The four real options
1. Disney on-property
What you get: Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before official open, every park, every day), the ability to book Lightning Lane Multi Pass 7 days ahead instead of 3, free parking at the parks, free buses, and the whole 60-day dining window opening at once for your entire stay.
What you pay: a lot. Value resorts (All-Star, Pop Century) are the entry point; Moderate (Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans) the middle; Deluxe (Grand Floridian, Polynesian) the wince.
Worth it if: you're doing mostly Disney, you're not hiring a car, or your party fits in one room. That last point matters — most Disney rooms sleep four, and the fifth person costs you a whole second room.
2. Universal on-property
Universal's tiers are more interesting than Disney's because of one perk:
- Premier (Hard Rock, Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific) — includes unlimited Universal Express Pass for everyone on the booking, for every day of your stay. Express costs upwards of $100 per person per day to buy. For a family of four staying three nights, the hotel can genuinely work out cheaper than the equivalent Express passes bought separately.
- Preferred (Sapphire Falls, Aventura, Loews Royal Pacific-adjacent) — early entry, no Express.
- Value (Endless Summer, Cabana Bay) — early entry, cheap, a long-but-fine bus ride.
Check whether Express covers Epic Universe — historically it hasn't been included on the same terms.
3. Off-site hotels (I-Drive, Lake Buena Vista)
International Drive is the tourist strip: hundreds of hotels, walkable restaurants, 15–20 minutes to most parks by car. Lake Buena Vista sits closer to Disney. Both are dramatically cheaper than on-property and you'll spend the difference on parking ($30ish a day at Disney, similar at Universal).
Watch for the resort fee — an unavoidable $20–$40 a night that often isn't in the headline price. Always compare the total, not the nightly rate.
4. A villa in Kissimmee or Davenport
This is what most UK families with more than three people end up doing, and it's usually the right answer. For roughly the price of a Disney value room you get four bedrooms, a private screened pool, a full kitchen and a laundry. Twenty-five to forty minutes from the parks.
The trade-off is real: you must hire a car, you lose early entry, and you'll do a supermarket run. But a private pool on the afternoon you're too hot to move is worth more than most people expect.
Filter for: a south-facing pool (Florida sun angle — north-facing pools sit in shade all afternoon), pool heating included if you're travelling outside summer, and a games room if you have teenagers.
Booking tactics
- Book something refundable now, then keep looking. Orlando rates move constantly and free cancellation costs you nothing.
- Disney's own discounts (free dining, room offers) drop unpredictably — if one lands after you've booked, you can usually reapply it to an existing booking. Ask.
- For villas, message the owner directly before booking and ask when the pool was last serviced. The ones who answer well are the ones you want.
Search Booking.com for hotels and Vrbo for villas.