HIFS or WDW Value/Mod Resort

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I've stayed at the HIFS two times and enjoyed both stays. I've always said I wanted to stay on site and since this will be our last big vacation for a few years (saving for a new house) I'm considering a value or moderate WDW resort. DH has never been impressed with HIFS food and he says he doesn't care if we don't have the separate bedrooms but I'm afraid that once we get there we'll miss having a separate room for the kids. The value resorts are $84 and moderate $119 while HIFS is $149. Can anyone out there who's stayed on site and HIFS give me your opinion. Thanks!

 

[MMARCAVA]

We're planning our 1st trip to WDW at the end of March so I cannot comment on the mod resorts. But, what made our decision was we got a $99.50 rate at HIFS using our entertainment card. I too was torn where to stay but once I got that rate for a suite, I just couldn't make any other decision! Practicality won out!

 

[momofdbsdc]

I stayed on site pre-children and loved it. We stayed at the HIFS this past September and to was torn between on site or off site. We loved HIFS so much that I am not sure if I would stay on site again unless I could afford one of their larger rooms. I likes having the refrigerator and the microwave. Also the kids loved all of the activities.

Check out mousesavers.com to see what kind of rates they have going. The entertainment book also has that awesome rate!

Whatever you decide, have an awesome trip!!!

 

[taylor1293]

I'm not sure when you are going but I would assume you can do much better than the $149 rate at HIFS.

When you were at HIFS did you find that you all spent most of your time together in one room? If so, then staying at a moderate shouldn't be a problem. If you found that you enjoyed having the 3 tv's and a seperate place to sleep, then you may be miserable in one room.

Have you considered doing a split-stay? That way you could experience on-site but not be stuck with the one-room your entire vacation in case you don't like it.

Good luck with your decision!

Teresa

 

[BedKnobbery2]

I agree with Taylor on both points--that rate seems awfully high to me; I would check with dreams unlimited here on the DIS (just click on any of the hotel links, I've found their prices to be quite reasonably, and at some times considerably less than what you can find elsewhere) and also www.hotelkingdom.com . $149 seems like too much to pay. I decided the kids & I were going to go during Prez's week a couple of weeks ago, and was able to get a rate of $88 per night for a 2 bedroom unit (Cypress Pointe) close to disney. That is prime time, so I imagine unless you are planning to hit the parks over xmas vaca, you should be able to get a better rate than that.

I would also recommend splitting your stay. We did a 3-way split this past summer; 3 nights at CSR - 7 nights off-property (2 BR timeshare) - 5 nights at BCV studio. I would STRONGLY recommend doing your disney stay first. Speaking from experience, it is VERY difficult to move from something spacious to something much less so....even if your 1 room is big by 1 room standards, it's going to feel awfully cramped after having a place with more space. Even the disney magic wasn't enough to keep my kids from grumping about it. They didn't complain at all while we were at CSR, but at BCV they stated several times that they wished they had their own room again (and so did I! LOL).

Good luck!!

BK

 

[Shelly]

Can anyone tell me what entertainment care MMacarva was talking about for the $99 rate. Is it the one with the Disney club
card I know that has the entertainment emblam.
Is this for a kidsuite? MMacarva or anyone please help.

 

[MMARCAVA]

I was referring to the Entertainment card that comes with the Entertainment book which is sold nationally, usually by schools or other nonprofit organizations as a fund raiser. In PA it costs $25 per book and includes various coupons for restaurants, entertainment etc. along with discounts for national hotels/ car rentals, etc.. They have a phone # of 888-231-SAVE or 800-374-4464 listed at the back of the book to order them.
I have the Disney Club card too and the logo looks the same as the one on my Entertainment Card but I would confirm with HIFS reservations that it'll work before booking. If it does, I would just use that and save yourself the cost of the Entertainment book itself. I buy the book for all the local savings it gives me.
Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you anymore!

 

[pstepka]

Have you considered renting points from a DVC member? We are staying 5 nights at the BCV in a studio (has a small fridge and microwave) for 700.00. We will stay our last night off site, because staying a Friday night will be an additional 320.00! The Beach Club/Yacht Club looks like a BEAUTIFUL place and, from what I hear, the pool (Stormalong Bay) is more like a mini water park.
We've also stayed at HIFS, and Port Orleans and liked both of them. I just like to do something different each time.

 

[Shelly]

pstepka, I've considered renting points, but besides the fact that I don't fully understand it.
It sounds like the weekends are expensive. If the weekinds are that musch it souldn't be worth it.

 

[pstepka]

Your are totally correct re:the weekends (Fri and Sat) being way more expensive. That is why we're staying Sun-Fri, and staying Friday night offsite. We're leaving to come home Saturday so it's not a big deal for us. How many days are you staying? It IS a great way to stay in a Deluxe Resort w/o paying deluxe prices. If we booked into the BCV directly through Disney, our stay would have been 1600.00 plus tax! We'd NEVER pay that much to stay somewhere 5 nights, even if we HAD that much in our vacation budget! I like to get a good value for what I pay and that is why renting the points works for us. If we pay 100.00 for our Friday night off site, it comes out to less than 150.00/night for the six nights.

 

[taylor1293]

Shelly,

Over at the DVC board they can tell you more about renting points. If you rent, like pstepka said, Fri and Sat are much more expensive. So you would get the most out of renting points Sunday through Thur. nights.

We have rented a 1 bedroom for 5 nights and bought points from a DVC member on these boards. We paid $1330 for the 5 nights. However, had we rented directly through Disney, the same nights would of cost us $2,425!

This point calculator will give you an idea of how many points you would need during your time frame. It varies, but points usually sell at $9 - $12 a point.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm

Have fun!

Teresa

 

[ppd14]

That is a tough choice...... I know because I made it on our last trip. We stayed on site at CB in October 2001 and liked the area but after 911; transportation was slow with 45-55 minutes average travel times to MK & DStudios. What really sold me on staying OFF was the cost of food. We were spending between 125 & 150 per day inside disney for 4 people - I never thought about food prices when we booked--- The 2.50 botle of water inside MK cost the same at the resort. NOW - YOU CAN NOT BEAT THE ATMOSPHERE AND SURROUNDINGS THAT ON SITE HAS TO OFFER. However, We try to go once a year (From Indiana) and economics prevail. HI Family Suites includes breakfast (buffet) and they have a pizza hut on site plus there are so many restaurants close by. We were really happy with the site and the staff.