First Offsite Trip...Help

[canadianjovigirl]

We to were in the same situation for our Florida vacation and due to family size and kids ages/sexes decided to go the vacation home route and boy were we glad we did as we tend to vacation alot that way now other than our all inclusive vacations.

We started our vacation by spending 4 days at http://clearwaterbeachholidayinn.com/guest-rooms-and-suites.aspx

in a family suite which was perfect for us.

We then moved to our rental home who had great owners who went above and beyond.

http://www.vrbo.com/88561

We loved the location as we were close to everything, yet in a nice community which was quiet and peaceful. The kids loved the pool and it was nice to relax on down days or in the evenings. There was a publix and shopping complex close by and it was a nice community to walk around. We paid the lower prices listed and had pool heat......

Any questions please let me know, we spent almost a month in Florida and cant wait to return. We did Disney, Universal, IOA, Discovery Cove, Sea World, Daytona 500, Daytona beach, Cocoa beach, kennedy space center, citrus picking, candy factory, NFL game in Tampa, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Air boat ride etc etc....

 

[Kim1964]

We rented a 3 bedroom/3 bath townhome at Windsor Hills last month. The particular unit was one that I had seen people mention here and on another Disney board to which I belong. Since others had rented from this owner without issue, I felt comfortable renting from her. The place was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. It was as close to Disney World as advertised. The week cost us about $900, $1200 less than the ASMu family suite we rented the year before for the exact same dates. While I now know that offsite isn't for me, it wasn't because of the unit or the unit's owner.

 

[bankr63]

I am a bit surprised that based on your discomfort with rental properties, more people aren't suggesting renting at a timeshare resort. The Sheraton Vistanas (2), Hilton Grand Vacation Clubs (3), and Wyndham Bonnet Creek among others offer all the space you are looking for, but are a lot closer to a more traditional hotel experience from the rental aspect. It should be relatively easy to find a 2BR unit sleeping 6-8 people with full kitchen and laundry for under the $200 you mention. Add in a full slate of daily activities, pools, restaurants and bars in the resort, and housekeeping (some do daily for extra cost, most do twice weekly). It is a very hassle free way to have all the space you need. The larger chains generally rent direct to the public, or you can often rent from a timeshare owner at the resort for less.

Although home rentals are also an amazing option, there are a few negatives that come with that property type as well. Many expect you to do at least some of the regular cleaning duties before vacating; something I don't want to worry about. And some of these communities often have pretty good amenities, but I don't think they measure up to what is available at the top end timeshare resorts. We go to Sheraton Vistana Resort annually, and there are 7 pools, 2 restaurants, food court, 3 exercise rooms, 12 tennis courts, a giant water slide, mini-golf, and I can go on. And at the end of the stay, you drop your key at the front desk, and they look after the rest!

 

[DisneyYahoo]

We have stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and we loved it!! We had a 2 bedroom. My oldest (10 at the time) slept on the living room couch pull out and my daughter (8) and grandma (65) took the 2nd bedroom. Great facilities for our needs. The day we wanted to travel to the beach we drove to Cocoa Beach. It was wonderful. Kennedy Space Center is also a fun day trip. Hope you have a fabulous trip!

 

[4forMe]

We stay in a 4 BR home in Windsor Hills and have rented through Florida Sun Vacation Homes for our last two trips. They are another management company that has been highly recommended on these boards.

When I was pricing our trip for next March, only one person out of 8 on vrbo came out cheaper than Florida Sun Vacation Homes since they have a 15% off discount on stays of 7 nights or longer and offer free pool heat during the cool weather months (it's $25 per day or more through other agencies). Since we've used them before and know their homes are very clean and look exactly like the pictures, we will be booking through them again for peace of mind.

If we were wanting to stay at a more resort type place, I would pick Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Check out the "We love Bonnet Creek" thread on this board for great information about staying there.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[disneysteve]

I am a bit surprised that based on your discomfort with rental properties, more people aren't suggesting renting at a timeshare resort.

We stayed at Marriott Cypress Harbour for a week last year. A friend rented us his week for a price comparable to a villa rental. The place was beautiful, very well-maintained. The grounds were very nice and there were numerous activities and amenities (not that we personally used any of them). This is certainly a nice option for people who want more space than a hotel but don't want the complete independence of a rental home. We've also rented at Orbit One several times through SkyMouse. That was even better as we only paid about $40/nite for a 2-bedroom unit but I don't know if those kinds of deals are still out there.

 

[jeff968]

Davey,
For us, the timeshare villas are the best. We tried one for the first time 10 years ago and we'll never go back to a hotel. They offer:

• huge rooms, everyone has more then they need
• seperate bedrooms
• full kitchens
• washer and dryer
• your own deck/patio
• Beautiful resorts
• Great pools
• Lots of activities for all ages
• Gated security
• And

we save tons of money by hitting the Publix and covering breakfast, lunch, and snacks/drinks out of our resort.

Stay with a name brand to ensure high quality (Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton)

You may never go back onsite again. We haven't since, totally spoiled.

Jeff

 

[buzz2400]

Just to pipe in. We have been going to disney for over 10 years now, staying onsite and offsite in hotels. this january we are going to stay in windsor hills. At first I was hesitant but I did a search on this forum for the company I am renting through and no one had any bad things to say about them. I am a little excited about it. I can make my own meals and even bring cold cut sandwiches into the park. I can do my laundry while I am sleeping (we are staying 7 days and then taking a cruise so this is going to help). My son will have his own room and bathroom so I won't have to get up an hour early to get ready so that he can then use the bathroom. I will be writing about my experience when I come back (middle of january).

 

[Davey-D-99]

Hello everyone,

A friend of a co-worker has recently booked "Worldquest" near WDW based on reviews. It seems to have good reviews on TA. Wondering if anyone from DIS has any experience with "Worldquest"?
Have not ever seen it mentioned before here. It seems to have everything I would be looking for at a really decent price...$118 per night for 2BR?

 

[disneysteve]

A friend of a co-worker has recently booked "Worldquest" near WDW based on reviews. It seems to have good reviews on TA. Wondering if anyone from DIS has any experience with "Worldquest"?
Have not ever seen it mentioned before here. It seems to have everything I would be looking for at a really decent price...$118 per night for 2BR?

I've actually never heard of it. Looks pretty on the website though I watched their video and found it odd that the two amusement park images they show when talking about Disney World are not from Disney World (or Universal). You might want to check TripAdvisor and/or start another thread here asking for opinions. I'm sure others have heard of it.

 

[luke6t6]

Another Windsor Hills "fan".... We recently stayed in a 3BR unit and rented directly from the owners. The unit was in a great location and the owners were very easy and helpful to deal with. They own two homes in W.H., which can be found at:

letsgoseemickey.com

I was hesitant at first, but was very glad that we made this choice. We stayed 8/19 to 8/27 and our total invoice was $880.

Good Luck.

Luke

 

[diswix]

We have stayed on and off site. In recent years we have preferred to stayed off site; rooms/suites much bigger, in room fridge/kettle, cheaper eating options, walking around at night and closer to universal too. However downsides are cost of car parking daily, no early opening, no mickey waffles,no refill mugs ( miss the resort hot chocolate) and swimming pools are fab on site.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have stayed on and off site. In recent years we have preferred to stayed off site; rooms/suites much bigger, in room fridge/kettle, cheaper eating options, walking around at night and closer to universal too. However downsides are cost of car parking daily, no early opening, no mickey waffles,no refill mugs ( miss the resort hot chocolate) and swimming pools are fab on site.

Visiting Universal is another story. They offer some real perks for staying onsite. You simply show your room key to bypass the regular lines. It's like having an unlimited fast pass for your whole stay.
We were instantly spoiled and will never visit Universal without an onsite room key! That, makes it worth cramming into a tiny room with 1 bath.

 

[avance]

Check out amazingdisneyhomes.com. We are staying in lion kings. Frank is very professional and I have only heard good reviews on him. We are paying $119/nt for a 3 bedroom home. He rents from $99-$119 per night.

 

[Napoleon]

Have you considered renting a townhome? You could get one at Windsor Hills (with a kitchen, 3 bedrooms and a splash pool) for significantly less than $200/night. You won't have maid service or continental breakfast, but you'd have lots more space.

This is a good idea for family travel planning.

 

[Davey-D-99]

Davey,
For us, the timeshare villas are the best. We tried one for the first time 10 years ago and we'll never go back to a hotel. They offer:
huge rooms, everyone has more then they need
seperate bedrooms
full kitchens
washer and dryer
your own deck/patio
Beautiful resorts
Great pools
Lots of activities for all ages
Gated security
And
we save tons of money by hitting the Publix and covering breakfast, lunch, and snacks/drinks out of our resort.

Stay with a name brand to ensure high quality (Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton)

You may never go back onsite again. We haven't since, totally spoiled.

I'm still learning about the differences between timeshare rental and vacation home rental? If I book say "Sheraton Vistana" or "Floridays"...I would be renting direct from the resort? not an owner?
What are the major differences from booking a regular hotel like "Staybridge"?
Is it just less housekeeping? I don't think I quite get it.

For example...the "Bluegreen Fountains" look absolutely amazing 2BR, 2BTH, huge, huge pool...and it's only $116 per night? How can it be so reasonable?
Is it mandatory to attend these sales seminars when you just rent?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'm still learning about the differences between timeshare rental and vacation home rental? If I book say "Sheraton Vistana" or "Floridays"...I would be renting direct from the resort? not an owner?
What are the major differences from booking a regular hotel like "Staybridge"?
Is it just less housekeeping? I don't think I quite get it.

For example...the "Bluegreen Fountains" look absolutely amazing 2BR, 2BTH, huge, huge pool...and it's only $116 per night? How can it be so reasonable?
Is it mandatory to attend these sales seminars when you just rent?

The main difference is the amount of space. For some people the housekeeping/towel/trash/room service is a big part of their vacation, for others it's no big deal to toss a load of towels in midweek. Easy when the washer/dryer is right in the condo.

You're usually not obligated to tour a timeshare property unless you're there on some kind of promotional offer. Most timeshare resorts offer rentals for vacant condos. We LOVED the Hilton Grand Vacation Club International Drive (not to be confused with their sister resort near Sea World which was nice but not nearly as nice as the Int. Dr) But I digress. When stayed at HGVC Int Dr booked through their website and got AAA rate for about $100/nt. Very off peak time, and it was only a 1BR but huge space. We didn't have our kids with us; that was just long weekend but for a family I would stick with 2BR minimum depending on #.

DVC allows non-members to book stays there too but it's astronomical. We'll be renting DVC points from owners for 1st time in Nov. I'm a little nervous but so far, it's all good.

Sooo many options. It's all a matter of preference.

 

[Davey-D-99]

Sooo many options. It's all a matter of preference.

Boy...I'll say!!!

Thanks for helping clear things up.

I'm starting to narrow it all down I think

 

[Davey-D-99]

You're usually not obligated to tour a timeshare property unless you're there on some kind of promotional offer. Most timeshare resorts offer rentals for vacant condos.

So...if I rent a room from Sheraton Vistana, Hilton Grand, Floridays, Bluegreen...etc, I would be renting direct from the resort correct?

These are condos that the resort owns and sets aside strictly for rental?

If I am under no obligation to attend a TS tour and it's strictly a matter of washing the towels ourselves then I think this is the route I will take.

Now I just have to decide on a resort... I love the look of "Fountains" but I have time yet before I have to book.

 

[shalom]

So...if I rent a room from Sheraton Vistana, Hilton Grand, Floridays, Bluegreen...etc, I would be renting direct from the resort correct?

Basically. From the corporation or the developer might be more accurate -- dunno about Floridays, but Bluegreen, Hilton, and Sheraton are all chains of one sort or another.

These are condos that the resort owns and sets aside strictly for rental?

I don't know if it's that the resort specifically holds some back for rental or if it's that they haven't sold them or they have the use of them because the owner isn't paying their dues or what, but most Timeshare point systems have some that are owned by the Corporation that rent out like hotel rooms, and some that are part of the points "pool" that points owners can pull from.

You think $116 a night for the Fountains is "reasonable," but I can stay there for less -- from a Timeshare perspective, $116 a night is pricey. It's all in how you look at it. Orlando is overbuilt, meaning you can find some great deals there. And Timeshares are often cheaper than hotel or motel rooms because you do your own laundry (usually there's a once-a-week linen exchange and cleaning if you stay a full week or more), and take out your own trash, and no one cleans your room for you everyday unless you pay extra.

I can tell you one downside to the huge pool at the Fountains with the big slides and the zero entry and all -- it's isn't heated. Which doesn't matter in the summer, and really isn't a big deal off season, either, because the indoor-outdoor pool (also quite large, but not so fancy) is heated, so you do always have the option of a heated pool if that matters to you. But if you're staying there in January, and decide to go swimming in the big pool, odds are you'll have it all to yourself.

The only way you're under obligation to do a tour is if you agree to it beforehand. They'll try to sign you up when you go to get your parking pass, offer you discounted tickets or a gift card or something: just say no. If you don't agree to the free offer, you don't have to talk to a salesperson.