Room for 3 near Epcot ?

[mnoble_uk]

Hi,

We are planning a potential trip back to the world in February or March next year. Recently bereaved MIL (who has never really traveled far) has told us she has always wanted to swim with dolphins so it seems like a great opportunity to kill 2 birds with the one stone and show her why we like Disney so much.

This time we want to stay within walking distance to Epcot so we can sample all the food & drink it has to offer without bothering with transport.

The problem is we need somewhere to stay with two bedrooms as it seems a waste (and expensive !) booking two separate rooms. Are there any resorts with affordable two bedroom units ?

 

[Shooby doo]

I think that to be within reasonable walking distance you would have to be on-site,the Epcot Resort area hotels are:Caribbean Beach,Swan,Dolphin,Boardwalk inn,Boardwalk Villas,Beach club Villas,Beach Club resort & Yacht Club resort.The first 3 are "normal" hotels so it would have to be 2 rooms but the rest are DVC or Deluxe locations so opens up other options but having priced some of these up,they are definately not cheap & in some cases as dear or dearer than 2 rooms!
In our case we have always weighed up whether to stay on-site & only have a "room" or stay off-site & have space.
HTH SD

 

[Tammy Stringer]

How about trying to rent DVC from a member.

That way you could either get a one or two bedroom unit and you might find it affordable.

If you were interested you could post on the UK DVC board in the first instance and people will advise you

Tammy

 

[Elise79]

I think that to be within reasonable walking distance you would have to be on-site,the Epcot Resort area hotels are:Caribbean Beach,Swan,Dolphin,Boardwalk inn,Boardwalk Villas,Beach club Villas,Beach Club resort & Yacht Club resort.The first 3 are "normal" hotels so it would have to be 2 rooms but the rest are DVC or Deluxe locations so opens up other options but having priced some of these up,they are definately not cheap & in some cases as dear or dearer than 2 rooms!
In our case we have always weighed up whether to stay on-site & only have a "room" or stay off-site & have space.
HTH SD

Shooby doo - although Caribbean Beach is classed as being in the 'Epcot Resort Area' it is not actually possible to walk to Epcot from there.

The only resorts in walking distance are all Deluxe/DVC resorts:
Beach Club & Beach Club Villas
Yacht Club
Boardwalk Inn & Boardwalk Villas
Swan & Dolphin

The two DVC villa resort have 2 bedroom units but they are pricey as they are really designed with larger groups in mind as they sleep upto 8. The other Disney owned resorts have suites but are again very pricey! I don't know about the Swan/Dolphin.

If you don't want to pay for Deluxe the moderates are all fairly close by Bus to Epcot although having seen the queues back to Port Orleans (both sides) from Epcot on many occasions I would suggest either Coronado Springs or Caribbean Beach.

HTH

 

[mnoble_uk]

Thanks for the replies - looks like I just have to suck up the spend or stay offsite (gulp !)

Could anyone tell me what I might expect to pay for DVC points for a two bedroom near Epcot for a week in March ?

Thanks
Michael.

 

[mikki.young]

March is the spring break and the second most expensive time to stay at DVC. You could get a studio for 134 points a week (so two would be 268) or a two bed for 350 points. You do get the full kitchen and jacuzzi with the two bed but I am not sure it is worth the extra cost. Ball park figure for renting points is $10-14 a point but I have seem them advertised on UK site at only £5

The Dolphin often has special offers so you could get a good value room there.

 

[Young Pooh]

Would you need a 2 bed DVC though?

A one bed has a master bedroom plus a sofa bed in the lounge. Would this be suitable?

 

[UKDEB]

I agree; a 2-bed is overkill for 3 people. The sofa bed in the 1-bed wouldn't be ideal for 2 adults, but it should be fine for one.

If you're considering renting DVC points, the second half of February and first half of March fall in Magic season (second most expensive) for both BWV and BCV. The second half of March falls into Premier season (the most expensive of all). For an idea of cost and a feel for how it all works, I'd suggest taking a look at the main DVC-Rent/Trade forum.

Rack rates for a 1-bed (i.e. booking directly through Disney) will be in the region of $600 a night for that period. Because it's such an expensive time points-wise for DVC, you'd be looking at something similar doing it that way (at least during the second half of March). Weekend nights are more expensive in terms of DVC points, but there's no difference when making a cash booking directly with Disney, so you'd be better off trying to rent points for the weekday nights and then booking directly with Disney for the weekends.