7

Orlando’s Hotels

Orlando has more than 123,000 hotel rooms—that’s 45.6 million nights to sell each year—with an average nightly rate of $139. As you can imagine, competition can be fierce, yet at properties where heavy turnover is a given, quality can be lax. We’ll show you the good ones.

A little too often, you find yourself in a hotel shrugging and saying, “Eh, it does the job.” Most of Central Florida’s monolithic architecture steals and inflates Europe’s palatial traditions; often on such a scale that even a Texan would blush. But Orlando’s resorts rarely achieve true opulence, and hotels that pass themselves off as “deluxe” are actually just three-star. You usually won’t even find a minibar in your room. Often, when you pay for a fine Orlando hotel, you’re just paying for mood.

Following are a few key questions to ask:

How much space do I want? If you have kids with you, will a single room supply the elbow room everyone needs? Disney’s most affordable rooms, for example, have a maximum occupancy of four people in two double beds, so if your group exceeds that number, you’ll have to rent two rooms or upgrade to something more expensive. For most families, renting a home or condo solves the space issue, and usually for less money.

Will I need a car? Unless you’re a Disney-only type of person, you should have one. Cars enable you eat cheaper and see both Disney and Harry Potter as well as Orlando’s many other appealing diversions. No car, no freedom.

How much time will I spend at my accommodations? If your schedule is full, you’ll only use a room to hit the sack. Do you really need a fitness center after slogging miles around theme parks for 15 hours a day? No, you don’t.

Then grill your potential hotel: Is there a resort fee? It’s common, and it dramatically increases the cost. Is there a parking fee? It’s another way to hide the true price of a stay. Is breakfast included? If it’s “continental,” it could be instant coffee and a mound of stale muffins. What’s the view? Properties boast a fireworks view—but don’t mention it’s from 8 miles away.

Finding the Best Rates

Ask any hotel what it charges, and you’re unlikely to get a straight answer. They delight in changing rates according to how full they are. As a rule of thumb, prices are highest when kids are out of school (summers, spring break), and lowest in the light periods such as late January, September, October, and early December. Weekends see slightly higher prices, too, because Florida residents drop by. The prices in this guide represent an average rate.

The good news is that Orlando’s average nightly rate is around $110, which is cheaper than the national average, so you’re already working at an advantage. Primary websites that collect quotes from a variety of sources (whether they be hotel chains or other websites) include HotelsCombined.com, Booking.com, and Mobissimo.com. Always canvas multiple sites. The bidding areas on Hotwire.com and Priceline.com are more likely to get you the best rates in the month before you travel; hotels hold out for higher prices until then. Then call the local number of the hotel, not the toll-free one (that usually connects to a switchboard far away), to see if they’ll do even better. Also check Hotelcoupons.com for discounted rates for some of the cheapest motels in town (no promises about quality, and some hotels frequently refuse to honor the lowest rates if they hit 75%–80% occupancy).

Theme Park Shuttles: Going Your Way?

Almost all of the hotels located off theme park property tout some kind of “free” shuttle service to the major parks (often covered by a resort fee). When they work, they’re a dream, but you need to know that most are restrictive. Many run once or twice a day, on their schedule, and you must book ahead, sometimes by 24 hours or more. A typical hotel shuttle may leave for the Magic Kingdom twice a morning and return at, say, 5 and 10pm, a rigid schedule that may cost you a fireworks viewing. Also, many hotels provide shuttles to only one area (Disney or Universal/SeaWorld) but not the other. Ask.

Many hotels share shuttles. They can be dirty, worn, and crowded, and you might have to stop at up to a half-dozen other places on your way. Not great if you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, or your kids are restless.

Before settling on a hotel based on its advertised rides, ask questions:

What time do they leave and return?

Which theme parks are not covered or incur a fee?

How many other hotels share the same shuttle?

If the shuttle fills up, do you send another one for me?

Is there a fee? (That $30 for two could have been used to rent a car.)

How far ahead do I have to reserve?

Another reliable way to get a cheaper room is to use an air/hotel package. No domestic company operates charter flights to Orlando anymore, but several packagers buy cheap hotel rooms in bulk and sell them with scheduled airfare. Check Funjet (www.funjet.com;  888/558-6654), Lastminute.com ( 866/999-8942), as well as some of the vacation wings of major airlines such as Southwest Vacations (www.southwestvacations.com;  800/243-8372), JetBlue Getaways (www.jetblue.com/vacations;  800/538-2583), Delta Vacations (www.deltavacations.com;  800/800-1504), and American Airlines Vacations (www.aavacations.com;  800/321-2121). Internationally, Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk) is a huge player, with lots of customer service reps available on the ground should things go wrong. Increasingly, these websites may sell hotel-only deals using their negotiated rates. Use properties highlighted on specials pages, though, because prices often come out higher in searches.

Few of these players will truly discount a Disney hotel (they may show up on the Hotel Tonight late booking app, though). If you want a Disney hotel, price be damned, book it separately from tickets or airfare—“room-only,” on a separate phone call—because it gives you more scheduling flexibility with tickets and room-only cancellation rules are far kinder. Don’t accept any package from a Disney receptionist, even if it’s for harmless trinkets, because then it means you’re subject to a $200 fee for cancellations made 30 to 2 days ahead; room-only bookings have no penalties for cancellations made more than 5 days ahead (6 days if you booked online). When it comes to non-Disney hotels, though, package away, because that’s where great deals live.

If everything seems full, Visit Orlando’s Official Visitor Center (8723 International Dr.; www.visitorlando.com;  407/363-5872; daily 8:30am–6pm) will help you find something. You’ll also always find a room (grotty though it may be) on U.S. 192 east of I-4.

Inside Orlando’s Hotels

Every hotel in this book has a swimming pool (because of liability issues, few are much deeper than 5 ft.), Wi-Fi, and ample air-conditioning, and almost every hotel offers shuttles to at least some theme parks, although fares around $10 may apply and they may be slower than garden slugs. Every hotel is also kid-friendly. So friendly that you should expect even top-end places to crawl with scampering children hopped up on a perpetual vacation-permitted sugar buzz, and no minibars in your room to take the edge off. If you crave peace, steer toward a rental home or a splurgy resort that leans toward the convention trade, in which case the rugrats will be replaced by phone-wielding conference-goers in chinos. If you stay in a unit with a kitchen, you may be in a timeshare that was rented to you because it was empty—this is normal, and it can be a good deal, but you may have to fend off “welcome” calls that are overtures to purchasing one. Warning: Until it’s declared illegal, many big hotels still engage in the sleazy American practice of resort fees, which vastly inflates what you pay—we warn you about those in bold letters. The highest in town is now $40/night. Isn’t that awful?

Beware of believing overly positive online reviews for Orlando hotels! Timeshare owners overpraise properties to convince people to stay there, and Disney hotels are overpraised because they’re Disney and you know how starstruck that makes some people.

How to Save on Lodging

Come when kids are in school. Hotel prices are trimmed then.

Avoid holidays. If the kids are out of school, you might pay double.

Make sure the room rules permit everyone in your party. If you go over the guest maximum, you’ll have to rent two rooms, doubling costs.

Always get a quote directly from the hotel. It might be lower.

See what’s on offer from a packager. They have purchasing power.

Plug Kissimmee into Web searches. It’s cheaper than Orlando.

Good locations have food options. Are there affordable restaurants nearby or are you stuck eating overpriced hotel food?

Ask if there’s a discount. Disney reservationists will tell only if asked. But when Disney does deal, it gives great stuff away, like free meal plans.

Following are the categories and price ranges for this chapter. These are almost unfair since so many hotels pretend to be cheaper by charging resort fees on top of posted rates:

Inexpensive: Up to $105 a night

Moderate: $106 to $175

Expensive: $176 and up

Note: Prices in this book don’t include taxes, which for hotels add as much as 14.5% to your bill depending on the municipality in which you’re staying.

Inside Walt Disney World

Some people don’t mind spending twice Orlando’s going rate so they can be on Disney property near the resort’s storied “magic,” although they are usually hard-pressed to explain what that precisely means. And for them, Disney has some 30,000 hotel rooms to fill, which it does partly by punishing people who don’t rent one. Disney has an active policy of making non-resort guests feel like second-class citizens by putting them at a planning disadvantage. It’s also worth noting that Disney hotels tend to promote or hire from within, and over time, that has caused staff to become noticeably out of step with customer service standards in the outside world. But strictly from a non-pixie-dusted, consumer-advice standpoint, there are advantages and disadvantages to saying on property in one of Disney’s extremely busy hotels.

Disney Pricing Seasons

Unlike most hotels, which price dynamically, Walt Disney World’s hotel rates are fixed by a calendar. The seasons you need to remember are, in descending order of expense: Holiday, Peak, Summer, Regular, Fall, and Value. The major price spikes are around spring break, Easter, and the late December holidays—put simply, when more people can travel to Disney World.

Likewise, there are three categories of Disney hotel: Deluxe, Moderate, and Value plus Disney Vacation Club apartments. Ergo, for the cheapest room, book a Value room in a Value period.

Orlando Area Hotels

SEASONS   The dates for each season shift annually and are tweaked per property, but they follow the same pattern on the calendar. For 2017, the schedule for prices generally shook out like this for a Value hotel room in an All-Star resort. These are the bottom lines of the lowest-priced standard Disney room on a midweek night of each season, including tax (on weekends, prices go up as much as 25%):

Value season: Jan to mid-Feb, mid-Aug to Sept. Value price: $112.

Fall season: Mid-Sept to mid-Dec. Value price: $125.

Regular season: Late Feb to early Mar, late Apr to May. Value price: $142.

Summer season: June to July. Value price: $167.

Walt Disney World & Lake Buena Vista Hotels

Peak season: Mid-Feb, mid-Mar to mid-Apr, mid-Dec. Value price: $170.

Holiday season: End of Dec, New Year’s. Value price: $217. (Since this is only one week, we don’t include this as the upper range in hotel listings.)

MouseSavers.com and TheMouseForLess.com post codes of all current known discounts. In general, AAA and military service may help cut costs.

STANDARD AMENITIES   All Disney hotels, regardless of class, have touches that provide relief for families, including big pools and shallow kiddie pools, coin laundries, and playgrounds. Nearly all rooms have two double beds unless you pay for something more (like a bunk or a pullout), but no microwave. Wi-Fi is free. There will always be somewhere to eat, although at Value resorts it will be a food court. Disney shuttle buses (p. 271) serve all resorts for free, and every property is protected by gated security. And, of course, every resort has at least one souvenir store. Check-in time is usually 3pm (you can use the pool while you wait) and you must check out by 11am (and use the pool for the rest of the day).

Yay! The Benefits of Staying on Disney Property

For those without cars, there’s free bus, monorail, new gondola, and ferry transportation throughout the resort. This is the biggest consideration for most people. (Then again, it’s free to everyone at Disney, guest or not.) Guests can use the MDX app to check transit wait times.

Disney transit drops you at the Magic Kingdom gates. Other hotel shuttles deposit you on the other side of the lake, by the parking lot.

The right to make Fastpass+ reservations 60 days ahead (instead of 30). Increasingly, Disney is denying non-resort guests Fastpasses for the best attractions, hoping it will force more people to book Disney hotels.

Each day, during Extra Magic Hours, one or two parks open an hour early or up to 3 hours past closing for the express use of Disney hotel guests. The major attractions, but not all of them, will be open during this period, and lines tend to be shorter than when general admission is in effect.

Free coach transfers to Orlando International Airport through Disney’s Magical Express program. See p. 269 for its drawbacks.

Every room has a small balcony or patio (except at Value resorts).

The right to charge purchases on your room key card or MagicBand.

The right to have in-park shopping delivered to your room. (The delivery lag time is such that you should be staying for at least 2 more nights.)

Three or four timed kids’ activities a day, albeit some at a charge.

Free theme-park parking (but you still have to pay for it at the hotel).

Wake-up calls featuring Disney characters.

Free wheelchair rental.

Guaranteed admission if parks are full.

Option to purchase soft drink mugs ($19) that you refill endlessly while at the hotel (and not a minute more—they’re embedded with computer chips).

Boo! These Things About Staying with Disney Stink

“Free” resort transportation doesn’t mean “fast.” Routes can be circuitous and require changing buses, waits can be aggravating, and you may have to stand.

Rates are 40%–70% higher than off-property rooms of comparable quality. So is food.

Parking fees for overnight guests, added in 2018, aren’t cheap: $13/night at Value hotels, $19/night at Moderate hotels, $24/night at Deluxe ones.

Stingy occupancy limits. Most rooms add $10 a night for each person past the limit of two up to the room’s stated maximum capacity, so a $105 room will in fact be $125 if four people over 18 stay there. (One child under 3 can stay without being counted.) Value and Moderate resorts cap occupancy at four (not including a babe in a crib) and Deluxe cap at five. Families larger than four must rent two units, doubling the expense, but if you have seven or more people to accommodate, it gets ugly.

Haphazard room assignment. In busy times, families with multiple rooms may get split apart. Requests for specific locations may not be honored.

Disney resorts are so large (often 2,000 rooms) that lines, even for a cup of coffee, are an endless nuisance and sprawling layouts are confusing to small children, to say nothing of their weary parents. Disney has turned the failing into profit: It charges more for “Preferred” rooms nearer the lobby.

The more affordable a room is, the more you could use a rental car. The most expensive resorts are beside the best parks, but Value rooms are about as far from the action as many off-property hotels. The Value resorts, in particular, are a good 15-minute drive from the Magic Kingdom (no farther than a decent vacation home).

Safes are tiny (laptops won’t fit). In-room cooking is made difficult in that the most affordable rooms lack microwaves or coffeemakers.

At the cheaper properties, it’s hard to call the front desk; you’ll usually have to call the main Disney number. Baggage service may also be impossible.

The most affordable Disney hotels don’t have restaurants. They have food courts (burgers, sandwiches, pasta—all at theme-park prices of around $12) and the only room service item is pizza. This is less of a problem if you intend to save money by eating off property anyway.

Deluxe Resorts

No one who has experienced a true luxury hotel can seriously attest that Disney’s quality standards compare. They’re three-star hotels in fancy dress, and only VIPs get true luxury treatment. Sure, they have sit-down restaurants, spas, lounges, and big pools. But rooms and service are nothing special unless you’re in a top-tier room. What Disney’s Deluxe hotels mostly have is uplifting theming—a prevailing mood—that makes a stay fun, and it’s a genuine thrill to be so near a theme park, to get such fantastic views of the Magic Kingdom or African animals—there’s just something special about it. And Disney’s announced Star Wars–themed hotel in which each guest is given a storyline to follow sounds like the coolest idea in hotels since pillows, but that’s still a couple of years away. You can certainly pay less than the $300 to $1,100 you pay to sleep in only a standard room. But for many people, they’re more than just a place to crash.

Most Deluxes (standard room maximum guests: four unless noted) enable you to dart to the parks easily. Three are by the Magic Kingdom on the monorail line encircling the Seven Seas Lagoon: the Contemporary (the most iconic), the Grand Floridian (the fanciest), and the Polynesian (the most private). A fourth, Wilderness Lodge, is linked to the Magic Kingdom by ferry, while the Beach Club, Yacht Club, and BoardWalk are walking distance from Epcot’s side door. Only Animal Kingdom Lodge is marooned by roads, but it has other perks that counterbalance that.

For an extra $100 to $150, Disney sells “Club Level” concierge-style rooms with a private lounge stocked with free continental breakfast, snacks, and beverages including champagne. In some hotels, it entitles you to better views or to buy additional experiences, such as a sunset tour of the savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Club Level guests can also buy additional Fastpasses for $50 a day.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge    No grander lodge ever existed on the African veldt, and the higher tariff returns to you in the form of a 24-hour safari and lots of themed activities. The hotel, which has a dark wooden look and hand-carved furniture, is built within a system of paddocks, so if you’ve got a Savannah view (they start around $500—careful that you don’t accidentally book a Standard one overlooking the parking lot or pool), when you look out of your window, you’ll hopefully see whatever genial African animal is loping by at that moment, be it a giraffe, an ostrich, a zebra, or a warthog. You’ll find a game-viewing guide beside your room-service menu. Because animals tend to be active in the early morning, when families are gearing up for their days, the idea works well. Anyone can visit, even if they’re not staying here; there’s even a public animal viewing area straight out the back door of the awe-inspiring vaulted lobby. Its principal drawback is its distance from everything except for Animal Kingdom; all connections are by road. Standard room: 344 square feet.

2901 Osceola Pkwy., Bay Lake. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/938-3000. 1,293 units. $308–$801 non-club standard. 2-adult maximum, extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 2 restaurants; cafe; babysitting; supervised kids’ program; Club Level rooms; health club & limited spa; heated outdoor pool; kids’ pool; room service; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Beach Club/Disney’s Yacht Club    Both excellent choices with 381-square-foot rooms, these adjoining sisters are on a pond across from the BoardWalk entertainment area (you’ll need it since the hotels are short on decent choices for cheap food) and a short stroll out the International Gateway exit of Epcot’s World Showcase, which brings the fun close to your room, although you can’t watch IllumiNations from it. Their shared 3-acre pool area, Stormalong Bay, has the crazy Flying Jib waterslide that forms a straightaway shooting off the mast of a pirate ship, plus sandy shores. (It’s easily the best pool on Disney property, and it’s restricted to guests.) The difference between the two is nearly negligible—they’re connected and many guests think they’re one giant hotel, but the Yacht Club has slightly nicer furnishings, bigger balconies, attracts slightly fewer families with kids, is a tad quieter, and is a 10-minute stroll from Epcot instead of 5 from the Beach Club. Other than that, it’s a toss-up. Both of them have layouts that confuse kids.

1800 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/934-8000. Beach: 583 units. Yacht: 630 units. $456–$775 non-club standard. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 2 restaurants; grill; 3 bars; Club Level rooms; babysitting; children’s program; character meals; health club & small spa; 3-acre pool and play area; 2 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; room service; 2 lighted tennis courts; boat rental; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn    The theme here, in a property split between DVC owners and nightly trade, is ostensibly turn-of-the-century Atlantic City (not tatty, present-day Atlantic City), which translates to touches such as a miniature carousel in the lobby, vintage flip movie viewers in common areas, and beachball-patterned carpets in the halls. Rooms are recently renovated and a fair 371 square feet. The Luna Pool’s 200-foot slide evokes a wooden roller coaster, but I prefer the quieter, tucked-away pool near Building 1 on the east side of the property. You might hit the Belle Vue Lounge to buy bagels, muffins, and coffee in the morning and cocktails in the evening, but really, you stay here because the baked goods and ice cream of the BoardWalk is right outside and the side door to Epcot is a 10-minute lakefront stroll away.

1800 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/934-8000. 379 units. $498–$868 non-club standard. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; lounge; Club Level rooms; babysitting; children’s program; health club & small spa; 3-acre pool and play area; 3 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; whirpool; room service; boat rental; bike rental; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort    Nothing says, “I’m at Disney World” more than the awesome sight of that monorail sweeping dramatically through its glassy Grand Canyon Concourse, which it does every few minutes on its way to and from the Magic Kingdom. The hotel, one of the first two to open in 1971, is now a midcentury architectural treasure, and indicative of the revolutionary methods that Walt Disney World hoped to pioneer: The United States Steel Corporation helped design it; its modular rooms were prefabricated down the road and slotted into place by crane. The current look: soothing putty and slate business-class colors, and soft goods were renewed in 2016. Best rooms (422 sq. ft., among the largest standard rooms at Disney) are high up in the coveted A-framed Contemporary Tower, but there are stylish low-level Garden Rooms along Bay Lake, too, near the surprisingly blah pool, that are about $150 cheaper. Rooms on the west of the tower face the Magic Kingdom itself (and, ahem, an intervening parking lot)— the ninth floor has the ne plus ultra of Disney views—and every water-view room takes in the nightly parade that floats after dark. Even if you can’t stay here, this is the best hotel to tour. Drop by via monorail to see the 90-foot-tall mosaics of children by the visionary Imagineer Mary Blair, which encapsulate the late 1960s futurist optimism out of which the resort was born.

4600 N. World Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/939-6244 or 407/824-1000. 1,008 units. $465–$862 non-club standard. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 3 restaurants; grill; 4 lounges; babysitting; Club Level rooms; character meals; small health club and spa; 2 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; watersports rental; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa    It’s strange to spend $700 a night on a hotel room and then have to walk outside in the rain to reach the building it’s in, but from a value standpoint, that tells you a lot. This is the Disney hotel with snob appeal, since the whole point is to put on a costume of exclusivity and luxury (two things Walt despised, which is why his hotels had generic themes) and brag about it when you get home. So it’s encrusted with upper-class affectation, from high tea to a pianist tinkling away in an outrageously pretty lobby (chandeliers, glass dome, wedding-cake balconies). It can’t help but strum your imagination of what a true Victorian grande dame hotel might have felt like, but anyone can enjoy that on a day visit without paying insane rates for what amounts to a three-star room. There are vacation-making pluses I’d unreservedly celebrate here if money were no object, such as next-door access to the Magic Kingdom, gourmet restaurants, careful staff, and an atmosphere more romantic than at any other Disney hotel—in fact, you’ll probably have to dodge a few wedding parties. Typical standard rooms are 440 square feet, although rooms with dormer windows are smaller.

4401 Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/824-3000. 867 units. $664–$1,135 non-club doubles. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 5 restaurants; grill; character meals; babysitting; kids’ program; Club Level rooms; health club & spa; heated outdoor pool; kids’ pool; room service; 2 lighted tennis courts; watersports rental; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort    The 25-acre hotel, thickly planted and torch-lit by night, was one of the first two hotels built here, back when the South Pacific tiki craze was still swinging, and the longhouse-style thatched-roof complex remains one of the most transporting of the Disney resorts. The most expensive rooms block the view of the Magic Kingdom across the Seven Seas Lagoon (swimming in it is not allowed, but the newly renovated pool area is huge and lush), but most have greenery views. The Polynesian is a notch above for families as there’s an on-site child-care facility, the monorail is steps away, and rooms are on the big side, sleeping five. An easy favorite. The downside is availability: In 2015, Disney converted several buildings into Disney Vacation Club “Studio” units, reducing the standard room count by several hundred, so it’s harder than ever to enjoy this hotel now. When available, those studios cost about $20 more than a standard room but include a minifridge and a microwave. Make a detour off the lobby for Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto (p. 225), one of the coolest cocktail bars in town.

1600 Seven Seas Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/939-6244 or 407/824-2000. 484 standard units, 360 Studios. $552–$1,008 non-club doubles. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 3 restaurants; cafe; tiki bar; on-site babysitting; kids’ program; Club Level rooms; nearby health club & spa (at Grand Floridian); 2 heated outdoor pools; kids’ pool; character meals; room service; watersports rental; gas grills; free 7:30pm marshmallow roast; free 9pm outdoor movie; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge    This effective riff on Yellowstone’s woody Old Faithful Lodge, swaddled by oaks and pines, is picturesque but disconnected from the rest of the park—the Magic Kingdom, 10 minutes away by ferry, is the only thing easy to reach if you don’t have your own car (the other parks involve a laborious bus trek). Most of its tricks are in its dramatic atrium lobby: giant stone hearth, springs that flow to a thronged pool area out back—a geyser nearby spouts water 120 feet high on the half-hour from 7am to 10pm. Because of surrounding woods, rooms (340 sq. ft.) are dark, but have adorable rustic touches such as headboards carved with woodland creatures.

901 W. Timberline Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/938-4300. 909 units. $378–$766 non-club standard. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 3 restaurants; babysitting; Club Level rooms; health club & limited spa; 2 spa tubs; 2 heated outdoor pools; jogging trail; boat rental; kids’ pool; room service; self-parking $24/day, valet parking $33/day; free Wi-Fi.

Moderate Resorts

The next category up from Value is Moderate. Compared to Value, what do you get for the extra dough? Put simply, the main pools have more elaborate themes with slides, and there are usually a few additional, simple pools; rooms measure 314 square feet instead of 260 square feet (so 2 ft. wider); most have two sinks instead of one (both outside the shower/toilet room); all rooms have a small balcony or patio with seating (though most have no view to speak of); and you can rent a bike or a boat on the premises. The upgrade doesn’t win you the right to fit more people: Rooms mostly fit four (only two adults) plus one child under 3, same as the Value class.

The grounds of Moderate properties feel more resortlike when compared to the glorified motels of the Values, but at heart, they’re still upgraded motels, with exterior corridors (close your drapes) and windowless bathrooms. You’ll still be eating mostly in high-priced food courts located at a building that might be distant from your room. Although the bedrooms aren’t much plusher than the Value properties, you will sense more breathing room and personality since Disney has been pouring money into glorifying its Moderate pool areas.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort    This resort sprawls around a central pond—1½ miles around!—with a loose island theme. Rooms (mostly full beds) are the Moderate category’s largest (by a little); Disney spent a ton theming some rooms to Pirates of the Caribbean (beds like ships, carpet like decking) that can add about $70 to a regular room. The main Old Port Royale pool area emulates a waterfront Spanish fort and has a giant tippy bucket, so you can see why families favor this property. The resort’s principal drawbacks are a lack of elevators, bland food, a risk of being placed very far from the lobby and pool, and the fact no other major resort areas connect to it. At least Port Orleans, for nearly the same money, has boats to Disney Springs; from Caribbean Beach, all connections are by road, so it’s strongly recommended to have a car here.

900 Cayman Way, Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/934-3400. 2,112 units. $194–$363 standard doubles. Extra person $15. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: Restaurant; food court; arcade; heated pool; 6 smaller pools in the villages; kids’ pool; parking $19/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort    Built to attract convention crowds with a vibe to match, it nonetheless has fans for its subdued tone. The well-planted grounds, done in a hacienda style around a pond, are far-flung (some rooms are a 15-minute hike from the lobby, which gets old), and rooms, with kings (for two) or queens (for four), have a single sink, as at the Values. The food court is above average, though, as is the pool area (with a 123-foot slide) themed after a Mayan pyramid, and there’s a cocktail lounge, Rix, with a semblance of sophistication. The hotel is 10 minutes’ drive from any parks. If you need a room accessible for those with disabilities and the cheaper hotels are out of such units, you can try here, where there is an inventory of 99 rooms. In 2019 it opens a new 15-story tower with 500 more rooms, which gives some guests a new option for fairly decent views quite near Hollywood Studios.

1000 Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/939-1000. 1,921 units. $208–$388 doubles. Extra person $15. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: Restaurant; grill/food court; arcade; health club & limited spa; 4 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; parking $19/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground    Not to be confused with the Wilderness Lodge, an imitation of Yellowstone Lodge, this 780-acre wooded enclave near Magic Kingdom consists of campsites and mobile home–style cabins with decks and grills that sleep six on a mix of beds, pullouts, and bunks. Camping and RV parking under the thick pines are far and away the cheapest and most distinctive way to sleep on property, but it’s twice the market rate, and without equipment (tents are $30, cots $4, if a group hasn’t booked them first). The nightly marshmallow roast and outdoor Disney film screenings are perennial hits.

3520 N. Fort Wilderness Trail, Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/824-2900. 784 campsites, 408 wilderness cabins. $62–$190 campsite/RV doubles, $377–$655 wilderness cabin doubles. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: Restaurant; grill; babysitting; extensive outdoor activities (archery; fishing; horseback, pony, carriage, and hay rides; campfire programs; boat rental; and more); 2 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; character dining; 2 lighted tennis courts; parking $19/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Port Orleans and French Quarter    An unwieldy name for an unwieldy property. It’s actually two resorts, both built on a canal and awkwardly fused together. The French Quarter (1,000 rooms), built along right angles on simulated streets, purports to sorta imitate the real one in New Orleans. Riverside (2,048 rooms), where buildings are more successful pastiches on magnolia-lined Mississippi-style homes (Magnolia Bend, where princess-themed “Royal Rooms” have touches such as headboards with push-button light shows; about $50 surcharge) and rustic cabins (Alligator Bayou, where trundle beds sleep five—good for a Moderate resort), is the nicer of the two, because it has more water for rooms to face (though the privilege will cost you another $30 a night) and is the locale for most activities for the two resorts. The main pool at Riverside is less elaborate than French Quarter’s, and room windows all face an exterior corridor there, although it has five pools to French Quarter’s one. The properties are far enough apart (about 15 min. walking) that many people choose to use the free boat service linking them. The boats will also take you to Disney Springs—the trip is one of the most pleasant, least-known free rides at Disney World—but the parks are served only by buses.

2201 Orleans Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-7639 or 407/934-5000. 3,048 units. $242–$357 doubles. Extra person $15. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 2 restaurants; grill/food court; 6 heated outdoor pools; 2 kids’ pools; arcade; parking $19/day; free Wi-Fi.

Shades of Green    Operated as a golf resort for 21 years before being handed to the military as the only Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) in the continental U.S, it’s the best deal on WDW soil if you or your spouse is an active or retired member of the U.S. military (a full list of eligibility requirements is posted online). Standard rooms are among the largest at Disney (just over 400 sq. ft.) and suites accommodate up to eight. All rooms have balconies or patios, and pool or golf-course views. Bonus: You can walk to the monorail and the Magic Kingdom.

1950 Magnolia Palm Dr. (across from the Polynesian Resort), Lake Buena Vista. www.shadesofgreen.org.  888/593-2242 or 407/824-3400. 587 units. $98–$138 doubles (based on military rank); $289 6- to 8-person suites (regardless of rank). Extra person $15. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: 2 restaurants; cafe; health club; arcade; 2 heated outdoor pools; kids’ pool; 2 lighted tennis courts; parking $19/day; free Wi-Fi.

Value Resorts

Although the Mouse pushes you toward its most expensive hotels by making them so cool, Disney, in fact, has more “Value” rooms: 9,504 of them, more than many midsize cities have in total—available mostly for $100 to $200. The T-shaped building blocks with outdoor corridors can feel at times like thin-walled battery-hen hutches, gurgling with noisy plumbing and seething with kids who don’t realize how sound carries (especially when school groups and cheerleader meets are in town). The walk to each hotel’s lobby/food building can be a marathon. There are elevators.

FACILITIES   Value rooms are motel-style, often of standard cinder-block construction and exterior corridors. They come with two full beds, but a few have kings (request one when you reserve). Rooms fit four (there’s a $10 daily charge for each third and fourth adult over 17), plus one child under 3—a full room would be a mighty tight squeeze. If your party is bigger, spring for a six-person Family Suite, which is usually just two rooms with a door banged through and a minikitchen (little fridge, microwave, coffeemaker) added. Those are at the All-Star Music resort and Art of Animation, where the design is more spacious, but at $240 (lowest price at Music) to $303 (lowest price at Animation), you can do much better outside the World. There’s no room service, but you can have pizza delivery from late afternoon until midnight.

The food court, front desk, and sundries shop are all in the same building by the bus stops to the parks, and some rooms are a 15-minute walk away unless you shell out $15 to $20 more for a “Preferred” room.

TRANSPORTATION   No Value or Moderate resort is connected to a theme park by monorail. Roads are your only option, be it by bus or your car.

Disney’s All-Star Movies/Disney’s All-Star Music/Disney’s All-Star Sports    Depending on your point of view, at the Value resorts, Disney treats you either like a second-class guest or like an average American family on vacation. The fun is in the outdoor areas, not in the rooms, which are only faintly themed. The setup of all three is identical—an expanse of concrete-block buildings at the edge of the property studded with enormous emblems, as if a giant had spilled the Legos in his toy box. But because they’re older (they opened in the late 1990s) and there’s no enlivening central pond, they are the last-choice Values. At the very least, sinks are outside of the toilet-and-shower room, which eases life for multitasking families. Of the three, I prefer Movies, not just because it’s the youngest (opened 1999), but also because its exterior is laden with Disney-specific iconography while its sisters stick to dull musical and sports-equipment icons. Disney shuttle buses also tend to stop there last on their circuit of the three, which cuts transportation time. Then again, some choose Sports for the same reason, because it’s the first stop and so it’s easier to get a seat there. (That concern says a lot about the Value resorts.) The Music is the only one with suites fitting six people.

Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/934-1936. 1,920 units each. Standard rooms $112–$239, family suites $277–$497, 3rd and 4th adult $10. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Amenities: Food court; arcade; babysitting; 2 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; parking $13/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort    This attractive 2012 addition benefits from theming more lavish than at other Values, including a spot-on Radiator Springs pool area. Family Suites have two bathrooms, convertible couches, and demi-kitchens (no stove). Standard Little Mermaid rooms are gorgeously and whimsically themed, too—better than at other Values. Suites draw on Finding Nemo (where there’s the Big Blue pool, WDW’s largest) and The Lion King. Unfortunately, six-person suites cost three times more than basic four-person Value rooms, which is hard to justify.

1850 Century Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/938-7000. 1,120 suites, 864 standard units. Standard rooms $153–$253, 6-person family suites $366–$595. Amenities: 3 pools; food court; kids’ pools; arcade; parking $13/day; free Wi-Fi.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort    The largest Value resort (opened 2002, many rooms recently renovated) is a fair choice, with smallish (260 sq. ft.) rooms—one king bed or two queens—with one sink and one mirror, and for dining, a heaving central food court with quality akin to the average mall’s. As if to counteract such dormlike austerity, the boxy sprawl of T-shaped buildings, some of which face a pleasant lake across from the Art of Animation Resort, is festooned with outsized icons of the late-20th-century: gigantic bowling pins, yo-yos, and Rubik’s Cubes—which kids think is pretty cool.

1050 Century Dr., Lake Buena Vista. www.disneyworld.com.  407/938-4000. 2,880 units. Rooms $130–$251. Amenities: Food court; 3 pools; kids’ pools; arcade; jogging trail; parking $13/day; free Wi-Fi.

The “Good Neighbor” Policy

Scattered throughout town are properties that brag Disney has certified them as “Good Neighbor” (www.wdwgoodneighborhotels.com). The appellation is mostly meaningless. It means that hotel will have shuttles, can sell Magic Your Way tickets, and screens a mesmerizing 24-hour “Must Do Disney” channel featuring the insanity-inducing Stacey Aswad, the world’s most nose-wrinklingly perky Disney fan (to her, everything is “amazing”), and her favorites at each park. To be brutally honest, most Good Neighbor hotels are mediocre. Only the Good Neighbor properties on the west side of Apopka Vineland Road (mostly on Hotel Plaza Boulevard) enjoy half-hourly shuttles; the rest don’t. Legoland’s version, with its own shuttles, are sometimes called “Bed & Brick” hotels ( 800/979-9983). So don’t select a hotel just because it’s a Good Neighbor hotel. Choose it because it’s the right hotel for you.

Disney Vacation Club

Disney sells timeshares, too. Because this isn’t a real estate guide, there’s no need to explain the fact that after you crunch the numbers, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is economical only for people who never want to vacation anywhere that isn’t Disney. DVC really needs to slow its roll, because it’s grafting properties onto all the major hotels and ruining their views. Plus there are stand-alone properties including BoardWalk Villas, Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and its Treehouse Villas built on platforms above the ground, Old Key West, and the Riviera Resort (coming 2019), serving hundreds of thousands of DVC investors. These units are heavily promoted around the resort and even inside the theme parks themselves, which Walt surely would have detested as a fantasy-killer. The company rents empty villa units to walk-up customers who have no intention of signing on any dotted lines, but the best ones are usually claimed by the time you book. During value season, the simplest studio with a kitchen starts at an insane $368 (at Old Key West, the cheapest) a night, a multiple of what a vacation home costs outside the resort. One-bedrooms at the Contemporary Resort’s Bay Lake Tower range $655 to $1,056—a night. Those Polynesian Village bungalows are sumptuous, and you can see Cinderella Castle from the spa tub on your private deck—but they cost $2,400 to $3,300 a night. All this is, of course, crazypants, so I cannot in good conscience suggest the average family will find any value in renting a DVC room. I have, though, now informed you they’re available.

Non-Disney On-Property Hotels

The best way to think of these choices is “location without immersion.” These properties are permitted to run their own shows on Disney turf, supplying convenience and often, higher standards than Disney’s busy hotels. Bonnet Creek–area hotels (technically not on Disney property but you can only reach them on Disney roads) are newer, more remote, and nicer than the more tired ones on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, which are decades old but run their own bus systems to the Disney parks and are often within walking distance to Disney Springs. (For nearby hotels that aren’t on property, see Lake Buena Vista, p. 257.)

EXPENSIVE

Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort    Orlando’s most genuinely luxurious resort is deep inside the custom-built gated community of Golden Oak, within sight of the Magic Kingdom. Four Seasons’ largest property in the world is a stunner in both looks and service: Quiet, 500-square-foot (46 sq. m) rooms come with furnished balconies, walk-in closets, concierge iPads, and marble bathrooms. The par-71 golf course, once Disney’s Osprey Ridge but now renovated by Tom Fazio, is also a bird sanctuary, and the landscaped 5-acre pool complex (with free sunscreen and valets bearing refreshments) goes on and on—adults-only pool, zero-entry family pool, lazy river with waterfalls, two waterslides in a faux fort. To see the fireworks just 2 miles away from your balcony, you must spring for a “Park View Room,” which are as much as $300 more than a “Lake View Room” on the lower floors, or opt for a meal at the rooftop Capa restaurant. The sky-high rate, which is comparable to a Disney Deluxe hotel, comes with no resort fee and gets you a lot more: daytime babysitting for kids 4 to 12 is free and kids 5 and under eat free. Its Goofy breakfast is one of the best character meals because it’s less crowded and you get lots of photo time with him. If you can afford such pampering, it does it better than nearly any other property in town. The free shuttle is on a fixed schedule and doesn’t go to Disney Springs, so if you want flexibility, have your own car or hail an Uber.

10100 Dream Tree Blvd., Golden Oak. www.fourseasons.com/orlando.  407/313-6868 or 407/313-7777. 434 units. From $529 for a standard double. No resort fee. Valet parking $30 (no self-parking). Amenities: 3 restaurants; 3 bars; 3 pools; splash zone and waterslides; lazy river; spa; tennis courts; 24-hr. fitness center; sundries shop; character breakfast; free kids’ club; kids under 6 eat free; free Disney parks shuttle; free Wi-Fi.

Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek    Linked to the Waldorf Astoria by a convention hall and set in 482 mostly unbuilt acres, the hotel has rooms that lack balconies, which is a real bummer, but it’s on Disney turf, which counts for a lot. Kids eat free for breakfast and dinner, which is fortunate considering how expensive the restaurants are. The 3-acre pool area is done in contemporary stonework—a bit like riding a lazy river in a hotel bathroom—and is abuzz with cocktails and activities. Overall, it’s a fine place to disappear but it’s too large and corporate to be romantic. And that resort fee! Resort fee warning: $40/night.

14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando. www.hiltonbonnetcreek.com.  407/597-3600. 1,001 units. $134–$309 standard king. Parking $27/night (self), $35/night (valet). Resort fee $40/night. Amenities: 6 restaurants; coffee bar; pool bar; pool with activities; Disney shop; golf course; business center; fitness club; spa (at neighboring Waldorf Astoria); game room; free meals for kids under 12 at Harvest Bistro; free Disney shuttles; free golf club rental after 2pm; free local and toll-free calls; free Wi-Fi.

Waldorf Astoria Orlando    The first time the Waldorf expanded its brand outside of Manhattan it was in Orlando, and while the original’s Upper East Side ethic was traded for Florida’s tropical colors, the service standard is noticeably higher than at most other Orlando luxury hotels. Between the Rees Jones–designed par-72 golf course, the formally arranged adults-only swimming pool, the high-end Bull & Bear steakhouse, and the sink-deeper-into-slumber beds, this is the best choice of all the Bonnet Creek properties. If the price is similar to the Hilton, book here; for the same money you’ll get perks such as bathrobes, better-aligned views of distant fireworks, and much more attentive service. You may use the lazy river of the Hilton next door. Resort fee warning: $40/night.

14200 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando. www.waldorfastoriaorlando.com.  407/597-5500. 498 units. $209–$449 double queen. Parking (valet only) $35/night. Resort fee $40/night. Amenities: 5 restaurants; pool; kids’ activities; free bike rental; free welcome cocktail, spa; fitness center; free practice at golf course; free golf club rental after 2pm; free local and toll-free calls; free Disney shuttles; free Wi-Fi.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin    Rewards points are a main appeal to the Starwood-run Swan and Dolphin, which are linked by a footbridge over the lake they share. Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner controversially allowed outside corporations to intrude on resort property, and the result was these dated 1989 exteriors—let’s regret the 56-foot-tall dolphin statues. No doubt: Staff is distracted, but the properties are stuffed with amenities and the location never quits—you can walk to Epcot’s side door in 15 minutes and Hollywood Studios in 20, avoiding the bus. Both specialize in conferences, with lobby bars, steakhouses, and sushi counters to suit, although they strive to welcome families, too (rooms fit five and there are tons of poolside activities). Rooms and common spaces just enjoyed a modernizing renovation (blues, grays, chrome, more outlets). They’re hospitality robots that lack the tonal fantasy at Disney-run hotels, but guests get the same perks as at a Disney-run hotel including 60-day advance Fastpass+ bookings—except no Magical Express from the airport, no access to the Dining Plan, and no ability to make park purchases by room key or MagicBand. Resort fee warning: $28/night.

1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.swandolphin.com.  407/934-4000. Swan: 756 units. $241–$505 non-club standard. Dolphin: 1,509 units. $221–$579 non-club doubles. Extra person $25. Children 17 and younger stay free in parent’s room. Parking $23/night (self), $33/night (valet). Resort fee (both) $28/night. Amenities: 12 restaurants; cafe; character meals; babysitting; free domestic phone calls; kids’ program (2 hrs. free if parents eat in one of its restaurants); game room; health club & spa; 5 heated outdoor pools; room service; 4 lighted tennis courts; Wi-Fi included with resort fee.

Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek    This resort caps off a crowded development of more than 1,000 timeshare villas around a pretty 10-acre lake at the south end of Disney property. When you stay here, you can roam the campus, dipping into pools themed after Caribbean fortresses and pirate ships, barbecuing on public grills. It’s a sweet setup, and the fact that it’s well-located among Disney’s parks makes it better, but ho-hum rooms, aggressive timeshare sales, and a noticeably disaffected staff keep it from being a favorite. Resort fee warning: $28/night.

14651 Chelonia Pkwy., Orlando. www.wyndhamgrandorlando.com.  407/390-2300. 400 units. $143–$249 standard room. Parking $22/night (self), $29/night (valet). Resort fee $28/night. Amenities: 4 restaurants; coffee bar; pool with access to 5 others; 2 lazy rivers; spa; fitness center; kids’ activities; gift shop; jogging trail; game room; free Wi-Fi.

Moderate

B Resort & Spa    The onetime Royal Plaza Hotel (built in 1972), convenient to both I-4 and Disney Springs, completed a gut renovation in 2014. New threads and surfaces were laid on the old, finicky 17-story tower, and in place of a tired bed bunker you now have an airy Miami-flavored resort that smells great and is suffused in whites and clean lines. King rooms are much larger than double-queen ones, but all are sizable, and higher-floor “Stunning” (that’s the name) rooms claim views. Ringing the zero-entry pool, “Chic” rooms come with bunk beds. The B stands apart from the others in Disney Springs for providing a grown-up stay that’s family-friendly and affordable but that doesn’t feel too much like a machine, so the fact it comes with Extra Magic Hours is just gravy. The ground-floor restaurant, American Kitchen, has a Ford F1 pickup truck parked in the center. The B often offers 3-for-2 deals on its website. Resort fee warning: $34/night.

1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.BResortLBV.com.  407/828-2828. 394 units. Typically $101–$186 doubles. Parking $22/night (self), $28/night (valet). Resort fee $34/night. Amenities: Restaurant; heated pool; pool bar; tennis courts; spa; 24-hr. fitness center; sundries shop; free Disney shuttle; access to Extra Magic Hours; 60-day advance Fastpass+ booking; free Wi-Fi.

Best Western Lake Buena Vista—Disney Springs Resort Area    Another motel-grade tourist machine on Hotel Plaza Boulevard nearly beside Disney Springs, this 18-story creaker (built in 1971) could use a brush-up (rooms are dark as caves, there are few electrical sockets, and the pool is punier than what they’d build today). But it distinguishes itself by having a small balcony for every room, which is better than some of the other joints on this strip. It’s a fair mid-budget option if you can score a deal online (to pay three digits would be a stretch), and if you’re lucky, your room will be high enough to offer fireworks views. The biggest bonus: You get Extra Magic Hours. Resort fee warning: $14/night.

2000 Hotel Plaza Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.lakebuenavistaresorthotel.com.  407/828-2424. 325 units. $69–$125 2-queen rooms, $10 sleeper sofa. Parking $8/night (self), $12/night (valet). Resort fee $14/night. Amenities: 2 restaurants; snack bar; pool with children’s pool; arcade; fitness center; sundries shop; frequent Disney shuttle; access to Extra Magic Hours; 60-day advance Fastpass+ booking; free Wi-Fi.

DoubleTree Suites By Hilton Orlando—Disney Springs Area    One of the rabble lining the road leading to Disney Springs, this decent corporate choice offers standard rooms measuring 540 square feet, including a living area with pullout couch, microwave, minifridge, and small dining table, plus a bedroom with a king bed or two queens; not a bad setup for families, and not bad for the price. It also bestows blatantly preferential treatment upon Hilton Honors members—higher-floor rooms, $5 cooked breakfast upgrades from the included continental, free Wi-Fi. So just join that for free before you arrive.

2305 Hotel Plaza Blvd., Lake Buena Vista.  407/934-1000. www.hilton.com. 229 units. $110–$222. Parking $22/night (self), $27/night (valet). No resort fee. Amenities: Restaurant; pool; bar; tennis court; fitness center; playground; regular Disney shuttles; access to Extra Magic Hours; 60-day advance Fastpass+ booking; free Wi-Fi.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista    Packaged as a tower (232 of its rooms) and the separate Garden (394 rooms in an echoing five-story courtyard building), Wyndham gets passing, but not flying, marks. You check in here because of its proximity (a 5-minute walk to Disney Springs), the Extra Magic Hours access (at a rate lower than the Mouse’s hotels), and the only sanctioned Disney character breakfast on Hotel Plaza Boulevard (three mornings a week). The polished lobby makes everything seem more luxurious than it is—rooms are uninspired and motel-style, sometimes reeking of cleaning chemicals, in the Garden the sole window faces an outdoor corridor—but the kid-friendly if overworked staff boosts the value, which is undeniable. Ask for a Tower Room on the west side (floors 9–19) for a limited view of Lake Buena Vista. Resort fee warning: $25/night.

1850 Hotel Plaza Blvd., Lake Buena Vista.  407/209-3126. www.wyndhamlakebuenavista.com. 626 units. $84 doubles with courtyard view, $115 doubles in tower. Parking $10/night. Resort fee $25/night. Amenities: Restaurant; 3 lounges; character breakfast (Tues, Thurs, Sat); babysitting; children’s activity program; health club; spa tub; 2 outdoor heated pools; 2 lighted tennis courts; free bus service to WDW parks; transportation to non-Disney parks for a fee; access to Extra Magic Hours; 60-day advance Fastpass+ booking; free Wi-Fi.

Inside Universal Orlando

By 2020, there will be eight hotels on Universal property totaling 9,000 rooms operated by the Loews hotel group, and for the first time, it has created a “Value” category that means some of them come cheaper than comparable hotels just blocks away. There are strong advantages that come with the higher-priced ones. First, most hotels are within 15 minutes’ walk of the parks, and three are connected by a free boat that runs continuously into the wee hours. Guests can use their room key to make charges throughout the resort, they get into Harry Potter an hour early, and at three hotels, they can join the Express line at the two parks’ best attractions—that perk has the effect of freeing up a vacation schedule. Guests can also drink and dine all night at CityWalk next door without having to drive or wait for a bus. Use the hotels’ website to find Hot Deals, which grants discounts of 20% to 30% on specified nights; the website also posts floor plans of all room types.

The Universal property is hemmed in by lots of real-world restaurants where prices are realistic, and free shuttles to SeaWorld are provided once a day. So unlike cloistered Disney, when you’re at Universal, you’re linked to the real Orlando, and there’s more food flexibility. At Easter and during the December holidays, rates are, of course, higher. But there are no resort fees!

Expensive

Hard Rock Hotel    Besides being the city’s most convenient hotel for any theme park—the two parks are both a 10-minute walk away—the Hard Rock, which is miles ahead of any other Hard Rock hotel in America, has more perks for the money than most of the city’s similarly priced hotels. Rooms have genuinely funky furniture, tons of mirrors, two sinks (one in and one out of the bathroom), two big beds, and music systems. The ginormous pool, which imitates a beach gently descending to depth, has not only a substantial waterslide but also underwater speakers through which you can hear the party music. (They really bring out the finger cymbals in “Livin’ on a Prayer.”) Halls are lined with rock memorabilia (Whoa! Outfits worn by Lady Gaga AND Elvis). The Hard Rock truly walks the rock walk: The last Thursday of the month, the lobby is taken over by the rollicking Velvet Sessions (www.velvetsessions.com) concert series for classic acts, like Howard Jones, John Waite, and Survivor.

5000 Universal Blvd., Orlando. www.hardrockhotels.com/orlando.  888/832-7155 or 407/503-7625. 650 units. Rooms $254–$394. Parking $22/night (self), $29/night (valet). Amenities: 3 restaurants; cocktail lounge; ice cream shop; babysitting; supervised children’s program; Club Level rooms; fitness center; pool with activities and bar; free Wi-Fi.

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel    Universal’s priciest and most romantic option faithfully re-creates the famous Italian fishing village, down to the angle of the boat docks, the bolted-down Vespas, and live opera music nightly along the waterfront. Beyond that spectacular gimmick (said to have been Steven Spielberg’s idea, like much at Universal), rooms are of a particularly high standard—standard ones are a generous 450 square feet and have top-end beds. Because the resort is the farthest on property from the parks (but still only about 5 minutes by quick-loading boat or 15 minutes by foot), it tends to appeal to couples; however, a few suites are decked out in a Despicable Me theme to please your minions. Restaurants here—including upscale Bice and family-favorite Mamma Della’s—are worth staying in for, plus there are a Starbucks, an upscale pizzeria, and a gelateria on property. Choose from two enormous pools—one with a sand beach, zero entry, and waterslides, the other with palm trees, bocce, and a Mediterranean vibe—or a small third option for a cool break in your day.

5601 Universal Blvd., Orlando. www.universalorlando.com.  888/430-4999 or 407/503-1000. 750 units. Double queen or king rooms $279–$474. Parking $22/night (self), $29/night (valet). Amenities: 3 restaurants; ice cream shop; Starbucks; supervised children’s programs; Club Level rooms; fitness center; Mandara spa; 3 pools with activities and bar; nightly opera show; free Wi-Fi.

Loews Royal Pacific Resort    The least expensive luxury option at Universal does an apt impression of the South Seas in the 1930s, and rooms were just renovated in 2016 with muted cream colors dominated by giant flowers on the walls. It’s more luxurious yet cheaper than the Disney Polynesian, with a lush pool area (sandy beach, winding garden paths, interactive water play area) and a sophisticated, wood-and-wicker look. The standard is high: very soft robes, cushy beds with fat pillows, and marble-top chests. It’s right over the road from Islands of Adventure; many rooms have a panorama of it. In any other city, the Royal Pacific might be everyone’s favorite resort. Here, though, its subtler charms get lost in the crowd.

6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando. www.universalorlando.com.  888/430-4999 or 407/503-3000. 1,000 units. Rooms $224–$329. Parking $22/night (self), $29/night (valet). Amenities: 3 restaurants; sushi bar; cocktail lounge; pool with activities and bars; free Wi-Fi.

Endless Summer: Universal Hotels go budget

Universal is smashing the three-digit hotel room price barrier! But this time, downward. Starting in August, its two-hotel Endless Summer complex begins opening on the old Wet ’n Wild lot. When finished, the Loews-run hotels (Surfside Inn and Suites, open 2019, and Dockside Inn and Suites, open 2020) will have 2,800 simple, beach-themed rooms starting at $73 per night for a 7-night stay ($85 for 4 nights) and 1,450 two-bedroom suites sleeping six starting at $111 ($131 for 4 nights). Yes—Universal’s family suites will cost just $1 more than Disney’s cheapest standard rooms, 15 minutes south. Endless Summer won’t give you room service, but it will grant a grab-and-go counter, a bar, pizza delivery, and early entry to its parks. Guests must connect to the rest of Univeral by shuttle bus because the resort is actually right on I-Drive; that also means guests benefit from not being trapped on resort property paying resort prices for food and activities. 7000 Universal Blvd., Orlando.  888/273-1311; www.universalorlando.com.

Moderate

Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort    Cabana Bay plays the role of a family vacation escape by kitsching it up as a tacky 1950s beach hotel. Geometric fabrics, teals and lemons, swooping Space Age architecture, a Jack LaLanne–branded gym, and a 10-lane bowling alley all wink at the midcentury era. Things may look old but they’re decidedly modern, down to the ample outlets in the bedrooms, gated parking, and air-conditioning that’s whisper quiet. On the north end of the complex, where a motor court theme prevails, you’ll find 600 family suites with kitchen areas (microwave, no stove) that sleep six somewhat tightly, two on a sofa bed. The music never stops in the two ginormous pool areas, which have Universal’s only lazy river, and guests get a special side entrance to Volcano Bay next door (some rooms added in 2017 look right into the park and at its iconic volcano). But there’s a trade-off: There’s no Express pass privileges (you do get into the parks early), no room service, and to reach the action, you’ll have take a shuttle to CityWalk—there is no water taxi to this hotel. (Sapphire Falls, priced a notch higher, has that.)

6550 Adventure Way, Orlando. www.universalorlando.com.  888/430-4999 or 407/503-4000. 2,200 units. Standard rooms from $119–$134, family suites $174–$284, with discounts for stays longer than 4 nights. Parking $12/night. Amenities: Food court; 10-lane bowling alley with food; 2 pools; 2 pool bars; waterslide; lazy river; fitness center; free standard-speed Wi-Fi (full-speed $15/day).

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort    The Modern Caribbean-inspired Sapphire Falls is clean and understated. It’s also my favorite of Universal’s moderate options because the service is strong, parking is sheltered, and you can take ferries or walks to the parks (the more crowded Cabana Bay only has buses). Most rooms have either a king or two queens (321 sq. ft.), but for $100 more you can have a King Suite with a separate sitting area (595 sq. ft.), and for $200 more there are Kids Suites with a separate double-twin bedroom for children. Quick-service food options are short, but the 16,000-square-foot pool area, which catches sun until sunset, is a world unto itself. A stay comes with early entry to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but not Express entry.

6601 Adventure Way, Orlando. www.universalorlando.com.  888/430-4999. 1,000 units. Double queen or king rooms $179–$250. Covered parking $22/night (self parking), $29/night (valet parking). Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; fitness center; pool with activities and bar; free standard-speed Wi-Fi (full-speed $15/day).

Universal’s Aventura Hotel    New as of August 2018, Universal’s sixth hotel, a lower-priced choice, is different from its sisters—it’s a 16-story tower with a sort of mild modern Miami, sleeker urban aesthetic. Tucked down by Sapphire Falls and Volcano Bay, it has Bar 17 Bistro, an open-air rooftop bar and grill with fantastic views, plus rooms in which bedside tablets control things like the TV, the temperature, and pizza delivery. Guests won’t receive Express privileges and they’ll have to link with the parks by bus, but they will be allowed early park entry in the mornings. Standard rooms (258 sq. ft.—not giant, but enlived by decorative glass panels and floor-to-ceiling windows) have either two queen beds or a single king plus a pull-out couch, so they fit four. Deluxe rooms, starting at $30 more, are high enough for city views or to peer into Volcano Bay. A food hall promises fresh ingredients and quick global cuisine.

6725 Adventure Way, Orlando. www.universalorlando.com.  888/273-1311. 600 units. Double queen or king rooms start at $116–$144 ($169 with the best views), with discounts for longer stays, Kids suite rooms sleeping 5 from $216. Covered parking $14/night. Amenities: Food court; 2 bars; fitness center; pool with bar; free standard-speed Wi-Fi (full-speed $15/day).

Winning at Priceline Roulette

Instead of pecking around Priceline and making blind bids that may waste your money, use one of three secret-weapon sites, BiddingTraveler.com, BetterBidding.com, and the lesser-used BiddingForTravel.com, to find out what recent bids have been accepted. Then you’ll get a sense of how low you can go. Using it one low season, I read about a $40 success story for an off-Disney two-star property. I dared to offer Priceline $29—and got my deal. Next, I shopped for rental cars. Although the major renters were offering around $25 a day on their own sites, Priceline accepted a bid of $16, through Alamo. That made for a total of $35 a day for both hotel and car—not bad. Three-star hotels go for $40 to $50, and four-stars for $60 to $70, even in summer. And these prices have held steady for years.

U.S. 192 Area Accommodations

West of Disney along U.S. 192 is quickly becoming a choice area where you’ll find the highest density of vacation homes (p. 264), for starters. And at the Western Way and State Route 429, out Disney’s back door, four new hotels totaling 998 rooms are being constructed in the Flamingo Crossings development: a Residence Inn, a Fairfield Inn, a Homewood Suites, and one more Hilton-branded moderate property.

But on U.S. 192 East across the I-4 dividing line is the lowest rung in the Orlando tourist ladder, both in price and class. Most of the stuff here was built in the 1970s boom in an outdated concrete motel style, and now it’s settled into a category that could charitably be called ultra-budget—if you saw the 2017 movie The Florida Project, you saw the decay into which some of these forgotten inns have sunk (the movie’s setting, the lavender Magic Castle, is a real motel at 5055 West 192, though it’s not as desperate and grotty as the film version). Those places are technically located in the town of Kissimmee, which posts deals at www.experiencekissimmee.com. In this region, shuttles are often available to Disney, but not always to SeaWorld or Universal.

Expensive

Gaylord Palms    The Gaylord, run by fee-mad Marriott, is geared to captive audiences attending meetings, so although its scenery is extravagant, so are its incidental charges. Beneath its mighty glass atrium is a 4½-acre Florida-themed ecosystem of gator habitats, caves, indoor ponds, sand sculptures, restaurants, and a full-size sailboat—all of that makes for an attraction unto itself, and to face it, you’ll pay about $25 extra. Rooms sleep five and sport unusually nice granite-lined bathrooms. If Disney weren’t right outside, you might never leave, what with the on-site Cypress Springs mini water park, adults-only pool, and the Relâche Spa & Salon. It also schedules family activities and an annual holiday ICE! extravaganza (p. 276). Until 2021, it’s undergoing expansion that will add 303 rooms, so get a room away from the construction zone. Resort fee warning: $22/night.

6000 W. Osceola Pkwy., Kissimmee. www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-palms.  800/429-5673 or 407/586-2000. 1,406 units. $169 king or double-queen rooms. Parking $22 (self), $33 (valet). Resort fee $22/night. Amenities: 5 restaurants; sports bar; 2 pools with splash zone; fitness center; spa; arcade; room service; free local phone calls; park shuttles (Disney free, others charged); free bottled water; Wi-Fi $15/day (fast $22/day).

The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando    Just before the Great Reccession, a British developer took $200 million of other people’s money, began constructing a massive 900-room lakeside resort on 106 acres by a conservation area west of Disney—and then fled the country. It sat grimly half-built for 7 years, a white elephant in the swamp, but finally, the saga has a happy ending. New owners have finished and expanded it, and now it’s a full-service moderate resort that feels if not quite luxurious, then surely more expensive than it is. It’s a fully equipped resort comprised of huge comfortable apartments, each with a fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, tub, and screened-in balcony; even the smallest are 975 sq. ft. There’s only every-other-day cleaning, but to sweeten the pot, the grounds face a small Old Florida lake (only electric or human-powered boats, available for rent, are allowed, and so is fishing). Families are also drawn to the small private water park, separate from the adult pools, with a little slide tower and lazy river. Don’t let the Winter Garden address scare you; I’ve timed it, and the drive to Disney’s gate on Western Way via backroads is 7 minutes. In fact, the semirural location sets it apart from competitors, like a resort oasis in a wide wilderness of green. Resort fee warning: $25/night.

14501 Grove Resort Ave., Winter Garden. www.groveresortorlando.com.  844/203-0209 or 407/545-7500. 1,170 units. 1-bedroom, 1-bath units from $179; 2-bedroom, 2-bath units from $199; 3-bedroom, 2-bath units from $229. Lake view with distant Disney fireworks view about $65 more. Covered parking $10. Resort fee $25/night. Amenities: Restaurant; water park with 2 slides, FlowRider, and lazy river; 3 pools; 2 pool bars with grills; indoor cocktail lounge; fishing; electric boats; coffee bar and sundries shop; 24-hr. fitness center; free local and toll-free calls; business center; free Wi-Fi.

Kissimmee Area Hotels

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort    Probably the most complete resort campus near Disney, the stepped tower packs every conceivable amenity into a lush 1,500-acre campus located practically inside Walt Disney World. There are 45 holes of golf, an unforgettable waterfall-and-cavern-studded lagoon pool system (for my money, it’s the best pool of any Orlando resort), lush trails wrapping around a private pond, Lake Windsong, horses, and top-floor views of the fireworks at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. With so many extras (kayaks, paddleboats, minigolf), it feels like what resorts used to be. Contrary to its decidedly 1980s atrium construction (and a snippy parrot, Merlot, who was allowed to remain in the lobby long after the previous tropical decor was retired), rooms—maximum guests: four; 360 square feet—have an almost Asian sleekness with rain showers, chaise lounges, and adapter panels to play multimedia on the 37-inch HDTV. Each year the resort gets a little better; the signature restaurant, Hemingway’s, is in its own romantic courtyard pavilion and newly opened LakeHouse does clean, fresh ingredients and gorgeous sushi. I’ve seen $85 Priceline bids accepted—such a steal for a place that deserves to be packed. Resort fee warning: $30/night.

1 Grand Cypress Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. www.hyattgrandcypress.com.  800/233-1234 or 407/239-1234. 815 units. $135–$369 king or double queen. Parking $20 (self), $29 (valet). Resort fee $30/night. Amenities: 2 year-round restaurants; 3 cocktail bars; coffee bar; pool; babysitting; kids’ club; business center; gift shop; game room; tennis courts; golf course; biking; trails; rock climbing wall; 24-hr. fitness center; salon; beach; free park shuttles; free throttled Wi-Fi (full-speed $5/day).

Orlando World Center Marriott    Mighty large, mighty busy, and mighty impersonal, the 200-acre World Center rises like a citadel over I-4, a straight shot into Disney on Epcot Center Drive. Although handsome and appointed as a Marriott resort should be—the pool and slide tower are among the best in town—but it’s the infrastructure that does all the work. If you need more than that, any service whatsoever, expect waiting in line, inflated prices for food, and even to pay a fee for Wi-Fi, which by now should stamped out by mass revolt. The World Center mostly has what I call “points appeal”—it’s a fine place to cash in rewards, but it will never be your favorite. Spring for the valet, because the parking structure is unforgivably far from the building—it requires a shuttle, which leaves a sour taste. Alert: “Resort View” rooms often mean “Parking View.” Resort fee warning: $28/night.

8701 World Center Dr., Orlando. www.worldcentermarriott.com.  800/380-7931 or 407/239-4200. 2,009 units. $175–$369 king or double queen. Parking $22 (self), $35 (valet). Resort fee $28/night. Amenities: 6 restaurants; 3 bars; 2 pools with 3-waterslide tower and bar/grill; 18-hole golf course; golf school; 24-hr. fitness center; spa; 4 tennis courts; 2 sand volleyball courts; kids’ activities; throttled Wi-Fi $15/day (high-speed $20).

The Villas of Grand Cypress Resort    This is what you envision when you dream of a Florida vacation: well-appointed, condo-like villa units under softly drooping trees—travel in February, when they bloom in multiple colors. Off the sunken living rooms, doors open to a private patio, which itself cascades down to your own deck on a glassy lake. Some open onto a Jack Nicklaus golf course; it’s one of its main draws (nearly 100,000 rounds are played annually), and it surrounds the units, which makes a stay here feel like you’re a world away from Disney even though you’re so near—about 3 miles east from Cinderella Castle—that guests can see the fireworks. Villas are rich: full kitchens, huge leather couches, big dining table, washer/dryer, luxury bathrooms with a TV hidden behind the mirror, room service delivered by goft cart, and they encircle an easygoing pool complex. You can keep adding bedrooms with connecting doors; a 4-bedroom would sleep 10. (Bilevel “Club Suites” are just as nice, more like standard rooms but a huge 650 sq. ft. with 150-sq.-ft. terraces.) A stay here is like gaining access to two resorts, because guests have full access to the long list of amenities at the neighboring Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (p. 252), home to one of Orlando’s most epic pools. For all that you get, especially solitude so simple you can hear the night frogs sing, the price is incredibly good. There aren’t many Orlando hotels that I would gladly live in. Resort fee warning: $30/night.

Son of a Son of a Timeshare

This is not what you call wasting away. The $750-million Margaritaville Resort Orlando (8118 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy./U.S. 192, Kissimmee; www.margaritavilleresortorlando.com;  855/995/9099), a Jimmy Buffett–themed development, is being built on 320 acres on the south side of U.S. 192, 1 mile southwest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (but a circuitous 10-minute drive away). By late 2019, it will include a 184-room hotel (from $199), 900 conch house–style vacation cottages from 1 to 8 bedrooms, 300 timeshare units, and a 14-acre water park (3 slide towers, wave pool; open to the public spring 2019). Its SunsetWalk entertainment district is already open, including a 12-screen multiplex; Rock & Brews restaurant by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley; a restaurant by country group Rascal Flatts; and a GameTime family arcade complex.

1 North Jacaranda, Lake Buena Vista. www.grandcypress.com.  877/330-7370 or 407/239-4700. 119 units. Club Suites from $179, 1-bedroom villas from $277, 2-bedroom villas from $389, discounts of 25% for advance purchase. Free parking. Resort fee $30/night per bedroom. Amenities: Pool with bar/grill; lounge; free local calls; free loaner bikes; free shuttle to Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, and Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve; fitness center; catch-and-release fishing; daily activities; free shuttle to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress with free use of all its facilities; free Wi-Fi.

Moderate

Meliá Orlando Suite Hotel at Celebration    Suites (but not standard rooms) in this cloistered 240-room hotel have fully equipped kitchens including full-size fridges plus dishwashers. Many units, which are slightly stark, also have a little patio, and a queen-size pullout to sleep more people. Protected by the hotel’s four curving buildings, a perfectly round vanishing-edge pool ringed with funky red pyramid umbrellas recalls South Beach style, so it’s not the best choice for rambunctious kids. Getting a pool view adds about $20. It’s in the low-rent jungle of U.S. 192, where it doesn’t quite fit, but it’s super close to Disney. Resort fee warning: $20/night.

225 Celebration Place, Celebration. www.meliaorlando.com.  407/964-7000 or 888/956-3542. 240 units. $89–$219 1-bedroom suites sleeping 4, 2-bedroom suites sleeping 8 $30 more, $135–$269 family suites sleeping 8. Free parking. Resort fee $20/night. Amenities: Restaurant with bar; pool; sauna; fitness center (offsite); free park shuttles; shuttles to Celebration village; free continental breakfast; free Wi-Fi.

Inexpensive

Comfort Suites Maingate East    My only recommendation on this stretch of U.S. 192, with attentive management, it’s tucked just off the main drag a few miles east of Disney, with the restaurants and carnival-style amusements of Fun Spot and Old Town steps from the door—but not so near that the noise is truly annoying. The best rates are for “standard rooms” with either a king or queen bed, but you can get a “deluxe” two-bedroom one for about $30 more, and all rooms are on the large side with minifridges, pullout couches (to up your occupancy, if needed) and microwaves for basic meal preparation. The elevators can be overwhelmed when it’s at capacity.

And Now, Two Warnings…

If you use a debit card (instead of a credit card) as collateral against any purchases you may make during your stay, your card may be temporarily charged $50 to $250 (or more) per day, whether or not you actually charge anything to your room. This policy can seriously deplete your account, leaving you with fewer funds than you might realize—and you won’t see a credit back to your account until up to 10 days after you have checked out of your resort. Ask about your hotel’s policy.

Also, Orlando police perennially fight the pizza flyer scam, in which shady outfits put menus under your hotel room door and then rip you off if you order. If you want to order food in, ask your hotel for its preferred vendors.

2775 Florida Plaza Blvd., Kissimmee. www.comfortsuitesfl.com.  888/784-8379. 198 units. $89–$179 1-room suites. Free parking. Amenities: Pool with poolside bar; 24-hr. fitness center; sundries shop; game room; business center; free park shuttles; free hot breakfast buffet; free Wi-Fi.

Destiny Palms Hotel Maingate West    “Value for money” is the watchphrase in this rambling, old-style motel building on U.S. 192 west of Disney. The decor could use reviving (it could be termed “Early ’80s Beige”), but the staff keeps things spotless, and that’s what you want. Rooms come stocked with a toaster oven and minifridge; also included are free Wi-Fi and a continental breakfast upgraded with eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles. King rooms face the north parking lot and are on the small side; double queen rooms look south on some pleasing old-growth Florida woods. The east-facing pool (it, too, is motel-simple) also faces the trees, which keeps this place from feeling hemmed in. Resort fee warning: a puny $4.50/night. Why bother charging it?

8536 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy./U.S. 192, Kissimmee. www.destinypalmsmaingate.com.  407/396-1600. 104 units. $50–$70 doubles. Free parking. Resort fee $4.50/night. Amenities: Pool; free continental breakfast; free local calls; free Wi-Fi.

Quality Inn & Suites by the Parks    Scrupulously clean with fresh furniture and a professional staff, this three-level 1989 motel with elevators and outdoor corridors is top of the class for a budget choice. The courtyard pool is plain but immaculate, the beds made as tight as drums, and at breakfast it even does Mickey-face waffles. More expensive rooms have sleeper sofas and mini-kitchens. It’s directly south of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

2945 Entry Point Blvd., Kissimmee. www.qualityinnbytheparks.com.  855/849-1513 or 407/390-0204. 111 units. Doubles from $85. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Pool; fitness center; free breakfast buffet; free Wi-Fi.

SpringHill Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings/TownePlace Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings    This area, a half-mile out its little-used western gate past Coronado Springs, is slowly being developed into Flamingo Crossings, a hub for lower-cost hotels. Getting to I-4 and the other attractions of Orlando requires driving across the busy Disney resort, but it’s worth it for two new pristine Marriott-flagged hotels (opened 2016) with no parking or resort fees, tip-top management, and yet still undiscovered enough to yield very low prices. SpringHill offers doubles and queens with a desk partition (hence the “suites”), plus small fridges and microwaves, while TownePlace bumps up to a full-sized fridge. They share a big central pool area with a bar. For food options, take the toll expressway (State Road 429, $1.25) less than a mile south to U.S. 192.

13279 Flamingo Crossings Blvd., Winter Garden. www.marriott.com.  407/507-1200. SpringHill: 248 units. TownePlace: 250 units. Rooms from $87, 1-bedrooms from $105. No resort fee. Free parking. Amenities: Pool; spa; gym; sundries shop; free buffet breakfast; Magic Kingdom shuttle ($5); free Wi-Fi.

Lake Buena Vista

Roughly speaking, Lake Buena Vista is the area where the eastern end of Walt Disney World around Disney Springs meets exit 68 off I-4. LBV, as it’s nicknamed, is more compact and higher-class than the comparable cluster of Kissimmee hotels along U.S. 192, a few miles south near Disney’s southern gate. For breathing room, the best part of Lake Buena Vista is Palm Parkway, a lightly trafficked, winding, tree-lined avenue that’s a secret shortcut to Universal skirting I-4. Drive north on it and you’ll pass a turnoff for SeaWorld, a Walmart, a Whole Foods, and the restaurants of Sand Lake Road.

LBV has the highest occupancy rate in town, so you’ll often pay higher prices (and meet lazier staff) than in Kissimmee or on I-Drive, and traffic stinks. Free shuttles around here tend to go to Disney but not to Universal or SeaWorld.

See the map on p. 232 for locations of the properties below.

Moderate

Staybridge Suites Lake Buena Vista    Close to lots of restaurants and Disney Springs, you’ll find these apartment-like quarters (there are two TVs and the kitchens even have dishwashers). The three-level buildings don’t have elevators, but overlook that fact and avoid the ground-floor rooms, which are darker and less private. The full breakfast is free and plentiful, and you can eat it indoors or out. There’s also a well-used pool in one of the courtyards. It’s for people who want a condo rental experience, including laundry, without renting an actual condo.

8751 Suiteside Dr., Orlando. www.sborlando.com.  407/238-0777. 150 units. $105–$145 1-bedrooms sleeping 4, $120–$176 2-bedrooms sleeping 8. Free rollaways and cribs. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Full breakfast; heated pool; spa tub; business center; sundries shop; free Disney shuttle; free Wi-Fi.

Inexpensive

Hawthorn Suites Lake Buena Vista    The decor is a touch dated (built in 2000, renovated in 2014), but the management is attentive and hard-working, so this L-shaped property, arranged around a quiet and uncomplicated kidney-shaped pool, is a safe budget pick. The special appeal of this place is its full kitchens, standard in all rooms, with dishwashers, stoves, cookware—everything you need to cook for yourself and save. All suites are one-bedroom suites, and the cheapest ones have two queen beds. There’s no restaurant, but there are choices nearby, and access to both Disney and Universal is a 10-minute drive away—SeaWorld’s even closer.

8303 Palm Pkwy., Orlando. www.hawthornlakebuenavista.com.  866/756-3778 or 407/597-5000. 120 suites. $89–$159 doubles. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Pool; hot tub; small fitness center; free breakfast buffet; free Disney shuttle, $10 shuttle to other parks; game room; business center; sundries shop; free beer and wine at weekday manager receptions; free local calls; free Wi-Fi.

Hyatt Place Lake Buena Vista    Opened in late 2016 and still well-run, it has the earmarks of the business-focused brand, which also happen to be useful for vacationers: large rooms divided into sleeping and sitting areas (with pullout couch) like low-cost junior suites, a kiosk for food, free breakfast, and free Wi-Fi. The pool’s a little plain, but so what? Many other properties in the area date to the 1980s, so it’s rare to find something so new out the side door to Disney Springs. You can walk to many places to eat.

8688 Palm Pkwy., Orlando. http://orlandolakebuenavista.place.hyatt.com.  407/778-5500. 196 units. $90–$149 doubles. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Pool; free buffet breakfast; business center; 24-hr. fitness center; free Wi-Fi.

International Drive, Universal

I-Drive is a good place to stay if you don’t have a car because it’s full of places to eat. It’s also the only hotel zone with a semblance of street life. If you stay here, you’ll be in the thick of the family-friendly come-ons, midway rides, souvenir hawkers, minigolf, and theme bars. You’ll need wheels to reach Disney (most hotels offer shuttles, but not always to Disney, and not always free), although Universal is just across I-4 to the north and the dirt-cheap I-Ride Trolley (p. 271) links you with SeaWorld. Car traffic can clog I-Drive, but there’s a workaround: Universal Boulevard, a block east, bypasses the mess.

International Drive Hotels

Expensive

Hyatt Regency Orlando    Hyatt’s double skyscraper surpasses the expectations of a typical convention-center hotel, which it is, and delivers a luxurious if vaguely decorated stay above the gridlock of I-Drive. Expect space (415 sq. ft. is the norm but the maximum is 3–4 guests), an echoing lobby of white stone and marble, sculptural waterfalls, richly appointed bathrooms, ankle-level lights that switch on when they sense your movement, and other high-end touches that appeal to business travelers who come for its massive meeting halls. The free-form pool is pretty but not as frenetic as some other kid-focused ones, the fitness center is extremely well-stocked, and a collection of business-expense restaurants (an “Italian steakhouse,” seafood) and a 24-hr. diner-style joint round out the well-balanced menu of options. The windows in the newer Regency Tower are larger, so ask for a View room there—you’ll spy the distant Disney fireworks. All in all, it’s not cozy, but it’s a solid hotel. Resort fee warning: $25/night.

9801 International Dr., Orlando. http://orlando.regency.hyatt.com.  407/284-1234. 1,639 units. $139–$425 doubles or kings for up to 4. Parking $22 (self), $35 (valet). Resort fee $25/night. Amenities: 3 restaurants; cocktail bar; pool with children’s area and activities; hot tub; babysitting; spa; bike rental; 24-hr. fitness center; tennis court; free Wi-Fi.

JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando/Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Orlando    The two towers form a busy city unto themselves in a 500-acre plot east of SeaWorld. If you stay in one, you can use the main amenities of the other. The JW’s 24,000-sq.-ft. pool area, landscaped with fake rocks, jungle greens, and a ¼-mile lazy river, is deservedly jammed on hot days, while the Ritz’s water area is formal and refined. The JW’s rooms’ Florida-style furnishings (wicker, creamy greens and tans) won’t be setting any trends, but the palatial beds and bathrooms might. The food is top-notch; restaurants by Melissa Kelly (Primo) and Norman Van Aken (Norman’s) have earned plaudits for years; even the casual choices are delicious, and the property even grows some of its own ingredients. But none of it is cheap, and the remote location means you’ll have to drive somewhere every time your stomach rumbles if you want to escape resort pricing. (It’s a flaw; you’ll spot guests coming back from local pizza joints and Wawa with cheaper provisions.) The 40,000-sq.-ft. Ritz-Carlton spa is one of the city’s best and in its guest rooms, the pampering and quality are a notch higher than in the JW. Both have unobstructed views over a Greg Norman–designed golf course and a connected nature reserve (it’s much larger than you’d think—you could get lost during an evening wander) where every diversion, from fishing to biking, is offered. It’s truly full-service. Rates fluctuate wildly if there’s a conference. Resort fee warning: $35/night.

4040 Central Florida Pkwy., Orlando. www.grandelakes.com.  800/576-5760 or 407/206-2400 for the Ritz;  800/576-5750 or 407/206-2300 for the JW Marriott. JW: 1,000 units, Ritz: 584 units. JW: From $179 doubles, Ritz: From $273 doubles. Parking (both) $28 (self), $35 (valet). Resort fee (both) $35/night. Amenities: 6 restaurants; 2 cafes; babysitting; 2 daily hr. of kids’ club (Ritz only); spa; Club Level rooms; health club; golf course (normally membership-only); 2 outdoor heated pools; kids’ pool; 3 tennis courts; kayaking; Starbucks; free local calls; free park shuttles; throttled Wi-Fi $15/day, video-speed Wi-Fi $20/day.

Rosen Shingle Creek    It’s not often you find a full-scale resort that isn’t controlled by some corporate office far away. The Shingle Creek is the flagship of Harris Rosen, de facto Orlando tourism royalty who controls nine hotels and an incredble 6,705 rooms in town. So although it’s massive and well-manicured, it feels a little different. I wouldn’t quite call the room furnishings dated—they just feel resolutely beige and homey—but standard rooms have more space than usual and most of them have a great view since the hotel stands on its own (5 miles to Universal, 9 to Disney) with nothing blocking it. And miracles of miracles, there’s no resort fee, which is reason enough to support it even if its does result in a few optional fees here and there to do some things. Conferences regularly take it over, and the fascinating mini–mall of restaurants and focus on golf (p. 187) are squarely aimed at them, but could be useful for you. There’s even a little supermarket in the basement so you don’t have to go out to buy a bottle of wine (and it’s not priced to rip you off).

9939 Universal Blvd., Orlando. www.rosenshinglecreek.com.  866/966-6338. 1,501 units. $139–$425 doubles or kings for up to 4. Parking $18 (self), $26 (valet). No resort fee. Amenities: 8 restaurants; 2 cocktail bars; 4 pools with bar; spa; coffee bar; ice cream and sandwich shop; nature trail; 24-hr. fitness center ($10/use); tennis; basketball; sand volleyball; arcade; mini supermarket; free shuttles to Universal and SeaWorld; babysitting (fee); free Wi-Fi (throttled), $10–$15 (video speed).

Moderate

Drury Inn & Suites    A top pick. The popular, privately owned Missouri-based hotel group has an ideal plot—drive around the corner to Universal, down Palm Parkway to Disney, or go on foot to the restaurants of I-Drive or Sand Lake Road. Design is fresh in rust browns and greens, rooms are wider than the industry average, and there are tons of free extras. So friendly is this brand that every day at 5:30pm, it hosts a “kickback” with free food, beer, and wine—some cheapskates treat it as a free dinner. The king-bed category has only a shower; the others have tubs.

7301 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando. www.druryhotels.com.  407/354-1101. 238 units. $100–$155 1-king or 2-queen rooms. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Indoor/outdoor pool; free hot breakfast; free soda and popcorn; 24-hr. fitness room; business center; free local calls; pets permitted for free; free Universal shuttle; free Wi-Fi.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites—Orlando at SeaWorld    One of the newer builds (summer 2017) in the tourist zone, and therefore one of the crisper choices, is this six-story hotel on the east side of SeaWorld, with a panoramic view roller-coaster nuts will swoon over. No restaurant, but there’s a fair selection of franchise choices within walking or close driving distance, and you split the difference between resorts: Univeral is a 10-minute drive north while Disney parks are 15 minutes southwest. Rooms are typical of the brand, nothing unique, sort of sterile, but exactly what you need, and new. The shuttle offerings aren’t strong.

10771 International Dr., Orlando. www.igh.com/holidayinnexpress.  407/996-4100 or 407/351-2100. 181 units. $93–$111 doubles. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Free breakfast; pool; fitness center; business center; free Wi-Fi.

Hyatt House Across from Universal Orlando Resort    It’s not technically across from it—more like a 30-second drive around a bend—but it is brand-stinking new, having opened midway through 2018, and at 8 stories tall, west-facing rooms have a good peek at some of its rooftops. Hyatt House, if you don’t know, is the hotel giant’s “extended stay” product, which means it’s ideal for families who like to be able to cook for themselves. Rooms and suites come with a microwave and cube fridge, and most suites have fully equipped kitchens and a living room. Studios have a floating divider but not an actual wall (easier for keeping an eye on little kids); bump up $20 or so if you want a bedroom door that shuts. But even studios can sleep 6. (Den rooms are like standard hotel rooms.) It looks great, is fully modern, and hits the value buttons.

5915 Caravan Ct., Orlando. http://acrossfromuniversalorlando.house.hyatt.com.  407/352-5660. 168 units. Rooms $139–$189 with 2 double beds, $20 more for king bed. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Heated pool; bar; sundries shop; 24-hr. fitness center; free Universal shuttle; free breakfast buffet; free Wi-Fi.

Sonesta ES Suites Orlando—International Drive    This well-managed all-apartment hotel, across the street from the ICON Orlando and near plenty of places to eat, was recently lavished with a gut renovation, so there are fewer mid-priced properties as current. All units (most one-bedrooms are arranged around a courtyard pool, two-bedrooms face out) have new kitchens with new appliances, fresh furniture, fresh carpeting and bedding, a booth for family meals, and lots of added electrical outlets for recharging. Suddenly a dowdy 1980s holdover has again become family vacation darling. The staff is unusually dedicated, and some have been caring for this property for years. And when you come home after a long day, you can walk to dozens of restaurants.

8480 International Dr., Orlando. www.sonesta.com/orlando.  407/352-2400. 146 units. 1-bedrooms $129–$189, 2-bedroom/2-bath $30–$40 more. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Free breakfast; pool; spa tub; bar; sundries shop; small fitness center; free park shuttles (for Disney, connect via Epcot); free Wi-Fi.

Inexpensive

Avanti Palms Resort and Conference Center    Let’s be frank: This is just a 1972 property that got an extreme makeover. But they did a great job, and now it’s one of the prime budget choices on I-Drive. It still has the creaky bones of a motel (older AC units, older pipes), but rooms aren’t old-fashioned (they have laminate floors, for one). You definitely want to pass on a low-to-the-ground Garden room (324 sq. ft./30 sq. m) in favor of a room in the 14-story Tower (413 sq. ft/38 sq. m). Not just because they’re bigger, but also because many of them look right at the gorgeous mountain of Volcano Bay, just a few hundred feet away, across I-4. All rooms have mini-fridges, which Disney won’t do at its lowest price level. Because you’ll be on I-Drive, there are heaps of places to eat, buy staples, and find cheap fun all around. All in all, you’re doing quite well here for the low price. Pay attention that you book here and not at the sister Avanti down the road. Resort fee warning: $13.50/night.

6515 International Dr., Orlando. www.avantipalmsresort.com.  866/994-3157 or 407/996-0900. 653 units. $67–$109 doubles. Free parking. Resort fee $13.50/night. Amenities: Quick-service cafe; pool with hot tub and bar; Starbucks; fitness room; sundries shop; shuttles to Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld; free Wi-Fi.

Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando International Drive/Convention Center    A 2013 new build, it has a terrific location by the ICON Orlando, which you can walk to. Expect large rooms in yellows and oranges, outlets galore, and large counters and desks to spread out on. On the east, rooms face nothing but greenery. True, the elevators and breakfast buffet can get a tad overwhelmed in the mornings and you have to ask for a room with a minifridge or you may not get one, but overall, it’s all you could wish for an affordable hotel. The top rate is for an Executive Kitchen Suite, which has a whopping 625 square feet and a fully equipped kitchen.

8214 Universal Blvd., Orlando. www.marriott.com.  407/581-9001. 160 units. $94–$159 doubles. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Pool; free breakfast buffet; sundries shop; free Wi-Fi.

Residence Inn Marriott Universal Studios    It’s recommended because it’s brand new (2018) and up-to-date (room doors will even open using the Marriott app), and yet it’s still affordable. You’re probably familiar with the corporate brand standard here. Rooms have real kitchens with stoves, ovens, pans, and utensils—save cash that way, too. The smallest unit, studios, are quite spacious (471 sq. ft./42 sq. m) and sleep three, but if you want a door to close while someone else sleeps on the pull-out sofa bed, you must upgrade. Staff is cheerful and the pool is uncomplicated. The parking garages of Universal are a 2-minute drive away and there are few chain places to eat within walking distance, but the area is by no means noisy or too busy.

5616 Major Blvd., Orlando. www.marriott.com.  407/313-1234. 195 units. Studios $101–$141, 1-bedrooms $120–$174, 2-bedrooms $136–$209. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Pool; fitness center; free Universal shuttle; sundries shop; putting green; free breakfast; free Wi-Fi (throttled; video speed $5/day).

TownePlace Suites Orlando at SeaWorld    You won’t get much crisper than this one, which has only been open since the summer of 2017. Rooms, full of basic and durable furnishings, are larger than the hotel norm and have fully equipped kitchens with granite counters, pots and pans, and even dishwashers (good thing, since there’s no on-site restaurant). Even the cheapest room, a “Studio” (325 sq. ft.) sleeps five if you use its living area and sleeper sofa. It’s right beside SeaWorld, near plenty of things to eat.

10731 International Dr., Orlando. www.marriott.com.  407/996-3400. 188 units. Rooms with 2 doubles or king from $89. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Free hot breakfast buffet; pool; park shuttles; fitness center; free Wi-Fi.

Around Downtown Orlando

Because it’s a 30-minute ride north of Disney on I-4 (yes, you should have a car for these), a hotel would have to be pretty special to convince a tourist to choose it over one that’s nearer. Orlando has a few, where you can find respite from the hurdy-gurdy and plastinated smiles—or a breather from children.

Expensive

The Alfond Inn    In 2013, Rollins College opened this boutique hotel in upscale Winter Park using a $12.5-million donation; its income will endow a scholarship program. Isn’t that nice? So is the hotel. Its restaurant and cocktail bar, planted courtyard, and modern rooms striped in teal, wood, and lime, are designed to appeal to sophisticated palates, something that its fantastic public art collection, which is curated by the surprisingly well-stocked Cornell Fine Art Museum, underscores. These gleaming facilities are 3 blocks from the dignified shopping of Park Avenue and the Morse Museum (p. 170), making it an instant keystone of the Winter Park scene. It’s probably too far if you’ve got a heavy theme park schedule, but it’s ideal for love-nesting and grown-up explorations of the brick streets and ’20s mansions of Winter Park.

300 E. New England Ave., Winter Park. www.thealfondinn.com.  407/998-8090. 112 units. $199–$259 doubles. Valet parking $20/night; no self-parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Restaurant; lounge; pool; fitness center; pets permitted; free Wi-Fi.

Moderate

Courtyard at Lake Lucerne    Orlando just doesn’t have inns this individual anymore. South of downtown, literally beaneath highways (at least they go everywhere), you’ll find a rare B&B, and rarer still, it preserves the feeling of Old Florida. There’s a reason local couples favor it for weddings: Under Spanish moss, this hideaway of adult calm preserves four homey buildings of varied historic styles. Top of the line is the city’s oldest documented house, 1883’s Norment Parry Inn, which believe it or not has the cheapest rates here because not everyone likes sleigh beds and claw-footed tubs; you’ll sleep in an elegant four-poster bed among Victorian-era European antiques. I. W. Phillips House recalls Key West because its wooden wrap-around verandah overlooks tropical plantings. Wellborn Suites is Art Deco, less elegant, but with kitchenettes. All rooms have TVs, phones, and private bathrooms. Note: There is no pool here.

211 N. Lucerne Circle E., Orlando. www.orlandohistoricinn.com.  407/648-5188. 30 units. $130–$225 doubles. Some rooms do not permit kids. Free parking. No resort fee. Amenities: Free breakfast; free Wi-Fi.

Legoland Hotels

In 2015, Legoland opened the 152-room Legoland Hotel , and it’s a wonder—a fabulous, candy-colored property crammed with Lego models and structures, with Lego play areas, character breakfasts, a heated pool, and rooms with elaborately executed themes ranging from pirates to medieval times. It’s also just “132 kid steps,” as the owners put it, from the front gates of the park (p. 158). It was such a smash that in 2017, the park opened a slightly cheaper, second hotel, the Legoland Beach Retreat (83 “beach bungalows” with 166 units sleeping up to 5). Those make for a dream trip to Legoland, but they’re too distant to use as a base for the rest of Orlando, which can be an hour away depending on traffic. www.legolandhotel.com;  877/350-5346. Rooms start at $135–$165 in low season, $349 in peak season, and often come with a second day of park tickets free. $20–$25/night resort fee.

Home Rentals

In most destinations, you contact the owner directly. This is an option in Orlando, and the prominent online databases operate here, including Airbnb.com, FabVillas.com, FlipKey.com, HomeAway.com, Housetrip.com, and Vacation Rentals by Owner (www.vrbo.com). But in Orlando, many people who live far away keep homes as investments, so it’s a lot better, for accountability’s sake, to use a rental company. They inspect your potential home and give you support on the ground, unlocking the front door from miles away with the tap of a keyboard, and they can come fix things.

You’ll find most homes or just south or west of Disney World in the towns of Clermont, Kissimmee, and Davenport—about a 10-minute drive. Nearly all were specifically built to have one bathroom for nearly every bedroom, and you’ll have everything from an equipped kitchen to laundry. Generally, the older the house, the cheaper it is. Three-bedroom condo units sleeping up to eight, with a themed kids’ room, start around $129 a night, or half what it costs to squeeze eight into two Disney Value rooms. Or you could have a whole three-bedroom house from $209. In addition to being selected for their reputations, longevity, and inventory, all of the companies listed in Frommer’s had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida (www.bbb.org/central-florida) at press time, and most are accredited.

Your credit card will usually be charged a deposit ($200–$300 or 1 night’s rent is standard) a month or two ahead of time, and if you cancel, you’re unlikely to see that again. You’ll also have to pay a one-time fee that goes toward insurance or cleaning; $50 to $80 is normal, which makes short stays less economical. Perks like a pool or grills may incur a surcharge, which is also normal. Also ask what supplies you’ll need to buy. Clean bath towels and sheets are supplied, but maid service won’t be unless you pay extra.

Global Resort Homes    Founded in 1993, this solid and responsible moderate-price choice manages more than 300 properties, mostly around Disney, in one of nine gated vacation-home communities with clubhouses for activities and swimming. The people who own the homes are responsible for decor, but GRH nudges them to make sure everything meets a high standard—all include Wi-Fi, a pool (either communcal or private), dishwasher and a laundry room, and crisp furnishings—and staff is on call 24/7. It’s not unusual to find homes that sleep 10 going for as low as $231 a night in peak summer. Usefully, the website offers virtual tours of nearly every room in each property.

7796 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy./U.S. 192, Kissimmee. www.globalresorthomes.com.  888/426-0472 or 407/387-3030. No pets.

IPG Florida Vacation Homes    IPG began by serving British vacationers before branching out into Florida; now it’s among the largest, dealing in dozens of home developments south and west of Disney, particularly Bella Piazza, Highlands Reserve, Windsor Hills, and the Villas at Island Club. Two-bedroom condos run $120 to $160, often less; six bedrooms can cost a mere $143.

9550 W. U.S. 192, Clermont. www.ipgflorida.com.  800/311-7105 or 863/547-1050. Pets with $400 fee.

Magical Vacation Homes    An area renter since 2007, it represents about 200 properties hosting from 2 to 14 people, most of them clustered in three high-quality developments (Reunion Resort, Windsor Hills, and ChampionsGate) right south of Disney. You don’t need keys since your entry is handled by coded keypad. There’s a 4-night minimum at many of its homes.

7555 Osceola Polk Line Rd, Davenport. www.magicalvacationhomes.com.  866/991-3158 or 407/552-6155. No pets.

Orlando Vacation Homes 360    A specialist in the Orlando market, meaning it doesn’t represent homes anywhere else, it focuses on 16 developments between 2 and 7 miles from Disney. Three-bedroom condos sleeping eight start at around $89 a night if it’s a condo unit, but they represent homes of up to 8 bedrooms. It allows vacationers to pay on installment as long as everything is paid 30 days before arrival.

424 E. Central Blvd., 137/B, Orlando. www.ovh360.com.  888/826-0551 or 407/966-4144. Most homes don’t allow pets.

Tropical Escape Resort Homes    Founded in 2006, the company deals in the major developments south of Disney, including ChampionsGate, Reunion, and West Haven. Homes start at 3 bedrooms and go up, but deals are easy to find among them; one of its 7-bedroom homes starts at just $200 a night—that’s value.

8320 ChampionsGate Blvd., ChampionsGate. www.tropicalescapevacationhomes.com.  866/409-8598. Some homes allow pets.