Off Resort (Windsor Hills) v. Resort? (first time trip for us)

[2sproutsmom]

questions for all of you WDW veterans:

My family (husband and 2 small girls ages 5 and 2) are planning our first trip to Disney in October. Right now we are looking at staying off resort (Windsor Hills) versus one of the family suites ON the resort and getting a Magic Your Way Package

We are leaning towards staying off resort versus on the resort in a villa because of the ages of our children our thought is that we would probably be spending some time (several hours) in our townhouse for some "downtime" for the kids. Of course, we here everyone talk about all the "extra" that staying on the resort brings (early entry, free parking, dining plans, etc)

Can anyone provide me any insight on advantages to staying OFF site versus at the resort--particularly with a young family (btw: we are staying 7 nights and getting 6 day park passes)? My husband and I are a bit overwhelmed over all the "choices" and options available but thinking a 3-bedroom townhouse (versus a 2 room suite) would be better for us to give everyone some down time over the length of our stay.

I appreciate any tips, advice, suggestions, personal experience etc.!

 

[twooley2]

WE have stayed onsite two times and there is always an age old debate of which is best. This seems to depend on your wants. We are staying offsite for the first time this summer. I am glad to say that we never did offsite for a first time visit as we would have been overwhelmed with the logistics. My opinion is that offsite is fine if you have been before and have older kids but onsite seems to be what I am glad we did for our first trip. This place is huge. There were no midday breaks nor did we feel we had time to leave Disney World to take a midday break. Thats not saying you couldn't do it but in the excitement we never could breakaway and if we had been able to we never would have made it to an offsite location until the end of our trip. Now I did not particularly like the size of the onsite resorts not did I feel the money paid was justified but in the logisitics they got ya and its is worth it on that side of things. Hope this helps We never used early entry nor late exit lol. Too tired. We also know if you schedule a breakfast early at the park you plan to be in you will get in early Parking is probably interesting and a logistical time constraint as well. In and out of seatbelts and loading and unloading. But the buses are jammed pack too and most of the time standing room only at the end of the night. The magic of it seemed to be us laughing at the fact that we did all of this and was told have a magical day at every turn all day. We laughed at it and in spite of all the craziness it was an odd definition of magical. The dining plan does save money but it depends on if you want to eat your way through the world. Normally people do not do this when they are not on a dining plan but you will pay the same either way. Eat all you want for a discount or eat what you normally do and still pay the same.

 

[crusoe2]

Well, we've done both and there are definitely pros and cons either way. A few things to think about:

1. If you really want to try onsite, would it be easier to do it now or later when your girls are older? Also, if you plan to have more kids, your onsite options will become more limited and more expensive later. So you might want to try onsite now and decide if it's worth it.

2. If you're going to do offsite, Windsor Hills is definitely the way to go. Very nice resort and a very easy commute to the parks. It's definitely feasible to go back to your townhome for midday breaks.

3. The only park that is really time-consuming to get in and out of from offsite is the Magic Kingdom because you park on one side of Seven Seas Lagoon and MK is on the other side. So you have to take the parking lot shuttle and then either the monorail or ferry boat to get to the park gates. The other parks are much easier.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[ICF]

We've gone with kids that age and always stayed off-site.

I don't know the size of a family suite, but you can't beat the space in a condo/townhome. Extra bedrooms, kitchen, family room....I would say that with 2 young girls and the fact that you might be spending "several hours for downtime" the more space the better. The kids will be able to nap without being interupted by other noises easier and you'll have plenty of room to move around.

I would also guess that off-site is cheaper too. You can prepare meals / snacks in the condo and be able to keep things cold and not have to eat so many meals on disney property. Windsor Hills is a short drive so you should be able to get to the parks in 10-15 mins in most cases and wont have to fight with strollers to get on / off the disney transportation buses or wait for one to come. You can work things on YOUR schedule and disneys.

The only real cons-- You'll pay a lot for parking and wont get the Extra Magic hours but for our family it is worth it.

 

[Gamester]

I have stayed onsite as an adult and offsite as a child. We are planning a trip for November of this year and have decided to stay offsite.

I am finding that the cost of two weeks offsite is LESS than the cost of one week onsite. I am a bit sad to stay offsite but the cost savings will allow us to have TWO weeks vacation for the price of one week....that pretty much turns my frown upside down!!

The cost factor is a huge reason for us to stay offsite but some other reasons are, a private heated pool, eating at home occasionally, we are driving (so no rental car costs), and finally my husband doesn't really want to be wrapped up in Disney for a week! Also I have to say that I don't think that staying onsite helps for getting to the parks (unless you are on the monorail). When I stayed offsite at CBR and POR we waited up to 25 minutes for a bus to any of the parks. I think if you stay close enough (offsite) its probably about even!



Hope our rationale helps.

 

[CattailGal]

We stayed onsite first trip with the kids (they were 1 and 3), at the Ft. Wilderness cabins. The walk from our cabin to the bus stop was LONG. It was difficult to get a stroller on/off the bus, and as it ended up, it rained (poured, as FL rains do), most of our trip which made the waiting/walking/loading more difficult.

Next two trips we stayed ten days each at the Nick Hotel. Kids liked that as much as Disney. We had a suite - two bedrooms. Still, it wasn't a lot of space, and I wished we had a washer/dryer. It's hard to bring ten days of clothes for four people, and it's impossible to wear anything twice without washing in the FL heat! I always "think" I'll find the washer/dryer at the hotel and do laundry, but I never have taken the time to do it.

Now we're returning in April. I'm also thinking of Windsor Hills - maybe a townhouse to park in front and have the splash pool. For me, I want a washer/dryer if we're staying anywhere more than a few days! We always do some breakfast meals out, but often the kids prefer to save time by sleeping in and having breakfast (cereal, etc.) in our unit (they are 8 and 10 now).

KC

 

[moongirl]

Some thoughts on why missing the onsite perks (Disney transportation, EMH, dining plan) is no big deal:
1) Disney transportation can be stressful as you have to depend on them for getting around. I don't like having to carry my kids, strollers, and their stuff onto a bus. It can be easier to take your own car so you can leave exactly when you want and you can load your stuff right from car to stroller and vice versa. You can download GPS coordinates for your GPS from mousesavers.com to make getting around a breeze. You can park close to your unit.
2) If you stay offsite, you will not be eligible for Extra Magic hours but do you really want to do those anyway with little kids? Getting up early or staying up late to take full advantage means less sleep for little ones.
3) Offsite means no dining plan. Again, little kids need a lot of flexibility. Trying to keep to a prearranged eating schedule of ADRs may not work out for you. What if your child is so cranky that you just want to leave the park and skip that ADR? You will feel less pressure to care about that if you have not prepaid for it.

Pluses for offsite:
1) Lots of room for everyone. Separate sleeping places - especially nice when you want a small one to nap and want to have a large space to relax.
2) Full kitchen for maximum meal flexibility. A real money saver.
3) LAUNDRY!!! Means you can pack less and don't ever have to put on a damp swimsuit.

 

[2sproutsmom]

This is exactly the type of input/advice I need from those who have been there and done that (with small kids)!!

Keep 'em coming, but so far I'm with you on ALL your comments -- particularly about kids and being flexible--stroller issues, etc. We are driving so no rental car for us. The $14.00/day isn't a huge deal in my book . . . particularly if we plan to eat "off site" or even in the townhouse some.

I've heard/read good things about Windsor Hills and we are looking at a townhouse w/a private splash pool which I think the girls will LOVE.

We are thinking that some days we may want to enjoy the pool and relax a bit and hit the park in the afternoon and into the evening to catch the parades and shows (with a GOOD nap for my 2 year old)!

Thanks to all of you and PLEASE any more suggestions/advice--keep 'em coming!

 

[floydfamily4]

There are a lot of choices to be made, aren't there? I went in November with my family and stayed at a 3 bedroom townhouse at Windsor Hills for a week and 1 night at Pop Century. Here are my thoughts and opinions. We chose the 3 bedroom because we anticipated my MIL and aunt coming as well. Without them I probably would have chosen a 2 bedroom condo instead. We LOVED the townhouse. We LOVED the private pool. I have twin 5 year olds so that was just enough of a pool for them. They are too small for slides and I would have been freaked out in too large of a pool with them. We loved being able to give them a really good breakfast before starting the day, and packing healthy snacks to go along with the unhealthy snacks we ate . I loved that we could drive quicker to the parks than it took on the disney bus. I loved that we could either eat at the park or go off site and eat which we did. I loved that when they were sleeping at the end of the night we could just bring them right in and upstairs to bed. We loved just about everything at the townhouse. The disney touches in all the rooms, the space for everyone to spread out, the laundry, the coffee maker for my cup of joe in the morning. It was a great choice for us. The price couldn't be beat. On our Epcot day we had breakfast at Akershus and actually took a break during the day. So that is our experience. We loved it and hated Pop. Too small and felt like a motel. JMO, happy planning!

Dawn

 

[floydfamily4]

Some thoughts on why missing the onsite perks (Disney transportation, EMH, dining plan) is no big deal:
1) Disney transportation can be stressful as you have to depend on them for getting around. I don't like having to carry my kids, strollers, and their stuff onto a bus. It can be easier to take your own car so you can leave exactly when you want and you can load your stuff right from car to stroller and vice versa. You can download GPS coordinates for your GPS from mousesavers.com to make getting around a breeze. You can park close to your unit.
2) If you stay offsite, you will not be eligible for Extra Magic hours but do you really want to do those anyway with little kids? Getting up early or staying up late to take full advantage means less sleep for little ones.
3) Offsite means no dining plan. Again, little kids need a lot of flexibility. Trying to keep to a prearranged eating schedule of ADRs may not work out for you. What if your child is so cranky that you just want to leave the park and skip that ADR? You will feel less pressure to care about that if you have not prepaid for it.

Pluses for offsite:
1) Lots of room for everyone. Separate sleeping places - especially nice when you want a small one to nap and want to have a large space to relax.
2) Full kitchen for maximum meal flexibility. A real money saver.
3) LAUNDRY!!! Means you can pack less and don't ever have to put on a damp swimsuit.

Great comments and so true for us too! The dining plan would have been a waste of money for us becuase of the portions and choices. We were not going to do early/late hours with 5 year olds. And did I mention the space. No problem putting kids down in separate rooms if necessary and still being able to have adult time. So nice...I miss it!

 

[jbmgsdmom]

Thank you for starting this topic. I keep going back and forth. We are taking our very first WDW trip in Oct with our 3 kids (13, 8, & 3) and I have been torn between the TH option at Windsor Hills or onsite. With a family of 5, your onsite options are limited when you are trying to watch the $$$. I know that my 13yr old needs her space and I know that my DH and I would enjoy spending alone time together once the kids are in bed. Unfortunately, we are flying in from CO and will need to rent a car. As I've priced it out, even with the cost of the rental car, it is still cheaper than the cost of a room at POR. I know there is parking cost but I too would choose to eat offsite some to offset that cost.

My question is that with the ages of my kids, do you think we will be at the parks ALL DAY? I keep thinking we will want the break but others have said all we will use the room for is to sleep. How late are the parks open? We are doing 7 nights with 6 days of tickets and doing the MNSSHP. I love these boards and hearing your honest opinions. Thank you!

 

[twooley2]

We never have taken breaks. I hear people who say they do but it does not work for us. We are usually so excited. I think if you plan to break you can and you will need to stick to this as a plan as it is easy to get caught up in trying to see everything.

 

[moongirl]

With the ages of your kids, I don't think it is physically possible or realistic to think that you will be in a park all day until bedtime and use the room only for sleeping. You will all be exhausted out of your minds if you vacation like that.

Let's say for the sake of argument that all you will use the room for is to sleep. Does your whole family really all have the same bedtime? (jbmgsdmom you already say no) Will you all come straight home from a late night at the parks and immediately all go to bed? My husband and I like to unwind a little also, even for just a few minutes before going to bed.

Let's also assume for the sake of argument that you may use the room sometimes when you are not all sleeping. Maybe the little one needs a nap, the teenager wants to chill with her ipod, the middle child wants to swim, mom wants to relax and read a book and dad wants to catch some tv? With a TH everyone can do their own thing in their own space and all relax in their own way. Onsite in a hotel room - not so much..

 

[jkelly86]

Just my two cents:
I love pulling in to the townhouse drive and unloading groceries, sleeping kids, and take out food with ease. I love never having to wait for an elevator to grab an extra swim diaper. I also love having my morning coffee and evening beverage while the kids take quick dip. I also love allowing one child to swim while the other one finishes her nap. My kids are older now and they still need a mid-day break (so do we) to make it through the fireworks with a smile. HTH.
ps we love Windsor Hills

 

[Elmo888]

My question is that with the ages of my kids, do you think we will be at the parks ALL DAY? I keep thinking we will want the break but others have said all we will use the room for is to sleep. How late are the parks open? We are doing 7 nights with 6 days of tickets and doing the MNSSHP. I love these boards and hearing your honest opinions. Thank you!

Park hours change depending on the season.

For us, it seemed to come down to number of hours per day. With a 9 and 5 year old, 8 to 10 hours seemed to be enough. 12 hours was too much. I didn't find that we had to take a nap (we took them at ages 2 and 6 and at ages 3 and 7, too), but we did have to do one of three things (depended on my plan for the day or what was scheduled at the parks, etc.):

1) Take the nap, which can take around 4 hours or so. We did this when we were going to MVMCP. I made sure that everyone actually rested, not swim. If you have a really young one that won't nap in the stroller, this might be the option that you have to go with on most days. We took the nap every other day with a 3 year old. She was fine.

2) Go from park opening until about 5 or 6 in the evening. With this plan, we would eat dinner early (or just snack if we had a big lunch) and take an evening swim. Kids were in bed by 8 or 8:30.

3) Go from noon or 1 until close (9 or 10). This works well if you have been up late the night before!

So, while I don't think that have to take the nap, I also don't think that you can expect to be at the parks from open to close every day with kids. If you push it one day, you will pay for it the next.

FWIW, we liked the ASMusic Family Suites for some of the reasons that one of the other posters stated - someone can nap in the bedroom (although we all nap at the same time!) while someone can watch tv in the living room. The price isn't so high, and you are still on site.

Have a great trip!

 

[floydfamily4]

My question is that with the ages of my kids, do you think we will be at the parks ALL DAY? I keep thinking we will want the break but others have said all we will use the room for is to sleep. How late are the parks open? We are doing 7 nights with 6 days of tickets and doing the MNSSHP. I love these boards and hearing your honest opinions. Thank you!

I don't think you ever really use the room just to sleep. If nothing else you have to change and bathe and with suitcases for 5 of you in a hotel room can be tight. Also Oct may not be as crowded as some times so you might be able to do some full days. We did an open to close for several days but my DS slept in the stroller. We only took a break for our Epcot day because we were there so early for breakfast. It just depends but I wouldn't base my lodging on the theory that you'll only sleep there. Also I think having the extra space and food/snack options will be a blessing you'll appreciate. Just my opinion. Good luck planning.

 

[mwmom]

We have only been to DW once and it was over Thanksgiving week in 08. We stayed in a house in Windsor Hills and would definitely recommend it! We chose the 5 bdr house at the time because we had several families staying together, but I am looking at the TH for my daughter and I this year. We haven't stayed on property, which I am glad about seeing that we have nothing to compare it to. We loved staying in WH for the same reasons listed in many other replies. Here were the pros for us:
1. Park in driveway, carry sleeping kids straight to bed, clean out car, load car in morning easily with backpacks and kids.
2. Cooked eggs each morning to fill up on good protein, ate sandwiches at home when we returned home in afternoon to rest and cooked dinner (something like spaghetti that was easy) when we were there at dinner. THis saved a ton of money on food. We did eat at the parks some and had dinner reservations twice, but mostly, we ate at the house.
3. We went home everyday during the afternoon with my 3-year-old and my brother's family stayed at the park with his older kids. She doesn't take naps, but she was able to watch TV and have some down time so she was ready to go in the evening. We had NO problem the week of Thanksgiving exiting the park, going home and returning in the evening. You have to ride the tram from the parking lot or the boat/monorail for MK, but we enjoyed these experiences, so they were no big deal.
4. Pool was awesome! We didn't have to lug all of our junk to the pool...just stepped outside. When they have to go to the bathroom, they run inside to go.
5. Easy to run to the grocery store just down the street (you do have to go back to main road, but it was within 5 min of WH) and stock up on water bottles, juice boxes and cheese sticks which we took in our backpacks. Be sure and take one of those little lunch bags and the freezable ice packs and stuff it in your backpack. They let us take those in the park without saying anything.
I could go on and on, but you can see I am a WH fan. I can't imagine paying resort prices when you have such an awesome choice like this. We did get a house that had GREAT Disney rooms for the kids (Hannah Montana, Nascar and Pirates of C. decorations). It also had a garage converted to a game room with arcade games like PacMan, pool table, Barbie House, etc. Look around and you can find some TH with Disney themed rooms, too. I found some I really liked and will be booking soon!

Have fun!

 

[LglBlonde]

I've been twice as an adult and stayed onsite.

We've taken my son at 16 months, 2.5 yrs, and now we'll be going in June at age 3.5. Each time we've rented a house w/ its own pool.

For us, staying off-site is a no-brainer. Our child is early to bed, and we don't really enjoy sleeping in the same hotel room w/ hiim. Renting a house is about 1/2 the cost of Dis hotels. For our June trip - I priced two rooms at Pop Century, Preferred w/ a 35% discount pincode - $92/nt. We have 4 adults & 3 kids, so we priced a 5 BR house in Emerald Island. We are getting it for $185/nt. The space we will have by comparison is unreal!

As the others said, having a kitchen to prepare meals, store cold drinks, etc. is really nice, as is having a place to relax after the kid(s) go to bed. Esp at a busy time of year, I think you'll find that getting up and getting moving, and to the parks at park opening will afford you a parking place VERY close to the front. Then, you can tour as long as you can, but really when J was young, he was done by right around lunch time. We'd either eat lunch in the park and see 2-3 more things, or head back to the house and pick up lunch along the way. Then, he'd nap, we'd swim, and we'd head back out later if we felt like it.

I think you will enjoy your trip more if you stay offsite and don't try to do too much in one day. Especially since you are going for a week. Disney is HUGE. I remember my first adult trip w. my husband. By day 3, in Epcot near Canada, I about had exhaustion!! Now imagine little kids and the tiredness they will feel from all the walking & excitement!

Also, it's lovely NOT to rely on Disney buses. As mentioned above, when you get ready to leave, you head straight to the car, and you are home in 10 minutes instead of waiting 10, 15, 20, 30 min for a bus w/ tired, cranky kids! And, you don't have to worry about getting the stroller on / off the bus!

 

[jfegan]

Catchy title isn't it. I have stayed onsite: Poly (the early 70's), the original treehouse villas (late 70's), CB (1989), and POR (2008). Having said that and mentally planning our next trip in 2011...I am strongly considering WH. The first two trips were when I was a kid, CB was honeymoon (with first husband), and the last trip was a trip of a lifetime...except for the time spent in our room.

Oh don't get me wrong, the resort was beautiful, the theming extraordinary, and the room was very very nice, but one room for 5 people. I thought I may never take those people on vacation with me again. We were pretty sure our 3 year old was channeling the exorcist. It wasn't our happy place. We need space. If you can do the suite on property and that's a choice for you, that I would consider, but alas, cost is prohibitive for us to do that. And WH, I mean WOW, I have seen some gourgeous places!!!!

As for transportation, I was born an old lady driver. Just came out of the box that way and love the idea of Disney transportation. Don't have to know where I am, how to get there, so easy. Except the part where you drag your family out of bed the first day into the parks to see 'rope drop'. We waited 45 minutes because we had just missed a bus. Saw three buses for one of the other parks we weren't going to that day. The three year old started channeling and she and dad ended up back in the room before we could even catch a ride. I know some people who swear by being on property but can't give up their car and having control of comings and goings. Waiting for a ride back can be even worse when everyone is tired. As for driving...that is what my DH will be cherished for on our next trip.

The kitchen...another great point. As for the dining plan, is it a deal? Can be, how hungry are you? We made it a deal and I mean made it a deal, but we were slaves to our ADR's and it was always dinner (because that would give us the most for our money), I failed to understand many things about how to relax and have a good time by being a slave to the ADR. Don't get me wrong if it were free and I could stay reasonably at a suite, then thank you I'll try it. I love to eat at Disney as a family with food allergies, it was when I could relax (once seated).

Anyway sorry for the novel...my favorite subject. We went for the MNSSHP and my 8, 5, and 3 at the time really enjoyed it. Have the time of your life!!!

 

[Stephandy03]

I thought I may never take those people on vacation with me again. We were pretty sure our 3 year old was channeling the exorcist.

As for transportation, I was born an old lady driver.