Resorts and Shuttle Service

[MRNsMommy]

Hi, everyone!
I've posted a couple of times before when my husband and I were planning an anniversary trip for this past December, but that didn't end up happening due to a lot of reasons. So, this coming December, he has promised to take me to DW...no ifs, and, or buts! LOL! I'm actually 4 months pregnant right now and am due at the end of Aug. The new baby will be about 4 months old when we go...we will be leaving he/she w/ my family. But we've decided that we will take our daughter who will be 3 at the time, and that we are also going to bring along my in-laws. They don't do the whole riding thing, and have offered to come along as baby sitters if we want to ride something or go out one nigh by ourselves.
So, here's the thing...since there will be 5 of us going, and my DH and I will be paying for all the hotel expenses, there is NO WAY we can afford to stay on-site. So, we've decided to stay in a villa (haven't decided which one yet) off-site.
I have a couple of questions...first, we will have a car there, but a lot of these places say they offer free shuttle service. Has anyone dealt w/ the shuttle services of these villas/resorts? If so, how was it?
Second, I've done some reading on the reviews of some of the villas/hotels, but where is your absolute favorite place to stay off-site, if you had to choose?
I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions as time goes by, but I really want to say TIA for helping me out! I'm so glad I found this board...I'm already addicted...the the board and the planning and the trip is still 9 months away!

 

[5mins2disney]

Well I would have to say Windsor Hills, of course I'm biased, we loved our family vacations there so much we bought a place!

You can get a gorgeous townhome or pool home in a 5* resort for well less than you would pay for any hotel, and have a much nicer place!

Check the boards here, the resort gets GREAT reviews!

Go to:
www.windsorhillsrent.com to rent directly from the owners.

WHR does have a shuttle service (it's not free though), so we actually recommend you rent a car, you can get a car from priceline.com for under $25/day, and the savings of staying here will more than make up for the cost of a rental car!

Regarding your parents...you know..WDW is not really all about the "rides". There's some there sure...but there's just as many if not more, shows, attractions, exhibits, etc. Take Epcot for instance, very little of it as a whole is thrill ride oriented, especially the various countries, it's more about eating, drinking, shopping, learning, etc! Even some of the "rides" are pretty tame, where you sit in a car and move through a dinosaur exhibit for instance, at about 1mph. Disney is really unlike any other theme park in the world in this regard...there's lots of shows, etc, and it's just an incredible place to visit, your parents would most likely love spending a day or 2 there actually.

We just took a family member with us last trip who hates "rides"...and she couldn't believe how much she loved it and how very little of it is ride oriented if that's not your thing!

Honestly, there's something there for people of all ages, no place on earth quite like it!

 

[MRNsMommy]

Thanks for the response! WHR was actually one of the ones I'd seen so many great reviews about on here, and am considering...thanks for mentioning their shuttle service b/c I hadn't seen anything about it. Do you happen to know how much it costs? And do they have scheduled times? Just in case we still need to use it.
We will already have a car b/c we'll be driving. We live in MS and have done the drive down twice already. It's not too bad, and this time we'll be stopping overnight to visit my DH's sister in Florida.
As for my ILs...my FILs parents actually lived in Orlando until they passed away, and every year my DH and his family would go to WDW multiple times. My DH and I have been to WDW 3 times since we've been together, but I had to drag him there the first time b/c he was so sick of it from growing up! Anyway...my point is, his parents are kind of the same way. I don't know how anyone can get sick of WDW, but they were not exactly thrilled when we asked if they wanted to go.Whenwe initially asked them, we weren't looking for them to be "babysitters", but that's what they offered. And for the most part, we'll all be together. They're just offering to be the ones to take her back to the room if she needs a nap or to sit w/ her while we get on the Rockin' Rollercoaster or something.
Anyway, that's why we were wondering about the shuttle services. We'll have our one car, which we'll let his parents take if they need to get our DD back to the condo. But if my DH and I need to get back to the condo on our own then we wouldn't have a way other than shuttle service. Of course, his dad has said that we could always just call and have him come pick us up at DTD or something, but I hate to make him get back out once he's in.
I don't know...just so much stuff to think about! My head is spinning! LOL!

 

[MiaSRN62]

I'm a timeshare owner at Sheraton Vistana (but anyone can rent there).
We love the resort and full aray of resort amenities, but would never consider using their shuttle. We just much prefer the flexibility and freedom of a rental car. The shuttles at alot (not all) offsite resorts just don't operate on as consistant a time schedule as the wdw busses do. With the disney busses, you can pretty much depend on every 10-20 min for busses. Offsite (at the Vistana for example), is more like 3-4 times in the morning, and 3-4 times in the evening.
I have heard some offsite resorts operate every 30 min on average.....but having not experience with those, I can't personally comment.
Have a wonderful anniversary trip wherever you decide to stay !

 

[5mins2disney]

How does the Windsor Hills Resort daily shuttle service work/operate/etc?

In the sundry shop in the Windsor Hills clubhouse you can find schedules and make arrangements. Shuttle cost is $10 per person round trip to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, or Animal Kingdom. $14 per person round trip to universal, seaworld, and shopping areas. There is an information sheet at the clubhouse with the time schedule. The shuttle company is MAINGATE TRANSPORTATION. They can be called at # 407-390-0000. A taxi cab to Disney is $20 one way.. cab to Universal is $32 one way.... Don't forget it costs $10 per day for parking at Disney and Universal if you drive.

 

[MRNsMommy]

Thanks for all the info. I'll check it out! Of course, I got home today and my DH tells me we might just stay on-site afterall. Apparently, he went to get his hair cut and his hairdresser (a Disney enthusiast) told him there is no way we'd want to stay off-site w/ a three-year-old. So, now I have no idea what exactly we're doing. But thanks again for all of the info anyway...at least I'll know in case we do still stay off-site.

 

[5mins2disney]

I used to think the same thing until we stayed offsite, boy was I wrong!

My DW MADE me stay at WHR on our first trip, we had the best trip we've ever had anywhere! (Our DD was 3 when we first went too). So, I don't agree with your DH's hairdresser! LOL

Our big problem...if we are in a traditional 1 room hotel room, our little kids won't go to sleep with us in the room. It's not enough space for us, we need a separate bedroom for the kids.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Apparently, he went to get his hair cut and his hairdresser (a Disney enthusiast) told him there is no way we'd want to stay off-site w/ a three-year-old

I don't know....I think there are pros and cons to both. Where it's nice to say onsite, for example with us, is when you have several kids. We've experienced times where one child might need a nap or feel sick and it's nice to be able to jump on a wdw bus and head back to the hotel while the other parent stays behind with the other children in the park. This was when our kids were little.
Now that I have teens, it's so nice for them to be able to jump on busses/monorails and go to the park they want without us if they want to. An example....this past Feb, took my two girls and one friend of theirs. My older dd chose to go to the MK with her friend one night, while my other dd and myself chose to go somewhere else. Had we not been staying onsite, this would not have been possible.

On the flip side.....having the extra space and extra bedroom for a little one's naps can also be invaluable.