Where to Stay in Orlando: Onsite vs Offsite
Choosing where to stay in Orlando can feel like a minefield, especially when you’re travelling as a family.
Do you stay onsite at Disney or Universal for the convenience, or choose an offsite hotel or apartment where you can get more space for your money?
There isn’t one right answer. It really comes down to how you want to spend your holiday, how much space you need and what works for your budget.
Staying Onsite at Disney or Universal
If you’re planning to spend most of your holiday at one of the theme parks, staying onsite can be a really convenient option.
Disney and Universal both have accommodation options close to their parks, with transport available to help you get around without needing to drive everywhere.
You can also get additional benefits when staying at some onsite resorts, depending on the hotel and ticket package you choose.
The biggest thing to consider is the cost. Onsite accommodation can be more expensive, and for a family of five, you may also find that you’re paying more for less space.
If being close to the parks and having everything taken care of is your priority, it can be worth looking at. But don’t assume onsite will automatically be the best option for your family.
Staying Offsite
For us, staying offsite usually gives us much better value.
Instead of one hotel room, we prefer having multiple bedrooms, a separate living space and a kitchen. When you’re travelling as a family, having somewhere to spread out can make such a difference, especially when you’re staying for a week or more.
Having a kitchen is also really useful. We can pick up breakfast items, snacks and drinks from places like Walmart or Aldi and have them ready for the day, rather than buying everything when we’re out.
It also gives us more flexibility on days when we don’t want to be rushing off to the parks.
Think About Where You’ll Be Spending Your Time
Location is really important when choosing accommodation.
If you’re mainly visiting Disney, look at areas around Lake Buena Vista and the Disney area. If Universal is your priority, International Drive and areas closer to Universal may make more sense.
But if you’re planning to visit both, shop around rather than automatically choosing somewhere right beside one park.
We like being somewhere that gives us reasonably easy access to Disney and Universal, as well as restaurants, supermarkets and other things we want to do during the holiday.
Do You Need a Car?
This is another big decision to make before booking your accommodation.
Having a car gives you much more freedom to get around Orlando, especially if you’re planning to visit supermarkets, outlets, beaches or attractions outside the main theme parks.
But remember to include car hire, fuel, tolls and parking in your overall holiday budget.
If you don’t want to hire a car, look at how close your accommodation is to the places you want to visit and whether the hotel offers transport to the parks.
You can also use Uber or Lyft, but make sure you factor those journeys into your budget.
Our Favourite Place to Stay
We’ve stayed in a few different places around Orlando, but one of our favourites so far is Hilton Vacation Club Grand Beach Orlando.
It’s around 10 minutes from Disney and about 20 minutes from Universal, so it works really well for us when we want to visit both.
We stayed in a three-bedroom suite with a kitchen, living space and three bathrooms, which gives us so much more room as a family of five than a standard hotel room.
There’s also a pool and other facilities onsite, so it gives us somewhere to relax on days when we’re not at the parks.
We usually compare prices on Booking.com when looking for accommodation, as prices can vary quite a bit depending on your dates.
Things to Consider Before Booking
Before choosing your accommodation, I’d think about:
- How many people are travelling?
- How much space do you actually need?
- Are you visiting Disney, Universal or both?
- Will you be hiring a car?
- Do you want a kitchen?
- How close do you want to be to the parks?
- Will you have any non-park days?
- Does the accommodation have a pool?
- Are parking and resort fees included?
- What is the total cost rather than just the nightly rate?
It’s easy to look at the cheapest hotel price and think you’ve found a bargain, but once you add parking, resort fees, transport and food, the overall cost can look very different.
So, Onsite or Offsite?
For us, offsite wins because we value having more space and flexibility, especially as a family of five.
But if convenience is your priority and you’re planning to spend most of your time at Disney or Universal, staying onsite could be a better fit.
The important thing is to think about how you actually want your Florida holiday to look before booking your accommodation.
There’s no point paying extra for something you won’t use, just as there’s no point choosing the cheapest option if it doesn’t give you what your family needs.
Take your time, compare your options and look at the total cost before you book. If you need more tips on planning your trip, we cover so much under All Thing Florida.