Treehouse Villas without a car???

[kristenrice]

We're putting together our family trip for October 2019 and we are tossing around a lot of ideas. We have an 8-night trip planned for 8 people (7 girls ages 8-68, and grandpa!) and we are trying to figure out where we want to stay. We looked at the layout of the THV and it would work nicely for our group, but we are trying to decide if we want to spend all 8 nights there or if we want to split it up with another resort.

We typically do not rent a car and since there would be 8 of us, we'd need to rent 2 so we would really like to avoid it if at all possible. That being said, what is the transportation like at the THV? I know that there are multiple stops within SSR, but do you need to take an internal bus from the THV to SSR to get to the park? Or is it a super-long walk? I've looked at Google Earth and I can't seem to figure it out.

FWIW, we are a weird bunch in that we prefer the bus over a car. Even when we have driven our personal vehicle down from Michigan, we park it and use Disney transportation for the entire trip. So we have NO problems with the buses and understand the "downside". My concern is regarding the distance to walk from the Treehouse to a bus stop. If we are realistically going to "need" cars, then we will probably opt for a 4-night stay at the THV and rent the vehicles from the CCC. It looks like a 4-day rental of a compact car will run about $150 per car. It's something we would have to add to the budget so we can plan accordingly.

Thanks for the input...

 

[Marionnette]

We're putting together our family trip for October 2019 and we are tossing around a lot of ideas. We have an 8-night trip planned for 8 people (7 girls ages 8-68, and grandpa!) and we are trying to figure out where we want to stay. We looked at the layout of the THV and it would work nicely for our group, but we are trying to decide if we want to spend all 8 nights there or if we want to split it up with another resort.

We typically do not rent a car and since there would be 8 of us, we'd need to rent 2 so we would really like to avoid it if at all possible. That being said, what is the transportation like at the THV? I know that there are multiple stops within SSR, but do you need to take an internal bus from the THV to SSR to get to the park? Or is it a super-long walk? I've looked at Google Earth and I can't seem to figure it out.

FWIW, we are a weird bunch in that we prefer the bus over a car. Even when we have driven our personal vehicle down from Michigan, we park it and use Disney transportation for the entire trip. So we have NO problems with the buses and understand the "downside". My concern is regarding the distance to walk from the Treehouse to a bus stop. If we are realistically going to "need" cars, then we will probably opt for a 4-night stay at the THV and rent the vehicles from the CCC. It looks like a 4-day rental of a compact car will run about $150 per car. It's something we would have to add to the budget so we can plan accordingly.

Thanks for the input...

There is only one parking space at each THV. Additional vehicles can be parked in the lot near the entrance to the THVs. There is an internal bus system to get you from one place to another within SSR and if you don't have a car, you'll probably want to use it. The closest THV is about a 5 minute walk to the Grandstand bus stop in order to catch a bus to the parks. There's also a boat dock in the THV area for transportation to the Carriage House and then on to DS.

 

[BillPA]

Just an FYI, the bunk beds in the THV are child sized, not full twin size. A bit shorter and narrower, not so good for full size adults.

 

[kristenrice]

Just an FYI, the bunk beds in the THV are child sized, not full twin size. A bit shorter and narrower, not so good for full size adults.

Thanks! The plan is to put my parents (grandpa and grandma) in the "master" bedroom, my daughters (ages 16 and 14 at time of trip) in the bunk room, me by myself in the 3rd bedroom, and my sister and her daughters (ages 8 and 11 at time of trip) in the living room.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

Thanks! The plan is to put my parents (grandpa and grandma) in the "master" bedroom, my daughters (ages 16 and 14 at time of trip) in the bunk room, me by myself in the 3rd bedroom, and my sister and her daughters (ages 8 and 11 at time of trip) in the living room.

As Bill pointed out the bunk beds are for kids. I don't think you daughters will fit in the unless they are small for their age. We had a 9 & 8 year old in them when we stayed and the beds were the right size for them.

 

[kristenrice]

As Bill pointed out the bunk beds are for kids. I don't think you daughters will fit in the unless they are small for their age. We had a 9 & 8 year old in them when we stayed and the beds were the right size for them.

Hmmm...well, my younger one is currently 5'2", but my older one is 5'7" so she may have to share the bed with me. I guess I was thinking that they were about the same size as the pull-down beds in the studios.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

Hmmm...well, my younger one is currently 5'2", but my older one is 5'7" so she may have to share the bed with me. I guess I was thinking that they were about the same size as the pull-down beds in the studios.

Maybe a GV @ OKW would work better. Slightly more points but lots more room. However, unless you own there you probably wouldn't be able to get 8 consecutive nights. But then again, you're considering a split stay anyway. If you're renting points, then you should be able to make a reservation @ 11 months for all 8 days.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There are 2 bus stops for the THV buses so you're never terribly far from one or the other. That bus takes you to the Springs where you then catch a park bus. THV also has a boat dock and service to SSR.

I think 5'2" will be fine in the bunk bed. 5'7" - you might end up sharing your bed but just depends on how they sleep. I'm almost 5'6" and have laid down on one - stretching out my feet would hit the end so I think they are standard twin size - not anything smaller than that.

 

[amym2]

Personally I wouldn't go THV without a car. We stayed there for a no-parks trip (with a car) and loved it. Yes, you'd have to walk (could be 5 min or 15 min depending where, and there are not sidewalks within THV) or take a bus to SSR then switch.

With that many people, the THV would be tight. The living room is pretty tiny. I'd opt for a grand villa at OKW or SSR instead.

 

[jarestel]

We stayed at THV without a car and got along just fine. We used the boat and the Grandstand bus stop to get to/from, as well as walking to the Carriage House a few times. It's not really a lot of walking, but it will certainly take longer than simply jumping in your car and going. We understood the limitations of not having the car going in, so it wasn't a big deal. Never used the internal bus, but that's another option for getting around SSR.

 

[kristenrice]

We stayed at THV without a car and got along just fine. We used the boat and the Grandstand bus stop to get to/from, as well as walking to the Carriage House a few times. It's not really a lot of walking, but it will certainly take longer than simply jumping in your car and going. We understood the limitations of not having the car going in, so it wasn't a big deal. Never used the internal bus, but that's another option for getting around SSR.

This was my thought also, but I was hoping to hear from a real-life experience. The amount of walking is not too daunting, considering all the time we spend in the parks on our feet anyways, but I am not sure how much I'd really like it for 8 nights straight. I think it will be more realistic to split up our stay and do 4 nights at SSR and 4 nights somewhere else.