Pros and Cons to staying in rental house

[marciemi]

We're renting a house for 2 weeks next summer in Emerald Island for the first time. Pretty much always stayed onsite before. I'm trying to think of the pros and cons and what I should be prepared for, both pleasant and unpleasant. I know a lot of them are obvious, but help me out with some things I'm missing!

PROS:

SPACE - 4 bedrooms, dining room table, extra TV's, bathrooms. Everyone has a place to go off on their own. People can nap in the afternoon if they want or go to bed earlier or get showered without waking each other up.

POOL - my boys will be 12, 14, and 15 when we go and can have fun together without our needing to be there every minute. Also no concerns about crowds, people smoking, them splashing younger kids, etc.

GAME ROOM - something for them to do when they don't want to be wet that keeps them out of the sun and entertained but is relaxing

KITCHEN - we plan our schedule to be roughly most days, eat breakfast at the room (most likely packaged pancakes or waffles and bacon), do the parks all morning, get back by 1 or so and make lunch (I'll bring a small grill - not sure if our house will have one, but everyone likes almost everything grilled - shrimp, steak, burgers, brats, hot dogs, chicken) and relax in the house, pool, gameroom, videogames, etc, probably eat a light dinner (sandwiches, salads) before going back into the parks in the evening. Or doing a water park in the afternoon, then a dinner. Anyways, the point was that we really plan to do nearly ALL our meals at the house. I really am not a fan of Disney dining and although there are several snacks we enjoy (Dole whip, churros, salad in the fast food Japan pavilion, croissants in France), I hate to drop $150 on any real dining meal when I can make steaks and shrimp and salads at the house for probably $30. And obviously hot dogs for a whole lot less!

REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER - I know this goes under kitchen, but going in July, being able to freeze waterbottles, juice boxes, gogurts for the time at the parks is a huge advantage.

LAUNDRY - not having to wait outside the laundromat while washing clothes or bringing way more stuff. For 2 weeks, we can really have 3 days worth of stuff and just throw it in the washer/dryer whenever we're around. We'll have all wash and wear so it can come out of the dryer and onto us!


CONS:

DISTANCE - we're obviously going to be further away than staying onsite. Although there are advantages to having a car, leaving when you want, not fighting for spaces on buses, etc., no matter what, the commute does cut into your time at the parks.

NO BUSES - although I'm not a big fan of riding buses, it's way more convenient when going to the Magic Kingdom. And now that our kids are actually old enough where we might let them go some on their own, it won't be possible.

NO EMH - I know many people avoid these anyways, but we always used them religiously and never had a problem. Now we just have to readjust and go on non-EMH mornings and do the opposite of what we've done. I look at the bright side that at least we'll be sleeping in a bit later! Since we're getting 10 day tickets, hopefully this time won't make that much difference overall.

I know it sounds like I'm playing up staying offsite, but I've never done it before. I'm hoping it works well for us and just can't imagine staying at POR for 2 weeks in one room. Cost I think is a draw since I think we're paying about the same for the house as we paid in the past for a moderate, but it seems like we get so much more.

Let me know your thoughts and help me plan for things I haven't considered!

 

[spiceycat]

you have the list correct.

but I would also add price. If I can't get my price either using skyauction, hotel kingdom, priceline, last minute thur RCI, expedia or getaways II. I just don't go. I also trade my other timeshares to Orlando. So I go to Orlando alot already - too much only have 4 weeks vacation. and I hate to win a skyauction bid and only stay 3 days because of work...

so I am trying to stop that....

on second though -

Pros - getting to outside places is much easier. since you really need a car - then getting back and forth to SW, IOA or US is a breezy/// not to mention those outlet malls. I hate to shop at home - but in Orlando it just feels differently - specially when you find a good bargin.

you can get most of your pros by just going with a DVC resort. Now staying for two weeks - hey I would buy DVC first.

by staying offsite you get the chance to really visit Orlando/kissimmee. there is plenty to see and do in both even without WDW.

I love my onsite time - OKW is pretty wonderful for me. Love my offsite time. getting a 2-bedroom condo for less than $300 for a week stay is pretty nice.

 

[Keacc]

Welcome to the offsite family. We stayed on site for many years but after staying off site in a 3 bdrm house for the first time, we won't stay on site again. We have rented 3,4,and 5 bdrm homes in various rental communities and have never been disappointed. This December will be our 6th time renting a home outside of WDW.
You have chosen a wonderful resort (EI). We have stayed there on several occasions. It is only a few minutes outside of the park. You can drive in and out of WDW faster than their transportation will get you from point to point and you aren't packed into an over crowded bus. We always have breakfast in the house. Everyone does their own thing like cereal, microwave pancakes, yogurt, toast etc. We will usually have dinner in the house on 2-3 nights and eat at some of the great restaurants on 192 the other nights. There are many afforable restaurants on 192. Don't forget about having laundry machines in the house. We always pack a little lighter because we can do laundry in the house while we are in the pool or game room. It is really nice to relax by the pool with a cold beer that didn't cost me $7.

 

[jmurphy625]

Ok I thought I was crazy looking into this since I own DVC at WL...but the more I see the pros I really am liking the thought of adding on a week offsite to a DVC vaca. The dedicated pool for the kids sounds great. The space and the price are tops on my list too.

 

[briarberry]

You won't regret it! We just got back from a great two week holiday in a "villa" located in Oak Island Cove which I believe is considered to be part of the Emerald Isle area. We have stayed on site in the past but this time my sister and her two teenagers from the UK joined my DD9 and I. We loved all the space, laundry facilities (more room in the suitcase for souvenirs) and the private pool. It only took us 5 minutes to get to Animal Kingdom using Sherberth Rd. off 192 (shortcut, I learned on the DIS). It was only 10 minutes to the other parks. We had annual passes this time so parking was free so don't forget to figure in $9 a day for parking if you don't have passes. We did several non Disney days this time and enjoyed shopping and eating out at the numerous restaurants along 192. It was also nice to be able to shop at places like Walgreens when you ran out of sunscreen etc and not have it be a major expedition like it is when you are at a Disney resort.
I can't imagine going back to a small hotel room next time. On site is nice but once your kids are older I think a villa is the way to go. I hope you have a great time.

 

[Kay1]

One thing I enjoyed about staying at the Swan this summer was the boat - meaning the transportation to MGM and Epcot. We mixed drinks in the room each afternoon and took them with us in covered cups. I would never do this while driving, so we're staying at ASSR for one night when we do F&W. That's not to say I don't like to stay offsite. We do and have a week in a villa reserved in December. It will be crowded and we'll probably stick to daytime touring, anyway.

 

[spiceycat]

Ok I thought I was crazy looking into this since I own DVC at WL...but the more I see the pros I really am liking the thought of adding on a week offsite to a DVC vaca. The dedicated pool for the kids sounds great. The space and the price are tops on my list too.

you are not crazy at all.

probably more DVCers on the Dis do both than you would believe. there are a ton of offsite timeshares that pretty wonderful. the individual owned homes, condo and town houses just add to the mix. You can do both onsite & off then get the best of both worlds on one visit.

check the prices for timeshares only
www.skyauction.com

to get a good bargin on a Marriott you need to belong to Interval International first. to join II, you need to own another timeshare that actually belongs to II - not corporate which is what DVC has.

for the non-marriott & non-dvc - check this site (prices are higher by at least a $100 to what a II member pays)
www.condodirect.com

 

[Brian Noble]

As for distance---factoring in waiting for a bus to arrive, and the routes that have multiple stops, you will get to a park FASTER from Emerald Island than you would from many resorts. The one glaring exception is MK.

Another couple of negatives to add to your list: no maid service, and no restaurant/food court/lounge within walking distance for those times when you just want someone else to make the food or mix the drinks.

Finally, if you really want to visit an EMH or two, you can put up to 10 people on a single Fort Wilderness reservation, and then bingo! You are a resort guest for a night or two.

 

[UKDEB]

I think you have a good attitude to it all - you can see the pros and cons of both - so I'm sure you will be just fine. I can't really argue with anything you've said, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by non EMH touring. It really is so much quieter and, even if you choose to return to onsite trips, I think you'll be sold on avoiding EMH in future! Have you subscribed to TourGuideMike? He tells you precisely which days to do each park (for every day of the year). If not, just accept the general principle of avoiding EMH at all costs and you won't go far wrong.

My perfect compromise is to spend the duration of our trips offsite in a rental home and then take out a couple of nights out to benefit from the onsite stuff - being able to get directly to MK by bus is definitely a plus (and anyone who knows me would not believe I would ever be advocating bus transportation! ). Access to Epcot for IllumiNations (and even more so for the IF&WF) is another great reason to stay onsite. We also enjoy the luxury of being able to stroll down to the hotel bar and then on to dinner (but that's one of the pleasures of staying at any hotel, not necessarily onsite at WDW). Overall, though, for us, nothing can beat the space and privacy of a private pool home. I'm glad you've picked up on the laundry deal! That really isn't to be under-estimated. I love being able to pack light and also that we can go home with a suitcase full of clean clothes.

 

[isla bonita]

It sounds like you have put a lot of research in your decision. I do not think you will be disappointed. It might not turn out to be your favorite vacation but you never know?

I do think you will be pleasantly surprised in the drive time.

Let us know how all goes on your rental stay and I would love a little PM if you have the time to hear about your thoughts on EI.

 

[STEPHILL]

I'm planning on trying a condo, too, for our upcoming trip. I think my family has "officially" outgrown Disney hotels. My husband is very tall and if we sleep in a queen bed, his back is out all week. You can't get a king with a daybed or anything like that on Disney property for a reasonable rate. It is sad, but we're moving on.

We were there last September and DH had some Radison Rewards points, so our stay was free. That is when we discovered how close everything was to Disney. We have always stayed on the grounds, but it took less time to get to the parks from the Radisson than it did when we stayed on the grounds and waited for the bus. Our last bus experience at WL was horrible. We shared a bus with FW, WL and GF. The busses and boats were always packed. I don't know about you, but if I'm paying GF rates, I want my own bus.

 

[mbb]

Why we love vacationing in Orlando:

1) Fab things for everyone in the family to have fun..shopping parks, space center, beaches, thrills, restaurants, museums, golf, quiet time...everything.

Is there anything that isn't - or reasonable facsimile!! - there?

2) Accomodations for every budget, every luxury, and everything in between.

Our vacations are always a little bit of everything... onsite DVC, and onsite hotels, offiste villas, condo and hotels too

It's the mutitude of choices that equally overwhelms me, and thrills the rest of my family.

My job is just planning, coordinating and booking it all!!

...and happily wouldn't want it any other way

Your vacation is what you make it.
And I think you've got the makings of a pretty great one.

 

[marciemi]

Thanks everyone for all the input, suggestions, and encouragement! Much as we've always wanted to do DVC, this will probably be our last trip to WDW until the kids are all out of the house in a decade or so. (cheaper for 2!) There are just a lot of other trips we want to try between now and then. However, we always say this and end up going back! That's why we're staying 2 weeks this time, to try to do it all and get it out of our system for awhile!

Parking was a good consideration. I had thought of that at some point (are there any parking discounts out there?) but had forgotten about it. Do you pay for parking at the water parks too? I can't remember, but since we've always been onsite, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

I did sign up for TGM about a week ago. I haven't gotten through it all yet, but I've enjoyed what I have read and having another opinion is helpful. Right now I'm so far out that I can't join the groups yet, but I've looked at the info for a quickly-upcoming trip, just to see how much there is with the daily suggestions, planning, etc.

We really got the grasp of the laundry on a recent ski vacation where we got a REALLY good deal (internet typo that they honored) on a 3 bedroom condo with a washer/dryer. Bringing 2 sets of everything you need for skiing (instead of 5), being able to wash it whenever was convenient and leave it in the washer or dryer, and being able to always have dry stuff was SUCH a convenience.

I think the only reason we really use maid service is to get dry towels, and if I have laundry facilities there, I wouldn't really care. As far as a bar, we're not big drinkers - maybe a glass of wine before bed. And I'd rather bring or buy it at CVS for $4 a bottle than pay more than that per glass at a bar. Sipping it in or by the pool sounds perfect!

I agree a restaurant is nice to have nearby, but the All-Stars and Moderates usually are packed so we just avoided the food courts anyways. As I said, we hope to do most of our meals in the house. My kids are very picky (but big!) eaters and I'd rather buy a bag of chicken tenders for $5 that will feed all 3 of them, rather than pay $8 apiece for 3 of them with fries. I wish they would try/enjoy more exotic food, but if they don't, why fight it? I asked them what food place they liked the most from our last visit to Disney and they selected the fast food place chicken tenders from Epcot (I want to say Electric Umbrella or something like that right in the middle of Future World). So we won't be heading to Morocco or Norway for dinner!


Our last visit was to Coronado Springs in mid January for a convention for my husband's company, and I honestly can not only say the buses were never packed, but I don't think we ever had anyone else on our bus. We did wait quite a while at times though. And I'm sure July would be a bit different!

I will have to figure out that shortcut to the AK before we go! Not certain if we're doing anything other than Disney yet - debating between Discovery Cove/Seaworld or Universal or possibly skipping both and just having a more relaxing 2 weeks. I do know some members of our family will be doing a lot of golfing, but haven't looked into that enough yet to know what's there. (is there a golf board?!)

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Brian Noble]

Shortcut, from EI:

Leave development, turn Right onto Funie Steed.
Left onto Formosa Gardens Blvd (to the right, the road is named Sand Hill)
Right onto 192.
Left at the very next light onto Sherbeth. (to the right, the road is named Entry Point)

Once you are on Sherbeth, keep following it until you hit Osceola, and from there just follow Disney signage to your destination.

You might be able to go straight on Funie Steed to Entry Point rather than turning onto Formosa, and then just cross 192, but I can't remember for sure.

Parking is free if one of you has an AP, $9 if you don't. I'm not aware of any discounts. You pay only once per day, and can use it at any theme park parking lot for the rest of the day.

 

[isla bonita]

www.floridagolfing.com

 

[UKDEB]

You might be able to go straight on Funie Steed to Entry Point rather than turning onto Formosa, and then just cross 192, but I can't remember for sure

Yes, you can, but that stretch of the Funie Steed is still a dirt track.