renting a house vs staying in Disney hotel?

[strawberrygirl]

My hubby had heard that you can rent some houses with a pool for a good price around Disney ($100 a day). He is thinking that we should do that instead. I am totally against it and so is our son. Has anyone tried this option? Anything I can use to defend my case of staying at Disney? We will be using airmiles to rent the car, so I can't use that one to defend myself. However, I told him that the parking lot is the size of Rhode Island (gotta figure out how big that is to compare it to a Canadian city), and that kinda got him thinking but didn't change his mind. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again and sorry for so many questions!

 

[minnie56]

There's good and bad with both..however you have to pay a decent price to get a nice house in a nice area. We just got back and this trip rented a house on a Golf course so the guys could golf, the girls could shop and a little Disney in between! Most things were 15 minutes away and it was lovely to escape to our house on the 1st tee and sit outside enjoying the peace and quiet with a glass of wine.

We had 5bdrms and the rate was $1550 for the week. Private pool, BBQ, perfect for what we wanted this trip.

Parking is getting up there in price tho at the parks..I think we paid $14 for the day and you do lose time with the getting back and forth for sure.

Tough call...

 

[sk8jdgca]

When you rent a house- that is it you are living in someone's home is a gated community. There are no activities for your son. YOU will be doing the cleaning and the dishes and the cooking. It just doesn't feel like a Disney Vacation. The staff aren't wishing you a magical day

I always rent a car no matter what and go off property for a meal and to shop

 

[minnie56]

There is the pool? We only ate breakfast in...no cooking other than that! A few Martini's that's about it

We had them in half way thru to clean and really, other than that, the house was fine. But depends on the age of your son? If he is younger...onsite would most likely be preferable.

 

[nexttrip4us]

We rented a house on our last trip to WDW after having stayed on-site the last 5-6 times. We had a group of 11 so it worked out very well.

HOWEVER, it was definitely different. It almost felt too much like home...cooking, cleaning up... It was nice for our group size and I don't regret having chosen it (our own pool was definitely nice), but we are already talking about our next trip which will be back on-site. For us, part of the magic is being there all the time. We do always rent a car so we can run and pick up whatever we want off property. We drive to and from the parks too, but staying on-site, our parking is free. We paid the $14/day when we stayed off.

Good luck!

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

I can't compare to staying on-site as I have never done it. But I have been to WDW 7 times and always rented a house and would only do it that way. We love the space, the private pool and swim when we want. My kids are 10 and 12 now, but started going when they were 5 & 7. Some houses have a games room too. I love, love, love Disney, but for the price of staying off-site I can more or longer trips. My DH would never stay on-site. I am trying to plan a 3 week trip this summer and could not afford to do that on-site. Plus I would not want to stay in a room for three weeks. It all depends on how long you are going for and your budget. I am sure you will pick what is best for your family. Either way you are going to see the MOUSE.

 

[HotdogDncrs]

We've rented a house once when we went with a larger group - it was fun to have your "own place", but one downfall was trying to get everybody ready to go in the morning, and then the drive to the parks. We had great intentions of taking a break from the parks to go back "home" to swim, however we never once returned to the parks from one of these breaks. Even a short 15 minute drive can seem like too big a task when you are already tired...and especially when you have little ones with you.

We prefer to stay on site, that way you can use Disney transportation if you want, and it is much easier/convenient to go back to your room to freshen up for dinner and then head back to the parks. Staying in a house just doesn't have the same feeling for us There is something about looking for those "Hidden Mickeys" in your room that a rented house just doesn't offer.

 

[DbleTheFun]

We did this before starting to stay on site, and now I wouldn't think about staying anywhere than AT Disney. How about renting points from a DVC member and having a home base that gives you a kitchen and "home" feel while still staying on site and a part of it all? Renting points makes staying at these accommodations much more reasonable that booking as a rack rate from Disney!!! It's a bit more than a rental house, but WELL WORTH IT in my opinion. (I own DVC, but think even renting at the standard $10 a point would be worth it)

 

[minnie56]

That's your house isn't it BB?

I imagine if you have your home there you would prefer it...

I like some things about each option...I guess it comes down to individual needs.

 

[BellyBaby]

Well, more like my parents! We usually go down with them, so a house is a must, even back in the day. 6 people is a lot to travel with.

But we've done both, and prefer the space and $ savings. DH is very cheap.

 

[drag n' fly]

This is an interesting thread. We only ever stay onsite now if that is the only park we are doing. Our kids have moved on to different experiences so any trips we take to Disney from now on will be offsite day trips. We have 6 bedroom pool home with a games room rented for November for less a night than what it costs a night to stay at POR in the summer. The home is also located in Windsor Hills so they will have access to those facilities also. I just want to stretch out a bit. It really is based on need, ages of kids and what your itinerary is

 

[minnie56]

I agree, this past trip we were 8 people, all adults...the guys wanted to golf and we ladies had other things in mind. We only went to Epcot once...so being on top of the parks was not a primary concern. We loved the house...loved the quiet of it and it was elegantly decorated. With younger kids, not sure that it would have been that suitable really??

Different options really for different trips and dynamics of those travelling.

 

[formill]

Love the houses. 6 of us in one or two hotel rooms holds no magic at all- can't beat 4 or 5 bedrooms and lots of tvs/bathrooms and our own kitchen and laundry and the kids LOVE just being able to step out the door to our own pool and hot tub. For us half the vacation is walks in the neighbourhood- swimming in our own pool- and having a drink in the hot tub while the kids swim at night. The kids truly remember the villas more than Disney, Sea World etc and I prefer to cook a lot of our own meals-saves money and we get really tired of restaurant food pretty quickly. I guess it just depends what you are looking for in your vacation- lots of people report they just use their hotel room to sleep-we love Disney and other theme parks but have no interest in going to one EVERY day- just not our idea of vacation.

 

[strawberrygirl]

Thankyou for all your replies You have all given me and hubby alot to talk about I am still confused what to do. Alot of the places want yo to rent them for 7 days. This is our first time to Florida and we are spending 2 wks down there. I am a stay at home mom so the idea of cooking my own meals while I am on holidays is not appealing at all. I dread cleaning etc and yet I know that we will need some time away from Disney too. Being in someone elses home is strange idea too. I am still uncertain what we will do at this point. The 2nd part of our holiday will be to the gulf coast other than a day to Cocoa beach and Kennedy space center. I want the Disney experience. I just wish we could afford the upper end hotels at Disney and actually we are thinking of spending one or two nights at Poly after being at the Pop but that is still in the discussion stage.

I am soo thankful that i everyone here giving me insights. It helps soo much! Many many thanks

 

[formill]

The homes to me never felt like "being in someone elses home"- they are like a hotel ( and some a very fancy hotel well decorated etc) because it is not like the drawers are full of the owners clothing...everything is EMPTY just like a hotel - owners have a locked closet they keep all their personal stuff in. I think usually you can stay less than 7 days if you pay a cleaning fee- we stayed at Seven Dwarfs Villas (condo though not house) for 2 nights in December-just had to pay extra $60 for the cleaning- still worked out cheaper than a hotel for us as we need 2 rooms or a suite ( 6 people). If you are going for 2 weeks get the best of both- Disney onsite for a week and a villa for a week!