Treehouse Villas - what to expect?

[mjstaceyuofm]

Been to WDW many times at various DVC resorts, but this upcoming July will be our first stay at the Treehouse Villas and SSR for that matter.

I'm just curious to hear some opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. and the general take on these villas. Some background to start the discussion:

• Our home resort is OKW and we typically stay there. We typically stay in the back near the quiet pool and are used to being away from the hustle/bustle of the main pool.
• We requested to be near the quiet pool at the Treehouse Villas.
• We are renting a car.
• So far it will be me, my wife and our two boys (11 and 13). We may be joined by a few relatives to share the place for a few days.
• AP and TIW cardholders so we don't have to commando style things at the parks. Planning on taking it more easy than not.
• We like the space at OKW but just came back from a 1-BR at Kidani and though the room layout was much more functional and liked it a lot.

So, a few questions for those of you that have stayed at THVillas:

-What did you think of the actual space, furnishings, views, location, etc.?
-How was the bus service at SSR? Does a bus run through the THV or do we have to take the boat to SSR and then hop a bus?
-How was/is the quiet pool there?
-Heard there were a lot of bugs as it's right in the woods. Any truth to that?

Any thoughts, opinions, advice you can give for a THV/SSR newbie would be appreciated.

 

[kjm4]

We stayed at THV over Easter 2011. We liked them a lot! It was very quiet and peaceful and didn't feel like a "Resort". It felt like you were staying in your own separate space; and you are. The extra room was appreciated with 4 adults and 4 kids. To me, the place was too dark. Dark furnishings, cabinets and woodwork. I like things nice and bright but it fit the theme. The furniture was very heavy and thick; again fit the theme.
We had a car and used it to get to most of the parks. We would drive over to the main building and take a bus to MK to avoid the monorail and ferry crowd. It seemed that it would take a lot longer to get around by bus only. You'd have to transfer from the THV loop to the SSR bus to get where you wanted to go.
We never noticed the bugs. We are from WI and frequently go "Up North". It would probably take a fair amount of bugs for us to notice...
The pool was very nice. It was quiet and wet! Hardy anyone used it and there was always room when everyone else was fighting for space at the main pool. I believe there is a walking path by the quiet pool area, back area, that gets you to the main area at SSR. We never found it. We did drive over to SSR on a few days and use the main pool. I hope you enjoy it!

 

[WeLoveAriel0505]

Youre going to love it. When we stayed there we were by the quiet pool and it was hardly ever used.space is very spacious considering the points it elrequires. Also. The bugs are not too bad from our experience. The bus was right by where we were staying. However we didn't use it as we had a car.

Have fun.

Been to WDW many times at various DVC resorts, but this upcoming July will be our first stay at the Treehouse Villas and SSR for that matter.

I'm just curious to hear some opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. and the general take on these villas. Some background to start the discussion:

• Our home resort is OKW and we typically stay there. We typically stay in the back near the quiet pool and are used to being away from the hustle/bustle of the main pool.
• We requested to be near the quiet pool at the Treehouse Villas.
• We are renting a car.
• So far it will be me, my wife and our two boys (11 and 13). We may be joined by a few relatives to share the place for a few days.
• AP and TIW cardholders so we don't have to commando style things at the parks. Planning on taking it more easy than not.
• We like the space at OKW but just came back from a 1-BR at Kidani and though the room layout was much more functional and liked it
  -What did you think of the actual space, furnishings, views, location, etc.?
  -How was the bus service at SSR? Does a bus run through the THV or do we have to take the boat to SSR and then hop a buIs?
  -How was/is the quiet pool there?
  -Heard there were a lot of bugs as it's right in the woods. Any truth to that?
  
  Any thoughts, opinions, advice you can give for a THV/SSR newbie would be appreciated.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We were 5 adults and 3 kids in a treehouse over a long Halloween weekend and it was a great experience. We had a cookout, but did eat inside as there were mosquitos during that time. It had been a rainy period and we had mosquitos at the Beach Club where we had stayed before the weekend.

We had a car but used the buses and found them very convenient. DGS enjoyed the community center.

Our only complaint was there wasn't wifi in the check in building while we waited for the treehouse to be ready.

 

[Doug7856]

I recently posted a review of the THV at TripAdvisor.com. There are pictures of our villa and my thoughts of the THV. Its a family favorite, but the bus situation is difficult, especially if you stay at the parks for late hours.

Here's the link: “Tree House Villa: a quiet retreat in the heart of Disney magic...”

Enjoy your stay!

 

[clm10308]

Our family of 4 stayed in THV this December. With the crowds over Christmas it was nice to be able to get away from all that at the THVs. The quiet pool was nice and quiet.
We didnt mind the buses. Our TH was near the north bus stop.
I agree that the rooms felt "dark" but I thought it was due to the lighting -compact fluorescent.
The master bath was wonderful!
We did not drive, but did think the parking situation might be frustrating for some if you are expecting to park right at your villa.

 

[disneynutz]

It's like staying in a cabin in the woods.

Bill

 

[macman752]

We were there over the Christmas holiday, 5 adults and 3 kids (9, 5 and 3). We had plenty of room. In fact, we had an additional 4 adult guests for Christmas Day dinner and we did not feel at all cramped.

I agree with others, it is dark. Bring a flashlight for each bedroom--the CFL bulbs are very dim.

If you are at the back of the resort near the quiet pool then take the walking path to the Grandstand bus stop rather than the internal bus. The Grandstand bus stop is the 1st pick up for the parks. If you take the internal bus you are dropped of at the Springs. That stop is the last pick up for the parks. You are more likely have a crowded, standing room bus at the Springs than at the Grandstand.

Remember that you can have only 1 car per Treehouse. If your guests have a vehicle then they must park at the Grandstand and either walk or take the internal bus to the Treehouse.

 

[Pakey]

The villas themselves are gorgeous. I was a bit disappointed in the 2nd bathroom but since my husband and I had the gorgeous master bath, I got over it.

We had a huge problems with mosquitos. We went in May on a very hot week and had planned to spend a lot of time out on the wonderful deck. We couldn't sit out there at all.

We are pool people but we made the trek to SSR because the quiet pool at THV is like our backyard pool except that it sits right on the road. True, there is nobody using it. But IMO it's definitely not as nice of a setting as the quiet pools at OKW, which we also love. Our favorite pool at SSR is the quiet pool at Congress Park and with a vehicle, you could always head over there.

Our villa had no views. We had a water view but could not see any water because the foilage was dense and all the way up to the windows and it ws high around the deck railings. On the boat ride we could see that many of the other villas probably had gorgeous views.

 

[dgaston]

We stayed in November with 6 adults and one baby. Abby ending up sleeping in the living room in the pack and play, but that didn't hinder anything. We loved the feeling of having our own cabin, but did hear others complaining bitterly about the lack of hotel amenities on the bus. We had a rental minivan and drove to parks except for MK, and others would ride with us, or take Disney transportation, using the THV internal bus, or the path to Grandstnd. We requested south end, and canal view and were placed in 7030. That was perfect. We were near the South bus stop, the quiet pool, and even not that far from the boat dock to SSR and DTD. Don't know when we'll have a large group again, but we want to plan more use of the great deck. We did use the grill, too. We only ate 2 evening meals out, and did a far amount of cooking in the THV.

We did drive to the Paddock pool one afternoon -- great kid play area for those under 48".

 

[Mtnman44]

After checkin at the main SSR building, you will then "leave" the SSR resort, head down the road 30 seconds, and turn into your little small "Treehouse Resort". Parking is easy and generally very close, if not right in front of, your treehouse unit.

We found the area to be extrememly quiet. It is a great place if you want to relax in your villa or have an outside BBQ. However, other than the small pool, there isn't really anything else there. However, there is a boat dock to head to OKW or DTD.

The villas are great. While slightly smaller in sq footage than a regular 2BR, they do have three full bedrooms which really makes a difference if you have two or three or four kids! The master bedroom is definately cozier in terms of available space, and it has a Queen instead of King bed. The Master bath is great and has a couples sized shower right next to the jetted tub, which allows for all kinds of marital opportunities. The living room can stay in "couch mode", making the place feel much more like your own little home at Disney.

We did not use the busses so I can't comment from experience. However, I think I would get tired of having to take a bus back to SSR then wait for a connecting bus every time. The car was super easy and very quick.

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

Thanks for all the great feedback and information. A few more questions for clarification:

• Parking is available at/near your treehouse but only limited to one vehicle per treehouse?
• Is there wifi? or just wired internet access?
• Q-sized bed vs. King-size? yikes!
• Do the fridges have icemakers? is there an ice-machine near the pool?

Thanks again. Glad to hear so many positive reviews.

 

[dgaston]

Let's see:
One car at/near your treehouse
Wi-fi in the treehouse
Queen sized beds (2)
Ice-maker in frig.

HTH

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

It does help.

Thanks Debbie!

 

[Cee]

Absolutely loved them! We had four adults and it was perfect. They sleep 9 but I imagine that would be quite crowded. The buses seemed to run on a loop pretty consistently and the quiet pool was small but very nice and not crowded at all when we were there(beginning of Sept.). We did not see one bug.

The boats and walkway to SSR and DTD were also very convenient. The walk to SSR was very nice indeed. And only 5-10 depending on your pace.

Looking forward to going back.

 

[JD&LYD]

Good thread. We've been looking for comments on the Tree Houses, as we are spending time there after our Magic Cruise in Mar. We've stayed at SSR several times but never in the THV. If I may ask a couple of other Questions the OP has'nt>

Is the BBQ grill Gas or Charcoal?
Is the quiet Pool as big as the ones in Congress Park ?
Is it Well lit at night?
How far to the nearest Grocery?

 

[dgaston]

Charcoal grill -- we used one bag of pre-lighting charcoal, grilled chicken

I think pools are comparable -- used only the hot tub. No DTD view of course -- that changes everything.

Lighting at night ok for me -- walked to quiet pool and boat dock in dark with no problem. Lights on path to THV.

I use Publix at Xentury City. I follow Hotel Blvd in DTD to 535, then you could get on I-4 toward Tampa, exiting at 192.

Winn-Dixie is closer. Take Hotel Blvd in DTD to Crossroads Plaza, left turn and WD is just 3-4 blocks down road on right. There's also an ABC store in the plaza with WD. I just like the Boar's Head meats at Publix, and their special desserts. I check out the sales on line before we arrive.