Choice of Where to Stay...HELP PLEASE!

[stephbesel]

Hey Everyone!

We won a trip for 4 to Disney World!!!! YAY! We are "first timers" and I need some help from the "pros!" Our choices of places to stay are Pop Century or the Residence Inn in Lake Buena Vista. What concerns me about the Residence Inn is that it is not on property! We will not be renting a car, so I need to know if it would be a problem. Will we be able to have access to everything staying at Residence Inn? What I like about staying there is having an "apartment" type atmosphere. We could cook some meals to save some $$$. Also if we stay there, they will pay for an extra day at the park! So, can you please let me here the pros and cons of staying at Residence Inn vs. Pop Century? Thanks!

Steph.

 

[Us3]

Hi Steph and congrats on the BIG win! I'm sorry that I can't offer any advice about the Residence Inn near DW....but I wanted to give you my thoughts. My family and I have stayed in many Residence Inn's in other cities and love them....it’s definitely our choice hotel for the $. HOWEVER, I'm one of the many who believe in staying on Disney property when you go to WDW!! It just adds so much to the magic IMO!

It all depends on your taste, needs and wants. I've stayed at the value resorts and I've stayed at the deluxe resorts. I think the value resorts are great for kids and large groups....but maybe not so relaxing for the adults who are looking to be pampered. The impeccable service and friendliness of the staff at all of the DW resorts make you want to stay forever and not go home!!

I guess my favorite trip to DW is one where you don't have to worry about a thing. You go to Disney, and you don't leave until you go home. I like using the transportation and not driving. So what if one day you have to wait for 20 minutes for the right bus to come around...its all part of it!!

So I guess my vote is to stay on Disney property!! Save the Residents Inn for other cities! Best of luck to you, and you'll have a great time no matter what you decide to do.

 

[MinnieGi]

Congratulations!!! That is awesome!

I would choose to stay on-site at Pop if it were me. Disney hotels are alot of fun. And since you do not want to rent a car, Disney transportation is ideal. You won't have to worry how to get around just get on a bus and they'll drive you.

 

[iluvtink]

I would always vote to stay on-property if possible. I'm curious why they will give you an extra day at a park if you stay at the Residence Inn? If it's a free trip, can you afford to buy your own extra tickets? WDW is really a very huge place, you have NOOO idea.... (as Scar would say). The convenience of being able to hop an airconditioned bus at the park and go straight back to your hotel, rather than take a shuttle and try to find your hot car, then drive out of WDW to someplace even farther away is not a lot of fun. You can find a lot of ways to save $$ on meals on the Budget Board. For example, my sister is taking pop-tarts, cereal, etc. to have small breakfasts in the room, then has PS's for the last breakfast seating at different restaurants to serve as brunch/lunch, because the breakfasts buffets are cheaper than lunch/dinner ones. That will hold them until dinner. I also thinks it's really important if you have smallish children that you can go back to your room to take a break in the afternoon so the evening won't be completely miserable. There's a lot of commute time involved if you leave the park for any reason. Oh, and of course, there's Early Magic Hour ... if you are an early riser, WDW Resort guests get to enter a different theme park each day an hour earlier than people not staying on property. It gives you a chance to ride the most popular rides before the lines get enormous and fast passes run out for the day.

Oh, and <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_1_140.gif' alt='Congratulations' border=0></a> on your big win. Have a great time!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Another vote for staying on site. It makes for a whole different vacation. We stayed at ALL Stars our first trip which is very much like pop centry and it was just fine. We love the bus service and being so close to everything. EMH is also a great perk. Enjoy your specail trip.


Jordans' mom

 

[Suzanne74]

Why don't you look into staying onsite at a timeshare??? Rent points from someone. We are staying at OKW in a one bedroom villa - full kitchen and full w/d, own balcony with tables and chairs. separate bedroom, living area, big bathroom with separate shower and jaccuzi!!! We hunted for the right price and are only paying $900 including all taxes for 8 days 7 nights. We are going to cook some meals, wash some clothes (save packing a ton!) and still enjoy being inside the park with buses to parks and water launch to DTD.

The real clincher for us was knowing when we put our 3 yr old DD to bed - in the bedroom and we could hang out in the living area, kitchen or balcony or the jaccuzi!! I wanted to enjoy some RR time after she went to sleep instead of being stuck in the same hotel room tip toing around.

HTH

 

[Suzanne74]

woops - I didn't realize you won the trip and had to decide between the two!!

My vote then would be Pop Century. Staying inside the park would be better IMO.

Sorry for the above thread - spoke to soon - hehe!!

 

[cokegal19]

After reading your thread, I would suggest staying at the Residence Inn. I've stayed both on property and off property. Since you won't be renting a car, it would be convenient to stay on property, but it sounds like you would have a better, more relaxing time at the Residence Inn since you like the condo-type hotel room. Any of the All Stars or Pop Century are very kid oriented and active. I think it would be hard to find some peace and quiet there. And also, the rooms are quite smaller at the All Stars and Pop Century than even regular hotel rooms. I'm pretty sure that the Residence Inn would offer bus/shuttle transportation to the parks. I was just there in May and we stayed at the shearaton and just took our car (we drove down) and drove to downtown disney and took the buses from there. But the hotel bus was fine too. Staying in Disney was more convenient, but you get more for your money by staying off site. Hope you have fun!

 

[stacy6552]

I answered your question on the other board but let me say again....stay with Disney. And you can get a quiet room at the POp. Id request a room on the top floor facing the water.

 

[diselderm]

I vote for on-site also. You have to experience their attention to detail--it's so different from any other hotel line.

 

[jodifla]

yes, first timers, stay on site! COMPLETELY different experience than staying offsite.

 

[July]

I love onsite, BUT if offsite would mean you would get bigger accomodations and a extra day I would have to go with the offsite. Plus you can cook some meals and save some money. After all most of the time at the hotel is just for relaxing & sleeping. And eating a meal before & after a park.


So OFF SITE!

July

 

[disneyatl]

My vote would also be onsite. Also, another thought for you, Pop Century is a brand new hotel. Hasn't been open too long. Someone else can probably tell you the exact time frame (I think it was October last year). You can save money by eating breakfast in your room. There is a food court at the hotel so you wouldn't have to eat at the park if you didn't want to.


And by the way, congratulations on winning the trip! You'll have a blast either way!

 

[Jasminesmommy]

cONGRATS. Pop has been open since begining of Dec and is a fun looking place. I usualy stay at the All Stars which is just like Pop.I love it there. I would choose Pop for sure. Disney must pump something through the air cause you feel the magic onsite.
How did you win a trip and what does it include? Just hotel?

 

[Kae]

Onsite. The big kicker for me is the no car. also since it is your first trip I think onsite will help you time wise. Have a great time

Kae

 

[tarmand]

I love Residence Inn. I would personally go for the extra day and stay offsite. Here are some money saving facts about RI.

They have a FREE "FULL" breakfast buffet each morning.
The LBV location has dinner delivery from local restaurants.
RI also offers free grocery shopping services.

I also won a "Free" trip to Orlando which is going to cost me about $2,500 when it's all said and done (mine didn't come with passes - just air fare and accomodations and we can't use the airfare since we don't want to fly with our baby yet).

 

[stephbesel]

Thanks to EVERYONE that posted a reply on where to stay on our first trip to DW. After reading all the posts, it seems to me that we should stay onsite for our first visit, then when we go back (which I'm sure we'll plan on doing!) we can stay off site to save some moo-lah!

For those that asked, we won our trip on the radio!!! I am a school teacher and it was right before school started one day. You had to be the 10th caller, and I was!!!! It was amazing. We have one daughter (11) and she is sooooo excited. We've decided to take my hubby's 11 year old niece. It will be FUN! The trip covers air, hotel and park passes. We are responsible for food, which sounds like it's going to be a pretty penny!!!! We are going to try and make it into Cinderella's Breakfast one day, Mickey's Halloween Party and one more character breakfast. Those three in itself are going to be expensive!!!

Thanks for all the advise! You have all made it so much more exciting!!!!

Steph.