Meadowlark Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We are thinking and dreaming.... We'd LIKE to stay on-site because of the magic and all, but with food for my crew and having to book 2 standard rooms, it's going to cost a fortune. We can go anytime so hope to score a rock bottom deal in a nice place. We may have to think about off-site. I'm looking for these 3 things primarily and would appreciate specific suggestions if you've had personal experience with any amazing off-site places. 1. close proximity to all 4 theme parks 2. a bit of magic with a bit of theming if possible 3. EXCELLENT transportation to parks 4. sleeps 7-9 Thank you so much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We just stayed at the Lake Bueno Vista Best Western. It's walking distance (or a short drive) to Disney Springs. Close to the parks. Quite a few restaurants and fast food options close by. I got our deal through Orbitz or hoteling.com....can't remember which. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Number 3 is going to be the killer. Factor in vehicle rental and parking to see if you would actually save money staying offsite. Sometimes it's worth buying one annual pass to get free parking and the photo pass. Number 2 might be difficult as well. I've never seen any other hotels that theme the way Disney does. We stayed at Bonnet Creek once and it was nice for the price. We drove and had annual passes though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Definitely Bonnet Creek or Silver Lake Resort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We lived at Disney for a while lol. Bahama Bay, Celebration Suites, Seralago...sorry in a rush :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermama Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Have you looked into renting Disney Vacation Club points? That's their on-site timeshare - some of them are actually located at Deluxe Resorts. By your sig, I'm guessing there's 7 people in your family, so you'd need a 2-bedroom villa. That would include a full kitchen and washer/dryer, so you could cook some or all of your meals at the hotel (and use grocery delivery from Von's or similar). You can use all of the usual Disney transportation, so no need for a rental car or paying parking fees. Here's the allears general page on DVC. I hear David's Vacation Club Rentals recommended a lot, but I've never used them. It looks like it would run you around $420 a night for a 2-bedroom at Animal Kingdom Lodge during the least expensive season through them, though, so that still may be more than you want to spend. I've heard of people doing VRBO for whole houses for a week for around that.... but then you're not on-site. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) We stayed at Windsor Hills and loved it. There are a lot of very Disney themed units, which our kids loved :) I don't know if they have transportation because we've always had a car. I know most of the places that have transportation either charge a fee, or just don't have great schedules for their shuttles. I agree with a PP about looking into renting points. How big is your family? The 2 bedroom villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West (we stayed here and loved it--it's huge) or Saratoga Springs could be pretty reasonable. dvcrequest.com is a site that many people use. You can go on there and get prices for different dates to see if it's affordable for you. You can get a rental cheaper from an owner, but sometimes it's worth the extra to use someone reputable. We made all our breakfasts at the villa, came home for some lunches, and had a couple of dinners there too. Edited February 23, 2016 by whitestavern 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) We stayed at Windsor Hills and loved it. There are a lot of very Disney themed units, which our kids loved :) I don't know if they have transportation because we've always had a car. I know most of the places that have transportation either charge a fee, or just don't have great schedules for their shuttles. I agree with a PP about looking into renting points. How big is your family? The 2 bedroom villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West (we stayed here and loved it--it's huge) or Saratoga Springs could be pretty reasonable. dvcrequest.com is a site that many people use. You can go on there and get prices for different dates to see if it's affordable for you. You can get a rental cheaper from an owner, but sometimes it's worth the extra to use someone reputable. We made all our breakfasts at the villa, came home for some lunches, and had a couple of dinners there too. We are a family of 7, but the grandparents may join us. I have to admit, the DVC totally confuses me. I will look more into it though, but $400 something per night is definitely out of the budget. We could probably get 2 standard rooms at a value resort for $200-$300 per night, but I know some of those homes or Windsor Hills are much cheaper than that. I'm hoping for less than $100 a night to make up for missing the magic. Oh, I don't know. I feel like this is a "pie in the sky" dream for us. I just can't imagine what food would cost in the parks if we had to feed us all 3 meals a day. My kids are little, but my boys eat SO much. I just feel like we could save so much money eating breakfast in the condo/house and packing sandwiches. I just really need a bit of handholding unfortunately. I can see why some people just don't go-it's so overwhelming and so much money. Edited February 23, 2016 by Meadowlark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Check into DVC rentals. That is what we do. Also, have you check out the family suites? Depending on the deals, those might be a better value for you. Otherwise, Bonnet Creek would be great for your family. With DVC or Bonnet Creek, you will have a kitchen and washer/dryer. If you stay off site- I highly recommend a car. For renting DVC- we have used www.dvcrentalstore.com www.dvcrequest.com Both of those sites also had a list of last minute/need someone to take over vacations. Those can be a great deal. Last year, we got a 2 bedroom for a week for 1100. Just a thought- we have rented a trailer before and stayed at Disney Fort Wilderness. If you want to check out those- PM for some great people to deal with. Edited February 23, 2016 by itsheresomewhere 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 You may have another option, if you wanted to stay onsite. You could do the campgrounds and stay in tents or (pricier) rent an RV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 What about vrbo.com or airbnb? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarasue7272 Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Maybe you should get one of those Disney travel agents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We stay in Windsor Hills, rent from www.floridasunvacationhomes.comIf you go during Low season, you can get 3 Bedroom condos for $100 or less, especially with their discount for staying 7 nights or more. We rent a car from Sixt- it's usually really cheap. We make breakfast in the condo, and even go "home" midday to eat lunch and swim- then we eat fancy at the parks for dinner. We also eat at character breakfasts every other day- but you can eat most meals at the condo if you need to save money. We can drive from condo to parks and vice versa faster than taking a Disney bus to a Disney resort... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Windsor Hills. That was totally perfect. We had plentiful space, a kitchen (could prepare many meals and pack lunches), laundry facilities in the condo, and a fantastic pool and arcade room. I grant you, we had our car, but I saw a bazillion buses all the time and don't think it would be terribly difficult to catch transpo. The room my boys shared was 101 Dalmations themed and it was the CUTEST room ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) Another vote for Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms. I have stayed at both, Palms has a saltwater pool, otherwise they are exactly the same in layout. (Oh, WH has a pool slide, and WP does not.) Extremely reasonable and incredibly comfortable. I once got a whole month of a 2 bed/2 bath condo for $1200 at WP. I always used VRBO. Bonnet Creek is great, but it's a resort, with resort amenities, so significantly more costly. Edited February 24, 2016 by LibraryLover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Don't worry about missing any magic! We've stayed on and offsite and offsite is just as fun! The year we had the 4 br with the pool at Windsor Hills was incredible. We never even went up to the main pool. And honestly our Disney themed unit was more Disney than Old Key West. I've read many times how it's often quicker to drive to the parks from offsite than take buses from the resorts. And you can rent a car and still probably come out ahead $$ wise. Save money on your lodging and food by renting offsite. It'll make the ticket prices easier to swallow :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 When are you thinking about going? If you can go in the fall, then you could go during free dining. You could rent two rooms and then get your food for free. We did that several years ago. You could fit 4 in each room ( 2 to a bed). Plus, I think they have a new resort now that might fit all of you. I haven't looked into it. But the free dining makes it worth it. http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-free-dining-dates/ We can go whenever. I was thinking September or May. We've thought about the free dining-but keep reading that it's really not that great of a deal and you don't save very much money when it's all said and done. Personally, it sounds like a dream to not have to shell out $$$ 3 times a day, but maybe it's just the convenience that I like. My hubbie really wants to stay on property, and I get that. We'd have to do 2 rooms going that route, which may not be a terrible option but still just super expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Don't worry about missing any magic! We've stayed on and offsite and offsite is just as fun! The year we had the 4 br with the pool at Windsor Hills was incredible. We never even went up to the main pool. And honestly our Disney themed unit was more Disney than Old Key West. I've read many times how it's often quicker to drive to the parks from offsite than take buses from the resorts. And you can rent a car and still probably come out ahead $$ wise. Save money on your lodging and food by renting offsite. It'll make the ticket prices easier to swallow :) How did you get a Disney themed unit at Windsor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 How did you get a Disney themed unit at Windsor? VRBO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 How did you get a Disney themed unit at Windsor? You just look at pics and pick condos that have Disney theming... most of them do- again, we use Florida sun vacation homes... you can see what is available and their prices on their website. And PS. You still have to shell out money in the dining plan. The plan does not include tip, or alcohol- and if you stay in a value resort, only comes with quick service plan. We can stay for two weeks offsite, paying out of pocket for food (going to most character breakfasts and sit down dinners almost every night) for the same price as one week onsite with free dining.... Free dining doesn't even touch the savings from staying offsite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 How did you get a Disney themed unit at Windsor? Here's who we used a few year's ago, but there are lots of units that do the Disney theming. http://www.laughingplacevilla.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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