Family summer holiday to Orlando

shazz21

hi

Can anyone recomend a good place to stay in orlando..... near everything and good for small children??

Thanks:)

Deadalus

How young are the children? Are you going to concentrating on Universal or Disney or both?

shazz21

they will be 5 and 2......... probably concentrating more on disney but will be visitin universal too and wont be driving so would have to be quit near either...... do u know wat the best tour operator would be to book from??

rossie1977

they are too young for universal imo so i would recommend staying at maybe one of the disney hotels or one of the hotel next to disney world http://www.all-hotels.com/usa/florida/orlando/disney_resort/home.htm

the all-star movies, music and sports resorts are usually the cheapest on site disney hotels http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/roomPriceMatrixPage?id=BenefitsOSOP2008RoomPriceMatrixPage

EDIT: universal is a long way from disney (magic kingdom is 17 miles from universal)

seaworld is closer to disney (about 12 miles) and better for younger children

shazz21

ok great thanks i will have a look at them now:)

ncmc

To be totally honest, I would think that 5 and 2 is way to young to go to Disney. It is a fantastic place, but it is very expensive to get to from Ireland and to be honest, your kids won't even remember it. Plus you've got a 9 hour flight to contend with. Orlando in the summer is tough enough going for adults with the heat, crowds and humidity, never mind for kids! Also the parks are huge and there is an awful lot of walking involved. Kids that age can find that Disney is a bit of a sensory overload, with the crowds, noise, not to mention the huge characters that can be frightening to young children! Finally, you would be quite limited with the rides that they could go on, as they would be too small for a lot of them.

I would really recommend waiting until the kids are a bit older and can appreciate it more. I would say 7 upwards is an ideal age to bring a child to Disney.

That said, if you are going, I would recommend a hotel as near as possible to Disney, so that you can pop back easily for a rest in the afternoon and then return to the parks in the evening if you desire. I would recommend the Disney owned hotels, they are a bit more expensive, but they have advantages such as extra hours in the parks and regular free buses to all the parks. All the Disney resorts will sleep at least 4 and they start at about $80 per night upwards for the Allstar Movies; Music; Sport and also the Pop Century..

ginagym

Hi all , we are looking to go to Orlando for Xmas this year . I'm researching all hotels on Idrive but it seems they all have cons, I've come across bed bugs 😱, Ticks, mould,cockroaches and dirty mattresses . Does anyone know a hotel that's clean and not hugely expensive that we could consider . Or even better if anyone knows any 2 bed apts that are close to I-drive as I've a big age range between kids 17,12&5. TIA for any information 😊

bilbot79

Stayed at Hilton grand vacation self catering near sea world and it was grand. Just say no to the guy that tries to get you to go away to some thing where you get free stuff but they try to rope you into buying a timeshare

Armonline

Stayed in Floridays off IDrive 2years ago. Found it very good, large 2 bed appt self catering, in between universal and Disney parks and very close to shops, Nice pool and kids activities

ginagym

I'll have a look into both , thanks . Did ye both book through agent or online ? it seems not all hotels are available through agents . But I'm afraid of having no comeback if anything were to go wrong , booking online .

ScouseMouse

Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando. Got is as part of a package from Touramerica who were excellent. They had a rep on site every day who advised and looked after us.

I took my kids while they were roughly that age. To be honest it was a mistake. The little one in the buggy doesn't remember it. Dragging her around kinda spoilt it. A huge amount of money spent but if we had of waited till they were older, it would have been appreciated so much more.

Lau2976

I've stayed in the disney hotels and found these the best. Even if your only doing disbey one day or not at all. There clean, free wifi, free shuttle to and from the airport, free parking if your driving, car hire on site, no resort fees and the "value" resorts are quite cheap considering the extras involved.

Be wary if prices your quoted online for hotels as they don't always include resort fees or tax (which in orlando is higher then normal sales tax)

naughtysmurf

2 & 5yrs old is a bit young for Orlando IMO also but if you're going anyway then I agree, stay on site at Disney or on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, personally I'd wait until they are 6 & 9, very little at Universal for them either, skip it this time

The parks are actually heaving with long wait times at Christmas, along with Easter & Thanksgiving, times to be avoided if possible

For the family with the three older kids, for me, villa & car is the way to go

TimHorton

naughtysmurf wrote: »

2 & 5yrs old is a bit young for Orlando IMO also but if you're going anyway then I agree, stay on site at Disney or on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, personally I'd wait until they are 6 & 9, very little at Universal for them either, skip it this time

The parks are actually heaving with long wait times at Christmas, along with Easter & Thanksgiving, times to be avoided if possible

For the family with the three older kids, for me, villa & car is the way to go

I agree I was in Disney around Thanksgiving a few years ago with a then 6 year old and 2 year old , It was a nightmare , A bit like leaving Croke Park after an all Ireland Final (I am not kidding) , We left after 2 hours after spending 2 hours getting in and paying a small fortune.