Fodor's Walt Disney World with Kids (2015)

To stay on Disney property or to stay off-site? Is your resort a major part of your vacation experience or just a place to sleep at night? The answers depend entirely upon your family and how much you’re willing to pay for certain conveniences, such as proximity to the parks.

There are thousands upon thousands of hotel rooms to choose from in the greater Orlando area, with the properties ranging from fabulous to frightening. In this chapter, we’ll sort through the decisions you need to make in terms of location, price, amenities, and even ambience. There’s a lot to consider, but it’s worth studying the options since your hotel sets the stage for the rest of your vacation.

The ratings for the hotels discussed in this chapter are based on three factors: the responses of families surveyed; the percentage of repeat business at resort experiences, which is a reliable indicator of guest satisfaction; and the quality of the resort in relation to the price. Obviously, you’d expect more amenities and a higher employee-to-guest ratio at a $300-a-night resort than at a $100-a-night resort, so it’s unfair to hold them to the same standard.

With that in mind, we’ve rated the hotels on the basis of value for cost. Simply, are you getting what you paid for? Do the advantages of this resort make it worth the price? And would you recommend this resort to families with the same amount of money to spend?

On-Site Disney Hotels

Disney has recently added advance check-in, which works much like advance check-in for airline flights. By checking in just before you leave home, you can expedite your experience once you arrive at your resort. Note that with the new MagicBands, online check-in is now a must, since guests have reported wait times of up to an hour for regular check-in.

Is It Worth the Expense to Stay On-Site?

Staying at one of the Disney-owned hotels is very convenient, and with rates as low as $96 a night at the All-Star resorts and Pop Century Resort, it may be more affordable than you think.

Off-site hotels fight back with special promotions and perks of their own, arguing that the Disney hotels still cost more and bring you only slightly closer to the action. On-site or off-site? Ask yourself the following questions to help you decide:

What time of year are you going?

If you’re visiting Disney World in summer or during a major holiday, you’ll need every extra minute, so it’s worth the cost to stay on-site.

How old are your kids?

In the Florida heat and humidity, it’s nearly a medical necessity to keep young kids out of the sun in the middle of the afternoon, and an on-site hotel makes it easier to return for a nap. If your kids are preteens or teens who can handle a whole day in the parks, the commute is less of a factor.

Are you flying or driving?

If you’re flying and doing only Disney World, it may make more economic sense to stay on-site and use Disney World’s transportation system in lieu of a rental car. If you’re driving to Orlando, it may be as easy to stay off-site. You’ll be able to drive into the parks at hours that suit you without having to rely on shuttles.

Things to Know about On-Site Hotels

Disney’s on-site hotels vary about as much as hotels can, and they appeal to different budgets and interests, but there are seven things all of them have in common:

Disney hotels operate under the family plan, meaning that kids under 18 stay free with parents.

Check-in time is 3 pm at most Disney hotels. If you arrive before your room is ready, you can check in, store your bags, pick up your tickets or MagicBands, and go straight to the parks.

Checkout time is 11 am, but, once again, you need not let this interfere with your touring. Check out early in the morning, store your bags, then go enjoy your last day in the parks.

When you check in, you’ll be issued a room key/resort ID—usually in the form of a MagicBand that allows you to charge meals, drinks, tickets, and souvenirs to your room and gives you access to all Disney World transportation. You can also add theme-park admission. If you’ve chosen the dining plan, your resort ID serves as your meal pass. In short, one card or MagicBand does it all.

If you pay with a credit card, you can arrange for automatic checkout—a definite time-saver. An itemized statement is emailed to you on the day of your departure. If it’s correct, you can keep it as your receipt and leave immediately.

All on-site hotels have a food court and a bar. In-room pizza delivery is another option for families on the run.

On-site guests get free parking, both at their hotel and at the theme parks.

What’s your budget?

If money isn’t a major issue, stay on-site. If money is a primary consideration, you’ll find your best deals at the budget hotels along Interstate 4. Exits 62 and 68, which flank Disney World, are chock-full of chain hotels and restaurants.

How much do your kids eat?

Food is expensive at Disney World, both in the parks and at the on-site hotels. If you’re staying off-site, you can always eat in the numerous fast-food and family-style restaurants along Interstate 4, Route 192, and International Drive. Many off-site hotels have complimentary breakfast buffets, while the all-suites properties have in-room kitchenettes where you can fix your own meals.

Money-Saving Tip Disney doesn’t discount often, but when times are slow they’re as eager to fill their rooms as any other hotel chain. The trouble is that they don’t always announce these discounts. When you call to make your reservations, always ask, “Are there any special offers available during the times I’ll be visiting?”

Do you plan to visit other attractions?

If you’ll be spending half your time at SeaWorld, Universal Orlando, or the other non-Disney World attractions, stay off-site—at least during those days. There’s no need to pay top dollar for proximity to Disney if you’re headed for Islands of Adventure.

Will your party be splitting up at times?

Does Dad want to golf one afternoon? Do you have teenagers who can spend a day at Blizzard Beach on their own? Will there be times when it would make sense for Dad to take the younger kids back to the hotel while Mom stays in the park with the older ones? Is your 5-year-old raring to go at dawn, but your 15-year-old sleeps until noon? If so, stay on-site, where the use of the Disney World transportation system makes it easy for each of you to go your own way.

What’s your tolerance level for hassles?

If you don’t want to deal with interstate traffic, big parking lots, toting luggage, and carrying cash or credit cards, stay on-site.

The Advantages of Staying On-Site

Disney offers its guests certain extra services that are not available to anyone else. In short, they entice you to spend more time when them, and many of these extras are worth considering.

INSIDER’S SECRET

The on-site resorts often have fun little activities for kids such as scavenger hunts, pool races, trivia contests, or dance parties. Activity schedules are posted in the pool areas and child-care centers.

Extra Magic Hours

Extra Magic Hours work like this: Each day, year-round, one of the four major theme parks opens for Disney resort guests an hour early or stays open an extra hour or two after the regular closing time. Mondo perk! This gives resort guests the chance to ride some featured attractions and greet the characters in a relatively uncrowded park. (Note the word “relatively.” There are so many Disney resort guests that there are still plenty of people around, just not as many as usual.)

When you check into your hotel you’ll receive a brochure printed with the Extra Magic Hours schedule for the week; if you’d like this information in advance to help with your planning, visit www.disneyworld.com, where you’ll find “Park Hours” under “Parks & Tickets.”

Generally, only a few attractions per park are open for the Extra Magic Hour, but this is your chance to ride them easily. Just as important is that in the morning you’ll be deep inside the theme park when it officially opens so you can dash to other big-deal attractions before the rest of the crowd gets there.

For morning Extra Magic Hours your resort ID or MagicBand gets you into the park to ride anything that’s up and running. For evening Extra Magic Hours you’ll need to show your resort ID or MagicBand to board the rides.

FastPass+

On-site guests can make their FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance. This is a huge boon during the busiest times. It allows you to get a jump on off-site guests (as well as other on-site guests who don’t understand the value of this perk) in terms of reserving prime times for the most popular attractions. Read the theme park chapters and decide how you want to spend your three FastPass+ choices per day, and then reserve them asap.

Magical Express Service

The Magical Express Service allows you to check your bags at your hometown airport and not see them again until you walk into your hotel room in Walt Disney World. You also get free shuttle service from the Orlando airport to your resort.

When it’s time to go home, the system works in reverse. You check your bags and receive your boarding passes before departing from your Disney resort. Take another complimentary shuttle back to the airport and go directly to your flight. Your luggage will be waiting for you at baggage claim in your hometown. This also saves you the inconvenience of having to store your bags on the last day of your trip.

The service is supposed to save you time and money, but in reality it doesn’t always work seamlessly. Quite a few readers have complained of long delays, and one dad dubbed the system “Magical Distress.” Comments range from “We stopped at three hotels, and it took over an hour to get to ours from the airport” to “Thanks to this so-called benefit we began the whole trip with confusion and irritation.”

But families have also praised the perk, agreeing with the Chicago mom who wrote, “It’s like Disney starts taking care of you the minute your plane wheels touch down in Orlando.” The consensus seems to be that the system works well at times when it’s not too crowded, but during peak travel times slow service is common. If you’re traveling at such a time, consider handling your own bags and arranging for your own transportation between the airport and your hotel.

Transportation

On-site guests have unlimited use of the monorails, buses, and boats of the WDW transportation system. Between this and the Magical Express Service, many on-site guests find they are able to forgo the cost of a rental car.

Free Parking at the Theme Parks

You don’t have to pay the $17 daily fee to park. The attendant will wave you through when she sees the resort parking ID on your dashboard.

Package Delivery

Don’t lug your souvenirs around while touring. When you make a purchase, you can fill out a form, and Disney will deliver the package to your hotel gift shop for free. Your purchases generally don’t show up until the next day, however, so don’t use the service on the last day of your visit.

MagicBand and Charging Privileges

Talk about hassle-free. This all-in-one wristband (or plastic card, if you prefer) that you receive upon check-in is your room key, theme-park ticket, FastPass+ reservation system, and dining-plan credit card. It also allows adults (and kids, if you opt to give them privileges) to charge tickets, food, and souvenirs to their hotel room. It’s certainly easier not to have to carry around huge amounts of cash, especially at the pool, water parks, and marinas.

It’s up to you whether older kids have charging privileges. Giving them the card makes it easier to send Johnny to the snack bar for a round of Cokes, but be sure to impress upon kids that these IDs work like credit cards. They’re not an open invitation to order pizza for all their new friends at the arcade, purchase all seven dwarfs from the hotel gift shop, or, heaven forbid, obtain cash advances.

Dining Plans

Many families swear by the Disney Dining Plan, which can be added to any on-site package. The plan saves you from having to carry around cash and—at least on the surface—masks the sting of coughing up nine bucks for a cheeseburger.

HELPFUL HINT

If you lose a MagicBand or room card with charging privileges, report it to the front desk immediately to avoid unauthorized charges.

Family Atmosphere

All the on-site hotels are designed with families in mind. The ambience is casual, security is tight, and there are always other children around to play with. The on-site hotels have laundry facilities, generally near the pools and arcades, so that you can run a quick load while the youngsters play; there’s late-night pizza delivery to your room; and if there’s not a child-care facility at your particular hotel, Guest Relations (a.k.a. Guest Services) can help you arrange for an in-room sitter. The emphasis at the Disney hotels is on making life more convenient for parents.

Cool Themes

All the on-site hotels have themes that are carried out in mega-detail. At the Polynesian the staff greets you with “Aloha”; at the Port Orleans, jazz music plays all day; and at the All-Star Sports the dressers in the rooms look like gym lockers. This makes staying at an on-site hotel almost as exciting for kids as being inside the parks.

In fact, because the on-site hotels are all so different from each other, it’s fun to visit other hotels. Many families surveyed told us they enjoyed eating dinner at a different resort from their own.

Location, Location, Location

Proximity to the theme parks makes it easier to return to your room after lunch for a nap, a dip in the pool, or a change of clothes.

Evaluating the On-Site Disney Hotels

The Orlando area has more than 140,000 hotel rooms, and a fair percentage of these are owned by Disney. In other words, a family who has decided to stay on-site faces a bewildering number of choices. Does the convenience of being on the monorail line justify the increase in price? Do you want to stay amid Victorian splendor, or is a fort more your style? At which park do you plan to spend most of your time? As with all of WDW, making the best choice hinges on your awareness of what your family really needs.

Available Accommodations

On-Site Luxury Hotels

Luxury hotels are full-scale resorts with fine dining, health clubs and spas, valet parking, on-site child-care facilities, full room service, and lots of sporting options. There’s a price attached—the Disney luxury hotels cost, on average, twice as much a night as the mid-price hotels. Luxury hotels include the BoardWalk, Yacht and Beach clubs, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Swan, Dolphin, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. (Note: The Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are at the lowest price point in the luxury category.)

On-Site Mid-Price Hotels

“Mid-price” is something of a misnomer, because both the price and the quality are higher than what you’d find in an off-site chain hotel in Orlando. You may pay a little more than you might at a typical Hilton Garden Inn, but the hotels are beautifully maintained and landscaped, with their themes carried out to the nth degree. Resorts that fall into this category include the Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, and Coronado Springs.

On-Site Value Hotels

The on-site value hotels include the All-Star resorts, the Pop Century Resort, and the Art of Animation Resort.

Again, the resorts are well maintained and have eye-popping, catchy graphics that dazzle the kids. You can find a food court but no sit-down dining; a swimming pool but no other sporting options; a lengthier check-in line and smaller staff, but rates that more than compensate for the minor inconveniences. The most important on-site benefits—transportation to the parks, help with tickets and priority-seating reservations, MagicBands, Extra Magic Hours, and charging privileges—are just as available to those paying $96 a night at All-Star Sports as to those paying $396 a night at the BoardWalk. And, hey, the housekeepers still leave your kids’ stuffed animals in the window to greet them in the evening, so who can complain?

Villa-Style Accommodations

Larger families or those who like to prepare their own meals may want to rent a villa. Resorts included in this category are Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Saratoga Springs Resort, BoardWalk Villas, Grand Floridian Villas, Beach Club Villas, Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, the Art of Animation Resort, and Old Key West Resort. The new Polynesian villas are under construction at this writing.

On-Site Camping

The Fort Wilderness Campground is a great choice for families who love to camp and is by far the least expensive way to get on-site privileges.

Recommended Disney On-Site Hotels

We’ve rated each hotel with a score of one to three stars to represent our opinions about the quality of the hotel and the accommodations it offers.

This resort was a favorite among families surveyed and offers solid value for the money.

Surveyed families were satisfied with this resort and felt they got what they paid for.

This resort is either more adult oriented, with fewer amenities designed to appeal to families, or is more expensive than you’d expect considering the location or level of service.

Magic Kingdom Hotels

If the Magic Kingdom is your focus and you’re willing to pay up, consider these resorts.

Fort Wilderness has campsites for tents and oversized, concrete parking pads for RVs as well as air-conditioned cabins. The cabins, which sleep six, rent for approximately the same nightly rate as a luxury hotel. The wide-open spaces of the campground are perfect for volleyball, biking, and exploring, making the resort a good choice for families with kids old enough to enjoy all the outdoor options. “Fort Wilderness lights two campfires every night for marshmallow roastings and sing-alongs,” reported one mom from Maine. “The s’mores packages, which are $7 and include toasting sticks, are a real bargain, and after the singing a Disney movie is shown in the amphitheater under the stars. Perfect!” TIP Fort Wilderness Campground is so sprawling that many families rent a golf cart to make it easier to get around.

HELPFUL HINT

Disneyworld.com is a great planning tool, allowing you to compare the prices of different on-site hotels during the week you’ll be visiting. You can comparison shop at leisure without a travel agent or phone reservation agent nudging you into a quick decision.

Pluses

Fort Wilderness offers tons of activities for kids: wagon rides, horseback and pony riding, and a petting zoo.

Hookups and tent sites, starting at $56, are your cheapest lodging options. The upgraded campsites start at $75 a night. Fort Wilderness Cabins start at $330 a night.

Groceries are available at the on-site trading post. And the bountiful buffets at the Trail’s End restaurant are one of the best food bargains on Disney property.

Fort Wilderness is pet-friendly; dogs have a playground at the Waggin’ Trails, an off-leash play area.

Minuses

A large number of people share relatively few facilities here.

This place is so spread out that it requires its own in-resort bus system to get you from one area to another. You can rent golf carts or bikes, but make no mistake: Fort Wilderness is huge and hard to navigate.

Overall Grade: If you like to camp and can put up with a little inconvenience for great savings, this is a good option. 4510 N. Fort Wilderness Trail 407/824-2900 799 campsites, 421 cabins.

You’ll either love or hate Disney’s original, always-hopping resort, which has 1,050 rooms surrounding a mammoth, high-tech lobby full of shops and restaurants. The glamorous Bay Lake Tower Villas are sleek and user-friendly, and the location of the more expensive rooms is among the best on property. Where else can you sit in your own bathtub and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks?

Pluses

On the monorail line.

The easiest Magic Kingdom resort to book; discounts are sometimes available.

Exceptional sporting options, including WDW’s largest tennis center and a full marina with parasailing and waterskiing options.

Outstanding dining choices, including the California Grill, one of Disney’s premier restaurants; The Wave, which is excellent for breakfast; and Chef Mickey’s, a great place to meet the characters for breakfast and dinner.

Minuses

It’s loud, with a big-city feel, which is exactly what some families come to Florida to escape. “Like sleeping in the middle of Space Mountain,” wrote one mother. However, rooms in the Garden Wings are quieter, cheaper, and more spacious than those in the main building.

The futuristic ambience strikes some guests as sterile and ugly. “The pool area reminded me of a scene from a 1970s B-movie that would depict future decay,” wrote one disgruntled Canadian dad. “I expected Charlton Heston to come around the corner any minute, being chased by apes.”

Like all the other hotels on the monorail line, the Contemporary is expensive, with prices starting at $378 a night. Bay Lake Tower starts at $533, but can quickly climb higher.

Overall Grade: Convenient and lively. Perhaps a little too lively. 4600 N. World Dr. 407/824-1000 1,013 rooms, 25 suites.

Modeled after the famed Florida beach resorts of the Victorian era, the Grand Floridian is possibly the prettiest of all Disney hotels, with 900 rooms ensconced beneath its gabled roofs and soaring ceilings, and off its broad white verandas. This elegant and stately lady is also the hub of many activities, including a variety of programs for children. The Grand Floridian is also home to the newest option for members of the Disney Vacation Club. The villas offer a charming new Alice in Wonderland-theme water-play area.

Best On-Site Hotels at a Glance

Many of the on-site Disney hotels are great, but here are our favorites:

BEST MAGIC KINGDOM RESORT: POLYNESIAN

Always a favorite with readers, the lovely Polynesian combines a casual, family-friendly feel with great amenities and unbeatable access to the Magic Kingdom.

BEST EPCOT RESORT: THE YACHT AND BEACH CLUBS

You like Epcot and Hollywood Studios? They’re both easy to get to from this prime location—and the pool is to die for.

BEST MID-PRICE RESORT: PORT ORLEANS

Relaxed and homey, the Port Orleans resorts have the charm of the luxury resorts for less. The French Quarter, smaller and quieter than its sister, Riverside, is easier for families with young kids.

BEST VALUE RESORTS: POP CENTURY

Pop Century has recently overtaken the All-Star Resorts in this category, largely due to more efficient bus service.

BEST FAMILY SUITES: THE ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

These value-priced suites come with a great water area and compact but visually exciting spaces for families. One of the greatest perks is that each suite has two bathrooms.

BEST VILLAS: BAY LAKE TOWER AT THE CONTEMPORARY

The trendy Bay Lake Tower has a major wow factor, and the location is unparalleled. But stay tuned. The new Grand Floridian Villas are rumored to be even more posh.

HELPFUL HINT

The Disney Vacation Club, or DVC, is Disney’s answer to vacation time-shares. Members receive an allotted number of days per year to use at a Disney resort, but you do not have to be a member of the DVC to rent a villa. Call 407/934-7639 (407/W-DISNEY) for information on available villas during your stay.

Pluses

Convenient location on monorail line.

A private beach and marina on the Seven Seas Lagoon and numerous boating options.

On-site child-care center and programs for children.

On-site health club and full-service spa.

Exceptional dining. Cítricos and Victoria & Albert’s are among the finest restaurants in all of WDW. For more casual and kid-friendly dining, check out 1900 Park Fare, which hosts breakfast and dinner character buffets.

Lots of special little touches, such as afternoon tea and live music in the lobby each night.

Minuses

Starting at $549, these are the most expensive rooms on Disney property.

The elegance puts off some families, who feel funny trooping past a grand piano with squalling babies in their arms.

Overall Grade: Luxurious and expensive. 4401 Floridian Way 407/824-3000 867 rooms, 90 suites.

Designed to emulate an island village, the Polynesian is relaxed and casual. Activities take place at the Great Ceremonial House, where all the shops and restaurants encircle a beautiful garden with orchids, parrots, and fountains. Guests stay in one of the sprawling “long houses” along the lagoon. “The Polynesian was worth every penny,” wrote one satisfied mom from Connecticut: “The rooms were gorgeous, and we sat on the beach two magical nights in a row to catch the Magic Kingdom fireworks.”

Pluses

There’s a private beach with an attractive pool, plus numerous boating options. Canvas shells shade napping babies and toddlers digging in the sand.

The Kona Café is one of the best places for desserts in all of Disney World.

Excellent on-site child-care center.

The recently refurbished rooms are some of the prettiest on Disney property.

Technically there’s no spa here, but the Grand Floridian’s excellent spa is on a walkway between the two hotels—close enough that it’s easily accessible.

Minuses

Without a discount, expect to pay $483 a night and up.

As of this writing, the Polynesian pool area has no hot tubs. Inexcusable!

Overall Grade: The Polynesian enjoys a loyal repeat clientele, and that says it all. 1600 Seven Seas Dr. 407/824-2000 847 rooms, 5 suites.

Starting at $325 a night, the Western-spirited Wilderness Lodge is aimed at filling the gap between the mid-price and luxury resorts. The theme of the Wilderness Lodge extends into every aspect of the hotel’s design. The pool begins indoors as a hot spring and flows through the lobby into a waterfall that tumbles over rocky caverns and culminates in the outdoor pool. The awe-inspiring lobby, which looks like a Lincoln Log project run amok, centers on an 82-foot fireplace that blazes all year. The Native American—theme wallpaper, the staff dressed like park rangers, and even the hobby horses children ride to their tables in the Whispering Canyon Café all combine to evoke the feel of a National Park Service lodge built in the early 1900s.

Pluses

The lodge is heavily themed, and the pool area, with its erupting geyser and stone hot tubs, is especially dramatic.

On-site child-care facilities.

Tons of happy quasi-campers here. Families return to the Wilderness Lodge again and again.

The Wilderness Lodge Villas, starting at $420 a night, provide all the great amenities and a little more space.

Minuses

Although it’s one of the least expensive luxury options, it still isn’t cheap.

This is the only Magic Kingdom resort hotel without direct monorail service. The boat takes slightly longer than the bus. And bus service is frequently shared with Fort Wilderness, which means an extra stop on the way to the theme parks.

The rooms are small and sleep only four people; the other luxury resorts sleep five. “It’s a great resort once you get outside of your room,” said a mom from Indiana. “But while inside the room we were practically on top of each other.”

Overall Grade: A great family-pleasing setting and a favorite with many of our readers. 901 Timberline Dr. 407/824-3200 727 rooms, 31 suites.

Epcot Hotels

Most of the Epcot resorts—the Yacht and Beach clubs, BoardWalk, Swan, and Dolphin—share their own “back-door” entrance into Epcot’s World Showcase, accessed by water taxis and walkways. Unfortunately—and somewhat ironically, considering that these properties are marketed as “Epcot resorts”—it can be tricky to get to Epcot’s front gates. The Future World section of Epcot usually opens at 9 am, but Epcot resort guests enter through the World Showcase, where the rides, shops, and restaurants don’t open until 11 am. That means guests have to walk through the World Showcase and enter Future World at a special rope-drop area. (Many people assume that the Epcot hotels offer bus service to the main entrance of Epcot. They don’t.) The bad news is that this stroll through the World Showcase adds 10 minutes to your commute. The good news is that there are fewer people at this entrance point, so you can still get a jump on the crowds, a key factor if you’re heading to a popular attraction like Soarin’.

By contrast, getting to Hollywood is a breeze. Water taxis leaving from the Epcot resort marinas will have you at the Hollywood gates within minutes. In addition, there are plenty of restaurants, clubs, and entertainment options around the lagoon. “We never left the Epcot resort area,” wrote one mom from Texas. “Everything we wanted to do was right there.”

The one Epcot hotel that doesn’t follow this plan is the Caribbean Beach Resort, which is a mid-price property a bit apart from the others. It runs buses to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot; the Epcot bus lets you off at the Future World entrance.

The BoardWalk Inn and Villas form the hub of a large complex with convention space, several restaurants and shops, the ESPN sports club, and a dance club and piano bar. The mood is turn-of-the-20th-century Atlantic City. Bright, attractive rooms are clustered above an old-fashioned boardwalk, and the action on the waterfront goes on until late at night.
“Once you stay at the BoardWalk, nothing else is good enough,” wrote one enthusiastic grandmother of two in Ohio. “The location is perfect for both Epcot and Hollywood, and there’s always free entertainment, like jugglers or comedians, to keep the kids happy.”

Pluses

Lots of entertainment: surrey (two-person, four-wheel) bikes for rent, midway games, and a wider variety of restaurants and bars than you’d find at most resorts.

On-site health club.

On-site child-care facilities.

Great location for both Epcot and Hollywood.

Great restaurant choices, including the excellent Flying Fish Café.

Minuses

Expensive, at $411 and up per night.

Maybe too lively and hopping for families with very young kids. The boardwalk can get loud at night.

Overall Grade: You’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action—because you are. 2101 Epcot Resorts Blvd. 407/939-5100 372 rooms.

This family-priced, 2,112-room resort is on 200 acres with a private lake surrounded by beaches. Each section of this mammoth hotel is painted a different tropical color and named for a different Caribbean island, and each “island” has its own shuttle-bus stop, beach, and pool with waterslide. The rooms, although small, are attractively decorated—some have a Pirates of the Caribbean or Finding Nemo theme. There’s a nightly surcharge of $25-$50 (depending on the season) for these special rooms.

Pluses

The price is right, starting at $182 a night.

The Pirate and Nemo rooms are absolutely adorable and themed to the max—for example, some of the furniture looks like cargo chests. “A little cheesy, but our boys flipped out with joy,” said a mom from Texas. “The excitement was well worth the extra $25 a night!”

Caribbean Cay, an artificial island with a playground, climbing fort, and small aviary, is fun for young kids.

The pirate-themed water-play area, which offers small slides and fountains, is a hit with young kids.

A marina with watercraft is available.

Minuses

Although the buses are regular, they stop at all of the resort’s many “islands.” Expect a considerably longer commute time to the parks.

The place is huge. It may be a major hike from your hotel room to the food plaza or marina. If you have young kids, bring your own stroller.

Overall Grade: All the moderate-price resorts offer solid value for the money, but due to its size, Caribbean Beach is overwhelming. Try the others first. 900 Cayman Way 407/934-3400 2,112 rooms.

Designed to resemble a turn-of-the-20th-century Nantucket seaside resort, the Yacht Club and Beach Club are side-by-side resorts that share many facilities. Both hotels are charming yet casual, with sunny, airy rooms overlooking a freshwater lake and a wide variety of restaurants and sporting options.

Pluses

Stormalong Bay, the water recreation area the two resorts share, is like a private water park. The sand-bottom “bay” contains pools of varying depths, whirlpools, waterslides, and a wrecked ship for atmosphere.

On-site child-care facilities.

Disney characters are on hand for breakfast at the Cape May Café in the Beach Club.

The two resorts share an on-site health club.

Minuses

Price is the only real drawback. Rates begin at $400 per night.

Overall Grade: These hotels enjoy a lot of repeat business from satisfied families. 1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd. 407/934-8000 Beach Club, 407/934-7000 Yacht Club 1,213 rooms, 112 suites.

This convention-resort complex made up of two side-by-side hotels is connected to Epcot and Hollywood by water taxis and bridges. The Swan and Dolphin are the only hotels not owned by Disney that are on Disney property and whose guests qualify for on-site perks. Sometimes called “twin” hotels (like the nearby Yacht and Beach clubs), the Swan and Dolphin have separate check-ins but are alike in architecture and mood.

Pluses

On-site child-care facilities.

The beach area has a playground, kiddie pools, waterslides, and a small marina with paddleboats.

Bike rentals, tennis courts, and a health club.

Minuses

Somewhat expensive, with rates beginning at $299 per night, but if you can live without the full-throttle Disney ambience, this is the closest you’ll get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios for the price.

Conventioneers can erode the family feel.

Since these resorts aren’t owned by Disney, they don’t qualify for the Magical Express Service and they don’t have their own airport shuttles. In other words, you’ll have to arrange for transportation from the airport to your hotel.

Overall Grade: A great place to go if you’re visiting Orlando as part of a convention or business trip and the company is picking up the tab. Otherwise, try the Yacht and Beach clubs first. 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd.(Dolphin), 1200 Epcot Resorts Blvd. (Swan) 407/934-4000 or 800/227-1500 (Dolphin), 407/934-3000 or 800/325-3535 (Swan) www.swandolphin.com 1,509 rooms, 112 suites (Dolphin), 756 rooms, 55 suites (Swan).

Downtown Disney Hotels

These hotels are the first ones you encounter when you enter Disney property and are a good choice for families who’ll also be visiting Universal Studios, SeaWorld, or other Orlando attractions. Proximity to the action of Downtown Disney vastly increases your restaurant options.

At the villas of Old Key West you’ll get all the standard amenities of a Disney resort, plus a lot more room. The setting is pleasant, casual, and very Floridian in spirit. “We love the quieter atmosphere of Old Key West,” wrote a mother of three from Maryland. “Our kids are young (ages 2, 5, and 7), so even with naps they’re often too exhausted at night for us to take them to a restaurant and expect them to behave. We like being able to go ‘home’ to a villa and order pizza or make sandwiches. The villas are more like an apartment than a hotel room.”

Pluses

If you have more than two children and need to spread out, or you’d like a kitchen to prepare your own meals, Old Key West is a good on-site option.

A water taxi provides swift transit to Downtown Disney.

Tennis courts, pools, bike rentals, shuffleboard, basketball, a marina, a sand play area, an arcade, and a fitness room are all on-site.

Prices run from $368 for a studio with kitchenette to $1,370 for a Grand Villa that can accommodate up to 12 people. If you’re willing to swap proximity to the parks for more space, Old Key West may be just what you need.

INSIDER’S SECRET

If you want to go all princess all the time, check out the over-the-top 512 castle-themed Royal Guest Rooms in the Magnolia Bend section of Port Orleans Riverside, which are inspired by The Princess and the Frog. The fiber-optic art hanging over ornate gold-and-crystal beds is great. Although they cost $25 to $50 a night extra, families rave about them, and they sell out quickly.

Minuses

Still pricier than off-site villas such as the Sheraton Vistana or Embassy Suites.

Quieter, with less going on than at other resorts.

No on-site child-care facilities, which is unusual in a resort at this price point.

A longer-than-average commute to the theme parks. “We were impressed with the accommodations at Old Key West,” reported a mom from Toronto, “but transport to the parks involved surprisingly lengthy trips.”

Overall Grade: Very homey, with nice touches, and a great option for families seeking peace and quiet at the end of the day. If you want lots of amenities and food choices, look elsewhere. 1510 N. Cove Rd. 407/827-7700 761 units.

This mid-price resort has two sections. The French Quarter has manicured gardens, wrought-iron railings, and streets with cute names like Rue d’Baga. The Mardi Gras mood extends to the pool area, where alligators play jazz while King Triton sits atop a funky-looking waterslide, regally surveying his domain.
The Riverside section is a bit more down-home, with a steamboat-shaped lobby, general stores run by gingham-clad girls, and a swimming area themed on Song of the South. Schizophrenic in architecture, with white-column buildings encircling fishing holes and cotton mills, Riverside manages to mix in a variety of Southern clichés without losing its ditzy charm. If Huck Finn married Scarlett O’Hara, this is where they’d come on their honeymoon.
As the French Quarter is only half the size of Riverside, it’s a shorter walk to the lobby, pool, food court, and shuttle-bus station; at Riverside, getting around is a bit more of a headache. Both resorts have a fast-food court and a bar that offers live entertainment; Riverside also has a full-service restaurant called Boatwright’s, which serves a mix of Cajun food and American classics and has a few nice extras such as a selection of New Orleans microbrews.

Pluses

Affordable, starting at $182 a night, and well designed.

Great pool areas (especially at the French Quarter).

Both hotels have marinas with a selection of watercraft as well as bike rentals. The Sassagoula Steamboat offers easy water transport from both resorts to Downtown Disney.

Refurbished rooms now have flat-screen TVs, queen-size beds, and upgraded amenities. Riverside-section upgrade includes 512 princess-themed Royal Guest Rooms.

Riverside hosts Disney’s Bayou Pirate Adventure, a two-hour outing (young buccaneers seize a boat and follow clues to find treasure) three mornings a week for ages 4-12 ($37). Call 407/939-7529 (WDW-PLAY) to book.

Minuses

In the off-season these two resorts share a bus to all major parks, which means a slightly longer commute.

Overall Grade: You get a good deal here in more ways than one. 1251 Riverside Dr. 407/934-5000 1,008 rooms (French Quarter), 2,048 rooms (Riverside).

Saratoga Springs recalls the posh upstate New York retreats of the 1890s, complete with a horse-racing theme. Villas here are numerous and roomy. The recently updated and very attractive Treehouse Villas, for instance, have raised decks and enough space to accommodate large families. They’re truly a home away from home.

Pluses

Proximity to the restaurants and entertainment of Downtown Disney via water taxi.

Access to the biggest and best health club in WDW and a full-service spa.

The location is great for golfers—Saratoga Springs is adjacent to the Lake Buena Vista course.

A good choice for family-reunion groups seeking larger accommodations and a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of space for the kids to play.

The grotto pool, complete with man-made hot springs, is one of the most dramatic hotel pools in WDW. Even the auxiliary pools are beautifully themed, with great play areas for the kids.

Minuses

With villas starting at $368, Saratoga Springs is more expensive than off-site villa accommodations. The larger, home-style villas can run as high as $1,370.

Saratoga Springs is often used by corporations for retreats and conferences, so you may find yourself in the middle of a group of businesspeople.

It’s pretty far out of the Disney loop, so expect a longer commute time via bus to any of the major parks.

At 65 acres, Saratoga Springs is so spread out that you might find yourself in a room far from the food court and main pool. Request to be as close as possible to the main building when you make your reservation.

Overall Grade: Roomy and close to Downtown Disney. The trouble is it’s not particularly close to anything else. 1960 Broadway 407/827-1100 924 units.

HELPFUL HINT

If you don’t care which All-Star resort section you’re in, request a room near the lobby when you book. It’s a little more expensive, but can save you lots of walking each time you leave your room to catch a bus or eat a meal.

Animal Kingdom Hotels

These hotels are in a surprisingly central location vis-à-vis the four theme parks and Downtown Disney.

The All-Star resorts have built such a loyal following that, despite having about 6,000 rooms, they fill up quickly. There are three reasons for this success: price, price, and price.
All-Star Sports has five sections, each decorated with a tennis, football, surfing, basketball, or baseball theme. At All-Star Music, you can choose among jazz, rock and roll, country, calypso, and Broadway tunes. All-Star Movies offers The Love Bug, Toy Story, Fantasia, 101 Dalmatians, and The Mighty Ducks.
The in-your-face graphics of the brightly colored buildings and the resort’s general zaniness appeal to kids. There are giant tennis-ball cans and cowboy boots, a walk-through jukebox, and footballs the size of houses. At the diamond-shaped baseball pool at All-Star Sports, you’ll find Goofy as pitcher; Mickey conducts sprays of water in the Fantasia pool of All-Star Movies; and show tunes play all day under the marquee in the Broadway district of All-Star Music. It may be budget, but it ain’t boring. TIP The All-Star resorts are enormous, and check-in time can be a madhouse. Online check-in is a must. If your room isn’t available when you arrive, you can store your bags and return later, when you’ll only have to wait in the shorter, swifter-moving “key-pickup” line.

Pluses

In a word, cost. Rooms start at $96.

The 214 suites at All-Star Music are, along with those at the Art of Animation Resort, among the most affordable on-site suite options. Units that sleep six start at $240 a night. “We used to get two rooms side by side,” reported a mom of three from North Carolina, “which meant a girls’ room with me and our daughters and a guys’ room with my husband and son. All staying together in a suite is endlessly easier and better, and the kitchen, while small, was an added bonus.”

All the All-Stars have special rooms for people with disabilities. For $109 a night, you can have a slightly larger ground-floor suite with a roll-in shower.

The free shuttle buses are a good transportation option, considering the price. When you get into this price range at off-site hotels, you often have to pay for a shuttle.

Minuses

Food options are limited to fast-food courts and pool bars only, with no restaurants or indoor bars.

Sports options are limited; swimming is it.

The rooms are very small. They sleep four, but you’ll be bunched.

Long check-in lines.

By breaking each resort into five separate sections, Disney is striving to eliminate that sleeping-in-the-middle-of-Penn-Station feel, but the bottom line is: It takes more effort to get around a huge hotel than a small one.

Overall Grade: Lots of bang for the buck here. Just don’t expect too many amenities. 1701 W. Buena Vista Dr. (Sports), 1801 W. Buena Vista Dr. (Music), 1901 W. Buena Vista Dr. (Movies) 407/939-5000 Sports,407/939-6000 Music, 407/939-7000 Movies 1,700 rooms, 215 family suites at Music; 1,920 rooms at Movies and Sports.

INSIDER’S SECRET

If your child adores 101 Dalmatians or is a big football buff, you can indeed ask to be lodged in that section of the All-Star resorts when you make your reservation. Disney won’t guarantee you’ll get your request, but they’ll try.

Step inside the massive lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and you’ll be transported—outdoors. From the thatched roof to the enormous mud fireplace and from the rope bridges to the tribal art to the lighting that’s designed to simulate sunrise to sunset, the resort creates the feel of a game lodge in the middle of a wildlife preserve.
The Animal Kingdom Lodge is in the middle of a 33-acre savanna where more than 200 animals freely roam. Thirty-six species of mammals, including giraffes, zebras, and gazelles, and 26 species of birds, such as the sacred ibis and African spoonbill, live within the working wildlife preserve. The kopje, a series of rock outcroppings, serves as a natural barrier but is also an elevated walkway that offers panoramas of the landscape and the chance for you to come within 15 feet of the animals. If you’d rather engage in animal viewing from the comfort of your own balcony, many of the guest rooms have a savanna view. The villas have their own animal reserve, check-in, and a cool Indian restaurant, and the rooms are lovely.

Pluses

A dramatic and exotic setting.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge has truly fantastic restaurants, including Boma, a buffet restaurant with especially good breakfasts, and Jiko, which serves excellent and authentic African food and an exclusively South African wine list.

Lots of extras for the kids, including tours that tell about the animals and “bush camp activities” such as African crafts, games, and folktales. You can even track the animals with night-vision goggles!

On-site child-care facilities, spa, and health club.

Some Animal Kingdom Lodge rooms have bunk beds, a good choice if your kids are older, different sexes, or for some other reason balk at sleeping together.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas are relatively new and very attractive.

Minuses

Although not as expensive as many of the other luxury hotels, the Lodge can be pricey, with rates beginning at $320 a night. Villas begin at $420.

The out-of-the-way location means a longer-than-average bus ride to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood. Buses stop at both the resort and the villas, which adds five minutes to every commute.

Architectural drama is saved for public spaces. Rooms are small and basic.

Overall Grade: The most unusual resort on Disney property. 2901 Osceola Pkwy. 407/938-3000 972 rooms, 499 suites and villas.

Disney’s only moderately priced convention hotel—rooms begin at $188—has a Mexican theme, with Spanish-tile roofs, adobe walls, and a pool area dominated by an imposing Mayan temple. The rooms are scattered around a 15-acre lake. There’s a full-service restaurant called Maya Grill, a food court, and a club called RIX with a bar and small dance floor.

Pluses

Dramatic pool area with waterslide, arcade, bar, fast-food stand, and theme playground.

Marina with standard boat and bike rentals.

Coronado Springs offers plenty of choices when it comes to food. In addition to the full-service restaurant, the food court provides far more options than the typical moderate resort, and RIX has a tasty bar menu.

Minuses

Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, meaning it has more businesspeople and fewer families than is typical for a Disney resort.

The resort is quite spread out, even by Disney standards. If you’re in one of the more far-flung rooms, you face a 15-minute walk to the food court and shuttle-bus stop.

Overall Grade: Coronado Springs has more amenities than are typical in this price range. But the conventioneer vibe can also be a turnoff. 1000 W. Buena Vista Dr. 407/939-1000 1,917 rooms.

HELPFUL HINT

So, which on-site hotel is best for you? It comes down to four questions:

How much are you willing to spend?

What park do you want to be closest to?

Are there must-have amenities (like dining or sporting options, or villa-style accommodations)?

What theme seems the coolest?

ESPN Wide World of Sports Resorts

In Disney-speak, saying you’re near the Wide World of Sports is another way of saying you’re not near anything. The two value resorts here are less expensive partly because their out-of-the-way location means a longer commute to the parks. But if you have your own car or don’t mind an extra 10 minutes on a bus, there are bargains to be found.

Based on the overwhelming popularity of the handful of family suites at the All-Star Music Resort, Disney radically expanded the concept with the Art of Animation Resort. The resort has four sections, each themed around a popular Disney film.
The first three sections are Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King, which collectively add almost 1,200 value-priced family suites to the Disney lineup. The fourth and final section, The Little Mermaid, holds regular guest rooms. The Art of Animation is adjacent to Pop Century, and the two resorts are connected by a bridge.
The suites are popular because they offer more space and comfort, and many families consider them a far more workable option than two adjoining rooms. They include a master bedroom, two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and three separate sleeping areas—meaning that six people can stay comfortably. The movie-based theming is also far more intense and immersive than in the older Disney resorts, making the resort tremendous fun for kids. Suites start at $299 a night; standard rooms start at $118. Once again, as with all large value resorts, either use advance online check-in or brace yourself for a potentially lengthy check-in process.

Pluses

Value-priced suites like these, which may be the wave of the future in family travel, offer undeniable bang for the buck.

The rooms are new and themed to the max. The Finding Nemo pool area is especially fun for kids; it offers one big, bright photo op after another. A separate water-play area caters to smaller guests.

A large food court and gift shop offer a reasonable range of shopping and dining options on-site.

Minuses

Disney’s newest suites are designed to make maximum use of space: They feel, as one Florida mother wrote, “more like a cruise cabin than being in an apartment.” Although the suites do have three sleeping areas, that doesn’t mean three bedrooms with closing doors; one of the beds might be a converted dining table, another a couch. So don’t expect the same level of privacy you’d find in suites at an older resort like Old Key West.

While the suites at the Art of Animation are value priced, the location on Disney property and the perks of being on-site mean they are still more expensive than those at similar hotels in the Orlando area.

The same über-theming that delights kids may overwhelm parents. “I can understand the giant statue of Crush by the pool,” said a dad from Ohio. “But do the rooms have to look like a giant cartoon?”

The location means a longer commute time to the parks.

Overall Grade: Art of Animation, which combines family-sized suites at a value price point, is a welcome addition to the Disney family. Our early mail on this resort has been positive. 1850 Animation Way 407/938-7000 1,984 rooms, 1,120 suites.

At Pop Century, each pair of buildings is themed to a different decade, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Expect the same larger-than-life icons that mark the All-Stars. Cultural touchstones from each decade—including giant yo-yos, Big Wheel bikes, and Rubik’s Cubes—mark the entrances, and the roofs are lined with catchphrases from each era. As with the other value resorts, advance online check-in is a must. TIP Request placement in the 1960s section when you make your reservation at Pop Century. It’s a bit louder—and during the on-season they may charge you $10 more per night—but you’re close to the bus stops, food court, and the fun Hippie Dippy pool. The 1980s and ’90s sections are a long walk from most of the hotel amenities.

Pluses

Affordable, starting at $106 a night.

Free transportation, a rarity in this price range.

Since there’s only one bus stop all your commutes are reasonably efficient.

Minuses

Food options are limited to a fast-food court.

This resort is a special favorite for cheerleading competitions, bands, and other teenage groups. It can get loud and rowdy in the pool areas.

Sporting options are limited to swimming.

The rooms are small; they sleep four, but you’ll be crowded.

Overall Grade: The value resorts offer numerous perks at a reasonable price and are a great option for on-the-go families who primarily use their hotel as a place to shower and sleep. 1050 Century Dr. 407/938-4000 2,880 rooms.

About Off-Site Non-Disney Hotels

If you are going to stay off-site, then you have considerations you might not have if you were staying in a Disney on-site hotel. We’ve tried to highlight the important pieces of information to help you make the choice that’s right for your family.

Choosing the Perfect Location

The three main off-site areas that Disney visitors frequent are Exits 62 and 68 off Interstate 4 and International Drive.

Exits 62 and 68 are within a 10-minute drive of the theme parks. Exit 68 (U.S. 535) has a vast number of chain hotels and eateries and is your best bet if you want to get close to Disney without paying Disney prices.

Exit 62, which leads to U.S. 192, has similar chains represented, but the rates are about $30 less per night. Why? The hotels are, in general, older than the hotels of Exit 68. The whole area is a little less spiffy but still close to Disney property.

International Drive is farther out, about 20 minutes from the Disney theme parks. This area has representatives from every chain restaurant and hotel you’ve ever heard of, as well as entertainment options like malls and miniature golf. International Drive is the conduit that runs between SeaWorld and Universal Orlando, so it’s a smart central location if you’re planning to visit those parks as well as Disney. Note that the more upscale end of International Drive is near SeaWorld and the convention center, to the south. As you head north toward Universal Studios, it gets a little shabbier, so be wary of any “seems too good to be true” deal unless you’re already familiar with the property.

Top Off-Site Hotel Issues

There’s a wide range of amenities and perks among the hundreds of hotels in the Orlando area. To make sure you’re getting top value for your dollar, take nothing for granted. Some $250-a-night hotels charge you for breakfast; some $75 ones do not. Some hotels count 12-year-olds as adults; others consider 19-year-olds to be children. Some relatively inexpensive hotels have kids’ clubs; some larger and more costly ones are geared to convention and business travelers and don’t even have an arcade. To minimize the time you have to spend in rush-hour traffic, only choose a hotel between Exits 55 and 75 off I-4. The moral is, always ask. TIP An extremely cheap hotel rate, say $55 or less, generally means that the hotel is in a less desirable part of town than those we recommend, both in terms of theme-park proximity and general security.

Child Care

Does the hotel provide in-room babysitters? Is there an on-site child-care center or kids’ club? What’s the cost? How far in advance do you have to make reservations?

Hotel-Sponsored Transportation

Does the hotel provide direct shuttle service to the theme parks? How often do the buses run? How early do they begin and how late do they run? How many stops do they make? Do you share the shuttles with other hotels? Do they run to the theme parks directly or make a circuit of all four? Is there a fee?

Meals and Dining

Does the hotel have any suites with kitchens? If not, can you rent refrigerators or microwaves? Does the hotel provide a free buffet breakfast as part of the regular room rate? What fast-food or family-style restaurants are nearby?

Other Issues

Do kids stay free? Up to what age? Are there laundry facilities on the premises?

HELPFUL HINT

If you’re staying off-site and will be eating at least some of your meals outside of Disney property, pick up a few of the free tourist magazines available in the airport and all around Orlando. They’re full of dining discount coupons, many for family-oriented restaurants near the theme parks.

Saving Money on Off-Site Hotels

Orlando has more hotel rooms than any other U.S. city besides Las Vegas, so there are plenty of beds out there for the taking. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re getting the most for your money.

The Orlando Magicard

The Orlando Magicard is free and offers 20% to 30% discounts on area hotels, as well as restaurants and non-Disney attractions. You can download a card by visiting www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard.

Calling the Hotel Directly

Try calling both the hotel chain’s toll-free number and the direct line to the particular hotel. You may be quoted different rates.

If you especially like a particular hotel chain, you can simply call its toll-free number and ask for the hotel nearest Disney World. This strategy eliminates the element of surprise because one Hampton Inn looks pretty much like another. Big chains have multiple Orlando locations, so stress that you’d like to be as close as possible to the Disney gates, preferably near Exit 62 or 68. Proximity to Disney raises the rate about 20%, but location is important; if you end up in a hotel near the airport or downtown, that means a major daily commute, and Orlando traffic can be brutal.

Finally, six little words can save you major bucks. When talking to a reservation clerk, always ask, “Do you have any discounts available?” Remember that the reservation clerk works for the hotel, so if he can sell you a room at $95 a night there’s no incentive for him to tell you how you can drop the rate to $79. But if you specifically inquire about discounts, he has to tell you.

Hotel-Operated Park Shuttles

Many off-site hotels claim to run shuttles to the theme parks, but beware. Relying on off-site transportation can sometimes make for a long commute. The worst situations are when two or three hotels share a shuttle and you have to stop at all of them. Even if a resort has its own shuttle, it may stop at all of the major parks on each run or sometimes drop all its passengers at the Magic Kingdom, forcing them to use Disney’s transportation to reach the other parks. This can mean commutes of up to an hour just to get from your hotel to the theme park of your choice. A lengthy bus ride is maddening in the morning when the kids are eager to get to the rides; at night, when you’re all exhausted, it can be disastrous.

A mother of three had this story: “We loved our resort along Highway 192 (Exit 62); very nice, with good amenities. But the shuttle was awful. It was hot, crowded, and took two hours to get back from the Magic Kingdom on a night after the fireworks. The hotel advertises that it is ‘4 miles from Disney’ but it doesn’t tell you that its shuttle stops at five other hotels and all four theme parks. We like the hotel well enough to go back, but next time we’ll get a rental car.”

To make matters worse, some off-site hotels charge you for shuttle rides. They may tell you that by buying shuttle tickets you’ll save the “horrendous” cost of Disney parking, but the truth is that Disney parking is $17 no matter how many people are in a car, the shuttle-bus tickets can range from $5 to $12 per person, and it still may take you forever to get there!

I suggest that families staying off-site either drive to Orlando or get a rental car. If you do decide to use an off-site resort shuttle, be sure to ask if it’s a private shuttle and if service to theme parks is direct. If you don’t like what you hear, rent a car or call a cab.

Great Off-Site Hotels for Families

The listed properties that follow are tried-and-true family favorites based on proximity to Disney World, amenities, and value.

Two notes: the hotels listed here receive the same kind of star ratings as an on-site hotel. And since Walt Disney World is so huge and spread out, our “proximity to Disney” rating is based on the distance between the hotel and Disney’s main entrance gate.

There are plenty of great hotels in the Orlando area, but based on our visits and comments from readers, we’ve narrowed down the choices considerably in each category: luxury, mid-priced, condos, and budget.

Recommended Off-Site Luxury Hotels

Orlando has its share of understated, classy hotels where you can swap the Disney vibe for tranquillity and adult-oriented amenities.

Fun, flashy, and funky, the 650-room Hard Rock has a broad and eclectic collection of rock memorabilia. If you like the idea of a 7 am serenade from Elvis, you can even ask for a rock star wake-up call in the morning. Music plays continually throughout the beautifully landscaped grounds and sophisticated lounges. The dramatic pool area has a 260-foot waterslide, plus a 12-speaker underwater sound system, so you can get your aural fix even while taking a swim. There are three bars, a gym, and two restaurants, including an Orlando version of the well-known Palm Restaurant. The children’s program center, called Camp Lil’ Rock, is open year-round in the evening, with extended daytime hours during the on-season.
The Hard Rock Hotel is the perfect choice for families with older kids and teens who can appreciate the hipper-than-thou ambience. Rates range from $239 to $404 per night, and some of the pricier rooms have kids’ suites. If money isn’t an object, you can live like the King in the $2,000-per-night Graceland Suite, whose flamboyant amenities include a piano.

Pluses

Cool ambience and interesting dining options.

Great choice for teens and tweens

The most fun and funky of the Universal resorts.

Minuses

Price. Rates average $300 a night.

The hipster vibe isn’t always family-friendly.

Overall Grade: If you want a bit of Vegas in Orlando, this is your kind of place. 5800 Universal Blvd. 407/503-7625 or 800/232-7827 www.hardrockhotelorlando.com 621 rooms, 29 suites.

This beautiful hotel has expansive grounds, lush landscaping, spiffy restaurants, and numerous sporting options. It’s a serene oasis and a great choice for families who want the option to escape from Disney in the evening and yet remain conveniently close to the parks. Prices start at about $195 in the off-season, $225 in the on-season. There is a discount for advanced booking.
A $25 surcharge per room per day is automatically added and covers a plethora of extras: shuttle transportation to the TTC, where you can catch the monorail or buses to all Disney parks; bike and watercraft rental; poolside activities for the kids; Internet access; an elaborate pitch-and-putt golf course; a climbing wall; and access to the health club.

Pluses

The pool area is gorgeous, with 12 waterfalls and several very secluded hot tubs. There’s a terrific slide for kids, and a section of the pool is heated, if you’re traveling off-season.

You can golf, play tennis, and enjoy a far wider than normal range of resort activities. Pleasant trails wind through the grounds for walkers and runners. If you’re looking to schedule a day off from theme-park touring, simply hanging around the Hyatt can keep you more than entertained.

Camp Hyatt has great activities for kids 3 to 12, such as pool games, nature walks, poolside movies, canoeing, tennis lessons, fire-pit marshmallow roasting, and pitch-and-putt golf. It runs daily during the summer and holidays as well as weekends throughout the off-season. Prices are $90 a day and $60 for evenings and include meals. A half-day session with no meals is $45. (Children must be toilet trained; the resort will help you arrange in-room sitting if you need child care for babies or toddlers.) Check to make sure Camp Hyatt is running and confirm prices when you make your reservation.

Sophisticated dining options include Hemingway’s, dramatically perched atop one of the pool waterfalls, and La Coquina’s Chef’s Table, which offers a seven-course tasting menu served in a luxurious nook in the kitchen.

Minuses

Price: Both the rooms and restaurants can be expensive, especially during the on-season or if you upgrade to suite-style accommodations. Keep in mind that in addition to an automatic resort fee, you’re on your own for breakfast, and there’s a fee to park your car.

The Hyatt frequently hosts conventions and attracts a more adult crowd than other area hotels. But since 2012, it has added more family-oriented activities and reports that its leisure guests now outnumber its business guests.

Overall Grade: The resort is a world unto itself, with ample ways to entertain families planning to spend a lot of time at their hotel. 1 Grand Cypress Blvd. 407/239-1234 or 800/233-1234 www.hyattgrandcypress.com 815 rooms.

The Portofino Bay is modeled after the Italian seaside village of Portofino. From the outside you see quaint, colorful row houses that are actually all connected on the inside. The 750 elegant rooms include 18 children’s suites. Portofino Bay has eight restaurants and lounges, a full-service spa, three swimming pools, and Campo Portofino, a supervised children’s activity center, which is open in the evenings year-round with extended daytime hours during the on-season.
Like the other luxury hotels at Universal, this is a Loews resort, so the service is top-notch. Of the three resorts, Portofino Bay is the most posh, with the most amenities geared to adults who want to relax in a beautiful environment. Rates for regular rooms range from $274 to $439 a night, while suites, including the roomy kids’ suites, are higher, averaging about $700.

Pluses

Elegant and understated.

This is the most “honeymoon” like of the Universal Orlando Resorts.

Minuses

Most of the amenities are adult-oriented.

Expensive, especially the suites.

Overall Grade: This is the most adult-oriented of the Universal hotels, so it may not appeal to families. 5601 Universal Blvd. 407/503-1000 or 800/232-7827 www.loewshotels.com/Portofino-Bay-Hotel 750 rooms, 49 suites.

The Royal Pacific is the largest of the three Universal resorts, with 1,000 guest rooms on 53 acres. The lush grounds, thickly planted with tropical plants and trees, have a distinct South Pacific flair, and they’re connected to CityWalk and the theme parks via water taxi and a series of winding, well-manicured pathways. There are two restaurants and two lounges, plus a luau party area, a fitness center, a children’s activity center, and a massive pool area.
Perhaps most significant, the Royal Pacific is Universal’s convention hotel, with 80,000 square feet of meeting space. This doesn’t mean the resort won’t be comfortable for families—the enormous pool and the children’s center indicate that the resort is family-friendly—but you may find a lot of businesspeople mixed in with the vacationing crowd.
Rates range from $219 to $349 a night, making the Royal Pacific the most affordable of the three on-site resorts.

Pluses

The best access to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

It’s walkable if you have older kids.

Minuses

Lots of conventioneers give the hotel an adult feel that may be off-putting for families.

Overall Grade: Unparalleled location for Universal Orlando and CityWalk. 6300 Hollywood Way 407/503-3000 or 800/232-7827 www.universalorlando.com 1,000 rooms, 113 suites.

Recommended Off-Site Mid-Priced Resorts

Orlando is full of family-friendly, mid-priced hotels. Here are our favorites.

The Embassy Suites chain is very popular with our readers, especially this location. The suites include kitchenettes, the hotels are generally well maintained, and a bountiful breakfast is included in the price. There are seven Embassy Suites in Orlando; rates at the Lake Buena Vista location, which is the closest to Disney World, range from $113 to $146 during the off-season and $147 to $177 during the on-season.
Note: The two International Drive locations—Embassy Suites International Drive-South and Embassy Suites International Drive Jamaican Court—are also convenient to area theme parks, being reasonably close to Disney World and very close to Universal Studios and SeaWorld. A newer location, Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista South, located off Exit 62, is also close to Disney and thus almost as convenient as the Lake Buena Vista location.

Pluses

You can access Disney property through the Downtown Disney gate without the hassle of getting on Interstate 4.

Complimentary breakfast buffet with made-to-order pancakes and an omelet station.

Kitchenettes make it easy to keep snacks and sandwich supplies on hand.

A shopping center with a grocery and fast-food restaurants is nearby, and there is a Pizza Hut Express in the lobby.

The heated indoor-outdoor pool is an asset in the winter.

Lots of sports options: A gym, tennis courts, basketball, shuffleboard, and volleyball.

Although the resort isn’t new, the grounds have been well maintained.

Minuses

Proximity to Interstate 4 means a consistently high noise level.

This Embassy Suites is on Palm Parkway, surrounded by many other hotels, which means you may hit traffic getting to the parks—another reason to start early.

Overall Grade: Reasonably priced and comfortable. 8100 Lake St. 407/239-1144, 800/257-8483, or 800/362-2779 www.embassysuites.com 334 suites.

The suites at the Residence Inn are especially homelike, and you can choose among one- to three-room units, all with separate areas for eating and relaxing. Plus, the hotel is practically at the back door of SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. Disney World and Universal Studios are each about 5 miles away. Prices begin at $94 for a studio, $149 for a one-room suite with sofa bed, and go up to $229 for a three-room (two bedrooms and a living room with sofa bed) suite. During peak times the prices rise about $20 a night. The property features a heated outdoor pool, a game room, a sports court with basketball and tennis, a health club, and a children’s playground. “My husband hates crowds and noise and was very skeptical about taking a vacation in Orlando,” a woman from Michigan wrote to us. “But even he had to admit that the Residence Inn was very relaxing and that SeaWorld was a wonderful theme park.”

Pluses

Suites are spacious, and the kitchens are well equipped.

Complimentary hot breakfast buffet.

Packages including SeaWorld tickets are available.

Complimentary theme-park transportation.

Minuses

The bigger the suite, the higher the price.

The hotel is a bit off the main drag of International Drive. For families seeking peace and privacy, that actually may be a plus, but you’ll have to drive for every meal unless you’re eating in your own kitchen.

Overall Grade: Your best mid-priced SeaWorld option, with good access to Universal and Disney as well. 11000 Westwood Blvd., I-4 Exit 72 407/313-3600 or 800/331-3131 www.residenceinnseaworld.com 350 suites.

Opened in April 2014, this new mid-priced resort adds a much-needed option to Universal’s hotels. Based on beach resorts of the 1950s and ’60s, Cabana Bay offers over-the-top colors and theming, and a large pool area, complete with lazy river and waterslide. A 10-lane, full-service bowling alley is also on-site and features the hotel’s only full-service restaurant (Bayliner Diner is the quick-service option).
Both standard rooms, with two queen-size beds and a mini-refrigerator, and family suites are available. The family suites can sleep up to six, with two queen beds and a pullout couch, but offer only one bathroom. It’s farther than the other Universal hotels and doesn’t offer quite as many theme park perks, but then it’s also considerably cheaper.

Pluses

Family-oriented suites.

Guests get the extra hour in Wizarding World of Harry Potter as well as ability to make charges directly to room accounts.

Complimentary transportation to both Universal Orland and SeaWorld.

Minuses

Farther from the parks than the other Universal hotels (only bus access).

No Express Pass for guests here (just the extra hour with Harry Potter).

Overall Grade: This resort opened as we were going to press, so expect a complete review and star rating in the next edition. 6550 Adventure Way 407/503-4000 or 800/232-7827 www.universalorlando.com 900 rooms, 900 suites.

Recommended Off-Site Budget Hotels

Budget can mean grimy and cheap, or it can mean practical and convenient. Here are some properties our readers have recommended that offer true value for the money.

This hotel is cheaper than most of the area suites-style hotels, largely because of its location off Route 192, also known as Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. Route 192 isn’t as upscale as International Drive, but this hotel is clean and comfortable, the staff are pleasant, and the price is definitely right. Maingate East is a mere 2 miles from Disney property, and if you’re looking for a location that’s both affordable and close enough to be able to return to your hotel for a midday break, the Comfort Suites at Maingate East is a good option. Prices range from $89 to $149 during the off-season and $119 to $189 during the on-season.

Pluses

With the smallest suites starting at $89, it’s hard to beat the price.

Suites have either partial dividers or separate rooms, plus microwaves, refrigerators, coffeemakers, and sleeper sofas.

A deluxe continental breakfast is included.

This is as close as you’ll get to Disney property at this price; the Maingate East entrance means you can skip Interstate 4 traffic altogether.

Minuses

The one-bedroom suites are comfortable for families of four at most. Although the website says the suites can accommodate a family of six, you’ll be cramped.

Route 192 may be the least scenic part of Orlando. You’re close to a funky little amusement park, endless chain restaurants, and big-box discount stores. But one of the reasons we recommend the Comfort Suites over other properties in the area is that it’s pretty far off the main drag and, thus, quieter and more secluded than the others. In fact, keep your eyes peeled, as it’s easy to miss the hotel entrance altogether.

Overall Grade: Fancy? No. Clean, convenient, and friendly? Yes. 11000 Westwood Blvd., I-4 Exit 72 407/397-7848 www.comfortsuitesfl.com 350 suites.

There are plenty of La Quintas in Orlando, but this location is especially appealing to families who are headed to Universal Studios. Rooms begin as low as $74 in the off-season. During peak times prices climb to the $79-$120 range, which is still a deal.

Pluses

It’s an easy drive to SeaWorld and Universal and a bit farther to Disney. The hotel runs complimentary shuttles to the theme parks.

There are plenty of family-friendly chain and budget restaurants along I-Drive.

Complimentary breakfast is included, and there are laundry facilities on-site.

Minuses

The commute to Disney can be problematic if you’re traveling at peak traffic times.

The I-Drive location, while bringing you close to services, means you’ll also have to deal with traffic and noise.

Overall Grade: An unbeatable location for cost-conscious families who want to visit Disney, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. 5825 International Dr., I-4 Exit 75A 407/351-4100 www.lq.com 155 rooms.

Recommended Condo Properties

Sometimes families want to get far, far away from the crowds and bustle, retreating to a home-like atmosphere each evening. A condo offers more space and a kitchen. Due to the wide range of lodging options, we offer no star-rating for condo properties.

One can only imagine how thrilled Disney is that this independent rental agency has adopted the word “magical”—perhaps the most frequently employed word in Disney promotional materials. Magical Memories can offer good deals for families. The company handles both condo and house rentals in nine different neighborhoods throughout Orlando. If you want to pay for a home with a private pool in a gated community, that’s certainly available, but most of the rentals are clean, simply furnished, safe apartments in condo complexes. Rates start surprisingly low: During the off-season you might find yourself paying as little as $109 for a two-bedroom condo and $179 for a five-bedroom house with a private pool. During the on-season, condos begin at $129 a night and houses at $224 a night. Be sure to browse the website to see all your options. There’s a substantial range of amenities and prices.
The benefits can be substantial, as outlined by a mother from Canada. “Because we have a family of six, we would have had to rent two hotel rooms, so renting a house was ideal for our situation—not to mention that we split the cost with another family. We ended up with a five-bedroom, five-bath house with all the perks. They said it was minutes from Disney, and it really was.”

Pluses

Good choice for large families and groups because you can get a multibedroom house or condo with a well-equipped kitchen and all the conveniences of a hotel.

If you’re staying at one of the condo-style Magical Memories Villas, you’ll also have use of the villa clubhouse. Some have amenities such as Wi-Fi, exercise rooms, and larger pools. The Magical Memories Villas encompass 15 different villa sites, and each clubhouse is different, so if you’re seeking a specific amenity, be sure to ask when reserving.

Minuses

This isn’t like a familiar hotel chain where you know what to expect. There’s a range in the quality of accommodations.

For rentals of four nights or fewer you’ll be charged a cleaning fee based on the size of your unit.

A stay of three nights is required for the villas and five nights for the houses.

There’s a very strict reservation and payment policy. This isn’t something you can cancel at the last minute, like a hotel, so make sure your plans are firm before you book.

Overall Grade: An excellent choice for larger families. 407/390-8200 www.magicalmemories.com.

Both of the Sheraton Vistana properties have been favorites with our readers since we first began doing resort surveys. One mom wrote, mirroring many other letters, “We found the Villages to be very pretty, very quiet, and very clean. And it took us only 15 minutes to drive to Disney World.”
The two properties are fairly close to each other, with the older Sheraton Vistana Resort slightly more convenient to Disney, and the Villages located on International Drive. The Villages is the newer and more upscale of the two, but the Resort is the favorite of many families with older children, who report it has more activities. One grandfather of five, who stayed at both properties in the course of a single week, distinguishes them this way: “Both properties were a good value, but when we had all the kids down we preferred the Resort, which had a lot going on. When we put the kids on the plane and settled down to relax by the pool, the Villages were the better choice.”
One-bedroom villas begin at $140 in the off-season and $189 in the on-season; two-bedroom villas begin at $177 off-season and $219 on-season.

Pluses

Activities offered in the game room during the day and in-room babysitting at night allow parents to have some private time. Some of the activities have modest fees, but many are free.

Adults have their own choice of activities, which might include karaoke, a mix ’n’ mingle, or setting sail on a casino cruise.

A central location near both International Drive and Interstate 4 makes it easy to get to all the theme parks and to family-friendly restaurants and minor attractions along International Drive.

The villas are larger and more comfortable than those in most other all-suites hotels.

Excellent guest service, including a remarkably efficient check-in process. On our last visit, even though the lobby was full, we were checked in within 10 minutes and were sent off with a list of local shops, restaurants, medical centers, and grocery stores, as well as GPS directions to all the parks.

Minuses

On-property food options are limited, although there’s a casual deli-style restaurant and pool bar. Since most families take advantage of the villa kitchenettes and there are plenty of family-friendly restaurants in the area, the lack of on-site dining options is rarely a problem.

The entrance to the Sheraton Vistana is a bit difficult to get to, especially at night. There’s no light, and the multiple entrances do not connect to each other, so you may end up making a few U-turns.

The condos are spread out at both locations, so it really does feel like you’re more at home than on vacation. This is an advantage for families who are seeking normalcy at the end of an active day, but a disadvantage for families who like to keep the rah-rah vacation feel going 24/7.

Overall Grade: A great home-away-from-home that offers many activities and adventures. 8800 Vistana Centre Dr., I-4 Exit 68 (Resort), 12401 International Dr., I-4 Exit 71 (Villages) 407/239-3100 (Resort), 407/238-5000 (Villages) www.starwoodhotels.com 1,680 units (Resort), 1,037 units (Villages).