AWW... Man....Wanted to stay onsite but just can't afford it.Can we still have fun?

[kermittheturtle]

Disneysteve,
We're staying at Oak Island Cove. Are you familiar with this area?If so what's it like and what stores/resturaunt are nearby? After realizing I wasn't staying onsite I moved onto hotels/ resorts and finally went for the vacation home idea , then it was making up my mind on what community to stay in I'm driving my DH NUTS!! I guess I'm just nervous. Never realized I would have so many hard decisions. You did reassure me about the vacation home though. Thanks!!!

 

[Beejayjay]

Kermit,

I dont know the Oak Island resort, but we are also staying in a resort along the Formosa Gardens Boulevard (FGB), where Oak Island is located, off of US 192.

I know the area very well, as I usually stay in what was a Sheraton Fourpoints hotel, the Lakeside Inn, which is located opposite FGB. You've picked a very good location, for a few reasons.

As you probably know, the resort is only a 10 minute or so drive from the Disney parks, accessed along World Drive, and is about the same drive time from Disney DownTown too. Seaworld is maybe another 5 minutes farther on. Universal is about a 30 minute drive, but is easily gotten to using I4, which is also close by your resort.

Personally I prefer to be a little bit removed from all the hubbub of the really touristy areas such as I-Drive, and LBV, so I also like the location for that reason too - close enough to be convenient for all the major attractions but also far enough away to be chilled out for down (non-park) days.

If you're a shopper (like me) the excellent Orlando Premium Outlets mall is about 15 minutes away, (going North on I4, turn off at DownTown) as is the smaller but also good Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores - go east on US192, then turn left onto SR535, it's about 10 minutes drive from your place.

In terms of everyday food or other shopping, there is a Publix store about a mile or so west on US192, near the entrance to Orange Lake Country Club. Even closer, literally at the corner of US192 and FGB, a large former Goodings supermarket, now called Value Store or something similar. The only reason I tend not to use it is I find it a good bit more expensive than Publix, but for a last minute or forgotten purchase, it's very convenient. There are also other shops such as Eckerd, Walgreens, And other convenience stores all within a few minutes drive.

Food wise, well, you really couldn't want for a better choice. US 192 is packed with just about every well known chain restaurant and fast food place, as well as a nice selection of one off restaurants and eateries, again all within a few minutes of your front door.

All the usual suspects are close by : MacDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, Dairy Queen, Ponderosa (one I'd recommend, great quality at very low prices), Shoneys, Red Lobster, IHOP, Sizzler, Perkins (open 24 hours)... pretty much, if you name a big chain, there will be one close by.

A few places I'd particularly recommend which are very close by are:

Key W. Kools: A steak house with a large open pit grill that much of the food is prepared on, in full view of most tables. It has terrific food and is good value, and is just a minute or so from the junction of FGB and US192 , going east towards I4.

Charlies Steak House: Just about my favourite Orlando restaurant, and I'm not a big steak eater ! The food is always excellent, and they do steaks the size of surfboards if you can face them - off menu, you can order a 72 OUNCE STEAK !!! I love the steaks, but if I dont fancy that, I go for the pork chops, always ridiculously thick and juicy, to die for !! The portions are huge, but I'd advise you try to leave room for a dessert, you wont believe the size of the slices of cake they serve !! Located a litttle further away but still only a 5 minute drive, it is again on US192 going east, in a shopping mall area - the name of which escapes me unfortunately- which is located directly opposite the right turn off of US192 into Celebraton, the Disney town.

Carabbas which is located in the Value Store development mentoned above at the junction of FGB and US192. An Italian styled establishment, the meal was excellent. It's always busy, but having eaten there I can understand why, a definite cut above the norm.

Angels at the Holiday Inn Nikki Bird Resort, again, along US 192 going east, maybe a minute on from Key W Kools. It's a 50's diner themed place. They do both a buffet and a full menu service, nice food, nice place.

I hope this helps you. If you have any other questions about the area, location, local facilities, whatever, please feel free to ask, I'll be happy to help if I can !

 

[HeatherC]

My suggestion would be to try SKYAUCTION for a "Ready,Set, Go" auction. You can get a 2 bedroom (1500sq. ft.) villa for about $250 for 7 nights including all taxes!!!

We are staying at Orange Lake Resort through them in November. We saved so much money on lodging that we now have extra money to spend at Disney on nice meals and souvenirs. That in itself also has plenty of magic.

Good Luck whatever you decide!!!
Heather C

 

[meandtheguys]

We just came back from one week at Summerfield Suites LBV and one at Orange Lake. Have to say we enjoyed them both. Got SS off expedia, 2 bedroom for $86 a night, and OLCC for $251 a week for two bedroom. After OLCC my husband will probably never want to stay in another hotel room again!

Michelle

 

[HeatherC]

Michelle - I'm so excited to hear that OLLC was nice. We are going for a week in November through Sky Auction. What section did you stay in? Any advice.

Thanks so much
HEather C

 

[Beejayjay]

Heather,

I've stayed at OLCC as well - a friend of mine has a timeshare there.

It's a really nice place, I enjoyed it both times I stayed there. The facilities are good, it's well run and well kept, and the two different apartments we stayed in were very nice, well equipped and spacious.

I couldnt tell you where on the development we stayed, it's far too big for me to be able to specify, but the whole place seems nice wherever you are.

 

[disneysteve]

kermittheturtle - I'd pretty much agree with everything Beejayjay said (though I can't comment on the specific restaurants he mentioned because I haven't been to any of them.

I don't know your complex specifically, but the area is very nice and very convenient to Disney property. I think it is just about as close as if you were on property.

We like getting off property at the end of the day. We also like being able to eat at some more reasonably priced restaurants - Denny's, Olive Garden, Boston Market, etc. You're also not far from Old Town which is a great place to spend a few hours at nite especially when the parks close early.

Steve

 

[kermittheturtle]

Bejayjay & Disneysteve
Thanks sooo much for the in depth info. Sounds like I won't go hungry while I'm there. I am so pumped about my vacation. I'm not sure I can handle this waiting. I will definitely have more questions.

So very nice of you all here on the board for the info. Thanks!!!

 

[meandtheguys]

HeatherC, We loved Orange Lake! We were in the East Village, which was new but a little far removed from Splash Lagoon. My boys,9,6, and 4 loved the water play area. We will definitely go back there next time!

Michelle

 

[KCMiller]

[ The best price we saw on their site was $114USD a night. How do you go about getting a better deal than that. [/B]

Well, for starters, go to Priceline. I'm staying at the Marriott Orlando World Resort over New Years Eve this year, and paying $87 per night - thats INCLUDING taxes and all other fees! If you choose a resort level, and are lucky, you could even be staying at the Swan or Dolphin, which are on site!

Go to biddingfortravel.com for info on using Priceline, if you never have before. I would never think of getting a hotel room from anyone else.

KC

 

[Lisa P.]

...Marriott Orlando World Resort over New Years Eve this year, and paying $87 per night - thats INCLUDING taxes and all other fees!

You should be aware that some hotels will still charge you a daily "resort fee" at check-out. In the recent past, it was $10/night/room at MOWC. They are permitted to do this with Priceline and other discounted stays - see the fine print on some of the webpages at Priceline.

 

[robinb]

I think you'll have a perfectly magical time off-site, but I think you'll have a more magical time on-site . I have stayed off and on site many times and I always prefer on-site. I am one of those very strange people who stayed at the All Stars, then moved to the Hilton and couldn't wait to get back to the All Stars!

Consider getting a room at an All Stars or Pop Century. You can keep an eye on WDW discount codes over at www.mousesavers.com. Rates are as low as $49 per night! Gee ... that's half the price of the Holiday Inn.

I agree that the off-site free breakfast buffets are attractive. You can cut costs while staying at a Disney resort, too. We usually eat a very quick breakfast of cereal in our room or at the food court. We keep a cooler in our room for milk, juice and beer . When we're ready to go, we hop on the bus or drive (free parking, another $7 savings ) to the parks.

I personally don't think a "kids eat free" deal will save you too much money. It requires you to actually eat at that restaurant every day for you to save much of anything. My guess is that you will be tempted to eat elsewhere and {poof} there go your savings.

 

[C.Ann]

The only way you "won't" have fun is if you allow yourself to be brainwashed into thinking you won't.. The "magic" is in the parks and in your heart - not in a hotel room..

Also, when there are children involved, many a vacation has been ruined by the overstimulation of kids being immersed in Disney 24/7..

With some careful planning (and a lot of research) your savings will be substantial.. Money you can spend on tangible goods to bring home; other activities in the Orlando area (yes - there really ARE things to do in Orlando other than WDW); or if you so choose, pocket the savings for ANOTHER trip!!

 

[yecats]

I agree with many of the above post. Disney is great to stay at when you have the money and can afford it. Otherwise, I have had great stays offsite as well. I do not have any children and have never stayed at HIFS but I have heard both the good and bad about the resort (ps - more good than bad). You hear more bad about it when it is full during the summer because of the sheer number of people.

Like many of the above post, you can have a magical vacation anywhere. It is what you put into it. Personally, as I get older I want more space and something comparable to what I have a home. I don't want to be crammed into a small room with one tv and one bathroom. I'll never understand why families (of at least 3 to 4 people) who live in comfortable homes all want to be crammed into a room at Disney (like the AS). I know its all the magic of being onsite (woo hoo) buy lets be real, sharing a bathroom and one mirror is a pain in the you know what and face it, the room is small. I went to the AS and really didn't like it, just mho. I would jump on the opportunity to rent a condo or home. To me it would be worth it to be more comfortable and have someplace to spread out with at least 2 or 3 bedrooms, more tv's, a kitchen, washer/dryer and living not to mention your own pool (if in rental home) that doesn't have 40 other kids trying to swim in it as well. As your only going to be doing one day in each of the parks, you can easily take a day to go shopping and come back in the afternoon to enjoy your own pool as a nice day off altogether. Do your research and pick the best option for you. No matter where you go you'll have a great time.

PPS - from my own personal experience, I took a trip with my mom last year who hasn't been able to go in sometime. We did an extended trip (11 days and did Universal as well) and wanted to save some money so bid on priceline for hotel. Hotel was nice, problem came in with 2 women to use bathroom and the one tv. I am someone who survives on 6 hours of sleep. My mom has to get 12 hrs of sleep. At 10:30, she wanted the tv off so that she could attempt to wake up at 7:00. I fall asleep with the tv on around 1:00 a.m. and will turn it off about 2:30 a.m. Needless to say, at the end of the trip I wished she had her own room. This would've solved a few problems and made the trip a little bit easier.

 

[Musky]

Let's put it this way: If Disney didn't have any hotels, if all they had were the theme parks, would you still go? Of course you would! It's the theme parks you're going for, not their overpriced hotels. Add me to the heretics who've been there, done that (stayed onsite), and don't ever plan to do it again! To me, the "magic" of staying at the AS meant: being crammed into a room slightly larger than a phone booth; having a 10 minute walk just to mail a postcard; waiting for 20 minutes for a Disney bus where you then have the magical experience of having to stand; schlepping our luggage for what seemed like 1/2 a mile; being surrounded by more teeming throngs and screaming kids (after a full day in the parks the last thing I wanted to deal with were more crowds); and having the "opportunity" to eat the really bad food in the food courts and pay at least twice what it was worth. I actually feel that staying onsite was LESS magical than staying offsite. Never again.

Musky

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by Musky
Let's put it this way: If Disney didn't have any hotels, if all they had were the theme parks, would you still go? Of course you would! It's the theme parks you're going for, not their overpriced hotels. Add me to the heretics who've been there, done that (stayed onsite), and don't ever plan to do it again! To me, the "magic" of staying at the AS meant: being crammed into a room slightly larger than a phone booth; having a 10 minute walk just to mail a postcard; waiting for 20 minutes for a Disney bus where you then have the magical experience of having to stand; schlepping our luggage for what seemed like 1/2 a mile; being surrounded by more teeming throngs and screaming kids (after a full day in the parks the last thing I wanted to deal with were more crowds); and having the "opportunity" to eat the really bad food in the food courts and pay at least twice what it was worth. I actually feel that staying onsite was LESS magical than staying offsite. Never again.

Musky

GREAT Post! I agree 100%. Disney has done a great job of convincing people that they are missing out on something if they stay offsite. But I agree with Musky - its when I've stayed onsite that I've had to make sacrifices - offsite I get more space, greater amenities and lower price as well. If that makes me a heretic, so be it.

I'll be at Windsor Palms in 28 days enjoying my 3 bedrooms, 3 27" tv's, 2 bathrooms, ceiling fans in all rooms, stocked kitchen, screened in lanai, etc. All for $90/nite. Even better, we're splitting that cost with my MIL who is joining us so our share is only $45/nite. Even a discount rate at AS can't come close to competing with that.

Steve