Disneyland, Florida, 2013

gregg1

nw_man wrote: »

Firstly to clarify its DisneyWORLD Florida you want to visit ? Not DisneyLAND California ?

Assuming that is so, the cheapest Disney hotels are the 'value' resorts, All Star Music, All Star Movies, All Star Sports, Pop Century and a new one for next year I believe, Art Of Animation Resort.

I dont know when you could book it, dont think you can do so yet though. Their booking system only goes to the end of 2012.


As for staying at a Disney hotel, that is all down to choice. Personally I would never do it. There is a lot more to the Orlando area than Disney.

Also, if budget really is an issue then you could do a LOT better staying on I-Drive.

Anyway, the choice is yours.

For a lot of great advice and help, try the sticky at the top of this page and also www.thedibb.co.uk

Good luck and happy hunting.

I would certainly recommend staying at WDW resorts if you have kids. We have stayed at the Swan which was very nice but no decent restaurants for kids and actually not part of the WDW resorts but still has the same advantages, The Boardwalk which was stunning but pricey for food and the Yacht and Beach Club Resort which again was pretty pricey but to be honest the best hotel we stayed at was the Carribean Beach Resort. It was mid-price and you get free transport to the resorts, don't forget you also get early access to the parks, we found this extremely useful as we used that hour when the park was not too busy to ride the big rides before the queuing started. Also, anything you buy in the parks will be sent direct to your room for you. Nice size rooms and the surroundings were stunning. Would go again to this hotel.

Also, if, like us, you are early risers and want to get to the parks early, the Carribean Beach has a good restaurant which opens early (6am!!) for breakfast - we found this invaluable as we stocked up on food and it set us up for most of the day. Also excellent were the unlimited drinks. You buy a huge cup which is about $15 dollars (I think) but you get unlimited drinks for the remainder of your stay - we saved a fortune with two thirsty kids. When the kids were young we seemed to spend a fortune on soft drinks all the time so this was brilliant.

Its up to you but we have been a few times and love the resort hotels.

jo_chrystal

Hi you will love disney, We went end of sept 09 and was absolutely fantastic and was our 1st time We stayed at Animal Kingdom the main one jumbo house bot kidani village we loved it the rooms were fabulous beds were the comfiest beds i have ever slept in, we did the disney dining package and saved us a fortune we booked with virgin and got a fantastic package with free dining, one thing i would say though is when your booked and paid up fully i would start to look at your restaurants and ring up to book in because if you leave it until your there you will struggle to get a seat in the nicer restaurants, and i would also say a planner is a must, we spent a few weekends planning were we would visit and on what days, which then helped to see were we would eat, you might think i'm pretty sad making a planner before we went but if you dont you wont get round and see everything, certain parks are open later for resort residents only and the parades are different times so you need to work all this out before you go i think. Oh and someone mentioned halloween further up the post, yes this is absolutely amazing! you can book tickets before you go for the magic kingdom halloween party trust me it is the best you get given loot bags when you go in and the atmosphere is fantastic the parade is just out of this world it cost us i think about £140 for 2 adults and 2 children, loads of people go in fancy dress as well which makes the atmosphere more amazing. I dressed as a giant blow up pumpkin my partner was batman the black knight the kids were the joker and little girl was cinderella because she had her make over that day, If you have a little girl then i fully recomend a bibbity bobbity boo make over at the boutique in down town disney she will love it, we took my niece with us and we booked her in for one she looked beutiful, and when you go on the disney transportation a recording gets played saying something like " please be on your best behaviour we have a disney princess on board" the kids love it, they make the little girls feel so special when they have a make over. Also if you look round you can get good deals on park tickets, i was going to post you some links for the bibbity bobbity boo boutique and halloween party but the site wouldnt let me so just google them, hope you have a fab time x

custard1972

I would really consider staying at Disney, we're hoping to go back in 2013 & are hoping to do 2 weeks at Disney & 1 week (ish) at one of the Universal hotels. We were there this year & stayed on International Drive & even though we enjoyed it we did find the travelling to & from Disney a pain, especially with us not hiring a car. I think also if you can get the free dining included that will save an awful lot of money as we found that to be our biggest expense. I've priced up for next year & to stay at Old Key West for 2 weeks then 1 week at Universal (with all tickets, flight, spends etc) the price is not much different to what we paid this year for 3 weeks on International Drive.

Neilandrewhall

Counting Pennies I have just emailed you through Money Saving Expert, Please check your PMS

meer53

We've been to Florida 4 times now and rented a villa and car each time. I must be one of the few who doesn't want to stay in a Disney hotel ! After spending all day in the Disney parks, you need a Disney free zone for a few hours ! We've had beautiful villas each time for about £900 for 2 weeks, the villas usually sleep 8-10 people and most are no more than 20 mins drive from WDW. I like the luxury of having our own pool and letting the kids swim and play whilst we chill out and watch TV or order a takeaway ! Theres nothing like sitting in a warm jacuzzi with a large G & T when the kids are tucked up in bed !
I second the comments about I Drive, parts of it are now like Blackpool on a bad night ! I would never consider staying there. We love Florida and can't wait to go again, probably next year. Had a long weekend at DLP this year but it doesn't compare in any way !!

claire16c

I agree Id much rather stay not in Disney. Either on I Drive or in a villa in kissimmee or somewhere similar. My parents rented a villa when we were kids and it was great to go back at night and swim in our own private pool! The highlight I remember was being allowed in the pool before breakfast. The Disney hotels seem to be expensive for what they are.

If I had kids Id stay in a villa, and if I was going like I did before with just my partner then id stay in a budget hotel and either use the buses or rent a car.

sunshinetours

Sorry villa everytime for me with kids or at least split one week at WDW hotel and one week in a villa. Having your own space after a hectic day at parks etc is so nice and much easier at night time and days off you have option of staying round pool doing a BBQ etc. Make your own breakfast and dinners some nights if you want all of which save s abit of extra spending money for treats

Driving is easy out there so just get a basic car and you can also then have a day out at one of the coasts for beaches etc

shazza77_2

My son was 22 months and daughter was 14 and we stayed on Disney. We are looking to go back in 2013 and they both want to stay on Disney. Yes international drive is cheaper but the kids just love Disney. Thomson do twin centres as do Virgin. You can do a week on Disney and a week on international drive.
Universal Studios and Sea World are a must even for young kids.

Enjoy
Shaz

The art of animation also opens in December 2012.:)

JackTorrance

Hi

We are about to book our fourth holiday in Orlando and my reluctance to drive on the "wrong" side of the road has resulted in us staying on International Drive each time. As others have mentioned, it is a rather cheap and nasty place with fast food establishments, cheap gift shops, Irish/British themed pubs, tattoo parlours and many tattoo'd tourists. Having said that, it is a very long road and there are a few nice hotels that are well away from all the tackiness.

On our first visit, we tried all the parks, but much prefered the Universal parks and Seaworld to the Disney ones. This preference has increased as my daughter has got older. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the Disney experience, it's just our personal preference.

ALI1973

Our preferences would be: 1. Private Villa 2. Old Key West Villa, these are Disney Villas and the one we had was huge with our own kitchen/lounge and 2 separate bedrooms and bathrooms and a laundry area. 3. Lake Buena Vista Area.

We have stayed on Highway 27 and Kissimmee and both are easy to get to Disney.

Whatever you choose you'll have a great time