So, tell me about traveling to Orlando/Disney World

[Regular_John]

Alright CP,

The wife and I are planning a trip to Orlando/Disney World in late February here, she's registered for one of those Disney runs and we're looking to make a 10 day trip out of it.

We've got a bit of family down there so we're not completely on our own for stuff to do/things to see. But I'm struggling a bit with where to stay. Disney owned properties are out of our budget (yup, living on a mortal's salary in the non O&G world), but I also don't want to be dealing with a 30-45 minute drive back to our hotel after a day at the park.

So CP, what do you recommend for off resort accommodations? I'm thinking condo style (a kitchen would be great) accommodations, but free shuttles to the parks would be nice too.

Basically I've never been to Florida/Orlando before and I want to avoid any situations you'd see in National Lampoon's Vacation... unless it's like the cheap casino in Vegas Vacation, in which case I'm all over that.

[dustyanddaflames]

We rented a condo in Kissimmee for pretty reasonable - had a pool and such for kids too. Short drive to Disney as well. Take a look.

[Temporary_User]

Where you stay will be a ways away from the airport. Probably a $50 cab minimum. Try to find a shuttle bus deal if you can. Ideally find a hotel that has a shuttle included.

Shuttle included will also be key for going to Disney, universal, etc. You won't want to be paying the daily parking fees everyday.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

We rented a condo in Kissimmee for pretty reasonable - had a pool and such for kids too. Short drive to Disney as well. Take a look.

Second this. Rent a car and stay in Kissimmee. Not too busy, you can have your own condo with fridge, laundry, etc and a quick drive to wherever you want to go. Much more relaxing at the end of the day than a busy Disney hotel

[Northendzone]

The rides in Disney are about 3 minutes long and every ride ends in the gift shop....

[Regular_John]

Thanks for the tips on Kissimmee, been looking at rentals there and just wasn't sure if it was an unreasonable distance or not.

[nfotiu]

I rented someone's timeshare for $645 for the week at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort during a prime spring break week. Very upscale one bedroom condo, with great pools, lazy river, good bars, decent restaurants. Right in the middle of disney properties with great shuttles.

I'd completely recommend that to anyone.

[Hammertime]

Just got back last weekend from Orlando on a similar vacation as you're planning.

Stayed in Kissimmee, just outside of Disney World. The commute is an easy 10-15 minutes to any of the Disney parks, and car rentals were cheap at the airport. Most hotels have shuttles as well, but then you aren't on your own schedule..

I wouldn't recommend the hotel we stayed at, but there are a ton of brand name mid-range hotels on the strip (on Irlo Bronson Memorial highway) and would definitely recommend that you stay outside of the park and get a car to do other "non-disney" stuff during your week there. Then you've got access to tons of non-Disney restaurants, shopping, Universal, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, etc.

There was a Continental, Ramada, Quality Inn, Travelodge, etc.. all a bit closer to the park than where we were at. Our hotel was part of a package that I booked last minute - it was a great deal, but the resort itself was just meh. If you aren't doing a package, suggest that you book a more reputable brand name outside of the park.

Also, we got the 4 day pass and went to all 4 parks on different days. I would definitely recommend buying and planning your passes up front as the savings are significant (4 days for 200/person instead of 400/person if bought at the gate). Don't bother with Park Hopper if it's your first time as travelling between parks will eat into your day.

If you aren't going to all the parks, would recommend in order: 1)Magic Kingdom, 2)Animal Kingdom, 3)Epcot, 4)Hollywood Studios. Favorite rides in order: Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom), Haunted House (Magic Kingdom), Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom). We weren't able to get on the two big ones at Hollywood studios (Rock and Rollercoaster and Tower) because of the crowds during American Thanksgiving. Epcot is just OK.. lots of simulation rides that feel a bit dated now. Check out the Canada 360 movie in the Canada section at Epcot.. it will make you homesick if near the end of your trip.

At Disney, if you don't like line-ups, plan your day around using Fast-Pass system where you get to pre-register a set time on the ride to come back and by-pass the line. I believe you can get a fast-pass every 2 hours, but hit up the more popular rides in the AM. We went during a busy week, and things didn't really get too crowded until noon.. and died out a bit during dinner.

Universal Islands of Adventure was also pretty good for rides, but it's missing the "Disney Experience". The Hulk Rollercoaster and Dragon Challenge were pretty good. Harry Potter's world was pretty interesting if you/wife is into that. Try the butterbeer.

My wife and I are foodies too, so we went looking for interesting dining eats at the parks as well. All in all, the food did get a bit boring and we enjoyed some of the American food chains outside of the parks that we can't get in Canada (Chick-fil-a , Jimmy Johns, Joe's Crabshack, etc.)

[Bertuzzied]

I worked at Epcot for a year. Best year of partying ever. Since it was 15 years ago all my tips are outdated.

But i'm sure this tip still stands. DO NOT even bother trying to eat any asian food there.

[pseudoreality]

I went there for my honeymoon with my wife last year and had a blast. We were there in the fall during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. That was the highlight for us. I would highly recommend the Disney Touring Plan book and mobile app. It will save you hours of waiting in line and let you decide what you want to do.

[Hammertime]

Dining at Disney is fun.. not just the food, but they often have shows and live music/dancing depending on the restaurant.

Suggest that you do your research in advance and book ASAP. Some restaurants like Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom book up for dinner months in advance.

We got 3 reservations during our week, and it was perfect.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Thanks for the tips on Kissimmee, been looking at rentals there and just wasn't sure if it was an unreasonable distance or not.

its like 5 minutes away, go with a condo or townhome...traffic isn't even bad around there

[rd_aaron]

Just a word of caution based on my experience. Our hotel that was on I-drive had a shuttle (I think $7) to Disney. It was basically a city bus. We were one of the first pick-ups, but it was a gong show. The bus clearly had to stop at a bunch of different hotels to pick up people. There were waaaay more people getting on than the bus could hold, but the bus driver kept shoving them on. People started getting irate. It was extremely hot as it was, not considering that we were packed on the bus like sardines. One girl in the back ended up puking. Ride from our hotel to Disney was 1.5 hours. By car, it would've been probably 20 mins.

We cabbed back, which was like $50, but we had to as the last shuttle ran at 10PM and we wanted to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Next time I'd either stay on the resort, or rent a car & drive.

[Regular_John]

Thanks for the info everyone, what did you find for car rentals? I'm seeing some pretty pricey stuff ($90-$100/day)... unless that's just the going rate?

[icarus]

I've been for the past couple of years and going again in February... I agree with Hammertime, he's pretty much hit the nail on the head in every regard (no pun intended).

It really is ideal if you can somehow find a way to stay at the resort if you can as it is really convenient and saves driving, traffic, parking, etc but if you can find a place in Kississmee you'll be okay.

[troutman]

Go to the Kennedy Space Center, one hour east. Cocoa Beach.

Do a swamp trip and see some gators.

[ken0042]

We stayed at the Comfort Inn on 8134 International Dr. There is also another one close by that we ended up staying at for one night; wasn't nearly as good. As it was a guy's week trip we ended up checking out and then coming back a few times- we weren't sure where we would end up. (For example went to Tampa for a Lighning game, came back to Orlando after.)

This was 2 years ago, but we only paid $50 per night. The only night that was more was Saturday; I think it was $120. Solid 3.5 star place, clean rooms, pool, breakfast. There are a few places to eat within walking distance, and across the parking lot was a huge discount souviner shop.

They also offered shuttles to both Disney and Universal. The staff was super friendly- to the point where the Unversal shuttle driver failed to pick us up; we called the hotel and the one front desk girl and her husband came with their own car to pick us up. (I always say good service often comes in how you recover from a mistake.)

We rented a car; paid about $250 for the week. Make sure you have rental coverage on your own vehicle, and verify that it covers you in Florida. The rental place was trying to force the extras on us, saying that Canadian insurance wouldn't cover their cars. They also had us pre-pay $30 for tolls, and after putting 700 miles on the car the only toll we hit was coming back to the airport. The bypass lane was on the left of 16 toll boths, and we had to do a hard right so we paid the $1 toll anyway. Apparently we lucked out on tolls, but I haven't heard of anybody saving a lot of money by pre-paying.

DO NOT go for the "pre-pay for a tank of gas" scam. Basically they tell you that you can pre-pay for a tank of gas at regular price; "just return the car on empty." If the car has a 15 gallon tank you pay for 15 gallons of gas; except that on empty you would still have 2 or 3 gallons left. Besides, who wants to drive around near empty in a strange city; never mind on a rental car.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Thanks for the info everyone, what did you find for car rentals? I'm seeing some pretty pricey stuff ($90-$100/day)... unless that's just the going rate?

That seems very high.

There are two things you should be able to get great deals on in Orlando if you're travelling at a non-peak time: hotels and car rentals. Orlando is built to accommodate the peak crowds of summer and Christmas time, so when you go there at an off-peak time, there's an overabundance of supply and you can usually get pretty good discounts.

It's been almost 10 years since I went down there (but I doubt things have changed that much), and I think I paid about $140 for a week for a car.


One thing to consider when pricing out your hotels is the total cost of things. If you stay on property, you get free parking at all the Disney parks, which is $15 a day if you stay off property. Also, with free buses all over the property, you don't even necessarily need a car for the whole trip.


Also, check out if Disney is offering any package discounts. Sometimes you can get hotel, tickets, and meals packaged together for a good price.


A good site to check out for discount codes and advice on saving money in and around Disney World is: http://www.mousesavers.com/

[Sammymydog1]

We just got back from FL a couple weeks ago. We used a rental car for 5 days on the Gulf coast & then turned it in when we went to Disney as we so no need for the car when we weren't planning on leaving the resort area.

Initially, I was against staying at a Disney property due to my belief of the cost. We ended up staying 6 night at disney coronado springs resort and I am very happy we stayed at a Disney resort. The hotel package, including park passes & meal plan ended up being very reasonable in my opinion. There are numerous shuttle busses all day long going to the different parks and I was thankful to not have to drive, fight traffic, park etc etc. Come out of the park at the end of the night & simply get on the bus heading directly back to your hotel. It was very easy.

The meal plan was also great. We could eat at any hotel restaurant, any park or any restaurant at downtown Disney. Has an outstanding meal at House of Blues in DT Disney. Well worth it imo.

If we were to go back, I would definitely stay at a Disney property again.

[ericschand]

Originally Posted by Sammymydog1

We just got back from FL a couple weeks ago. We used a rental car for 5 days on the Gulf coast & then turned it in when we went to Disney as we so no need for the car when we weren't planning on leaving the resort area.

Initially, I was against staying at a Disney property due to my belief of the cost. We ended up staying 6 night at disney coronado springs resort and I am very happy we stayed at a Disney resort. The hotel package, including park passes & meal plan ended up being very reasonable in my opinion. There are numerous shuttle busses all day long going to the different parks and I was thankful to not have to drive, fight traffic, park etc etc. Come out of the park at the end of the night & simply get on the bus heading directly back to your hotel. It was very easy.

The meal plan was also great. We could eat at any hotel restaurant, any park or any restaurant at downtown Disney. Has an outstanding meal at House of Blues in DT Disney. Well worth it imo.

If we were to go back, I would definitely stay at a Disney property again.

I know the OP said he was on a budget, however, I would recommend looking into this. We also stayed at the Coronado Springs resort. At the same time we had some friends that decided to stay off-Disney at one of the hotels nearby.

We would catch a bus at about 7:50AM to the resort we wanted. We would always be there just as the doors opened. Meanwhile we would get a text from our friends saying they were leaving the hotel at 7:30AM, in the lineup to get into the parking area at 8AM. Then they were in the lineup/waiting for the golf cart thingy to pick them up. Then the lineup to get into the park. By then it would be 9AM. It was the same on the way out, it was an ordeal everytime for them.

One day my daughter didn't want to move about after a bit, just wanted to go back and relax. Caught a bus, went back and relaxed an hour or two on their faux beach, then went back to the park. Try that with having to drive or shuttle. When their daughter was tired, find some shade and sit for a while, but the crankiness never really leaves.

Other perks, late night ones not open to those not on the resorts. They even had parades and fireworks! :-)

They pick you up at the Orlando airport and they pick up your luggage for you. Very nice. They drop you at the airport for your flight too. You don't need a car.

As for cost, I ended up paying less than our friends staying off-Disney including the flights. Disney throws in lots of stuff if you wait for a sale (gift cards, % off total, free pass upgrades, and so on).

The final thing was that our friends thought they would have "freedom" if they had a car and stayed offsite. They never used that freedom as the long day and a couple hours of sitting in a car never really let them exercise it.

ers