International Drive ot not?

Hi Folks

As 1st timers to Orlando, where would you stay? Family of 6 adults aged 23 to 56 yrs. Its all so confusing. Have looked at the cheaper options i.e. Quality Inns, Holiday Inns, as thought USA standards exceed UK standards, but mixed reviews on this site and we%26#39;re quite fussy. Have thought about a holiday home/villa, but thought hotels would have more amenities i.e. fitness room, golf, pool, restaurant/s and shuttes to Theme Parks. Also, is International Drive THE place to stay or are there better areas?

Finally, we want to go Christmas/New year and I%26#39;ve already been advised crowded and expensive, but its the only time we can all get 2 weeks off together and its our 30th wedding anniversary. The only thing I am finding expensive is flights, unless you go just after Christmas when it drops slightly. Also, is extra legroom a must on these long haul flights as again its an expensive supplement. Any advice appreciated.

International Drive ot not?

Hiya, you didn%26#39;t mention if you are hiring a car, or which theme parks (universal or Disney) you want to visit? I have loads of reccommendations for you , but it would depened on the answer to these questions first, and if you%26#39;re looking for a basic hotel, or something a bit more extravegant. If you let me know, I could help a bit more,

nikki.x

International Drive ot not?

kissimmee and lake buena vista are nice area and cheap to. first choice have extra legroom as standard if that helps. as for a star rating you%26#39;d need at least 31/2 star anything less in orlando seems to be a motel. i was like you too i thought the star rating and standard would high too. i visited las vegas and the hotels there were of a higher standard. it must be a location thing.

';Also, is International Drive THE place to stay or are there better areas?';

There are a myriad of lodging options in the Orlando touristy areas. There is no one area that I can say is ';THE'; place to stay; its going to depend on your itinerary, wants and needs, and limitations.

Are you focused on Disney things, or are you visiting all of the theme parks? If focused on Disney, and don%26#39;t have a car, the best place to stay would be at one of the Disney resorts. There is free transportation within the resort, and free transportation from the airport (Magical Express). And there are 99 holes of golf onsite. You can also purchase the meal plan; however, booking Disney table service restaurants has to be done months in advance in many cases. And you would be at the mercy of the onsite Disney restaurants and activities if you don%26#39;t have a car; getting to Universal, SeaWorld, or International Drive would be more difficult, short of using a taxi.

There is no hotel in the busy part of International Drive that has a golf course onsite; however, the Rosen Plaza and Rosen Centre hotels may have shuttle to the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort nearby, which has a golf course. And in the quieter part of International Drive (International Drive is also referred to as I-Drive) by SeaWorld, there are several Marriott resorts by the Marriott Grande Pines GC; but there are less restaurants and such here; though you can use the I-Ride trolley (www.iridetrolley.com) to get to the busier areas of I-Drive.

The quieter area of I-Drive by SeaWorld is quieter and more upscale, but not as much around it. To the east of that area is Grande Lakes Resort, which features a Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott, and an onsite golf course.

Another popular area is the Lake Buena Vista area, near the Hotel Plaza Blvd entrance to Disney. One popular place is the Marriott Village, where you have three Marriott hotels (Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, and Courtyard by Marriott) which share facilities. A little closer to the heart of Lake Buena Vista features a number of restaurants, including those at Downtown Disney (within the Disney gates at the other end of Hotel Plaza Blvd).

Some places, which are private rentals, like Windsor Hills, have shuttles, pools, and perhaps a fitness center, though they would still be better for people who have rented cars.

If you won%26#39;t have cars, unless you want to blow a bit of money on taxis, you%26#39;ll need to find a hotel with a shuttle or shuttles taking you to the theme parks you want. If you are staying on the line where the I-Ride Trolley is, you can take that to SeaWorld, and there is a busstop at or by SeaWorld (the #50 bus) which goes to the Ticket and Transportation Center at Disney, and from there you can visit any of the Disney parks using buses or Monorail, then backtrack. However, this route is not always 100% dependable; public transportation in Orlando is not equivalent to that in the UK. Also, you can%26#39;t go by a certain area as to what the hotel amenities in that area are; you need to check with the particular resorts. Someone mentioned a Sleep Inn close to I-Drive and SeaWorld which has shuttles to both Universal and Disney parks, but it would be best to confirm that.

If golf is very important to you, click on my name (';EddieK';), and I have a Go-List ';Nice Golf Courses in the Greater Disney Area.'; under ';Contributions';. For the most part, though, a car would be needed to get to those places reasonably.

Here%26#39;s a list of resorts which have golf courses onsite: The Disney resorts, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Marriott Grande Vista, Marriott Cypress Harbor, Orlando World Center Marriott, The Villas of Grande Cypress, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (shuttle to courses), Mystic Dunes Resort %26amp; Golf Club, Orange Lake Resort %26amp; Country Club, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, Orange County National Golf Club and Lodge, Bay Hill Club %26amp; Lodge, The Ritz Carlton/JW Marriott at Grande Lakes, Gaylord Palms (I think it has a shuttle to nearby Falcons Fire GC), and Reunion Resort and Golf Club. Though I may be forgetting something, this is all I can think of for onsite golf courses. Most of these are in locations (Disney excepted, of course), where it is best to have a rental car.

Hi xxxxNikkixxxx - yep, this is the problem. Not sure of locations re Universal and Disney. Think Universal might be more appealing to us as all adult party. Don%26#39;t know whats at Epcot or Busch Gdns. Seaworld may appeal too. We will hire a car as can%26#39;t go all that way and not visit other places - i.e. Daytona Beach (fast cars) and Cape Canaveral. I also have to consider that 4 of the party are 23 to 27 and may like some night life. We all like music, good food, shopping and fun things to do. Due to cost during week leading up to Christmas, we may only go for 10 days and just be there for New Year. But heard some parks undergo maintenance in January, altho guess we would be home by 5th. Are we really going at the worst time of the year?

The time from around Christmas to New Year%26#39;s is the worst time of the year for crowds at the theme parks.

Thanks EddieK for all your info. Very helpful. Golf would only appeal to 2 members of the party, I guess I just thought any hotel/resort with a golf course might be more upmarket and have good pools and fitness rooms. We wil probably only hire one car, but aware that we wont all be together all the time, so being able to get about independently on the odd day or eve would be good.

Disney is not just for kids as you seem to think. You said, ';Don%26#39;t know whats at Epcot or Busch Gdns.'; A quick check with your Google Gods will give you all the details you need. And you have a lot of time to explore the details. Bring plenty of moola though, as others have said Christmas is one of the most expensive of times and also the most crowded. But the weather will not be as hot as Summertime.

For 6 adults you will need to rent a minivan to be able to get around comfortably. And to lessen the cost of accommodation you might want to stay in a condo instead of a hotel. Don%26#39;t worry about not having an exercise room - you%26#39;ll get all the walking exercise you need at the theme parks.

I think staying on or near I-Drive south near SeaWorld might not be a bad idea for you. Its quieter (if going those dates, that may be a big deal to be in a little quieter area), and definitely has a more ';upmarket'; feelYou%26#39;re still not that far away from Universal there, and there are a lot of nicer timeshare properties there (the Marriotts I mentioned, Hilton Grand Vacations Club on I-Drive or right by SeaWorld). Then there%26#39;s the Floriday%26#39;s resort, close to Orlando Premium Outlets and very new; its a condohotel type of place, and Sheraton Vistana Villages. Also there%26#39;s the Residence Inn close to SeaWorld and the Hilton Garden Inn. The only thing is some of these properties aren%26#39;t ';full service'; hotels (if you prefer a full service hotel, the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld could be considered, though its certainly not one of the cheaper options), though they should have a lot of amenities such as fitness rooms (some may charge for them, some may not). There%26#39;s golf pretty close nearby, and plenty of restaurants to the north on I-Drive, and the Lake Buena Vista area is not that far away either, with more restaurants, including the Downtown Disney ones.

Of course its all going to depend on your lodging budget, especially for that time of year.

Not!!!!!

try LBV or a hotel/condo like Windsor Palms/hills.

Thanx Amanx. Checked out hotels in LBV and they seem more suited to us all.

Would you book a package or would you book direct with hotel and then try and get a flight? I know Virgin seem the most popular but also the most expensive.