Need help finding a new "home"

[summersalt]

My sister and I have decided to purchase annual passes this year. Since we plan to make several trips over the next year, we can no longer afford to stay onsite. Our favorite Disney resorts are the Polynesian and POFQ. We also like the Downtown Disney area and would probably love to find a hotel in this area to call our new "home". Do you have any recommendations? There will usually be two girls with us. 16 and 10.

 

[bankr63]

For a group of four I would recommend one of the many timeshare resorts over a hotel. Wyndham Bonnet Creek gets a lot of good press here, and is close to DTD, but there are many other choices. Cypress Point, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Hilton Grand Vacation Club (I-Drive) are all high end resorts nearby.

Lots of advantages to having a full 2BR timeshare; lots of space, full kitchen, laundry. Just remember to add the cost of a rental car if you are not driving. Since you have APs there are no parking fees at Disney parks.

 

[JimMIA]

I second the idea of a timeshare -- specifically renting a reservation at a timeshare from an owner, because that's a LOT less expensive than renting directly from the developer/manager of the resort. I think all of the prices I've seen quoted for Wyndham Bonnet Creek have been WELL under $1,000 for an entire week in a 2-bedroom.

Bonnet Creek is a beautiful resort and it's located right off Buena Vista next door to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. So it's right down the street from DTD and about the same driving time to the parks at POFQ.

There are five pools as part of the timeshare resort (6 towers), including two with lazy rivers and two with slides. With the opening of the new hotel (now open) there is a sixth pool, a spa, and some sit-down dining options available which were not there before. There are also a lot of activities for the kids if you spend much time at the resort. Also, no fee for parking at the resort (some places charge, but not WBC).

The only downside of a timeshare is that you will have minimal or no housekeeping unless you pay for it. At WBC, your villa will be clean, but they don't clean until you check out.

Okay...there is another downside. At most timeshares, when you check in you will be asked to attend a timeshare presentation. You have no obligation to attend and you should NOT. They're high pressure and really painful -- just say NO. Also, if you want to buy a timeshare, you can do so for $1 on eBay -- no need to pay $15,000-$20,000!

 

[DCTooTall]

Add another recommendation for renting a place to stay at a Timeshare resort. Besides the extra space with 2 bedrooms, with 4 people I'm betting the 2 bathrooms in most timeshares will also be a HUGE bonus when it comes to getting ready in the morning. (literally cut the morning routine time in half since you can have 2 people showering at once instead of dealing with back-to-back-to-back-to-back showers).


One of the other nice things about the Wyndham Bonnett Creek resort over some of the others, is that it's location helps ease the transition for people who've only done onsite stays before. In order to get to the property you must go thru the Disney welcoming arches and the property is surrounded on 3 sides by Disney. Think of it as "offsite training wheels".

 

[Disney DieHard]

Hey there Summer!

OH! Poly is my FAVORITE!!! Finding something to replace that is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon by throwing rocks in it ... nothing's going to fill that void!

Anyway, first, AVOID THE ROYAL PLAZA HOTEL! The hotel took a nose dive since new management came in and it is just getting more and more bad reviews by the day. The price may be cheap but, trust me, you'll pay for it!!!

Now, my girlfriend and her kids have stayed at the Hilton in the DownTown Disney area many times and I have never heard them speak ill of it ... and from what their pictures look like it seems to be a very nice hotel!

Other than that I really can't offer any first hand experience in off-site hotels. We stayed at the Holiday Inn SunSpree MANY years ago but not recently and it may have changed. Stayed at Royal Plaza a few times and after April 2011 we're done!


I do have a little thing I wanted to ask you about. Now, you said you and your sis enjoyed POFQ which falls into the moderate category. Just making sure but, are you aware that with Annual Passes you are entitled to a PassHolder discount at Disney hotels? The amount varies with season and by level of hotel but can range from 20% to 35% off. AND as BankR63 pointed out, with the Annual Pass you are going to save some $ because you do not have to pay to park at the parks.

So, depending on time of season, the price for the Hilton would be in ABOUT the $200 range, give or take ... so I'm thinking if that is in your range then with your discount you may be able to bring POFQ down close to what your price range is too!

PLUS! Consider the fact that most hotels are starting to nail you a $10 PER DAY fee to park your car if you decide to have one where self-parking at Disney hotels is complementary!

I hope I helped you ... or at least gave you something to think about! If you have any other questions or concerns PLEASE do not hesitate to ask!!!

Take Care & Be Safe!

Frank
Disney DieHard

 

[Macprincess]

Are you able to make last minute trips and will you have a car? If so I highly suggest getting on Dave Robinson last minute list for Windsor Hills. You can do so via Vaction Central Florida web site. I get e-mails sent out to me often about condo rentals for $199.00-$299.00 for the entire week plus a $75 cleaning fee. Even with room taxes this is an awesome deal. These are often condos people had to cancel last minute. The e-mails arrive every so often about two weeks out. We also have AP's and this little nugget of info has gifted us many trips to the mouse.

We have always found the condos rented via this way clean, safe and in a very nice area. They only catch is they mostly only rent Sat-Sat. Also, as with almost all condo rentals there is no housekeeping. On the upside you will have at least two bedrooms and baths. A full kitchen and in unit washer and dryer.

As an AP holder you get free parking. The area outside WDW property is very easy to figure out. Once you do this one time you will know if this kind of travel is doable for your group and worth the savings to you.

 

[Cruz91]

...I highly recommend finding a private owner at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms and starting to rent with them. If it's a good fit and you're happy, you can start recommending them. Then, if you are a good repeat customer, they may well continue to let you have very good rates and do things like switch your dates or fill in their empty spots at a much lower rate.

The place I have gone to the most (I think we've stayed at one condo about 5 times now), I have also recommended to at least 4 or 5 other people (some of whom have also gone multiple times). The owner of the 3BR, 2BA place now gives it to me for $75 - $85 per night after taxes and always waives the cleaning fee.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

...I highly recommend finding a private owner at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms and starting to rent with them. If it's a good fit and you're happy, you can start recommending them. Then, if you are a good repeat customer, they may well continue to let you have very good rates and do things like switch your dates or fill in their empty spots at a much lower rate.

The place I have gone to the most (I think we've stayed at one condo about 5 times now), I have also recommended to at least 4 or 5 other people (some of whom have also gone multiple times). The owner of the 3BR, 2BA place now gives it to me for $75 - $85 per night after taxes and always waives the cleaning fee.

Just a quick question:
If renting one of the townhomes with a private pool, would we still have access to the main pool hotel?
I saw pics of the slide and my grandson would have a ball there...
TIA

 

[Cruz91]

Just a quick question:
If renting one of the townhomes with a private pool, would we still have access to the main pool hotel?
I saw pics of the slide and my grandson would have a ball there...
TIA

I assume you mean the main pool at the condo clubhouse. If you rent a townhome at either Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms that has its own little splash pool on the back patio (which is about 10' x 10' x 4' deep), you can also use the main clubhouse pool. Same goes if you rent a large home with its own private pool.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Thanks, Cruz91! That's just what I needed to know.