First time trip to Disney - Windsor Hills??

[nu2wdisneyw]

Hello everyone!
After searching and lurking the board for hours, I decided to make my post. I am planning to take the family to Disney in July/August 2009. This will be the first trip, so as you all may know I am VERY nervous because I want to make sure that I get it right.

I am thinking of staying off site for budgeting purposes and for the comfort of my DH (he needs his own space sometimes) . I've read a lot about Windsor Hills and I am considering them for our accomodations. Can you guys please help and point me in the right direction. There is so much information I am not sure where to start!!!

Going on the trip it will be myself, DH, DS1 (5), DS2 (10). I am not sure whether we should do base tickets or hoppers. We may spend time in Universal and IOA. I am planning 8 days and 7 nights. Please help!!!

 

[daytondisney]

In November, we stayed at 3BR townhome in WH and loved it, for all of the reasons you are considering. We opted for townhome because grandma and grandpa were going with us, so we would have needed 2 resort rooms..

Price and location - It's cheaper, even when you consider parking, gas and rental car. And it is 15 minutes to the farthest point (Downtown Disney) from your front door. When comparing location of WH to Disney resorts, remember to include your walk time to bus stop at the resorts, wait time at bus stop for bus going to the park you're going to that day, and same on return trip.

What differences did we enjoy about WH?

Mornings - I loved getting out of bed when I awoke without waking up everybody else. I showered (private in each of 3 BRs), watched ESPN, and surfed the 'net thanks to WiFi before anyone else was stirring.

Since we hit the WalMart the first evening, the kids enjoyed the normalcy of a bowl of cereal and some fruit while sitting at a full sized dining room table, watching Disney, Nick and PBS on a 50" plasma, before a long day of sensory overload. (We did 2 character breakfasts while there) Mother-in-law whipped up eggs and bacon on some mornings, we did bagels and fruit on others. No walk to food court to eat same grub they would be eating all day...and for 8 days, this mattered.

Everything loaded into van just 5 steps from front door. No lugging strollers, beverages and such to bus station and then onto bus. And in the evening, same thing. I bought a AAA Diamond parking pass on eBay for $10, so we parked right next to the handicap parking lot everyday.

Evenings - Got to choose between 100's of familiar restaurants instead of same food choices as in the parks. We didn't do this because of price, but it was a great side benefit. Swim in the private splash pool on our veranda, or walk less than 50 yards to main pool. (We stayed at Caribbean Beach 2 years ago and had 10 minute walk to pool.)

Laundry - More sheets, pillows and blankets than you'd ever need - no need to call front desk. Full size washer and dryer, on second floor. Never had to put on semi-wet trunks, packed lighter than normal because of this option, and returned home with suitcases full of clean clothes.

Security - 24/7 gated community. Alarm on patio door.

And finally, the accomodations. It's an apartment -v- hotel room...a small hotel room. Every townhome BR has it's own full bath, plasma tv w/dvd and satellite, and are beautifully appointed. The kid's room was Mickey themed and professionally decorated. I actually caught my son in his room...reading!

Full size kitchen, living room and dining area...real sofas and chairs, end tables, range and fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, pots, pans and utensils, ironing board, stroller, booster seat...need I say more?

Visit windsorhillsrents.com on 'net and look for unit that appeals. They're all privately owned, so prices and accomodations vary. We rented Mickey's World 2, and you can view this at mickeysworld.net. The owner was a dream to work with.

Best wishes

 

[CheeseburgerParadise]

Ummm....what daytondisney said!!

I'm a WH fan having spent 23 days there last Sept.
Off season is fantastic!

We stayed in one of the 3-bedroom condos and it was very spacious. No splash pool but all the other conveniences mentioned by the previous poster.

You're going during high season so, believe me, there are plenty of other matters you need to fret a bit over in order to "get it right" as you say. But accomodation at WH should not be one of these issues. Wonderful location. Wonderful facilities. If you're leaning towards WH anyway just look up the many many accomodation options open to you and decide which is best for you. It will be a big weight off your chest and you can then move on to plan the rest of your trip.

We stayed at Disneydiscountcondo (.com) but there are many others.


Good luck!

 

[DisnLuvr]

Hello everyone!
After searching and lurking the board for hours, I decided to make my post. I am planning to take the family to Disney in July/August 2009. This will be the first trip, so as you all may know I am VERY nervous because I want to make sure that I get it right.

I am thinking of staying off site for budgeting purposes and for the comfort of my DH (he needs his own space sometimes) . I've read a lot about Windsor Hills and I am considering them for our accomodations. Can you guys please help and point me in the right direction. There is so much information I am not sure where to start!!!

Going on the trip it will be myself, DH, DS1 (5), DS2 (10). I am not sure whether we should do base tickets or hoppers. We may spend time in Universal and IOA. I am planning 8 days and 7 nights. Please help!!!

The Accommodation is the most important thing and you must decide on it well in advance. Just do no do the same mistake some people do.. They later end up paying more

 

[tami82]

I have not been to WH but reviews are great. We were going to stay onsite and had reservations but then i saw a great princess themed condo at WH and new my two girls would love it so i am booked for end of August. I cant wait, i know i made the right decision because with 3 kids we can all use the room, Im an early riser so this would be a big problem if we were all in one room, plus we will have a private splash pool which i know will come in great use. Not to mention the much much cheaper price.

 

[hockeymomNS]

When we stay for longer than a week, we get a house in WH. I was sooo
nervous renting from some stranger. The house we rent is owned by a lady who has two or three in WH and two in another community. She is a dream to deal with and quite reasonable.




http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/EverythingMouse

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

We stayed in Windsor Hills last december for 11 days! We stayed 4 times on site at Disney and never again with my 3 grown kids

Like everyone said, nice to have some breathing space, don't forget that you're on vacation too!

Having the pool right there at 4 steps away was fantastic!

Go visit: You'll be glad you booked a Townhouse for your vacation at Disney

http://www.laurasdisneytownhome.com/

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We have not yet stayed at WH, but we are going to for our next trip. MIL will be with us and we want the extra space. Plus, we have little kids who will nap each day, and I don't want to have to sit in a quiet, dark hotel room so they can sleep. We are getting a condo instead of a house because that's really all we need. I am really looking forward to having space and multiple bathrooms! We chose WH because it's so close to the parks and since we plan to take breaks, this is important to us.

If I were you, I'd get park hoppers. That time of year will be VERY busy, so you may want the ability to hop to a less busy park after your midday break. Get to the parks at opening and avoid the parks with EMH and you should have a great trip.

 

[cinderella73]

I am picky and I can tell you that the accomodations at Wh will far exceed anything you would get at Disney unless you want to shell out over 1000 a night .

I have some pics in our trip resport but the place we stay is decorated beautifully. We have stayed 3 times now and love it. Our owners are wonderful to deal with .

For 115 for a 3 bedroom town to a 6 bedroom for 200 you cant beat it!
Plus we have a full kitchen , washer dryer, pool. etc. .

And to top it all off its closer to Disney parks than some of Disneys own resorts. The values for example are 5 miles away while WH is only 2. And there is a shortcut that prevents you from having to deal with traffic ( a straight cut across to Sherberth road) .

I was worried at first myself but I think you will be really pleased with it. We love it.

As far as Disney tickets go remember once you get past like 4 or 5 days ( I think ) its such a minimal amount more to add on days. ( Like 5 dollars I think)

We decided against Universal because even though its such a great deal its still 500 for 5 of us . We just knew we wouldnt get enough use out of it to justify it. But Universal is fun. Just not as much to do.

 

[snickerboo]

We loved Windsor Hills. It really is just a 5-minute drive to Disney. Walgreens, Mickey Ds, Publix all a short drive away (though Walmart Supercenter on SR535 is definitely cheaper for groceries!). You'll have a full kitchen so you won't have to eat out all the time. You cna take a cooler with lunches/snacks to the parks. The pools is nice. The resort is kept clean. There is a gate for security.

The condo we stayed in was 3bdrm. It was nicer than the pictures. It was cleaner when we arrived than almost any hotel room I have ever stayed at. I loved having all that space, and a washer and dryer. The way the 3-bed condos are laid out: mom & dad get a master suite w/ walk-in closet and a big bathroom! With 3 bedrooms, our kids each had their own room and own TVs. So much more peaceful for all of us when we could all retreat to our own spaces for a ltitle each day! The owners were easy to deal with. There was lots of parking. You'll pay extra if decorating in the unit is more upscale or it's closer to the pool. We were in the back building and it was very quiet and about 5 minutes walk to the pool (kids never complained).

The condo we had: www.greatdisneyvacation.com. Found it on homeaway.com.

 

[msufan]

How much do these condos run each night?

 

[msufan]

Did I miss it somewhere, but do you have a link to find reservations for this location? It sounds great.

 

[Tinkmom75]

http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/

Rates depend on the season and sized of the place you rent. 2 bed/3bed condos. 3 bed townhouse up to 6 bed houses.

We are getting a 3 bedroom townhouse during value season for $90/night includes pool heat.

OP what did you decide? It's August.

 

[FayeW]

We stayed at Windsor Hills for the first time in December. We absolutely loved it and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. We rented through www.floridasunvacationhomes.com. They are very professional and very easy to work with. I liked the idea of renting through a management company that had a great reputation because if there was anything wrong with the unit we chose, I knew they would have other units we could move to if required.

If you go to their website you just plug in the dates you are looking for, and all the accomodations that are available for that time frame will come up. You can look at all the photos, check prices and choose your unit. We stayed at Never Never Land, and it was perfect.

 

[dl0015]

We will be staying there this December for the first time...looking foward to it.