Help- we don't know where to stay

[vicky1of3]

hello all, my husband and i, our 3 little kids (4year old twins and a 2&1/2 year old) plus my sister in-in-law and niece will be going to Disney together in early April (actually sometime after Easter). We are torn between staying on Disney Property or off. Whats the difference and would it make a big difference to the kids......We have only been to Disney twice years ago. We would like to all stay together in a 2 bedroom villa. We like staying in very nice resorts and we are making this vacation a combination of Disney and laying around by the pools enjoying the resort. We are planning to stay for 10 nights. Onsite - we were thinking of staying at either 1) Old Key West, 2) Saratoga Spa, 3) The Beach Club......and offsite we were thining of 1) Sheraton Vistana Resort, 2) Marriot Grand Vista, 3) The Swan or The Dolphin (whats the difference)....We are certainly open to suggestions if i have left anywhere out that would better suite us. Please please please help... We usually go to the Carribean - Mexico or Turks and Caicos and we want a place that we feel really comfortable with the kids - that is somewhat luxurius but not stuffy at all and that is very close to Disney....(Great beds would be nice too.....Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks and can't wait to go to Disney...

 

[5mins2disney]

Check the offsite resorts, much nicer, less expensive, and just as close as the hotels! You can get a beautiful pool home in a private, resort style gated community for a lot less money, and better amenities than you can get in the places you mentioned!

I would suggest:
Windsor Hills
Indian Creek
Emerald Island
Windsor Palms

Here's a map of the resorts in the Disney area, some are as close or closer than the offsite resort hotels!
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

 

[REC213]

hello all, my husband and i, our 3 little kids (4year old twins and a 2&1/2 year old) plus my sister in-in-law and niece will be going to Disney together in early April (actually sometime after Easter). We are torn between staying on Disney Property or off. Whats the difference and would it make a big difference to the kids......We have only been to Disney twice years ago. We would like to all stay together in a 2 bedroom villa. We like staying in very nice resorts and we are making this vacation a combination of Disney and laying around by the pools enjoying the resort. We are planning to stay for 10 nights. Onsite - we were thinking of staying at either 1) Old Key West, 2) Saratoga Spa, 3) The Beach Club......and offsite we were thining of 1) Sheraton Vistana Resort, 2) Marriot Grand Vista, 3) The Swan or The Dolphin (whats the difference)....We are certainly open to suggestions if i have left anywhere out that would better suite us. Please please please help... We usually go to the Carribean - Mexico or Turks and Caicos and we want a place that we feel really comfortable with the kids - that is somewhat luxurius but not stuffy at all and that is very close to Disney....(Great beds would be nice too.....Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks and can't wait to go to Disney...

We stayed at the Vistana and had fun, + it wasn't too far from Disney.

Here's the vid

http://www.livevideo.com/video/REC2...orld-vacation-2006-episode-1-the-arrival.aspx

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I think you would love a resort home! Look at some of the neighborhood mentioned by George. Also check out the review area, there are some reviews about homes on there.
Indian Creek,
Windsor hills
Emerald Island
Windsor Palms
Rolling Hills
Sunset Lakes
Oak Island Cove
They are all very nice neighborhoods!

 

[Mainebound]

Now I love staying offsite in a pool home, with our youngish sons, but our first 2 trips were onsite and I am glad they were. You can let Disney take care of everything, including your transportation from the aiport and to the parks and back. If you can afford a 2 bed DVC, I would recommend that for your first trip. Once you feel more comfortable with the area (assuming you will get hooked, which is inevitable), and want to start taking more charge of your vacation, and want to experience a few other things in the area (like we do -- Sea World, Universal, Medieval Times, Gator land, etc.), then start looking offsite.

Also, we have stayed at the Swan and it is right on property, very centrally located, with access to WDW transportation, so although not technically a WDW-owned hotel (they are Starwood), most consider staying at the Swan or Dolphin ONsite. The Swan is a great choice, right across from the larger Dolphin, they share a pool complex, and there is little difference between them. You can get great rates if you are a teacher, nurse or govt. employee, or can use your Starpoints for reduced rates.

I don't know anything about offsite hotels, but personally, if I were staying offsite I would (and do) rent a home or townhome in one of the areas off 192. But that requires (as woudl any offsite experience) a much more "do it yourself" vacation, with a rental car to get you to the parks, and you may not want that.

Hope this helps.

 

[spiceycat]

for homes

www.vrbo.com

for both homes and Condo
www.hotelkingdom.com
www.hotelmartusa.com
http://www.lastminutevillas.net/
http://www.onlinefloridavillas.com/Search.aspx
http://www.mousepadsorlando.com/
http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/
http://www.orlandovillas.com/
http://www.villasflorida.com/
http://www.floridahomesdirect.com/book_online.htm
http://www.orlando-rental-home.com/

for a particular neighborhood
http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/
http://www.thepalmshotelandvillas.com/
http://emeraldislandresortvacationhomes.com/

for condo onlywww.myresortnetwork.com
www.condodirect.com
www.skyauction.com - this site has a little of everything - but only the condo are the really good deals
http://www.discounthotels.cc/orlando-hotels.php
http://www.lbvorlandoresort.com/index.cfm

now if you are talking about this year - some of the places will be already sold out.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

you can also try
www.indiancreekflorida.com
for Indian Creek homes.

 

[mbb]

Now I love staying offsite in a pool home, with our youngish sons, but our first 2 trips were onsite and I am glad they were. You can let Disney take care of everything, including your transportation from the aiport and to the parks and back. If you can afford a 2 bed DVC, I would recommend that for your first trip.....

....Hope this helps.

ITA, Mainebound

A 2 bedroom DVC unit will get you a king size bed in the master, jacuzzi tub, washer/dryer, full kitchen, sofa bed, 2 queen size beds in the other bedroom..2 full bathrooms, 3 tvs, and right onsite at a Deluxe resort.

You can even add on the Dining plan if you want.

More info on the DVC Boards

HTH!!

 

[denisenh]

I have enjoyed all of the pool homes that we have stayed at but my dd now 11, misses making friends like she does at hotels/resorts.

I just found www.reunionresort.com today on another thread, read through it and booked. It wasn't too expensive for a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath and the resort looks amazing.
I like that it has kids activities too. My dd11 checked out the activity calander and has decided to do everything. (She always participates)
I hope that my dd14 finds some things to do...I think that she will.

 

[vicky1of3]

Hi all, thanks so far for good advice and replys. Is the reunion private houses or is the 3bedroom a villa attached to the hotel? We don't really want a private home. WE would rather be in a resort with a shared pool attached to a hotel since half of our vacation is being spent as a relaxing resort vacation and we want our kids to meet other kids around the pool.
Anyone know if the Sheraton Vistana Resort is really nice....or the Marriott Grand Vista?
Or am I better off staying on property....Old Key West or Beach Club?
We also looked into the Swan but i was having trouble finding out if they had 2 Bedroom Villas. Thanks again...I appreciate any advice I can get.

 

[5mins2disney]

If you want the "shared" sense of community and plan on hanging out at the resort pool all the time, then I might suggest a 2/3 bedroom condo at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms. Reunion is more townhomes and homes as I understand it, it does have a gorgeous community pool though. Swan is more of a traditional hotel. Not sure on Sheraton or Marriott, I know you're going to pay a lot more though than the first 2 choices I suggested!

 

[HeatherC]

Marriott's Grande Vista is wonderful!! So is the Vistana Villages. They are both a super easy commute to Disney and have lovely pool areas and restaurant/bar at the pools. You would save a ton of money over renting at a DVC resort.

Another suggestion would be to check out the new Bonnet Creek Resort. It is next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort and is "pretty much" onsite. But...it's not Disney owned so you don't get the perks of Disney resorts....which to us as a family of 5 don't mean much anyway. We stayed the last two weeks in a 2 bedroom villa. It was wonderful, new, clean and had a full kitchen, washer/dryer and jacuzzi in the master. They have a wonderful heated lazy river which we loved. The location was fabulous. It was like being onsite without paying onsite prices.

Hope this helps you out.
HeatherC

 

[cleophus12]

If you are torn between the Sheraton and the Marriott and pricing is comparable to the Beach Club, I'd take the Beach Club every time. Great pool and all the perks of being on Disney property. That driving and parking in the parks everyday can get annoying fast and expensive.

 

[tinaluis]

Are you talking about this April? Are there even rooms available on WDW property so close to Easter? Just wondering if you've checked availability online yet. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[5mins2disney]

If you go after Easter it shouldn't be an issue... up through 4/14 everything will be jam packed but from 4/14 - end of April there should be lots of openings still, the traffic really dies off later in April and early May up through Memorial Day weekend, then June gets real busy again.