Best Villa Locations for Universal and SeaWorld

When it comes to the question of WHERE to stay in Orlando to get the most out of your holiday, it is definitely wise to follow the old estate agent adage of “location, location, location.”

Villas continue to provide the most cost-effective and sheer family fun option, but the ever-growing supply of villa communities does raise the issue of which ones afford best access to the different theme parks.

Our regular readers will already have seen our big recent exploration of the best community choices for Walt Disney World, but it also holds true for Universal Orlando and SeaWorld that your holiday home’s exact location will play a big part in the overall enjoyment of your Florida vacation.

With that in mind, we thought we’d attempt another exercise in perfect placement to point you in the right direction…

How do Disney, Universal and SeaWorld Differ in Location?

This is the starting point for deciding exactly where you want to be for your ideal Orlando holiday, so it’s important to note the differences between the various theme parks.

In essence, Walt Disney World, as the oldest and biggest of the three, is the top dog in town and commands the most attention, sitting as it does on 43 square miles of land in the south-east corner of Orange County.

Most people who come to Orlando do so primarily because of Disney, hence that is their main consideration. However, both Universal’s parks (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay) and SeaWorld’s trio (SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove) have grown considerably over the years and now have plenty of fans of their own.

The latter duo are also in their own areas geographically so that, while they are only around nine miles away from the House of Mouse, they are more associated with the International Drive area, which is in the heart of Orange County, immediately south of the city of Orlando.

International Drive runs roughly parallel to main motorway I-4, hence it is more dependent on using that routeway for access, but it also has the advantage of offering an alternative route from the Kissimmee area.

How Does This Affect Villa Location Choice?

As we explained in the blog about best villa community choices for Disney, Orange County doesn’t allow the big short-term vacation rental developments, unlike the surrounding counties, which is why the vast majority of villas are in Osceola, Lake and Polk counties.

This immediately makes Universal and SeaWorld that bit further away in both distance and travel time. For example, the travel distance from our villas in lovely Windwood Bay just off I-4 in Osceola County to Disney territory is just 10.5 miles, while to SeaWorld it is 15.5 miles and Universal is another four miles further on.

Given the morning traffic along I-4, that could easily add another 15 or 20 minutes to your journey for the latter two.

On a one-off basis, that is not a lot to worry about. But, if you have the 3-Park Explorer Ticket for Universal or the SeaWorld 3-for-2 Ticket (see our Attraction Tickets section for full details), which each provide 14 consecutive days of park visits, you will almost certainly want to visit the parks on multiple days, in which case the extra travel time starts to eat into your valuable holiday.

What About the Traffic in Orlando?

This is the key question here, as you will certainly want to avoid as much of the typical I-4 morning rush-hour traffic snarl-ups as possible (and it can be just as busy at the weekends as during the week, so don’t let the day of the week fool you).

As our Disney villas blog pointed out, it is possible to avoid at least parts of the motorway delays with some of the villa community locations, but those don’t necessarily help visitors who aim to focus more on Universal and SeaWorld.

Our villa communities in Clermont, for example, are super-handy for the Western Way entrance to Disney, but they are not ideal for the much longer journey from there to the International Drive hot-spots, which can be as much as an additional 15 miles further on (and with more I-4 traffic to deal with, too).

There is also no benefit from using the toll 429 Western Beltway, as it goes well west and north of the I-Drive area, and there’s no handy link between the two, like the Osceola Parkway does for Kissimmee and Disney.

That means it’s best to have a rather different focus if you want a shorter or easier drive to Universal and SeaWorld, which are both easy to find off I-4, but also benefit from finding alternative routes at peak morning periods.

So, What Villa Communities Should we Consider?

In almost all cases, the main area to focus on is Kissimmee, east of I-4 or immediately to the west.

Oakwater and Windsor Hills are the most obvious choices to the west, as they have easy access to Highway 192, which leads straight to I-4 and then directly up to the I-Drive area. From Oakwater it is only 15 miles to Universal, and that could be just 20-25 minutes if you don’t run into too much traffic.

Even at busier times, you should be able to do it in half an hour, and the big benefit here is that you are also very handily positioned for Disney, too, so this is possibly the optimum location for an all-round theme park bonanza.

What Other Communities to Consider for Theme Parks in Orlando?

Acadia Estates, Rolling Hills, Windsor Palms, Oak Island Cove, Emerald Island, Indian Ridge Oaks and Indian Ridge are all worth a look.

Head east of I-4, and there is a much greater choice of villas that will get you to Universal and SeaWorld faster than those to the west. The main benefit here is that you can avoid I-4 altogether, or at least until after junction 68, where the traffic tends to ease off.

From Kissimmee, you can either take the 535 north to I-4 (recommended if you are going all the way to Universal), or take the 535 to south I-Drive itself, via a short section of the 536. From there, it is only 5.6 miles to SeaWorld, and the traffic is considerably less.

In all, there are probably 14 different villa communities you could consider for this benefit, using the 535 and I-Drive or the 535 and I-4, with the superb Storey Lake and pretty Lucaya Village being chief among them.

Other communities to consider: Regal Oaks, Veranda Palms, Windward Cay, Seasons, Crystal Cove, Terra Verde, Bella Vida, Lake Berkley, Indian Point, Creekside, Indian Point, Eagle Pointe, Fiesta Key, Indian Village.

Hopefully that provides plenty of food for thought for those planning their next (or first) Orlando holiday. And, while it is certainly possible to shave some travel time off your various journeys in different places, you WILL still find the ultimate comfort and relaxation of your villa waiting for you at the end of the day.

And that, in our opinion, is what an Orlando holiday is really all about!

What villa locations have you stayed at, and what tips did you discover to get to the theme parks? Tell us about them on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages… and don’t forget to interact with us on Pinterest and now TikTok too!