Tirytory

Hi there

I'm planning a trip down to Florida around March break from Canada next year. I know crazy busy but desperately needed to escape the cold last year and couldn't as I was pregnant. We will have a 10yr old, 5yr and 1yr old with us and we've never done Disney before. We want to stay in a vacation home but don't have the first clue of the geography of the place. Where is a good part of the area to stay in with reasonable access to the main Disney/universal/water parks?

Also there seems to be lots of condo's within resorts... Are there any good ones or ones that should be avoided? Bahama Bay "looks" good. We will probably doing a day on/day off from theme parks so want somewhere to keep them amused..

Any other tips you can give a Florida newbie would be great thank you!

Owen778

We went to Disney a couple of years ago, in January, and our kids were then aged 4, 6 and 9. We chose to stay at the Melia Hotel in Celebration, because it's a suite hotel without the cost of staying at any of the parks.

That said, the park accomodation is really convenient and most of it looked very nice. If you can afford it, it should be good.

Pulaski

We stayed at the Blue Heron condos, much cheaper than the "on site" resort hotels. The rooms were clean and modern, but otherwise unremarkable. It had a swimming pool and was near to a number of restaurants.

Another time I think we would spring for a resort hotel on-site or near to the main attractions.

Howefamily

Would definately recommend Bahama Bay, fabulous, spacious and peaceful. Nice and close to Disney and theres a Super Target nearby and Bahama Breeze is a really nice restaurant close to that (outdoors and indoors seating, Carribean themed, nice food). also got olive garden, steak houses etc etc close by as well as the usual jaunts.

Howefamily

If you are planning on going to the parks there are some really good websites:
MouseSavers.com - Your source for Disney discounts, codes & deals!
is excellent and also has links to other ones for parks tickets, tips and visiting with kids.

Owen778

Oh yes, and we found this site incredibly useful for planning:
AllEars.Net - The Unofficial Disney Vacation Planning Guide - Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line
And I think this is the crowd calendar we used, and it was very useful.
https://www.undercovertourist.com/or...rowd-calendar/

N1cky

For so many of you, I'd get a vacation home, you have more space, the kids have their own rooms, you can save a fortune by eating breakfast at the house, and it works out cheaper than a hotel...

Lake Buena Vista and Celebration areas, are very close to the Disney parks, there maybe some others that are equally close, but these are the 2 I know of.

Lake Buena Vista Vacation Rentals, Condo Rentals | HomeAway

Tirytory

Thanks for the tips. Will have to look into them!

While the resort hotels look amazing..... We could go on a second holiday for what they cost and holiday homes suit the younger family lifestyle a little better!

Mrs Danvers

I went with another family in 2012 (and they did the booking) and stayed in Kissimmee in a large 4 bedroom condo with a pool. They booked from the UK It worked out quite cheaply between us, though it was obviously less convenient to drive to the parks, additionally there seem to be a lot of toll roads in Orlando.

I did like the flexibility of being able to do meals at home. I had a fussy vegetarian teenager and they had a fussy 9 year old.........

That said, I will never go to Orlando again, simply because I hate theme parks, Disney and humid swampland. I only went because this was my bestie from the UK.

Tirytory

Yeah I don't think this will be an annual trip...

Just pricing some Disney hotels now

Mrs Danvers

Oh, I think it's something everyone should do once.

ann m

I'm here right now. We are further south in a large gorgeous vacation home near Davenport, two families, 8 people in total.

We stayed in a similar area in March four years ago. The drive to the Disney parks is fast and easy. The traffic in March was unremarkable.

Fast forward to this trip in July and the main highway, the I-4 is doing our heads in but we keep heading further north than Disney to Universal and catching traffic jams no matter what time of day. And it's such a good idea to start lane closures for overnight road construction at 10pm when thousands of people are trying to get out of parks.

And breathe. Don't discount VRBO but maybe it depends on how long you want to go for. You'll love it in a hideously expensive stressful but fun kinda way!

loubiblu

FIFY

I'm a bit of a Disney freak! I've been going at least once every other year since I was 7 years old! Do Universal too, but none of the other parks. Always stay on property. Wilderness Lodge is my favourite. Stayed at Disney's Yacht Club in 2013 and wasn't really overwhelmed. We always stayed at the Contemporary as a child. Everyone is different, most of my friends who've been book a vacation villa. I don't do self-catering on holiday, that's like staying at home but with hotter weather! We try and bundle in the Disney Dining Plan for meals.

Enjoy, we're going for a long weekend in November as we haven't had any holiday since last August.

NoOfficialComment

Got engaged at Disney first week in June.

Stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment overlooking a golf course in the Reunion resort. Very clean, good location and amenities, amazing price (£100 per night for all 5 of us over the 10 days).

Definitely worth it for the cost saving over resort hotels.

Tirytory

Thanks Ann! Davenport is an area that had been flagged up by a friend...her friend has a lovely vacation home in a gated community with own pool, although sadly booked up now for March... I think a resort community might be better for other kids around though. I've been looking at VRBO- seems a sensible way to go, since I'm not paying $800 a night for 11 days to stay in Animal Kingdom that's without flights/meals/tickets