Disney, bearably

Everyone succumbs to their kids' Disney World pleas eventually, but there's no need to drown in the world of Walt. The Disney resorts are fine and their buses handy, but stay at the nearby empire of Grande Lakes, and all age brackets are equally entertained after park hours. Consisting of a 584-room Ritz-Carlton and a 998-room JW Marriott on a plot five times the size of the Magic Kingdom, the place is bursting with amenities: pools (4,000-square-foot indoor; 24,000-square-foot "lazy river" outdoor), golf (18-hole par-72 Greg Norman), spa (40,000 square feet; Florida citrus treatments), and restaurants (ten, plus Starbucks). Best of all, the concierges are experts at pain reduction, arranging door-to-door limos (about 20 minutes to any park), booking babysitters, and even, in extremis, hiring a $125-an-hour personal Disney guide to make ride reservations, plan your route, and guide you through the park. And don't miss Epcot's newer rides: Nemo for tots and the spectacular Mission: Space (pictured). (Test Track? Don't believe the hype. It's an extended advertisement for General Motors.)

Grande Lakes Orlando
Tel: 407 206 2400 (Ritz-Carlton)
Tel: 407 206 2300 (JW Marriott)
Two connecting double rooms from $360 per night