off site pools

[fredcombs]

hello friends, my family and i are planning a disney trip in just with another couple and their 2 year old. we are thinking about staying at cbr but the other couple is wanting to save some money and stay off-site. Are there any places off-site that has pool areas that can compare to the disney resorts? I am just thinking that with 2 two year olds there is going to be alot of pool time and we do not want your average hotel pool. another question. those that have stayed on-site and off-site. did you miss the disney transportation system that much? That is our main reason for wanting to stay on-site as well as the pool areas.

 

[dtum]

We are staying in a 4-bed/4-bath house here:

http://www.romancingthemouse.com/id32.html

it is a "pool house" with it's own private pool and hot tub. We went with Romancing the Mouse because their price includes everything with no surprise fees for cleaning, pool heat, etc. Being at Windsor Hills, we also have access to the main pool/recreation area-pool is here:

http://www.romancingthemouse.com/id30.html

Click on Windsor Hills

It's only 5 min. from DW and, with two families, i think you all may be much happier. Window Hills also has condos for rent, but we wanted the bigger house.

Dave Robinson at vacationcentralflorida.com is supposed to be very good with condos and he has a new town house also. Depending on when you go, you can get e-mails from him with really great special deals. This is still in the Windsor Hills community.

 

[busyshrew]

I'd second WH. The pool there is absolutely beautiful and very attractive to families. There is a "squirt" splashpad as well as a zero entry section to the main pool that would be very very attractive to a young child. The sightlines for supervision are quite good as well; however, you will not be able to supervise your children from the hot tub. (Personally, I like this, because I feel that no adult should or can safely supervise a small child from within a hot tub!!! Sorry, it's a safety peeve of mine).

We are actually having a hard time planning our next trip - we want to switch to Vista Cay for its location closer to SeaWorld (our next Florida trip will not include Disney), but my daughter doesn't want to give up the pool at Windsor Hills!

 

[newmouse2008]

Hilton at Bonnet creek is the best of the best!!!!!!

 

[momto2js]

We really loved Sheration Vistana Villages, it is about 20 minutes parking spot to parking spot but compared to waiting 20 for a bus and then riding the bus for another 20-30 minutes that is really not a problem.

I know that I am the only person on the planet that thinks the disney transit system is over rated but we have compared transit times between destinations twice and both times it took my DH and kids 40 minutes more than if did for me to walk to the car and drive it to the next destination. So no we don't miss disney transit. However if you are considering staying off-property and relying on hotel shuttles or public busses, then DTA will look like a great option.

The other HUGE advantage for us with young kids is the ease of dining when you stay off property. Again, I am the only one that thinks even CS options are a royal pain, but when we stay off-site I have 2 key phrases that save us from our tired cranky kids "Drive through" and "Curb Side Take Away"!!! Often we pack sack lunches because the hastle of standing in line, then finding a table with my kids is often painful. We sometimes do character meal on our rest day but that is enough.

 

[busyshrew]

I am in complete agreement with you, momto2js. We found the Disney transportation system to be very tiring. You still have to walk out of the park no matter what. Then there is the standing and waiting for the bus... often lining up to get on the bus.... waiting through other stops... then the long-ish walk to our room, it wore us down.