Portofino Bay for whole trip?

[slance66]

We (DW and DD, who is 10) are planning a WDW and UO trip for the last week of August (18-23). Last trip was all Disney, plus a day at Sea World. We stayed at the Beach Club and had a great trip. Many here helped in the planning.

This time we decided (1) we wanted a car and no Disney meal plan and (2) we'd add days at both UO and IOA. Looking at hotels, all the Disney resorts seem way overpriced. Extra Magic Hours are all but useless to us (didn't use them last time) as is Magical Express. But the Portofino Bay at UO looks like a perfect fit for us, at a reasonable price compared to WDW resorts. We definitely want it for the two days at Universal at least for the line privileges.

So the real question is, do we split the stay and deal with check-out hassles? Or do we just stay there and drive to WDW area three days? Since we like to leave the park around 1-2 (and will need to in August) and come back after dinner or later, would PBH be too far? We enjoyed walking to Illuminations at EPCOT from the Beach Club. We'd get park hoppers to allow that again.

Torn between trying the Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek or the Wyndham (Hilton is booked) and just staying at PBH. Are those close enough to make it worth switching hotels?

 

[ChristineNic]

I would look into the Swan or Dolphin for the WDW portion of your trip. The prices are much more affordable, but you get most of the benefits of WDW Epcot area resorts.

 

[slance66]

I would look into the Swan or Dolphin for the WDW portion of your trip. The prices are much more affordable, but you get most of the benefits of WDW Epcot area resorts.

Yes, I actually clicked on one of the sponsor links here on the site and was surprised by the price. It's a perfect solution really, as it puts us in the same area, and we can still get to Hollywood or Epcot quickly and easily after some downtime in the afternoon. Just what I wanted. Dolphin is booked, so Swan looks like the answer. Is there any difference between the two?

 

[mjohnson96]

I agree, we love staying onsite at UO but we do switch hotels when doing a split trip. Last year we stayed at Bonnet Creek for a week (work) then headed to UO for a few nights and then back to Bonnet again for our WDW portion. Much easier to just be near the park you are going to IMO