ease my mind...offsite pool homes

[MOMOFMNM]

Hi everyone

I am planning a trip now for the week after TGIVING and just stumbled across a website for villas...

can I just say WOW!!!! I can get one for a week for as much as I paid for two nights at the Poly!!!

My thing is...is it going to be OK going from a deluxe onsite to a villa??

how is the parking at Disney and the driving to Disney? I liked that we could take the bus or rail right to the entrance...

how about cleaning the villa?? are we the renters supposed to clean the villa and make the beds and take out trash before check out? I don't mind light cleaning during the week but I do not want to do more than that...

there are just so many plusses and minuses to getting a pool home...I am afraid we will not feel as "magical" as we did at the Poly...silly isn't...or is it

is having a car a pro or a con??? I mean...is getting out of the parks a hassle?? it seemed pretty easy to get on a bus at 11pm and be there..,of course, we were in off season at the Poly(the busses always seemed to be less crowded than mods or values)

is it easy or hard to leave the parks and go back?? We do not get any EMH's right?? We took advantage of the EMH's only once our last trip and we did not park hop
pros

my husband seems to be happy about the $$$
the kids love the pool (we have enough kids, we don't need socialization at a resort!!!
price
rooms
room for family members to join us
splitting the price w family
cheaper than Poly!!
extras like xbox and lots of cable channels, choosing ammenities
breakfast not out of a box (like at the Poly)
driving
more time at WDW (at a deluxe it would be 5 days MAX we can do 10 days at a home)

cons
driving
no mickey soaps, no big deal to us
no monorail at our doorstep
no view of the MK or fireworks on the beaches
no EMH's
no dining plan (do not know if I would purchase this as we got it free last time and left with tons of not used credits and we are not big eaters)

no alohas or leis...or volcano pool but we have our own so....


I just don't know can anyone help out with my list??

I know as a kid my family never stayed onsite and it was still fun wherever we were...but our trip in Sept was AMAZING...

Any advice or help?? TIA

 

[Mainebound]

I can only speak from our experience. We had only stayed onsite in deluxes or the Swan/Dolphin prior to staying in our first pool home last year. We would book two connecting rooms for our family of 5. Even with an AP discount, you can imagine that we easily spent many thousands on lodging alone. We had to make a decision: did we want to go to Disney every year for a good length of time (10 days) or go every other or every few years. The fact is, we just could not justify spending the money on the deluxes, and it is out of the question for us to stay in smaller rooms onsite when we felt squished by the deluxe rooms as it was. Renting DVC points is also incredibly expensive.

Very nervously, we stayed in a villa for a week in Emerald Island. For the first time ever, we rented a car and used it to get to all the parks. We then spent 3 nights in the Wilderness Lodge, two connecting rooms, just in case we hated the pool home, we would have the WL "magic." All I can say is that I timed it, and it was FASTER and EASIER and MORE CONVENIENT getting from the pool home to all the parks except MK from our pool home than from the WL. I was shocked by this: I figured we would lose out on the transportation big time, but gain big time on price.

Well, I am now a total convert. We gained on everything, not just price, staying in a pool home. This year our whole 11 days will be in a pool home and we are so excited. I am not saying we will never stay onsite again -- of course WDW hotels are wonderful. It is nice to be waited on all day, and to enjoy the theming. But there are many wonderful things about the relaxation, convenience, quiet, space, and control over your vacation that a pool home gives you. Our young boys were much calmer in the pool home. When we walked in the door, they were literally "home". They had their own televisions, their own games, everyone had space. We could have a swim or a drink and I wasn't frantic trying to pick my kid out of the 50 others (6 year old boys with wet hair all look the same!). They did not miss the slide, the other kids, or anything about the resort experience, and when we gave them a choice this year (part onsite, part off) they opted for all offsite.

DH and I felt like we really relaxed. What do you do when the kids go to sleep at the Poly? Sit out on the little balcony, hoping no one wakes up? We sat out by the pool with a drink when the boys went to sleep. Used the hot tub -- both indoor and out -- had them all to ourselves, no drunk whomevers sloshing around in it. Watched tv or a movie (many pool homes have a good supply of DVDs). Made ourselves a nice dinner or got take out. (We saved big time on food also.) The boys slept better in their own rooms in their own beds (not many kids share a room these days let alone a bed. It was a nightmare for us to try to get them to sleep that way.)

We did spend time at the resorts -- dinners at GF, CR, AKL - and enjoyed walking the grounds and taking in the atmo. But we were glad to get back to the space and comfort of the villa.

I seriously could go on and on about this. I know it is not for everyone, but I suggest you try it. You may want to tack on a couple of nights at the Poly at the end. We decided if we ever do a split stay, though, we will do the WDW hotel FIRST because the pool home really is much more relaxing. If you hate it, there is always next year!

I think you will find some other threads like djkeenan's below also helpful. I have honestly never come across a report from someone who hated staying in a pool home, and that says something.

Good luck!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

Mainebound

I really appreciate your honesty!! Thank you sooo much for such a great response!!! You are very helpful and thought of things I never would have! My problem is same as yours...I do not think 5 nights was NEARLY enough for WDW and this time we want 10 days!!!! Well that is about 2000 or more just for hotel stay!!!

we were at the parks open til close. LOL!!!! So when the kids went to be so did we, happily!!!

 

[isla bonita]

Lots of questions you go girl get all the info before you head out.

1. You need to put the trash out on the dates designated usually twice or more a week.
2. Cleaners come in after you check out and clean the whole home.
3. We always rent a car and depending on where the villa you rent is located it will take you anywhere from 15-45 min. It usually took me that long to take the bus.
4. We left the park every day as soon as it got to busy and went back to swim. Then we would go back to the parks later in the evening. So worth having your own villa with the kitchen you also get to have snacks and drinks. We always shop big I do a click and pull order from Sams club. They have great ice cream treats, soft drinks, and Alcohol. A great combo.
5. We have plenty of room and activities for the kids. TV's, Playstation, DVD's, Legos, pool toys, books, puzzels, football and boom box. When not in the parks my kids have as good a time. We like you also bring down our own friends and family. I think it can be one of the best vacations. I know it is for us and we leave again in 11 more days.

 

[leight]

I got married in 2004 at the Swan and I had a hard time choosing between using a Disney add-on to a moderate or creating my own wedding at the Swan and staying offsite. So many family members decided to join us for the wedding that the decision became easy. I was not thrilled with the idea of sharing my wedding nite w/ my kids in my hotel room so two rooms at a mod-my mom w/ the kids- us in the other room was a possibility. But there were no guarantees of a King bed and I have never been fond of outdoor corridors. Also- none of the grandparents wanted to spend every day at the parks,,,, so we compromised and found a great pool home. We had 7 bedrooms-2 king suites, two queen suites, one bunkbed, two twin rooms. There were 9 tvs, vcrs, dvd players, playstation and a game room with airhockey & pool table. We had a huge pool with jacuzzi, a large lanai that the grandparents could layout in the sun or read in the shade. There was a realy nice gas grill. We had 9 adults & 5 kids and the grandparents also were able to invite friends over to hangout. We ate breakfast at the house each morning except the day after our wedding when we had ADRs for Breakfastasaurus at AK.

DH and I had a very comfortable King bed to ourselves all week and the kids had their own rooms, separate from us. Most nites we barbecued or ate dinner that we cooked- saved alot but was additional work. For us it worked. After the kids/grands went to bed the other adults played pool or in the pool or hottub. Alcohol was bought at Publix so was much less expensive than at the parks, restaurants etc and we could have a very short commute to our bed.

We spent our wedding nite at the Swan and friends from Tampa stayed in our room at the pool home.

THe house cost each adult $340 for a week the price of a value for a week. My mother complained about the expense- but she has no idea about what it would have cost onsite- and she insisted she had to be there-complaints and all.

We didn't miss any of the magic- we were 10 mins from the park at Formosa Gardens. We really wanted another house in Emerald Island but by time we could solidify the plans that was booked. Emerald Island also has a clubhouse, community pools etc which would have been a nice touch for the Grandparents to walk to for a change. My mom was supposed to rent a car but decided against it last minute-on retrospect I would have rented one for her to get them out of the house a little. Other wise- it was a wonderful experience, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend someone renting a pool home. Just do your homework, go thru a reputable website and enjoy!

 

[kilee]

I have done WDW twice in a pool home. I LOVE the space it provides. I know for my family-- no matter where we stay we have yet to miss any magic. So, I cannot comment on that.

As for the pool home these are the things I found to be the greatest pluses:
The additional bathrooms
The added space
Our own private pool
Washer/Dryer


I didn't have any cons, since we truly enjoy our pool home stays. As far as getting to and from the parks. Unless we have boat/monorail service my family doesn't use the WDW buses-- so we drive anyhow. Now location of the pool home will be often time reflected in the price. If you stay in an area such as Emerald Island, Formosa Gardens, or Windsor Hills you will pay a bit more. However, the drive should only be a matter of a few minutes (maybe around 5). If you want to save a bit more money you can stay in one of the many developments in Davenport. You can usually save about $100-600 a week going this route. BUT the drive is a solid 15-18 minutes. We've done it, and it's not bad- but for some that is a major "con".

The other thing to look at is renting direct from the owners. This way the cost can also save you another 20-50% from the management companies. I'd check sites like www.vrbo.com or www.orlandovillas.com .

Last-- I'd do a search on pool homes on this forum. There is tons of useful info in them.

 

[minnie29uk]

www .lastminutevillas.net is a great site too as te webmaster verifies all homeowners.
You can also do Google search for Florida villas with private pools etc

You will enjoy your pool home - we always do,
Have fun,
Lynn

 

[melomouse]

I think it's pretty normal to feel a bit worried before you try your first pool home. We had done deluxes and mods previous to our last trip, when we rented a 3 BR pool villa. The 2K difference in price for a 10 day stay clinched the deal.

Getting to the parks is not necessarily a time factor staying offsite - unless you count the fact that in our pool home, we took our time getting up and out instead of the thinking - "OMG - this room is so tiny - we have to get OUT!" Offsite took away the rushing, the tripping over each other for the morning bathroom routines, pouring cereal in confined spaces and, in general, feeling the need to escape the room because it's small and there's nothing to do IN the room..

Don't worry about the cleaning. We pulled up the quilts each morning and all was well. Kids had their own bath and it was fine. We loaded up the dishwasher and did a load every couple of days. I was able to have time in the AM and PM when kids slept to relax, check e-mail, empty dishwasher or take a swim!

DD said she missed the "magic". We went to WCC for dinner one night spontaneously and hung out at WL awhile and she was back in her magic. WDW buses and lines are not magic to me.

Til you try it - ya just don't know... enjoy!!

melomouse

 

[blestmom]

This is a great thread. I think we're going to try a pool home for our next trip. I take 5 kids by myself for 2 weeks. I "love" the cabins at Fort Wilderness, but my son says we can go over to the campground to the movie, etc. and still get the "magic," The cost savings staying in a pool home is great, and I think having all that space will be wonderful. It's been great reading about others' good experiences.

 

[becky7953]

We have stayed both onsite and offsite in a pool home. Hands down a pool home is the way to go with young children! When they go to bed you can still be up.

 

[MOMOFMNM]

This is a great thread. I think we're going to try a pool home for our next trip. I take 5 kids by myself for 2 weeks. I "love" the cabins at Fort Wilderness, but my son says we can go over to the campground to the movie, etc. and still get the "magic," The cost savings staying in a pool home is great, and I think having all that space will be wonderful. It's been great reading about others' good experiences.

bless your heart!!!!


that is amazing that you go with 5 kids alone!!


good luck to you and I am getting very excited about our trip!

 

[sb4k]

Just got back from staying in a pool home, that I might be a bit biased, but we loved it. The pool was heated and all ours. We were door to door in 20 minutes max. We found the homes at allstarvacationhomes.com as recommended by allears.net. They've got a couple of really good deals. Ours was a free rental car. P.S. We had 8 in our party so I think we would have strangled each other by the end of the week.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi all,

We are from the UK and the last few years have rented villas.

Have never stayed on-site.

We love the extra room, privacy, cooking facilities you get with a villa and find we get the chance to relax more than we would in a hotel.

Having a private pool is a big plus too as you can sit and relax, or just watch our son happily play, it makes a great contrast from the theme parks.

We also rent one with a VCR/DVD and prefer a fully fenced pool area for total privacy.

No problems with shopping for groceries as there are supermarkets within easy reach on the 192.

There is only 1 downside, having to drive everywhere - often Joshua does not want to go out in the evening after a busy day , he may like to watch TV or play in the pool, so sometimes once he is asleep for the night I can find the evenings a bit boring, especially if I want to go our for a drink - with having to drive it is difficult to do that.

The plus points are so many though that a villa is our choice every time.

 

[blestmom]

bless your heart!!!!


that is amazing that you go with 5 kids alone!!


good luck to you and I am getting very excited about our trip!

Well, DH is a teacher and can only go at very crowded times. He doesn't really care for Disney (gasp!) but he is such a sweetie that he works a 2nd job to help earn the money to send me and the kids down about once a year. I guess that one of the downsides of marrying a Disney nut! By the way, my kids are older now (16, 14, 12, 9, 7) so it really isn't all that hard to travel with them alone. I think a pool home is going to be a really good idea for us. They look wonderful!!!
I'm so glad to hear everyone's positive comments here.

 

[Good Deeds]

We just got back from a week long stay in a pool home in Indian Creek. There were 3 families...11 total. All I can say is... . We had a wonderful time and loved the extra space!! We have stayed on property several times, and love that as well, but we all wanted to stay together and decided on a pool home this time! The kids were in the pool early morning and for a break in the afternoon. The adults were in the hot tub later at night ...It was GREAT!!!

We love having a car...to get to the outlets, grocery store etc. We even found a wonderful Shoney's buffet that we hit several mornings before we hit the parks. Everyone filled up and then all we needed was a snack in the parks....

I highly recommend pool homes you can't beat the space or the price!!! ...and as for the Mickey soap...I had some left over from a previous trip and brought my own

Give it a Try!!!

 

[sammi]

We're headed down tomorrow and are staying in our first pool home. We got a great deal from our UK owner........$750.00 US for 11 nights and the pool heat on everyday at no additional cost plus he emailed me the other night to let me know he now has a brand new PC so that we may print our boarding passes off from Southwest! I am so looking forward to our stay!!!!

 

[riu girl]

Wow, Sammi what a graet price. Would you mind pming me the link to this home?
Thank you
Suzy V

 

[Ourtoystory]

Sent you a pm as well sammi would love the info on this great find of a vacation home!

 

[Doodlebug939]

Count me in too!!! Would you mind sending me a PM with the info? Thanks

 

[Disneyrsh]

Yep, add me to the list. We usually stay at OKW or one of the moderates when we're onsite, and we've rented, um, I think about 4-5 houses in the past 10 years. We like both experiences, but prefer the houses when we're staying more than sun-thurs (hello, dvc!) or have extended family with us. More room to spread out and relax, and in exchange you give up a little bit of the magic, which starts to wear off fast if you feel crowded by the space or by your inlaws.

So, short vacations with just the 4 of us = onsite, long vacations with extended family = pool home.