Please place to stay that's budget friendly?

[buy24me]

We are planning to go to Disney and Universal but spending maybe only one or two days at Disney and 3-4 days at Universal. We want to find a resort, hotel, etc. that is somewhat close but also budget friendly. I have stayed on many Disney properties in the past including BW, AK, and POP and have also rented a house or townhouse in the past. This is the first time we will be spending a majority of our time at Universal now that the kids are older (9 and 12). Is 4 days too long to stay at Universal? We haven't been there since the kids were maybe 6 and 3. Need advice!! TIA

 

[glocon]

Have you looked into VRBO or timeshares? Timeshares are especially inexpensive if you do not mind spending the 2-3 hours listening to the spiel.

 

[buy24me]

Have you looked into VRBO or timeshares? Timeshares are especially inexpensive if you do not mind spending the 2-3 hours listening to the spiel.

I did look at VRBO but don't know about timeshares. It's so overwhelming to figure out where to stay. I am open to staying on site or off site but not sure if it's better to stay by universal since we will be spending more time there? And if so, I would have to pay for parking every day so not sure what the best choice is. I would prefer a shuttle if off site or close walk if onsite.
I'll check out timeshares too. Thanks.

 

[Metro West]

Since you are asking about offsite properties, I'm going to move this thread to a more appropriate section.

If you have any specific Universal questions regarding the parks, start a new thread but offsite hotel discussions belong in a more general section.

 

[happymommy]

I've rented from condo owners through Redweek before a few times, and always had a good experience. Since it looks like you're going in May(?) that is good since it's before most schools are out. It's only like $15 or so for a year membership to Redweek so for me it's been worth it. If you go that route, I think you're always going to be safe sticking with one of the larger companies like Marriott, Hilton, and Sheraton (Starwood). We own a Marriott timeshare, so always stick with them (to get our points and nights, etc...).

Also, if you have any close friends that own timeshares and have membership with Interval International, they can look for you for "getaways" - these are prepaid weeks (basically extra inventory) that they can put in your name for an extra fee. I've used those many times for Orlando timeshares (like Marriott's Grand Vista, Harbor Lake, and Sabal Palms two bedroom units each time for less than $400 for a week - huge money saver!).

I believe RCI has the same type of deals too.

I find we save by staying in a condo, so we pack less (do laundry daily), eat in a lot (healthier too) and we get along better with more space!

It's free to browse Redweek, but you have to join to contact someone about a rental.

 

[englishteacha]

We stayed at the Enclave when we went to Universal. We could see Hogwarts from our balcony! We rented through an owner there for $50ish a night. It wasn't fancy; we had a small 2 bedroom apartment, and the beds were kind of hard. It was nice to have a kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The resort had an outdoor pool and hot tubs, but we used the indoor pool because it was chilly in the evening in February. Our room was a bit worn out, but for the price we couldn't complain. Oh, and there was a "grab and go" breakfast included-fruit and danish and juice, so we didn't have to buy breakfast or breakfast food while we were there. We found them on VRBO, but you can rent directly from the hotel, too.

We've also rented in the Grand Palms area of Kissimmee. It's about 10-15 minutes to Disney, 20-30 to Universal.