Too many decisions help

[The waltons]

Rambling post . I love Disney have only done Orlando 3 times . First time stayed on Idrive and found getting to Disney a pain. Second and third time onsite split stays with free dining .
My father passed away at xmas and because I’ve been looking after him we were unable to go on holiday except for 4 days to Paris in 2018 - last time in Orlando was June 2017.
I really want to go this year as I had a significant birthday in Dec and DH has one next Feb . I’ve obviously missed feee dining for 2020 but believe there will be a dining offer on us site for later this year. The cost of staying onsite is offset for us be free dining. I know you can eat cheaper offsite but I’m not willing to drive in Orlando .
I’m driving myself mad with questions so here they are
1. If I wait till 2021 what is weather like in April .
2. What’s weather like in late August early September we have been late May early June and have had really bad rain but I also can’t stand extreme heat
3. Are the likes of the poly and the beach club worth the extra . We have stayed in animal kingdom and carribean beach . Preferred akl because it was a hotel with internal access to places (heavy rain)
4. I really want a holiday this year should I just consider a week in universal to get my fix and do DISNEY in 2021 .
5. If I wait till 2021 suggest a holiday destination

[Guest]

I think you would be very lucky to get free dining in 2020 now, the US free dining dates are very limited. I think it would also mean you have to buy US tickets which are not as good as UK ones.

I have been April / May and also from about 9th September to the end of the month. April will be hot, late 20s or early 30s usually. September was notably hotter and more humid than April /May. So much so that we had to change plans, we usually park hop for the afternoon, we were too exhausted to do that and instead called it a day at about 2pm most days.

We have always stayed in a deluxe other than for a few nights last year when we started at CBR and in December we are staying at Coronado Springs.

I did not like CBR as much as the deluxes, primarily because of the sprawled out nature of the resort. The deluxes are more compact and all the amenities are easily accessible, usually in the same building, we had a fifteen minute walk to the main reception at CBR. I also prefer internal corridors of the hotels. I didn't mind the room at CBR, but I think it was a touch smaller than deluxe resort rooms and also the bathroom was of a notably lower standard, the sinks were only behind a curtain and the room with loo and shower was tiny.

I don't think there is a right answer as to whether it is worth it, that is for each individual to decide. One deluxe I would never stay at is the Poly, I would take any moderate over that even if it were offered free of charge. I have visited twice and it is a bear pit.

[Leec]

We’ve been all times of year but do August because we can go for longer with the kids being off, however, I wouldn’t actually choose August if I’d got another date available. It’s red hot and you can experience a fair amount of rain, if I say a lot other people may say they didn’t have too much as I’m sure you know it can be very localised. Last year it just so happened to follow us round and seemed to be for longer periods and rained off a few days for us.
We’ve been April, lovely weather! Only downside is to bear in mind Easter period will be extremely busy...

What about doing your universal fix and a day at Disney? To keep you going for your main one with the dining plan?

[Leec]

I meant to say we have done the beach club and the location is amazing! If you’ve got children the pool is absolutely fantastic, if not just to lay in the water on the sands is really relaxing and you get a lovely tan! 😉

[orlandoamber]

1. The weather in April is great. We went 26 April for two weeks in 2018 (so more of the holiday was at the start of May but it was much of a muchness for weather). Sun and blue skies every day - only saw rain once and we were at a waterpark anyway!
2. Late August is much more humid. If you can go a bit later, we went late September/early October in 2019 and it was much more manageable than August (2016). A bit more rain than the 2018 April/May trip but not much in the grand scheme of things.
3. I also prefer internal corridors but stayed at Coronado Springs this year and thought it was a great resort. We had a standard room but if you stayed in their new tower that would have internal corridors. I’d also like to try Beach Club and have picked out that or Yacht Club as a potential for our (hopefully) free dining trip for 2021.
4. We were supposed to be waiting until 2021 but also fancy going back this year too. Like you say, we might do 10 days at universal and upgrade our tickets to annual passes so then it’s a saving for the 2021 trip when we’d have ended up buying tickets anyway. We might then just do a Disney after hours or MNSSHP this year to get a Disney fix. The OH still wants to stay onsite at Disney though if we end up going, so like you, if there is a US free dining offer we could be swayed.
5. Would you go for a more relaxing holiday if you didn’t do Orlando this year? We went to a resort in Playacar in Mexico last year which was great as it was all inclusive, but you could walk out of the complex to a bustling town with restaurants, shops etc. and even a ferry over to a neighbouring island, Cozumel.

Hope this helps a little

[KRBarnard]

If you don't like extreme heat then I definitely wouldn't be considering August or even the beginning of September. Temperatures drop to mid/low 30's again from mid September onwards but then it's hurricane season and it's very hit and miss as to whether you lose days to rain.

The best time of year to go if you want warm temperatures but dry(ish) weather without crowds is probably end of February into March before Spring Break gets into full swing around 10th March. April is really nice but gets hotter towards the end although still low 30's. Need to avoid Easter as it gets very busy. October is usually low 30's but much more humid and it can pretty unbearable, think 33c and 100% humidity at 11pm. Added bonus of Halloween events though September and October which are awesome.

I have only stayed at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West at deluxe level. Saratoga Springs is huge and you can be miles away from amenities. The layout of the buildings at SSR and OKW is very very similar to CBR. OKW doesn't have a food court, or many dining options to be honest. We didn't really like it. The studio room at SSR didn't end up being any bigger than our room at CBR as a load of space was wasted with a hallway, which was pointless. Bathroom was a little bigger but not enough to justify the price difference. Port Orleans was fab and one I'd go back to.

[The waltons]

Everyone seems to love port Orleans . I love the look of the beach and yacht club. I think part of my problem with the heat is I’m overweight and just not used to heat in Ireland.
If we did annual passes for universal do you get a hotel discount .
If we didn’t do Orlando a few days in New York might do us but I like the idea of relaxing by a pool but not constantly. Think we all just really need a holiday as I’ve been all go working and looking after my dad . I’ve a weekend booked to London Next weekend and with the flights and show tickets etc I could have paid for the dining plan .

[thefourDs]

We’ve been in August and yes it’s humid but I am planning our return trip for August. It didn’t put me off that much!

[Tretinker]

April we had great weather with little rain.
August was hotter than hell and wet very very wet but we can only do August or not at all.

If I were you I would do a week universal this year with maybe a couple of days in New York and if free dining is realised soon for next year I would book for March/April avoiding Easter for 2021. I personally couldn't afford anything above a moderate and so if I wanted internal I would choose CSR but when we've started during spring there has been very little rain and so I would personally chose POR or CBR.