My name is Brandon, and I’ve been going to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando since I was a kid. Now I have a family of my own who shares that same love for the parks, and we try to get down to Orlando at least once a year.

The problem is that these trips are expensive in a way that feels almost personal. Twenty-dollar hamburgers. Parking fees. Hotels that cost twice what they should because they put a Mickey Mouse on the shower curtain. I get it, and I’ve spent years figuring out how to navigate all of it without losing my mind or my mortgage.

Arch & Castle is where I share what I’ve learned — hotel reviews, ticket strategies, money-saving tips, and honest takes on what’s actually worth your time and money at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando (including Epic Universe, which opened in 2025 and completely changes the trip-planning math for Universal visits).

This is mostly for families who make the Orlando trip once a year, maybe once every few years: people who care about doing it right without turning vacation planning into a second job. If you already have a spreadsheet with 47 tabs and a laminated rope-drop schedule, you’re probably a few levels ahead of what I do here. But if you just want to show up, have a great time, and not feel like you got fleeced on the way out, you’re in the right place.

I also make videos on YouTube covering a lot of the same ground, if that’s more your speed.

Spoiler alert: your trip is never going to be cheap. But if you follow along, I might be able to save you some money, some time, or at least some frustration.