Where To Stay During Your Orlando Vacation
When you are booking your Orlando vacation, chances are that you are going to be visiting one or all of the Disney World theme parks or the Universal Studios theme parks. There are many different choices of where to stay when you take your Orlando vacation. The choice you make will depend on your budget.
Never make the mistake of thinking that because you are staying inside the resorts you are getting a better class hotel than when you stay outside the resorts. This is simply not the case. There are both pros and cons of staying inside the resorts when you visit Orlando, no matter whether you are visiting Universal or Disney.
Pros of staying at one of the resorts
When you stay at one of the Disney or Universal Studios resorts, you are treated to many different perks. This includes free shuttle to and from the theme parks, discounts to the theme parks, early entrance to the theme parks that allows you to go before the rest of the visitors, and discount parking to the theme parks.
If you stay at one of the older Disney theme park resorts, there is a monorail that will take you from theme park to theme park. You never have to leave the resort as everything you need is right there. There are restaurants, shops and every attraction you can imagine right at the resort.
The older hotels have been refurbished recently. One of the oldest hotels, The Contemporary Resort, is right inside The Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is what people think of when they think of Disney World. Disney World is actually made up of several different theme parks, the Magic Kingdom being the most famous because it features Cinderella's castle and the rides and attractions that are the same as those in Disneyland in California. The Magic Kingdom is probably one of the most famous and beloved vacation spots on earth.
In addition to the Contemporary Resort, there is also the Grand Floridian that lies within the Magic Kingdom. This hotel is more pricy than the others and is also newer. It is modeled after the grand hotels of the 19th century. The Polynesian Village is the other resort that is right in the Magic Kingdom. There are also resorts that are located in the other theme parks as well. All give the same perks.
Cons of staying at one of the resorts
Hold onto your wallets because you are about to pay at least double for everything when you stay in one of the theme park resorts at Disney World or Universal Studios. If you stay outside the theme parks, you can eat at restaurants that are more reasonably priced, stay at hotels that much less expensive and offer the same amenities and save quite a bit of money. The theme park resorts offer you convenience of location and shuttle service, but they are not free. If you are traveling on a budget, stay off site.