Please help w/ locations/plans?......so confused!

[spima3]

I am trying to plan a two week vacation to Orlando for mid June. Kids are now too old to pull from school, so since we are heading out when it's hot and busy, the two weeks seemed a good plan.

However, it just became much more expensive and I'm trying to save where I can. Our plans:


1. arrival date, Sunday, stay at budget hotel for one night.

Can anyone recommend a cheap hotel near US/IOA? Want to get there in early AM to get tickets and get into the parks.



2. travel to US/IOA for Harry Potter (hoping it's open) Will stay at RPR for one night, two days at the parks. Although I was thinking of adding a third day?

Is this possible? Can we do two days, and save the third for a later date?



3. move to condo rental for a week. Want to do a Water Park, Skyventure, some shopping, time at rental pool/grounds. Might also do third day at IOA towards end of the stay here.

SO, where is a good area to stay for these activities? I was looking at Windsor Hills, but it seems these activities are far from here? I don't mind traffic as long as everything is easy to find.


IF not WH, where else can we stay? Also, I plan on doing breakfast and dinner at the condo, but would be nice to eat out a few times, NOT expensive restaurants. Probably McD's or pizza, that type of thing.

It is hard to plan when you have no clear understanding of where everything is located or travel times, so TIA to anyone for advice. lori

 

[spima3]

No one can offer any advice? Or is Sunday a slow day?

I am NOT enjoying planning this vacation at all!

 

[KayR]

Why don't you look into a condo/townhome for the whole of your stay? I noticed that you had planned to stay in 3 different properties - that to me is stressful as you have to pack up, check out, check in, unpack a few times and then where do you store your clothes etc? Probably in your car. I like to keep things simple where possible.

US/IOA is about 25-30 mins drive (sounds long, but is really not that bad - we do it all the time) from the Formosa Gardens area where you will find communities such as Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Emerald Island all with condos/townhomes. The drive to the parks from the Formosa area is easy and simple for all parks.

You might even want to consider a 4 bed pool home - they are not that expensive and you have your own pool to use - don't need to go to the clubhouse/community pool.

There are plenty of restaurants in the Formosa area (McD, CiCi's Pizza, Chick-a-fila, subways, TGI Firdays, etc) as well as stores for groceries.

Emerald Island http://www.stayatEmeraldIsland.com

Windsor Palms http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net

Universal tickets have generally been cheaper than WDW tickets, but I did read their pricing structure is changing soon (if not already) and will become more like Disney's

I recommend getting your tickets before getting to the parks, either online from the park directly or a ticket company. It saves time in lines doing that and can also work out cheaper as you have time to find the best deal (also sometimes there are online only deals).

To see locations, there is an interactive map here - things may seem far, but the journey is not bad, roads are easy to use. When we go we always stay in the formosa area and drive to Universal / Seaworld and Disney.

HTH

--Kay

 

[ellie&mattys mom]

I second the townhome or condo!

vacation planning is fun!

 

[softballmom3]

I have been researching condos and many give discounts for staying 2 wks.

 

[moongirl]

Check out Lake Eve resort. I got an offer from them for $85/night for a 2-BR condo for the second two weeks in May through hotwire.com - identified through betterbidding.com. The resort is new and is offering good deals. It is closer to IoA. It got good reviews on tripadvisor.com.

 

[spima3]

Thanks to all for the info. Glad to hear that the drive from WH wouldn't be a problem after all.

Well, we want to get FOTL privleges, so that means a stay at one of the US hotels. We are taking the train, and arrival time is iffy, so I'm not going to book that day for US as it is sooooo expensive, that is why I plan on a cheap one the first night.

And I really don't know if I want to spend two weeks at the rental. My kids are older, 15, 12, and 10, and they have already been talking about how boring it looks.

And I actually plan on staying on WDW property the last 3 days of our trip. We won't be going back for years, if ever, so I wanted to finish it up there.

As long as everything is so close together, I don't mind the moving, it's just finding the darn places to begin with!

I second the townhome or condo!
vacation planning is fun!

I must be missing something!

 

[dixielander]

Hi,

I agree with your decision to stay on-site at Universal. The FOTL privelage is sooo worth it, especially during the busy months!

Have you checked into the Sheraton Vistana Resort? It is very close to everything, much closer than WH or EI, and the resort has some activities for the kids. There are vollyball and basketball courts, where alot of kids hang out, and a small arcade, store, Pizza Hut... Also, they have music playing around the pools, (at times), and hair-wraps, temporary tatoos... I have kids that are older, and I know that alot of times, they just want to take a walk on their own and "chill". Also with Vistana, you will have a seperate bedroom with 2 doubles, and a king bed in the master. Also, a sofabed in the living room.

Just giving you another option! sounds like you are planning a great trip! I know how hard the planning can be, especially with older kids! They do have their opinions!

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

Here is what the US site says about multi day tickets:

3-Day Base Ticket

* The 3-Day Base Ticket entitles one (1) guest admission to ONE (1) UOR theme park per day. Ticket is valid for any three (3) calendar days during a fourteen (14) consecutive calendar day period which includes the first day any portion of the ticket is used. This ticket also includes fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days of admission to the paid entertainment venues of Universal CityWalk® ("CityWalk") which commences and includes the first day any portion of the ticket is used.

So you could go for 2 days, hang out for a few days, then go back for one more day if you'd like.

 

[FIREFLY01]

HAVE u checked websites allears.net and mousesavers.com all try passporter.com all 3 usually have great inf on tkts hotels etc w/ coupons!
check out bonnett creek its a timeshare but u can rent fr it pretty cheap if u look check out thread ----we loooove bonnett creek


also chk out hotels on lake buena vista blvd or hotels plaza blvd they are affordale and ub can walk to downtowndisneyn ( ton of stuff for older kids to do) also in walking distance to grocery store and lots of restaurants!

 

[FIREFLY01]

also if u have AAA chek with them about discounts or coupons for parks hotels etc!!

 

[TamaraQT]

Relax. Its not fun planning when and if you feel overwhelmed by it. I say start with a list of things you would like to do. Then decide when you want to travel and go from there. I am rather new here, and although I do enjoy Disney, I am not an avid fan like most here. However, those avid fans are GREAT for tips and advice. Just organize your thoughts and questions and come up with a preliminary plan. I am sure the DISboards will come in handy. Good Luck

 

[sjanus]

You might want to check out a townhome at Vista Cay. It is 3 miles from Universal, 6 to 8 miles to Disney Property, 1-2 miles from Sea World/Aquatica, etc. Very centrally located, may be able to do whole 2 weeks there. Similar Clulbhouse to Windsor Hills, built by Pulte, same contractor. The owner's site is www.vistacayrent.com, by same administrator as windsorhillsrent. Check it out! You can also find lots of these properties on www.homeaway.com and www.vrbo.com. There are also large condos. The condos and townhomes are upscale, prices are reasonable.

Sandy