seriously considering renting

[Crazy4Disney72]

Except for our first trip years ago when we stayed at a Hampton Inn for free on Hilton points, we have always stayed onsite at WDW. For our next family trip next summer, I am considering renting a house or condo to save money. We will have the 5 of us plus my stepmom, so 6 total. I see Windsor Hills mentioned frequently on here, is that the best place to rent as far as a nice place being close to the parks? About how long does it take to get to the parks? We do really enjoy being immersed in Disney when we stay onsite, but with the kids being older, and with taking an extra person next year, I think we really would value the extra space, not to mention we could eat a few meals there to save money.

We haven't taken a whole family vacation to Disney since DL in 2007, so I'm really excited to start planning our 2010 WDW adventure, I would appreciate any insights anyone can give me on staying offsite. Thanks!

 

[kmk1180]

personally I can't stand them because i can't get comfortable living
in some elses house while I'm on vacation.
I'll always stay on property or it's not a disney vacation to me.

But that's me.

If you do, I would suggest looking into the All Star homes.
we've stayed with family at them several times in the past.
They are cheaper than disney for the space you get and you get your own pool.
the are located only about 5 minutes from property, really not
much farther that Pop.
And if your clever you can find a short cut to Animal Kingdom.
and makes it real close.

 

[isla bonita]

Renting homes is not for every one. As the poster mentioned they do not care for it. I think the only way you find out what works for your group is actually trying it. It is not something you have to do more then once if does not work.

"we've stayed with family at them several times in the past"

Not sure why you would go back if you did not care for it. For me I could never go back to a hotel with 5 in our family it just does not work. We rented a home with others and I loved it. We would never rent a hotel room.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

We are having to stay off site for our first Florida vacation this November, only because for 6 of us to have any kind of space we could have afforded a week at Disney or 25 days in Florida and because we wanted to see much more than Disney we went with off site with a house rental (4bdrm, 2 path, private pool)..........hoping we are not disappointed but just could not justify the multiple rooms as my kids will be 9, 11 and 14 and then my nephew who is an adult will also be with us and the kids sex's do not warrant sharing a bed at their ages..............

 

[KayR]

I am totally the opposite to the PP. I much prefer staying in a vacation home and was not happy in one room on property. For the price we paid per night for 4 people (in a moderate) on property we could have had a 5 or 6 bedroom home for up to 14 people. Perhaps if we could have afforded one of the on site villas our experience would have been different

Take a look at this beginners guide to choosing a vacation home to help you get started.

Windsor Hills is in the Formosa Gardens area along with lots of other communities which are all close and easy access to the parks. These include Windsor Palms, Rolling Hills, Emerald Island, Arcadia Estates, Formosa Gardens, Indian Creek and more. Travel times from any of these communities are pretty much the same and can all take advantage of the same back route into WDW property.

You can often save a few more dollars by staying further out, but obviously you have longer commute times.

I always recommend choosing your property based on your families needs first and then community second. I know when we stay in the area, we hardly ever use community facilities, but we do use the amenities in the home.

HTH - I am sure you will have lots of questions as you travel down this route into the world of vacation rentals.

-Kay

 

[bz8bls]

Since you like being immersed in Disney, have you thought about renting points from a DVC member. You could rent a two bedroom villa that will accommodate 8 people and you are getting the advantage of being onsite.
You should go to the DVC rental thread (I think you have to register) to be able to see the rentals that are available.

 

[Brian Noble]

I've done both onsite and off, but we've never stayed in a regular hotel room. We've stayed onsite in 1BR and 2BR OKW villas for the four of us, and offsite in 3-4 bedroom townhomes/vacation homes. We're staying offsite in a 2BR condo at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in July (not a Disney resort, but right next door to CBR, and you have to drive "through the gates" to get to it), and our next trip after that will be back in a 2BR at BCV.

For me, the extra space and amenities of a villa/condo is the first requirement---and after having done a 1BR once, we've decided that even that is too small for us to truly be comfortable. We could get by (though we'd have an airbed so the kids didn't have to share a bed), but having a second bath and not having to give up the living room area when the kids go to sleep is just a much better fit for our needs.

So, once I'm to the point where I decide I need 2BRs, if I can swing an onsite stay into the budget (with a timeshare exchange) I'm happy to take it. If I can't, I'd rather spend $700-1000 on a week at an offsite 2-3BR unit than $3000+ for a week renting a 2BR DVC villa onsite. Even after you add in the costs of a rental car, gas, and theme park parking, offsite is at least $1500-$1800 less expensive. That pays for our theme park tickets and a good chunk of our meals.

Our onsite vs. offsite experiences are, so far, pretty comparable. We enjoy our onsite stays a little better, but not so much that we'd pay a lot for it. We still drive most places. We don't generally do EMH. My wife can't stand Stacy .

Our experience could be due to the fact that OKW is a little out of the way, and not very "Disney" compared to some of the other resorts. We'll see how we feel about it when we stay at BCV next February. But, if I could only ever stay in Wyndham Bonnet Creek from now on, I'd still be happy.

 

[7165red]

I have stayed on site and it was very nice. I now perfer extra room and have rented a villa for the past 3 yrs. and will be again this xmas. We love it especially having a pvt pool, it's wonderful. We won't go back to a hotel again. We do eat at many WDW restaurants and enjoy all the magic. Try www.orlandovillas.com have fun.

 

[dougsmom98]

I see Windsor Hills mentioned frequently on here, is that the best place to rent as far as a nice place being close to the parks? About how long does it take to get to the parks?

Windsor Hills does seem to be the most popular community on these boards, but there are many lovely communities close by too. Here is a map of some community locations. You will see others in the same vicinity as WH. Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, Indian Creek... All of those communities will probably take 5-10 minutes to get to the gates of one of the parks depending on which one you are visiting.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa-map.php

I suggest for the first time renting a villa that you stay fairly close to the Formosa Gardens area. We did that the first time we rented a full house. That one stay was enough to help us get a feel for the area and understand what we wanted in a vacation rental and we are now addicted to staying in vacation rentals. After that first rental home, we stay a little further out, in Davenport, to get a little more bang for our buck. We stayed in a 6 bedroom pool home with a spa for $925 including pool heat and taxes this past winter and it was incredible. We don't mind driving an additional 10 minutes to get to the parks by staying further out to save some $.

 

[disneysteve]

We would never consider staying onsite at Disney. I think lots of people do it because they don't realize what their options are. For $89/nite, you can stay in a Disney "Value" hotel where you get 2 beds next to each other, one bathroom and not much else.

Next month, we are spending 2 weeks in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath single home that is beautifully furnished by a professional designer who appears on a couple of home design TV shows including TVs in each room (42" LCD screen in living room), a fully equipped eat-in kitchen, a washer/dryer and a private, screened-in pool. For that, we are paying a total of $100/night including all taxes, so less than the price of a Disney Value.

It is a no-brainer in our book.

 

[horseshowmom]

As previously mentioned, Bonnet Creek is a GREAT selection!

I've stayed all over Orlando and Davenport (beginning many years ago in hotel rooms and working up from there to houses and condos). My current favorite by far is Bonnet Creek!

You actually have to drive onto Disney property to get to it (although it is not a Disney property). They have 1, 2, 3, or 4 BR condos (gated and upscale) with a full kitchen and a washer/dryer (which I love). The pools are very nice, and they have a lazy river too. There is mini golf, planned activities, and lots more.

We requested a fireworks view and watched the fireworks from our balcony every night (both Magic Kingdom and Epcot - we were in building 5).

I got my stay off ebay, but many on these boards have used Ken Price (www.vacationupgrades.com) and been well pleased.

Either way, have a great trip!

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

OP here, thanks for all the information! I booked a 3br condo in Windsor Hills for our trip next July and I am very excited! It's full of all kinds of Disney decor touches so I don't think we'll feel like we are missing out too much. I'm a little nervous about the drive to the parks, how long it will actually take to get from WH to the actual turnstiles at the parks, especially for MK since we have to take the boat or the monorail, but even if it takes a bit longer, for the money we are saving, it will be worth it. It will definitely be nice after a long day in the parks to not have to stand in the dreaded bus lines! I always hate that part as for our last two trips we had terrible luck with the busses! I am staying at Pop next month and I am going to pay attention to exactly how long it takes from the time we leave our room to the time we are actually entering the parks so I can have a basis for comparison.

 

[*love*2*shop]

we are 1st time renters and rented at windsor hills also-we go next week so i should be interesting the comparison:

http://mickeymousehouseoffun.com/

 

[MegB]

Crazy4Disney - We have rented a 3BR condo twice at Windsor Palms via AllStarVacationHomes.com. This the the condo we rented and I found being able to put the kids to bed in their own room a real blessing.

This is the condo we rented, so we were still completely immersed in Disney
http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/res/property.asp?ID=321

There is a Publix Grocery Store nearby and plenty of restaurants nearby too. Before leaving home I always go on Google to find the nearest Olive Garden, Pizza Hut, IHOP and Outback Steakhouse. We would order curbside and take it back to the condo. We would also eat most of our breakfasts at the condo. It saved us a bundle.
Windsor Hills and Windsor Palms are very close to one another and are both very close to all of the parks. In some cases closer than some of the onsite hotels, depending on which hotel you are at and which park you are going to.

Windsor Hills is in the same area and I've been eyeing a condo there for a future trip because the pool area at the Hills looks like more fun for the kids.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

we are 1st time renters and rented at windsor hills also-we go next week so i should be interesting the comparison:

http://mickeymousehouseoffun.com/

I hope you come back and post your impressions of renting offsite vs. staying on property! I am a little bit anxious because I've never done it before, but the more I think about the advantages and look at the pictures of the condo and surrounding grounds/pool/etc., the more I think I will get back and wonder how I stayed in hotel rooms all those years, even if they were Disney hotel rooms!

Have a great trip!!