orlando hotels near epcot
 

Hi. never been to orlando and 2 of us are looking for a central place to stay in near<BR>epcot. i may also want to go to universal. do we need a car if we stay near epcot. i have just started to research so forgive my ignorance. thanks

The Baordwalk Inn would be an excellent choice. We stayed there & walked to Epcot. They have an excellent breakfast @ Spoodles next door. The rooms are beautifully decorated @ The Boardwalk Inn. They also have 2 pools: One for families/kids & one for "Adults Only".<BR>In the evening we walked back over to Epcot for dinner & sometimes took the water taxi back. I do not know if you need a car to get to Universal as we did not go there but my guess wld. be no as they have a shuttle from the Boardwalk Inn to major attractions @ WDW. Hope this helps!

You definitely need a car to get to Universal as it is not a part of WDW and is anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour away depending on the time of day. <BR>The Boardwalk Inn is wery nice but very expensive. The Swan/Dolphin are also very nice, near Epcot and much less expensive, at about $ 175/night through quikbook or Expedia.

You don't say how long you're staying, but I would strongly suggest staying at one of the Epcot Resorts -- The Boardwalk Inn or Villas, Yacht and Beach Resort, or are there others now right there??<BR>You can walk right into Epcot the back way early in the morning. In the mid afternoon (especially if you are going in hot weather) you can easily walk back to the hotel and relax or swim, then return to Epcot in the late afternoon and evening. After the closing show at night, you won't have to line up for the trams or whatever, again you can just walk back to your hotel. If you are just going to Universal for the day, you can easily get a shuttle from your hotel. And there are shuttles to all the other disney sites. No you don't need a car if you stay at one of the Disney properties. But I find those right at the back of Epcot the most convenient of all for the reasons I've mentioned.

Jo -<BR>How long are you staying & what is your price range? The Kissimmee/Buena Vista areas of Orlando are close to the maingates of all the disney parks, in addition to Universal. Almost all hotels have free shuttles that will take you to all the major parks - only small downside is you may have to go on their time schedule, but that shouldn't be much of a problem if you get to the lobby early or at least on time. We've gone that route the first time we visited Orlando & didn't have any problems - most properties also have restaurants within them, or several next door or across street, so that's not a problem, either. Do a search on www.flakiss.com for properties, or the "hotels" box here at Fodor's for the Orlando area.

We have been to Disney many times and prefer staying on Disney property. If you are mainly concentrating on the Epcot, I agree with Patrick about being right out the back gate to avoid all the lines for shuttles. We once waited nearly an hour with two small kids to get a shuttle back to the Swan when we stayed for the laser show. There are thousands of people in line after that.<BR>We stayed at the Yacht Club just out the back of Disney and really liked it, spending afternoons there, just as was suggested above. At the time it was cheaper than the Boardwalk which looks nice too, but it all depends upon checking with Disney and seeing what's available and at what price.<BR>By the way, the Swan and Dolphin are not nearly so convenient for Epcot as the post above would make it seem. You need to take a shuttle, not walk to them.<BR>Also depending upon your desires and budget, we really prefer eating in Epcot to the restaurants in the hotels. They have so much atmosphere. Not necessarily the greatest dining experience in the world, but fun and different. Favorites are Italy (Alfredo's), Germany, and both upstairs or downstairs at France. Mexico is fun also, and a cut above the standard Mexican restaurant. If you stay at a Disney hotel they can reserve for you and you can time out your day to be there without waiting in line.

If you're planning on going to Universal as well as WDW, I would suggest staying between the two of them, such as on South International Drive, where most hotels have shuttles to both places. I just stayed at the Wyndham Orlando for $25 through Priceline and it was extremely nice; depending on the time of year, some of the nicest places on Int'l Drive start as low as $39.95.