Where to start?

[owenbyd]

Hi guys and gals

Dh and I are considering a trip to the World with our two boys, DS6 and DS4, in May of 2010.

We have always stayed on site primarily because we LOVE the ambiance. But as tends to happen, as our family got bigger, our wallets got smaller. So we are looking at all options: from pulling our little bitty pop up, staying on site to staying off site. We think we could get more days for our drive (at least 10 hours from the mountains of NC) if we either camp or stay in condo/house.

The thing is, we don't know where to start Can you rise up in the name of all that is Disboard-riffic and help us get a handle on things?

What questions should we be considering as we contemplate staying off-site?

What we DO know is:

- who is going
- that a kitchen would be the main thing...I don't mind cooking quick meals but hey, its MY vacation too!
- we are really unfamiliar with the area and are worried about traffic and travel time esp. since this is 'big city' stuff to us!
- we have also never stayed 'off' site and have relied on Disney transportation everywhere...how hard is it to park/unload/FIND YOUR CAR in the parks?
- money is an issue but so is convenience and ease.

Can you help?

TIA!

 

[Louiepipbgeeco]

If you would like a kitchen and also wish to cut expenses-- Have you considered a house rental?
We have done onsite primarily but we have also stayed offsite and in 2 rentals.
Rentals are nice for the space, kitchen and laundry. Just be prepared to do some work as housekeeping is obviously not going to be a service.Parking at the parks and finding your car is no biggie. The aisles are all named and numbered and trams available to your parking section.
I think that one of the rental companies is called Florida Group. It has been awhile so not sure of the name. There are many, many rental homes out there. Windsor Hills also has condos and rentals and there are even Disney themed ones available. Which is kinda neat. Themed ones book up so need to research early if your want those ones.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your trip

 

[dana1003]

hey there...we've done both. we had to stay off site for the same reason..we are lucky enough to travel with my parents so that off sets the cost a bit. we stayed at the marriot cypress in orlando actually a few blocks away from seaworld and it was fantastic. it had 2 bedrooms, full kitchen and 2 bathrooms. the pools were real nice and it had an onn site pizza hut. we parked right outside our door and as far as parking in the parks , it was ok. just dont forget where u are lol.. i enjoy both experiences. being off site, u have the luxury of exploring more and we went to walmart and picked up some stuff for bfst etc..i also think buena vista suites has some pretty good deals..good luck

 

[Stephanator]

Hi guys and gals



What questions should we be considering as we contemplate staying off-site?

What we DO know is:

- who is going
- that a kitchen would be the main thing...I don't mind cooking quick meals but hey, its MY vacation too!
- we are really unfamiliar with the area and are worried about traffic and travel time esp. since this is 'big city' stuff to us!
- we have also never stayed 'off' site and have relied on Disney transportation everywhere...how hard is it to park/unload/FIND YOUR CAR in the parks?
- money is an issue but so is convenience and ease.

Can you help?

TIA!

We stayed off site last year and loved it. Our rental house was about a 20 minute drive from WDW. We preferred to have more space (a bigger house with a private pool) rather than be closer to WDW and condense down to a townhouse or condo. I think how important that location would be to you could help determine where to start looking at for rentals. Our itinerary was planned around going to one park each day and not park-hopping so we only needed to commmute back and forth from the house once each day. If you'll be making multiple trips (going home for lunch, naps, etc...) you may want to stay closer.

Parking was not at all an issue for us. Currently it's $12 a day to park, but that does give your parking at all the WDW parks in case you do hop around. All the signs within WDW are really well marked to direct you where to exit for each park. We would usually write down where we had parked (or put a note in our cell phone with the row number) and had no problems finding our car.

 

[aras4007]

Buena Vista Suites is about a 5 minute drive from the Disney Parks. I have never stayed there but it looks nice on the website and it has been remodeled recently. My family and I stayed at Runaway Beach Club. Its off of 535 and only about 10 minutes. They are condos with 2 or 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. They had a lot of room to move around in. There is a Walmart about 2 minutes away. We also have stayed at Lighthouse Key Resort. Its on 192 and about 20 minutes from the parks. They had 2, 3, and 4 bedroom condos. They were also very nice. Neither of them have fulltime maid service, but they do come to take the garbage and give new towels.

We always rent a car no matter what and it seems to be easier because you don't have to wait for the busses or anything. If you don't know where you are going, you can ask any of the front desks for directions and maps.

There are also tons for restuarants around to check out. Offsite ones are very good and can usually be cheaper!

Just check out the websites to see how far away Disney is. Also, get the addresses and type them into mapquest to see the estimated travel times.