What communities do people recommend for children and why

[avance]

We are planning our trip for 2014 and I can't decide where to look. We know we want off site with a 3 bedroom. There are so many different communities, windsor hills, paradise palms, and more. What suggestions do you have? We want a splash pool (I think) and is it worth the money to go with. We will have 5 and 8 year old girls and maybe looking for themed rooms??? Planning to do parks 3 or 4 days and then have some days at the resort or just exploring the area. Also travel insurance where to look. I know I have time but I want to start saving and have an idea of a budget.

 

[Ametista]

We are planning our trip for 2014 and I can't decide where to look. We know we want off site with a 3 bedroom. There are so many different communities, windsor hills, paradise palms, and more. What suggestions do you have? We want a splash pool (I think) and is it worth the money to go with. We will have 5 and 8 year old girls and maybe looking for themed rooms??? Planning to do parks 3 or 4 days and then have some days at the resort or just exploring the area. Also travel insurance where to look. I know I have time but I want to start saving and have an idea of a budget.

Both of those resorts are good and comparable to each other except PP is newer. All of them are individually owned so the themed rooms are dependent on the owner. I would check Flip Key, VRBO, Homeaway, where owners will list their own properties and that way you could pick a specific one with theming, whereas if you used a management company they may or may not get you a themed one, I don't know. I think you have the best two resorts picked out as far as resort amenities for kids.

We looked into Indian Hills and Emerald Island and the resort areas were lacking for what we wanted. I think Marriott Cypress Harbour has 3 bedroom units. Its gorgeous but more expensive than PP or WH would be unless you have Interval or something, and condos as opposed to townhomes or single family homes.

If you are going in the warmer months you don't have to pay for pool heat so it would not be any more expensive to have a splash pool, would it?

Also there is always Marriott Harbour Lake. I think an 8 year old will still like the pirate ship pools, but they only have 2 bedrooms with two double beds in the second bedroom. It is a great place for kids though. My dd never wanted to go to Disney because the pools were so fun.

 

[Northernlites]

zero entry pool, great playground and pool is heated to 85 all year.

 

[HeyMickeyUSoFine]

I have to strongly push for Paradise Palms. For me, I always like the newer communities,but it's not just that with Paradise Palms. Each unit has a splash pool; the units are luxurious; the clubhouse and playgound are very nice. Kids all ages will love this property. But the key factor for me was I felt extremely safe. It was nice that there was a guarded gate, but I appreciated that the property was actually frequently patrolled.

 

[Anya22]

We have only stayed at Windsor Hills, but I did a lot of research beforehand and we were very happy with our choice. My kids were 2 and 5 at the time of our trip and we rented the 3BR/3BA townhouse. It was so nice to have that space and also to be able to cook if we wanted. It was worth a little extra to do the townhouse vs. a condo (in my opinion) because I really enjoyed having the little splash pool right outside our door. We stayed 4 nights and we used the splash pool every day and also at night. We did go to the community pool twice and we thought that was very nice. There is also mini golf and a playground but we didn't have time to use those.

We rented directly through an owner and it was a great deal. We didn't rent one with themed rooms, but I saw a lot of the places that did have those and we might get one next time. I liked the website windsorhillsrent because you can request a quote based on your needs and dates and the owners that are part of that website will email you directly and then you can narrow it down based on price and the different properties available that appeal to you.

 

[snickerboo]

We, too, have only stayed at Windsor Hills. It's super close to Disney. Towns and houses will have splash pools (pool heat is extra, just so you're aware but that's the same at any complex). Many have themed rooms. You can usually see many pictures of the properties online. It's very secure.