OK yes it’s more complicated than it needs to be but plenty of people here to help you.
First thing have a look at the WDW info website that sponsors these boards. Lots of good information and tips to find there. Also have a look at the Mousesavers Website, a very good source of Disney discounts and other info.
So now you’ve read all that
I’ll start with tickets. As an Aussie, you have access to the US based 1 to 10 day tickets or the UK based 7 and 14 day tickets. The US tickets can be purchased as 1 park per day or parkhoppers where you can visit multiple parks on the same day. Adding the parkhopper option is a one off cost for the duration of the ticket. The UK tickets already include park hopping and also include Memory Maker which gives you digital downloads of photos taken by cast members or on the rides. Even without these extra benefits they are much cheaper per day than the US based tickets. The break even is roughly a 6 or 7 day US based parkhopper will be about the same as a 14 day UK based ticket. Hard to believe but true, Disney encourages overseas visitors to visit for longer therefore spend more money on meals, souvenirs and experiences. For US based tickets,
Undercover Tourist are a very reliable reseller as well but if you’re there for a couple of weeks, the UK based tickets are still much better value.
Same goes for Universal. The US based tickets go from 1-5 days, the UK tickets are 14 days and park to park. The break even here is only about a 3 day US based ticket. Sometimes Universal sell 3 days for the price of 2 or even 5 days for the price of 2 or 3 so the advantage of the UK based tickets for Universal diminish. Undercover Tourist are a good source for US based Universal tickets as well. But having 14 days is very nice, means you can just spend a morning or afternoon at the parks and still have plenty of days left.
Youu can absolutely buy these tickets, just not through the Disney or Universal websites, you use a reputable ticket reseller of which there are plenty. Orlando Attraction Tickets, American Attractions, Floridatix and Attractions Direct and others. Plenty here, including yours truly, have used these ticket resellers with no issues. They are just not allowed to sell to people with a US address as Disney want to sell them the 1-10 day tickets or annual passes.
Nice thing about thicket resellers is most have very good refund policies in place whereas Disney does not.
As for Hotels around Disney, you need to decide between onsite or offsite. Deluxe, moderate or value. That really comes down to budget but staying onsite has the benefits of REGULAR Disney transportation (I can’t stress the REGULAR bit enough), early entry (30 mins) into the theme parks, the ability to select paid Lightning Lanes (for a shorter line at a small number of rides) before offsite guests and other benefits. Deluxe Disney Hotels also offer extended evening hours at the theme parks on a rotating basis but those hotels are very very expensive.
So you mentioned you’re on a budget and there are a few options. Staying offsite will save money but some of that will be lost to Uber and Lyft. Some offsite properties have shuttles to the parks but they are not at all regular and don’t often work well for rope dropping the parks (getting there before opening) or late night stays. You can also get a Villa and some love doing that but it’s not for me. If that’s an option you’re interested in, ask here or on the main WDW forum. Another option is affiliated hotels that include most of the benefits of onsite hotels. These are the Disney Springs Hotels plus the Swan and Dolphin Hotels. They are usually much better value than the Onsite Hotels. The final option is to rent DVC points through a broker. This is an absolutely legit practice which will get you a deluxe Disney property for the price of a moderate. Still expensive but maybe you spoil yourself for 2-3 nights. DVC Rental Store are one of the larger points brokers as are David’s Vacation Club.
it’s a similar story for Universal hotels but their onsite offerings are much better value (probably half the price of Disney onsite on a like for like basis). The other nice thing is the 3 premier Universal Hotels include unlimited express passes from the day you check in to the day you check out. Express passes are expensive so this is an excellent perk well beyond anything Disney offer and the hotels are still much cheaper than Disney onsite.
if you’re there for a couple of weeks, a split stay between Disney and Universal is worthwhile HOWEVER, adding another set of parks (ie Universal) will add significantly to the cost as you’d have to buy 2 sets of tickets so you need to be comfortable with what you’re spending. If budget is a consideration then I’d definitely recommend sourcing tickets, hotels and airfares yourself rather than getting a package. People like the packages for convenience but I’m yet to be convinced they are competitive compared to getting everything separately. If you want a Disney hotel, for sure go through Disney but get your tickets elsewhere.
Also remember if you do get a Disney hotel and they offer a discount in the future, you can always ring them to see if they can apply that discount to your existing reservation.
So I’ll stop going on now. Ask any questions you need to and don’t get overwhelmed, the planning can be fun especially when you lob in Orlando and find out you’ve planned everything so well you are a Disney Pro
