Can someone recommend a great hotel in the Orlando area for someone on a huge budget.?

Question

I was thinking of staying at the Radisson resort - Celebration. It is only $79 per night, but if someone knows somewhere a little better that would be great. This is a special vacation for me and my 10 year old son but unfortunatley I have a limited budget this year. Thanks!

Answer 1

If you are wanting to stay in a budget, but really want to reduce the amount of time you have to put into the research, I would look into a Disney specialized agent. They can work a budget like magic so you can get so much more with their knowledge, and it takes so much less time. Or, if you have a little more to spend and want to get a better package, they can help you plan your days with tours and such.

The thing with a Disney vacation, if you stay onsite, is that just about anywhere you look the prices are going to be the same. Whether you book directly with Disney or an agent, prices are usually the same, of there is a few dollars difference. AAA is another option, however, having worked with them in the past they are not always the best to work with, I prefer to go with Disney directly over AAA. Also, I would stay away from sites like Expedia and Orbitz, they claim to be discounters, but from what I have seen with Disney, they actually charge a little more, you can't get a package, and they can be a nightmare to deal with if there is a problem.

I'm not sure of what your budget is. If you really want to have a fantastic time, I would try to stay onsite. The value resorts at Disney are really cute (Pop Century, All Star Movies, All Star Music and All Star Sports) they aren't fancy, but they are a lot of fun, and most kids like them better than the moderate or deluxe resorts which cost alot more. The value resorts run an average of around $100 depending on the time of year. There are offsite resorts that charge less, but you lose a lot of convenience and not all of the resorts are very nice. For a little extra money you get a lot more and in the long run you may find that you spend less staying at Disney because of all the extras.


There are a lot of books that offer info on saving money, but most of the info can be found online, so I would save the money and look around online, or use an agent. I think an agent is the best way to get the most for your money, especially since you don't have to pay any extra. I would also check the library, most of the time I don't find the info that useful and it can be inaccurate as well, some of the more popular books I've even read inaccurate info.

I would say that $2000 would give you a nice stay onsite. The meal plan is a great deal and will save you a lot of money, depending on your kids ages, kids under 10 eat for only $10.99 and under 2 are free. Any child 10 and up and adults are $38.99. You really can't find less expensive food for the kids, that is a big savings. You can eat for less, you just can't expect to eat at the nicer places you are able to eat at on the meal plan. Bringing some snacks and things will help you save some money and maybe you won't need to eat as many meals in the park. If you go offsite that will also save you money. Have a large breakfast someplace like Denny's and then go to the park, have a snack and then have dinner in the early evening. The meal plan can save you 40% off your food if you want to eat at the nicer places, so if you plan to eat onsite, that is really the way to go and one of the biggest benefits to staying onsite. Counterservice meals only cost about $10 per person, but most only offer hamburgers and fries. There are some that offer other foods for around the same price, but not as many. If you want to spend less than the dining plan, it can be done, but it doesn't make the vacation as fun and you don't have as many options.

Staying onsite also gives you a ton of benefits that you can't get offsite. Here are a few of the reasons I would stay onsite:

1). Better transportation- Especially if you are travelling with younger kids or older adults that need to rest in the middle of the day. Many offsite hotels, if they offer a shuttle (if they don't that is an additional cost you will have to pay) only run in the morning and in evening. You usually need to schedule the shuttle, etc. It can also be a long ride and take away a good portion of your time at the park. Onsite transportation is fast and easy, and it runs all day. Depending on where you would stay you have different transportation options, all resorts offer buses, some of them offer boat transportation and three offer a monorail for transportation.

2). You can take advantage of the Disney dining plan. This plan can save you 40% off of your food and you get to eat at the nicer restaurants that you may not eat at otherwise. It is a great deal.

3). I'm not sure when you are going, but Disney offers promotions for just about every date of the year. Unless you are going in the next few weeks, you should still be able to get a promotion for your dates. Currently they are offering free ticket upgrades, but they often offer free dining, especially during value season. So if you add up the saving there, you will more than likely be spending less, or possibly a little more than an offsite hotel, but you get all of the extra benefits and probably a lot more included.

4) The Disney touch- When you stay at Disney you know you are going to be staying at a nice place. I've gone past some of hotels that offer lower rates, and in some cases the same rates as Disney's hotels, and I think I would be afraid to go inside. Most of them aren't very clean, they can be a few miles away, etc. Also, you get the Disney service. If there is a problem, Disney will go above and beyond to try and fix the problem and do everything they can to make up for it. Even in cases where it isn't even their problem, they try their best to compensate in some way.

5). You can charge purchases to a room card so you don't have to bring your credit cards and cash with you everywhere you go.

6). Parking is free at your resort and you will also get free parking for the theme parks and some of the other places on property.

7). You packages can be delivered to your room. I know this doesn't sound like much now. But when you are in the parks, it is hot, you've been there all day, your tired and you have a ton of purchases to carry around, put on the bus, take back to the room (especially if you have kids that have purchases and/or diaper bags, strollers, etc.) it is nice to be able to make your purchase and then let Disney deliver it to your room.

8). Disney also offers Magical Express. Now, this isn't the best service and it does have some room for improvement, but it is also free. So that is another $100 or so dollars that you can save just for your transfer to and from the airport.
Staying onsite also gives you a ton of benefits that you can't get offsite. Here are a few of the reasons I would stay onsite:


These are just a few of the benefits. I think that if you actually figure out your costs, everything that is included, etc. you will probably find that an offsite hotel actually ends up being more and you don't get all of the benefits. Most people think they are saving a ton of money by staying offsite, but they don't figure in the costs for everything else, or consider other benefits. After everything is said and done, I can almost guarentee you can save money by staying onsite, and you know you have a good room and things like that.

Unless I am in Orlando for business, or have to attend a convention, meeting, etc. I always stay onsite, I even stay onsite when I am just there for business because I like the Disney hotels that much.


If you need any ideas or need some more help, please e-mail me. I go to Disney several times a year and I love to help.

Answer 2

We recently stayed at the Best Western Lakeside. It was nice, clean, but not plush. Best part was that it was about a block from Sherbeth Road which leads right onto the Disney roads. There were nice pools, a Walgreens in the adjacent parking lot and a Pizza Hut express on premises.

We got it for about $33 per night through Hotwire. Rack rates seem to be around $50 per night. Having your own transportation would be a must for this hotel. If you use betterbidding.com, you can get a pretty good idea of what the listed hotels are. I have never had problems with Hotwire.

Answer 3

If you are planning a visit to Disney, even if it is only for a couple of days, I would highly recommend checking into the value resorts on property at Walt Disney World. Price wise they are comparable to anything that is in the Orlando area (I believe they are about $100/night or so right now, but I didn't check for sure.). Also, staying on property whether it is at a value resort or a deluxe comes with the same famous Disney service and all the perks that are reserved for Disney resort guests. Believe me they take care of the guests that stay in their resorts, and the benefits are soooo worth it. Check out www.disneyworld.com and do a resort comparison. You can even get a quote online (with not obligation) so you know exactly what it will cost for the trip, with passes etc. Our favorite resort of the value category is the All-Star Movies resort. Decent food court, outstanding decor, and a huge pool. My favorite of the four value resorts.

If you are getting tickets to Disney, make sure to add the park hopper option. Many people say not to spend the extra money, but again it is not much extra per ticket, and you don't get stuck having to go to only one park per day, you can come and go as you please. You want to make the most of your trip no matter where you stay. If you get stuck going to one park and decide that you want to go somewhere else you are unable to unless you have the park hopper. It just gives you the ultimate in flexibility. Check out the Disney website for plenty of info.

Have a great trip!!

Answer 4

the clarion is nice. You should be able to find a good price as there are some nice hotels in orlando that are not expensive. I agree with the above about staying on site- if you can get a deal that is they way to go but if not try one od the other hotels remember the trip will be special regardless of where you stay :)

Answer 5

Orlando has a ton of hotels.
Just look around.
Some you can find for as low as $50 something a night.

Answer 6

With waterfalls, grottos, slides and lagoons, you can't miss with the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort!

Answer 7

This site lists the best travel bargain sites on the web: http://www.travelstartingpoint.com

Answer 8

www.kayak.com
www.sidestep.com
www.hotwire.com

All three will give you a good idea on what will suit your needs. Read reviews of each hotel. www.traveladvisor.com reviews

Answer 9

http://hotels.bookit.com/florida/orlando/deluxedisneyareasecretsaver/?GCID=C14312x150
my mother-in-law just sent me this site it looks like a great deals in orlando