Off site locations -- hassel?

[Poomba]

I am still having problems finding affordable on-site locations for my large family. I am considering the following off-site locations and wanted to get some feedback from all the seasoned WDW travellers.

Embassy Vacation Resort @ Grand Beach? pluses and minuses?
Quality Suites Maingate East? pluses and minuses?
Embassy Suites Hotel Orlando/Lake Buena Vista Resort? pluses and minuses?

Is staying off-site at these locations going to give me major headaches trying to get to MK (2 days) and AK (1 day)? (keeping in mind that I have four small children ages 6 to 2).

Thanks!

 

[whacked]

The embassy Suites Grand beach appears to be about 10 minutes closer to all the parks than either of the other two.

Also rated as having much nicer rooms than the other two

This is according to the "Unofficial Guide", so your mileage may vary.

This would be driving your own car, rather than taking a hotel shuttle, most of which (hotel shuttles) are not adequate if you are staying out of the park and have children.

With kids, the commute time matters.

 

[dixipixi]

We have never stayed at the Embassy Suites, but when we have stayed off site it has always been in the Lake Buena Vista area. From the road, it looks like a very nice property.

We found it very easy to commute to anywhere in Disney. DH drove us everywhere and we got around with no problems. We were about 10 minutes to Disney Studios, Epcot, and the water parks. That is the time from our hotel til we were parked and walking toward the park entrance. It was slightly less time to DTD and around 15-20 minutes to AK. It took much longer to get to MK. It was very easy to get there, just such a hassle once you reach the parking lot...trams, monorails, ferries, etc.

We choose to stay offsite when visiting both Disney and other parks. LBV is also a good location for reaching Universal and Sea World with little effort.

There are many good restaurants in the area. In addition to the usual fast food, there are some of the nicer chain restaurants and even a few more upscale places. We have always found it relatively easy to get a meal, even during the busiest hours.

These are just my thoughts. Hope they help you out!!

 

[winniedapooh]

How many people? Perhaps renting a villa or condo might be better with more room, bathrooms, etc.? I have stayed at WP twice and will be going again and love it there. We are a family of 7. It also depends on time of year as to cost, etc. Takes us about 3-4 songs on the CD from driveway to parking space to get to the MK less for others.