Can't get excited about rental homes/time shares, Am I missing something?

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

We are planning out first offsite trip for this August. It's for 4 days before our 7 night DCL cruise.

We have looked at multiple resorts including hotels, rental homes and timeshares such as Orange Lake and Bonnet Creek

Bonnet Creek is pretty much the exact price as Caribe Royale, we did a comparison last night and determined since we don't plan on cooking while on vacation the kitchen wasn't needed, both have nice pools. Both my husband and I like having daily cleaning of the hotels, part of being in vacation for us is someone else making the beds and providing fresh towels.

Just wondering if I am missing any key parts of the allure of these timeshare properties bc I know people love Bonnet Creek etc. We were only looking at a 1 bedroom and I realize we may feel differently of we needed larger accommodations.

 

[kmb584]

I think that the allure for most people (myself included) is getting 1,000+ sq ft for a price often equal to an on-property value, and if higher it's not by much. We've been calling Sheraton Vistana Resort "home" for 4 out of our last 5 trips and booked it again for October. It still has that resort feel but at the end of the night it's like walking into a luxury apartment. Between the 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, in-room washer and dryer, private enclosed patio, it's just a nice feeling all around and my bank account loves it too!

 

[DianaPrince]

Well we recently stayed at Caribes next door sister hotel buena vista suites 1 night and 3 nights at wbc. We walked over to Caribe for pizza and it looks like a really nice hotel,I know bvs was nice and caribe is supposed to be better. The pool there for sure is. Wbc is a place I will never return to. We dont like to cook or clean or do laundry on vacation,and its pretty much a given you have to do it there,because housekeeping isnt free so you have to wash your towels and take out your trash. Just didnt feel like a vacation. Tons of unsupervised kids at the pool during the day. Its just mho,i know alot of ppl on here loooove it,but, Id go with caribe.

 

[MomofKatie]

It sounds like you would be more comfortable with a traditional hotel. You don't need the amenities that many appreciate in rental homes/timeshares- like washer/dryer, kitchen, and high sq footage to spread out in. And you want services like daily housekeeping that aren't included in the price with rentals.

If there are just 2 of you, you definitely don't need a 1000 sq foot 2 bedroom unit. Most of the appeal of timeshare/rental properties is, IMO, the size so that families can spread out and not be on top of each other in one room (and one bathroom). For a family of 4, for the same price as a single hotel room, being able to have separate bedrooms, 2 or more bathrooms, a kitchen, washer and dryer, and a private pool in some cases, is a great advantage. But it isn't for everyone.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

For us, the allure is two-fold....like one of the PP's mentioned, we get a villa the size of a small home with upgraded amenities, multiple TV's, Jacuzzi tub, full kitchen, washer & dryer, etc. for the same price as a Disney value. We also like each having separate bedrooms....one for DH & I, one for the boy....so that no one is having to sleep on a pull out sofa in the living room.

Then, we have all the resort amenities to boot.....onsite mini golf, multiple pools (some resorts have waterslides, lazy rivers, etc.), pool activities, family activities like bingo, bike rentals, paddle boats (at some resorts), and the list goes on. We like to have a down day or two on our vacations and make full use of these resort features, which standard hotels don't offer.

We had daily housekeeping at Westgate Lakes last summer, and will have housekeeping again at the Sheraton Vistana Resort this coming August. Some timeshare facilities do offer nightly rentals with housekeeping, just usually at a slightly higher rate.

Caribe Royale looks like a fine hotel property though, so if that's what suits your family's vacation needs the best, then I wouldn't hesitate to book it .

 

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

We are a family of 4, kids are little and we are ok with the Carobe suite which is 1 bedroom with 2 queen bed and a pull out couch in the living room.

It's for 4 nights pre cruise - 3 theme park days (non Disney) and 1 pool day. I could see for a 7 night plus trip that the additional amenities may have more of an appeal.

I'm ok with laundry on vacation, but no cooking. We also personally like the look of traditional hotel rooms vs a condo (feels more vacation like but that's just my opinion) thanks for the feedback

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It's for 4 nights pre cruise - 3 theme park days (non Disney) and 1 pool day. I could see for a 7 night plus trip that the additional amenities may have more of an appeal.

Are you non-Disney theme park days for SeaWorld or Universal? If so, have you considered staying at their onsite properties for the special benefits like early admission and front-of-the-line passes? Both parks offer multiple onsite hotels from which to pick....just tossing it out there as a suggestion to make the most of your hotel expenses! (If you are visiting SW, I would totally recommend the Residence Inn SeaWorld.....check out the link in my trip report for lots of pics of the property, the room, the common areas, the pool and the courtyard.....a hot breakfast buffet, parking, wireless internet, park transportation, and SW Quick Queue passes are all free perks there).

 

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

Are you non-Disney theme park days for SeaWorld or Universal? If so, have you considered staying at their onsite properties for the special benefits like early admission and front-of-the-line passes? Both parks offer multiple onsite hotels from which to pick....just tossing it out there as a suggestion to make the most of your hotel expenses! (If you are visiting SW, I would totally recommend the Residence Inn SeaWorld.....check out the link in my trip report for lots of pics of the property, the room, the common areas, the pool and the courtyard.....a hot breakfast buffet, parking, wireless internet, park transportation, and SW Quick Queue passes are all free perks there).

Thanks for the info. We are doing Legoland, SeaWorld and Aquatica. We have tickets already for all 3.

I will check out the Residence Inn, right now our deal at Caribe Royale is really good bc we arrive on my husbands birthday. The birthday promo is 1 night free and 20% off all food/drink. With the discount our nightly rate is $96.75, but I'm always ready to reconsider for the right hotel/price.

We do like that Caribe is close to Disney bc we are in between SeaWorld and Legoland and it's a quick drive to DTD and our character breakfast at OHana

 

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

Thanks for the info. We are doing Legoland, SeaWorld and Aquatica. We have tickets already for all 3.

I will check out the Residence Inn, right now our deal at Caribe Royale is really good bc we arrive on my husbands birthday. The birthday promo is 1 night free and 20% off all food/drink. With the discount our nightly rate is $96.75, but I'm always ready to reconsider for the right hotel/price.

We do like that Caribe is close to Disney bc we are in between SeaWorld and Legoland and it's a quick drive to DTD and our character breakfast at OHana

It's exactly the same price and includes Internet and breakfast - thanks for the idea I'm looking at reviews and photos now.

 

[dennise]

I am with the OP. we have never stayed on site, so we don't know what we are missing. We like hotels with housekeeping, no cooking for us on vaca, but if we were a family would probably consider lager accommodations. I agree with Gina on the Residence Inn, it would certainly be my choice. Check out Gina's travel report, she has wonderful pictures and detailed reports.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It's exactly the same price and includes Internet and breakfast - thanks for the idea I'm looking at reviews and photos now.

That's awesome! I think you will really like the RI.....we have pretty high expectations for hotels (stayed in A LOT with rep hockey and basketball) and we were very pleased with this property.

We do like that Caribe is close to Disney bc we are in between SeaWorld and Legoland and it's a quick drive to DTD and our character breakfast at OHana

We had a character breakfast at Ohana over Christmas while staying at the RI. The drive was an easy one, and distance-wise it wasn't all that far. Holiday traffic? That was another story!!!

Check out Gina's travel report, she has wonderful pictures and detailed reports.

Thank you!!

 

[disneysteve]

It sounds like you would be more comfortable with a traditional hotel. You don't need the amenities that many appreciate in rental homes/timeshares- like washer/dryer, kitchen, and high sq footage to spread out in. And you want services like daily housekeeping

Exactly. We love renting homes. There's no way we would stay in a hotel at Disney regardless of price. We love the extra space. We love that DD gets her own bedroom and bathroom. We love having our own pool. We love having 2 or 3 TVs if we want to watch different shows. We love having a washer/dryer. We love that a maid doesn't come in and mess with our stuff every day. We love having a full refrigerator and freezer. We don't typically cook but we like having the option. And we love that we get all of that for a lot less than even a Disney Value hotel.

If those things don't appeal to you, stay in a hotel. Enjoy.

 

[Cynt]

It sounds like Caribe is the place for you.

 

[2girlsmom]

We really like the Caribe. We stayed in the 2 bedroom for $179 per night, which had a master bed with king bed and 2 person jacuzzi tub, plus 2nd bedroom with 2 queens and full bath there too. Also had a pullout couch, full kitchen and washer/dryer. We used the fridge for drinks and leftover pizza from UNO, and microwave to warm up said pizza, also used the coffee pot. But still had full housekeeping so didn't have to do dishes, wash laundry, etc. To us it was the best of both worlds, the space without the extra work and still roughly the price of a value room on site. My girls are 15 and going on 13, they do NOT sleep together, ever. We have stayed at the Springhill Suites, with 2 beds in the "bedroom" area and the pullout for them. We liked that hotel as well, especially as that was a SeaWorld weekend, and loved the QQ. But we all agreed this weekend that Caribe was better as was more room, better pool, better restaurants, etc.

 

[swilshire]

If there are just 2 of you, you definitely don't need a 1000 sq foot 2 bedroom unit. Most of the appeal of timeshare/rental properties is, IMO, the size so that families can spread out and not be on top of each other in one room (and one bathroom). For a family of 4, for the same price as a single hotel room, being able to have separate bedrooms, 2 or more bathrooms, a kitchen, washer and dryer, and a private pool in some cases, is a great advantage. But it isn't for everyone.

Even if it was just my husband and I, I would still go for a condo. We have very different sleep schedules and a single hotel room just doesn't work for us. He likes to stay up late and watch tv. I like to get up early and putter around. I also like being able to pack just a few clothes and do laundry as we go. Nothing worse for me than coming home with a week's worth of dirty clothes.

Even when I travel alone I prefer something like a Residence Inn with a refrigerator and microwave to heat up leftovers. I'm not a big restaurant fan and hate eating two or three meals a day in one.

Sheila