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Will be taking the family to Orlando and have started to research the many, many different resorts and such. We plan on spending two of the seven days there at Disney and Universal Studios (the one with Harry Potter). The rest of the time will be spent mainly on the resort, so the pool and amenities need to be really good (of course).
I'm looking for some recommendations on where to stay and potentially websites where I can get a discount on park tickets. Any other tips for the trip are welcome (i.e. rent a car or not).

Thanks in advance!

One day at each is no where near enough time. You are underestimating just how much there is to see and do.

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I see. Thanks for the feedback. I figured a day would be enough as I likened it to Canada's Wonderland.

I'm doing the same thing. However we're staying at the park/hotel 2 days and the rest of the week visiting family in Boca Raton. Booked our disney portion this evening at CAA. Check them out for deals.

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Canada's Wonderland isn't 1% of what Disney is.

Universal Studios is not as big as Disney but would still take 2 full days.

These 2 places are like nothing else on this planet. They are Las Vegas for kids.

When the our kids hit there teens my wife & I went back and we had a blast all over again.

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I'd budget at least 1 day at each of the parks at Disney. Maybe an extra day to revisit a park that interested you more than others. Universal can be done in one day.

I think you should stay at a Disney resort as they are really nice AND you don't need a car if you are going to do the parks and stay mostly at the resort. One day is definitely not enough for Disney as you have to cover 4 parks. The more days you go to the park, the cheaper the tickets are per day, though still pricey.

There are a lot of deals to be depending on the time of the year you are visiting. There are lot of off site resorts as well, but if you were looking at the a good theme, then Disney is the way to go as they have value, moderate and luxury resorts. I would be happy to put together a quote for you if you would like:)

Disney is huge... Can you skim each Disney park in a day... yes. But you will have spent 30% of the day travelling from park to park, and will leave feeling unfulfilled. I had the added benefit of going to Disney my first time with someone that has been there many times. So we were able to navigate hit everything that is cool my first time, one day. But I have now been there 2 more times, a week at a time, and I would say we have done about 80% of everything they offer with the regular price ticket. Hoping to spend one more week in near future to finally finish off the parks... lol

You are either bitten by the Disney bug, or your not.

As for getting deals, and finding places to stay I use these sites...

http://www.mousesavers.com/
http://www.undercovertourist.com/
http://www.smallworldvacations.com/

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I totally agree with the statement you are either bitten by the bug or not:)

The problem with Disney is, just when you think you have done it all, they put in a new ride or like they did with the New Fantasy Land in MK and the announcement just the other day about Avatar. Reason why some of us keep going back:)

And to those who don't know, you can get similar discount on tickets from this side of the border as well, thus saving conversion fees and credit card fees...just sayin'.

We've done Disney twice (2011 + 2013) for a week each time. We got bitten by the bug and it was the best vacation we'd ever been on...so much fun...you become 10 years old again from the moment Disney's Magical Express takes you from the airport to your Disney resort hotel (we stayed at Pop Century in 2011 and at Port Orleans Riverside in 2013). You'll never get to do every single thing at all the parks cause there's just so much to see and do. Disney in 1 day is absolutely impossible and if you are there during their high season (basically all year long except for the 2nd and 3rd weeks in January), the lineups can be up to 2.5 - 3 hours long for the cool rides (Peter Pan's Flight, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin', Haunted Mansion, Expedition Everest, etc. etc.) and they've distributed the awesome rides throughout all 4 parks so the park-hopper option is a must but it is more expensive.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Dear goodness .. I'm stressing now

Thanks for all the feedback!

How would you rate the 4 parks?

The 4 Disney parks (not including the Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach)? Fantastic and magical.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

How old are your kids? That has a big impact on what they'll be able to do. We did Universal with another couple who had a 2 year old, I think we went on one ride. They loved Disney Animal Kingdom with him though, and went there repeatedly.

When my husband and I go alone, we do much, much more.

MK is kind of a waste if your kids are a little older and out of the magical princess stage, relative to the other parks.