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When the economy is bad, what’s the first to go? I’m no economist, but I would think that people start cutting back on unnecessary luxuries like going out to eat and expensive vacations. In the past year I’ve seen the economy’s impact on both the restaurant and travel industries. As a waitress, I’ve noticed a decrease in tips, and as a travel-lover who frequents trip-booking websites, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of deals posted.
In other words, even though the economy sucks, if you have the money to spend, now is the time to travel. You don’t even need a lot of money. I promise.
The other night, one of my friend’s briefly mentioned how she wanted to go to Florida (Orlando to be specific), and I immediately asserted that I could easily find some really cheap trips. Even though we weren’t serious about going on the vacation, as soon as I got home I went online and began searching.
My search quickly revealed even better deals than I imagined. As always, I used expedia.com. I’m sure that hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity have similar deals, but for no particular reason I’ve always stuck with Expedia. I think I just have used their website so many times that I’m more comfortable with its format.
Anyways, I searched for 5 night hotel and flight packages from Boston to Orlando, and I found per person prices that are cheaper than the average roundtrip ticket. I used a week in mid August for my search, and then organized the packages by price. Many of 3 and 3.5 star hotels, some of which include free transportation to the Disney parks and/or free breakfast, are less than $300 per person.
For example, the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration, which is a very nice hotel that I’ve stayed at before, is only $277 per person. For a little extra, you can even stay inside Disney World, at the luxurious 4 star Walt Disney World Dolphin for only $393 per night. I stayed there a few years ago, and it was definitely one of the nicer hotels that I stayed at in Orlando, and it’s nice to be within walking distance of MGM (or Hollywood Studios as it’s now called) and a short boat ride away from Epcot.
There were even a few decent hotels for under $250 per person for the hotel and flight, like the Best Western Lakeside or Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. How is that possible, when flights are usually at least $200? Thank you bad economy for all of the travel deals.
I’ve been to Orlando way too many times, so unfortuantely I won’t be able to use these amazing deals that I found. Instead I’ll be going to Toronto next month. Why? I’m not sure. We’re only paying $160 each for the hotel though, so I’m not complaining. I don’t even know what there is to do in Toronto, but I’m sure my friend who suggested the trip has some things in mind. In the end, I know it will be fun. I’ve never been there before, and I always enjoy seeing new places. I need to stop automatically thinking of Florida when I think of the word vacation.
I have three addictions: ice cream, Starbucks, and Disney World. Ice cream and Starbucks are cheap, tasty treats, but Disney World is usually a funfilled, expensive vacation. I’m pretty much a five year old. To me, no vacation beats going to magical amusement parks and relaxing in the warm Florida sun. I’ve been to Disney World 7 times in my life (the most recent time was last August), and I already can’t wait to go again.
Today, I just happened to go to expedia.com to check out the latest hotel deals, and I stumbled upon this, one of the best deals I’ve ever seen for Disney resorts. The part about the dining plan is mildly exciting and getting into parks for FREE on your birthday is a good idea, but the hotel deals were what caught my eye. This deal is only good until June 6th, so you better hurry if you want to book your stay. The offer is valid for trips booked through August 8th, perfect for a summer getaway.
I immediately started clicking to find the best hotel for the best price. Although I’ve never stayed at any of these hotels (hotels outside the park are just as nice and MUCH MUCH cheaper), I’ve looked at their pictures, ammenities, and other information countless times, and dreamed of staying there. We did stay at Disney’s Dolphin Resort once, which was very nice, but is not actually part of the Disney brand, even though it’s inside Disney World.
The best deals I found included regular rooms at three moderate level Disney Resorts (3-3.5 stars) for $119 per night at Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Coronado Springs Resort. My choice would be the Caribbean Beach Resort; I’ve always wanted to go there. The rooms at these resorts are usually around $200 per night, so $119 is a good price.
For those who want a little more room and luxury, a few resorts, including Old Key West Resort and Saratoga Springs Resort, have villas from $179.
The value resorts (the Allstar movie, sports, music hotels) are the cheapest at $104, but those places have never appealed to me. Giant guitars and footballs are just a little too tacky. I’d suggest spending the extra $15 per night for a much better stay.
Hopefully some people get to use this great deal. I’m sure I’ll be posting tons of Disney/Universal/Orlando area reviews and deals in the near future.
