| When taking a Disney family vacation to the Magic | | | | feet can save $50 on a weeklong trip (and there are |
| Kingdom in Orlando, you essentially have two options | | | | hotels immediately on both sides of the county line). |
| when it comes to your hotel arrangements: staying in a | | | | Advantages of Staying On Disney Property |
| Disney-owned hotel or resort (on-property) or staying | | | | I'm biased here, but there are a bunch of reasons that I |
| somewhere outside of Disney property. There are | | | | prefer to stay in a Disney hotel. The simplest is parking. |
| pros and cons either way. | | | | Parking at the theme parks is currently $16 per day. If |
| If you live within an hour or two of the parks, and have | | | | you stay at a Disney resort, parking is free. You can |
| lived there for more than a couple of years, odds are | | | | then use the Disney buses to get back and forth. For |
| that you are not going to learn anything new from this | | | | a weeklong stay, this will save more than $100! |
| article. But if a Disney family vacation requires any | | | | With kids, I really like having the "Disney magic" right in |
| degree of planning (beyond how to pay for it), then this | | | | the hotel. All of the little details, right down to the |
| is for you! | | | | shower curtains in the bathroom will make you think |
| I grew up in Florida, only three hours from Disney | | | | "Disney" and just add to the memories. |
| World. I went to college 45 minutes from the parks. I | | | | It's hard to beat the transportation that Disney offers. |
| stopped counting how many times I had been to | | | | Once you arrive at Disney, they handle all of your |
| Disney after I passed 100. But I never really worried | | | | transportation needs. Buses are available to all of the |
| about where I stayed until I had a family of my own. | | | | parks and entertainment areas at no cost. And, if |
| Up until that point, I thought nothing of getting up early, | | | | you're flying into Orlando International Airport, Disney's |
| driving to one of the parks, spending the day there, and | | | | Magical Express will transport you to and from the |
| driving home. Throw a toddler or two in the mix, and | | | | airport, and they'll handle all of the details of dealing with |
| things change drastically. Move 20 hours away and it | | | | your luggage as well! |
| gets even more complicated. | | | | Spending time at Disney makes for some long days. |
| Advantages of Staying Off Disney Property | | | | With kids, it's nice to be able to decompress and cool |
| There aren't as many direct advantages of staying | | | | off midday, especially during the hot summer months. |
| off-property as you might think. It would seem that | | | | By catching a Disney bus around lunch time, you can |
| cost would be one factor, but there are usually ticket | | | | go back to the hotel room at lunch time, and cool off in |
| hotel combination packages that make Disney hotel | | | | the pool or take a nap, then you can return to the park |
| rooms surprisingly affordable, especially if you look into | | | | in the afternoon. And by staying in a Disney resort, you |
| the "value" resorts. | | | | qualify for Extra Magic Hours, so you can get in the |
| If you're looking at off-property hotel rooms, solely for | | | | parks an hour or two before the general public, and |
| price reasons, pay attention to which county you're in. | | | | stay an hour or two after the parks close. |
| Disney World actually sits partially in Orange County | | | | Finally, if you're worried about the cost, don't be! Disney |
| and partially in Osceola County. Last time I checked, | | | | value resorts, off-season, start at $82 a night! |
| the differential between the hotel "bed tax" was | | | | As you can see there are many positives to staying in |
| several percent, so crossing the county line by 100 | | | | a Disney hotel during your Disney family vacation. |