Jul 25, 2008
Only a chump buys theme park admissions at the theme park. Buy them at home, before you leave -- and you'll save big
Important, breathless advice: Visitors heading to Orlando should always book their theme park tickets online ahead of time. Like many of the more grungy local amusement parks, which pack the house using a variety of two-for-one promotions available at grocery stores and in area newspapers, the glossy Orlando parks have steady deals, too, which they reserve for web reservations. Only a chump pays the box office price for park tickets.
For example, if you step up to the ticket booths at the two parks at Universal Orlando on the day you attend, you will pay $72 for adults and $60 for children (which across Orlando means between ages 3 and 9). That buys access to a single park, with no option of being able to enter the second park on the same day.
But if you book on Universal's website (www.universalorlando.com/tickets.php), you will have access to a variety of better deals. For example, you can visit both its parks for a day for $80 adults/$70 kids, enabling you to see much of the attractions in a single day. Or you can stick to a one-park ticket offered at the gates, but pay $2 less for it. During the slow season, Universal has been known to sell online a full week of access for around the price of one or two days' tickets. All you have to do is buy your tickets at least 48 hours ahead of time and either print them at home or pick them at ATM-like machines at the front gates, the way you do for reserved movie tickets.
Likewise, while a one-day price for SeaWorld costs $70 adults /$60 kids at the gate, online (www.seaworld.com/orlando) you can get it for $60 with a free second day at the park. You can also get a pass the gets you into both SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa for $90 as opposed to about $70 per park if purchased at the gates (you have to buy these at least seven days ahead online). So if you want to see more than one park, and almost every family visiting Orlando does, you will save considerably by using these.
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For example, if you step up to the ticket booths at the two parks at Universal Orlando on the day you attend, you will pay $72 for adults and $60 for children (which across Orlando means between ages 3 and 9). That buys access to a single park, with no option of being able to enter the second park on the same day.
But if you book on Universal's website (www.universalorlando.com/tickets.php), you will have access to a variety of better deals. For example, you can visit both its parks for a day for $80 adults/$70 kids, enabling you to see much of the attractions in a single day. Or you can stick to a one-park ticket offered at the gates, but pay $2 less for it. During the slow season, Universal has been known to sell online a full week of access for around the price of one or two days' tickets. All you have to do is buy your tickets at least 48 hours ahead of time and either print them at home or pick them at ATM-like machines at the front gates, the way you do for reserved movie tickets.
Likewise, while a one-day price for SeaWorld costs $70 adults /$60 kids at the gate, online (www.seaworld.com/orlando) you can get it for $60 with a free second day at the park. You can also get a pass the gets you into both SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa for $90 as opposed to about $70 per park if purchased at the gates (you have to buy these at least seven days ahead online). So if you want to see more than one park, and almost every family visiting Orlando does, you will save considerably by using these.
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Jun 30, 2008
A skilled observer has provided me with capsule summaries of the current state of travel to Orlando, London, and San Francisco
Jason Cochran, author of countless articles and books on Orlando, London, and San Francisco, appeared on my Travel Show (www.wor710.com) this past weekend and summed up, in 90 seconds per city, the current state of travel to those popular destinations. I thought you'd like to learn his views.
To Orlando, a slump -- a big slump in tourist numbers -- is expected in September and October, immediately after Labor Day. There will be countless "deals" (best accessed on Priceline and Hotwire), especially for the economy hotels in the town of Kissimmee, that community immediately adjacent to Disney World (and sometimes closer to the theme parks than other hotel-heavy areas of Orlando). Rooms will be widely available for $35 and $40 a night at Kissimmee properties, as compared to the $100-and-up that you'd pay for even a "value" hotel on Disney's grounds.
London: Travelers concerned about the high cost of visiting London should bear in mind that most of the city's top attractions -- the National Gallery, the Tate, the British Museum, and the British Library, among others -- are now totally free of admission charges, helping to offset the high cost of London accommodations. The smart traveler will book B&B accommodations (widely available for £80 ($160) per double room) or Britain's new Travelodge (www.travelodge.com) or Premier Inn (www.premierinn.com) economy motels (about £85 per room). Even smarter travelers will seek out rooms in the homes of private families renting, generally, for £60 ($120) and £70 ($140) a night per room, or rooms for considerably less (£15 and £20, $30 and $40 per person) at the many hostels of London. One meal a day should be of inexpensive sandwiches sold at outlets all over the city, or inexpensive meals selling for £5 and £6 ($10 and $12) per person at the stalls found in the many outdoor markets of London.
San Francisco: Is about to get walloped. Despite optimistic predictions of Mayor Gavin Newsom several months ago that San Francisco would withstand an economic slowdown, numerous financial and other firms have already closed and many others are presently closing in the downtown district, and hotel rates in particular are broadly "negotiable" starting in the autumn months. In San Francisco, timing is everything: conventions sometimes fill the city and push up hotel rates, and the smart visitor should always consult the city's convention calendar (to be found at www.sfcvb.org/convention) to avoid those dates when the city is full. At all other times, they will encounter ever-lower hotel prices. In choosing your property, keep in mind that the difference between a two-star and three-star hotel is often the absence of an on-site restaurant at the former; in all other respects, the quality of rooms is usually identical, and the smart tourist will seek out the two-star hotels. In a city of so many superb restaurants, who needs a restaurant in the lobby of your hotel?
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To Orlando, a slump -- a big slump in tourist numbers -- is expected in September and October, immediately after Labor Day. There will be countless "deals" (best accessed on Priceline and Hotwire), especially for the economy hotels in the town of Kissimmee, that community immediately adjacent to Disney World (and sometimes closer to the theme parks than other hotel-heavy areas of Orlando). Rooms will be widely available for $35 and $40 a night at Kissimmee properties, as compared to the $100-and-up that you'd pay for even a "value" hotel on Disney's grounds.
London: Travelers concerned about the high cost of visiting London should bear in mind that most of the city's top attractions -- the National Gallery, the Tate, the British Museum, and the British Library, among others -- are now totally free of admission charges, helping to offset the high cost of London accommodations. The smart traveler will book B&B accommodations (widely available for £80 ($160) per double room) or Britain's new Travelodge (www.travelodge.com) or Premier Inn (www.premierinn.com) economy motels (about £85 per room). Even smarter travelers will seek out rooms in the homes of private families renting, generally, for £60 ($120) and £70 ($140) a night per room, or rooms for considerably less (£15 and £20, $30 and $40 per person) at the many hostels of London. One meal a day should be of inexpensive sandwiches sold at outlets all over the city, or inexpensive meals selling for £5 and £6 ($10 and $12) per person at the stalls found in the many outdoor markets of London.
San Francisco: Is about to get walloped. Despite optimistic predictions of Mayor Gavin Newsom several months ago that San Francisco would withstand an economic slowdown, numerous financial and other firms have already closed and many others are presently closing in the downtown district, and hotel rates in particular are broadly "negotiable" starting in the autumn months. In San Francisco, timing is everything: conventions sometimes fill the city and push up hotel rates, and the smart visitor should always consult the city's convention calendar (to be found at www.sfcvb.org/convention) to avoid those dates when the city is full. At all other times, they will encounter ever-lower hotel prices. In choosing your property, keep in mind that the difference between a two-star and three-star hotel is often the absence of an on-site restaurant at the former; in all other respects, the quality of rooms is usually identical, and the smart tourist will seek out the two-star hotels. In a city of so many superb restaurants, who needs a restaurant in the lobby of your hotel?
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Labels: accommodations, london, orlando, san francisco
To economize on food, smart families leave the Orlando theme park areas and return later
Were you aware that in Orlando, you can leave the theme park areas and later return on the same day without incurring additional expense? The tickets you've purchased are valid all day, regardless of the number of times you enter and leave. Same with parking privileges. Once you've paid to park your car, you can drive away from the theme park to an inexpensive eatery (like a Denny's or any other family restaurant), and later return to the same theme park parking lot without paying another charge.
That's the advice I've just received from Orlando expert Jason Cochran, author of Pauline Frommer's Orlando. With meals on theme park grounds costing so very much (a bare minimum of $10 to $12 per person at fast food stands), more and more families, he claims, are driving once a day for meals to far less expensive food outlets off the Disney, Universal or SeaWorld grounds, carefully keeping their admission and parking receipts. They save a ton on food costs, which is an important method of keeping down the expense of visiting theme parks in Orlando.
The detailed procedure: When you leave the park, you simply need to make sure you exit through the turnstiles devoted to people who intend to come back -- they are usually called "Same-Day Return." The park may give you a hand stamp in invisible ink, but you will always need to keep your original ticket.
An additional advantage: Leaving the park can also give you a chance to hit your hotel pool during the hottest hours of the day-- which can be a lifesaver if you've got weary kids in tow.
A single disadvantage: the tactic works best at all the theme parks other than Disney's Magic Kingdom. At the latter, getting to the parking lot can occasionally be so burdensome (you will either have to take a ferry or a monorail from the park) that for that one location, the hassle may not be worth it. (It could take you as long as 45 minutes to reach your car.) Otherwise, parking lots are always adjacent to the front gates.
A related suggestion: I also asked Jason whether families can bring their own picnic ingredients with them on a visit to the various Orlando theme parks, and he answered Yes. Says Jason: "Parks do not officially sanction bringing food inside, but I have never once heard of them actually preventing guests from doing so. In fact, many people do bring light meals in, which they then eat on one of the many park benches. I'd suggest not making a big production out of it -- stash sandwiches here and there all around your bags. Again, the parks never make trouble about this. Just don't bring alcohol."
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That's the advice I've just received from Orlando expert Jason Cochran, author of Pauline Frommer's Orlando. With meals on theme park grounds costing so very much (a bare minimum of $10 to $12 per person at fast food stands), more and more families, he claims, are driving once a day for meals to far less expensive food outlets off the Disney, Universal or SeaWorld grounds, carefully keeping their admission and parking receipts. They save a ton on food costs, which is an important method of keeping down the expense of visiting theme parks in Orlando.
The detailed procedure: When you leave the park, you simply need to make sure you exit through the turnstiles devoted to people who intend to come back -- they are usually called "Same-Day Return." The park may give you a hand stamp in invisible ink, but you will always need to keep your original ticket.
An additional advantage: Leaving the park can also give you a chance to hit your hotel pool during the hottest hours of the day-- which can be a lifesaver if you've got weary kids in tow.
A single disadvantage: the tactic works best at all the theme parks other than Disney's Magic Kingdom. At the latter, getting to the parking lot can occasionally be so burdensome (you will either have to take a ferry or a monorail from the park) that for that one location, the hassle may not be worth it. (It could take you as long as 45 minutes to reach your car.) Otherwise, parking lots are always adjacent to the front gates.
A related suggestion: I also asked Jason whether families can bring their own picnic ingredients with them on a visit to the various Orlando theme parks, and he answered Yes. Says Jason: "Parks do not officially sanction bringing food inside, but I have never once heard of them actually preventing guests from doing so. In fact, many people do bring light meals in, which they then eat on one of the many park benches. I'd suggest not making a big production out of it -- stash sandwiches here and there all around your bags. Again, the parks never make trouble about this. Just don't bring alcohol."
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May 13, 2008
Rentalo.com has now entered the hotly-contested Orlando market, poking fun at the high cost of hotels and praising vacation homes instead
Things are heating up in the vacation-home-vs.-hotel controversy for Orlando, Florida (Disney World and friends), with newcomer Rentalo.com (www.retalo.com) issuing a press release in which it first tells about $385 hotel rooms and then describes more spacious vacation homes for as little as $99 a night. Here's the opening part of their unusually combative salvo:
Disney World's Grand Floridian resort costs $385 per night, plus 12% tax, and even their "value" resorts are $82 per night. Granted, they allow the whole family to cram into one room, but why would anyone want to do that?Write and read comments about this post.
On the Rentalo website, families can find a three-bedroom condo for $99, a five-bedroom house for $125 per night. And a house with a kitchen means savings on meals, as well. In addition, Rentalo's SmartSearch feature means travelers can easily find a property that suits their needs. Some of the houses available this summer include:
Villa Magic Orlando for $120 per night
This four-bedroom, three-bath house in Eastern Kissimmee is in a gated community, just off the main highway to Disney World. It has a screened-in pool, air conditioning, smoke detectors throughout, a fire extinguisher and emergency lighting, as well as a fully-equipped laundry room and kitchen. It is large enough that two families can share it. From June 1 to August 31, the house costs $120 per night, with a four-night minimum.
Windsor Hills Apartment for $99 a night
One bedroom has a king-size bed, the other has two full-size beds and there's a sleeper sofa in the living room of this ground floor apartment in the Windsor Hills Resort. It's only two miles from Disney World and is a short walk or drive to shops, restaurants and a supermarket. Windsor Hills has 24-hour security, a clubhouse, community pool with a water slide, kids' playground, tennis and an internet café. The apartment features a screened lanai. It costs $99 per night, plus tax, from May 23 to September 1, with a seven-night minimum.
Labels: accommodations, orlando
Sep 6, 2007
Three giant economy motels provide some 1,900 rooms a night in Orlando at $50 a room
With admission prices soaring to those legendary theme parks, it's more important than ever that you economize on the cost of your Orlando lodgings. Three immense budget hotels will almost always have vacancies at $50 a night, and each is located close to the best mealtime bargains in Orlando. Using these properties -- whose comfort and amenities will match those of any low-cost property to be found on the Disney grounds -- is an effective first step in keeping your total costs to a reasonable level.
Quality Inn Plaza International Drive (tel. 800/999-8585; www.qualityinnorlando.com) has no fewer than 1,020 rooms, so it's usually ready to deal in order to fill them. While $50 is a typical price, it often rents them for $10 less, and rates drop the more nights you stay. And it operates like a tropical resort for scrimpers, with multiple pools, a lobby bar with nightly entertainment, and a free shuttle to Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. Rooms sleep four in two double beds, and there are lots of cheap chain restaurants out the front door. Downsides: the hotel abuts noisy Interstate 4, and its A Building is beside a tourist helicopter pad (so ask for the F Building).
Rodeway Inn at International Drive (tel. 800/999-6327; www.rodewayinnorlando.com), the largest Rodeway in America (315 rooms), is well-worn but clean, and at $40 in low season/$65 in high, it's all you could want in a budget motel. It's also close to Universal and Wet 'n Wild, within walking distance of cheap restaurants, and equipped with a heated pool and in-room fridges and microwaves. Across the street, a Ponderosa serves $4 all-you-can-eat breakfasts. And a cheap I-Ride Trolley ($1 a trip) stops out front and heads across town, including to SeaWorld.
Seralago Hotel & Suites (tel. 800/366-5437; www.seralagohotel.com), which sprawls around two giant pool areas about three miles east of Disney, has a cheerful personality despite its low tariff. The basic motel-style place is so big (614 rooms -- it was once the area's most important Holiday Inn) that staff gets around by electric cart. A $50 double rate is common, and its two-room "suites" (really, two conjoined rooms) have microwaves and fridges for $35 more. And its van-shuttles to the Disney parks are free.
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Quality Inn Plaza International Drive (tel. 800/999-8585; www.qualityinnorlando.com) has no fewer than 1,020 rooms, so it's usually ready to deal in order to fill them. While $50 is a typical price, it often rents them for $10 less, and rates drop the more nights you stay. And it operates like a tropical resort for scrimpers, with multiple pools, a lobby bar with nightly entertainment, and a free shuttle to Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. Rooms sleep four in two double beds, and there are lots of cheap chain restaurants out the front door. Downsides: the hotel abuts noisy Interstate 4, and its A Building is beside a tourist helicopter pad (so ask for the F Building).
Rodeway Inn at International Drive (tel. 800/999-6327; www.rodewayinnorlando.com), the largest Rodeway in America (315 rooms), is well-worn but clean, and at $40 in low season/$65 in high, it's all you could want in a budget motel. It's also close to Universal and Wet 'n Wild, within walking distance of cheap restaurants, and equipped with a heated pool and in-room fridges and microwaves. Across the street, a Ponderosa serves $4 all-you-can-eat breakfasts. And a cheap I-Ride Trolley ($1 a trip) stops out front and heads across town, including to SeaWorld.
Seralago Hotel & Suites (tel. 800/366-5437; www.seralagohotel.com), which sprawls around two giant pool areas about three miles east of Disney, has a cheerful personality despite its low tariff. The basic motel-style place is so big (614 rooms -- it was once the area's most important Holiday Inn) that staff gets around by electric cart. A $50 double rate is common, and its two-room "suites" (really, two conjoined rooms) have microwaves and fridges for $35 more. And its van-shuttles to the Disney parks are free.
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Labels: accommodations, orlando
Aug 22, 2007
It's important to question the "free shuttle service" that most Orlando hotels offer to the major theme parks
Most of the inexpensive Orlando hotels -- and those are the ones that are not located on Disney or Universal Studios property -- offer "daily shuttle service" to some or all of the major theme parks. Knowing this, many cash-strapped families cheerfully book into those establishments without fully understanding the limitations of Orlando's shuttle system -- and taking the necessary action.
1) At almost all hotels, you will have to make reservations for your ride. This is easy enough, but it can happen that the departure you want is booked, leaving you to scrounge for a less desirable time. Considering most shuttles make return trips to a given park only two or three times a day, this can constrict your schedule. You also usually are not permitted to change your reservation, so if you're having such a good time on the roller coasters that you want to stay a few extra hours, you usually aren't guaranteed a later shuttle. Just one late-night taxi ride back to your hotel can wipe out all the money you saved using the shuttle system that day.
2) Many shuttles are run by outside companies, so they maximize profit by serving many hotels. That means they may take circuitous routes. If you're unlucky, it can take more than an hour to get home after your day at the parks, which is a huge waste of your valuable vacation time and money--it can also mean trouble for families with small children. Ask your hotel which company provides its shuttle service, and then ask that company where your chosen property fits in on the route map. You may decide to switch to a hotel closer to the park gates.
3) Some shuttles' timings don't match up with the theme parks' opening hours. It would be a shame to have to bundle your kids back to the motel an hour before the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom's castle begin, yet many people have to do just that when they rely on free shuttles. Always ask your hotel for the shuttle schedules during the days you plan to be in town (the timings change regularly), and compare them to the opening hours of the parks you plan to see.
Finally, keep in mind that many times of year, renting a car in Orlando can be reasonably priced. During lowest season (January, September and October), they go for as little as $17 a day through discount sites such as Priceline (www.priceline.com). And you probably won't use much gas during your stay if you only plan to use your wheels to go to and from the theme parks. Also remember that if you have a car from the very start of your trip, you will not have to pay extra for transportation to and from the airport, saving you about $25 round-trip for adults and $18 for kids on the standard shuttles.
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1) At almost all hotels, you will have to make reservations for your ride. This is easy enough, but it can happen that the departure you want is booked, leaving you to scrounge for a less desirable time. Considering most shuttles make return trips to a given park only two or three times a day, this can constrict your schedule. You also usually are not permitted to change your reservation, so if you're having such a good time on the roller coasters that you want to stay a few extra hours, you usually aren't guaranteed a later shuttle. Just one late-night taxi ride back to your hotel can wipe out all the money you saved using the shuttle system that day.
2) Many shuttles are run by outside companies, so they maximize profit by serving many hotels. That means they may take circuitous routes. If you're unlucky, it can take more than an hour to get home after your day at the parks, which is a huge waste of your valuable vacation time and money--it can also mean trouble for families with small children. Ask your hotel which company provides its shuttle service, and then ask that company where your chosen property fits in on the route map. You may decide to switch to a hotel closer to the park gates.
3) Some shuttles' timings don't match up with the theme parks' opening hours. It would be a shame to have to bundle your kids back to the motel an hour before the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom's castle begin, yet many people have to do just that when they rely on free shuttles. Always ask your hotel for the shuttle schedules during the days you plan to be in town (the timings change regularly), and compare them to the opening hours of the parks you plan to see.
Finally, keep in mind that many times of year, renting a car in Orlando can be reasonably priced. During lowest season (January, September and October), they go for as little as $17 a day through discount sites such as Priceline (www.priceline.com). And you probably won't use much gas during your stay if you only plan to use your wheels to go to and from the theme parks. Also remember that if you have a car from the very start of your trip, you will not have to pay extra for transportation to and from the airport, saving you about $25 round-trip for adults and $18 for kids on the standard shuttles.
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Labels: car rental, orlando
Aug 19, 2007
Psssst! Four giant Orlando hotels are offering rooms in late summer and autumn for $39.95 per room per night
Every year about this time, the budget hotel king of Orlando, a certain Harris Rosen, slashes the room rates of his four, large, low-cost hotels for stays during the doldrum period in Orlando: late August and the entire month of September. I phoned one of his reservations staff last week to learn what the price would be this year, and was told (swearing to secrecy) that the probable rate would be $39.95 per room per night, at the following four giants (some have 800 rooms): the Quality Inn International (tel. 800/825-7600), the Quality Inn Plaza (tel. 800/999-8585), the Rodeway Inn International (tel. 800/551-6327), and the mammoth Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista (tel. 800/999-7300), the last-named being my own favorite. That's for visitors calling the above numbers prior to arrival in Orlando. Specify the "late summer specials."
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Labels: accommodations, orlando
Aug 17, 2007
How to match Southwest Vacation's Orlando deals, even if you're in a city from which the airline doesn't fly
The traffic to Orlando is so massive, and the rewards so great, that numerous tour operators compete for cost-conscious family traffic. Residents of the Midwest should never neglect to check out the offerings of Funjet (tel. 888/558-6654; www.funjet.com), which like Southwest sells three-night air/hotel packages. This fall, prices from Milwaukee will be an amazing $329 per person, and $414 from Chicago, including air.
Vacation Express (tel. 800/309-4717; www.vacationexpress.com) operates charter jets from a number of major American cities, but also creates packages with airfare on scheduled flights to Orlando. Sample deal this fall: an air-included $377 from Atlanta or $346 from Houston to stay three nights at a two-star motel a 10-minute drive east of Disney. Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com) manages similarly low tariffs and offers a wide range of hotel choices. Always check out their website for Orlando flights and packages.
And some of the best deals come from Florida-based eLeisure Link (tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com). Here, you'll not only find air and hotel combined, but often, you'll get a rental car, too. This fall, one of its best promotions is five nights at the Nickelodeon Suites hotel (just outside Disney, and like a theme park unto itself), plus airfare and a car, from $499 per person based on a family of four (additional travelers would pay only $249 more). That price was good from eight major cities, including New York, Dallas, and Chicago, although other cities are available for a little more. Its deals are constantly changing, but they are listed on its website, and they often have booking deadlines that are several months before the travel
dates.
Some general considerations: often, in listing their air-and-land packages, both the airlines and tour operators will create two categories: one for Orlando generally, the other for Orlando vacations using Disney hotels or hotels at Universal Studios. The Orlando deals are as much as 60 percent cheaper than the ones using the Disney-run or Universal properties. The key to saving money on an Orlando hotel is always avoiding the park-run options, no matter what.
Finally, what about Orlando stays for a week and more? Those are best enjoyed using a vacation home (try www.evrentals.com or www.vrbo.com), which often cost less and afford you much more space and privacy.
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Vacation Express (tel. 800/309-4717; www.vacationexpress.com) operates charter jets from a number of major American cities, but also creates packages with airfare on scheduled flights to Orlando. Sample deal this fall: an air-included $377 from Atlanta or $346 from Houston to stay three nights at a two-star motel a 10-minute drive east of Disney. Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com) manages similarly low tariffs and offers a wide range of hotel choices. Always check out their website for Orlando flights and packages.
And some of the best deals come from Florida-based eLeisure Link (tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com). Here, you'll not only find air and hotel combined, but often, you'll get a rental car, too. This fall, one of its best promotions is five nights at the Nickelodeon Suites hotel (just outside Disney, and like a theme park unto itself), plus airfare and a car, from $499 per person based on a family of four (additional travelers would pay only $249 more). That price was good from eight major cities, including New York, Dallas, and Chicago, although other cities are available for a little more. Its deals are constantly changing, but they are listed on its website, and they often have booking deadlines that are several months before the travel
dates.
Some general considerations: often, in listing their air-and-land packages, both the airlines and tour operators will create two categories: one for Orlando generally, the other for Orlando vacations using Disney hotels or hotels at Universal Studios. The Orlando deals are as much as 60 percent cheaper than the ones using the Disney-run or Universal properties. The key to saving money on an Orlando hotel is always avoiding the park-run options, no matter what.
Finally, what about Orlando stays for a week and more? Those are best enjoyed using a vacation home (try www.evrentals.com or www.vrbo.com), which often cost less and afford you much more space and privacy.
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Labels: accommodations, disney, orlando
Aug 16, 2007
For Orlando stays of under a week, the air-and-land packages of Southwest Airlines Vacations are unbeatable in price and value
The least expensive way to enjoy a short stay (i.e., of less than a week) in Orlando is to buy a package that includes airfare and a hotel. When your stay is for only three nights or so, too short a time for renting a vacation home, nothing beats the prices and value offered by the tour operating arm of the aggressive low-cost airline, Southwest Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/243-8372; www.southwestvacations.com).
These are available, obviously, only from cities to which Southwest flies. From each such place, the airfare to Orlando is generally the cheapest of any airline, and airfare is accompanied by equally inexpensive hotels for an unbeatable total price. Southwest's standard formula is to feature a three-night hotel stay, and its prices this autumn for that duration currently average between $250 and $300 per person based on double occupancy, depending on the origin city. (Those prices, please remember, include round-trip airfare). Even all the way from Phoenix, the price is only $314 per person for round-trip air and three-night stays at a hotel within walking distance from the popular Downtown Disney shopping area. It's like getting your hotel almost for nothing, and thus freeing a significant portion of your budget for those high-priced theme park tickets.
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These are available, obviously, only from cities to which Southwest flies. From each such place, the airfare to Orlando is generally the cheapest of any airline, and airfare is accompanied by equally inexpensive hotels for an unbeatable total price. Southwest's standard formula is to feature a three-night hotel stay, and its prices this autumn for that duration currently average between $250 and $300 per person based on double occupancy, depending on the origin city. (Those prices, please remember, include round-trip airfare). Even all the way from Phoenix, the price is only $314 per person for round-trip air and three-night stays at a hotel within walking distance from the popular Downtown Disney shopping area. It's like getting your hotel almost for nothing, and thus freeing a significant portion of your budget for those high-priced theme park tickets.
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Aug 6, 2007
Disney does it again! For the third time in two years, it hikes admission prices
On a quiet August Sunday (the 5th) when most news outlets were shut down, the Walt Disney organization announced a new hike in one-day admission prices to its complex of theme parks in Orlando, Florida. What once cost $67 is now $71. And the reason? It hardly bothered to explain. "An annual planning cycle," the organization told the Associated Press.
Admission price to each Disney theme park was $59.75 as recently as January, 2006, when it was raised to $63. The price went to $67 in August of 2006, and now to $71. A family of two adults and two children 10 years of age, pays a total of $284 to enter The Magic Kingdom for a day.
Five days prior to the price hike, the Walt Disney Company issued its earnings report for the third quarter of its fiscal year, showing a 14% increase in its profits, caused -- among other things -- by "double-digit growth" in the results of its theme parks.
Readers of this blog would now do well to visit the website of the competing Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, which continues to charge $85.99 for seven days of consecutive admission to both Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure, both of them worthy substitutes for Disney (especially for children 10 and older). That weeklong admission is available to visitors who book the offer on the internet (www.universalorlando.com) in advance of arrival. The seven-day price for the combined two parks goes up to $95.99 for tickets purchased over the internet on the day of use.
Your response to Disney's startling conduct might be a determination to bring your family to Universal on your next visit to Orlando.
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Admission price to each Disney theme park was $59.75 as recently as January, 2006, when it was raised to $63. The price went to $67 in August of 2006, and now to $71. A family of two adults and two children 10 years of age, pays a total of $284 to enter The Magic Kingdom for a day.
Five days prior to the price hike, the Walt Disney Company issued its earnings report for the third quarter of its fiscal year, showing a 14% increase in its profits, caused -- among other things -- by "double-digit growth" in the results of its theme parks.
Readers of this blog would now do well to visit the website of the competing Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, which continues to charge $85.99 for seven days of consecutive admission to both Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure, both of them worthy substitutes for Disney (especially for children 10 and older). That weeklong admission is available to visitors who book the offer on the internet (www.universalorlando.com) in advance of arrival. The seven-day price for the combined two parks goes up to $95.99 for tickets purchased over the internet on the day of use.
Your response to Disney's startling conduct might be a determination to bring your family to Universal on your next visit to Orlando.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: disney, orlando, universal
Aug 2, 2007
Orlando vs. Las Vegas -- Which is cheapest?
If you've been to Las Vegas lately, you've experienced the sharp rise in prices for lodgings and meals in that city. With nationwide conventions happening there for weeks on end, the hotels of that city are often fully booked and expensive to get. The same for meals. With some Las Vegas hotels currently earning more money from their restaurants than their casinos, the old policy of pricing meals as loss leaders has been jettisoned; the food of Sin City is increasingly pricey.
So which is the better choice for budget-minded vacationers -- Las Vegas or Orlando? I say Orlando. The bargains in packages that combine airfare, hotel and car rental, and the recent competitive ticket prices at Universal Florida, have created new opportunities for cost-conscious families.
The bargains begin with an Orlando offering from the Florida-based eLeisure Link (tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com): a remarkable $499 per person for round-trip air from New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence or Washington, D.C. (with cheap add-ons from everywhere else), a two-bedroom suite with mini-kitchen at the Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort (kids get their own, entertainment-filled bedroom and water park-style playground), and a five-day mid-sized car rental with unlimited mileage, all based on a family of four traveling together. Add to that the recent admissions price of $86 per person for a full week at the theme parks of Universal Studios, and you have a record low price for a weeklong family vacation. While first-timers to Orlando will undoubtedly prefer devoting their week to the Disney theme parks, repeat visitors seem to be well satisfied with the more contemporary attractions of Universal, whose two theme parks -- a TV-oriented Universal Studios Florida and a movie-and-comic-strip themed Islands of Adventure -- provide the basis for several days of enjoyable entertainment.
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So which is the better choice for budget-minded vacationers -- Las Vegas or Orlando? I say Orlando. The bargains in packages that combine airfare, hotel and car rental, and the recent competitive ticket prices at Universal Florida, have created new opportunities for cost-conscious families.
The bargains begin with an Orlando offering from the Florida-based eLeisure Link (tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com): a remarkable $499 per person for round-trip air from New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence or Washington, D.C. (with cheap add-ons from everywhere else), a two-bedroom suite with mini-kitchen at the Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort (kids get their own, entertainment-filled bedroom and water park-style playground), and a five-day mid-sized car rental with unlimited mileage, all based on a family of four traveling together. Add to that the recent admissions price of $86 per person for a full week at the theme parks of Universal Studios, and you have a record low price for a weeklong family vacation. While first-timers to Orlando will undoubtedly prefer devoting their week to the Disney theme parks, repeat visitors seem to be well satisfied with the more contemporary attractions of Universal, whose two theme parks -- a TV-oriented Universal Studios Florida and a movie-and-comic-strip themed Islands of Adventure -- provide the basis for several days of enjoyable entertainment.
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Jul 31, 2007
Universal Studios Florida is a potent, cost-effective competitor to Disney
Now that daily adult admission to Walt Disney World in Orlando is a whopping $67 per person (including tax), you might want to consider Universal Orlando's amazing counter-offer of only $86 for unlimited seven-day admission to Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure. It's an indication of how fierce is Universal's need to fight back against the large number of Disney theme parks in Orlando. Though Universal has only two theme parks, they are both expansive and ingenious parks that can support, say, four days of entertainment in Orlando. At $86 for the multi-day visit, Universal offers quite a saving (for a family, several hundreds of dollars less than multi-day admission to Disney).
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Labels: disney, orlando, universal
Jul 27, 2007
A few suggestions for planning a successful family trip to Orlando
It all comes down to seven simple rules. 1) Timing is everything. The least expensive times for a visit are from just after Labor Day until just before Christmas, then the first three weeks of January (starting just shortly after New Year's Day), and from late April up to the Memorial Day weekend. Avoid school vacation times and you'll experience smaller crowds and lower hotel prices. 2) Buy air in advance from a cut-rate carrier. Though driving is the most economical way to get there, it's not always practical if you don't live in the northeast. 3) Book the area's modern, low-cost motels. At properties throughout the theme park area and in neighboring Kissimmee, Florida, a family of four can stay for as little as $35 a night, often including free shuttles to theme parks. Check the rates at Wilson World in Kissimmee, Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort Lake Buena Vista, Days Inn on US Highway 192, Comfort Inn at Lake Buena Vista, and Best Western Plaza International on International Drive.
4) Jot down the addresses of all-you-can-eat buffets like the Ponderosa chain on International Drive and Highway 192, or Shoney's. 5) Stock up on passes and cards. Whether before you arrive or once you're here, get the Orlando Magicard from the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau for discounts on lodgings, meals, car rental, and other sundries. 6) Carefully juggle theme park admissions. Spend no more than three days at the Disney properties and assign your remaining time to Universal Studios, Sea World, and Wet 'n Wild. 7) And finally, plan in advance for your meals within the theme parks. Consider bringing sandwiches in a backpack or paper bag (for lunch) and take dinner outside the theme park grounds.
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4) Jot down the addresses of all-you-can-eat buffets like the Ponderosa chain on International Drive and Highway 192, or Shoney's. 5) Stock up on passes and cards. Whether before you arrive or once you're here, get the Orlando Magicard from the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau for discounts on lodgings, meals, car rental, and other sundries. 6) Carefully juggle theme park admissions. Spend no more than three days at the Disney properties and assign your remaining time to Universal Studios, Sea World, and Wet 'n Wild. 7) And finally, plan in advance for your meals within the theme parks. Consider bringing sandwiches in a backpack or paper bag (for lunch) and take dinner outside the theme park grounds.
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Labels: accommodations, orlando
Jul 26, 2007
As a service, here's a list of reputable real estate firms offering vacation homes in Orlando, Florida
By now, most smart travelers are aware that on a trip to the theme parks of Orlando, Florida, by a family or group of four and more, the vacation home is a far better value than most hotels. But from whom do you rent those vacation homes, and who has a reliable inventory of pleasant homes? Here's a list you might want to print out and save:
All Star Vacation Homes (tel. 800/592-5568, www.allstarvacationhomes.com). This
highly professional company rents three-bedroom condo units sleeping eight
starting at an astonishing $119 a night, which is the same price as the
lowest-priced room in motel-style digs, sleeping just four, during the spring on the Walt Disney premises. Lavish private homes with screened-in pools, a barbecue, a game room, free Internet, and other perks go from $189 for a three-bedroom, two-bath house or $219 for a mammoth five-bedroom. All of its properties are located within four miles of Disney. On stays of a week or longer, All Star will throw in a free rental car.
Oak Plantation (tel. 407/847-8200; www.oakplantationresort.com). Its one-bedrooms in condo-style buildings, shaded by trees and collected around a small pond, are located about six miles east of Disney property, in an area of Kissimmee that's crammed with cheap restaurants, and cost as little as $79 a night on its website.
Alexander Holiday Homes (tel. 800/621-7888; www.floridasunshine.com). This family-run company has been managing and renting homes since 1989 and
although most of its 200 properties technically start around $95 a night for a
two-bedroom, its website spotlights deals as low as $65 for a two-bedroom
condo.
Bahama Bay Resort (tel. 866/830-1617; www.bahamabayresortorlando.com). This gated development, found a few miles west of Disney World's southern entrance, is a complex of pastel-colored two-and three-story condo buildings. Two-bedrooms sleep six and cost about $99. As with any of these units, smaller groups can rent for the same price, too, and enjoy the elbow room.
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All Star Vacation Homes (tel. 800/592-5568, www.allstarvacationhomes.com). This
highly professional company rents three-bedroom condo units sleeping eight
starting at an astonishing $119 a night, which is the same price as the
lowest-priced room in motel-style digs, sleeping just four, during the spring on the Walt Disney premises. Lavish private homes with screened-in pools, a barbecue, a game room, free Internet, and other perks go from $189 for a three-bedroom, two-bath house or $219 for a mammoth five-bedroom. All of its properties are located within four miles of Disney. On stays of a week or longer, All Star will throw in a free rental car.
Oak Plantation (tel. 407/847-8200; www.oakplantationresort.com). Its one-bedrooms in condo-style buildings, shaded by trees and collected around a small pond, are located about six miles east of Disney property, in an area of Kissimmee that's crammed with cheap restaurants, and cost as little as $79 a night on its website.
Alexander Holiday Homes (tel. 800/621-7888; www.floridasunshine.com). This family-run company has been managing and renting homes since 1989 and
although most of its 200 properties technically start around $95 a night for a
two-bedroom, its website spotlights deals as low as $65 for a two-bedroom
condo.
Bahama Bay Resort (tel. 866/830-1617; www.bahamabayresortorlando.com). This gated development, found a few miles west of Disney World's southern entrance, is a complex of pastel-colored two-and three-story condo buildings. Two-bedrooms sleep six and cost about $99. As with any of these units, smaller groups can rent for the same price, too, and enjoy the elbow room.
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Labels: accommodations, florida, orlando
Jul 3, 2007
Mickey Mouse on a shoestring -- or, Orlando on $29 a night
The world's most consumer-friendly hotel reservations service is operated by the town of Kissimmee, Florida, adjoining Orlando (and actually closer to some of the Disney theme parks than most of the lodgings in Orlando). Not only will Kissimmee's lodging service secure you a room, but it will do so at rates lower than you'd find from any commercial service or even giant hotel website -- it actually encourages the hotels and motels in Kissimmee to supply it with sacrificially low rates capable of inducing visitors to stay in Kissimmee. It you'll phone Kissimmee's central booking number (tel. 888/567-5477) several months ahead of your projected stay, and for a low season period (like September through November), they'll easily find you a room capable of accommodating four persons for around $40 per room per night. If you'll phone the number closer to your projected arrival, you'll get rates of $35 a night and, on occasion, $29 a night! Try it and see!
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Labels: accommodations, orlando
Jun 8, 2007
A week in Orlando should be split between Disney and non-Disney
Recently, Walt Disney World introduced its new "Magic Your Way" ticket pricing and lowered the per-day cost for people who spend several consecutive days at its theme parks ("pay less per day the longer you stay"). Never mind that the vast majority of visitors are satisfied to visit Disney for only a few days. Whereas families spending a week in Orlando, Florida used to visit Disney on days one to three, and then devoted days four to six to Orlando's other noteworthy entertainments, they are now being enticed into lingering on Disney property by the considerable economy of lower ticket prices for longer stays.
I'm unhappy about that. Although Walt Disney World is a remarkable achievement in tourism, it would be a terrible mistake to spend your entire Orlando vacation on Disney property. Orlando hosts seven of the nation's ten most popular theme parks, and three of them -- SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and the stunning Islands of Adventure -- are not Disney properties. Neither is the stirring Kennedy Space Center where you can see the actual Space Shuttle being readied for launch. If you refuse to leave Disney's campus, you're missing a lot.
Universal has struck back by offering a price of $85 (including tax) on the Internet for the right to spend all week at the Universal theme parks in Orlando (that compares with a price of $67 a day for single-day admissions to the Disney properties). And this June, Universal adds a permanent production of "Blue Man Group" to entice guests to stick around well into the night. Moreover, the four non-Disney theme parks currently offer an Orlando FlexTicket for about $190 which gives unlimited entrance for up to two weeks to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld Orlando, and the Wet 'n Wild water slide park. It's sold in any of the four parks.
What's a good overall strategy? In my opinion, most people will be more than satisfied with a schedule that calls for one Disney park per day for a total of two or three days. Don't let Disney pricing lure you into staying a minute longer than you really need to.
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I'm unhappy about that. Although Walt Disney World is a remarkable achievement in tourism, it would be a terrible mistake to spend your entire Orlando vacation on Disney property. Orlando hosts seven of the nation's ten most popular theme parks, and three of them -- SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and the stunning Islands of Adventure -- are not Disney properties. Neither is the stirring Kennedy Space Center where you can see the actual Space Shuttle being readied for launch. If you refuse to leave Disney's campus, you're missing a lot.
Universal has struck back by offering a price of $85 (including tax) on the Internet for the right to spend all week at the Universal theme parks in Orlando (that compares with a price of $67 a day for single-day admissions to the Disney properties). And this June, Universal adds a permanent production of "Blue Man Group" to entice guests to stick around well into the night. Moreover, the four non-Disney theme parks currently offer an Orlando FlexTicket for about $190 which gives unlimited entrance for up to two weeks to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld Orlando, and the Wet 'n Wild water slide park. It's sold in any of the four parks.
What's a good overall strategy? In my opinion, most people will be more than satisfied with a schedule that calls for one Disney park per day for a total of two or three days. Don't let Disney pricing lure you into staying a minute longer than you really need to.
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May 11, 2007
Is Disney all there is to Orlando?
Throughout its history, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has been a fierce competitor of the non-Disney theme parks. When Universal Studios and nearby Busch Gardens Tampa have announced plans for a new attraction, Disney has rushed to complete a competing attraction to make them redundant. Most recently, Disney has adopted a pricing scheme that lowers admission prices to persons spending their entire Orlando stay at Disney theme parks -- you pay less per day the longer you stay -- discouraging visitors from going to Universal or to Sea World or to Wet 'n Wild. I think it's important to resist those savings and split your time between Disney and non-Disney. The extra admission cost is more than offset by the lower cost, in my opinion, of meals taken at non-Disney properties.
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May 10, 2007
Bargain of the day: Mickey Mouse made easy
Where: Orlando
When: May and June, 5 nights in Orlando from $399
With Florida's theme parks charging $67 per adult per day, it's more important than ever to economize on air/hotel/car. This package (which includes round-trip air, a car for the week and five hotel nights) does just that. It costs $399 from New York or Chicago, $449 from Atlanta or Washington, D.C., $549 from Dallas or Los Angeles.
Contact: tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com.
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When: May and June, 5 nights in Orlando from $399
With Florida's theme parks charging $67 per adult per day, it's more important than ever to economize on air/hotel/car. This package (which includes round-trip air, a car for the week and five hotel nights) does just that. It costs $399 from New York or Chicago, $449 from Atlanta or Washington, D.C., $549 from Dallas or Los Angeles.
Contact: tel. 888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com.
Add a comment about this post.
Labels: deals, disney, orlando
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
