Florida accommodation choices when visiting Walt Disney World
We do not just do Disney, we have travelled all over the state visiting as far south as the Keys, we've stayed in Fort Lauderdale and Clearwater, had a villa on Anna Maria Island and loved exploring Sanibel and Captiva Islands. It is not all about Disney, however for this blog I will mostly be covering hints and tips for "doing" the happiest place on earth holiday at Disney.
The first time we visited we stayed with family all those years ago, but soon opted for motels and hotels on subsequent stays. When we took our daughter we had a villa but the next time we stayed on site at Disney and have never looked back. The ease of staying on site more than enough justifies the extra cost however there are pros and cons with all types of accommodation, so you need to think what will work best for your family.
Staying in a villa one of the popular options, as most have a private pool and are within easy drive of all the parks. What can be better than starting or finishing your day taking a dip in your own pool? They tend not to be heated pools as there is no need most of the year but in the colder winter months you could look at paying the extra to have them heated. The pros of a villa is you have to have a car as you are staying in residential areas. This, in itself, is not costly however you do need to pay for parking at all the theme parks around $20 a time so factor that in. Also if you are two families sharing with only one car you do have to spend all your time together - so you might want to have two smaller cars so that each family do not feel that they are joined to the hip of the other.
Staying in an off site hotel is another option. If you choose a hotel with shuttles to the parks this can work well. If you stay near or on International Drive there are plenty of restaurants around that you can eat in if you wish not to eat in your hotel. Cons of staying off site are you are stuck with the hotel shuttle bus timetable which can be limited and maybe not run as late as you would like.
Staying on site is always my choice now. We have been lucky enough to stay in the All Stars Sports, Yacht Club, Coronado Springs and Port Orleans Riverside. One of our favourites is the Port Orleans Riverside which is a moderate resort. It is situated close to Disney Springs (was called Downtown Disney) It is linked by boat and really is a pleasant journey down.
You do not feel that Disney is taking over, it does have a relaxed feel about it all. All the theme and water parks are linked to the hotel by regular direct buses that Disney run throughout their resorts. Bear in mind that the Disney resort area is as big as Greater Manchester! All hotels have direct buses, boats or monorails. Each hotel room at all hotels are mostly two double beds and their decoration takes on the "theme" of the hotel you are staying in. All the hotels are large and have lots of rooms spread around.
In Port Orleans they have little quiet pools dotted between room blocks as well as the main pool area so plenty of choice if you fancy some time away from the parks. As does the Coronado Springs where we have stayed most recently. This hotel has a convention centre making it more of a corporate feel hotel, so if you are an "adult family" this might be a nice option as not so many families with younger children stay here. All theme and water parks are reached by direct buses. The rooms are around a large Lagoon that they are currently building an over the water restaurant and another block of rooms. This should all be finished soon but was not a problem when we were last there. Again, pools dotted around as well as one main one.
Coronado Springs is another favourite - has a more adult feel to it and now they have added two new restaurants and two new lounge bars. One of these is at the top of the new tower which gives you great views and in the evening you can see the fireworks from Hollywood Studios and Epcot. the Three Bridges restaurants is on the lagoon and connected by...yes you guessed it three bridges, really is a lovely setting to watch the sun go down.
Of course you can splash out and go for one of the deluxe resort hotels. Our favourite is the Yacht Club which is walking distance to Epcot or a boat to the Hollywood Studios. It is across the lagoon from Boardwalk which is a great place to take time to visit and is near the Swan and Dolphin hotels. The Animal Kingdom is where they have their own mini Savannah with animals. Wherever you choose to stay you can visit any Disney hotel to have a look around or stop for a drink (more about that later!)
Take the Monorail and do the grand loop of the Lagoon which stops at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Resort and stops inside the Contemporary hotel, yes the Monorail actually goes inside this hotel, this is where you will find Chef Mickey's for character dining and the fantastic California Grill restaurant. This hotel is within walking distance of Magic Kingdom. Most of the Deluxe hotels offer character breakfast that you must pre-book before going all with different characters. However, I would say my favourite and we consider the best is in the Magic Kingdom Crystal restaurant with Winnie the Pooh and friends. I will cover dining in another blog, but for now I hope that this might help you decide where to stay. There are plenty of other on site properties but I just wanted to cover some of the most popular ones. Whichever Disney hotel you stay at you will not need a car to get around. The airport transfers are also included with the Disney Magical Express.
I know that you will have a magical time wherever you stay be it in a villa, off site or on site. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are planning to go I'm happy to help!