What's the best place to stay in Orlando, when you want to get around easily?

Where should you stay when you visit the Orlando theme parks? Let's focus today on one of the many important elements you will want to consider in making your decision — transportation. Where can you stay that will make it as convenient and inexpensive as possible to get around to see everything you want to see in Central Florida?


You can avoid a great deal of the Orlando area's transportation hassle by selecting the right "home base" for your theme park vacation. Where the right place is for you, though, will depend upon what you most want to see and experience when you visit.
Orlando's theme parks sprawl over hundreds of square miles. The drive from Disney's Animal Kingdom to Universal Studios Florida is about 14 miles — much of it on Florida's traffic-choked Interstate 4. The trip can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, one-way, in normal traffic, and that's not counting time spent waiting to get out of and into the parking lots.


Speaking of... parking costs $20 a day at the major Orlando area theme parks. Parking is free at Walt Disney World's on-site hotels, but you'll have to pay to park at Universal's hotels and some hotels near the Orange County Convention Center. Public transportation in the area is highly segmented — you can find convenient options within specific resorts and commercial districts, but getting from one to another can be difficult, if not impossible, via public transit.
Rental cars and ride-sharing services, such as Lyft and Uber, are abundantly available. But if you're planning to catch an Uber out of the Magic Kingdom at park close be aware that surge pricing is a thing, and that you won't be the only ones in the park with that idea.
If you're interested in visiting only one of Orlando's theme park resorts — Disney, or Universal, or SeaWorld, and not more than just the one — then your choice gets relatively easy. Stay at that resort, or as close to it as you can afford. But if you want to hit up more than one resort, then you will need to start weighing several factors.


In addition to which parks you want to visit, you should consider how you will be getting to Orlando. Will you drive or fly? If you are driving, you will have that car to get you around in the area, so your decision should come down to minimizing drive time and parking costs. (And which one is more important for you to minimize will greatly affect your decision.) If you are flying into Orlando, you will need to consider not just options for getting to and from the airport, but how to get around town without a car, if you don't opt to rent one.
Disney and Universal both make it absurdly easy to stay at their resorts without a car, and SeaWorld only slightly less so. Disney gives its on-site hotel guests free transportation to and from the Orlando airport, as well as between all parks and hotels on property. Universal doesn't offer that free ride, but its theme parks are located within walking distance of each other, negating any need for a car while at its resort, unlike at the sprawling, exurban Disney World. SeaWorld is located in between Disney and Universal, making it a convenient home base for visiting all three resorts, but it has no on-site hotels, so you'll have to take shuttle buses to get to and from the parks.
Stay off-site, and your hotel might have shuttles to the parks, but you will need a ride share or rental car to get around anywhere else, including to and from the airport. Depending upon where you stay, there might be restaurants and convenience stores within walking distance, but that selection will be limited.


Uber or Lyft between the parks costs from $10-20 a trip (in my experience), plus more if the dreaded surge pricing is in effect. Figure about the same to get to and from a hotel, timeshare, or AirBnB, assuming you are staying within or near one of the resort areas. Rental car rates can start as low as $25-30 a day, but not only do you have to drive, you're also on the hook for all parking fees and tolls.
If you are driving your car to Orlando:
Consider staying at a Walt Disney World hotel, or an off site hotel, rather than at Universal Orlando, in order to avoid the nightly parking fee. Only stay at Universal Orlando with a car if you will be staying at the Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, or Royal Pacific hotels, which give their guests free Universal Express Unlimited line-skipping passes. Those are well worth the extra parking fees!
Walt Disney World hotel guests also get free parking at the theme parks, as well as at their hotel.
Staying near SeaWorld puts you in between Disney and Universal, and near the convention center and International Drive's attractions and restaurants, giving you a relatively short drive to everywhere even if you're not actually going to SeaWorld. (Traffic on I-Drive is even worse than on I-4, though, so plan for that.)
If you are not staying on site at Disney, keep in mind that paying $20 in one Walt Disney World theme park lot allows you free access to the parking lots at the other Disney theme parks that day. Just show your parking ticket at the toll booth.
If you are flying to Orlando:
Skip the rental car if you are not an experienced driver comfortable with traffic on American Interstates. You shouldn't be stressed out on vacation.
In general, staying on site at Disney or Universal is better than staying off site for people flying in who do not rent a car, as you can use their resort transportation to get around and then summon a ride share to move between resorts.
Especially think about skipping the rental if you are staying on site at Universal Orlando, as the parking fees will add up and you won't use the car at all while at that walkable resort. If you want to go to Disney from Universal, Uber or Lyft is cheaper than paying for parking at both resorts.
But rental cars can be useful if you are staying at the sprawling Walt Disney World Resort, as you will have free parking throughout the resort (including at the parks) as a hotel guest. Especially consider a rental if you are staying at a Value Resort that offers only bus transportation to the parks, as waiting for Disney's free buses can eat a lot of time over the course of a week-long visit.
Flip side: If you are not comfortable driving in the area, you might think twice about staying at a Disney World Value Resort due to the often-slow bus service around Walt Disney World. Stick with one of the Deluxe hotels in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resort areas if you do not have a car and don't want to stand around waiting for buses, as those hotels have more frequent monorail or boat transportation options.
Disney now offers its own on-property "ride share" service, called "Minnie Vans." They cost $20 a trip and will take you from between any two points on property. They seat up to six and come with two car seats, making them a solid options for families with little kids who need to get somewhere on property relatively quickly (such as a dinner reservation at a hotel). But they're expensive for general transportation around the resort. Call one of the Minnie Vans via the Lyft app.
My advice?
If you are flying into the area, don't want to drive, and are spending roughly an equal number of days at Disney and Universal, I would stay on site at Universal, then take Lyft to go straight to the Disney park you want on those days. Universal's on-site hotel benefits are generally better than Disney's, especially if you are getting the free Universal Express Unlimited.
But if you are flying into the area, not renting a car, and spending significantly more time at Disney, stay there to get the free Disney's Magical Express ride to and from the airport and to minimize the number of Lyfts you'll have to buy. If you can afford to stay at a Magic Kingdom or Epcot area resort, staying there will minimize the amount of time you spend in transit between parks.
If you are driving to Orlando and visiting all the resorts, consider staying at a hotel near SeaWorld with free parking to minimize drive times.
If you are driving to Orlando and spending way more time at Disney than the other parks, stay at Disney and look to the Value Resorts for the lowest room rates. If they're still too much for you, look for a cheaper off-site room near Disney around the US 192 or State Road 535 areas.
If you are driving to Orlando and spending time at Universal, remember to add in the nightly parking cost at Universal's on-site hotels when comparing prices with other hotels.
If you really want to visit the beaches, Legoland Florida, or Busch Gardens Tampa along with Disney and Universal, renting a car or driving to Orlando will make that much easier and more convenient, no matter where you stay. But remember that you can rent the car for just a few days to do those things, instead of for the entire trip.



Ultimately, transportation time and expense if just one of the factors you should consider when deciding where to stay in Orlando, along with cost, accommodation quality, and amenities. But a great price on a great room won't give you a great vacation if you end up spending a lot of time stuck in traffic or paying for rides around town. Know your transportation options before booking your Orlando vacation.
Source : http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201708/5689/


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