Disney Orlando Hotels

tommyedinburgh

We are looking to start planning our next family trip to Orlando. Seriously considering staying at a Disney hotel this time. 

Has anyone stayed at a Disney hotel? Any comments or recommendations etc? 

Westin

Stayed at many over the years when the kids were younger.  We however moved towards staying at "off-site" hotels or renting villas in later years.
If you are a true Disney fan and only want to be immersed in the Disney experience 24/7 and value the location to the theme parks then they can be good.  They weren't really for me and I think they are over priced for what they are, as is all the on site food and beverages. 
The Dibb is a good site to visit for planning tips and for asking questions - https://thedibb.com/

SweetPotatoPie

Stayed in a few. 

Depends whether you are looking at value, moderate or deluxe? 

Also - may change before when you are planning on going but the benefits of staying on site are a lot less than what they used to be. 

No magical express from airport, no magic bands, no free dining plan, no extra magic hours currently and no fast pass currently!! 

For the money, I’d be pricing up hotels in the Buena Vista area. 
Are you planning on Universal as well? Or purely Disney? 

tommyedinburgh

SweetPotatoPie said:

Stayed in a few. 

Depends whether you are looking at value, moderate or deluxe? 

Also - may change before when you are planning on going but the benefits of staying on site are a lot less than what they used to be. 

No magical express from airport, no magic bands, no free dining plan, no extra magic hours currently and no fast pass currently!! 

For the money, I’d be pricing up hotels in the Buena Vista area. 
Are you planning on Universal as well? Or purely Disney? 

I’d imagine we will do universal as well. 

SweetPotatoPie

If you book a night in a universal Premier hotel then you get express passes for arrival/departure day of your stay. If you’re going in school holidays then this is well worth it. As Weston said, the Dibb forum is brilliant for answering questions regarding Disney/Universal.
As for recommendations - Coronado Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter are brilliant moderates.
Value hotels - All Stars, Pop Century and Art of Animation are all good. If there’s a few of you then AOA have bigger suites.
Deluxe - I’ve only ever stayed in Boardwalk and it was AMAZING. 

Honest opinion is unless the holiday is small change (which it isn’t to a lot of people) then I’d go for value or moderate - price up the differences. Disney have 2022 prices available now but there’s talk that they will offer the free nights promotion later on in the year. Flights cannot be booked until 11 months out unless you go through a travel agent such as TUI, Ocean Florida, ATD etc...
I can help with any questions though, I go quite often. 

jon81uk

really depends on your budget.
I loved Wilderness Lodge and being able to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom was great, but that was over £200 a night five years ago and the prices have jumped.
I would generally recommend Port Orleans French Quarter for adults, moderate price, small resort so not too much walking and can walk to Port Orleans Riverside and get the boat to Disney Springs.
If you have kids then either staying closer to the park (so Polynesian or Contempory resort) is more convenient but a lot more expensive. Or look at the value resorts such as All Star Movies or Pop Century as kids might prefer the over the top theming, but it can be a long walk to your room.

In our five trips we have stayed at All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quater, Saratoga Springs and Wilderness Lodge.

Also consider at the moment you need park reservations for each day to limit crowds due to the pandemic and some other things are closed due to the pandemic.

SweetPotatoPie

Also - are you planning on car hire? Disney are now charge for parking etc and this can cost quite a lot over the duration of your stay. 

tommyedinburgh

SweetPotatoPie said:

Also - are you planning on car hire? Disney are now charge for parking etc and this can cost quite a lot over the duration of your stay. 

Yeah, we will need a car, like the freedom they provide. 

SweetPotatoPie

Then definitely look into how much they charge for on site parking - this cost can add up significantly over 2 weeks. 

jon81uk

tommyedinburgh said:

SweetPotatoPie said:

Also - are you planning on car hire? Disney are now charge for parking etc and this can cost quite a lot over the duration of your stay. 

Yeah, we will need a car, like the freedom they provide. 

Might as well stay off-site if you are having a car for the whole trip. Although then you have to take the monorail from the car park to the magic kingdom instead of the bus to the gate from the hotel.