Tell me about the treehouse villas please

[AllThingsFigment]

For those of you that have stayed at the treehouse villas what did you think of them? Pros/Cons?

We plan to spend most of our time at the parks coming back to the room for a mid day break and naps for the kids. We will more then likely have our own vehicle with us but would like to use disney transportation as well. How is the bus service for the treehouse villas? Also does each villa have its own driveway for parking?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the villas. Thanks in advance!

 

[Deb & Bill]

For those of you that have stayed at the treehouse villas what did you think of them? Pros/Cons?

We plan to spend most of our time at the parks coming back to the room for a mid day break and naps for the kids. We will more then likely have our own vehicle with us but would like to use disney transportation as well. How is the bus service for the treehouse villas? Also does each villa have its own driveway for parking?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the villas. Thanks in advance!

There is one parking place per treehouse villa (not driveways), so if you have two cars, you can only park one by the THV. And sometimes your neighbors will take all the spaces close to your THV.

If you want to take a bus to the parks, there are no direct buses from the THV. You can either take a bus to the Grandstand from the THV or walk to the Grandstand from the THV to catch a bus to the theme parks.

No king sized bed in the THV, just two queen beds, a set of bunks, a queen sleeper sofa and a twin sized sleeper chair. Two bathrooms - one in the master and one between the other two bedrooms. The bedrooms are rather small.

Do you have a THV booked already? They are DVC villas, and SSR is supposed to be pretty much sold out, so it might be harder to get them for cash through Disney Reservation Center. If you are DVC, you probably need to own at SSR to get them since they book quickly.

 

[amym2]

We stayed in the THV last month and loved it, but we were not visiting Disney parks. With a car, you will be able to travel easily to the parks. For our THV (7049) there were actually 4 parking spaces for two villas, ours and the one next to ours. But yes, technically there's only one spot per villa and any other cars have to park at SSR and walk or bus over. You also need to have a key to get into the THV since there is no gatehouse.

We did not attempt to use Disney transportation since we would have had to take the THV bus to SSR then transfer to a bus to the parks. We did drive to SSR, walk to DTD, then take a bus back to SSR (a bit of a pain since it stopped at Typhoon Lagoon on the way).

Part of the reason we loved the THV was that this was a relaxing vacation with plenty of time spent in the villa with my family eating and playing games. Had our intent been to spend most of our time at the parks, we would not have chosen the THV. We would definitely stay there again, the kids loved the rooms and we had tons of space with just 4 of us. It's a lovely setting and very unique.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I've stayed at the villas and I don't think they are a great choice if you have young children. First of all they are very isolated, which would not be a problem if you have a car, but if you are relying on Disney transportation, its going to take you a long time to get anywhere, and you're going to have to use two buses, which is an extra hassle with strollers.

Its also really far from the main amenities of SSR, so its not convenient for quick service meals, if that is something you plan on doing.

Another big stroller problem is that the entrances are on the second floor of the villa, so that means lugging a stroller up and down a long flight of stairs every time you want to leave your room.

Another issue I had with kids, is that there are no sidewalks on the roads, its dark at night, and they are very narrow. I was nervous walking back and forth from the pool with young kids, because people do unfortunately drive fast, and it is difficult for the Disney buses also because the road is windy and narrow.

The villa itself was lovely, and I liked the set up, it would be great for parents/grandparents/ 2-3 kids rooming situation, but I think it would be better for older kids, elementary aged and up.

 

[AllThingsFigment]

Thank you for all of the great information. I'm glad I asked before booking because I hadn't thought about the steps. We'll have strollers with us and it doesn't seem like it would be the best idea, especially since we will be going back to the room in the middle of the day. I'm sure by the second day we would be tired of lugging it up and down the steps.

I love that they are secluded. After a day at the parks I'm sure it's nice to get away for a little while.

 

[JeanfromBNA]

You might check out the reviews at Allearsnet here: http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=546&cat=3