Can anyone reccomend a great off Disney property place?

[newtodis]

Sorry I'm so sure this has been asked a million times before. We're trying to save a little bit of money on our Disney trip in December and spent almost an hour on the phone today with NOTHING available to downgrade! We're now considering staying off property. Could you reccomend a place that could sleep four adults and two children??? We're currently booked at AKL CL from 12/13-17 and are trying to get another room anywhere for our friends (the other two adults). I was trying to get 12/12-17 any combination of dates cheaper-trying to keep one or two nights at AKL CL. I'm now willing to give this up if we need to (we're trying to save to buy plane tickets to fly back to MI for Christmas instead of driving).

Any help would really be appreciated!!

 

[TwistofLemon]

Have you considered renting a town home, condo, or house? There are tons of web sites with rentals. One you can try is VRBO (vacation rental by owner). We are going to stay in a condo at Emerald Island. Advertised to be less than 10 minutes to Disney. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, kitchen, etc. A week (yes, seven nights) in December will cost us $630.00.

More money for other stuff! Plus space and some privacy, but convenient to the action!

 

[newtodis]

Yeah that was exactly what I was thinking to be honest! I'll have to check out your site. I just want to make sure it's a good site or if there's a location or anything to stay away from??? Or am I better off just hitting hotwire or something like that to try and find a cheap hotel room???

I never knew Disney would cause me all this stress!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Have your friends call the Disney res line and ask what is available for Good Neighor Hotel choices.

 

[newtodis]

Have your friends call the Disney res line and ask what is available for Good Neighor Hotel choices.

Sorry...I'm not familiar with this....care to explain??

 

[Luv2Roam]

Disney works with many of the surrounding resorts/hotels who have to meet specific standards and maintenance.
If I were to stay at an off site, I would definitely choose a Good Neighbor Hotel.
And these GNH can be booked by calling Disney and booking through them. Disney negotiates rates through these resorts also. And they include dozens of various hotels and offerings -- including two bedroom suites, breakfasts, etc.
For example, if a resort goes from a well known chain to an extended stay or timeshare, Disney would not sell them any longer for bookings and they would not be a GNH. The resorts have to meet specific requirements and criteria.

 

[newtodis]

Wow! That's good info to know! I've never heard of that before-thanks for filling me in!

 

[mareed]

If you're looking for the best deal where all can stay together, I think Windsor Hills is a wonderful option for you. You can find them on VRBO that's already been mentioned but you can also do a general inquiry where anyone with availability will email you a quote. The website is http://www.windsorhillsrent.com. Emerald Island that was mentioned earlier is also good. Both Emerald Island and Windsor Hills are very near AK and are a quick, easy drive to the parks. You get the best deal at places like this if you're renting a full week usually. You should be able to get a 3 bedroom, 2 or 3 bathroom condo or townhome for a bit over $100 a night, I'd think. It's a bit late to be checking, but with the economy, perhaps places aren't as booked up as they typically would be, which could work in your favor.

VRBO can take a while to navigate because you must send individual inquiries. If you go this route, just remember that you're renting from an individual owner and you should make sure you know all the booking terms and conditions (i.e. deposit, when final payment is due, etc.) This board is a great place to ask questions about renting from individuals, so ask away if you have questions!

 

[HeatherC]

If you have a car, check out www.skyauction.com. You can rent condos for about $300 a week total. Have used them several times and never had a problem.

Also...check out www.travelzoo.com. Click on Florida. They list the best internet deals on the web each week.

Another site to check is www.bookit.com.

Luckily, you have lots of options in Orlando.

Have a great trip!

 

[greenclan67]

Heather,
What else can you tell me about skyaucitons? I am very curious how it works, and how reputable it is.
Any info would be appreciated.
Carrie

 

[bookwormde]

If you still want some resort feel and want to be close so traffic is not a problem then try Bonnet Creek, it is right next to CBR. The deals on 2 br condo villas directly through the resort are ok but there are some great deals if you want to rent a reservation (check ebay). A lot of times you can get 5 nights for less than $500.

Here is the link to the resort I think the with the free upgrade the 2br villa suits rooms are $159/nt + tx

http://www.wyndhambonnetcreek.com/

bookwormde

 

[greenclan67]

On the topic, we have rented a 2 bdrm at The Fountains Resort, it looks wonderful. We booked it at $130/night, which is fine. Just now with the economy and the Cdn dollar, we are curious if there is any other resorts like this, (pool for kids, location, room size and amneties) that would be a bit cheaper. Our dates are Feb 5th to Feb 13th! We are not opposed to doing one night at start or end in motel, and just 7 nights at the resort!
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[FayeW]

This property is showing as available for your dates Dec 12-17th. The calendar also shows availability for a few days either side if you want/need to extend your stay. I found it through www.floridasunvacationhomes.com. We have rented (a different condo) from them for our upcoming Dec trip. I chose this one for you because it has two king beds, so each couple would have a kingsize, and then the kids could share the other room with the 2 twin beds. It's callled Tinkerbell's Treehouse. Looks really nice.

http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com/property_vh.asp?Rooms=3&ID=13461&AD=12/12/2008&DD=12/17/2008

This is our first time using Florida Sun, but so far we are very happy with the process. They get excellent reviews from anyone who has rented from them on this board, so that's why we chose them.

ETA: Found 2 more with 2 kings and 2 twins. This one is called Mickey's Treehouse. http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com/property_vh.asp?Month=12&Year=2008&CatID=&ID=14040#CA

And this one is Dukeroo's: http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com/property_vh.asp?Rooms=3&ID=13173&AD=12/12/2008&DD=12/17/2008

 

[TNKBELL]

Heather,
What else can you tell me about skyaucitons? I am very curious how it works, and how reputable it is.
Any info would be appreciated.
Carrie

Skyauction is great!! We have used them several times. They are very reputable, and you just can't beat the price. The properties are all timeshare resorts that have kitchens and most have washers and dryers as well as resort amenities. Here is a link to one of the 7 night auctions:
http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1451129

Good Luck!

 

[greenclan67]

So if you were to buy off them, do you have to do the timeshare presentation? Also, is there hidden fees? What about cancellation? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[TNKBELL]

So if you were to buy off them, do you have to do the timeshare presentation? Also, is there hidden fees? What about cancellation? Any help would be appreciated!

If you are referring to skyauction, you are treated as an owner when you check in and you absoltely DO NOT have to do any timeshare presentations.
The only fee with skyauction is a $20 fee, so you add that to the auction price and with the particular auction I listed above, $195 resort fee. So all together less than $300.

 

[spiceycat]

you definitely need a rental car with skyauction.

of course you need one for airport transportation too.

although have done skyauction and it can be a pretty wonderful deal.

just check here before you bid - some of skyauction resorts can be a bit far from WDW - although most are close - don't let the Kissimmee city name fool you - some of the kissimmee resorts are a good 30 to 40 minutes from WDW.

you can also get one that is 5 minutes from wdw. 5 minutes from wdw - not the wdw parks.

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I'll second the Bonnet Creek suggestion. I believe your dates are still their value season, and you will be able to get a 2 bedroom (sleeps 8) villa for around $100-120/night. I am a BC convert after our June stay. It is quite literally on Disney property (not legally) but it's surrounded on 3 sides. It's a gorgeous resort and does offer free WDW transportation, but not as frequently as WDW resort buses. I booked through vacationupgrades.com, and recommend the owner, Ken Price, highly.

 

[greenclan67]

What else can you tell me about Bonnet Creek, and the owner you mentioned. I emailed him tonight, and he made me a great offer, if I was to book 60 days in advance he would be able to give me a great discount for 8 nights. We are as of right now, booked at the Fountains Resort for 8 nights, at $120/night. His offer would save me about $200. Which in turn would cover the Canadian Dollar falling as badly as it is. Any info would be greatly appreciated! How far would this property be from Sea World, and Discovery Cove? Is there lots nearby? We are only do one day at Disney this trip, as last January we did 7 days at Disney! So would this resort, be worth staying at if we weren't doing all Disney?Thanks again!

 

[AllesonWonderland]

Another vote for Windsor Hills. We stayed at a 3br townhouse our first trip to WDW and it was awesome, great value and so close to Disney. I'm already researching larger properties there for our next trip...I wish the owner we had worked with had other properties, I'd rent from them again in an instant! Have a great trip!!