Overwhelmed and in need of advice

[johnson7]

Hello everyone. We are attempting to plan a last minute surprise trip for our children to Disney World in May. There will be 2 adults and 5 children. With the cost of staying on site for 7, we have decided to look off site. I would GREATLY appreciate any suggestions for accomodations, airfare, packages, dining, anything really.... As you can see, I need a lot of help, lol!
The ages of our children are 4,7,10,12, & 15. We are flexible with the time that we go in May. We rarely get away so we really want this to be special for our family.
Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

I know it is totally overwhelming! What is your budget for accommodations?

 

[loveysbydesign]

Homeaway.com is great. You can search by price per week for the sates you are going. There ar some great delas on places for May right now! I always sort by # of reviews as I dod not like to rent form places with no reviews.

We have stayed here twice and loved it! It is in Indian Creek and is 7-11 minutes from all the parks. about 20 mionutes to DTD!
http://www.houseforrentflorida.net/en/houses1.php

In addition to Indian Creek be sure to check out Crestwynd Bay and Windsor Hills developments for rentals. Windsor Palms and Regal Palms are great choices as well.

 

[Minniesgal]

We loved Lake Buena Vista resort and Spa and also Bahama Bay Resort both would be suitable for larger families

 

[kokomos]

Flights for 7 people plus staying offsite you really need to rent a van. . Are you close enough to drive? You could save A lot there.

 

[Tpiejg]

We stayed off property the first few years we went to disney in a Three bedrm condo at Winsor palms. It was about $100.00 a night. Its only 5 minutes from disney. To save money we ate breakfast in the condo and lunch in park. Dinner was either a ts, or to save money we cooked a meal at the condo. There is a grocery store right up the road from the condo. We save a lot of money driving from NH every year. it cost about $450 in gas, which is a lot cheaper than flights for our family of 6 even if you include the hotel room and fast food stops on our trip down.

 

[johnson7]

We would be coming from Michigan so we are trying to avoid extra vacation time for travel.
We are hoping to not go over $125. a night
The last time we went was in 2007 and we stayed on site but there were only 5 of us. And we had the meal plan which was great but now it seems that isn't the best with the ages of our kids.

I have been at this all day, it is a lot to figure out!
Thank you for all of the replies!

 

[kokomos]

You didn't mention the dates but there is a last minute special at Windsor hills 3 br condo or townhouse for 299.00 plus cleaning and taxes. The date is May 13-20. We just booked 2 br at bonnet creek May 4-11 for 600.00 from an eBay.

 

[PWammy]

I would search Pricline or Bookit for prices, but then go to the actual property site to book, and call for better prices over the phone. Keep an eye out for resort fees, they can add up on top of taxes and other stuff.

Mousesavers.com has some good deals that you can get links from their site to get the Promo rates; I got a rate of $75/night at Springhill Suites, free parking, etc. At that rate, you could try to get 2 connecting rooms, if they have them.

 

[shell8558]

We stayed at Wyndham bonnet creek last year .( the week of Memorial Day). Absolutely loved the resort , pools, lazy river , etc . And it is located inside the gates of disney . We paid around 1100 for 7 nights in a three bedroom . I booked through vacation strategy and had no problems .

 

[shell8558]

I also got an email today from the caribe Orlando - they have a special for most days in may - two bedroom suite w / washer and dryer for $ 149 a night . ( sleeps 8) We have stayed There a few times before checking into a disney resort and really liked it also ! It's about a mile from disney - straight shot there , beautiful resort !

 

[anniemck]

personal favorite when traveling with the whole family is Royal Parc Suites, it is a Quality Suites Resort and close to WDW, seriously takes 10 minutes from hotel to property. Not only that it is in the prime area for off property eating/shopping. Can get a 2 bedroom that sleeps 8. One bedroom will have King size bed, other bedroom will have 2 queens and pull out sofa in the living room. I have stayed here multiple times since 2000 as a family and with my daughters baton team. Breakfast is included, they have a great pool and hot tub, little playground and tiki bar for the adults.

 

[kokomos]

Bless your heart. You came here overwhelmed and everyone is sending you in a different direction. What are your dates?

 

[johnson7]

Well as far as dates, we could honestly go as soon as April 18th, but more realistically for getting a good price, really anytime in May. I have been trying to get an idea for prices sometime within the first couple weeks in May.
Thanks again for all of the suggestions, it is really helping!

 

[crusoe2]

I second the recommendation to look at vacationcentralflorida.com. They have 3 bedroom condos and townhouses at Windsor Hills and I've been getting emails everyday about units available for $299 for the week. One stipulation you'll need to keep in mind is that they only rent in 7 nite blocks, from Saturday to Saturday. But if that works for you, you could possibly get a really good deal there. All there 3 bedroom units have a king or queen in the master bedroom, a queen bed, 2 twin beds, and a sleeper sofa. We've stayed with them 3 times already and are renting from them again in June.

As for tickets, look at Undercover Tourist. They have good prices and excellent service. If you go to mousesavers.com and register there, you will get an email every month on the 15th with a link to Undercover Tourist that will get you a few dollars more off the tickets.

There are menus on the dining section of Disboards that should help with meal planning and figuring out how much to budget for food.

We drive down so I can't help much with flights or car rentals. If you opt to stay at Windsor Hills, there is lots of information here about good restaurants in the area and nearby grocery stores.

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

Ok here's where I suggest starting...
email vacation strategies and vacation upgrades to see if they have any 3 bedroom condos left at WBC.

In the meantime, go to http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/ and on the left hand side you can pick what size condo or townhouse you want. I would suggest at least a 3 bedroom condo or townhouse (The main difference is the townhouses have a "splash" pool attached to them. It's only a 12x12 sized pool, but I have found the townhouses and condos are very close in pricing). There are also 4, 5 and 6 bedroom homes on the property as well. Below that area is places to put in your information...dates of travel, your info, etc. What this does is sends an email out to every Windsor Hills owner and you should get plenty of responses of availability. From there you can just weed through the different quotes and see if anything strikes your fancy. We stayed at Windsor Hills on our May vacation in 2011 and loved it. I found the owner of the Townhouse through the site above and it was a seamless transaction.

In addition to that site, if you go to www.vrbo.com and www.homeaway.com (they are virtually similar sites) you can check out other rental properties, read reviews and email the owners for quotes. Like others have mentioned, I too would check out Crestwynd Bay (it's right near windsor hills but generally cheaper pricing because it's not as well known yet), Windsor Palms, and also Emerald Island. There are other places as well that I am not familiar with that may be just as awesome!

I know it seems like A LOT but like I said just weed through all the quotes, check out reviews (there is also tons of reviews on this forum!) and keep asking questions if necessary!

GL!!!!

 

[wide receiver]

Just my 2cents. I have heard Windsor Hills is great from friends who have stayed there.

Depending on budget you could try renting points from a DVC member, which I am not but I have rented and find its a great value.


GOOD LUCK!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have 2 different possibilities for you to look into for places to stay. You can google VILLA DIRECT and look at their 4 bedroom vacation rental homes with a game room and private pool about 4 miles from Disney for about $100 a night not including taxes and cleaning fees. Those can add up. VRBO has vacation rental homes but Villa Direct houses are in the same neighborhoods but cheaper.

ANother option if you want a hotel feel is the place we stay offsite at The Quality Suites Lake Buena Vista on Palm Parkway. We stay in a one bedroom that sleeps 6 for $71 a night including breakfast. But they have a 2 bedroom that sleeps 8 for around $140 a night including hot free breakfast for everybody.

There is no good way to save money on airfare. Especially if you wait too long to pick your dates and the flights start selling out or filling up then the rates will shoot way up. SO I would suggest picking your dates soon and booking your flights as soon as possible.

The earlier in May you go the better (less hot) the weather will be.

One way to save money on food is to either stay some place where breakfast is included or stay in a house with a kitchen and make a grocery store run and buy drinks, food and snacks to keep at the house.

Avoid table service meals and eat more counter service. That will save you a ton of money. CS for 7 could be as little as $70 but TS for 7 can be as much as $250 for one meal.

To rent a vehicle you are going to need a mini van or bigger. I don't know if a regular mini van will hold 7 ppl and luggage. You may need a 15 passenger van to hold everybody and the bags. The best way to save money on that is to use Priceline. I am not even sure if you can reserve those big vans through Priceline but it doesn't hurt to check into it.

 

[kokomos]

http://vacationcentralflorida.com/3bedroom203.html?3e3ea140 Im not sure you will be able to beat this deal, 3 br condo under 450.00 with cleaning fees and tax.
But Id gowith this one for the ammenties and activities. www.ebay.com/itm/2-Bedroom-Condo-Or...30886751164?pt=US_Lodging&hash=item1e797553bc. 2br will sleep up to 8 for 599.00.
My van seats 7 comfortable but you would need to pack on the light side.

 

[suffieldhockeymom]

Flights on Southwest are under $200 RT right now. They may have vacation packages as well. We stay at Bonnet Creek. I bought our tickets from Florida Ticket Station at a discount.