Family of 8 traveling 18 hrs to Disney, Reasonable places to Stay? How to save ?

[OverRunWithSons]

This is my 1st post, please direct me to the appropriate area if this is not suitable, as this forum is simply MASSIVE.

We visited Disney 8 yrs ago with 4 kids, want to go back (now we have 6 kids). At that time we stayed at a very nice Campground in Kissimee called "Tropical Palms". Wondering if this place is still there?

We enjoy Campgrounds, but are open to anything that is reasonable, has a good reputation & is in a good safe area. We are driving our own vehicle, so transportation is not a concern. Anything up to 40 minutes from the Parks would be fine. We want to go to Magic Kingdom, Islands of Adventure, Sea World and Daytona Beach (I think)... I need to hear what is new & exciting in the area compared to our last visit, so all suggestions --are SO welcome. Last time we visited Gator land, but I heard that burned down??

Husband was thinking of staying on site at Disney, but I am assuiming this would be completely & utterly outragous for a family of 8 .

Help - I need much advice!

 

[Planogirl]

You might want to price two budget (Allstars or Pop Century) rooms onsite at WDW. If those are too expensive there are slews of condo resorts and homes you can rent all around WDW.

You also might want to post your question on the Orlando board if you haven't already.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

We are a family of 7. We are now DVC members but before we were... We rented someones points to make our stay comfy and affordable. Check out the boards here for DVC rentals there is a section for it.... I would also try Priceline and bid with 2 rooms. There is a thread for Priceline here on the budget thread I believe.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1559447

 

[MOM POPPINS]

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

 

[MOM POPPINS]

When are you planning on going???

 

[ILuvTigger]

We went with extended family last Nov. Stayed at Buena Vista Suites at the Caribe Orlando. 1 bedroom suite, sleeps 6 (bedroom has 2 queen beds, living room area has pull-out couch and chair. We paid $89 a night (online special), and it included breakfast (toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, juice, milk). They had a special last month, you may want to check them out. We have stayed at Caribe Royale (next door) too, the accommodations are the same, but you do not get free breakfast. Good luck!!

 

[nammy22]

Look at vrbo for places to stay in Kissimee. We stayed in a house in Oak Island Cove that was very nice and very reasonablly priced. It is also closer to Disney than Windsor Hills. We also had a private pool, Laundry etc. It is only about 5 minutes from Animal Kingdom. Nice to have laundry then you don't need so much stuff.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Hi, I see you're from PA...not sure what part though, We live near allentown and take 78 to 81 to 77 to 26 and pick up 95 in South Carolina. There are many nice places to stay on that route on 81. we stayed in Statesville, N.C. at a Best Western on the way home that was very nice and affordable with a great free breakfast.
We always stay off-site at Windsor Hills or in Indian Creek when we have 5 or 7 of us(when in-laws come along).

 

[mrsklamc]

www.5mins2disney.com

Wish we could stay here for our next trip but they are booked. Although if you are only doing one day at MK and the rest elsewhere, might not be the best place for you.

 

[mrsklamc]

Also- if you are into camping, you could look into the campgrounds at Disney, but again if you are only staying one day at Disney, might not be worth it.

 

[OverRunWithSons]

WOW, alot of replies! And Quickly - Love it!

Thank you so much IluvTigger-giving me the accual name of the Place you stayed, how much & how many was in the room. My oldest son may not want to come with us, so it might just be 7 of us. My youngest is 3 yrs, maybe he could slip in on a Suite meant for 6. I am not worried about being cramped, that means nothing to us, just that legally we are allowed to have 7 in the same suite , etc. And in a safe area & decent place. The free Breakfast option is another MAJOR plus when you figure price. Don't want to do the 2 room thing as I am sure I can get more reasonable if we all stay together, I would pick a campground over that kind of option.

Please, anyone who replies, I want DETAILS, where - how many stayed in the room/suite/cabin and what your price was. That gives me something to go on , then I can pick up my phone, call the accual campground or Hotel & get the scoop for my larger family. I hate looking online as the option of 7 or 8 is not even in the drop down list for booking. I always have to call anyway for my particular situation.

As far as Priceline, don't you have to book at the last minute ? With my family being this large & husband taking X amount of days off work for a specific week or so, I do not want to chance getting something at the last minute. I prefer to book MONTHS in advance- for peace of mind.

Definetly open to suggestions about renting these houses you mention ? I want to hear from accual peope who have went this route, what you paid per night, rules, if you have to pay the whole thing in advance before you get there ? Etc.

The more details, the better !! Anyone, private messages surely welcome also!!

 

[Juliee8]

We are renting a 4 bedroom vacation home with a private pool and spa for our trip this Nevember/December. The total cost for 7 nights was $798, which included taxes and the pool and spa heat.

 

[OverRunWithSons]

We always stay off-site at Windsor Hills or in Indian Creek when we have 5 or 7 of us(when in-laws come along).

OK, what is Windsor Hills ( a hotel or a town) and Indian Creek ( a town) ? and just how far are they from Kissemee /Disney? I will consider anything up to 40 minutes away. Preferrably up to 20 minutes away, but if I can get a better place with a much cheaper price , then yes, we will travel further to get to all the parks we are interested in going too.

Magic Kingdom
Islands of Adventure
Sea World (maybe)?? -is this a great place to visit or should we skip? I miss the Sea World we used to have in Ohio. Others have told me Flroida's is not as nice??

And we want to hit Daytona Beach before we go home.

 

[OverRunWithSons]

We are renting a 4 bedroom vacation home with a private pool and spa for our trip this Nevember/December. The total cost for 7 nights was $798, which included taxes and the pool and spa heat.

I like those prices !! We don't need that many bedrooms at all, if I could get less with a lower price tag, I would highly consider this. Do you have a website link for this ?? Would love to hear about your experience after you come back. Also did you have to pay the whole thing or half in advance? That kind of scars me in case we have an emergency or something in our family.

 

[mrsklamc]

Please, anyone who replies, I want DETAILS, where - how many stayed in the room/suite/cabin and what your price was. That gives me something to go on , then I can pick up my phone, call the accual campground or Hotel & get the scoop for my larger family. I hate looking online as the option of 7 or 8 is not even in the drop down list for booking. I always have to call anyway for my particular situation.

Definetly open to suggestions about renting these houses you mention ? I want to hear from accual peope who have went this route, what you paid per night, rules, if you have to pay the whole thing in advance before you get there ? Etc.

The link I provided above is to 3 or 4 rental homes in Windsor Hills, which is a resort very near Disney; these sleep 8 people. The one we stayed in is 'Wishes' and it is just lovely. I don't recall exactly what we paid but they do list pricing on their website. I think we got a 10% discount for being last minute and an additional 10% discount for being on the DIS (although I do not know if that is still offered.) You do typically make a deposit with a rental home and it is somewhat less flexible than a hotel as it is easier to re-rent a hotel room than a house.

I loved my first trip to Universal/ IOA but won't be going back after the last one. I know there are people who disagree strongly, that's just our opinion. We were hassled to get their credit card all the way from the parking lot to the park, hassled to buy a timeshare inside the park, service was terrible; which is a pity b/c I thought the themeing was great. Sea World was ok but not fabulous. We may consider it for one day this trip but will probably stick to the Disney parks. Also, is there a particular reason you chose Daytona Beach? If I were doing a beach day I would head for the Gulf Coast, even though the drive is a bit further.

 

[Juliee8]

I like those prices !! We don't need that many bedrooms at all, if I could get less with a lower price tag, I would highly consider this. Do you have a website link for this ?? Would love to hear about your experience after you come back. Also did you have to pay the whole thing or half in advance? That kind of scars me in case we have an emergency or something in our family.

We used VRBO, here is the link http://www.vrbo.com/?cid=P_VRBO Brand_T_G_Geo Brand VRBO_vrbo sedona_B

On this site, these are the actual owners who you are dealing with so the prices will vary depending on the location and time you are going. On our rental, we had to pay $150 down to book the house and then the balance was due 80 days prior to arrival.

 

[ckoncurat]

I have six kids too, its really not that complicated. You can stay on site in two rooms at the value resorts for less than $100 per room per night- this is an especially great deal if you can get free dining!!
OR- you can stay off site in a condo. We love windsor hills, which is beautiful and close to disney, and has many units that sleep eight or more. http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/
We have also stayed at the sheraton vistana http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=5608
and marriott cypruss Harbor http://www.marriott.com/search/findHotels.mi
Both are very nice resorts.
Our family will often stay in a suite that officially sleeps six, we just add an air matress. I would not reccomend this on disney property- they are strict about it. Food is the real budget buster for a large family- you either need free dining or you need a unit with a kitchen so you can cook yourself. Good Luck!

 

[ckoncurat]

One more thing-Orlando is FULL of resorts, and traffic can get heavy. You reallly do not need to drive far to get a good deal. I would reccomend a condo as close to disney as possible.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Here's a map of all the rental communities I got from another dis'er.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...8.272032,-81.608849&spn=0.068335,0.11055&z=13

Windsor Hills and Indian creek are separate communites. WH is gated, has condos, townhomes and pool homes and a bit newer, Indian Creek is 3/4 mile down the road and is all pool homes.

We are renting Happiness House in IN for our next trip in Nov. The owner has been very helfpul and friendly. here is a link to his 5 homes that he owns. We are staying for 11 nights for $1200 which we are splitting with my in-laws.
http://www.houseforrentflorida.net/