Need help with off site for family of 7...

[janets]

My friends are hoping to visit during the week of Jan. 8. They are parents, 4 children (2 youngest are under 2) and their nanny.

They have a 2 bdrm booked at HI Family Suites w/ cont. bkfst at a reasonable rate. However, I'm concerned that they will not be able to get 2 cribs into the kids room. Plus, I'm just wondering if there are any other options out there where they can stay. Since the babies are still in cribs, they probably don't count against occupancy.

Can anyone recommend some alternatives? I found the Doubletree Villas through their website and I can get them a 3 bdrm there at just about the same as HI but don't know much about it and wonder if location is equivalent.

Thanks for any input.

 

[cinamin27]

how about Cypress Pointe, Cypress Pointe Grand Villas, Fairfield Cypress Palms, or Wyndham Palms Resort & Country Club (HUGE) (look on www.hotelkingdom.com for all of the above)
or any of the Marriott time share resorts.

 

[AJKMOM]

I second the idea to check Hotelkingdom. We got a 2br for $85/night over New Years Eve. It had a kitchen, living room, and 2 bedrooms with 2 full baths.

 

[torismom]

Hi, I sent you a pm!! Take Care and enjoy your trip coming up.

 

[martina857]

I stayed here www.orlando-rental-home.com 3 bedrooms and 2 cribs (we used em both ) Great place and location.
M

 

[HappyLawyer]

i would say go to sky auction and see if you can get a villa or a nice afforadable hotel is the days suites http://www.dayssuitesoldtown.com/util/contact.htm
i am staying here before i check in my villa

 

[Sandyincanada]

I also vote for Cypress Pointe or a similar condo. You can get a 2 or 3 bedroom full size condo for a great price at hotelkingdom. We got a 2 bdrm for 72.00, I think a 3 bdrm was around 85.00. great prices for a resort


We enjoyed HIFS but the living area of these suites are quite small, there is no real kitchen to speak of. With the babies, you may be more comfy in a condo or rental home. There is no balcony at HIFS and also, if I recall correctly, the kids room does not have a door which could be a problem if the kids are early and light sleepers and the adults want to stay up.

 

[webray]

Get a two bedroom at Caribe Royale...the location is excellent..the place is huge, full kitchen, beautiful pools, great restaurants. Very close to disney..and easy acess to all other parks.

cariberoyale.com...call for good rates as well.

We loved it when we stayed there..can definately recommend.

 

[bongo59]

for 7 people i would strongly suggest you head over to the DVC rent forum and rent some DVCer's points for your stay and stay in one of the main resorts............for large gatherings there is nothing better than the grand villas at OKW. They ususally can be had in all seasons except holiday seasons.

 

[iowadisneyguy]

Go to www.vrbo.com and search for homes for rent in Emerals Island Resort. You are only a few minutes from the parks. My parents own a home in Emerald Island and it is the most convenient way to stay is you have a large family travelling. Many of the homes have their OWN pool and hot tub. You can get very nice homes for what it would cost for 2 hotel rooms, plus get all the amenities of home. Check out my parents website to get additional travel trips, including restaurant, golf, and other info, as well as directions to the back entry into the parks from Emerald island, keeps you off 192 and the traffic hassles. www.7bedroomorlando.com

 

[talicskai]

We have always stayed at either Vistana Resort or Vistana Villages. The Resort is on SR 535 very close to DTD and lots of restaurants. Literally, minutes to WDW.
The Villages is on International Drive South in a newly developed area. The Villages are newer and do not have the lush vegetation of the Resort but the units are gorgeous! It is around the corner from Sea World and about 10 minutes to WDW.
I love both places so would recommend either one. The units have two full bedrooms, the master with a king bed and jacuzzi, the 2nd bdrm has two queen beds and a access to another full bath. A complete kitchen, washer/dryer and screened porch are great amenities. I hate having to get dressed for breakfast when on a holiday, this way you can watch the local news while eating your toast!
Highly recommended!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If they want to stay at HIFS they are going to have 3 bedroom suites in addition to the two bedroom suites.

 

[jk8]

The 2 bedroom at HIFS will definately not be big enough. I would take some of the others suggestions. I liked the HIFS but that many will be stepping on top of eachother. The 3 bedroom there might work but I would think the price would not be good compared to renting a house or condo.

Julie

 

[vernon]

For your best value option I think your friends are going to find renting a private home ( I would suggest 4 bedrooms) is going to be the best option. Most come with a private pool, but you would need to have access to a car big enough to transport all of them around. In their situation, this would be the option I would go for. They could check out VRBO as has been suggested, or if they are not well versed in renting a villa they may prefer to use a reputable villa rental company. It will cost slightly more to use a company as opposed to renting direct from the owner, but it does give you a few more options and lines of complaint if things aren't quite as one expected.

Vistana or another similar "condo/timeshare" style resort is certainly a workable option if they would prefer a set up that has "community" pools for the kids to make friends with other children staying there.

We stayed at one of the Holiday Inn kids suites a couple of weeks ago and I thought they were an excellent option for families with up to 3 kids. Even with a second bedroom I think it would be too small for a group of 7 as you have described.

 

[Mainebound]

For your best value option I think your friends are going to find renting a private home ( I would suggest 4 bedrooms) .

I agree and also with the minimum number of bedrooms -- we are retning a 4 bedroom in Emerald Island in February and even with 4 bedrooms and 2 sitting areas, it is only 2,000 square feet which seems very small to me, for that many rooms.

We used www.orlandovillas.com which is is frequented moslty by villa owners, and also has a discussion forum like the DIS, but it is devoted just to villas, and you can get answers to all kinds of questions about different communities and villas there. all fo the villas on this site are "verified" by the site owner, but are individually owned and rented.