Originally Posted by pinniped
If hotel costs are the concern, I seriously think you'll find plenty of nice hotel options in the Orlando area for late October at very reasonable prices. We have gone at that time of year several times and never had a problem. Granted, we have a kid so we're always looking at the Vacation Club and Residence Inn type places. Throwing in random late-October dates, I see base rates under $100 for R.I. and in the low $100's for Vacation Clubs. That's before I start working the promo codes and looking for Bonus Buck/Premium Pound/EEO certs to further reduce the cost.
I wouldn't rule out Orlando because of hotel cost...can't imagine O.C. being all that much less expensive.
Looks like we're running at about $179/night at the Hilton, $294/night at the Swan/Dolphin for my intended weekend at WDW.
Alternatively, I've got a $99/night rate locked in at the Sheraton Anaheim and there's a few $129/night rates running around with the Hilton.
It's a four nighter stay. We're not really on a tight budget, but it's nice to save a few pennies here and there short of going PL. Airfare is a non-issue.