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Encore Resort vs Reunion Resort comes down to what you want to rent. Encore Resort at Reunion is a gated resort made up only of vacation homes with 4 to 13 bedrooms, and Encore says every home has a private pool. Reunion Resort & Golf Club rents one- to three-bedroom villas and suites around three signature golf courses.
The two resorts sit about 2 miles apart by road in Kissimmee, near I-4 and ChampionsGate. They share part of a name, but they have separate gates, water parks and shuttles. Reunion’s water park page even says that Encore guests do not have access to its water park. We compared both on their own pages, Booking.com price breakdowns and shuttle schedules, at last check on October 28, 2026.
Quick answer: Choose Encore if your group needs one big house for up to 28 guests, with a private pool, a lifeguarded water park and free shuttles to Disney, Universal, Epic Universe and SeaWorld. Choose Reunion if you need one to three bedrooms, want golf and a lazy river, and can book directly with Reunion, because its water park page says third-party bookings do not get access. On Booking.com, both showed a US$40 nightly fee on our sample dates; Encore added a one-time service charge, and Reunion charges $20 + tax a day for parking.
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Encore Resort vs Reunion Resort at a glance
| What matters | Encore Resort at Reunion | Reunion Resort & Golf Club |
|---|---|---|
| What you rent | Whole homes, 4 to 13 bedrooms, for 10 to 28 guests | Villas and suites, 1 to 3 bedrooms; big homes booked direct |
| Kitchen and laundry | Full kitchen and washer/dryer in every home | Full kitchen in every unit; washer/dryer in the unit or building |
| Private pool | Every home, per Encore’s FAQ | Not in villas; many direct-booked homes |
| Shared water park | Three tower slides, kids’ area, pool, lifeguards | Five acres, 1,000-foot lazy river, one big slide, no lifeguards |
| Water park on Booking.com | Included, per Encore’s FAQ | Conflicting: confirm with Reunion |
| Resort fee | US$40 a night on Booking.com; Encore says it varies by home | $40 + tax a night |
| Other Booking.com charges | Property service charge per stay, from US$430 | None beyond the resort fee and tax on our samples |
| Parking | Included, in your garage or driveway | $20 + tax per day per unit |
| Free park shuttle | Disney, Universal, Epic Universe, SeaWorld | EPCOT and Hollywood Studios only |
| Golf on site | None | Palmer, Watson and Nicklaus courses |
| Pets | Dogs up to 30 pounds, $40 a night each | Not allowed (service animals are) |
| Check-in age on Booking.com | 21 | 25 |
Encore Resort at Reunion: whole homes with private pools
Encore is a branded resort of vacation homes, part of the Rentyl Resorts collection. You check in at the Encore Club clubhouse, 7635 Fairfax Drive, from 4 p.m., and check out by 10 a.m. Encore lists a manned entrance gate, security on site at all times and a concierge desk. Every home has a full kitchen, a washer and dryer and Wi-Fi, and every bedroom has cable TV. Theaters and game rooms are in select homes only. Read our Encore Resort at Reunion review.
These photos of the homes and the Shark Lounge come from the resort’s own Booking.com gallery. Tap any photo to enlarge it, or see the full gallery and current rates on Booking.com.
See prices and availability at Encore Resort at Reunion
Reunion Resort & Golf Club: villas, golf and a lazy river
Reunion is a gated golf resort at 7593 Gathering Drive, where the Reunion Grande tower holds the front desk and three dinner restaurants. It rents more than 200 villas with one to three bedrooms, including one- and two-bedroom suites in the Grande tower. Every unit has a full kitchen and a living area.
Reunion also manages vacation homes, but you book those on its own site, not on Booking.com. Its pages disagree on the largest home: 14 bedrooms on the homes page, 15 in the search box and 13 in the FAQ. See our Reunion Resort Orlando review for more.
Check your dates for Reunion Resort & Golf Club on Booking.com
Location and drive times to the parks
Encore sits at the north end of the Reunion area, off Sinclair Road near the I-4 and SR 429 interchange. Reunion’s main gate is about 2 miles south, on Reunion Boulevard off County Road 532, near I-4 Exit 58. Both are in Osceola County, where the hotel tax is 13.5%.
Encore’s FAQ says Walt Disney World is “just 7 miles (about 15 minutes)” away, and Reunion’s FAQ says the Disney parks are 6 miles away. Those figures are close to straight-line distances. Our public-road routes to the actual parking lots, without traffic:
| Destination | From Encore’s clubhouse | From the Reunion Grande |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Kingdom parking | About 6 mi, 14 min | About 7.5-9 mi, 17-21 min |
| EPCOT main lot | About 9 mi, 17-21 min | About 11-13 mi, 25-27 min |
| Magic Kingdom (TTC lot) | About 10 mi, 19 min | About 12-14 mi, 23-25 min |
| Disney Springs | About 11-12.5 mi, 21-22 min | About 12.5-15 mi, 25-26 min |
| SeaWorld Orlando | About 15 mi, 25 min | About 17 mi, 28-29 min |
| Universal (garages) | About 18 mi, 27-28 min | About 20 mi, 30-31 min |
| Epic Universe | About 17.5 mi, 28-30 min | About 19.5-20 mi, 31-32 min |
| Orlando airport (MCO) | About 27 mi, 39-43 min | About 29 mi, 43-44 min |
Encore is a little closer to every park. Reunion’s ranges depend on the exit: shorter figures use the resort roads to Old Lake Wilson Road, longer ones the main gate and I-4. Allow extra time at park opening. See also our guide to hotels in Davenport, Florida.
Homes vs villas: space, beds and kitchens
Encore’s Stay page lists homes from a 4-bedroom home of about 2,400 square feet for 10 guests to a 13-bedroom Elite home of 6,430 square feet for 28. Its terms cap occupancy at two guests per bedroom plus two. On Booking.com, Encore sells Eastside, Westside and Elite Westside homes by bedroom count, plus 5- and 6-bedroom Reunion Village homes, which Encore places “just up the road” off I-4. A sample 4-bedroom Eastside home had one king bed, two queen beds, two twin beds and a sofa bed.
Reunion’s own units on Booking.com came in six types, each labeled “Waterpark Access” at last check:
- One-bedroom villa or Grande suite: one king bed.
- Two-bedroom villa or Grande suite: one king bed and two full beds.
- Three-bedroom villa, two baths: one king bed, two twin beds and one full bed.
- Three-bedroom villa, three baths: one king bed, one queen bed and two full beds.
Both resorts give you a full kitchen, not a kitchenette. Daily cleaning is not standard at either: Encore’s terms offer additional housekeeping on request, and Reunion’s villas page says daily stayover service must be purchased at the front desk.
Water parks and pools: the biggest difference
Each resort has its own private water park, and the access rules differ for Booking.com guests.
The Encore Resort Aqua Park has three tower slides for riders 48 inches and up: Stormchaser, with a 60-foot near-vertical drop; WaveRacer, a mat racer; and Tsunami, a raft ride through an enclosed tube. The Surfing Safari Kids’ Splash Area has four small slides for children under 48 inches, plus a large resort pool and rentable cabanas. It opens daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting, and its rules mention lifeguards. Encore’s FAQ says all guests staying at Encore get access, and passes are not sold to anyone else.
Reunion’s water park covers five acres, with a zero-entry pool, a 1,000-foot lazy river with free tubes, the Volcano Twist slide (42 inches, single riders of 30 to 280 pounds) and a kids’ splash zone with two small slides for children under 50 inches. There are no lifeguards; security monitors the park, and children 12 and under must stay with an adult. Capacity is 500 guests, and only cabana bookings guarantee entry when it is full.
Reunion’s Booking.com units say “Waterpark Access”, but its water park page says: “If you’ve booked through a third-party vendor, you will not have access to the water park.” Passes are not sold at the gate. Booking.com also showed a “Partner Offer” for a Reunion villa, “facilitated by a Booking.com partner company”, which is a third-party sale. Call Reunion (833-258-0472) to confirm your wristbands before you pay.
Encore’s FAQ says every home has a private pool, but heat costs $40 a night from May through October and $60 a night from November through April. Its Stay page lists no private pool for the Reunion Village homes, while Booking.com shows one for the 6-bedroom home, so confirm. Reunion’s villas have no private pools, but its eight community pools and the water park are heated in cooler months: to about 80 degrees per the FAQ, or about 10 degrees above the outside air per the water park page.
Encore’s pages also include Island H2O Water Park admission on check-in day during its season, but Island H2O’s hotel page says Encore is not included. Island H2O’s 2026 season ends October 31. For other pool-home resorts, see our guide to Orlando vacation homes with a private pool.
Resort fees, service charges and parking on Booking.com
Encore’s FAQ says resort fees “vary per home”. Reunion’s FAQ lists a $40 + tax daily resort fee that “may vary with larger vacation homes”. So we read Booking.com’s price breakdowns for three 3-night stays from December 2026 to February 2027. All showed the same fee lines:
| Charge on Booking.com | Encore, 4-bedroom home | Reunion villa or suite |
|---|---|---|
| Resort fee, 3 nights | US$120 (US$40 a night) | US$120 (US$40 a night), shown as a property service charge |
| One-time charge | US$430 property service charge | None |
| Tax | 13.5% on the rate and both charges | 13.5% on the rate and the charge |
| Parking | Included | $20 + tax per day, paid at the resort |
Encore’s service charge grew with home size, to more than US$1,000 for the largest homes, while the resort fee stayed at US$40 a night for every home type. A worked example for 3 nights, before the room rate and tax: one Encore 4-bedroom home adds US$120 + US$430 = US$550. One Reunion villa with one car adds US$120 + 3 days of parking at $20 = $180, so three villas with three cars add $540. Rates vary by season, availability and how far ahead you book, so compare full totals for your dates.
Encore’s FAQ and Booking.com listing ask for a $500 refundable deposit; its Stay page says $1,000. Its Booking.com rates say “Includes 1 parking spot”, while Encore’s own pages describe free garage or driveway parking plus overflow lots, so confirm a second car.
Theme park shuttles compared
Both resorts include a free theme park shuttle in the resort fee, but the routes differ. Encore’s reservation link goes to the booking system of Firefighters All Services; Reunion’s shuttle is run by Platinum Transportation.
| Park | Encore (operator, Nov-Dec 2026) | Reunion (Platinum, from Oct 5, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Kingdom | 9:00 and 10:55 a.m. to the TTC | No direct bus; transfer to a Disney bus |
| EPCOT | Same buses, then the monorail from the TTC | 10:55 a.m.; back 6:00 or 10:50 p.m. |
| Hollywood Studios | 10:55 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. | 8:25 and 10:55 a.m.; back 10:45 p.m. |
| Animal Kingdom | 9:00 a.m.; back 5:45 p.m. | No direct bus; transfer to a Disney bus |
| Universal and Epic Universe | 7:30 a.m.; back 7:00 or 7:15 p.m. | None |
| SeaWorld Orlando | 7:30 a.m.; back 6:45 p.m. | None |
Encore’s buses return from the TTC at 5:30, 9:15 and 10:30 p.m., and from Hollywood Studios at 5:15, 9:00 and 10:15 p.m., on our sample dates. Encore’s own page, “Updated January 2026”, still shows older Disney times (9:20 a.m., 10:40 a.m. and 12:50 p.m.), so trust the operator’s booking page. Reserve at least 24 hours ahead.
Reunion’s bus leaves from the Reunion Grande; you reserve online up to three days ahead, by 7 p.m. the day before. Platinum allows umbrella strollers only and does not serve Disney’s special events, such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Reunion’s FAQ says it offers no transportation to Universal, SeaWorld or the airports.
At both resorts, groups of 10 or more may not use the courtesy shuttle, so big groups should plan to drive. Disney’s standard parking was $35 a day and Universal’s $35 including tax at last check. Neither resort is on Disney’s Early Theme Park Entry list, and off-site guests book Lightning Lane three days ahead. Compare other options in our list of Orlando hotels with free Disney World shuttles.
Golf: Reunion’s three courses
Golf is where Reunion clearly wins. It has three par-72 courses: Arnold Palmer’s Legacy (6,916 yards), Tom Watson’s Independence (7,154 yards) and Jack Nicklaus’s Tradition (7,219 yards). Reunion’s golf page says guests of the resort and its Preferred Rental Program can play. Green fees are extra and tee times are not guaranteed, so call 407-396-3199 early.
Encore has no course of its own. Its golf page lists Reunion, Walt Disney World and Celebration Golf Club as courses “a short drive away”, and its golf group offer (12 or more golfers, through December 31, 2026) mentions “smooth tee times at championship courses”. Reunion lists Rentyl among its Preferred Rental Partners but says access “varies by home”, so ask Encore how Reunion tee times work. Our guide to Orlando golf resorts compares other resorts with courses.
Dining and breakfast
Reunion lists seven restaurants, all open to the public. 7593 Chophouse, the rooftop Eleven and the Lobby Sushi Bar in the Grande are generally open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The Clubhouse is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a breakfast menu, and Traditions is at the Nicklaus Clubhouse.
Encore lists Finns Restaurant (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.), The Bis Grill at the water park (11 a.m. to 4 p.m., seasonal), Shark Lounge (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and the Encore Coffee House (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Breakfast needs a check. Encore’s Finns page lists a free 7-10 a.m. breakfast buffet only for direct bookings with Encore or Rentyl, and says third-party bookings are not eligible. Booking.com’s rates on our sample dates said “Continental breakfast included”, so ask Encore before you pay. Reunion’s Booking.com rates on our sample dates did not include breakfast, but every unit has a kitchen.
Families, groups and house rules
- Baby gear: Encore’s Booking.com listing says cribs and extra beds are not available, but its concierge delivers Pack ‘n Plays, high chairs and twin rollaway beds for a $10 delivery fee each. Reunion offers free Pack ‘n Plays on request.
- Kids’ extras: Encore has a playground, a splash pad and an arcade. Reunion has two playgrounds, kids’ play pools and mini golf.
- Pets: Encore’s terms allow up to two dogs of 30 pounds or less, at $40 a night per dog, with approval before arrival. Reunion does not allow pets.
- Groups: only the people on your Encore guest list may stay or use the amenities. Reunion sends groups of more than five villas or homes to its sales team.
For more ways to keep a big group together, see our guide to Orlando resorts for large groups, or weigh the trade-offs in Orlando hotel vs vacation home.
Choose Encore if… / Choose Reunion if…
Choose Encore Resort at Reunion if…
- Your group has 8 to 28 people and wants one house with a private pool.
- You want a water park with three tower slides and lifeguards, included when you book on Booking.com.
- You want free shuttles to Universal, Epic Universe and SeaWorld as well as Disney.
- You are bringing a small dog, or the lead guest is 21 to 24.
Choose Reunion Resort & Golf Club if…
- You need one to three bedrooms, not a whole house.
- Golf is part of the trip, or you want a lazy river and eight heated pools without paying for pool heat.
- You want more restaurants on site, including the rooftop Eleven.
- You can book directly with Reunion, or you confirm your water park wristbands before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Encore Resort part of Reunion Resort?
No. They are separate resorts about 2 miles apart by road, each with its own gate, front desk, water park and shuttle. Encore is a Rentyl resort of vacation homes, while Reunion Resort & Golf Club runs its own villas and golf courses. Reunion’s water park page says Encore guests and members do not have access to its water park.
Which is closer to Disney World, Encore or Reunion?
Encore is slightly closer. By public roads, Encore’s clubhouse is about 6 miles from Animal Kingdom’s parking and 10 miles from the Magic Kingdom lot. From the Reunion Grande, it is about 7.5 to 9 miles and 12 to 14 miles, depending on the exit. Both resorts quote shorter, near straight-line figures.
How much are the resort fees at Encore and Reunion?
Reunion’s FAQ lists $40 + tax a night, plus $20 + tax a day for parking. Encore says its fee varies by home, but Booking.com showed US$40 a night for every home type on our sample dates, plus a one-time property service charge from US$430. Both add 13.5% tax, so compare the full price breakdown.
Can you use the water park if you book on Booking.com?
At Encore, yes: its FAQ says all guests staying at Encore get access to the Aqua Park. At Reunion, it is unclear. The Booking.com units say “Waterpark Access”, but Reunion’s water park page says guests who booked through a third-party vendor will not have access. Call Reunion and confirm your wristbands before you pay.
Which resort has the better theme park shuttle?
Encore’s covers more parks. Its free shuttle serves Magic Kingdom and EPCOT through the TTC, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Universal, Epic Universe and SeaWorld. Reunion’s free shuttle goes only to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, with a Disney bus transfer to the other Disney parks. Both have limited seats and do not allow groups of 10 or more.
Bottom line
In the Encore Resort vs Reunion Resort choice, Encore is the easier pick for big groups: one house, a private pool, a water park that Booking.com guests can use and shuttles to Disney, Universal and SeaWorld. Reunion suits smaller families and golfers who want a villa, three courses and a lazy river, as long as water park access is confirmed. Still choosing an area? Start with where to stay in Orlando.
Compare rates for Encore Resort at Reunion or see available villas at Reunion Resort & Golf Club.
How we checked this guide: fees from each resort’s FAQ and from Booking.com price breakdowns for 3-night stays on December 6-9, 2026, January 17-20, 2027 and February 7-10, 2027; Encore shuttle times from the operator’s booking system for November 4, 11 and 18 and December 9, 2026, and Reunion’s from Platinum Transportation’s schedule effective October 5, 2026; distances by public-road routing from each check-in building. Read more about how we research our guides.
Sources checked in October 2026: Encore Resort FAQ, Encore theme park shuttle, Reunion Resort FAQ, Reunion Resort water park, Platinum Transportation shuttle schedules