much needed advice...please on or off???

[disney-a-holic]

ok, posted an earlier thread on group getting bigger, now i am in charge of pre planning and booking

we (5)went with tcd last year and were more than happy staying onsite at por
now we are a group of 8 and what do i do....
on or off?
value or moderate?
what is best villa or disney resort???

my thoughts are, onsite for benefits...love those extra hours and disney percs,
so i am left thinkin, are there disney villas that give you extra hours and sleep 8 which keep budget down?

please give me your preference and hints and tips on what you recomendxxx
and. who do you book with and how, act as if i am blonde...(im not but need lots of assistant!!)

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Claire,

I think it really depends on your personal preferences, there is no wrong or right way.

Over the last few years we have stayed in villas, mainly for our son's benefit.
There are many advantages, private pool, cooking facilities, all that extra room plus you have the freedom to able to relax more when you feel like it.

Few disadvantages but certainly in our experience you can feel a little isolated at times, there are only 3 of us for example. Having to drive everywhere and not having any facilities 'on-site' as it were can also be a handicap.
However, the advantages in our case always win and hence the majority of our stay will always be in a villa

How about a split stay? part resort / part villa ? This way you get the best of everything and the contrast gives you an ideal holiday.
I personally wouldn't do the standard type of Disney hotel and would possibly consider a DVC resort, they do 1 and 2 bedroom villas which may suit your needs.

For example our next holiday we have one night at the Hyatt airport, mainly as Josh is exhausted when we get there, then 4 nights at the Omni Champions Gate resort, 3 nights at Disney's Boardwalk villas and then the rest of the 3 week stay at an Indian Creek villa.

Formosa Gardens area is an excellent location for a villa rental, easy access to everything from here.

Always book a villa independantly, this way you choose where you stay.

If you do consider one try these for starters:

www.villas2000.com
www.vr360homes.co.uk
www.holiday-rentals.com

 

[Cinderella2006]

You wouldn’t catch me sharing a Villa with seven other people! That’s just me but I have only had one experience and that was a bad one! My husband and two sons shared a Villa with my Dad, his Wife and their 3 kids; BIG MISTAKE!
They made loads of mess and were constantly shouting at the kids or at each other; it certainly took the magic out of Disney!

On site is lovely and convenient but as our brood is getting bigger the Disney rooms seemed smaller and smaller! Now with number three on the way we will resort to staying in a Villa.

It really is down to personal preference but I agree with Johnny, DVC is a good all-rounder, the best out of both worlds. DVC have all the convenience of being onsite but the added luxury of having a fully equipped kitchen, washing machine etc.

 

[Hilary]

There are some 2 bedroom suites now at All Star (Music, I think), that would be more budget conscious than DVC, but the bed configuration might not suit your group.

Or how about more than one room at an onsite resort? That way, you could be together when you wanted to be, but could also have time apart from the rest of the group if you felt you needed it.

I think it depends on the type of holiday you all want - if you plan to be in the Disney parks day-in, day-out, then personally I think onsite has a big advantage. However, if you plan non-park days or non-Disney days then you don't need to be in WDW and an offsite solution would be better.

As Johnny says, a split stay might be a good compromise - then you can't be blamed for getting it wrong whichever you choose (you won't please all of the people all of the time! )

 

[disney-a-holic]

oh wow guys thanks for your advice

i am intrigued to learn more with regards to onsite villas?
tcd dont deal with these so again after info on how i go about findin more info???

many thanks any way.....we have disney and non disney days but i just adore disney and am hooked after one trip!! the magic is every where...

 

[castanea1985]

I also agree with Johnny.
Nothing beats staying 'on site' with small children. There's something about jumping on a Disney bus, and getting to the parks before 'rope drop', that adds to the 'magic'.
If I were you, I'd get a great big villa for the first half of your stay, and then stay 'on site' for the second half. Doing it that way, you can visit other attractions when your 'off site' and then make the most of your stay at Disney when you're 'on site'.
Enjoy your planning!
Tracy

 

[Disney owl]

We love staying in a Villa but now only DH & I & the kids. Not sure if I'd share with another family again (we did on our 1st visit)~

We love the space, own pool, not sharing our bedroom & DH enjoys having somewhere comfy to sit on an evening.

 

[wicket2005]

I would definitely go for a villa with it being a large group. My first visit was with my own family, plus Dad, Mum and sister and we stayed in a villa. The extra space was fantastic. We got on fine, no problems. I think you can chill out a lot better in a villa and especially so if it has its own pool and everyone has their own space but you also have space to sit too. However, at the end of the day, it does depend on how long you think you will spend at the villa. We tend to just be out all day, return to the hotel for a hour's rest/swim or so, then back out again. So all we really need is a bed.

Personally I don't think the so called perks of staying on Disney are worth while. Yes you get extra hours but when we have accidentally hit parks on these days, the parks are a lot busier than normal and the lines are really long. We avoid those days if we can. However, if you don't plan to drive around the area and do just plan to stay in Disney staying on site does give the drivers a rest too. Though I would strongly urge you to visit Universal, Islands and Sea World.

 

[disney-a-holic]

we are planning on doing universal too, it is interesting to read that parks are busier on extra hours days!!! i am swaying toward a villa i think.
how did you manage with purchases from parks, did you have to carry them around all day??
also we will have a birthday celebration over in florida how can i make it magical without staying onsite??

 

[Haworthfamily]

Hi Claire
We have stayed on and off with groups.
As just our family unit 3! we prefer on site - more magical, but last trip with 5 of us a Villa was great, I think the biggest draw for us is the pool!
I just love coming home everynight and soaking in the hot tub and the first swim in the morning to get ready for the parks.
When we stay on site though we still hire a car, it just gives us that freedom to visit other places and the malls!
Hope this is helpful
Sarah X

 

[angel659]

Hiya

Personally I prefer staying on site. I have done the villa idea a few years ago with my parents. Yes you get the room. The reason I am not keen is the cleaning. I go on holiday to relax and the bigger the accomodation means more mess my children can create. I can imagine myself hoovering every day or every other day. Changing beds, cleaning linen, cooking etc. No that does not appeal to me. My job is so hands on and tough at times that I just literally want to do no house work. I know sooner or later I am going to have to either book DVC or a villa. My dd is now 7 and she will not want to share a room with us or her brothers soon.

I love the DVC idea. It is expensive. I think I was quoted something like 4,000 for a two bed villa for two weeks If you can afford an annual pass then you can get some good rates when the AP rates are released for SSRl. I have booked PORR via Dreams Unlimited. They have said that they have seen SSR as cheap as 1,300 for a 1 bed villa for two weeks. Yes the AP is more than the 14 day or 7 day ultimate, but you do get perks that work in your favour. It more than pays off with accomodation discounts.

If you are interested in a villa and want to keep the holiday to a budget. Remember yes it might be 2-400 cheaper, but you have to add on car insurance and food on top. With that 2-400 saving by staying at WDW you could put this towards your food. Perhaps hire a car for 3-4 days to go elsewhere than WDW. These options need to be considered. Remember WDW offer a free transfer from MCO.

Expedia are offering I think every 4th or 5 th night free on Disney accomodation. They were a couple of weeks ago. If you are flexible on dates i.e last two weeks in Aug-Sep you maybe able to get free disney dining. They are not offering this yet, but they have offered this for the past couple of years.

Really it is horses for courses. Have a think what you want out of this holiday. i.e

* Where do we want to go
* How many disney days do we want
* How often will we use the car
* Do we want that extra room of a villa
* Could we share a villa with someone else
* Do we mind cleaning on holiday
* Do we want to drive everywhere

All these and some other factors should be considered before booking. Personally I dont think I could live with another family for 14 nights. When I went with my family my aunt got on my nerves throughout the whole holiday. She wanted to take over everything. She had mood swings all the time, which I never have seen before. I am not trying to put you off just to give you some things to think about.

Good luck

 

[disney-a-holic]

oh my gosh haworth family you are just up the motorway ...wsm!!!!

my thoughts at the moment are...
villa,; more relaxing time more apace pool,privacy. but will it keep us from the parks?
no maid!!

onsite ;magic hours. magic your way ticket...no cash to carry, maid service magical time for birthday celebrations ,lack of finances??

can some one just decide for me???

 

[disney-a-holic]

in reply to angel.... NO I DO NOT WANT TO CLEAN OR HOOVER ON HOLIDAY


mind is made up!!!!

 

[angel659]

oh my gosh you are just up the motorway ...wsm!!!!

my thoughts at the moment are...
villa,; more relaxing time more apace pool,privacy. but will it keep us from the parks?
no maid!!

onsite ;magic hours. magic your way ticket...no cash to carry, maid service magical time for birthday celebrations ,lack of finances??

can some one just decide for me???

Ahh bless you. You will make the right decision. Whats right for me is not necessarily right for you.

We are on a finance issue as well. This is why we stay onsite and dont hire a car. Although this year we are. Thats only because of the time we want we want to go and the frequent flyer Virgin 10% discount.

You need to do is get a quote for both. Getting flight prices for next year other than flydrives is your one of your problems getting a budget together. You could price up a holiday for this year i.e on flights but use all next years prices.

Only good thing about a villa is you can share the cost of the hire and food.

 

[angel659]

in reply to angel.... NO I DO NOT WANT TO CLEAN OR HOOVER ON HOLIDAY


mind is made up!!!!

I dont know if everyone cleans. It could be just me. ASk people if they clean whilst staying in a villa. Personally I could not live in a villa unhoovered or polished for two weeks.

 

[angel659]

btw what dates are you wanting. How many adults and children. I would add up the cost of your family only. You know where you are in your finances.

 

[disney-a-holic]

last year we booked with tcd and i feel we ahd a very good price for flights and accomadtion and it included a car so we were gonna rebook with them, i am just left with the on or off dilemma and not wanting to disapoint anyone.

before we went to wdw i used to holiday with the whole of my family ... and some close family friends... who are still close family friends.
i guess we are used to a shared holiday and are quite easy to get along with others, i just want to make sure the others enjoy it as much as us!!!!

 

[angel659]

I am sure if there are alot of you then you can share the general cleaning of the villa.

I just love walking out of hotel room and your already greeted with CM and you have the disney magic back.

If you are going to choose a villa, please dont book anything else other than a flydrive with TCD. There villas are older and further away.

Have a look at some villas on

www.holiday-rentals.co.uk

There are a few other sites, but I cant remember now. Johnny is great for villa advice on here. I would think of staying at Indian Creek or Formosa Gardens

 

[disney-a-holic]

these villas do look good, thanks

 

[angel659]

Dont know if this will be big enough. We were going to book this one

http://www.oursunshinevilla.com/