Another On Site vs. Off Site Scenario WWYD?

[scrappinstevie]

Travelers:

Husband, Me, Son 17, Girlfriend 17, and possibly Nephew 22 (he is still negotiating time off from his job before committing)

October 18-27 celebrating my 40th birthday!

We have all been to WDW and DL many times-except the girlfriend who has never been.

Our first choice is a AKL villa(AKL is my favorite resort-ever)....but this is going to get ridiculously expensive. We also love the thought of the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs. The costs are going to be high with 5 adults-food, airfare, etc.....

We would like to have two bathrooms and private spaces for us and the girlfriend.

Another possibility is two rooms at a Moderate but after staying at CBR last year, DH does not want to stay anything less than a deluxe because of the small beds and crowded public areas. Deluxe resorts just seem more relaxed to him. We would put the boys in one room and the girls in the other room.

DH is trying to convince me to stay off site because of the costs. I think the convenience of letting the young people use Disney transportation to go off on their own is invaluable--I feel safer knowing they are always on Disney Property and I know they can get home easily--really this is the only reason I feel the need to stay on site. We will also be renting a car or a van.
If we stay off site, we will have to travel more as a group and I wouldn't feel comfortable if they go off late at night and such by themselves.

I know we will get more amenities and space off site--we are considering Bonnet Creek because of the location. How is their bus service?

Does anyone have any pros or cons to help me think through this decision?

 

[amomma23]

I know you said no to mods, but Port Orleans has Queen beds. The French Quarter is small and very easy to walk from place to place. Just putting it out there.

 

[cmwade77]

What about joining DVC? If you go on vacation at least once every other year, it is really worthwhile to at least look into.

For us, the cost was about two vacations worth of cost before we hit our break even point, due to the incentives they gave us.

You can get even lower costs with resales, but it does eliminate some options, such as exchanges for cruises, non-DVC Disney Resorts, etc.

You may find that the cost of the points you would need for the trip is about what you are going to pay, especially resales.

 

[Kae]

I know you said no to mods, but Port Orleans has Queen beds. The French Quarter is small and very easy to walk from place to place. Just putting it out there.

I think CBR is the only Mod that does not have queen beds. CSR could be a good choice the bus service is great.



Kae

 

[scrappinstevie]

I had no idea the other mods all had Queen beds....hmmmm....I need to look at the resort maps for those. I think DH would like the smaller resort feel of Port Orleans-French Quarter. I will also look into CSR--Thanks!

 

[sharadoc]

How about a family suite plus a room at All Star Music? You can keep the girlfriend in the living room area and she would have her own bathroom. You and DH can have the queen in the bedroom and your own bathroom, then the boys would have a room, two beds and their own bathroom. You'd have a living room area to hang out, have quick breakfast in the morning, that sort of thing.

Price would probably be about the same as two mod rooms and lots more space.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

Have you looked at renting points for DVC? That might also be an option.

 

[toystorymom]

If you stay at 2 rooms at a moderate or deluxe and have girls and boys in separate rooms, that means you wouldn't be staying with your husband for your birthday vacation? So if you want to hang out with your dh in one hotel room, where does that leave son & gf?

I think your best bet would be a 3 bedroom somewhere. You would each have private bedrooms but would have the living room area to all hang out together. Some of the offsite places are so close, I would think it would be fine for older teens to get back and forth if there was a shuttle, or you could just set up a place to pick them up. At that age they will probably want to spend most of the day in the parks or on the go anyway.

 

[smcabee]

Have you looked at renting points for DVC? That might also be an option.

I think this is your best option.

 

[horseshowmom]

May I recommend Wyndham Bonnet Creek? They have 3Br/3Ba (or even 4BR/4BA) that would work out great for you. There are several places that you can check for greatly reduced rates (just scan this board). We've stayed there s few times and LOVE it. You have to drive onto Disney property to get to it (right next door to Carribean Beach Resort), and they have free transportation to the parks. You also have a washer/dryer and full kitchen which is very handy. Very upscale with lots of activities onsite. We had a fireworks view balcony and really enjoyed it.

 

[dougsmom98]

I usually always say people should stay off site, especially with that many adults, but I think you have a point about the Disney transportation... The kids are likely going to want to go off by themselves, especially at night.

 

[advocate34]

There is a $5 fee per person per day for the shuttle at Wyndham Bonnet Creek now.

 

[JimMIA]

There is a $5 fee per person per day for the shuttle at Wyndham Bonnet Creek now.

Actually, it's $5 per person per round trip, NOT per day. If you do multiple round trips in one day, you pay mutliples of $5. It can get expensive for family groups going back and forth.

There is still a lot of confusion about this fee because of Wyndham's incompetent implementation.

 

[JimMIA]

Have you looked at renting points for DVC? That might also be an option.

I agree this might be a great option for you, although you must understand that there is not going to be a whole lot of availability at this late date.

Try the DIS DVC Rent/Trade Board You must be logged into the DIS to be able to see this board. Read the stickies first.

And Davids. I have not used David's service, but he gets very good reviews from both renters and the owners who rent their points. The price might be a little higher than what you will find on the DIS board, but David offers an escrow-like system that protects both parties.

 

[scrappinstevie]

Thank you so much for the input! I am glad most of you agree with me that staying on site is worth it--DH is checking into the points/DVC for me.

 

[Cynt]

I would leave the GF at home before not sleeping with my husband on my Bday Disney trip. Maybe it's just me but it's not your son's bday it's yours. I can't imagine going on vacation for my bday and not being able to sleep with my husband in order to accommodate my 17 yr olds GF by sharing a room with her and putting my husband in the boys room. Not going to happen.

Definitely check DVC points.