What am I missing for finding good prices offsite?

[Avalon_toon]

You can check with Vacation Strategy (http://vacationstrategy.com/) and Vacation Upgrades (http://vacationupgrades.com/) for rooms at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort - they may or may not have availability for your dates. Vacation Upgrades charges $120 a night for a two bedroom condo with full kitchen, etc. This is way more space for way less money than a moderate onsite hotel, and Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort is still inside the WDW gates.

 

[disneysteve]

We are coming from Ontario Canada.

Never mind then. We aren't nearly as far away so driving makes sense for us.

 

[ranman1973]

Hi Smashing. Fellow Canadian here. We booked our hotel on Hotwire and were EXTREMELY PLEASED with it. We got a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, full kitchen unit for around $90 per night. It included free parking and wifi.

We did end up needing a rental car, but I found that www.expedia.ca has some super awesome rates, especially if you have insurance that you can port over to your rental car. This will save you a lot of $. Be sure to go to the .ca site, and not the .com site as the rates can be quite different.

If you are thinking about Hotwire, just know that the reservations are non-refundable, so you are taking a chance. Its definitely not for everybody. We were quite lucky. Here's a list of Orlando Hotwire hotels, so you can gain some clues as to what hotel you might get.

 

[Sunshine25]

I highly recommend using VRBO/Homeaway and booking from an owner direct. That way, you know precisely which unit you are staying in. There are several properties in the Orlando area.
Since you are from Canada - try Kijiji - Canadian owners will list their property there as well

Book rental car through Hotwire - can usually find good rates

 

[Tink415]

In order to see the value and savings in offsite accommodations, you have to be comparing apples to apples. That means not comparing the price of a 260 square foot value resort room to a 3 bedroom townhouse in Windsor Hills or a 2 bedroom villa at Bonnet Creek or the Sheraton Vistana.

We are paying about $125 a night for our August stay at the Vistana Resort. A value room with a discount will be slightly cheaper for the same time period. But instead of the 260 square feet and one bathroom, we're getting two full bedrooms (one with a king sized bed, the other with two doubles), two full bathrooms (one with a jacuzzi tub), a screened in balcony, a full kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave and dishwasher, in-room laundry facilities, a large living room with a queen sized pullout sofa, a dining room, and 3 flat-screen TV's. Then, the resort also provides more amenities than any of the values....7 pools, 6 hot tubs, 13 tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, onsite mini golf, daily scheduled activities, surrey bike rentals, etc.

Our room at the Vistana accommodates a family of 8. The value resort at Disney will only support a family of up to 4.

A comparable Disney room would be $700+ ... per night. That's a $575 nightly difference!

Hi, can I ask how you booked and got about $125 night for Vistana Resort? I checked through the Dreams Unlimited link and a week in August, 2 bedroom for 4 adults and 1 child - it said rooms were only available for 4 adults ??? A 2 bedroom was $175 night plus tax for a king and 2nd bedroom with 2 twins. August is close now so maybe the rate went up.??, and comparatively speaking, $175 for 2 bedrooms is good.

I never seem to find great low prices either! I've had no luck with my dates with Vacation Strategy or Vacation Upgrades.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi, can I ask how you booked and got about $125 night for Vistana Resort? I checked through the Dreams Unlimited link and a week in August, 2 bedroom for 4 adults and 1 child - it said rooms were only available for 4 adults ??? A 2 bedroom was $175 night plus tax for a king and 2nd bedroom with 2 twins. August is close now so maybe the rate went up.??, and comparatively speaking, $175 for 2 bedrooms is good.

I never seem to find great low prices either! I've had no luck with my dates with Vacation Strategy or Vacation Upgrades.

In 2013, we booked through Jetblue Getaways (adding our accommodations to our flights). It was a fabulous price.

We are going again this August (two weeks this year , the 17th to the 31st). Since we own now, we just have our maintenance fees to pay this year...a big savings!!! For fun, I just ran my dates with Sheraton directly, and the 2 bedroom rate is coming up at $133 per night (plus tax) under the "Save 20% Prepaid" rate. In comparison, the Dreams Unlimited no housekeeping rate is $169 per night for the first week, $129 nightly for the second week. By booking through Sheraton directly, daily housekeeping should be included in the $133 per night rate. Of course, you have to be willing to prepay in full for that preferable price and there are no cancellations or changes permitted.

Some of the 2 bedrooms at SVR sleep 6 (if there are two twins in the 2nd bedroom). The remainder sleep 8 (those villas that have two doubles in the 2nd bedroom). You would be fine for 4 adults and one child either way.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I always stay at Westgate town center. It is close to the park and I usually drive so the car rental isn't an issue. Have an AP so no charge for parking. The space you get for the price is amazing. Plus for extended stays a full kitchen is nice. There are 14 pools on property to choose from.