March, 2004 -- Unquestionably, families and kids are the real VIPs in central Florida, which has more than 110,000 rooms including scores of places located in or near the major tourist draws: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and the rest of International Drive. Many of these places let kids 17 and under stay free with paying adults -- and some even offer free meals to preteens or roll out the red carpet in other ways!
Beautifully landscaped grounds are the rule at properties in WDW, neighboring Lake Buena Vista, Universal Orlando, and on the southern portions of I-Drive. But heavier traffic and, at times, higher prices come with those trimmings. No matter what your budget or crowd tolerance, there's something for everyone. If you're looking for an inexpensive or moderately priced motel, for instance, check out the options in Kissimmee and, to a lesser degree, on the northern end of International Drive.
Once you've decided on a date for your Orlando vacation, book your accommodations as soon as possible, especially if you want to stay at Disney or Universal. Advance reservations are a necessity if you're hunting modest or primo rooms in these areas. We've scouted the area for the best deals on all types of accomodations for your family.
Most Family-Friendly Hotels: All Disney properties cater to families, with special menus for kids, video-game arcades, free transportation to the parks, many recreational facilities, and, in some cases, character meals. Camping at woodsy Fort Wilderness (tel. 407/934-7639) makes for a special family experience. If bunk beds and a geyser going off in the lobby sound good, check into the Wilderness Lodge (tel. 407/934-7639;
www.areahotelguide.com/wilderne.htm). On the No-Mickey Front, Holiday Inn Family Suites (tel. 877/387-5437 or 407/387-5437; www.hifamilysuites.com), Holiday Inn Nikki Bird Resort (tel. 800/206-2747 or 407/396-7300; hinikkibird.felcor.com), and Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort Lake Buena Vista (tel. 800/366-6299 or 407/239-4500; www.orlando-mco.com/disbv.html) offer Kid Suites, kids' clubs, and more.
Best Moderately Priced Hotels: Disney's Port Orleans Resort (tel. 407/934-7639;
disneysportorleansfrenchquarter.orlandofloridareservations.com) has Southern charm in its French Quarter and Riverside areas, and the pool in the French Quarter has a water slide that curves out of a dragon's mouth. In the free world, Hawthorn Suites Lake Buena Vista (tel. 800/936-9417 or 407/597-5000; www.hawthornsuiteslbv.com) is near to but sheltered from Disney, and has large rooms, free American breakfasts, and weekday social hours.
Best Value/Deal: That's easy: Disney's All-Star Movies Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; allstarmovies.orlandofloridareservations.com), All-Star Sports Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; allstarsports.orlandofloridareservations.com), and Pop Century Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; pop-century-orlando.orlandofloridareservations.com). If you're going to stay on WDW property, you can't beat them, though they would be significantly overpriced outside of the realm. The Hampton Inn Maingate West (tel. 800/936-9417 or 407/396-6300; www.hamptoninnmaingatewest.com) is one of the nicest, most modern of the inexpensive properties in the Kissimmee area, and it's only 1 1/2 miles west of Disney.
Best Budget Motel: The Ramada Inn Resort Eastgate (tel. 800/272-6232 or 407/396-1111; ramada-inn-eastgate-orlando.orlandofloridareservations.com) has clean rooms, is located close to Disney, and there's a restaurant next door. All these things make it a good budget choice. But if price is your lone consideration, it's hard to beat the nearby Econo Lodge Maingate Resort (tel. 800/356-6935 or 407/390-9063; www.enjoyfloridahotels.com), where rates are as low as $39 double.
Best Spa for Kids: That's not a typo. The Holiday Inn Family Suites (tel. 877/387-5437 or 407/387-5437; www.hifamilysuites.com) started something good with its Sugar & Spice Kids Spa, with services from $10 to $99. (It has services for grownups, too.) The resort also has a lounge, fitness center, and whirlpool so that parents can spend a little time on their own.
Best Kids' Programs: The Wizard of Diz has dandy kids' centers at some resorts, but there also are great ones outside Disney. Our top five outside Mickey's World are Camp Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (tel. 800/233-1234 or 407/239-1234; grandcypress.hyatt.com), Ritz Kids at the Ritz-Carlton (tel. 800/241-3333 or 407/206-2400; www.ritzcarlton.com), Camp Nikki at Holiday Inn Nikki Bird (tel. 800/206-2747 or 407/396-7300; hinikkibird.felcor.com), La Petite Academy at Gaylord Palms (tel. 877/677-9352 or 407/586-0000; www.gaylordhotels.com), and Camp Holiday at Holiday Inn Sunspree (tel. 800/366-6299 or 407/239-4500; www.orlando-mco.com/disbv.html).
Tops for Toddlers: Watch their faces light up when larger-than-life raccoon mascots Max and Maxine show up to tuck them in at Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort Lake Buena Vista (tel. 800/366-6299).
Tops for Teens: We've yet to find a mainstream hotel that comes close to the activities offered in Common Grounds, the teen clubs aboard the Disney Cruise Line's Wonder and Magic (tel. 800/951-3532; www.7blueseas.com). Activities for 13 to 17 year olds include karaoke, a Hawaiian pool party, and improv.
Best Location: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (tel. 407/934-7639; disneyworld.disney.go.com), Polynesian Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; disneyworld.disney.go.com), and Contemporary Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; disneyworld.disney.go.com) are on Seven Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake. They're also on the WDW monorail route, providing quick and easy access to the parks. The Portofino Bay Hotel (tel. 888/322-5541 or 407/503-1000; portofinobay.orlandofloridareservations.com), Hard Rock Hotel (tel. 800/232-7827 or 407/503-7625; www.hardrock.com/locations/hotels/orlando), and Royal Pacific (tel. 800/232-7827 or 407/503-3000) are within walking distance of Universal's parks and CityWalk, and there's also boat service available.
Best Views: The whole family can watch the Magic Kingdom's new Wishes fireworks display from the comfort of your room if you book one on an upper floor on the west side of the Contemporary Resort (tel. 407/934-7639; disneyworld.disney.go.com). And you have a front-row seat for the action at SeaWorld from the upper east-side floors at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld (tel. 800/327-6677; www.orlando-mco.com/112071.html).
Best Family Pools: Arguably, the best pool in O-Town is at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort (tel. 800/233-1234 or 407/239-1234; grandcypress.hyatt.com ). It's a half-acre lagoon-like pool that flows through rock grottoes, is spanned by a rope bridge, and has 12 waterfalls and two steep water slides. The JW Marriott's Lazy River (tel. 800/241-3333 or 407/206-2300; www.marriott.com) finishes a close second. It's a 24,000-square-foot winding stream through small waterfalls and rock formations. Most of the Walt Disney World resorts have terrific pools, too.
