mandymom Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Anyone have any suggestions or hotels to stay away from in Orlando? We have 5 kids, so 7 people all together. We would like to be close to the Disney parks, stay in one room (we are willing to stay in 2, but prefer 1), and be in a relatively safe area. The only Disney resorts that we all fit in are the deluxe resorts, and that's getting a little pricey. We looked at doing two rooms at the value resorts, but thought there might be somewhere nicer to stay. We will be driving, so we will have a car, but we would still like to not be way away from the parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 When we went several years ago, we stayed at a budget resort on disney property ( One of the All Star hotels) and got 2 adjoining rooms. They had a door that opened between them - so it was almost like having a suite. We went during off season and paid about $80/night per room - which was a bit more expensive than a moderate, but cheaper than a deluxe hotel (It actually worked out pretty well, as we had 2 full size bathrooms - so getting ready in the mornings was much easier than waiting in line for 1 shower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 We've done two rooms at a moderate (Port Orleans Riverside) and loved it! We've also stayed off-property at Windsor Hills. It's a gated community with its own pool (gorgeous!) and community center. It is about a mile from the WDW entrance. We got a 3 bedroom condo. I can give you the contact information if you'd like! The two are very different vacations, but we love both!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 2 connecting rooms at a value is our favorite at Disney. I'm big on being on property, though, so if that's not important to you, you can find a better deal elsewhere. I really love Pop century, and they've redone all the rooms over the past year or so, so they're pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelaughs_times_three Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Disney!!! My favorite subject!!! :D Have you looked into the vacation home option? Orlando is FULL of beautiful, executive level homes that have fully equipped kitchens, beautiful living rooms, dining rooms, TVs, DVD players, screened-in pools, etc. You can get large homes (2,000 + sq ft) for less than the price of a lot of the Disney hotel rooms! We did this option and loved it! We were only a 5 min. drive to Disney. One year we stayed on Disney property and used their free bus system. It would take us an hour to get to the parks with all the waiting for the bus, and all the stops it would take. With the vacation home, we drove 5 min., parked and took the tram up to the gate. There in about 15 minutes! Much better! :001_smile: I would recommend doing a google search with "orlando" or "disney" and "vacation homes". There's a bunch of good ones. We used Orlando Property Services. We found our vacation home on www.pleasantstays.com. We only paid a little over $1000 for an entire weeks' stay (in October)! The neighboorhood was very nice and safe as well. Many of the homes are in secured, gated communities! Have fun at Disney! We're thinking of going in November. We have a camper now, so we're going to try camping. I can't beat the $44 a night for camping on property! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 We have stayed at Windsor Hills and have recommended it to several people and everyone has been very happy with their stay. For the money you cannot beat the amenities. We are going again next year and tried to make onsite work, but it's literally thousands more. Traveling with 2 adults and 2 kids, we need living space; we can't just stay in one room for a week. So compared to the onsite villas, it's so much cheaper to stay offsite. WH is very close to the parks; just a quick drive and you are there. I highly recommend this location! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 My big reason for staying on-site is the fact that you get free parking and get to use the Extra Magic Hours. We love the Pop Century value resort...that's usually where we stay. We go often so we cannot be paying for a deluxe each time we go. We have stayed at Windsor Hills before too. It is SUPER nice. And honestly, it's probably closer to the Magic Kingdom than some of the actual Disney resorts. It's really nice to be able to spread out, put the kids to sleep and not have to worry about keeping quiet, and having your own kitchen (even if you don't plan to cook...I like the fridge to store snacks and breakfast). So while I do love staying on property, I do love Windsor Hills as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCJessieRN Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 The value resorts have family suites but we had to call bc their are only 200. We went in Nov. And oaid $85/night. We had 6 in our room but im not sure if that is max capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks for all the suggestions! I think that we may go with something off-site, and Windsor Hills sounds great. It's just so hard to know how to narrow it down when all you have to look at is pictures :001_smile: The kids are so excited....they've never been to Disney before. We wanted to wait till the youngest was old enough to remember it some, but didn't want the oldest to be too old for it to be "cool", you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakimberly Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Can I highly recommend this FREE resource? EasyWDW We use it to plan our days at each park and it helps tremendously. Check out the crowd calendar and the recommendations for which park to visit each day are very accurate. There are also free apps for iPhone and Android that show wait times for all rides. Hope that helps! Kimberly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbmom Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 You might want to try posting/searching the same question on allears.net There are some serious Disney fanatics over there;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Anyone have any suggestions or hotels to stay away from in Orlando? We have 5 kids, so 7 people all together. We would like to be close to the Disney parks, stay in one room (we are willing to stay in 2, but prefer 1), and be in a relatively safe area. The only Disney resorts that we all fit in are the deluxe resorts, and that's getting a little pricey. We looked at doing two rooms at the value resorts, but thought there might be somewhere nicer to stay. We will be driving, so we will have a car, but we would still like to not be way away from the parks. We stayed in a WONDERFUL condo not far from Disney. With a large family, many hotels in Disney are not an option due to numbers aloud in room and price. Check this out http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/ We were there in 2008 and stayed in the villa there with other family. It was awesome! If and when we go again (praying for money! lol ) we will stay there. :) And the condos are decorated in almost all Disney stuff! :D Sooooo beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 We've stayed in one of these units at Windsor Hills and been very happy: Vacation Central Florida We've also been very pleased when booking through this company: Florida Sun Vacation Homes Once we got past the baby in the pack & play with our 3rd we've not stayed on-site. And I have to say a little box hotel room, even if it is surrounded by Disney magic, just wouldn't cut it for us anymore. The accommodations at places like WH are really nice, and the price for what you get is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 We've also been very pleased when booking through this company: Florida Sun Vacation Homes Thanks for the recommendation! My dh just put a deposit on a 4 bdr villa in Windsor Hills! It's actually more space than we need, but we liked the private pool and hot tub as well as the game room :001_smile: We are going to see if a set of grandparents wants to come along too since we will have the room. I knew I could count on good advice here.....so excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks for the recommendation! My dh just put a deposit on a 4 bdr villa in Windsor Hills! It's actually more space than we need, but we liked the private pool and hot tub as well as the game room :001_smile: We are going to see if a set of grandparents wants to come along too since we will have the room. I knew I could count on good advice here.....so excited! :hurray: You'll love it! We've stayed at WH for the past 2 years and we can't see staying anywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 One of my favorite subjects too! Check out http://www.disboards.com You will come away with more information for planning a Disney vacation than you could ever imagine. As a side, may I recommend a guidebook? The Passporter is great. I used it for our 8 day trip in 2009. It was a life saver! And, as an added bonus, I have a Disney vacation story published in the 2011 edition, p. 216:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks for the recommendation! My dh just put a deposit on a 4 bdr villa in Windsor Hills! It's actually more space than we need, but we liked the private pool and hot tub as well as the game room :001_smile: We are going to see if a set of grandparents wants to come along too since we will have the room. I knew I could count on good advice here.....so excited! YEAH!!!! You won't regret staying there. It is VERY close to Disney and the houses look like they're kept up VERY well. We really enjoyed having all that space. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks for the recommendation! My dh just put a deposit on a 4 bdr villa in Windsor Hills! It's actually more space than we need, but we liked the private pool and hot tub as well as the game room :001_smile: We are going to see if a set of grandparents wants to come along too since we will have the room. I knew I could count on good advice here.....so excited! I think that is where the one we stayed at is! :) You will love it! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 :hurray: You'll love it! We've stayed at WH for the past 2 years and we can't see staying anywhere else. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbed0849 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 We love Windsor Hills. We have stayed there twice in 4 BR home. So close to the parks! For future reference, or if anyone else needs an idea, you may want to look into Caribe Royale Resort. They have 2 bedroom villas for really good rates. They have a one-day sale each wednesday. It was very clean when we stayed. It had tons of space for the money. It is also close and has a shuttle to the parks. We typically stay on property at the wilderness lodge or boardwalk villas. The caribe royale was suprisingly nice for the $$. Have fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Thanks for the recommendation! My dh just put a deposit on a 4 bdr villa in Windsor Hills! It's actually more space than we need, but we liked the private pool and hot tub as well as the game room :001_smile: We are going to see if a set of grandparents wants to come along too since we will have the room. I knew I could count on good advice here.....so excited! We've rented from Florida Sun Vacation Homes several times, too, and have been very pleased. The slide and the pool are terrific, and it's gated, so it feels very safe. :) Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Thanks for all the suggestions! I think that we may go with something off-site, and Windsor Hills sounds great. It's just so hard to know how to narrow it down when all you have to look at is pictures :001_smile: The kids are so excited....they've never been to Disney before. We wanted to wait till the youngest was old enough to remember it some, but didn't want the oldest to be too old for it to be "cool", you know? We went through All Star Vacation Homes; I think it was Windsor Hills. It was FANTASTIC! This is the only way I would do it now. DD had a huge king bedroom to herself, dh and I had a king also and the boys shared a totally adorable dalmation bedroom. The kitchen was great; saved $$$ on eating. Also loved having laundry in the room. It was ridiculously close to the parks, faster even then when we stayed on property at Wilderness Lodge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandsam Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 We have stayed at World Quest. It's just outside Disney. You can get a 3 bedroom - a king, queen and two twins. Depending on your kids, you might get this to work. There is a kitchen, washer/dryer, dining room, porch, pool, continental breakfast. Check rates and feedback on Expedia. We are returning there this year. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 The family suites at the All Star Music resort are awesome, too. They sleep six and you get all the benefits of staying on site that you will miss if you don't stay on property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Here is the Disney page for large family accommodations. Many times an annual pass will save one hundreds off the room. So even if one is coming down for 5 or 6 nights, the annual pass for mom might be a big savings. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/groups/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) This thread is about a year old. Where did you end up staying OP? Edited March 16, 2012 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 :lol: I didn't notice the age of the post. I wonder how I found it anyway. Lots to learn about this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Fort wilderness cabins work well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 The Caribe Royale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Windsor Hills! We rented from Storytime Orlando and stayed in a 3 br townhouse with a private splash pool right outside the back door. Full kitchen -- linens and towels included -- washer / dryer. $105.00 a night And we were just minutes from Disney. You literally left the complex, drove maybe 1/4 of a mile to the main road (192) and Disney was the next exit...no more than a mile away. We loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 You found it because someone posted before you with some SPAM. It was reported and deleted. No harm. :lol: I didn't notice the age of the post. I wonder how I found it anyway. Lots to learn about this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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