Villa or Hotel???

[twinton]

HI we are looking at going to WDWF in may/june 2011 ( i know it's a few years away but children are only little)& was wondering with 5adults & 2 children if a villa would work out better than a hotel?
we have been looking at WDW hotels?

 

[wayneg]

Hi
Everyone one has different ideas on Hotels, Villa's, Onsite, Offsite.
We have tried them all and our favourite option is Offsite LBV area, Courtyard by Marriott our fav place to stay just now. But there is only 2 AD and 1 CH.
With the Villa it was like being at home. Did washing, ironing, vac, making beds etc. not what we want on holiday. We want all that done for us.
So our options are Onsite or Offsite hotel, Don't like the allstars resorts we felt room was too small and basic, might be better now but 7 years ago it was not what we expected, we hated Disney buses (I hate any bus) but it was Xmas when it was full to capacity. So would have to be Moderate hotel, but always seem to cost so much and we go for upto 50 nights a year so would be crazy money, We usually get the Courtyard for about £25 a night and is just what we want, love the place.
Only you know how you all get on with each other and what you are looking for
Good luck

 

[Netty]

you would have much more space in a villa,and with children you need it! we have only ever been in villas, so i can't comment on what a hotel would be like.

 

[UKDEB]

What's the precise make-up of your party, and how long will you be staying? I'm assuming with 5 adults and 2 children, you'd have to be considering at least two hotel rooms. Whilst I'm willing to concede that onsite hotels do have a benefit, I'd still have to recommend a villa for your party. That's unless you intend to spend your entire holiday at WDW.

 

[OscarsMum]

We like villas as there comes a point when you need to get away from all things 'Disney'!! With young kids it also means that you can put them to bed and still have good adult time. A swim in your own pool is just soooooo relaxing after a long day in the parks and being able to stretch out on a proper sofa with a large glass of wine whilst the kids splash in the pool is absolute bliss as far as I'm concerned!
This year we are trying a week in a Universal hotel and then a week in a villa which I hope will be a good compromise!

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

We much prefer the villa

Our kids are now 11 and 6 but when we travelled to WDW on a trip 4yrs ago and stayed in CBR and AKL an extra room would have been lovely - just to get a little peace and relaxation or even to watch TV without fear of waking the kids. Since then we have stayed in a villa or townhome.

Happy planning,

Tracey

 

[twinton]

Hi thanks for the advice.

would you be so kind as to let me know which villa's you stayed in & who you booked with please

 

[kitcat1]

Hi, as it is our first trip we searched through hundreds of different villa's but didn't know how far any of them were away from the attractions!! That is when this Dis board comes into its own, to recommend and help out. At first we looked at the english owned villas but you are paying in sterling and can be pricey so we decided to take advantage of the excellent exchange rate by hiring a villa through an american company and paying in dollars, (www.cyberrentals.com) this has saved us hundreds of pounds.

Like you we were planning the trip for years before actually booking it, not long for us now. I am hoping to do a trip report so look out for it, I will try and put some photo's of our villa on it.

Cath

 

[Haworthfamily]

At the moment with DD 5 we prefer a Villa - also my parents came last trip and so it was good to have our own base.
Having our own pool for DD was great and we swam most nights after hitting the parks and also in the mornings, especially at the beginning of your hols when your body thinks it's 9 am and actually it's 5 am ha ha ha.

We have stayed on site before, but that was before DD and was great as we didn't have a hire car, which is something else to think about. In a villa you'll need a hire car for your stay.

Good luck

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

The last villa we rented was in Indian Creek - off 192. It has now been sold but it was only OK - was looking very tired in places and not on a gated community which we would now prefer. Check out the main American rental site www.vrbo.com (on old looking site but with lots and lots of rental properties). Another newer site is www.greatfamilyrentals.com - a bit easier on the eye

Good luck finding something.

Tracey

 

[Netty]

This site was recommended on here by a diser a few weeks back, and we booked our villa from it!

http://villas2go4.com/

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

We had a villa when we went in November 2005 as we were taking our 4 year old daughter and thought we would like to have the privacy of our own pool and not feel like we had to eat out every night. I can honestly say - NEVER AGAIN !!! We were on the US 27 - we booked through Virgin. We were at least 25 minutes in the car everyday to get to Disney/Universal/Sea World. It meant that if we had had the day in the park and wanted to go home to get changed - nobody felt like turning out again as it was 20 minutes to the nearest restaurant! Needless to say - half the clothes in my suitcase never got worn!! We had also thought of a villa because my parents (who also came) and my husband play golf. I naively thought that on the 4 occasions that they played I would be able to catch a bus to DIsney and then they meet with there - big mistake - I couldn't have walked anywhere - not even to a shop!

It was nice to have our own pool but that was the only plus side. We have booked to go this year but are staying at AKL. I would suggest that as you have so long to wait to go and plenty of time to save you can't beat being in a Disney hotel expecially if it is your children's first visit. You can use all the transport and if you've been in a park all day you could pop back to your resort for a swim/change of clothes then go back in for the fireworks or have a walk round Downtown Disney. I don't think you can beat satying "in the heart" of things - especially with children.

Have a fanstastic time - I know its ages away - but think of all t hat extra time you've got to look forward to it and plan!!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi thanks for the advice.

would you be so kind as to let me know which villa's you stayed in & who you booked with please

A villa seems your best option, to me having to book 2 hotel rooms which is what you would need isn't the way to go.

You will have so much extra room, cooking facilities, the freedom to relax when you please plus of course your own pool.

Personally, I would highly recommend staying in Kissimmee where you will be close to supermarkets/restaurants/Disney and the I4.
Villa developments such as Indian Creek, Windsor Palms, Cumbrian Lakes and Terre Verde are all worth considering.

It is always best booking on a site that offers many development options rather than direct off the owner's website, that way the information available is always likely to be up to date.

The following sites are very good:

www.holiday-rentals.com
www.vr360homes.co.uk
www.villas2000.com

The map below shows the location of many of the homes.

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

 

[Dimplenose]

After reading much positive info on villas (mostly on this board) we booked our 2005 holiday at Windsor Palms. I can't fault the villa or location but there was definitely "something" missing from the holiday and although I've been on many self catering holidays in Europe a villa would not be my choice of accommodation for a Disney holiday.

Libby

 

[JohnnySharp2]

After reading much positive info on villas (mostly on this board) we booked our 2005 holiday at Windsor Palms. I can't fault the villa or location but there was definitely "something" missing from the holiday and although I've been on many self catering holidays in Europe a villa would not be my choice of accommodation for a Disney holiday.

Libby

I know what you mean Libby, although we have stayed in many villas mainly for Joshua's benefit, it can feel that you are a bit isolated sometimes and just that you miss the daily contact with fellow guests and travellers that you get in a hotel.
As far as we are concerned the way to go now for us is to have a development with community facilities, such as Windsor Palms, Terre Verde and Emerald Island.
A villa is always our 1st choice, but we now try and combine the stay with a few nights at a DVC resort plus getting away from Orlando for a while too.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

I agree that you can feel isolated in a villa - we were on our last trip but at least there were 2 families together so we were not alone

The gated communities with facilites should be more interactive - hence that's why we decided to buy in a resort rather than a bigger villa with nothing else

People like different things and you will be sure to find something that suits you too I like Johnnys idea of staying in DVC or a nice hotel for a few nights aswell - gives the best of both worlds.

Tracey

 

[castanea1985]

Hi Twinton,
We have stayed on and off site, both in villas and hotels. If this is your first trip to WDW, I agree with Johnny, - do both!
There is nothing like staying 'on site' at a resort hotel, and having free use of their facilities. You can see/do far more than if you were staying off site (its just quicker when everything is on your doorstep), and you also get the advantages of 'early park openings' etc. So, if I were you, I'd book just over a week in a villa, and then stay in one of the moderate+ resort hotels onsite to end your stay! Our kids loved watching the Epcot fire works, whilst they were swimming in Caribbean Beach's pool at night! You could always price up a villa at a DVC resort, if you all wanted to stay together?!
If you stay on site at the end of your stay, its something else to look forward to!
Hope this helps!
Tracy

 

[Cyrano]

Like you we were planning the trip for years before actually booking it, not long for us now. I am hoping to do a trip report so look out for it, I will try and put some photo's of our villa on it.

Cath

Look forward to reading all about it too