Friday Greetings from the continually warm/hot Costa Tropical.

We had relatives staying recently (funny word, relative - relative to what: time and space? They certainly can consume both, as well as copious quantities of food and alcohol) so our Orlando August travel planning was on the back burner. But we are back booking things and here is the current Done list:

Flights all booked; husband and I on IB C using Avios and through Miami; family on paid AA PE via MIA or CLT. Have been checking the paid flights prices for months and found a sweet spot about 3 months ago.
Hotel booked - husband and I in the Helios Grand, attached to the new Epic Universe park. Booked far enough out that we now see that the rate has more than doubled since we laid our $ down.
Then when the family arrives we are in a 10-bedroom house, already booked and paid; in a new subdivision and just a year old . By bypassing AirBnB and booking directly (with a reputable agency) we saved $1,000.
Theme park tickets booked through an authorised reseller in the UK. £1,000 per person for 14 days, in multiple parks (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens), when one-day tickets can be well over $200.
3 SUVs booked with Alamo after monitoring prices for several months. Already some prices have doubled.

So you will have undoubtedly noticed the money saving theme here. Well, that's what planning is for. Also I'm Aberdonian and have a reputation to uphold.

May your planning always be cost-effective!