Inside the
park:
There are some advantages of staying in one of the 20-plus resorts
within the borders of
Disney World. Transportation systems
make it easy to get in and out of the park for a
midday break; it's
nice to park the car for the length of your stay; and resort guests have a
crack at early opening times at the parks on certain days. The
range of choices is wide,
from the low-end "value resorts" (All-Star
Sports Resort, The Pop Century Resort) with
rack rates starting at
$77 a night, to the "moderate resorts" (Caribbean Beach, Coronado
Springs) starting at $133, to the plusher "deluxe resorts" (Animal
Kingdom Lodge, The
Polynesian) starting at $199.
Outside the
park:
Orlando has a massive cut-throat hotel market. The Orlando
visitors bureau is very helpful
in sorting through the choices and
getting good packages, discount tickets, etc.
SellMyTimeshareNow.com is also a great resource for getting good deals
on timeshares.
You can check out what's available for timeshare
rentals in Orlando by visiting
http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/Orlando_timeshare.html
Budgeting your time:
It is
possible to do the Magic Kingdom in one day, but you'll be moving pretty fast
and
you'll just get a sampling. You'll need several days to
thoroughly experience that park and
it's satellites: Epcot,
Animal Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios, not to mention the
various
water parks, miniature golf courses, boardwalks, etc.
Admissions:
Single-day admissions are $54.75 ($43.75 for kids
3-9), but are only good for one park
at a time. The most
flexible way to divide your time, if you'll be there at least four days, is
to buy Disney's Park Hopper Pass, which allows you to go into any or all
of the parks on
any given day. They cost $219 at the gate for
10 and older, $176 for kids 3-9 ($202 and
$162 if purchased in
advance via the website or other discount locations)
Helpful resources:
One of the most useful guidebooks I know of is called the Unofficial
Guide to Walt Disney
World by Bob Sehlinger. You can also
visit the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau
Web Site at
www.orlandoinfo.com
Note: Prices mentioned are accurate
as of July 2004.