RunningBum
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2007
- Messages
- 13,249
My adult son and I are planning to go to Orlando next spring, to run the Disney Dark Side half marathon and spend a few days at the parks. Any tips on how to get the best travel packages beyond the resort bookings themselves? I'm not looking to go nuts, and I know staying off-site would be cheaper, but I'm willing to spend enough to stay onsite for convenience and making better use of time.
With the race, we're going to be pretty locked in on dates, with the only option whether to stay more days before or after. We would probably do 3 nights at Disney, and then 2-3 at Universal. We've been to both, but it's been quite a few years for me (less for him).
Costco looks to have a good deal for Disney at the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Almost all of the Disney amenities and very nice looking hotels in a great location at a cost not much more than the Disney value hotels, even including the resort and parking fees. It's good enough that I'll probably join Costco to take advantage, unless I find something better. Or if I find reason not to stay at one of those two.
They also have packages for Universal, but hardly any better than going through the resort. For the 2-3 days we are specifically looking at, they only offer off-site hotels, but for a longer stay they offer on-site hotels as well. I'll call them and see if they can arrange a package with both resorts for our dates, but I don't think I can do that until I decide to join Costco. And I want to first make sure I'm not missing another booking source.
Other Disney/Universal advice is welcome, but right now I'm mostly focused on the booking. It's too far in advance to do any restaurant or Fastpass booking, and I know when I can do that.
With the race, we're going to be pretty locked in on dates, with the only option whether to stay more days before or after. We would probably do 3 nights at Disney, and then 2-3 at Universal. We've been to both, but it's been quite a few years for me (less for him).
Costco looks to have a good deal for Disney at the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Almost all of the Disney amenities and very nice looking hotels in a great location at a cost not much more than the Disney value hotels, even including the resort and parking fees. It's good enough that I'll probably join Costco to take advantage, unless I find something better. Or if I find reason not to stay at one of those two.
They also have packages for Universal, but hardly any better than going through the resort. For the 2-3 days we are specifically looking at, they only offer off-site hotels, but for a longer stay they offer on-site hotels as well. I'll call them and see if they can arrange a package with both resorts for our dates, but I don't think I can do that until I decide to join Costco. And I want to first make sure I'm not missing another booking source.
Other Disney/Universal advice is welcome, but right now I'm mostly focused on the booking. It's too far in advance to do any restaurant or Fastpass booking, and I know when I can do that.