If you plan to travel to Orlando to visit any of the resorts (including Universal, Legoland, as well as Walt Disney World), you need to choose where to stay. Like so many things with these trips, it’s not as simple as you might think — especially for a British tourist in Orlando trying to balance cost, convenience, and comfort.
The budget is, of course, the biggest factor, as miserable as this might be! Staying on property is expensive, even when you’re at the value resorts. Having said that, you can find some beautiful resorts, hotels, or apartments outside the resorts that cost more than some on-property hotels. So, how do you decide which way to spend your budget?
The thing about staying at a resort is that it gives you a totally immersive experience. Disney lovers seem to crave this the most. There are also perks to staying on property, such as free parking, extra park hours, and having purchases delivered to your resort (these vary by location). If you want that resort experience to the fullest, then this is the way to go. You’ll also get access to the amenities that your hotel offers that you would not get to experience any other way — something many a British tourist in Walt Disney World finds to be worth the extra spend.
Having said that, resort hopping means you can get to enjoy many of the facilities on offer at different hotels, without staying there. There is a lot of fun to be had!
Car hire adds several hundred pounds onto a visit to Orlando, plus fuel, and parking (currently $30 PER DAY at WDW), so a fair chunk of staying onsite can be offset by the fact that you don’t need transport. If you wanted to visit somewhere outside the resort, you could get an Uber or Lyft for a very reasonable cost. Transport around resorts is included in the price of your stay — a definite perk for a British tourist in Orlando who may not want to drive abroad.
Some hotels or apartment complexes outside of your resort may offer shuttle services to the parks either for free or at a small charge per person. This can be a great money saver, especially if it means you will not need to hire a car. However, you need to consider how often they run and at what time until.
On my first visit, I stayed at a stunning resort in Orlando called Bahama Bay, in a beautiful condo. With these types of resorts, you often get a very relaxed feel, with stunning landscaping, great amenities, and lots of space. I loved it and would stay there again. But there are several considerations with resorts.
If you book a package holiday through a travel agent, you will likely get a total price to pay with no hidden extra charges. However, if you book yourself, you need to check out whether or not parking is included and how much resort fees are. These can add hundreds of pounds to the cost of your trip. Bearing in mind these, and the cost associated with car hire, unless you want to go high-end with your accommodation, you might even be able to stay in a value resort on property instead!
You may also be visiting a lot of other places in Orlando. It’s not just about Disney or Universal. Many people will visit both, along with some of the plethora of other attractions available both there and further afield in the county. In this case, the extra cost of staying on property might not be worth it if you are going to be there less, and the cost of hiring a car becomes more worthwhile. So, considering your itinerary and the cost (and let’s be honest, effort) of public transport is also a deciding factor.
So let’s talk time. This one depends on where you’re staying. I’ve never stayed on property at a resort in Orlando (so I will defer you to my bestie who has — see her article), but at Disney Paris I have and always will (I have done another piece on this).
Orlando is MASSIVE. In the U.K., we are not accustomed to driving the kinds of distances that people do in the USA. The sheer size of the place means it can take you a while to even get to the resort, and then you have to navigate your way across it from the car park. I have had it take well over an hour for me to get from where I was staying to Magic Kingdom. Making your way around when staying at a resort can still take time, but you’re never too far from your destination. Park days are exhausting. So is travelling, especially with small children. For a British tourist in Walt Disney World, saving that time and energy by being closer to the magic can make all the difference.
Lastly, how much space do you want? Honestly, as much as I love my family, the thought of us being in one room together — even a pretty big room — for more than a couple of nights on the trot does not make for fun thinking. They feel the same. And I couldn’t and wouldn’t ask my kids to share a bed. You could go for an apartment on-site, or more than one room, but this becomes very expensive.
Orlando trips from the U.K. are often at least a fortnight, and I honestly feel that “We’re only sleeping and showering in the room” only goes so far with four people in that one space for that long. Every family is different, but we need room, and a villa is a huge space, often in a safe, gated community with some facilities. This can be a drag with travel time, but for the size of the space and what you get in there (pool, games room, full kitchen, several bathrooms, utility room), the price is very reasonable, with no hidden costs (although do check if pool heating is extra). You would need a car to stay at a villa in reality (and many hotels and resorts), but you can explore so much further with ease. It makes the holiday much more about the whole experience of Orlando — something many a British tourist in Orlando really values.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider! Take your time deciding exactly what you want from each trip, and that should point you in the direction you need to go.