Where to stay in Orlando

Option 1 - stay in a villa

Advantages: • Private pool • Freedom and privacy • Your own transport (hire car) • Cheapest option • Great option for large, multi-generational families and groups of friends

Disadvantages: • Someone has to drive (1 person if you have a minibus, 2 people if you have 2 cars) • Parking charges at the parks ($25 per day) • Traffic • Not convenient for popping back to the parks for a swim or rest mid-day • Not within the ‘Disney bubble’ • Have to do own cooking and cleaning • No Extra Magic Hours • Fastpass access at 30 days (not 60) • No access to Disney Dining plans

Option 2 – staying at Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa (or similar apartment style accommodation

Advantages: • No need for car hire – use the resort shuttle to get to the parks, or get Uber’s / taxi’s • Still get the ‘villa’ experience by staying in a large apartment, with self-catering facilities if you want it, with the benefit of a resort style pool and hotel experience • Almost as cheap as the villa option • Convenience of being closer to Disney and Universal than the villa is • Housekeeping!

Disadvantages: • Still not in the Disney bubble • Restricted to the resort shuttle timetable (which is less frequent and less convenient than the Disney Transportation if staying onsite) • Still no Extra Magic Hours • Still no access to Fastpass at 60 days • Still no access to Disney Dining Plans

Option 3 – staying onsite at Disney

Advantages: • Extra Magic hours for resort guests which means early access to the parks before they open to non-resort guests, or late closing. • Access to Fast Passes at 60 days (as opposed to 30 days if you aren’t staying onsite) • Magic Bands (swipe to enter the rides, pay for meals, merchandise etc.) • Resort charging and delivery for purchases so you can buy merchandise and have it delivered back to your room so you don’t have to carry it around. • Disney bubble – the kids will love it • Free Disney Transportation around the whole of Walt Disney World • Free Magical Express which picks you up from the airport and takes you back to the airport • The ability to get a Disney bus or Skyliner back to your resort when you need a break.

Disadvantages: • The price!

Option 4 – Split Stay (eg 10 nights Disney then 4 nights at Universal)

Advantages: • If staying onsite is a preference due to the perks that you get included with an onsite stay, then a split stay is ideal because it gives you the perks for both sets of parks, meaning you can maximise your stay in Florida. This is the most expensive option, but you get the best of both worlds. • All of the perks from Option 3 above

Disadvantages: • You would need to pack up and move resorts part way through your holiday • The most expensive option