitors stay for approximately two weeks, purchase longer-duration attraction tickets and visit several different theme-park resorts during the same holiday. They may also need to consider long-haul flights, UK school holidays, exchange rates and UK-facing travel providers.

Orlando Holiday Planner therefore concentrates on subjects that are especially relevant to UK travellers, including:

  • UK attraction-ticket options

  • Two-week itineraries

  • Multi-park planning

  • Accommodation locations

  • Transport choices

  • Holiday budgeting

  • First-time visitor advice

  • Disney, Universal and SeaWorld planning

The purpose of the website is to make these decisions easier to understand without pretending that there is one correct Orlando holiday for every family.

How I Research the Guides

I use a combination of personal experience and current research.

Depending on the subject, information may be checked using:

  • Official theme-park websites

  • Official hotel and resort websites

  • Attraction-ticket provider websites

  • Travel-provider information

  • Published terms and conditions

  • Official policies, opening arrangements and attraction information

  • Comparisons between available options

Official sources are prioritised for details that may change, including ticket inclusions, park policies, hotel benefits and booking conditions.

Personal experience is used where it provides useful practical context.

Where I have not personally used or tested a particular product, hotel or service, recommendations are based on documented research and comparison rather than claimed first-hand use.

How I Compare Tickets and Accommodation

Ticket comparisons consider more than the advertised price.

Depending on the product, I may consider:

  • Parks included

  • Ticket validity

  • Park-to-park access

  • Water-park admission

  • Included extras

  • Flexibility

  • Restrictions

  • Suitability for the planned itinerary

  • Overall value

There is no single Orlando ticket that is best for every visitor.

A family visiting only Walt Disney World may not need a large combination ticket. A family visiting Disney, Universal and SeaWorld may benefit from a different product.

Accommodation comparisons may consider:

  • Location

  • Travel time

  • Transport

  • Parking

  • Room suitability

  • Resort facilities

  • Included benefits

  • Additional charges

  • Convenience

  • Overall value

The cheapest advertised option is not always the lowest-cost or most convenient option once transport, parking and other charges are considered.

My Editorial Principles

Advice should be useful to UK visitors

Guides are written around the planning decisions commonly faced by people travelling to Orlando from the UK.

Recommendations should be explained

A ticket, hotel or itinerary should not be called the “best” without explaining who it may suit and what disadvantages should also be considered.

Facts and opinions should be distinguishable

Changeable factual information is checked against relevant sources. Personal observations and recommendations are presented as guidance rather than guaranteed outcomes.

Drawbacks should not be hidden

Useful comparisons should explain restrictions, exclusions and potential disadvantages as well as benefits.

Important information should be reviewed

Ticket products, attractions, hotel benefits and park policies can change. Important guides are reviewed when new information becomes available, and review dates are displayed where appropriate.

Mistakes should be corrected

Although care is taken when researching the website, information can change and errors can occur.

Readers who identify a possible error can contact Orlando Holiday Planner. Material errors will be investigated and corrected where necessary.

Affiliate Links and Editorial Independence

Some pages on Orlando Holiday Planner contain affiliate links.

When a reader follows an affiliate link and completes a qualifying purchase or booking, Orlando Holiday Planner may receive a commission from the provider.

The provider sets the price, availability and booking conditions shown to the customer.

Affiliate income helps support the cost of operating, researching and updating the website. However, the existence of an affiliate relationship does not mean that a particular product or provider will be suitable for every reader.

Comparisons are intended to consider suitability, inclusions, restrictions, flexibility and value.

Affiliate relationships are disclosed on relevant pages. More information is available in the Affiliate Disclosure.

What Orlando Holiday Planner Does Not Do

Orlando Holiday Planner is an information and affiliate website.

It does not:

  • Sell attraction tickets directly

  • Accept holiday payments

  • Manage bookings

  • Set provider prices

  • Control availability

  • Process cancellations or amendments

  • Guarantee that a particular option will suit every family

  • Replace a provider’s booking terms and conditions

Bookings are completed with the relevant third-party provider. Questions concerning an existing booking should be directed to the company that accepted the payment.

About the Author

Darren Conway is the founder and editor of Orlando Holiday Planner.

After planning and taking multiple Orlando trips, Darren created the website to provide practical, UK-focused information about theme parks, attraction tickets, accommodation, itineraries and holiday costs.

His guides combine personal Orlando planning experience with research using official theme-park, hotel, ticket-provider and travel information.

Written by Darren Conway
Founder and Editor, Orlando Holiday Planner
Last reviewed: August 2026

Start Planning Your Orlando Holiday

New visitors can begin with the Orlando Planning Guide for UK Families.

Families choosing which parks to visit can use the Orlando Theme Park Ticket Guide.

Visitors considering combination tickets can read the Orlando Multi-Park Ticket Guide.

Those arranging their holiday schedule can explore the Orlando 14-Day Itinerary for UK Families.