Archive
May 13, 2010 - 3:02 pm
Orlando, Florida is a popular vacation spot for travelers of all kinds with its vast array of sights and things to do. Whether the plan is simply to get away from it all and relax at a resort hotel or to be out on the town and seeing the sights Orlando has a place for you. Not only can you visit the world famous Disney World but it is one of the highest ranked cities for vacationers to spend their time. Over 40 million tourists head to Orlando yearly so the city it quite used to catering to tourists of every type. Consider the Best Ways to Enjoy Orlando Vacation Resorts.
There are dozens of ways for a family to enjoy themselves in Orlando so there should be something for everyone’s taste. Booking a hotel is probably the easiest part of a family vacation but discovering the sights of the city can be the difficult part. Of course one of the most popular places to visit with a family is Disney World, but it can also be busy if you are there during peak season.
The best way to get a good deal for a vacation package to Orlando is to check with a local travel agency. With Orlando being one of the most popular vacation spots in the US there are almost always packages and deals of some kind. Often you can find packages that offer hotel accommodations, discounts on attraction tickets, day tours of the city, and meal arrangements. An advantage to having one of these packages is that it lets you have an entire itinerary for your vacation well before you ever set out of the door. Also, these vacation packages usually set up the itinerary in groups that will be the same for the entire trip, so you can meet new people and get to know the other tourists that you’re spending time with.
If your family is a little more budget conscious then it may be wise to look into resorts that offer timeshare packages. This allows you to stay in a very fancy resort that is typically within a few miles of all the major attractions. Often these time-share unites are much cheaper than if you were to pay for it all yourself so they can be a good value for the money being spent.
For longer trips to Orlando it may be most reasonable to rent a vacation home during your stay. Extended stays in a hotel can be wildly expensive and don’t offer a lot of benefits that longer vacations require like a kitchen or a washing machine. Renting a vacation home will solve all of those worries and let everyone in the family have a little more room to spread out.
For travelers who’s sole intent in being in Orlando is to go to Disney World then it’s definitely advisable to stay at the Disney resort. There are numerous travel packages specifically for those only interested in Disney. There are numerous attractions within the parks and resorts that will keep everyone in the family happy.
June 16, 2009 - 5:04 am
Every year the Disney World Resorts offer different vacation packages, as well as discounted packages you can find through travel agencies or online venders. There are a lot of options to choose from, so it’s best to know what you want before you go. You should plan out what you would like included in Disney vacation packages and what is not completely necessary.
Currently Walt Disney World is offering several packages that generally stay close to the same year after year. The prices may change or the benefits might shift slightly, but it will likely be close to the same thing. The current packages are the Magic Your Way Package, Magic Your Way Plus Quick Service Dining, and Magic Your Way Plus Dining. All of these packages include accommodations although the prices and location will vary. The accommodations will vary from a Value Resort Package to a stay in a Deluxe Villa. The prices for all vary based on the Disney vacation packages you choose, and the length of time you stay will alter this as well. All packages offer accommodations at any level of hotel room all the way up to a deluxe villa.
Other features these packages share are park tickets and a park hopper pass with no expiration date. So the park hopper pass can be used the length of your stay, not just on one or two days. Transportation to and from the airport are included in all three as well. Finally, with any of these Disney vacation packages you will enjoy extended park hours and the ability to send your souvenirs straight to your room after purchase.
Where these three differ is in the food provided to you. In the Magic Your Way package, you are responsible for all your own food and beverage. The Quick Service Dining will include 2 quick-service meals and 2 snacks daily. The Plus Dining package includes one table-service meal, one quick-service meal and one snack daily. You also have the option of having a bottle of wine delivered to your room nightly with the Plus Dining package.
These are just the options you have through the Disney World resort itself. If you book rooms with other hotels in the area, you can sometimes find packages that include Disney tickets or discounted park tickets. It is always worth the effort to ask if the hotel offers any specials like this before you book your room. They will likely not offer it to you outright, and it would be a shame to miss out on the offer. Always check with a travel agent as well. They will know of all the best offers and the most current so that you will get the most from your vacation.
June 11, 2009 - 3:45 am
The Disney Vacation Club is owned by the Walt Disney Company and revolutionized the concept of vacation timeshares. It is one of the fastest growing timeshare companies in the nation for many of the same reasons that they Disney World parks are one of the top vacation destinations in the world. Disney knows how to do things right, and they don’t fail on this endeavor either.
In order to become a Disney Vacation Club (or DVC) member you make a one time invest in one of the five resorts and then pay annual dues after that. Unlike most other timeshare properties, investing in the Disney Vacation Club is much more flexible since you can use your points at any of the resorts you wish. Your annual dues earn you points, the value of those points never change. So if you purchase the points today, they will be worth the same in 5 years. The current minimum for membership is 150 points per year and the current cost is $101 per point.
But not only do you have the flexibility of staying at any of the Disney parks, you get discounts off of annual passes and a discount at many of the Disney park restaurants, programs or tours. You can also book dates at your home resort up to a year in advance. Your home resort is whatever property you originally invested in. But you can book up to seven months in advance at any of the other resorts as well. Recently Disney announced that they will begin offering the use of your DVC point for a discount at any Disney hotel. There are set numbers of points that would be needed to stay at one resort for a full year, but the points per day may vary depending on the time of year.
If you decide that you just don’t wish to participate in your DVC membership anymore, you are free to sell it just like any other real estate property. Keep in mind that all DVC memberships have an expiration date ranging from the year 2042 and 2057. There is always the possibility that you will no longer want or need your membership before that, and you are free to sell that membership at any time. Also, there is no negative impact on anyone buying a membership through resale. So if you wish to invest in the DVC program this way, then you will receive the same benefits and the same restrictions as anyone else.
In addition to all these benefits, the DVC is part of the larger organization of Interval International. Your points can be traded for accommodations at Disney Resorts and the DVC locations in Vero Beach, FL and Hilton Head, SC that are run by Interval International. Of if your vacation of choice is cruises, the Disney Cruise Line also accepts DVC points on certain vacation opportunities.
