First timer.

Can any one give me advice on the best location to stay. We are 2 adults, and 2 teenagers. 1 boy 1 girl. The main things we need to know are, On site Disney Hotels, or Nearby location, Pros and Cons.

Thanks in advance.

gasypete (UK).

First timer.

Since I%26#39;m assuming you%26#39;re flying into Orlando, the biggest factor will be if you plan to rent a car or not.

If you don%26#39;t rent a car, staying on Disney property is a distinct advantage. You get free transportation to your resort from the airport (if you fly into Orlando International) and you get free transportation from your resort to all the Disney parks and Downtown Disney. You can also get the ';meal plan'; that could save you money if you wind up having to eat meals on Disney property. The one disadvantage, if you stay on Disney property and don%26#39;t have a car, is that you%26#39;ll have to find transportation to any other places outside Disney you may want to go to (such as Universal, Sea World, Discover Cove, etc.).

If you are planning on renting a car, you might find cheaper options on lodging and food outside Disney property. This is not recommended though if you don%26#39;t have a way to get around, so a car is almost a must.

Public transportation in Orlando is not a good option as it is very poor.

Happy Planning!!

First timer.

There are so many pro%26#39; %26amp; cons. You didn%26#39;t say how old the teenagers are. Are they old enough and independent enough to hop a shuttle and meet up with you at designated meeting sites. If this is the case definitely stay on property.

Pros for staying on property are all the perks. I think the meal plan was the big one for us last year it more than payed for itself.

There are so many options , but you give so little info of your own thoughtd intentions likes dislikes. Nor do you give any indication which airport you will be flying into. There are Motels, Hotels,villas and accomadation on site both at Disney and Universal. Accomadation from $30 a night to however much you want to spend,

More info from yourself will produce more precice advise.

With a name like gasypete I don鈥檛 care where you stay so long as its down wind from me.

Vinny

PS. Everyone on this site knows im a Disney fan. I stayed off site last year and I just felt it wasn鈥檛 the same but each to there own.

I am also a big fan of pop century which is one of the cheaper hotels Disney does.

What is it that you are looking for from your holiday?

Vinny

I%26#39;m not sure about your tolerance for driving on the right.(Hey left is tough for me too) But here are my suggestions.Definitly on site for a first timer. Port Orleans, Carribbean Beach,Coronado Springs in that order for moderate resorts.Disney transportation is easily managed by your children,but a car facilitates things immensely.Signage is great roads are well lighted. You can only get lost if you want to. I find it to be one of the safest holiday destinations.

We stayed off site the first 2 trips, will never do that again at Disney or Universal. The convenience and the perks are worth the additional cost. If you are planning on doing anything off of Disney property you will need a car. We stayed for a week and used he bus for all the parks and Downtown Disney. Coronado Springs is great for teens, really cool pool, very well themed atmosphere, good dining options. Carribean Beach looks great too. Port Orleans looks too much like my hometown for me but everyone loves it. Get the free dining plan if you can, it%26#39;s worth it even when you have to pay for it.

Thanks for all this, what a great website.

My kids are girl 14, boy 16, I like to have a beer or two in the evening, Flights not booked yet so what airport? Budget for accomodation, between about +/- 拢100-拢200 a night. seems like Car rental is a must?. I want to see as much as possible, And from what i%26#39;ve heard theres a lot to cram in. in a fortnight.

Again thanks for taking the time to write.

If you are looking for best value for money

Your best best bet is to go for a 3 bed villa you can get these at around $100 a night,( we have only paid $58 for a lovely little town house. But you would have to have a car as there is no Villa sites on bus routes . And puplic service buses are almost none existant.

No Disney Accomadation would match this for price.

You could then consider using a charter airline First Choice, TCD, Thompsons, My Travel, and some others who would give you a good flight ticket price. But they all land at Sanford Orlando International which is further away but easier to use . But would be more expensive to get to/from if you decided not to have a car.

There are lots of hotels to pick from starting at $30 a night to whatever you want to pay. I Drive is a tourist area smothered with hotels , some very good, a few attrocious. This area is a good place to stay if you decide not to drive.

If you dont drive and use Disney Hotels they are not cheap and while there is a very good bus servise to all their attractions, you are somewhat trapped to go anywhere else.

The Buena Vista area or Kissimmee 192 are good hotel locations, lots of hotels all kinds of prices. Villas tend to be a bit further out , lots of the sites 1-3 miles off 192. There is not a lot of pubs as you would know them here, but there is bars where you can buy drinks, but they are not cheap over the bar. (Neither is half ltr botts of water out of the parks, you can in fact buy a gallon of petrol cheaper). But you might have to drive to a lot of the bars,, which is a No NO in the US. And there is no way they would serve your kids, and if you bought it for them and supplied them with a drink you could get into bother even in the privicy of you own villa./ hotel room. Also to remember do not have any can/bottle of alcholic drink open in the car.

Many of the villa resorts have bars and there would be nothing stopping you buying from Walmart and taking it back to the Villa.

You might want to consider which options you fancy then ask for precise Airlins, accomadation, car, location , later.

DO NOT STAY OFF SITE. Two weeks should give you folks plenty of time to enjoy the area.I can now assume you%26#39;re planning to visit the surrounding theme parks as well. A car, then is a must!!Oh, and take a mental health day in the middle of your holiday. Sleep in, lounge by the pool, go to the Boardwalk in the evening. Relax!!You need a little ';rest';