Orlando Parks and Miami Beach, 5 Nights

Your driver meets you at Orlando International for the run to the resort area. The rest of the day is free: the pool, a nap, or an evening wander along International Drive, where the giant observation wheel at ICON Park lights up the skyline. Stock up on water and sunscreen before the park days, and check the weather forecast; Florida sun is stronger than it feels.

Take a taxi or ride-hailing car to SeaWorld Orlando for a day that mixes animals and adrenaline. The marine side has dolphin and sea-lion presentations, a penguin habitat and large aquariums; the thrill side has some of the tallest and fastest coasters in the city. Plan around the published show times, find shade in the middle of the day, and keep dry clothes handy for the water rides.

A day at the original Walt Disney World park, with its themed lands spreading out from Cinderella Castle. Arrive at opening, use the app to track queues, and go for the headline rides early. Parades and character meetings fill the middle of the day, and the fireworks and projections over the castle close the evening. It is a long day on your feet, so comfortable shoes matter.

After breakfast, a transfer to the airport for the short flight south to Miami, where another driver meets you. Spend the afternoon on the beach, which runs for miles along the Atlantic side of Miami Beach, with lifeguard towers painted in bright colours. In the evening, walk Ocean Drive as the Art Deco hotels switch on their neon, or eat in the lively restaurants of Lincoln Road.

Your one-day pass links the city's different faces; routes vary by operator, but typically let you step off in Little Havana for a thimble of strong Cuban coffee and the domino players of Maximo Gomez Park, in Wynwood for its walls of large-scale street art, and at Bayside by the downtown harbour, where boat trips leave for views of the waterfront mansions (not included). South Beach and the Art Deco District make a good final stop before sunset.

A final breakfast and perhaps an early swim before the driver collects you for the airport. Miami International is one of the busiest gateways in the country, so allow plenty of time for check-in and security, especially on an international departure.