All the info you’ll ever need to plan your Florida holiday!

Take Me To ORLANDO!

Hotels

Hotels can be the cheapest accommodation option and all the usual chain brand hotels can be found in the Disney area close to Highway 192 and around International Drive not far from Universal and Sea World. Some of these are theme park ‘Partner’ hotels and will have a free shuttle bus to the nearby parks. However, many of these shuttle buses will often visit several hotels en route so it can take quite a while to reach the parks or some shuttle buses only run once in the morning and once again in the evening. If you just need a place to rest your head a while because you know you’re going to be out all day then check out the usual chains like Radisson, Holiday Inn, Wyndham, Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton websites as they all have properties in or around the WDW and Universal/Sea World areas. If you’ve got a hire car most of these have free parking which isn’t always a given for hotels in the USA although this is sometimes included in the daily additional resort fee which can only be paid at check-in – check with the small print on the hotel/travel website or travel agent who should be able to give you details on how much and what’s included in the resort fee. One other thing to be aware of when staying at a hotel is that you usually pay extra for high speed Wi-Fi should want to watch and stream HD movies on you phone, tablet or computer. The lower speed Wi-Fi is usually complimentary and will more than sufficient to send messages and watch short videos.

TMTO TIP: Always be sure to add the resort fee to you budget and factor this is when comparing prices with other accommodation.

TMTO BUDGET: Resort fees can be anywhere from $15 to $50 per day depending on season and hotel location.

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

WDW’s Contemporary Resort near Magic Kingdom

Assuming that you’re visiting WDW another option is to book an On Property Walt Disney World hotel. There are around 15 hotels including the Fort Wilderness Campsite and various Disney self-catering accommodations, making up to 25 different places to stay. All of these are located within Walt Disney World Resort and therefore either a short walk, bus ride, monorail train or a cable car ride to the Disney theme parks. They are graded Value, Moderate and Deluxe depending on their service and location. They are comparatively expensive, but guests can take advantage of several benefits which may actually make these hotels very good value for money. These include:

  • If you’re purchasing Multi or Single Lightning Lanes you can make attraction selections up to 7 days in advance (compared to only 3 days for off property guests).
  • Disney hotel guests will also have the option to purchase the Disney Dining Plan which is like a half board option and you can use restaurants in the hotels and in the theme parks. It also includes 2 snacks during the day which could be an ice cream, a box of popcorn or even a fancy coffee from Starbucks or Joffrey’s coffee shops.
  • Another advantage when booking a Disney Hotel is that guests can use Disney early entry – Every day the parks will open 30 mins early just for hotel guests so you can blitz a few rides before everyone else. (Not all rides may be open for early entry)
  • From 2025 – on your hotel check-in day you also get free use of any of the WDW water parks without using your theme park tickets. This is only really of use to UK guests providing your flight lands very early in the morning if you’ve had to transit through another US city over night. Most UK flights land in Orlando in the afternoon and the water parks will usually be closed by the time you reach WDW.
  • Deluxe Resort Hotel guests can also stay after hours in selected theme parks and on selected dates. (Deluxe resort hotels: Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Boardwalk Inn, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser)
  • Some hotels have the Disney Club Level Concierge which has complimentary all-day snacks and drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner for qualifying guests.
  • Exemption from theme park car park charges and as of 2024 free overnight parking at all Walt Disney World resort hotels saving you $30 per day.
  • Many hotels have evening outdoor cinemas where guests can bring a blanket and picnic.

TMTO Budget: For a 2 week stay a Disney Value hotel will cost from around £2800, a Moderate hotel £3600 to £6200 and from £9000 up to £20,000 (and more!) for a Deluxe hotel. These prices do not include the park tickets.

Even if you’re not staying at a WDW hotel non-resort guests can still book the restaurants and look around most of the areas in the hotel. The Grand Floridian and The Polynesian all have impressive interiors worth visiting. Animal Kingdom Lodge has areas where you can view giraffes and zebras. At Christmas The Grand Floridian has a large hand made gingerbread house baked and constructed onsite by Disney chefs and bakers. The Contemporary resort hotel has a viewing area where you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from. The Art Of Animation resort has lots of character statues with areas dedicated to Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid and Lightning McQueen and his Cars friends. The Pop Century resort has fun theming from 1950s to the 1990s. Nearly all the hotels have an evening outdoor cinema in the grounds each night which anyone experience even if you’re not staying at any of the Disney hotels.

The view of Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary Resort

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

Universal Orlando Resort has 8 hotels. 6 are within the resort area and 2 are just over the road on I-Drive. Hotel guests can benefit from an early start by entering the theme park Harry Potter areas and Volcano Bay water park 1 hour before other visitors and make use of the free water taxi and shuttle buses. All the Universal hotels are a short walk from the theme park areas with the exception of the Endless Summer Surfside and Dockside hotels which are a short bus ride away. Cabana Bay hotel has a 2 min footpath into Volcano Bay.

Guests in the 3 premier hotels at Universal – Loews Portofino, Hard Rock and Loews Royal Pacific, also get a free Express Pass which allows visitors to skip past the normal queue system. These hotel guests can also take advantage of priority seating in theme park restaurants.

Universal Orlando’s Loews Royal Pacific Hotel pool area and the Aventura Hotel in the background

Unlike Disney, Universal do charge for overnight parking at their resort hotels. It is $15 for the Value hotels per night and this ramps up to a whopping $28 for the Premier hotels. If you want to park at a hotel for the day just to use the restaurants it is even more expensive! The theme park parking is $30 from 2024.

Legoland Florida also has a fun, on-site Lego themed hotel.

If you’re in a hotel you may need to pack enough clothes for the full 2 weeks or make use of the hotel laundry service.

Of course, your hotel room will be regularly cleaned and the beds made by the housekeeping staff. Something that you would have to do yourself in a villa. Understandably some people don’t want to clean rooms and wash clothes on holiday. In this case a hotel is definitely for you. Also having a concierge and reception desk in a hotel 24 hours a day is handy for any issues that arise during your stay.