Hi Merry Anne,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I'm always happy to help a fellow Florida resident find the best deals for a Walt Disney World vacation.
You will find the full list of
Florida resident ticket discounts here. For my family, we find the Silver Pass to be the best value because it allows us unlimited access to the parks for most of the year. If you are planning to visit more than four or five days in a year, it may be right for you as well. (You also get even more discounts as an annual passholder).
Resort discounts for Florida residents often are 30 percent or more off the regular rates. Both the ticket and resort offers change regularly. I don't see fall offers listed yet, but I would expect them to be released in early June.
Now, where to stay? I'm a big fan of the
Contemporary resort for its sleek style and its proximity to Magic Kingdom. You can walk from the resort to the front entrance of the park in less than 10 minutes, which is super convenient. The monorail also runs through the resort, giving easy access to the Transportation and Ticket Center, monorail to Epcot,, the Polynesian Village Resort and the Grand Floridian.
The theme park view rooms are the best for watching the fireworks from Magic Kingdom; the lake view rooms overlook Bay Lake and face the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness resort areas. While you can't see fireworks from there, I'm told that side of the resort is a little quieter. I've only stayed in theme park view rooms at the Contemporary.
Thanks for your questions, Merry Anne. Please let us know if we can help in any other way as you make your plans. Enjoy!
Wilma