Which hotel/area would be best

As this will be our first time I feel that location for us is quite important due to not having or driving a car.

I have(I think!) ruled out on site disney as we would like to sample i-drive and all it has to offer,although we will be doing disney of course. Anyway I have decided that i like the idea of staying at or close to DTD or LBV. Our budget is mid range and we have a 4 yr old. So folks,what would you suggest for us please. Sorry if i prattled on a bit;-)

Which hotel/area would be best

Hi we need more information really like when you are going.

But i would suggest Lake Buena Vista resort village and spa, with either virgin or look at first choice as it varies but both are good value. Virgin will fly you into MCo airport about 30 mins from LBV but First choice will fly you into Sanford about an hour away.

If you fly with virgin they will transport you to hotel, I guess first choice will too but we hired a car with them so not sure.

Lake Buena Vista resort and spa is 5 minutes from Disney and has shops right next door, a walmart across the road. So is well posisioned and it has a free bus to take you to disney parks. It is like 2 bed appartments in a hotel, stayed here last year and was amazed it was great having the versatility to stay in and cook, but having a pizza hut and restaurant on site if you want it, just being able to do breakfast and snacks in your room was nice, and having a sofa to lounge on in the evenings when little one goes to bed.

If you need any more help just ask.

Otherwise if you can afford it go for All stars disney hotel, clean tidy and full of disney magic, and the transportation is fantastic.

Which hotel/area would be best

This may help:

http://www.downtowndisneyhotels.com/

I am still not sure what I Drive can offer though, except shops (some good, some tacky) and restaurants (some good, some tacky).

Personally, I am not a fan of Idrive and do not like to %26#39;Sample it%26#39; much. I also don%26#39;t find the atmosphere there great for 4 yr olds- more 24 yr olds really. Having said that, it is one of the few areas that would be good for non drivers.

Your best bet would be onsite at Disney with a 4 yr old, if not that then the Downtown Disney hotels in the above link are close to Disney, in a great area, and are on a Lynx bus rt for seaworld/universal etc.

I do not recommend the abvoe mentionned LBV resort and spa for a non driver. They have shuttles- but you would be stuck with their timings and there is no close bus service there.

Thank you for the speedy replies folks, now excuse my ignorance but, being as we have never been its hard to imagine where everything is in relation to WDW! So,am I right in thinking that DTD is at the LBV end. I only have a mobile to do all this so am limited as to what maps i can access

I agree with amanx-I am not a big fan of International Drive. If you stay at Disney and rent a car I would suggest ';sampling'; I- Drive then. You can stay at Disney sometimes for much less than a normal hotel outside of the parks. And, with their magic your way package, depending on when you travel, you can save by booking that as well. The hotels at Dowtown Disney are very nice and you can walk to the shops and eateries. If your budget is mid range why not compare the 2-staying in Disney with tickets included or not. I have found from vast experience of being at Disney alone with 2 small kids that%26#39;s it%26#39;s more convenient to be on site. I don%26#39;t move my car. I park and go. I stay at one of the MK resorts and ride the monrail back/forth to my hotel. I take the Disney buses to AK and HS. I love being able to jump on the monorail and be back in my room for rests or to swim within 15 min. Your 4 yr old may grow weary and it would be nice to be close so you can get back to your accomodations and rest if needed. There is such great advice on these TA boards. It really helps to plan a trip with all these other ';experts'; help!!!

It all depends on your priorities. As a non-driver, then it would be fair to say that I-Drive is by far the better location as it has a good concentration of restaurants (of all standards) and other ';stuff'; and has probably the most intensive local bus services in the area. And it%26#39;s a lot closer (read easier) to Universal.

But ';commuting'; to/from Disney (by bus) will take time, so if your main focus is to be WDW then, as others have said, you may prefer to locate closer to WDW. Which Lake Buena Vista certainly is. LBV, though, has only limited public transport. So you do need to choose your location with care if you intend to ';escape';.

The only bus route of any use in LBV travels along Hotel Plaza Blvd between Disney and Sea World (and onwards via I4 to DownTown Orlando). At Sea World, you can transfer onto the frequent I-Drive buses. So, if your main focus is Disney, then I suggest you choose a hotel here and ';commute'; to I-Drive as necessary. Just don%26#39;t locate further from Hotel Plaza Blvd (DownTown Disney Area Hotels) than you care to walk.