Too soon to plan for 2010?

englishteacha

Have courage and be kind.
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
My DH and I are hoping to take a trip to WDW in 2010, and most likely 2-4 friends will be coming along. We all volunteer together at a Christian summer camp. Currently the friends are all single, but a lot can change in 2 years! :) Would I be too early to try to find an offsite home that will accommodate our group? I'd at least like to narrow down the choices. We'd like at least 3 bedrooms, but 4 or 5 would be better (or twin beds in a smaller home). No one wants to be on a sofabed for a week or to share a bed when they don't normally. Multiple baths are a must, too. To top it off, it needs to be a bargain. Even though we'll be splitting the cost, we need to keep our costs low.

So, is it too early to start looking? And where should I start??

Thanks!
EnglishTeacha and friends
 
I can't rememebr for sure, but did you not rent from Gigi at Grand Palms in the past? She owns a two and a three bedroom condo (three bedroom on the main floor and two bedroom above it I think).

Since she does not require payment until two weeks prior to check-in, would it not be safe to reserve both the two and three bedroom now and tweak your plans (if necessary) say 12 months before check-in. This would at least ensure you have 5 bedrooms, 4 washrooms, as well as two sofasbeds (if needed) between the two condos.

We booked one of her condos about 18 months prior to check-in to ensure we would get what we wanted and felt great about this since we did not have to put down a down payment at time of booking.
 
So, is it too early to start looking? And where should I start??

Thanks!
EnglishTeacha and friends

if you want a bargin I think you are starting too early. bargins generally don't happen until much close to your arrival time - when the owner can't find someone to rent too.

but for your peace of mind - you might have to pay more.
 
many places don't even allow booking so far in advance. Plus, as you said, a lot could change. At 1 year out, you'll have a better idea of who might be able to go and there are PLENTY of off-site villas/houses available. good luck. Elaine
 


I would be nervous to try to book a house this far out, especially with the economy the way it is. I would be nervous that the person you book through would end up selling or foreclosing. You may also lock yourself into a price that may decrease over time depending on the economy. There might even be changes in the resort in that time. Two years ago we stayed in Windsor Palms. It is still a lovely resort and we would stay there again in a heartbeat, but since then there is a new toll road that is practically on top of the resort. Last year we stayed at Regal Palms and loved it. We drove by the other night and there are a bunch of new condos that are being built and back up to the property. I would think twice about that resort now until the condos are finished so I wouldn't have to listen to the construction. All of these things can happen at any time, but you might have a heads up if you book within a year of your trip.
 
My husband is so funny! He's grown quite attached to the condo we've rented in the past from Sisters 4, LLC at Grand Palms. I mentioned that perhaps we'd need a bigger place than that (3 bedroom, 2 baths) and he was shocked that I'd consider staying anywhere else! He said he thinks of it as "our" vacation home (without having to pay for it all year!). I think I'll browse and bookmark some homes that look promising and revisit them in a year or so. If our group will be comfy in "our" condo, then we'll probably stick with that. :)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











Top