Staying offsite but want disney magic

[sersee05]

Ok so due to budgets this year , we have opted to stay offsite . We can stay longer this way plus with our family of five....we can spread out!

I haven't narrowed down my choice yet. Infact it is one I am still stressing about. I always do this though. I always research until I feel I picked the best place to stay. We are looking at a few in Windsor Hills, Emerald Island and Reunion Resort. I have got a few quotes from Reunion and booooy is that pretty! It is right up my alley..ha!


Anyway , I decided that I would make surprise baskets for my kids with some Disney gear just to make it feel a little more Disneyesque. We are driving so I can easily bring them a long.

I don't want to go To the Disney store and spend $45 for a Mickey...I am looking to do this on a budget. NOt to mention it will be hard because my kids are 16, 11 and 9. My 16 year old is the one who is most upset not being on Disney. She says she will miss the bubble

Soo this was my idea. I would love any input on things you guys would put in it or other ways to give that Disney "feel" without spending a million bucks!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Since your kids are a bit older, you may be able to spend long days at WDW, and only return to the room to sleep and then right back to the park in the AM. Less time away from the magic. Try to replace items they need anyway with a disney themed version.Purchase or create shampoo, soap, toothbrushes that are disney. Take all the disney themed foods you can find for snacks and take disney themed paper products to eat breakfast off of. Take some disney themed window clings ($ store) and maybe a few other disney decorations(party section) to perk up the room. Disney pillowcases, if you can find some cheaply, are great.

 

[sersee05]

That Mssandra! Some wonderful ideas!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

If you haven't settled on a rental property yet, some of the vacation homes have a very Disney feel. I know the one we stayed in one year had over the top Disney awesomeness. It was through Www.allstarvacationhomes.com. They won't miss the Disney bubble as soon as they discover they have their own pool!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We stayed in a three bedroom condo at Windsor Hills (rented through Florida Sun Vacation Homes) this past May and I can't say enough good things about our experience there. We plan on staying there again for our next trip and it is hard to consider staying onsite again unless Disney offers an exceptional deal. It was also our first offsite stay (we stayed at All Star Music in a family suite two years ago); and after being hesitant about staying offsite things worked out better than we imagined they would. When we got home from our most recent trip, I asked my kids if they wanted to go back to a Disney hotel or a condo for our next WDW vacation and they all chanted "condo, condo, condo" in unison! We just really appreciated the layout and space the condo afforded us which was nice after a long, busy day in the parks; plus my four kids loved not having to share beds! Also, Windsor Hills is such an easy, short drive to the Disney parks and we spent so much time in the parks and visited Disney resorts for ADRs that we didn't really feel like we weren't in the "Disney bubble". If you want to add some more "Disney touches" to your stay, there are a lot of condos/houses at Windsor Hills that have Disney theming (Disney bedroom/bathroom decor, wall murals in the bedrooms, artwork in the living areas, etc.). We also like to make Disney "goodie bags" for our kids before each trip with Disney treats (sticker books, small plushes, glow bracelets, lanyards, light spinners, etc.) that we find at places like Target, Walmart, Party City, etc. You may also find that with the savings you gain by staying in a condo/rental home that you can book some extra experiences (character meals, Bippity Boppity Boutique, special tours, Pirate's League, Wishes Dessert party, Cirque Du Soleil in Downtown Disney, etc.) to add more magic to your trip. Good luck with your plans!

 

[powellrj]

For your 16 year old, I wouldn't go all out for a gift bag, instead I would give her a disney gift card plus a few little extras. It amazing what a little cash does for a teen! There are lots of condo with a disney theme you can rent. I also found having their own space can be another selling point to a teen!

 

[kate_wdw]

Personally, I would err away from "stuff" (for its own sake) and get things that foster activities, like pins (if they're into trading), a book of Hidden Mickeys or less known info about the parks, disney-related apps for your teen's phone, etc. You could bring Disney-related DVDs, CDs and/or games to make your off-site digs more immersive.

Have fun!

 

[FLSarah]

We stayed off site as it was the only way I could afford to take my son. We were celebrating his 10th birthday and every one of his presents was Disney themed. On top of that I had lots of other Disney themed things. I picked up Cinderella castle suckers, Mickey head suckers, and Mickey dried apples to pack in the park bag (the suckers were in the party aisle at Walmart). I also got a Mickey head cookie cutter for 60 cents on Amazon and cut up some cheese. I had planned on putting together two donut holes and a small donut to make a Mickey head out of that too.

My son likes to trade pins. We were there for four days. I got him a pin for each of the three parks we visited (no AK) and one that said Walt Disney World to give him on the ride home.

If your kids like to color then Target usually has color packs in the dollar spot that are Disney themed. These are also good for the ride.

I brought along my laptop and we watched a Disney movie each night when we were going to bed.