As ccfcwelshlad has posted above, if none of you want to drive, then International Drive (or just off I-Drive) is by far the best place to be for you.

SeaWorld & their water park (which I've found to be the best water park in Orlando) are at the bottom of International Drive.

Universal Studios & Universal's Islands of Adventure are at the very top.

In between you have about 3 miles of shops & restaurants, and the "i-trolley" (trolley buses) that go up & down I-Drive every few minutes.

From there, Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay, 60 miles away) should be accessible by shuttle bus from one of the hotels.


The easier way (imo) is to rent a 5-10 bedroom villa about 15 miles south of Orlando (areas such as Four Corners, Champions Gate, Celebration all have 1000s of villas).

The positives (over a hotel) here are that you have a whole house to yourself, usually a private pool, many have pool tables in their garages etc, and you can shop at the supermarkets (WallMart or Publix) to save on the cost of going to restaurants every night. And you're 15 mins closer to Busch Gardens in Tampa.

The positives of a hotel are their proximity to restaurants & amieneties, and they may have a shuttle bus to the parks.