any good recommendations for 9 of us?

[ninac.]

They'll be 9 of us going to WDW next August. 2 adults and 2 children in my family, 2 adults and 3 children in my sister-in-law's family.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where would be a good place for us? Are we better off at a hotel or renting one of those premier homes? We all get along really well. Any suggestions would be appreciated as we've never had this amount of people going before and I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed!

thank you! nina

 

[spiceycat]

there are lots of timeshares in the area that have 3 bedrooms (sleep 10 - most of the time) - just depends upon what you want.

I have heard that the pool houses are very nice.they are generally in the Kissimmee area.

 

[crazywig]

i would highly recommend a pool home. we had 11 people (7 adults and 4 children) and rented a 6 bedroom 4 bath . it was fantastic and having all that room was great!

ours was in the rolling hills development in kissimmee. 10 minutes to the main gate of the magic kingdom!

 

[July]

I hope that you have a good time no matter were you stay. I will give you a link to check out for nice accomodations but they may not take more than 8. Ask! They are very reasonable. And very nice.
Good Luck
Have a wonderful time
http://www.condobreak.com/sevilla.htm

 

[tednvon]

Hi...try www.vrbo.com....go to Central Florida and then shop around for a 4 or 5 bedroom home...there are many many of them and they are a wonderful way to do Disney....Ted

 

[disneysteve]

I would definitely recommend a pool home if you all don't mind staying together. There is nothing that will give you the space and amenities. Plus, there is nothing more economical. Here are 2 sites to check.

http://www.vrbo.com/vrbo/flcentral.htm
This site lists all the rental properties in the area. I have personally rented homes in Lindfields several times and highly recommend it.

http://www.windsor-palms-resort.com/
Windsor Palms is a brand new gated community of rental properties in Kissimmee. They have 2-3 bedroom condos (too small for you) and 3-6 bedroom pool homes (that's where you'll want to look). You'll need at least a larger 4 bedroom for 9 people.

You're looking at about $900-$1300 for a week in a 5-bedroom depending on season, less for a 4-bedroom if that's enough for you. That works out to $65-93/nite for each family if you're splitting the cost evenly. You absolutely can't beat that in any hotel.

Steve

 

[JANNYANS]

For a party of 9 you will need a pool home with at least 4 bedrooms and that wil mean someone sleeping on a sleeper bed in the lounge area.A 5 bed will take you all in bedrooms.
try

http://www.orlandovillas.com

http://www.orlandovillas.co.uk

http://www.vacation-rentals-orlando.com


these are sites where you book direct with the owners and a good service from them.

 

[MalcolmC]

Definitely a 5 bedroom pool home. A 4 bed like ours is licenced for 10 people but guests 9 and 10 have to make do with a sofa bed or roll away beds.

So go for 5 bedrooms for 9 of you.

 

[Miss L]

Hi,

For 9 people you could rent a 5 bed villa with pool for much less than the price of a hotel. A 4-bed would likely be too small as they are quite strict about the number of people to number of beds and you will only pay a little extra but get a lot of extra space and probably another floor.

We have been coming to Orlando and renting private villas for years and we regret the days when we used to stay in hotels. If you get a good villa you will never go back to a hotel again.

We always use a company called Paradise Resort Villas, they recently changed their name to PRV Vacations, they are a fantastic company and always find beautiful houses for us near to the parks. off the top of my head I think the e-mail address is: info@paradiseresortvillas.com. The web-site has no pictures but they will send them to you http//www.paradiseresortvillas.com

We stayed in Cumbrian Lakes which was gorgeous and peaceful, also Southern Dunes (good for Golf) and quite a few other places!

We have also used VRBO and other private owner sites, they have a very good selection but we sometimes encounter problems due to dealing with a private owner, it can get unorganised and it is quite important to have a proper contract before you book and to check there are no hidden charges etc.

 

[JANNYANS]

as an owner I would be interested in knowing the problems you encountered so as I can avoid them although I have not had any so far....

 

[IwantobeTinkerbell]

Assuming this is not your first trip to WDW, the rental homes are the way to go. Especially if you do not plan to spend every waking minute in the parks. The pools come in very handy on those unbearably hot August days.

BUT.........if this is your first trip, stay onsite! You just have to experience the magic first hand. Port Orleans is big enough if you get two connecting rooms. Enjoy!

 

[Lisa P.]

We're a family of 5 who have vacationed with other families (4-5 people) several times. We prefer a resort atmosphere with the larger, nicer, central pool areas and lots of resort activities, like boat rentals and game rooms. Pool houses look very nice too. But we enjoy the resort amenities too much on our midweek resort day (resting up from the pace of the parks).

After spending much of our days together, we've found it more relaxing to unwind and get ready for bed in two separate 2BR condos. Unless you know that you would really enjoy almost complete togetherness for the duration of your trip, I would plan some "just your own family" time into the trip. For us, this is easier by having each family sleep in their own 2BR condo.

We've always found the timeshare resorts where we've stayed to be accommodating in placing us very near one another. Bedtime and morning routines vary between families so this has been good for us. We can be together as much as we want, even letting the kids swap rooms for single night sleepovers. But everyone gets their own space. The adult couples can appreciate a little more privacy as well (gotta love those double jacuzzi tubs and king bedrooms!). Just something to consider.

 

[ninac.]

I can't thank you enough for all your replies. We definitely don't mind being together as we all get along wonderfully and the children will get a kick out of being in the same "home" as their cousins. Thank you all for pointing me in the right direction!!!
These boards are awesome!!

nina

 

[cpl100]

We recently stayed for a week at the Wyndham Palms and Resort in a three bedroom condo. We were shocked when we got to the room to find an outside door which led to a foyer with two inside doors. What we had was separate one and two bedroom (equalling three bedroom) suites. Each had a master bedroom with jacuzzi in it (although the two bedroom one was definitely larger) and a separate bathroom. The two bedroom had a master suite with jacuzzi, seprarate shower stall and separate toilet room as well as three sinks. Each had kitchen and living room with laundry facilities and the two bedroom side had a dining area as well. The place was huge! Both sofas pulled out to full or queen sized beds. The second bedroom had two full size beds. All bedrooms and living rooms had tvs. A complimentary continental breakfast was offered M-F but we never were around to try it. There were other activities that sounded good and reasonable but we already had our schedule and were sticking to it, lol.

Depending on how the families' size stack up, you could put the larger in the two bedroom side, the smaller in the one bedroom side and still actually be "together" by leaving the suites open to each other. The kids could swap around as they wanted while the adults had the two master bedrooms.

 

[ninac.]

here's another question, when renting these homes do we have to clean up after ourselves or is there maid service?

thanks again!!! nina

 

[JANNYANS]

The pool homes will be cleaned before you arrive and after you leave -anyhting in bewteen is up to you -although most homeowners will be able to organise mid stay cleans but they will charge you for it.

 

[Aubrey]

Our similarly sized group opted for two adjoining 2/bdrm cabins at Tropical Palms for more of a "Fort Wilderness" atmosphere. There are many favorable reviews here if you do a search.