Offsite newbie

[CaryHaven]

I have been reading through lots of entries on this board. I am new to this part of the disboards as I've always stayed onsite up to this point. I'm not really familiar with all the hotels and condos outside of Disney, so I was hoping someone could point me in a general direction. I'm reading lots and lots about condos and timeshares, but unless they are some really great deal, I was just thinking we would rent a hotel room. Value is key for us, no matter what type of room it would be. I would even consider renting an RV and parking it at a campsite. It would be two adults, a six-year-old, and a two-year-old. I was hoping they would offer a pack and play. We are annual pass holders for Disney World, and we always drive down. Is there a hotel near the parks that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I have been reading a lot about Bonnet Creek, but I'm not 100% sure if that is a timeshare only or also rents rooms as well.

 

[sympatico]

There are lots of timeshare choices near Disney besides Bonnet Creek. Vistana Resort is near the Epcot/DTD side and they sometimes have good deals. One of the sponsors of the DISboards is Dreams Unlimited. You can check them out for Vistanna Resort. Vistana Village is only 5 min. further.
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dreamsres/index.htm
There's also many vacation rental condos/townhouses at Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, Encantada, Paradise Palms which can be found on vrbo.com for Kissimmee.

 

[bankr63]

Just to start with some general advice, if you are staying offsite and you really want a budget hotel, make absolutely certain you are getting a good one. There are a fair number low-end budget hotels in the area that are fairly seedy. There are some gems though. I would check with a trusted source (and I don't much trust any of the internet sources). Unofficial Guide rates area hotels in all categories; if you don't want to purchase you can probably get a copy at your local library, but get a recent one. The guide is published every year.

With a family, I would recommend upgrading to at least a suite hotel or timeshare (almost all timeshares rent units, including the aforementioned BC and the 2 Sheratons). It's really not that much more money, and personally I can't imagine 4 people in a 200 square foot hotel room for a week. What do you do after the kids are in bed? Sit in the dark for a couple of hours? The space and comfort of a larger unit is worth it. Even consider a 2 bedroom unit, they often aren't much more per night, and then the adults and the kids both get their own personal space. Same thing as the hotel though, a little research will help guide you to the good ones.

Same holds for vacation home rentals, again a little farther up the space scale. There are a few tradeoffs between a vacation home and a resort aside from cost. Keep reading some of the threads here that compare the two.

We actually toyed with the idea of an RV for our first trip, but with the cost of RV rental (wasn't taking ours out of winter storage and towing it 3000 miles) and the rental of the site, it didn't make sense. There are a couple of RV rentals that will deliver the unit to the campsite and set it up for you.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm also going to try to give you some general basic information, using some of your comments as an outline to some important points.

I'm not really familiar with all the hotels and condos outside of Disney, so I was hoping someone could point me in a general direction. I'm reading lots and lots about condos and timeshares, but unless they are some really great deal, I was just thinking we would rent a hotel room. Value is key for us, no matter what type of room it would be.

Onsite, everything is easy -- you call Disney reservations and book your room, because there are no options. (That's not 100% true, as I'll explain later.)

Offsite, you have several ways to make a reservation.

• Many of the offsite resorts are run by major hotel companies (Hilton, Wyndham, Sheraton, etc), so you can just call them and book -- at a HIGH price.
• There are timeshares, condos, and homes for rent offsite directly from the owners.
• Those timeshares, condos, and homes can also be rented trhough brokers or rental websites.

When you rent directly through a hotel chain, you pay a high price, but you have the confidence of dealing with Hilton, Wyndham, etc, plus you usually have very liberal cancellation policies.

If you rent from an owner, or through a brokerage, you are doing a one-on-one private transaction with the owner. You will get a MUCH better price, but there may be major cancellation policy issues due to the nature of the ownership. To give you an idea, a Wyndham Bonnet Creek timeshare rental from an owner or through a broker, will typically run less than $1,000 for a full week, in a two-bedroom apartment.

Your reservation will be entirely in the control of the owner, so your deal is as good as that owner. Most of the time it works out fine. However, there can be significant cancellation penalties because of the nature of the ownership -- so it is very important to have a clear understanding of the cancellation policies.

If you do your research carefully, you should be able to get a GREAT offsite deal for a timeshare, condo, or vacation home.

It would be two adults, a six-year-old, and a two-year-old. I was hoping they would offer a pack and play.

Rather than cram the kids into a small space...consider getting a one, or two, bedroom timeshare or condo. You will have MUCH more space, a FULL kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a very comfortable living space that will transform your vacation.

We are annual pass holders for Disney World, and we always drive down.

Translation into "offsite-ese": You won't have to pay for theme park parking, and you have the best possible transportation.

*****
NOTE for onsite options at Disney Vacation Club -- Disney has a timeshare with 7-8 options onsite at WDW. It's called Disney Vacation Club, or DVC for short. There is a whole section of the DIS devoted to DVC, as well as a rental forum where you can rent directly from DVC owners. A sponsor of the DVC rental forum is David's, which is a rental broker facilitating DVC rentals.

DVC rentals, either directly or through Davids, will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher than offsite, but MUCH less than renting the same unit directly from DVC.

 

[Alesia]

We stayed here in May. It was fantastic! Honestly, I don't think I ever want to stay onsite again. We had an entire home for less than the price of a value room onsite.

 

[CaryHaven]

Just to start with some general advice, if you are staying offsite and you really want a budget hotel, make absolutely certain you are getting a good one. There are a fair number low-end budget hotels in the area that are fairly seedy. There are some gems though. I would check with a trusted source (and I don't much trust any of the internet sources). Unofficial Guide rates area hotels in all categories; if you don't want to purchase you can probably get a copy at your local library, but get a recent one. The guide is published every year.

It's really not that much more money, and personally I can't imagine 4 people in a 200 square foot hotel room for a week. What do you do after the kids are in bed? Sit in the dark for a couple of hours?

I was hearing about using hotwire, orbitz, etc (which I've used before some years ago but never for Disney), but I was a little concerned about getting a "decent" room now that I have little ones.

LOL as far as sitting in the dark, we're usually asleep at the same time as the kids! We hit the parks pretty hard this last trip though, so we mainly slept/napped in the room. Thanks for your suggestions; I'm looking up that guide!

 

[CaryHaven]

I'm also going to try to give you some general basic information, using some of your comments as an outline to some important points.Onsite, everything is easy -- you call Disney reservations and book your room, because there are no options. (That's not 100% true, as I'll explain later.)

Offsite, you have several ways to make a reservation.

• Many of the offsite resorts are run by major hotel companies (Hilton, Wyndham, Sheraton, etc), so you can just call them and book -- at a HIGH price.
• There are timeshares, condos, and homes for rent offsite directly from the owners.
• Those timeshares, condos, and homes can also be rented trhough brokers or rental websites.

When you rent directly through a hotel chain, you pay a high price, but you have the confidence of dealing with Hilton, Wyndham, etc, plus you usually have very liberal cancellation policies.

If you rent from an owner, or through a brokerage, you are doing a one-on-one private transaction with the owner. You will get a MUCH better price, but there may be major cancellation policy issues due to the nature of the ownership. To give you an idea, a Wyndham Bonnet Creek timeshare rental from an owner or through a broker, will typically run less than $1,000 for a full week, in a two-bedroom apartment.

Your reservation will be entirely in the control of the owner, so your deal is as good as that owner. Most of the time it works out fine. However, there can be significant cancellation penalties because of the nature of the ownership -- so it is very important to have a clear understanding of the cancellation policies.

If you do your research carefully, you should be able to get a GREAT offsite deal for a timeshare, condo, or vacation home.

Rather than cram the kids into a small space...consider getting a one, or two, bedroom timeshare or condo. You will have MUCH more space, a FULL kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a very comfortable living space that will transform your vacation. Translation into "offsite-ese": You won't have to pay for theme park parking, and you have the best possible transportation.

*****
NOTE for onsite options at Disney Vacation Club -- Disney has a timeshare with 7-8 options onsite at WDW. It's called Disney Vacation Club, or DVC for short. There is a whole section of the DIS devoted to DVC, as well as a rental forum where you can rent directly from DVC owners. A sponsor of the DVC rental forum is David's, which is a rental broker facilitating DVC rentals.

DVC rentals, either directly or through Davids, will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher than offsite, but MUCH less than renting the same unit directly from DVC.

Thanks for all this great info. I love the idea of a place with its own washer/dryer. Our little girl just turned 2. Granted, she'll be older when we return, but at this point still sleeps in a crib. That's why I like a pack and play, at least to keep her from rolling out of a bed. We made it this far without buying one, so I think I'll just start transitioning her to a bed. Our beds are quite high in our house, but I'll start with a mattress on the floor. If you think a value is small, try squeezing a pack and play in there with all that luggage!

 

[CaryHaven]

We stayed here in May. It was fantastic! Honestly, I don't think I ever want to stay onsite again. We had an entire home for less than the price of a value room onsite.

That looks awesome! Does the price fluctuate much through the year?

 

[Alesia]

That looks awesome! Does the price fluctuate much through the year?

I don't think it does, but I'm not sure. It was only $50 per night when we stayed there, but that was because the pool was being renovated. Now it is at regular price.

 

[DanInMN]

I was hearing about using hotwire, orbitz, etc (which I've used before some years ago but never for Disney), but I was a little concerned about getting a "decent" room now that I have little ones

Note that Orbitz and Hotwire are basically online travel agencies... they book rooms the "regular way"... through chains like Wyndham, Hyat, and even Disney. They may offer a small discount at times.

The really inexpensive way to book a house, condo, town home, timeshare is through VRBO.com, eBay, or some of the resellers. And I'm talking about some VERY inexpensive rates on nice properties. We stayed 8 nights in a 3 bedroom condo at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in September for $499, with no extra fees or taxes!