Where to stay?

[njwdw]

My family is planning a trip to WDW next year and we have discussed the pros and cons of staying in a "home away from home" and staying in a resort. (ie, cost of room, food, transportation, etc.) It would be 8 adults (4 couples) and six children (3 and 3). Any suggestions or advise???

 

[deena]

to WDW or stayed in a rental home but it seems that a lot of people who have traveled with at least this many in their group that I have read about have found it very much an advantage all the way around to rent a home instead of booking a hotel.

There are quite a few companies in the Orlando area that do rent homes for a lot less than what your whole party combined would pay for an average week's stay at a hotel.

Also, you would have the privilege of staying together (meaning in one place/in close proximity to eachother) instead of being split up in case for whatever reason the hotel you were staying at would not be able to provide you with rooms that were near one another if you definitely wanted them.

Another big plus others have stated about home renting was the amount of room (multiple bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone) had in comparison to a basic hotel room along with being able to prepare a couple of meals for breakfast or lunch in case you didn't want to eat out or save a couple of dollars.

Lastly, I remember hearing about how everyone thoroughly enjoyed the quiet and privacy that their whole group enjoyed along with having a pool all to themselves morning, noon, and night.

So, a lot of people have had excellent reports and much satisfaction on this board with renting homes; also with most being very reasonably priced and a 5 min drive to Disney and in virtually same location as all the maingate hotels (and costing much less money had they stayed in a hotel when saving money is very important) .

You can do a search on this 'Orlando Hotels and Attractions' by clicking on search and then typing rental homes so you can read first-hand about others experiences and maybe get an idea of where you would like to stay.

Also, I am sure the official Kissimmee and Orlando tourist bureaus will have home rental places on a highly recommended list.

Hope this helps; good luck with your planning.

 

[baileybrad]

that large, I would definitely look into getting a large privately owned home with its own pool, etc.

 

[Margie J]

A private home off-site will be more economical than staying in a Grand Villa at WDW. A Grand Villa won't even be big enough for all of you (holds 12).

 

[yankinuk]

We did Disney last year (Nov), there were ten of us all together. Stayed at Rolling Hills just two miles from Disney maingate. With that many people we definatley made the right decision. Lots of room and our own pool (six bedrooms,four baths) for just under $1000 a week.
Only drawback was the traffic on 192, gridlock by 9 am.
Other than that it was brilliant.

 

[Lisa P.]

When you are going and the ages of the children may play a factor in your decision too. If you will be there during a major holiday, the traffic will be worse and you'd need to choose carefully if you stay offsite... get very near the property and ask at check-in for the fastest route in to the parks. Often, there are back roads that will save you time. This is also true if the children are very young and you'd like to be able to return to your resort or home for a mid-day break. All this matters much less if you're going during a quieter time.

Depending on whether everyone would be happy and comfortable with that much togetherness, you may find that having 2 villas for 8 each would be more comfortable than one very large home. Personally, I would want to stay in villas or a home, over 4 hotel rooms, though. Trying to coordinate such a group will be hard enough. Having to do it betwen 4 separate hotel rooms scattered throughout a sprawling hotel resort, like the All Stars would be even worse.

In villas or a rental home, the adults could still socialize when the little ones are napping or sleeping. Swapping off nights of child sitting is easier (more familiar surroundings than hotel rooms). And gathering for an easy spaghetti meal or shared breakfast is simple & cheap. Carpooling would be easy, to accommodate differing interests or schedules.

Onsite villas are very nice but much more expensive than offsite. Only you can decide if it's worth it for the onsite perks. Often with so many families, not everyone can afford those Disney rooms. You'll have a ball offsite too, if you choose a really nice place to stay, very close by. Hope this helps.

 

[tednvon]

Hi...to begin shopping I would suggest vrbo.com.....then go to central florida....we have used vrbo many times and been very happy........these are vacation rentals direct from the owners....we have found them to be better furnished, and the ownders very willing to work with you....look for little extras like king beds, TVs in bedrooms, VCRs for the kids, and make sure the pool is heated and you know how much extra.....a cold pool is no fun......other suggestion is adjoining 3 br 2 bath condos in a private developement....this would allow a little more privacy.....one more suggestion.....fight the urge to rent a van and get two cars instead......you will find that people want to do different things and have different time tables and several cars will make it much easier for one group to shop while other do a the parks or golf or whatever......shop very often for cars, prices really change a lot and you can get two cars for about the price of one van.....good luck..you will love disney....post or email if more specific questions......Grandpa Ted