Looking to take the family in July, and was wondering if anyone could recommend specific hotels to stay at (and stay away from)? Is it better to stay at a hotel at Disney World or one off the grounds?
We've been three times. Twice we've stayed at a Marriott Courtyard on Turkey Lake Rd. by the Orlando International Drive attractions. We stayed at a vacation home with many amenities just north of all the Disney resorts but we split costs with two other families. I would recommend staying at the Disney World resort if you can afford it. This is what we will definitely do next time when we go. You want to leave plenty of time to see some other attractions, if you plan to stay many days. If your time is limited, you don't want to be wasting time traveling back and forth from the resort. Other threads with help from CF peeps: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=215328 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=231542 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=113978
If you have small kids, I would suggest Disney high end resort The Contemporary which is like a 10 minute walk to Disney World entrance and on the mono-rail. The Contemporary is expensive. The last time we went, we stayed at the Dolphin/Swan. These two hotels are on Disney property but operated by Starwood/Westin. I found the Swam as upscale as The Contemporary, but less expensive. From the Swan, it is a 5 minute walk to The Boardwalk (shopping and dining), 10 minute walk to the back entrance of Epcot, and 15 minute to Hollywood Studios. There are Disney buses that can take to the other resorts and Downtown Disney. Next time we go, we will definitely stay at the Swan again. Since the Swan/Doplin is not owned by Disney, there are a few gotchas. From the wikipedia Swan page,
Went last june stayed at WorldQuest resort. Off Property.. www.worldquestorlando.com WORLDQUEST ORLANDO RESORT 8849 WorldQuest Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32821 Phone: (407) 387-3800 | Fax: 407-387-3810 | Email: wqreservations@worldquestorlando.com Only 10 mins from all parks....get for small kids take a break in afternoon nap times then head back to see fireworks... Yes u need a rental car...real close to international dr as well... 5 mins from walmart and publix to load up on food snacks alcohol....lotta local resturants too..
We're going in 2 weeks. Stay on property if you can - you won't need a rental car and they'll pick you up and drop you off at the airport. Save that $30 a day from the car rental You can stay at one of the disney economy resorts for around $110 a night. Definitely get a dining plan and plan out your visits to the park. There are several dining plans to choose from. This is a great place to start for tips and savings: http://www.mousesavers.com Also, once you've booked the trip, plan which day you wan to visit each park. You can use this website to pick all the rides and attractions you want to see at each park, and it will plan it out for you around the average wait time, your fast passes, and busiest times for each ride. They also have an app you can download that will have up-to-the-minute wait times on each ride. http://touringplans.com Good luck and have fun!
I am going next week, staying on property at Wilderness lodge (30% off starts this wknd). Will let you know how everything is when I return. I am trying out the touring plans posted above....
Email MadMax through the board. He has a load of info on it. I'm going in November. I would suggest onsite because you get some perks you don't get at other places (Speed pass, dinner reservations, etc.)
Onsite is definitely the way to go. We just booked our trip for September, here are some of the perks we get: 1. Dining Plan Included (1 "Snack", 1 "Counter Meal", and 1 "Sit Down Meal" per day. 2. Park tickets are included. For an extra $100 per room, you can go to as many parks as you want in a day. Default, you get access to one park per day. 3. You get a cup that can be used at any of the resort restaraunts to refill any time you please. 4. Once you check your bags at the airport, the next time you will see them is when they are delivered to your room. Additionally, prior to departure, Disney will take your bags to the airport and check them onto your flight automatically. 5. Free "Magic Band" - Essentially this is your room key, dinner plan payment, and fast pass ticket. Additionally, you can load money from a debit account to it so you do not have to carry around a load of cash/purses/etc. to purchase gifts, photos, and the like. 6. Busses will run virtually all day/night and will take you to any park/resort you wish to visit. In terms of which resort to stay at, all of them are nice. My personal favorite is "Wilderness Lodge" or "Animal Kindgom", but they are a bit pricey. That being said, the "value" resorts are good bang for your buck and the accomodations are still nice. All in all, they have different tiers of resorts to accomodate all budgets. Ultimately it depends on your budget, but I think staying on site has so many perks, its silly not to do so.
On site is for sure the way to go. I went last year with a group of 6 and we stayed at the Art if Animation resort. It's newer and really nice and kids would love it. My wife and I are going again alone next week and we're going to the Pop Century. It's cheaper but nostalgic because it's decade-themed. Also get dining plan. The way to go
Stayed at Coco Keys hotel with indoor water park on international drive. A lot of food places and attractions around the hotel.
I was rushed earlier but this post is spot on. We are going in November. One other suggestion is to make reservations for dining ASAP. If they don't reservations for a place you want keep checking even up to the day you want them. Restaurants fill up fast.
At Disney right now!! We are staying at the Beach Club Resort. It's right next to the Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin hotels. This location is very convenient and the property is nice. Close to a lot of things. Definitely stay at one of the Disney properties. I'm at Disney, what am I doing on clutchfans!!!
