During my most recent WDW trip, I stayed a few nights at Floridays Resort, located a few miles outside of the Disney gates on International Drive. Floridays offers 2 or 3 bedroom suites, complete with full sized kitchens and living rooms. This makes it a great option for families, or even multiple families looking to stay off site to save some serious cash!
It was kind of ridiculous, but I stayed here on a solo trip, having an entire 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom unit to myself. It was obviously way more space then I would ever need, but it was the best deal in terms of quality vs price I could find at the time.
The 2 bedroom unit cost just over $100 a night, plus that pesky $18 resort fee (it does offer free parking which balances this out a bit). Even renting dvc points to save, a 2 bedroom unit on Disney property will run you a minimum of $750 a night at the cheapest dvc resort. While I would not consider Floridays to be as nice as either Disney’s Saratoga Springs or Old Key West Resorts, I certainly would not consider the Disney owned resorts to be approximately $650 per night nicer.
Lets take a look at the 2 bedroom unit I stayed in.
You enter directly into the kitchen. Staight ahead from here is the dining area, followed by the living room and a balcony to sit out on. Along the right wall, you will find doors for the smaller bedroom, a bathroom and the master bedroom in that order.
The kitchen is equipped with a full size fridge, oven and dishwasher. There is a keurig to brew coffee with a few starter k-cups provided. The cabinets are stocked with dishware, silverware, glassware and coffee mugs. There are few other kitchen basics as well such as a mixing bowl, baking dish and beverage pitcher.
The dining room table only had 4 chairs, but you could easily pull the 2 stools over from the kitchen island if needed. There is also a vanity off to the side there in case there are several people getting ready at once.
The furniture in the unit was all high quality. There was not any visible wear and tear and everything had a sleek modern feel to it. The room finishes were nice as well with quality wood flooring and bright vibrant colors on the accent walls.
Below is a look at the first bedroom, featuring 2 queen size beds. This room is located to the right just as you first enter the unit.
The room has a dresser, as well as a closet for storage.
Above is the bath accessed via the main living area. Nothing special, but certainly more than serviceable.
The master bedroom is a good size and features a king sized bed and attached master bath. You also get a really nice view out over the water.
I do wish the tv was a bit bigger in here but that’s really a nit pick.
As you can see, there is an optional opening looking into the tub area of the master bath.
The master bath itself, is rather large and features both a walk in shower and a large tub with optional air jets.
I didn’t use the tub, but the walk in shower was very nice. The water pressure was not great, but good enough.
The unit also features a nifty washer / dryer combo so you don’t have to worry about laundry piling up if you are on a long trip.
Here is a view from the balcony. You get a similar view when looking out the window of the master bedroom.
One thing to note, there were a lot of bugs out here in the evening.
Common areas are nice as well. Above you can see the main lobby looking rather decadent. Below was the main entry to where the elevator was located in the building I was staying in.
One important thing for us when booking a hotel is the quality of the pool. Floridays is solid as far as the pool goes.
The pool is a good size and features a nice splash park area for the kids which you can see off in the distance of the photo above. However, I visited the pool later in the day and it was filled with a lot of misc leaves / debris at that point in the day. Not a huge deal, but definitely noticeable.
There is this little side pool as well, but it seems more for decoration than anything else. The pool area does not have a hot tub which is a bit disappointing. At least you do have the jacuzzi tub in the room if you like.
As far as dining goes, there is a small bar / counter service restaurant located just outside the gated area of the pool. I did not try any of the food but it seems to have okay reviews online.
During the weekend, the main pool area has live entertainment, ranging from a dj to a steel drum player. My building was pretty far off from the main pool but I imagine it would be nice sitting out on a balcony and hearing the steel drum if you were in a building closer to the action.
The resort also has a smaller, quieter pool with a gazeebo located further away from the main building. My unit was right near this pool but I didn’t get a chance to use it during my stay.
Other amenities on site included a gym, a small arcade and a business meeting space. Pet friendly rooms are available, though they are subject to additional fees.
You are looking at about a 15 minute ride to most of the Disney parks or Disney Springs from here, and maybe 20 minutes to Magic Kingdom. Parking is free so if you having a rental car is nice if staying here. Uber is still an option as well but you are probably looking around $11 – $12 a trip each way (pre-tip).
Overall, I was very impressed with Floridays when comparing quality vs cost. It’s not on the same level as some of the nicest hotels in the Orlando area, but what you get for a little over $100 a night is tough to beat. I would absolutely recommend Floriday’s to any family planning on staying off site.
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