Please help me plan an off-site trip.

[firsttimer2007]

Hello All!

Time to plan another Disney/US trip. This time I think I want to stay off site. Please recommend a place to stay.

We have been to Disney 3 times in 3 years and always stayed on-site.

Disney World - 12 days 2007
Disney World - 17 days 2008
Disney Land - 20 days 2009

This year my kids want to go to US (Harry Potter) and DW. I thought we would go to

US park to park - 4 days
DW - 2 days

So, where would you stay?
Is 4 days long enough to do US with 2 huge HP fans?

We want a private pool. Please send me your recomendations.

TY!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I personally do not know of any private home rentals in the Universal area. Most are down near Disney. As far as the 4 days, I would normally say 4 days is more than enough for Universal, but with the lines that HP have been getting, I don't know if I can say that now. It all depends on the lines you will be hitting when you go. When you say DS, do you mean Disney's Studio's? If so, you can do that park in one day and use the other for Universal's parks to be sure you get all of it in.

 

[firsttimer2007]

Sorry I meant DW not DS.

We really like Epcot and Disney Studios. I know we can do what we want there in 2 days.

I am not sure about the area since we have ALWAYS stayed on-site, taken Disney transportation, we have never explored beyond that.

I am just looking for an off site place that has a private pool so my DH and I can rest while our pre teens can swim. I will not let them go to the pool w/o Parent. (I am over protective )

Thanks for any help!

 

[KayR]

There are no single family vacation homes near Universal as it is in Orange County and they do not permit them there. The nearest you can get to Universal is a condo/townhome development.

For a single family home, you need to look in Osceola and Polk counties. Emerald Island, Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Rolling Hills, Indian Creek are in the Formosa Gardens area which is close to WDW and has easy access to Universal .

I have heard of people waiting hours to get into Harry Potter (like lining up for Universal at 6am, an hour to get into Universal then a 4 hour line for Harry Potter) so be aware of that when you plan. If Harry Potter is your priority, it may be worth staying onsite at Universal. I don't know if that gives you priority admission to HPL or not (I know it gives you front of the line access to regular attractions). I am usually a keen advocate of staying offsite, but if HPL is your main draw, then I have to admit it may be better staying at Universal, at least until the crowds have died down after the initial rush (or go at a quieter time, like September).

HTH

--Kay

 

[firsttimer2007]

Thank you Kay! That info is extremely helpful. I did not know what areas to select when looking at the VRBO website. This will give me a place to look.

We are planning on going the last week of August so the first of September. Is that a good time to go?

 

[KayR]

Generally it should be an OK time to go. It will probably still be hot. Most of the US kids are back in school. There may be some UK kids around. I would, if possible avoid the Labor Day weekend (which tends to be busier) I think that is Sept 5th/6th this year.

I don't know how Harry Potter Land will affect crowds at Universal as it is so new. If possible, for least crowds, avoid the weekend days as that is when locals will tend to visit.

Apart from the Labor Day weekend, September is usually one of the quietest times to go, later in September it tends to cool down more and for me that (and April/early May) are two of my favorite times to go.

Do seriously consider trip insurance though. June through Nov is hurricane season, so I would recommend checking out insurance and making an informed decision.

--Kay

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Do seriously consider trip insurance though. June through Nov is hurricane season, so I would recommend checking out insurance and making an informed decision.

Equally important is knowing the canel policy on the reservation you make. I find that if I can get 24cencel poliicies that is often good enough for me.

In the past, US has been rather quiet in Sept. WDW, other than the TS dining places, is quiet in Sept - but US has been even quieter.

Perhaps not so much with the new HP. I think that will still be quite a draw, so the parks will probably be busier than before.
I think it may well be worth every penny to stay onsite at US for the extra perks. They also have deal if you are staying more than a certain number of days youget a discount.

The rest of the Time you could stay offsite over by WDW.

I'm not big on renting houses while in Orlando. So I can't help you there. (That would be my presumption when you say private pool)

The closest I coud suggest is maybe one of the DIsney mods - or perhaps another offsite place that has more thanone pool (a feature pool and a 'quiet' pool.) The quiet pools tend to be empty - and though not technically private - they might feel a bit that way. CBR and POR (Magnolia side!) come to mind as having quiet, 'quiet' pools. Being far away from the main building will give you more qiet.

The other trick to going that time of year is the often daily thunderstorms. They don't last all day, but it can really come down and thunder for a bit. You have to prep for it every day in your attire. Something like Crocs on your feet really comes in handy - over shoes that don't tolerate water well (sneakers, some flip flops). Also, wearing lightweight clothing - just not the kind that turns see-through when wet.

Be aware too, that Septmeber is free dining promo time at WDW. The TS places will get booked up, but QS and offsite should be fine. Indeed, if you are staying offsite, a good deal and good bet, might be to eat some meals offsite.

The difficutly I find sometimes with staying offsite, and especially with having a kitchen and a large group, is that it's more difficult to motivate everyone to get upand out. Some folks prefer to hang out at their resort, but I like to be on the go more. I can hang a little at WDW resorts, but I'm not one to sit in the room watching tv. I feel like I can do that at home for free- why spend $$$ to come to Orlando if I'm watching tv?

And last, while most kids are in school, there ARE also plenty of fmailies that show up for free dining. The parks are not particularly crowded over all, but every year there are a number of posts by folks who are surprised to see any kids at WDW. Every day of every year there are kids at WDW. Not sayig you'd be oe fo the ose folks, but at least one post here might givn the impression that there aren't many kids in WDW in September, not so.