Where to stay...so confused!!!

[GeorgieGirls3]

Hello eveyone. This is my first post on these boards but I have been reading all your posts for quite some time. You guys are a wealth of information so I thought I would pick your brain!

We are going to WDW in late July for 9 days. Currently we have reservation at the BCV in a studio. We have three kids, 9,7 & 2. The whole sleeping/napping thing w/ a toddler and sleeping in a studio for that long is getting to me, plus how expensive it is to stay there. The resort looks beautiful, and although it's a great location, I'm trying to figure out where else we can stay. I know I have lots of options but lately all the research is overwhelming me!!
I have researched the All Star vacation homes and they look beautiful and less money with LOTS more room, I also just found Bonnet Creek which looks great and so close to the parks.
I guess I'm wondering what extended vacation hotel/house has worked for you and why. Also, if you have stayed at the All Star Vacation homes, is it really only 4 miles to the World?
TIA!!!
Maggie

 

[1rockinmamato2]

Hello and welcome to the boards!

I had the same problem you are having once we decided on a date to go. This forum helped a lot but also check out the Resorts forum.

Enjoy planning your trip. It's half of the joy of going in my opinion.

 

[GeorgieGirls3]

Thanks, I think I'll do that. Where did you end up staying with your famiy?
Anyone ever stayed at the All Star Vacations? Comments or complaints appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[all4fun]

Maggie, are you booking BCV directly thru Disney or are you renting points from a DVC member? There's a DVC rent/trade board on the Dis you might also want to look at. Renting points is a much less expensive way to go. If you went that route, maybe you could even afford a 1 bedroom instead of a studio?

As far as distance to the parks from the All Stars Vacation Homes, I would guess that they are probably talking about the distance from the home to the WDW main gate entrance. Just a guess though...I've never actually stayed there.

 

[GeorgieGirls3]

Thanks...I booked directly thru Disney. I have checked w/ Disney and they are all booked up for studios, 1 & 2 bedrooms for the time we will be going. I thought about renting points...can you still rent points even if Disney says the resort is booked up? Do renters get special priveledges where that is concerned?

 

[Desnik]

Welcome to the boards!!!
When you rent from a DVC'er it has nothing to do with Disney directly. DVC gives Disney a block of rooms to "sell" for cash. It would probably be hard to get a ressie at most of the DVC resorts now for July through an owner since us DVC'ers can book 11 months(if it is your home resort)and 7 months out. It is still worth a try. Take a look at the rent/trade board. We rented twice before we became members and it went very smooth and we saved a ton of money.

Personally we love staying onsite. Even though the hotels offsite say they are 3 miles away from WDW, they mean the main entrance to WDW property, not a specific park. IMHO you can't beat being on property especially with small kids and being able to use the Disney transportation to/from your resort. Have you looked into the All Star Music resort suites? Here's a link:
http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asuites.htm
That you would book through Disney. I would also suggest going over to the resorts boards. Another suggestion would be to make a list of what you need or must have in your hotel room and what is most important for you to have at your resort. For us, when we plan a trip and know we will be going to the parks on most of our days it is really important to be at a resort that is close to our favorite parks. For that we stay at the BW for the walking or oat access to Epcot and MGM. Good luck desiding, but your desision may be easier because you may only have a few choices with booking so close to the date you want to go. You might want to call and see what's available first and then take it from there. Let us know if you have any more questions!

 

[NU2WDW]

Hi,
We're leaving Saturday -- -- for my first trip to WDW in 20 years! We will be a group of 4 adults, 1 teen, and 3 preschoolers for two weeks. There is no way on earth we could afford to be on Disney property. Even with multiple rooms, the thought of being cooped up in that little space for so long plus the expense of meals -- not relaxing in the least for me! We have rented a large house off site with all the comforts of home and then some.

I know many people here do not feel they get the same "magical" experience unless they are at a Disney property. I completely respect that, but OTOH we needed to respect our finances and our space needs! I was actually quite surprised at how unaccommodating most Disney properties seem to be for groups larger than 4. I'll have a better understanding after our trip of what I think of off-site, but for this trip, at least, I think it made the most sense from all perspectives.

 

[HeatherC]

If you can stay at Bonnet Creek, I'd say go for it. The resort and units are beautiful and the location cannot be beat. It is for all intents and purposes "onsite" though not owned by Disney. It is literally next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort and right near Downtown Disney. Very easy commute to all the parks.

When you compare this to the All Star Suites, there is no comparison. It is much more upscale and luxurious. And...it could wind up costing a lot less.

Check out www.vacationtimesharerentals.com to rent a week through a private owner. We stayed in a 2 bedroom for President's Week for 12 days for about $1100 total.

HTH
HeatherC

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Okay, now I'm confused-are you asking about the All Star Vacation Homes (no relation to Disney at all) or are you asking about the All Star Junior Suites at Disney's AS resorts? Thought I understood, but now I'm lost.

If you are speaking of the AS Vacation HOMES, then I would certainly try for one if that works better for you. No, you won't have the perks of being on property (and we love BC), but having a regular home to go to each night is wonderful. We used ASVH back in 1998 or 1999 (think it was 98), anyhoo...we had the whole family down there and had a 5 bedroom home-totally had everything we could possibly need-including an inground pool in the back yard that was enclosed. Kitchen had whatever you required and the house was clean and spacious. Beats the pants off of any of the resort rooms and worked out to be cheaper. You can get smaller or larger homes/condos from them, it just depends what you need and what is available. The drive to Disney from where we were was minimal-maybe 15 minutes away from the parks, definitely something we didn't find to be a bother.

 

[disneyohana]

I love the BC for the pools, luxury, & restaurants but it is expensive. We have a 2 yr old and planned on a nap and swim at the hotel everyday. Our dd fell asleep in the stroller everyday before we got back to the hotel. We did swim a lot but the napping at the hotel didn't happen. Even though the BC is beatiful we haven't stayed there in years because of the price. The CBR was really fun for my DD and she loved the waterslide at the pool.