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planning on going to disneyland orlando next october with 4 kids?

have been doing some research but not sure about everything. Where is the best place to stay thats near the parks i have a brochure and hotels at lake buena vista are only a mile from the parks where international drive is a bit far off but mostly people recommend it. We wont be hiring a car because the holiday will cost us enough as it is, some hotels say free schedule buses to parks but others dont say anything, and is eating out cheap, anyone been to paris as well which would you prefer. to all the people dont no what i mean its disneyworld florida thanks for replies was talking to some one last night who had been twice 1 with car hire 1 without he said it was hard walking everywhere in the heat and it would be best to hire a car i think, might stay in villa or holiday home.

Public Comments

1. the best place is disney resort inside disney land is amazing, dream, unbelievable but expensive. or visit expedia and see hotels and suits with pictures and prices and choose the best for you.
2. Went to Florida last August. Didn't do Disneyland but visited most of the other theme parks. Eating out is ridiculously cheap - $10 a head all in plus drinks, but it can be difficult to find healthy food. And the portions are, like the Americans themselves, enormous. Drive out west along I-4 for lots of restaurant chains.
3. Make sure you call or email the hotels about a free shuttle, that can save you a bundle over getting a cab. Make sure the shuttle goes to the park you plan on visiting. A lot of the hotels on international drive (i-drive to the locals) only go to seaworld and universal as disney is about 15 minutes further away. If you stay on i-drive and have to get a cab to get to Disney it'll be about $40 american each way. Be careful which hotel you choose, a few of the places, especially in Kissimmee on 192/irlo bronson hwy, are starting to get a little run down. Some of the nicer places to stay that are close to disney are the Marriot on S.R. 535, Gaylord Palms on South i-drive, the Rosen or the Peabody on i-drive. These places all have extremely nice areas, especially gaylord palms. If you shop around you can get a room at one of these for about $100 a night. You'll be really impressed with any of them.
4. We stayed at a hotel in Lake Buena Vista and used their buses. One thing we found out is it takes a long time to get to WDW, because the bus stopped at several other hotels on the way to WDW. When we wanted to go back to the hotel, it was raining and we had to wait in the middle of the parking lot. Then, when the bus did come, it wasn't big enough for all of the people waiting. It was just a real hassle... If you stay at a Disney Resort Hotel, they have a service called the Magical Express which is a free service that transports you to and from the airport to your hotel. If you are a AAA member you maybe able to get a discount. As well as if you have a Disney Visa. Since you have 4 kids, it maybe worth it to check to see if the Dining Plan would save you some money. If you go through the Disney site, you may not find a good deal. They've always quoted a price that was way too high when I've gone through them. Expedia is good or you could go through a travel agency that specializes in Disney Travel. There are many good ones. I've gone through www.mousefantravel.com
5. minor point-there is no disneyland orlando. it is disneyworld and is made up of four parks-magic kingdom, epcot, hollywood studios and animal kingdom
6. if you want to enjoy your trip then Rent a car and go where you want to go
7. I do hope you mean Disney World, otherwise you are going to be disappointed, since Disney Land is in California and Paris.
8. I can offer opinions, that are based on 9 years of holidaying in florida with groups as small as 2 and as large as 11 so hope this helps..... You will find the nearer the Disney and other parks for that matter you are, the more expensive it all is. With 6 of you, there are excellent motels and hotels, with adjoining rooms and there are also some superb Villa's which work out just as cheap as hotels and are better in as much as the have there own everything..... And you will find that hiring a vehicle is not that expensive if you shop around etc etc. You haven't said how old the children are so assuming they are under 18, you should maybe look at the following. Flights from say First choice to Sanford, (asda travel agents). Motel on the 192 (in kissimmee) 7 seater van from Dollar or a reputable company. I know you said you were not getting a car but in the long run its much cheaper. If you look up cheap car hire florida in google, it will take you to loads of sites, or you can email dollar direct at Sanford. If you mail me I will give you the contact details etc. Direct is the cheapest way by far. There are some good motels on the 192 which is about 5 miles below disney and the parks and runs through Kissimmee. We usually stay in the Golden LInk, which is family run and exceptional value. Thye have rooms with interlinking doors, each has kingsize beds times 2 with tv's fridges showers loo's etc and are superbly run. There are also fabulous Villa's all along the 192 and a 3 bedroom is comparable to a hotel or motel for 6. Anyway, you get the jist.... hope it helps Tim.. ps try travel city direct on line, they do fantastic family packages.... tlm666@btinternet.com pps food is very cheap except in the parks... you can eat at as much as you can eat places for as little s 5 dollars breakfast, and 10 for dinner and there meals are huge so often its sensible and acceptable t oshare one meal beween two.
9. look at the Fair field inn lake buena Vista, by Marriott, this is a good hotel to be Based at, they run free Buses to parks etc there is on site food court, and restaurants and shopping at a walking distance, it has a free breakfast which is quite good, rooms are nice as is pool etc you can use the facilities to there two other hotels on site. I would not recommend International drive unless you like Blackpool, october is a nice time to go, the temperatures will be nice, hope you have a great time,
10. stay at one of the all star resort hotels they are cheap and have food courts and free transportation to every where on disney property, They each have large themed pools and the rooms are not really fancy just like normal hotel rooms.
11. October is a really nice time to go and I don't think it will be busy in the parks this year. All bookings are down and I think that a lot of companies will be struggling to fill their rooms. I would hire a car. There are so many places to go and waiting for buses would really be a bore. Orlando is a really busy place and you find something great to do every day. I have stayed on International Drive. It is really full of Brits and is so crowded and noisy. I prefer to stay in a Disney hotel if you can afford it - they are doing deals - try ringing the hotels direct as they will do you a better deal than is sometimes advertised. Animal Kingdom is wonderful and I have also stayed at the Beach Hotel. Eating is expensive inside the Disney hotels and thats when a car would be handy. Lotsof restaurants have special deals on and coupons that you can collect to get free meals for children. Look out for this in booklets that are normally in the fronts of restaurants like Ponderosa (good buffet style restaurant). I stay at a lovely house in a place called Ridgewood Lakes. It is a privately owned home. It is in a gated comminity which means that they is security on the gates to all the homes all day and night. I feel a lot safer with the guard being there. The web site for this home is www.whisperingsunsets.co.uk The house has a really good sized rectangle pool that you can actually swim in and backs onto a golf course and a lovely lake. We have been going to lots of houses on this development for the past 20 years and have found this one to be the best at the moment. It is on the 27 which connects to the I4 and that is the main road to all the theme parks. It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to get there. This might sound a lot but even if you are at a Disney hotel it still takes 10 minutes to get to the gates. I really hope you have the best time and if you want any more advice then send at email. Gook Luck