COMPLETELY overwhelmed~ planning 1st trip, can you please help me??

[Jenny-momof3]

We have FINALLY been able to set a dat for our VERY first trip to Disney.

We will be going June 26- July 6. And I have no desire to squeeze into one hotel room for 10 days with 3 kids so we are opting to stay off-site in a condo/townhouse.

Here's the hard part... how in the world do I decide which one?? I've received quotes from Windsor Hills places as well as many other places. Everyone is boasting theirs as THE place to stay. Since I don't know the area at all I really need some help here. What I'm looking for is a nice 3 bedroom places with a pool or access to a nice community pool. I need it to be easy to navigate back and forth to the parks. I will be by myself with my 3 kids for a few of those days so I need this to be as simple as possible.

Are there any owners you could reccomend? Or do I need to go through a company? If so, which one?

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated. I want this to be the BEST trip so my dh will agree to keep going back year after year.

 

[allysmom1218]

You might even consider renting a villa. I am renting a villa for May 30 to June 9 and it is only costing me $1500. It is 4 bd and 2 1/2 bath with a pool and hot tub plus a game room and a indoor pool table also. It is located in Davenport which is about 10 to 15 minutes away from Disney but it is all highway and very convenient to get back and forth from. It seems that if you stay just a little outside the immediate area of Disney that you get more bang for your buck (if you know what I mean). I found this house on vrbo.com. I rented the same house last year and I was completely satisfied with it. It is in a gated community also. I looked at townhouses and condos for rent also, but I wanted a private pool and the cost wasn't that much of a difference. If you have any questions, I will try to help you as much as possible. I was so over whelmed when I started trying to get everything planned out so I know how you feel.

 

[mungo]

Hi if you wish to be really close to disney then windsor hills i suppose is the place to stay, and as you have never been before and you need to get around it is really close to the disney parks.


If you are happy being up to 10 or 15 minutes out and wish to see abit more of florida than just WDW then you could try looking at these sites

www.orlandoexclusivevillas.com

www.vr360homes.co.uk

www.cyberrentals.com

I have used all of these to book homes in florida.

To narrow your search down try writing down what you want from your vacation home.

do you want a games room
how far away do you want to be
do you want your own pool
do you need internet access
do you need free international calls

i could go on but this helps you to find the home for you.


Half the fun is looking and finding your villa

 

[madams2]

I have been going down every December with my family (wife and 2 small children) and stay at the Marriots by Sea World. It is only a 15 minute drive from the Disney Parks and really nice. I get a 2 bedroom place with a full kitchen and a laundry room.

The last 3 years we stayed at Marriott Cypress Harbour

This year we are staying at Marriotts Grande Vista
(they even also have 3 bedroom villas also)

I changed it up because we took a tour last year and it was really nice.

If you have AAA make sure to get the AAA rate. It can save up to $100 a night. All you need to do it bring the card with you. They say they will ask for you to show it but I have never been asked. It might even be worth it to get AAA just in case if you find the rates to be low enough for when you want to go

 

[Zippiteeee]

I was at the same place you are about a year ago. Each home I looked at was awesome. I had a long list of about 20 homes.
I chose to go with www.villadirect.com over renteing by owner, simply because with using a management company I felt more secure being a first time home renter. ( I know there are great owners out there, but this helped me be a bit more trusting)

So far the experience has been so wonderful!!! The woman who has been helping us has been incredibly helpful and patient through the tons of questions we have had. I will know next week if the home lived up to the pictures on line, but I expect it to from what I have read so far.

Basically the process of elimination helped us a ton. You can use this working with owners as well as rental companies. I rented a 6 bedroom home, but somethings can apply to condo's as well.

First was customer service. We had checked into another rental company and the CS was not as helpful as villa direct. Since both were offering the same type of homes, why settle for less?
Next was location of the home. We wanted something off 192 because we had read that it was a rather short commute to WDW from there and a lot of homes claimed to be "minutes from Disney" but were well across town.
Next was amenities. Although we will not be spending much time at the house, we wanted something "special". A Disney designed kids bedroom was important for us so the kids would be excited upon "check in". A pool area was important so the kids could enjoy it when we had an off day.
Of course price was a big factor. Why pay $200 more for a home that had everything we wanted.

So weighing all this we finally narrowed our house down to three in Windsor Hills (hearing so many great recs helped with this). After that we basically threw a dart and chose a home. We were confident that no matter which of the three we chose we would be happy with it.

Good luck! And take your time choosing the right 'home' for your family! You will not be disappointed!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

I really don't want to act like a Disney snob, but you simply will not get the same experience if you stay off property! Disney is blessed with the ability to submerge its guests in the magic so completely! You will never understand unless you stay there! I have 3 children myself, I know that space is nice, but Disney ambiance is nicer! You can always look into the villas (renting points from an owner is even an option). There are several resorts that comfortably fit a family of 5. We stayed for 10 days recently at Port Orleans Riverside, a moderate resort so it did not break the bank. We never felt on top of each other! If you want your DH to come back year after year, you may need to allow him to experience Disney from the inside out! Total submersion!


DH

DD11

DD8

DD6

ME

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

Another on-property option is the Fort Wilderness cabins--kitchen, barbecue grill, separate bedroom... "outdoorsey". As for condos, we stayed at Windsor Palms in 2004 in a 3/2. It was very clean, comfortable, spacious...and an easy commute to WDW.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I really don't want to act like a Disney snob, but you simply will not get the same experience if you stay off property! Disney is blessed with the ability to submerge its guests in the magic so completely! You will never understand unless you stay there! I have 3 children myself, I know that space is nice, but Disney ambiance is nicer! You can always look into the villas (renting points from an owner is even an option). There are several resorts that comfortably fit a family of 5. We stayed for 10 days recently at Port Orleans Riverside, a moderate resort so it did not break the bank. We never felt on top of each other! If you want your DH to come back year after year, you may need to allow him to experience Disney from the inside out! Total submersion!

I have to disagree. I think there is nothing worse than a hotel room when travelling as a family. And I only have two children. Between the four of us and the luggage it is just too cramped. Not only that, but we cant move once the kids are asleep. On our last trip to DL, we found ourselves sitting in the bathroom so as not to wake them. Whereas with a villa we can put them to bed and go and sit in the hottub or pool ourselves. The space is just too valuable. And the extra bathroom a bonus. Also with kids, we always have to do washing. I hate having to que up to use a machine and drier and then wait for it to finish. With the villa, I can put the washing on before going to the park and it will be finished when I get back. And lets face it, WH is not that far away. And you will find that a lot of the villas/condos/townhouses are disney themed anyway.

 

[Freaky]

After staying in a small hotel room with 2 kids I highly recommend that you book a condo/townhome/villa for that extra space. There are are host of sites to choose from and it just takes a bit of time to research the areas and developments. There are some nice brand new resorts located off Highway 192 area, like Terra Verde & Coral Cay and then the more established resorts like Windsor Hills.

Take a look at www.homeaway.com where you can reduce the number of homes that come up by the facilities in it or in the resort. Another site where you can place a general enquiry to say all 3 bedroom homes is www.lastminutevillas.net

Booking through an owner direct means you know exactly which home you are getting - you can always check them out with their management company for extra piece of mind.

Good luck with your decision

 

[yasuern]

Here is a little map that I happened across - It list many of the condo/vaca home communities and from this you can get an idea were you would like to stay and their location. Also if you click on the numbers it will bring you to a web page with rental rates etc for the community you are looking at - although this is not the only way to find a rental property.


http://www.orlandovillas.com/Map.aspx


after you decide which place fits you and your family best then I would go to VRBO see link below - they seem to have the most reasonable rental rates.

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/florida/central-disney-orlando



Good Luck


Sue

 

[gjw007]

I really don't want to act like a Disney snob, but you simply will not get the same experience if you stay off property! Disney is blessed with the ability to submerge its guests in the magic so completely! You will never understand unless you stay there! I have 3 children myself, I know that space is nice, but Disney ambiance is nicer! You can always look into the villas (renting points from an owner is even an option). There are several resorts that comfortably fit a family of 5. We stayed for 10 days recently at Port Orleans Riverside, a moderate resort so it did not break the bank. We never felt on top of each other! If you want your DH to come back year after year, you may need to allow him to experience Disney from the inside out! Total submersion!


DH

DD11

DD8

DD6

ME

I disagree that stay onsite increases the magic. My trip to WDW occurred in July 1995 where I stayed onsite. I swore I would never come back it was such a miserable experience. There was no magic during the trip. It was hot, I was at the mercy of Disney transportation, I walked into a theme park without great expectations but the first thing I walked into the Magic Kingdom was a shopping center, and when I finally got to the rides, I had to wait an hour or more. Where was the magic, where was the fun?

My friend who recommended going to Disney suggested going at a different time of year. Since I like Christmas, I went the middle of December staying offsite. I had a great time and I have been going to Orlando every year since. I have stayed both on- and offsite during these periods. Staying onsite during the Christmas season does add something special to the vacation but my offsite experiences have also been great.

My suggestion would be to determine what are the plans for the vacations.

Do you plan to get up first thing in the morning and return late at night? If so, it really doesn't matter where you stay and I would look to reduce the cost of the room.

What size of unit do you require? If you are comfortable staying in a hotel room (I'm not), then a hotel unit will work but if you require additional room, there are other alternatives available that may suit your needs better.

Do you wish time to relax? You have many options here but you might want to look at the amenities that are available. If the only thing that the resort has is a pool, bar, and eating facilities, then almost any place will do. But if you want more, then you may look at other options such as timeshares or rental homes. I would recommend allowing some time away from the parks to allow the children to recoup.

Do you wish to eat out or do you plan to cook? Again, if you eat out, it doesn't matter where you stay but if you plan to cook, you may wish to look for a kitchenette room, rental homes, or timeshares.

Do you wish to be onsite or offsite? Onsite takes care of itself as there are limited options (although numerous Disney and Disney-authorized hotels). Offsite, there are more options including the type of units and how far from Disney do you wish to be.

Are you planing on doing anything other than Disney? While you can do the others while staying at Disney, there are hotels/timeshares/rental homes that are located close to the tourist areas. I enjoy Universal/Islands of Adventure and Seaworld. They may be something to consider.

Enjoy your vacation no matter what you choose. I really don't think there is a bad choice although some may be better than others.

 

[disneyfanfamily]

I see nothing wrong with staying off site. It is cheaper for larger families or for those who would like more space. However, I have to add this. We stay onsite when we go. We are a family of 5. The reason we choose to stay onsite is becuase of the time of year we go.

My dates THIS year were the EXACT dates you are going NEXT year. It is one of the crowdest times of the year. We can use the extra magic hours BECAUSE we stay onsite. If we did not use the extra magic hours, we would have missed out on a lot. Now that is just my 2 cents.

We scrunch into 1 room at Port Orleans. It is tight, but we are a family that does not mind that. If you wanted to spend more money and have more space, I would price out the cabins. For us they were too expensive, but the space is definitely MUCH more.

Have fun planning! Whatever you decide I am sure you will have a fabulous time!

 

[Tinkerbell63]

We're a family of 5 and have stayed at POR. We've also stayed off-site as well as on-site in July, and it is definitly better on-site. You can't beat the convenience, and if the kids get tired, just jump on the bus and go back to the room for a nap or a swim and return later on in the afternoon. Good Luck.

 

[djkeenan]

The house we rent is open the week you want. It is in Rolling Hills, just 3 miles from WDW. We've stayed there 3 years now (in January) and the owners and local manager are terrific to deal with.
Visit www.sjsvillas.com and if you like what you see, ask him for his best price. If you catch him on the right day you can get a heck of a deal.

We were originally looking at a 3 bedroom townhouse, but this turned into a much better deal all around. We love the private pool and the view.
Hope you have a wonderful time, but I'm warning you, once you stay in a villa, you'll never want to stay in a cramped hotel room again!

 

[pepperw23]

I really don't want to act like a Disney snob, but you simply will not get the same experience if you stay off property! Disney is blessed with the ability to submerge its guests in the magic so completely! You will never understand unless you stay there! I have 3 children myself, I know that space is nice, but Disney ambiance is nicer! You can always look into the villas (renting points from an owner is even an option). There are several resorts that comfortably fit a family of 5. We stayed for 10 days recently at Port Orleans Riverside, a moderate resort so it did not break the bank. We never felt on top of each other! If you want your DH to come back year after year, you may need to allow him to experience Disney from the inside out! Total submersion!


DH

DD11

DD8

DD6

ME

I have to agree. We have done both, and on site was much better. Of course I am a big Dining Plan advocate and you can't get that off site.

Another on-property option is the Fort Wilderness cabins--kitchen, barbecue grill, separate bedroom... "outdoorsey".

Took the words out of my mouth. There is a great thread on the "Camping at Disney" board that has lots of pictures of Fort Wilderness. Just to be clear the cabins are not camping, although the option is there.

 

[jdm]

Don't forget about Cypress Pointe. As far as convenience they are extremely close to Disney and walking distance to many restaurants etc. I've stayed there along with many of the Marriotts in the area and while Cypress Pointe is may be a notch below the Marriotts, it's very nice and close and affordable. Also, great pools and activites for the kids. Check rates on www.hotelkingdom.com and see what they've got. You can usually get a 3 bedroom for less around $100 a night.

As far as the onsite/offsite debate. You sound like you've already made your decision on that and I think it's the right one. Once we stayed in a condo we could never go back to a hotel room. The benefits are fantastic between the space, kitchen, washer/dryer etc. And, a lot of the condo resorts offer fun activites for kids. Some kids burn out at Disney (some adults do too!). My husband enjoyed the parks but couldn't wait to get back to the condo at night for some non-disney peace, quiet and relaxation. Hope you have a great, great time!!

Jenn

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I have to disagree. I think there is nothing worse than a hotel room when travelling as a family. And I only have two children. Between the four of us and the luggage it is just too cramped. Not only that, but we cant move once the kids are asleep. On our last trip to DL, we found ourselves sitting in the bathroom so as not to wake them. Whereas with a villa we can put them to bed and go and sit in the hottub or pool ourselves. The space is just too valuable. And the extra bathroom a bonus. Also with kids, we always have to do washing. I hate having to que up to use a machine and drier and then wait for it to finish. With the villa, I can put the washing on before going to the park and it will be finished when I get back. And lets face it, WH is not that far away. And you will find that a lot of the villas/condos/townhouses are disney themed anyway.

I completely agree, esp. the part about not waking the kids. It's sooo nice to put them to bed in their own room with their own tv and we still have the rest of the house to relax in, sometimes even with a big-screen tv.
Not to mention if you'd like a little private time with your spouse, you can in a house/condo.
I also enjoy having a rental car for the freedom to go where ever we want, whenever we want. There's more to FL than just WDW. We've enjoyed Sea World, Gatorland, Universal, Kennedy Space Center, airboat rides, etc. We've never done beach trips b/c we're not far from the ocean @ home, but you easily can if you want to. I love WDW, but what others call "being immersed" to me means being trapped there 24/7.
My favorite part is waking up to freshly brewed coffee and drinking it in my pj's while the kids are asleep. This part is priceless.

 

[4Seasons]

I second the recommendation for Cypress Pointe.
Also consider Runaway Beach Club, very nice, new property about 2 miles from Disney.
I've found good rates on both these properties for your timeframe.

 

[sympatico]

I completely agree, esp. the part about not waking the kids. It's sooo nice to put them to bed in their own room with their own tv and we still have the rest of the house to relax in, sometimes even with a big-screen tv.
Not to mention if you'd like a little private time with your spouse, you can in a house/condo.
I also enjoy having a rental car for the freedom to go where ever we want, whenever we want. There's more to FL than just WDW. We've enjoyed Sea World, Gatorland, Universal, Kennedy Space Center, airboat rides, etc. We never done beach trips b/c we're not far from the ocean @ home, but you easily can if you want to. I love WDW, but what others call "being immersed" to me means being trapped there 24/7.
My favorite part is waking up to freshly brewed coffee and drinking it in my pj's while the kids are asleep. This part is priceless.

What you said!

 

[Amirah95]

I agree with the person who mentioned orlandovillas.com...it's a good site.