Florida

Aye, it’s spot on, watched my team (Jets) there one NFL Sunday sitting at the bar drinking beers and eating wings, charting to the other folk there and it was cracking. Great little memory.

TBH, I didn’t expect to (the leeriness isn’t really my scene) but went with the family (on step daughters insistence after she’d been with her dad) and I loved Hooters.

Food was amazing and with all the sports on, was great. Weird vibe though - very family friendly and all that, then they’ve got waitresses knocking about in tiny tops and lingerie!

I don’t think I’d go on my own to watch a match (like I did Millers) as it’d feel a bit creepy, but I did like it more than expected.
HAHA i we did the same with my teenage daughter in Hooters but like you say they are good bars with canny food

Love Millers though probs one of my favorite places ever
 


love the place did it about 10 year running until 2015 then split up with my ex

Did hotels and villas and think both have there positives

Love I drive though

Used to go to clearwater a lot and also visited cocoa beach which is good

Although Anna Maria island is something else if you fancy getting away from it all to a real old Florida town and beach

Idrive good for 7 year olds or do you think a villa would be better?
 
Just think its got the restaraunts and bars if you fancy after the parks and if your into the shopping both the good places are top and bottom of I drive
Millers ale house is brilliant for this

Bars, I get that. The place I go doesn't have many, certainly not cheap ones. Except it does have a Millers Ale house
This seems to be the only advantage that I can see in iDrive, there must be more?

We’ve been twice - first time stayed in a villa with my friends who kindly done all the driving.
Second time was just me, the missus and two bairns (17 yo and 1 yo), and neither of us wanted to drive so stayed on I-Drive and loved it.
Just got the free hotel shuttle to the parks or got an Uber during the days, and was nice going for a walk on a night and finding somewhere to eat. Very chilled and took the youngest to the Icon Park bit which he loved.
Enjoyed eating out at all the American chains and even though I don’t doubt locals roll their eyes about them (same as we might about chains over here), we loved them and had a blast. I like them sort of sports bar type efforts serving ribs or boneless wings or burgers etc.... and with a million sports screens on.
I realise we’re in a minority and I get the appeal of Villas (and we really enjoyed it when we stayed in one), but we really loved staying on I Drive.
Idrive good for 7 year olds or do you think a villa would be better?

This was half of why I posted this. People seem to think there are only 2 options
1 - Villa
2 - I Drive
(and 3 - Stay onsite at Disney / Universal)

This isn't true. The Lake Buena Vista resorts (hotels) are great and reasonably priced
Sure, there's not as many places to eat and drink and shop, but there is a complex of eateries and other places nearby. There's even a Millers AH a 10 min walk away. PLUS, there's the entire Disney Springs area on the doorstep (literally within eyesight range) which is rammed full of places to eat and drink, albeit at inflated prices.

If your Orlando holiday is focussed around Walt Disney World, then it makes sense to stay on its doorstep, rather than a 30-45 min shuttle bus away.
If you're more interested in the universal stuff, then the opposite applies of course.

And if the only benefit of i Drive is shopping and bars, then for some people, that's a poor trade.
 
This isn't true. The Lake Buena Vista resorts (hotels) are great and reasonably priced

May as well stay on site by the time you add in dining etc.
And if the only benefit of i Drive is shopping and bars, then for some people, that's a poor trade.
I don't see the point in idrive other than being handy for universal etc.
 
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May as well stay on site by the time you add in dining etc.
Depending on situation, it can work out, aye.
When I've checked, its been a big jump though.

LBV resorts do count as on-site though. You can get the meal plan and you get the 60 day fastpass etc.

Edit: Sorry, they're called the Disney Springs Area Resorts now.
 
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Depending on situation, it can work out, aye.
When I've checked, its been a big jump though.

LBV resorts do count as on-site though. You get the 60 day fastpass etc.

You can't walk out your hotel room and be at the gate within 10 minutes though.

I'm not saying the LBV hotels are a bad option, but it's not as convenient as staying at a decent Disney hotel and not much cheaper if you spend your time at Disney.

You never ever get free dining at a lbv hotel. You don't even get it at Swan/Dolphin.
 
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You can't walk out your hotel room and be at the gate within 10 minutes though.
Its about 10mins to the closest gate on the shuttles. The shuttles run all day from about 90mins before to about 60 mins after the parks close, about every 15 minutes.
You can walk literally 3minutes and be in Disney Springs from the one I usually stop at.

I really fancy Animal Kingdom Resort next time though.
 
Its about 10mins to the closest gate on the shuttles. The shuttles run all day from about 90mins before to about 60 mins after the parks close, about every 15 minutes.
You can walk literally 3minutes and be in Disney Springs from the one I usually stop at.

I really fancy Animal Kingdom Resort next time though.
You have to wait for the bus etc etc. There's no way to leave your hotel door and be at the gate in ten minutes from there.
 
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Been a while since I talked about this, so as a reminder - Why do people like I Drive? What do you do there that makes it a good location?
Location for us. Boozers and bait. Walking distance to universal or sea world to get bus to Disney. Just enjoy I drive for some reason. We always stayed there. Saying that not been for 5 years now after doing 10 ina row.
 
It's very nice. Was pricey mind. Not a very good hotel location for visiting the other parks though.
Yeah, AK is a bit "miles away". Its just so good on price when I checked. The cheapest by far of the non-basic/value resorts when I checked.

Location for us. Boozers and bait. Walking distance to universal or sea world to get bus to Disney. Just enjoy I drive for some reason. We always stayed there. Saying that not been for 5 years now after doing 10 ina row.
Yep, totally understand that. If you want the bars and loads of (cheaper) food AND you're mainly spending time at the parks nearby, then it totally makes sense.

If you're spending more than 7 days in 14 at Disney, then I think its unlikely to be a good choice if you have young kids though.
 
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Yeah, AK is a bit "miles away". Its just so good on price when I checked. The cheapest by far of the non-basic/value resorts when I checked.


Yep, totally understand that. If you want the bars and loads of (cheaper) food AND you're mainly spending time at the parks nearby, then it totally makes sense.

If you're spending more than 7 days in 14 at Disney, then I think its unlikely to be a good choice if you have young kids though.

Yeah when we went before we only spent two days at Disney parks, and a couple evenings at Springs. If we were there more might have looked more at LBV, probably next time we go we’ll be at Disney more as youngest will understand it more.

God knows when that’ll be mind.
 
Yeah, AK is a bit "miles away". Its just so good on price when I checked. The cheapest by far of the non-basic/value resorts when I checked.


Yep, totally understand that. If you want the bars and loads of (cheaper) food AND you're mainly spending time at the parks nearby, then it totally makes sense.

If you're spending more than 7 days in 14 at Disney, then I think its unlikely to be a good choice if you have young kids though.
no kids with us, used to get the ATD world passes so just popped around different parks daily. Miss going but little one just gone 3 so gonna hold off few more years before go. I imagine will be different to usual trips we have had.
 
Yeah, AK is a bit "miles away". Its just so good on price when I checked. The cheapest by far of the non-basic/value resorts when I checked.

Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans Riverside tend to be cheaper.

Caribbean Beach is fantastic now that it has the Skyline and it's attached to Riviera which is a deluxe and you can use their facilities (other than the pool). They have a great quick serve which does table service and serves steak for a QS credit.

I had a look at POR and it wasn't for me. Loads love it though.
 
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Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans Riverside tend to be cheaper.

Caribbean Beach is fantastic now that it has the Skyline and it's attached to Riviera which is a deluxe and you can use their facilities (other than the pool). They have a great quick serve which does table service and serves steak for a QS credit.

I had a look at POR and it wasn't for me. Loads love it though.
POR was the one I was planning last time out, seems to be the best of the value options. I noticed some amazing prices at AKL though.
I don't know anything about CB. Will have to check it out.

Hopefully I can fix my back problems, and get out there next year. Although I think it'll be insane once a vaccine kicks in and everyone forgets about covid.

Gotta get out before the sprogs hit 3 though, as they're free until then!
 
Different for everyone I suppose but the villas are great for me. Just get it in my head it’s not a drinking holiday, have a couple of bottles by the pool when we get in after eating out.
 
Drinking round the world in Epcot is one of life’s luxuries.
Absolutely love doing that. Especially when the Food&Wine festival is on.

But agree with SC. I don't go to Orlando to drink in pubs. Its completely the wrong type of holiday for that. I can do that round a pool somewhere in Spain for 25% of the cost.
 
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Absolutely love doing that.
But agree with SC. I don't go to Orlando to drink in pubs. Its completely the wrong type of holiday for that. I can do that round a pool somewhere in Spain for 25% of the cost.
Exactly that. First time I went I thought I would hate eating out drinking soft drinks, but it never really bothered me, just put it out my head.
 

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