Where to stay offsite?

[sjams]

I was just wondering for those of you who don't stay on site and do stay at condo's etc., how do you find these? A friend of my DM said she stayed at one and it was the nicest place she had ever been too, in all her vacations. Do you really like them? How about the time it gets to the parks? Fill me in on the "in's and out's" of using these vs onsite, which is getting soo expensive.

Thanks

 

[spiceycat]

you can bid

www.skyauction.com

just be sure to bid only on timeshares not hotels.

the timeshares ad says plus $195 for the week fees.

a hotel will say plus $32 per NIGHT for fees.

after a while you can spot them easily

they generally are a 7 night stay only.

but always read the ad BEFORE you bid.

if you don't like to bid

www.condodirect.com

www.redweek.com - you have to join

http://www.tug1.org/tugads/1-1sposted1.html

http://www.myresortnetwork.com/Florida-timeshares.asp?order=City,SortName

for myresortnetwork - the cities you are interested in - Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista (this is where WDW is located), Orlando

www.vrbo.com

www.hotelkingdom.com - cypress pointe is generally here - lots of people love it.

 

[dougsmom98]

We have stayed in a townhouse and a 4 bedroom pool home and both of these places were wonderful. We find it very hard to go to a hotel room now. There is so much space, full size refridgerators to store drinks and snacks, several tvs, multiple bedrooms for added privacy and washers and dryers so no need to over pack. The commutes to the park are not bad at all. There are several maps available that show where different subdivisions are, here is one of them http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm Some commutes are easier to get to than others. We loved staying in Windsor Palms which is the Formosa Gardens area. I like to search using vrbo.com.
Good luck. There are several recent threads about vacation home and condo rentals you may want to check out.

 

[crjack]

Hotel Kingdom often times has suites available. Places like Cypress Pointe and Cypress Pointe Grand Villas gets good reviews. Everyone seems to like the Vistana as well.

We use www.vrbo.com for renting condos and pool homes. We like Windsor Palms, Windsor Hills and hope to try Emerald Island next because they are all very close to Disney and beautiful resorts with community ammenities in addition to the beautiful homes they have available for rent.

There are no tours or sales pitches involved and most owners have websites that provide you with a tour or detailed photos and unit info.

Lots of posters here swear by off-site condos for the space, $$$ value and luxury. Let us know if you have any questions.

 

[tammyandtommy]

What about surrounding hotels? My husband and I are also debating... we plan on trying to squeeze in 2 more nights, but the price off site is intriguing! LOL

 

[HappyLawyer]

i use skyauction

 

[mikkiwikki]

We are going to get a full 3000 sq ft house PACKED with stuff to do....PS2, 5 VCRS, 6 bdrms, 5 tvs etc etc., huge onsite pool, grill etc., etc., for 10 days. The price was comparable to what we would have paid to stay in a tiny little deluxe hotel room.

That is not to say that I wouldnt want to try a *new* deluxe sometime (I was a poly princess in my childhood )....

In suma, it really depends on the house/ condo you find...you can totally cut your budget for hotel costs in half or more!

 

[mikkiwikki]

What about surrounding hotels? My husband and I are also debating... we plan on trying to squeeze in 2 more nights, but the price off site is intriguing! LOL

Try

www.priceline.com
www.hotels.com
www.hotelkingdom.com
www.travelocity.com
www.expedia.com

 

[tammyandtommy]

where have people stayed off site, Im not looking for sites to find places, I want personal experiences! LOL But thanks Im not brave enough to bid til I know that people have stayed there recently

 

[spiceycat]

I have stayed at
Orange Lake - didn't like it - too long to wait on a light

Sheraton Vistana Resort - loved it - even stayed in an older section

Celebration World Resort - pretty close to WDW - around 4 miles to AK. One of the reason I loved this place - it is pet friendly - so if you have a problem don't stay here. Not alot of activities.

hotels

best western lakeside (when it was a Sheraton and then again when it was a LaQunita)

Marrriott Grande Vista - loved it!!! (okay my last visit was not up to par - but since all the others were wonderful)

there were others I will have to look at my notes.

how could I forget

Hilton Grand Vacation Club Seaworld - loved it!!!

 

[QT Pooh]

We stayed at a Windsor Hills condo this past January (not a timeshare resort). We absolutely loved it. It was our first time staying someplace offsite that wasn't a hotel. We've also stayed on-site several times. For us, Windsor Hills was perfect. It was over 1400 sq. ft., had a full kitchen, 3 BRs and 2 BA. The resort pool was wonderful, there was a fitness room and a game room, and the drive to Disney was very short (5 mins to AK, 15 mins to MK). My kids were 12 and 11, and they are different sexes - when we travel we need at least three beds. Also, as vacations are time to de-stress, mom and dad are certainly glad to have their own bedroom (if you know what I mean) That's just difficult to do in a hotel room, and two rooms at a value would have cost us $50 per night MORE than what we were paying for the condo. With an 11 night vacation, that's $550, not to mention the cost of food/snacks/drinks that we didn't have to pay Disney prices for.

The place was built in 2005 so nothing's had a chance to get rundown yet. I certainly recommend the area.

 

[Zipitydooda]

We really liked Windsor Palms and Emrald Isle--very close and beautiful with lots of room. We love the resorts further out because they have less of a touresty feel (and cost even less) Lake Marion Resort and Grenelefe come to mind. We use VRBO.COM and deal directly with the owners.

 

[jhorstma]

In many cases there are a couple different room types/price points for timeshares - as a general rule I recommend you shoot for a 2BR unit, even if you only have 2 to 4 people. Even though a 1BR will say it sleeps 4 (and seems much cheaper), you'll likely end up with a studio "lock-out" that can be quite cramped. 2BR units tend to be much, much roomier, and not just because of the extra bedroom.

 

[minnie29uk]

You can try www.lastminutevillas.net and owners with availability for your dates will get back in touch with you.

Happy hunting,
Lynn