How to shop for hotels?

[mom2masonmagoo]

Hi everyone! My family and I are planning a trip to Disney next year--we're getting a REALLY early start on planning LOL. We'd like to go around the end of May next year. I'm a teacher and school will be out on the 23, so I'm hoping to go right after that.

I started looking at hotels and I'm already really confused LOL. Right now, I'm looking at 5 of us going--4 adults, and my son, who is 7.

We'd love to get a suite, to save money. Someone recommended HIFS and I fell in love with it from the description on the website. It sounds perfect. Do they charge more for each extra person?

One of the things that seems most confusing is how to get the rooms fairly cheap--not sure if that's a budget board question or not. When I first looked into the HIFS about 2 years ago, the rates were cheaper. They are a bit higher now and I dont' want to pay rack price.

We aren't totally committed to HIFS either--we could be persuaded to other locales...Doubletree Inn looked nice, but it looks like it's only one bedroom suites, is that right?

I know I'm getting a very early start, but I want to start planning now so we can try to get the best deals and have a good game plan.

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Cujo]

We are also planning a trip next year, and looking for accomodations can be overwhelming. We used this forum to help us plan our last trip and had an awesome time. From purchasing WDW tickets, to hotels, vehicle rental and places to eat we were able to get hints, ideas and recomendations from this board. So if you browse through past and present info. you will find loads of information.
We are looking at staying at Cypress Pointe, which is very reasonably priced and has recieved a lot of good reviews from people on this board as well as tripadvisor.com.
Good Luck & Have Fun



Sandra

 

[Mudd77]

If you are not planning on staying on-site at Disney or Universdal, you should definitely look into rental homes and townhouses. This past May we stayed in a rental home and loved it. You said 4 adults are going. Is this two couples? If so I would browse the 3-bedroom rental homes and townhouses and calculate the price divided between the two couples. You cannot beat the value. My personnel recommendation is the Windsor Palms Resort. Here is the web-site: http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net/windsorpalmsgallery.htm. Browse the listings and find one or two homes you like (w/ the amenities you desire) and check availability. Compare the prices between the townhouses and the pool homes. The pool homes are really nice and the convenience of having your own pool w/ hot tub is great. Some of the townhouses also have small jacuzzi-like pools. Once you have found a home you like, e-mail the owner and confirm availability. Also, ask several questions including how much is the deposit and what is the cancellation policy. Get a feel for how quick the owner gets back with you and how courteous they are. I dealt with a great owner and will surely be using them again. Also, do a search on these boards for a lot of valuable information as well as other rental home communities. You will see that alot of people are going this route. Good luck!

 

[disneysteve]

I agree completely with Mudd77. Forget about the suite hotels and rent a house. For under $100/nite, you can get a 3-bedroom home with full kitchen, private screened-in pool, washer and dryer, multiple tv's and loads of amenities. You'll never want to stay in a hotel again.

 

[zaxmom]

A favorite website of mine to book through is www.hotelkingdom.com You can find good deals on 2 and 3 BR condos through them. On our next visit we are staying in a 2 BR condo for $65 a night. Every trip we plan, they seem to be offering a new deal somewhere. In previouse years the HIFS has offered an entertainment rate that is usually a good deal. These are with the cards you get when you buy the ENTERTAINMENT coupon books. You are on the right board. The people here LOVE to get a good rate on offsite hotels and have helped me get great deals on our last 4 trips to Orlando.

 

[RC Fan]

Hey!

It's really never too early to start planning, is it? I am already doing some preliminary planning for my trip in September 2005. I am also looking to get a good deal. I think the best way to go about a hotel is to get lots of advice from this board, and take your time picking the right hotel! I think I rushed a bit last time.

 

[tigger2on]

www.travelzoo.com

We have used it many times for both on and off-site hotels. There are some good deals for flights too!