Help Needed...Accomadations

[Wayneman117]

Just wanted to say Hello to everyone first off,and yes.This is my very 1st
posting on this site.So hope everyone is doing well.

Let me start by saying I am planning a WDW vacation (1st time) for April
of 2011 with the wife and 2 kids,8 and 5.We are in the early stages of
planning our trip and will probably be on a limited budget.We wanna start
by deciding where we want to stay. I wanted to stay INSIDE the WDW
resort,but are finding that might be alittle hard to do and still meet our
budget. Sooo....now we're looking at some of the hotels near by.I would
very much like a free shuttle to the parks and at least 3 mi. or less to
WDW. Does anyone have any recommendation? Also I have listed a few
below that I have found online. If any of you have stayed at one of the
ones I have mentioned, or know of anyone who has. I would greatly
appreciate any info....
-Marrott-fairfield inn & suites near Universal
-Baymont Inn and suites (Celebration)
-Holiday Inn Int. drive Orlando
-Hawthorn Suites Wyndam Universal

those are the ones under early consideration,but we will consider others
too.Thanks 4 any help!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

First off.. welcome to the DIS

I noticed you state that you would like to stay inside the WDW resort area, but with a limited budget you might not be able to so you would like to stay close to WDW at a resort that would have transportation to WDW. Why are 3 ot of 4 of the resorts you mentioned closer to Universal than Disney then? You should look into the resorts in the Disney area. A good option would be Lake Buena Vista area. You can also check the 192 corridor both east & west of I-4. Most of the resorts/hotels there will provide transportation to Disney. The ones that are closer to Universal do not offer free shuttle to Disney. At least from what I have seen.

 

[umieesa]

Welcome!

I'm so excited for you! I'm sure your kids will have a blast...mine are 9 and 5 and they can't wait 'til our next trip!

As for staying off site I would suggest checking travelzoo frequently to look for any hotel deals. Depending on your dates you should look into some of the Disney deals currently running and see if they would apply to your stay. Some of the value resorts are very reasonably priced. Another thing is to register on the wdw resort website and browse the site and price and save different packages. What generally happens is they'll send you individualized offers (pin codes). You should start doing that from now, so that you're in their system well before your trip!

If you don't mind giving this info...what is your budget? How long will you be going for? Will you be renting a car? Are you planning only going to wdw or will you be visiting any other parks? The more details you provide the more we'll be able to help!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I am not sure what your budget is, but I am am very adamant about staying on Disney Property. I know that you can find rooms available for $82 a night at the All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, and Pop Century Resorts. I really encourage you to do thorough research to see if this would be do able for your family because I personally believe that staying onsite adds a lot to the WDW experience. If it's not do able, that's fine. I just want you to make sure because the WDW resorts really make my trip.

Good luck with finding a resort! Back in 2003, I know that my family stayed in the Double Tree Suites one night and we found it to be very enjoyable for an off property resort. The mattresses were very comfortable and they give you very good cookies at check in so i would consider looking into that one.

 

[GoldenAfternoon]

We stayed at Fantasy World Club Villas in May and absolutely loved it! Check out the reviews on tripadvisor and expedia.

 

[Belle599]

I stayed at Fairfield inn & suites near Universal on Canada Ave in October of this year for 5 nights. I ended up staying there only because it was a stay on Marriott points and my number of points went pretty far here.

It was by no mean luxurious, but it was clean and adequate. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms have dated furniture and tube TVs but the linens were the same as you would get at any Courtyard. The complimentary breakfast was solid, I have had better at Homewood Suites but I have also have much worse.
The rooms do not have a fridge but we requested one and were told that if they have any left they would bring one up, if not we would be waitlisted. We were lucky that they had one and the maintenance man brought it up immediately and this was provided free of charge. On the downside, the fridge was tiny and was LOUD so we only ran it when we were not in the room.

For the 2 star hotel category (where I would slot it), it did surpass my expectations. However, my expectations for a 2 star hotel are low.
The hotel is very close to the sand lake road I4 entrance-exit so it didn't take too long to get to WDW. Remember that when you are driving towards Universal on the I4 (say on your way to the hotel on the way back from WDW), the sand lake road exit can get backed up.

The only reason I would have to stay here again would be if I was redeeming Marriott points again, or only needed to stay 1 or 2 nights. For about $75-$85/night I would rather stay in a condo (just prefer more space and it can be closer to property).

I hope this helps and that you have a lovely vacation.

 

[spiceycat]

the only bus system that is relability (besides WDW of course) is the one for the DD hotels.

they are almost as expensive as Disney and sometimes more.

so if you are staying offsite - a car is more a necessary than an extra.

here is Best western lakeside bus schedule (it can change) to give you a hint what offsite buses are like

http://www.bestwesternlakeside.com/

if you miss it - that is it. or if the bus arrives full -- again you are left. If you get left at the parks - then it is taxi. very expensive.

so getting a car for offsite is necessary.

go to the transportation board for discounts on car rentals.

best western is very close to AK. have not stayed there in years - but it was nice then.

 

[4forMe]

Welcome!

I'm so excited for you! I'm sure your kids will have a blast...mine are 9 and 5 and they can't wait 'til our next trip!

As for staying off site I would suggest checking travelzoo frequently to look for any hotel deals. Depending on your dates you should look into some of the Disney deals currently running and see if they would apply to your stay. Some of the value resorts are very reasonably priced. Another thing is to register on the wdw resort website and browse the site and price and save different packages. What generally happens is they'll send you individualized offers (pin codes). You should start doing that from now, so that you're in their system well before your trip!

If you don't mind giving this info...what is your budget? How long will you be going for? Will you be renting a car? Are you planning only going to wdw or will you be visiting any other parks? The more details you provide the more we'll be able to help! :cool1:

I agree the more details you provide, the more we can help. What week in April are you going? For example, Easter week will be more expensive than the first two weeks of April.

 

[kidd_freeper]

Considering that you will be travelling with a 5yo, I would recommend either staying on-site (without a car), or staying off-site (with a car).

I say this because 5yo children get tired and may need a mid-day rest.

Off-site hotel shuttles to/from the parks are generally limited to one or two drop-off and one or two pick-up times per day. Individual hotels may vary and it would be worth asking about the scheduled shuttle service for any hotels you might be interested in.

Whereas the on-site bus service is continuous.

 

[happymommy]

Welcome!!

I agree, if we knew your dates and your approx budget, we could help more. I've been taking my kids since they were 2 and 4, and they still enjoy Disney at 11 and 13 (maybe not as much as I do!!).

I would recommend getting the Unofficial Guide book - it's worth it! You need to figure out which attractions you want to see and stuff like that (not that you have to go "commando", just to familiarize yourself with the area, which is HUGE!).

For a first time, you may want to rethink not staying onsite. You may save a lot of time and headache driving (although I'm now leaning towards more off site, but we've been numerous times, and my kids are older so we need two rooms or a condo). I don't think the hotels you've looked into have transportation to Disney parks, and most that do will offer very limited times for that. The best for transportation will be onsite, the Swan and Dolphin (personal favorites due to the location and amenities), and Downtown Disney hotels (decent enough, but most of them have very basic pools, not luxurious or resort feeling at all).

Check if WDW is offering any deals or free dining for your dates. Even though I really disliked Magical Express, it's a free bus from the airport to your resort that WDW resorts offer. It's a convenient option, although I prefer a car rental or towncar service.

If you really want to stay off site, I agree to look CLOSER to Disney. And keep checking for specials.

My favorite area is the Epcot resort area; you can walk to so many different places to eat and my kids' favorite park since they were little has always been Epcot. If you can get a good price at the Swan or Dolphin, it's a super resort.

 

[tink2dw]

Check out Best Western Lake Buena Vista, Near Downtown Disney.

Also check www.MouseSavers.com for all Disney Discounts!! And while there sign up for the once a month newletter [on the 15th] with super special deals, on hotels, tickets, and Refurbishment/Closure/Update Schedules for WDW and DL/DCA. This is the number one place I check out daily!

I'm not rich. So, I try to keep my budget low, flights under $200.00, hotel under $100.00 a day but over $50.00 [1st ever trip I worked with a travel agent 3000 miles from Fl. Long story Short when we checked into the motel they told two Mothers with 6, 4, 3 years to stay away from the pool? Even with a 6 foot fence they still had alligators get into their swimming pool!!! We moved to a different hotel the next day!!] Food for 3 we keep to about $100. a day. But includes a trip Walmart for BOTTLED WATER Aquafina Brand, Soda if you drink it, breakfast foods and snacks, pop tarts, Special K cereal bars, bread, peanut butter and squeeze bottle jam, Little Debbie's Star Crunch[these hold up for 3 days in my bag, check ingedents they are not as bad as Disney Snacks], and at Walmart they are $1.09 for 12! Add in some grapes or bananas.

here is AllEars Dining page with menus and prices!
http://allears.net/din/dining.htm

Have the kids earn $25. to $40.00 for suvineers, but because they earned it they can spend it anyway they want, cutting out fights about what they want.
Plus you can do alot of pre buying Disney Shirts at Walmart/Kmart, Look at the Dollar store Disney Item pens, stickers, please find and buy spinning flashing toys before you get to Disney for the parades.

This should get you on your way to happy planning!!

 

[4forMe]

I just wanted to echo one of the PP's who suggested going to the transportation forum on this board to check for car discounts.

We are traveling in March and the car rates are extremely high. However, I found a code on the board for Budget rental cars that slashed the price in half! It's worth checking out.

The Budget rental car code is offer code X474200 used in conjuction with coupon MUWZ023. Both of these codes are offered to the general public. The coupon code will take an additional $25 off your rental when you check out the day you return your car (it won't show up in your initial price quote).

 

[4forMe]

I wanted to add to my previous post that if you are totally against getting a rental car, your best bet would be to stay at one of the Downtown Disney hotels. They have shuttles that they all share to get to and from the parks. The Downtown Disney shuttles offer more ongoing services than other hotels that are further away.

You can get your best rate by using the friends and family link in post #9 of the following thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2495710&highlight=holiday+inn+dtd

For example, if you stay at the newly renovated Holiday Inn Downtown Disney, you can get a rate of $114 per night (using the week of April 16, 2011 as an example). However, I believe that you need to prepay for your stay if using the friends and family discount. Read the above link carefully.

Good luck planning your trip. You've received lots of great suggestions from everyone.

 

[Harrell]

I wouldn't ignore the option of staying at a nice resort. I am a Wyndham owner and I have rented out 2BR and 3BR units at Bonnet Creek (just minutes from the Disney gates, and they provide free shuttle service to all of the parks) for $80/night or less in the last couple of months. Price, of course, depends on the season but if you're somewhat flexible, you can get some really good deals. For example, I can get a 2BR/2bath/full kitchen with in-room washer and dryer at Bonnet Creek in the first week of April 2011 for around $200/night. Ouch! I can get the same room beginning in the second week of April and through mid-May for around $100/night. That's total cost. No additional taxes or fees. A 1BR unit would be about $85/night. That's starting to look a lot better, but may still be outside your budget. However, I have been able to get discounts on Wyndham resorts of 20% or more when I've made reservations within 60 days of check-in. That's how I was able to rent out several 2BR units for $70-$75 per night. The point is, there may some really good deals out there if you know where to look.

 

[Wayneman117]

First off.. welcome to the DIS

I noticed you state that you would like to stay inside the WDW resort area, but with a limited budget you might not be able to so you would like to stay close to WDW at a resort that would have transportation to WDW. Why are 3 ot of 4 of the resorts you mentioned closer to Universal than Disney then? You should look into the resorts in the Disney area. A good option would be Lake Buena Vista area. You can also check the 192 corridor both east & west of I-4. Most of the resorts/hotels there will provide transportation to Disney. The ones that are closer to Universal do not offer free shuttle to Disney. At least from what I have seen.

Never been to WDW...Soooo,since I made that first post.I learn that some of those hotels aren't as close as I would had wanted.
Also,I have also found alot of good info since that enitial post.
Just wondering,who on here is very knowledgable about Disney that could help give me some really good advice about off-site hotels,budgets,etc.
Just some good advice really.I would like to go over with them where I'm at with my plans and see what they think,thanks

 

[happymommy]

I would be happy to help you. I've done Disneyworld on a budget and splurged, and honestly the budget trips are just as fun!

If you want to send me a message, I'd be glad to answer any questions. I'm also pretty good at researching discounts at hotels and on airfare.

 

[racechick8293]

I ditto the offer above. I've taken two budget trips in the past month, and would be glad to share. Please feel free to PM me if I can help.

 

[ksumn1]

If he doesn't mind, I always love hearing about the great budget deals people get. Would you keep us updated on your budget, what resort and tickets you pick?

One thing to remember about a WDW vacation is that it's alot of information to process especially in such a short time. So break it down into steps...

First, will you be driving or flying? This can help with the onsite or offsite debate.

How much are you willing to pay for a resort? Then, once you nail that down, decide onsite or offsite. Then tickets, meals, souveniers etc.

Happy planning!

 

[Wayneman117]

My dates aren't flexible,so its going be really hard to save any money-The discounts currently running on Disney stop on the day I arrive.So..
that doesn't do me any good.

 

[MarthaJr.]

You can find many options around $100/night with shuttles to WDW if you just know where to look.

Here are some places to start:

www.travelzoo.com
www.bookit.com
www.orlandoinfo.com The free magiccard gets you great rates on hotels, rental cars, shopping and dining in the area. I've used it many times.
www.mousesavers.com This site has a TON of great information along with links to hotel, rental car and ticket discounts. Sign up for the newsletter and you get even more access to discounts. Besides the DIS here...this is an awesome place to get information and deals.

These are all sites I have personally used over the last 10 years and have saved me thousands. We always go at Easter time because I work for the school district, which you have already learned is prime time for hotel rates and we have always had wonderful vacations at VERY nice hotels. We never stay at anything under 3 stars. Best of luck to you!