Disney hotel versus normal hotel versus villa?

[buttercup1982]

Hi, I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this. We are travelling as a family of 4 adults 2 children, hopefully August of next year. So many choices! It will be our first family trip to Florida. Also if we look at villas, which ones would you recommend?

 

[london75]

We were strictly villa plus car people until last year when we went to Old Key West in a 2 bed villa with food. It was just tremendous but the single best thing about it was the transport.

We still had a car but the disney buses really changed the holiday and now we look for a Disney hotel first then a villa if we can't afford Disney.

We're going to Caribbean Beach this August but probably a villa next year. we like Wyndsor Palms

 

[zippy99]

I think it depends on your budget and what your are prepared to spend.

We did a villa one year and it was not for us - I don't want a home from home - I am on holiday and I want to feel like it. I also do not want to be dependant on driving to get somewhere. Although Emerald Island resort was lovely and I would recommend it - just not what we want

Our preference is to stay on site and get the free dining - some of the resorts such as OKW & Saratoga Springs do have 2 bed villas that could accommodate your party.

I think you need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option and evaluate the importance of each to your family.

For us the advantages of:
- Free Dining
- Bus transportation to parks (even if we have a car)
- No parking costs
- Being able to come back to our resort for and afternoon nap/swim
- The resort themeing and feeling part of the magic

Make onsite better for us than the cost saving of staying offsite - but like i say that is just us

 

[scoobydooby]

It depends what type of trip you want and budget. If your primary focus is Disney then personally I would recommend you stay on site. You could get two rooms or a (pricey) two bed villa. Free dining would then be in your options of you book in time.

If you want to do a more general Florida holiday then a Villa may well be better.

Off site hotels can be cheaper and family suites are available. But as I said. It depends what you are planning on doing really.

For what it's worth I'm an on site girl every time

 

[anniedream]

I would go for Disney Hotel every time. However, like scooby said, it does depend on budget and circumstances.
My partner and I have never been in a private villa before as we did not see the point for just the two of us. Also, we are both under 25, so hiring a car would be very expensive.
Next year we are planning to go in a group of 6 and it will be in the summer holidays as I am a teacher.So, we thought a villa would be our best option in that circumstance.

 

[skelfbsfb]

There is only one winner for us and that would be a Disney hotel. If you can afford this then I would recommend staying on site.

 

[wayneg]

We have done every option over 20 years, our least favourite is Villa/Condo, we don't feel like we are holiday, its like being at home making the bed, throwing a load in the washer, using the vac etc. plus they tend to be further away, we stayed at Windsor Hills one of the closest communities to Disney but still didn't like the distance.
So our option is hotel, either onsite or offsite, we don't mind. We have enjoyed onsite the last 4 summers with free dining but its now beyond our budget, prices have exactly doubled from 2009 to 2014. It was great with the free dining but this summer we are back to offsite again, thankfully we enjoy staying & dining offsite as much as onsite.
You have to price up all options and see which you can afford.

 

[luke]

We have done every option over 20 years, our least favourite is Villa/Condo, we don't feel like we are holiday, its like being at home making the bed, throwing a load in the washer, using the vac etc. plus they tend to be further away, we stayed at Windsor Hills one of the closest communities to Disney but still didn't like the distance.
So our option is hotel, either onsite or offsite, we don't mind. We have enjoyed onsite the last 4 summers with free dining but its now beyond our budget, prices have exactly doubled from 2009 to 2014. It was great with the free dining but this summer we are back to offsite again, thankfully we enjoy staying & dining offsite as much as onsite.
You have to price up all options and see which you can afford.

Sums up my thoughts exactly.
Next time we go we will most likely stay offsite, where we could get much nicer hotels for our money should we want to

 

[matty624]

Having done both, we would always go for a villa if it was for more than 2 weeks. Staying for 4 weeks at a time, I think I'd lose my mind if I was onsite for that long... apart from being bankrupt!
Villas can be really good value. The one we're renting next month is a 4 bed with pool, backing onto reservation, games room, good location ie. as close to parks as you can get, and is only costing us about £340/ week.
That said, we do love the Fort Wilderness cabins!!!!

 

[eeyore1998]

We haven't been since 2002 but i love villas. Can understand why people love the hotels but they are well out of our budget, we prefer to eat out somewhere different each night and diffent prices. This time its just me and hubby (all kids broke and grown up) only booked 5 weeks ago and got a villa for £550 for 2 weeks, gated community with own pool. We love having our own pool. I actually like to do my own washing in their huge machines to take home clean lol. We also like to explore bit more than Disney and are off to key largo for 2 nights and then back to villa. Unless you have unlimited funds i prefer to spend my money on other things.

 

[london75]

We have done every option over 20 years, our least favourite is Villa/Condo, we don't feel like we are holiday, its like being at home making the bed, throwing a load in the washer, using the vac etc. plus they tend to be further away, we stayed at Windsor Hills one of the closest communities to Disney but still didn't like the distance.
So our option is hotel, either onsite or offsite, we don't mind. We have enjoyed onsite the last 4 summers with free dining but its now beyond our budget, prices have exactly doubled from 2009 to 2014. It was great with the free dining but this summer we are back to offsite again, thankfully we enjoy staying & dining offsite as much as onsite.
You have to price up all options and see which you can afford.

For me the main thing about a villa is separate bedrooms for the kids and us and being able to get up in the morning without disturbing anyone and having a swim before the kids wake straight outside the living room doors!

Oh, and a nice big fridge for cheesecake factory leftovers!

 

[queendisney]

for us its on site all the way. Having said that its beginning to get really expensive and we are considering off site. Having stayed off site before I really didn't like it that much, it was ok but we really missed on site but needs be. We would not however ever consider a villa they are just too far away and I like my room cleaned everyday and be able to just jump on the Disney transport to drop us off after extra magic hours, a meal and drinks etc...

 

[luke]

Just to sum up what I meant by nicer hotels for the money by staying offsite, I just did a random search for a week this August (using kayak):

I could stay at the Waldorf Astoria for £127 a night vs staying at CRB for £131 a night.
And the Waldorf is actually on disney property...

Even more so, I could stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (the nicest hotel I've stayed at in Florida) for £87 a night vs All Star music at £83 a night.

Now I get the appeal of onsite, I really do, especially if you don't hire a car (whereas we always do) but those price comparisons are crazy

 

[wayneg]

Can understand why people love the hotels but they are well out of our budget,

I rarely spend more than £35/nt for hotel incl breakfast, this next trip its costing £32/nt Somewhere we havn't stayed before but I went to look around last Nov and it looks OK for a few nights. http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/hotels/fl/orlando/lake-buena-vista

For me the main thing about a villa is separate bedrooms for the kids and us and being able to get up in the morning without disturbing anyone and having a swim before the kids wake straight outside the living room doors!

Oh, and a nice big fridge for cheesecake factory leftovers!

All 3 of us are really heavy sleepers so no worries about waking each other, I can sleep thru an alarm clock 12 inch from my ear(I did again last Saturday) but fully understand why others prefer seperate rooms.

 

[wayneg]

Just to sum up what I meant by nicer hotels for the money by staying offsite, I just did a random search for a week this August (using kayak):

I could stay at the Waldorf Astoria for £127 a night vs staying at CRB for £131 a night.
And the Waldorf is actually on disney property...

Even more so, I could stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (the nicest hotel I've stayed at in Florida) for £87 a night vs All Star music at £83 a night.

Now I get the appeal of onsite, I really do, especially if you don't hire a car (whereas we always do) but those price comparisons are crazy

And those prices are on the high end, just done a random search for a week in Sept.
£68/nt here at the refurbed http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcowc-orlando-world-center-marriott/
Or an amazingly cheap deal here at about £40/nt, it has to be the deal of the year, http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/

 

[luke]

And those prices are on the high end, just done a random search for a week in Sept.
£68/nt here at the refurbed http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcowc-orlando-world-center-marriott/
Or an amazingly cheap deal here at about £40/nt, it has to be the deal of the year, http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/

Definitely some great value in offsite - the main reason why we will probably return to it after two stays at SSR.

I admit I'm a hotel snob, and would rather stay at true 4 and 5 star hotels for so much less money than disney charge for their equivalents (which would be nowhere near 4 or 5 stars in the 'real world' - I know, the true value of the disney deludes is in their location )

 

[khibs]

If you stay off site you need to consider the cost of car hire, fuel, parking before making a cost comparison.

 

[wayneg]

If you stay off site you need to consider the cost of car hire, fuel, parking before making a cost comparison.

Would always have a car onsite or offsite, we do far too much away from Disney. Depends on the type of holiday you want, as I have said we have had some great holidays onsite with free DDP(totalling about 80 days in last 4 years) but we are enjoying offsite again, onsite you are in a bubble, at times can be very claustrophobic and feel tied. Exactly what some people enjoy but we like to do much more away from Disney.

Sorry khibs, I clicked edit your post instead of replying, Oops

 

[bobbins]

If you stay off site you need to consider the cost of car hire, fuel, parking before making a cost comparison.

Off-site hotels charging resort fees really started to irritate me - never actually paid them but had some mega-arguments. One DTD hotel wanted to add the best part of $500.

Agree with an earlier poster that staying on-site does turn it into a different kind of holiday.

We do always have a car though - even though it sits there for days unused.

But next year we're taking our daughters, their husbands and our granddaughter - so we're in a villa at Windor Hills. One thing that surprised me is how far ahead the good villas get booked up! Oh, and how expensive the Windsor Hills villas are.

 

[Squidgyness]

If you stay off site you need to consider the cost of car hire, fuel, parking before making a cost comparison.

You don't have to use a car.

We've been offsite without a car every time we've been. Never had a problem using shuttles to get to parks and a taxi to get back at whatever time we wanted (usually $30 inc a tip in 09, probably more now though ). If we needed to go up I drive for a day we took the trolley, or just got a taxi, since we weren't paying for a car Never felt the need to have a car - staying on I drive meant that we were about fifty feet from a block of shops with all your needs (last time the hotel also had a mini tuck shop for very reasonable prices!) and an excellent place to eat.

My father said the best thing he liked was getting driven everywhere all for less than the cost of using a car. We never felt like we lost time getting anywhere either.

If you want a car fine, but we've never felt the need. I don't think its all that expensive if you are sensible getting one either tbh, and unless you only go to the disney parks, staying onsite surely would need a car too?