hotel or house

[Matlockbel]

Pros and cons to renting a house to go to disney, seaworld and maybe legoland at christmas 2017. A group of 10 extended family members, ages 5 - 70. 6 have been there a few times and 4 people have not been previously.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

When I go on vacation, especially a Disney vacation, I like to stay on property. I like the feel of the Disney theme throughout our time there. And even more so during the Christmas season. I've never rented a house for a vacation but I can say that I wouldn't be comfortable in someone else's house. I'd worry if something would break, if they would say I broke something or did something that I really didn't do, etc. There is nothing like a WDW vacation during the Christmas season.

 

[Crystal824]

While I love being on property, I would definitely consider renting a house with a group this large especially if you all plan to stay together and have adequate transportation.

Renting a house will provide you with adequate room for everyone and will be cheaper. You will have your own kitchen to prepare meals/and keep snacks, and depending on the house probably your own pool and a number of t.vs, etc.

The cons are you will need your own transportation. I'm not sure if you are driving or flying, but with a group that large, it will make more sense to have more than one vehicle that way people can come and go in smaller groups. I think a con of renting a house is it is more difficult to switch dates/cancel if that need arises. Disney typically has a more lenient policy for canceling or changing dates than the home rentals do. Unless someone has an annual pass, you will have to pay for parking. Still with adding the cost of transportation and parking, it will probably be cheaper than staying on site.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

I will be the advocate for the other side! Yes...there are a wealth of reasons to immerse yourself in the "Disney Bubble" but an equal number to staying offsite. We have been renting homes (Condo, townhouse, 4/5 bedroom houses) almost annually since 2005. We have never regretted our choice nor had an unhappy experience.

In 2008, we had 10 people, including 4 generations (ages 3 - 89) and rented a 5 bedroom/5 bathroom house. We paid an unbelievable $149/night for the whole place, which included its own pool and spa, in a gorgeous gated resort just minutes from WDW. The resort facilities included a big pool, water slide, clubhouse, playgrounds, and sports courts, as well as 24 hr security on the gate. Obviously we will never see that price again, but we have a beautiful 4 bedroom place lined up for this fall at $139/night. Stayed there 2 years ago and absolutely loved the house.

Besides plenty of beds and bathrooms, we had something most hotels don't provide...private common areas. We could lounge on our own lanai, sit around the kitchen, living or dining rooms. No perching on a bed in your room while you waited. The children loved to get in the pool while we put breakfast together each day. Funny thing is that all us women couldn't wait to get away from our kitchens, but cooking together while able to see and talk to everyone was so much fun that we really ate out very little. We even cooked and ate a Christmas dinner before heading to MCMCP.

It was a huge step-saver, too. We walked out our door, hopped in our vehicles, drove where we wanted and returned at the end of the day and walked straight into our house. No treks through immense properties or down long hallways. This was a real winner whe carrying sleeping children!

We were able to pack very light, because we had our washer and dryer. We'd toss in a load before bed at night, and another before we left for the day. We even came home with clean clothes and room for souvenirs.

In the evenings, we could be as social or solitary as we wanted. Watch tv in your own room, enjoy a drink on the lanai, or soak in the spa, all while the kids were tugged snugly in their beds. You just can't leave 3 yr olds asleep in a hotel room while parents head to a resort pool for a late swim!

We also all agreed that our time away from the intense stimulation of WDW didn't hurt at all. In fact, i really think it was calming for both extremes of our age ranges.

After that experience, we were sold, and every time we go back, we hold the debate. Off site or onsite? We got spoiled. Even last fall when there was just my DD and me there, we were so much happier in our offsite condo, with our own bedrooms and bathrooms, at considerably less than the best value-priced resort we could find.

Oh, rental homes usually come with all the child-related equipment you need, inc strollers and many have games rooms, computers, video games and more. They are just amazing, and come in the widest range of pieces you could imagine. If 3 or 4 families pool what they would spend for sufficient resort rooms, you would be blown away by what is available. Keeping to a budget is a big priority for us and we think we are amazing value going this route, even adding rental car and parking costs.

 

[happymommy]

I've been over Christmas.

If you are doing Disney parks, no way would I do off site if you have a choice. Stay on site.

If before Christmas it's a toss up.

On site, you can ditch a rental car. MUCH easier.

I have done Disney many, many times. Seaworld once, and we stayed at Marriott's Harbour Lake. Very close, very, very close.

I wouldn't do both in one trip unless I had a lot of time. My kids were like, "meh" on Seaworld, but we had Super Grover Passes, so had a huge advantage and got a big discount on Discovery Cove, which was amazing. We spent a lot of time at the resort.

Large groups are hard - plan what you want to do and then let them know.

 

[cassie58]

Maybe you could look at renting points for a DVC villa(s), which could give you the best of both worlds. You could be on property but have washer/dryer, kitchen, living area, etc. You can order food from Garden Grocer or Amazon Prime to be delivered. Don't know if you are driving or flying, but if flying you could use ME, and rent a car from the Car Care Center if you need one for a day or two to go off property.

Christmas week gets crazy, and taking buses may be easier than dealing with parking lots, and on-site guests get priority when MK has their phases of closures on busy days. You are also able to take advantage of EMH which is helpful during this week, and make FP 60 days in advance. You can enjoy the Christmas decor at your resort, and have access to grab a quick service meal if you don't feel like cooking.

 

[jaychis]

We live about 30 minutes from Disney and have gone throughout the year. You need to consider all costs/conveniences. It may be cheaper staying off site, but you have to figure rental car, insurance (some insurance companies will transfer to rentals and some do not), fuel, how you will be eating, parking, and convenience. I will guarantee between 30-60 minutes (probably closer to 60) to get off site during the busier times around Christmas (depending on when you leave). We went several time to the MK during the Christmas season this past year and stayed until the fireworks ended. It took 30-45 minutes just to get to our car. Then add in the time it will take to get to your rental house.
If you stay on-site, Disney will take care of all transportation, including to and from the airport. There are positive aspects to staying off site as well, as pointed out by LuvMyEAR. With a group your size, the only downside is transportation and commute time to and from the park during busy time. If you do your own cooking and meal prep, that would be a tremendous savings over WDW. Just be honest with yourself when you consider meals, transportation, how much time you are willing to spend getting off site, and the younger or older people in your group.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I prefer to stay in a hotel over a house. I cook and clean all the time at home. On vacation, I enjoy eating out and having my room cleaned daily.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

One factor I obviously overlooked.... the compatibly factor! Before any shared accommodations should be considered, off or on site, you should be confident that everyone will be comfortable in one set of walls.

You must be at ease not just with someone strolling around in their pjs, but be on a similar page about acceptable behaviour, for both kids AND adults. If someone is obsessively tidy, it can literally spoil their vacation to share quarters with a slob. The reverse is true, too. Will shoes be neatly left by the door or kicked off and abandoned anywhere? Will everyone commit to cleaning up after themselves within a reasonable time (prying a dirty cup off a coffee table at the end of the stay doesn't cut it!) or will one person feel like a slave to the whole group? Again, a deal breaker.

Scheduling - as there is never perfect harmony with energy levels and prime time, your morning people and late starters must be able to get out the door as best suits them. neither leaving their breakfast dishes for the other, of course!

If you picture even the slightest friction on such fronts, any shared accommodations should be avoided. A resort room gives you much-needed privacy, which can be exactly what allows you to all go home as friends. You don't have to look far on these boards to find evidence that too much togetherness can not just mar your vacation, but damage relationships as well.

 

[caliope]

We prefer to be on Disney property when it's just our immediate family. But, for an extended family trip over Thanksgiving 2013, we did a timeshare. It was 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms with a living room and kitchen/dining room. There was also light housekeeping. For our group of nine, ranging in ages from 16 months to 70, it worked well. We had three cars, so we were able to do whatever we wanted and then meet up. It was especially nice to have access to a grocery store and a kitchen so we could cook our own Thanksgiving meal, rather than having to rely on a restaurant. This isn't how I'd like to do Disney all the time, but in those circumstances it was a fun trip.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

How many Disney park days are you planning? Since you are planning on doing Sea World and Legoland you will all definitely need vehicles to get to those parks. So if you are driving into Orlando and/or are planning on having your own transportation anyway then renting a house will definitely give you all the space, comfort, and flexibility you need since you plan on doing other things besides Disney. If you plan on doing five or more Disney park days I would opt to stay onsite for the convenience, especially during the peak crowd holiday season, and save Sea World and Legoland for another trip.

 

[gatormom2tots]

Love staying on property...but also love spending 2 weeks at a time which is not possible financially! And honestly, we would all kill each other if we stayed in close quarters for more than a few days. We have a BLT 2 bedroom booked for the 3rd time at Christmas for about 5 days, but even in a 2 bedroom that is about our limit with a family of 6.

So for shorter stays, we try to swing renting points for a 2 bedroom DVC. For our longer trips, we rent an offsite 4 bedroom house (we love Windsor Hills) for about 2 weeks with plenty of space for us to get way from each other for a few hours!

 

[mamaofsix]

Couldn't agree MORE with LuvMyEAR !!! Our party of 10 (3 generations aged 2-60) stayed at a Windsor Hills rental home last year and we couldn't have been more thrilled with it. Cheaper, WAY more space, Pool & hot tub right out the kitchen door, packed less because we had laundry facilities, didn't have to hike to a restaurant or cafeteria for food because we had a full kitchen, etc. etc.

It was great for everyone's sanity to have "off" days where we didn't go to Disney. We went our separate ways to the Beach, saw a movie, went mini golfing or to a restaurant, etc.

And I disagree that it takes longer or is less convenient to get back to your rental house than to a resort hotel. In our experience, it's much faster. Most days it took us 5 -10 minutes to get from the gates to our vehicle, then 5 minutes back to our house (15 minutes total, less time if it was HS or Epcot). We walked right past the crowds of people waiting 15 minutes just for their resort bus to arrive, not to mention all of the walking you do from the bus stop back and forth to your hotel room.

Off site house rental all the way!!