I've asked before but slightly different now...

[moesy4]

Because of my husband's new job, we pushed our trip back to tentatively October of this year. At that time, our kids will be almost 7, almost 3 1/2, and just turned 2.
Because we had to push the trip back 6 months, the cost already have gone up around $550 (because now we have to buy an extra park ticket for middle son and a flight ticket for our 2 year old). So even more so, money counts....but so does our sanity. Our middle son in particular is a very picky sleeper and has a couple of sensory issues that can make him miserable if he gets off routine and/or sleep too much. He has improved vastly with age, but it still affects our planning.

Anyway, I was finally decided that for the space and cost, we would stay offsite at a condo. The benefit to that is we would have the space to take my Mom along. We aren't buying her a park ticket...we were just going to rent her an economy car and she is totally happy just hanging out by the pool with a good book. But then when one of the kids needed a day off, she could watch the kids for us, and DH and I could do a night or two in the park by ourselves.

When looking into it though, we could rent points for AKL for very similar in price to staying offsite when you count in car rental, parking, etc. We would of course not be able to take my mom along, which stinks. But we would be on site in a really nice place, and since the kids would be older than we originally planned, I think they will do a lot better in the parks.

Any thoughts? I think it would still be slightly cheaper to stay offsite when you count in the fact that we could make a lot of food, but I'm just having trouble narrowing it down!

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess what it boils down to is will you or your husband be ok with missing out on a park day if one child needs a break? In addition, one adult with 2 children will be a bit tricky when it comes to doing rides. I'm all for on site but it truly sounds as if it would be better to have your mom along. Have you thought about maybe doing a family suite, or a Wilderness Cabin, where you could bring her along and still stay on site?

 

[kboo]

Alternatively, look into babysitting (kids nite out) or a kids club if you and DH want some time off - the cost may still work out, and you have the added benefit of being on site.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

We have kids with sensory and behavioral issues when we went to DL this summer, ages 6, 4, and 3. DH and I brought my mother and my (adult) brother along to help us, and it was the best decision we could have possibly made. My older son (6) wanted to ride some rides like Splash Mnt and Star Tours that the little two couldn't ride or wouldn't handle well. My mom was able to stay with them while we rode with him, and the adults just kind of rotated doing rides with kiddos. Some we could do all together of course, which was special. I think if taking your mom is a viable option, I would do it.

 

[robinb]

I think your offsite trip will cost you more than you think because you will need to rent a much bigger car. There is no way that your 3 kids will fit in the back of an economy car with 2 car seats, not to mention fitting your mom to/from the airport and when you go off to dinner. You will probably need to either rent a minivan or large SUV or an intermediate car for your family and an economy for your mom.

Whoops! I just reread the OP and the economy car is for the mom. Sorry!

OP, how much are you paying for your condo? You should be able to get a great condo for less than $100 per night even with a cleaning fee. I looked at AKV for October and it's 88 points per week for a Standard View studio. At $12-$14 per point that's $1056 - $1232 for a week. I'm not sure that AKV is the same price as a condo.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

Oh yeah, what robinb said. We had to rent a minivan for our trip.

 

[powellrj]

I am a huge believer in off-site. We have always found it to be much cheaper than on-site even with the parking. We stay at pool houses these days because we love the extra room you get and having your own pool.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Not certain where you were looking into staying off site, but an off site condo shouldn't even come close to the price of AKV! (even with renting points) Also, it sounds as if having your Mom along with be a huge benefit to your family...I would stick with your original plan for sure.

 

[guilderlandmouse]

Assuming that your calculations are coming out about the same, I would definitely choose AKL Kidani over an offsite condo. We have done both, the experience of being on property, especially AKL was a much better experience for us. The animals, theme, pool, and transportation where important factors for us. We got a 2 bedroom and brought the grandparents.

Having a grandparent around for some sitting is priceless! Good luck.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Assuming that your calculations are coming out about the same, I would definitely choose AKL Kidani over an offsite condo. We have done both, the experience of being on property, especially AKL was a much better experience for us. The animals, theme, pool, and transportation where important factors for us. We got a 2 bedroom and brought the grandparents.

Having a grandparent around for some sitting is priceless! Good luck.

Oh! I thought she was thinking of renting points for an AKV studio...not a 2 bedroom.

 

[guilderlandmouse]

Oh! I thought she was thinking of renting points for an AKV studio...not a 2 bedroom.

I don't think that she mentioned what type of DVC accomodations she was considering. Since her mother can't go with the DVC option, it most likely is a studio. I was just trying to share what we decided to do and make the point that you should compare apples to apples when deciding.

 

[mom2grace]

You could still bring your mom, you only have 4 in your party, your mom would make 5. I assume you are pricing a 1 bedroom. A studio is just a hotel room and would be very small.

I love AKL Kidani and won't stay anywhere else. However, having a car is crucial in my opinion.

 

[moesy4]

Yes, just a studio. For 8 nights, was looking at the total coat of the condo, renting either a minivan or a standard and an economy (figured about the same cost), parking, and stuff like gas it would end up being around 1200ish. That was the cost for renting for 8 nights at 12/point (I know not guaranteed at that price).
Would love to do the family suite or cabin but even with a discount I can't get it below 250/night which is too much for us.
This trip is my baby and dh (or I for that matter) would have no problem just having a resort day if need be. But my biggest concern is just that the sleeping arrangement doesn't work and we are just stuck. For 8 days lol.

 

[mom2grace]

Yes, it's just a hotel room. Not a super sized hotel room. I would be a bit surprised if you can find points for $12. I've paid $14 now for a few years, miss the $10/point days. The sleeping arrangement is going to be tight. 1 bed (queen) and a sofa sleeper. And room for a pack n play. You are not going to be able to move.

 

[roseaster]

OP, we did 14 days in a 4 bed/4 bath with a private pool for $1500 last year. I am sure that you can find a condo, or even a house, for 8 nights for less than that. We used www.vrbo.com.

I have 5 kids (4 girls/1 boy) it was great to have the space.

I am seeing a lot of 3 bedroom townhomes/condos under $100 a night and 4 bedroom homes in the $150- $200 a night in October.

 

[robinb]

OP, I don't know what your dates are so I picked Fri 10/7 - Sat 10/15 out of the air to check pricing.

You can get a 3BR townhouse for $823 for your 8 days at Crestwynd Bay which is very close to AK. That includes tax and fees. A house at Indian Ridge Oaks , with a private pool, is $1005 including everything. Your cars would be $276 for the minivan and $177 for the $276 for the minivan at Thrity (using Car Rental Savers). Parking is another $20 per day and I'll assume you'll be there for 7 days so that's an extra $140.

$823 - Condo
$276 -- Minivan
$177 -- Economy Car
$140 -- Parking

Total $1416

A Studio through David's Rental would be $1418.

So, you're right it is really close! Your transportation costs around Orlando, at nearly $600, is really messing things up.

 

[roseaster]

OP, I don't know what your dates are so I picked Fri 10/7 - Sat 10/15 out of the air to check pricing.

You can get a 3BR townhouse for $823 for your 8 days at Crestwynd Bay which is very close to AK. That includes tax and fees. A house at Indian Ridge Oaks , with a private pool, is $1005 including everything. Your cars would be $276 for the minivan and $177 for the $276 for the minivan at Thrity (using Car Rental Savers). Parking is another $20 per day and I'll assume you'll be there for 7 days so that's an extra $140.

$823 - Condo
$276 -- Minivan
$177 -- Economy Car
$140 -- Parking

Total $1416

A Studio through David's Rental would be $1418.

So, you're right it is really close! Your transportation costs around Orlando, at nearly $600, is really messing things up.

The problem here is with value. The studio at AK is really just one room with a microwave and mini fridge. You will all be in 1 room and you will have to buy most of your meals.

With an off-site rental you will have separate bedrooms, especially if your child has sleep issues and you will have a real kitchen, so you may be able to save money buy cooking some meals at the house.

Does mom really need a car? Could she use Uber if there were somewhere she really wanted/needed to go?

Windsor Palms (3 bedroom condo for $819 for the week) offers shuttle service to the parks, so no need for 2 cars. I am sure there are other resorts that offer this.

 

[ScrampShopper]

I don't know if you have decided what you are doing yet, but I thought I'd give you my experience. We love AKL Kidani, but will never ever stay there again without a car. The last time we ended up a mile away from the lobby, near the end of one of the halls, and it was no fun, and that was when I was dealing with only one, very adaptable kid. I dreaded that walk every time we left our room, and I walk 4-5 miles a day every morning at home. I think you can stay offsite and rent 2 vehicles and stay in much more comfortable accommodations for a lot less than a studio at AKL, and having another adult to help is so so nice. I wish my parents could come on all of my trips!!! I would not pick onsite just because of Disney transportation. It is one of the reasons I like onsite, but I stay at a MK or Epcot resort now when I don't have a rental car, and when DH or my dad are along, we rent a car because that is so much more convenient that using Disney transportation for the entire trip. Good luck with your decision.

 

[moesy4]

Thank you everyone! Yes, I think the condo would be better all around...I will admit I am just having a hard time staying off site! I'm sure it would be great, but since we are probably only going to swing this trip a couple of times, it would be nice to get the "full experience". I think I've tried to navigate just about every option, we normally cruise and since we are flexible on dates and cruise lines we always find a fantastic deal. I'm just having a hard time facing Disney isn't the same way lol
My mother would probably be fine with the car which would shave a little bit off, I guess I would just feel bad if we were spending all day at the parks and she didn't at least have the option to leave. I don't know that she would be comfortable with Uber, we would but with the carseats it would not be easy.

 

[robinb]

Your mom could drive you to the parks and pick you up. The nearby condos are only about 15 minutes away.