Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas and Extra Magic Hours

[SoupBone]

I searched but didn't find anything so please forgive me if this is redundant. We are looking at renting the treehouse villas and I have a few questions. First, we have between 8-10 people coming which means one of two things...all of us will get to utilize extra magic hours, or one person will be left out in the cold. Since Disney says max capacity is 9 would they even consider budging on the 10th person? We would rent a house off site, but then no one gets access to EMH's.

Secondly, what are your thoughts on the villas overall? We have 8-10 adults (NO KIDS), and a few people are concerned about bathroom time, hot water, etc. My thoughts were that because this is Disney hot water SHOULD be plentiful, but I have no first hand experience with it.

Looking at the villas I am thoroughly excited about them and can't wait. I saw the floor plans, but do any of you have any personal pics to show? Preferably including the top porch...:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

 

[Magical Dreamer]

you now show your key to the world card to have acess to the EMH activities.


So as long as everyone has a card you should be good to go.

 

[SoupBone]

I guess since I'm unfamiliar with the treehouse villas, do they have issus keycards to each person? I'll go look up what the key to world card is. Thanks!

Ok your room key card. I guess I just never heard it called "key to the world" before. I've actually seen them budge on that and just give someone a wrist band, but I think we just met a nice CM. I'm not one of these peope that try and skirt the system either, but Disney makes it tough for 10 people. If they can't get one we are fine with that too and will try and work something else out. As of right now, we still only have 8 anyway, so we are good to go!

 

[DisneyJoe]

If the ropom capacity on the Treehouses is 9 adults, and you attempt to add a 10th person, they won't let you.

They will only give you a resort id/room key for each person on the reservation.

 

[Mukta]

If the ropom capacity on the Treehouses is 9 adults, and you attempt to add a 10th person, they won't let you.

They will only give you a resort id/room key for each person on the reservation.

This.

Your Key to the World card is more than your room key. It can hold your tickets, be linked to a credit card and hold your meal plan points. When I am there, it is the only card I carry. That is why it is named 'Key to the World'.

 

[SoupBone]

Thanks! Now that we got that out of the way what are your experiences there, and do you have any pics?!? We have 8-10 adults (NO KIDS), and a few people are concerned about bathroom time, hot water, etc. My thoughts were that because this is Disney hot water SHOULD be plentiful, but I have no first hand experience with it.

I've stayed in almost every single resort in WDW, but this will be the first time in the treehouse! I'm excited! :sohappy:

 

[Victoria]

That many adults in a Treehouse Villa is going to be tight. I hope you all REALLY like each other. Over the summer I stayed there with a party of 3 adults and 2 kids. The kids took the bunk beds. Make sure you put the short people in this room. The beds are short. My BIL and sister took the master bedroom (which is nice and spacious) and I took the 3rd bedroom. The 3rd room is tiny...and dark! Barely enough room to walk around the bed. No one slept on the pull out couch or chair during my trip but for the heck of it we did open the couch. Once it is open you can't really walk through that part of the living room. If you have a 10th person I don't know where you would put them...never mind the fact that they won't have a room key and be able to participate in EMH. Maybe they could sleep on the dining room table? Outside on the porch in a sleeping bag or tent? :lol: :lookaroun None of the beds are big enough to hold an extra body and once the couch and chair are opened floor space is minimal in the living room.

As for bathroom time, it will get interesting with that many adults. Two people could be in the master bathroom at a time as long as they know each other really well and don't care about potential nakedness. :lol: The other bathroom is pretty small. Just your basic tub/shower, toilet, and counter. Not much room for maneuvering. Hot water could definitely become an issue. Due to the remote location of each villa they have their own hot water heater under the unit. It's not unlimited like it is in a regular hotel building.

To cut down on time people spend in the bathroom you could enact a rule where they are allowed to shower but then have to get dressed/do hair/makeup elsewhere. However, in order for this to work I would suggest packing extra lamps or at least a lighted mirror. The bedrooms are really dark and you will want all the light you can get.

One more thing of note...if people are going to have their own cars keep in mind that you can only park 1 car on the villa property. Parking isn't assigned so sometimes you come in and there is no where near your villa to park. Many times we had to park down the street and hike to our unit. Any superfluous cars will have to be parked over at Saratoga. I'm not even sure you could sneak in an extra car if you wanted to since you have to swipe a room key to open the gate.

All of this being said, I enjoyed our stay at the Villas. The decor in the room is nice and it felt expensive. I enjoyed the pool there too. Very quiet and serene. For your sake and everyone's sanity I hope that you only end up with 8 people. Any more than that and I think you will feel very cramped....and cold in the shower! :lol:

 

[SoupBone]

Thanks Victoria! That's exactly what I was looking for. So far 8 is the number and this group has stayed together many times. We once stayed 6 to a room offsite with one bathroom! :ROFLOL:

The parking may be an issue, but I think some people are flying so we might end up with only one car. We are trying to keep everyone together, but as you know Disney cannot guarantee attached rooms, much less 3 in a row. This happened to us at the Boardwalk a few years back. It sucked not being close to each other, since spending time together is a huge part of the trip.

A few of us are night showerers, and a few are morning so I think we'll be ok. Also, so far it's only 3 women out of the 8 so get ready time will be limited...:ROFLOL:

I just want to make the right decision for 8 people, so I'm also open to suggestions.

 

[Victoria]

If you split morning vs evening showers you should be ok. One thing I forgot to talk about was the washer/dryer. If you are planning to do laundry be forewarned that it is a very small stackable unit. We had 5 of us for 8 nights and we ran the washer/dryer pretty much constantly. Can't fit a whole lot in there. We much prefer the washer/dryer set up at Old Key West. Full size appliances plus an actual room to house them. In the Treehouses the washer/dryer are in a hallway right outside of the 2nd bathroom and 3rd bedroom. That hallway is very crowded if someone is trying to get into the bathroom while someone else is doing laundry.

I understand the attraction with the Treehouses. They are a neat concept and I enjoyed my time there. I don't think I will go out of my way to stay there again though. I'm perfectly happy with a 2 bedroom villa over at Old Key West. A lot more space to spread out in the room and a less inconvenient location.

 

[slappy magoo]

The villas are under 1100 sq. ft.
The 3rd bedroom is designed for smaller children (bunk beds, very small).

Personally, with 8 adults, I think you'd be better off renting 2 fort wilderness cabins. Depending on time of year it may even be cheaper. You'd be losing your own personal bbq, whirlpool tub, and your own washer/dryer, but have more space if you bump up to 10. dont know what's more important to you.

 

[SoupBone]

Thanks for the additional advice! Looks like we will end up with 10. We decided to get three rooms at the yacht club instead. It's more expensive, but other than the cabin suggestion we are very limited. I know they can't guarantee, but will Disney mark it as a request to have adjoining rooms?

 

[Victoria]

Thanks for the additional advice! Looks like we will end up with 10. We decided to get three rooms at the yacht club instead. It's more expensive, but other than the cabin suggestion we are very limited. I know they can't guarantee, but will Disney mark it as a request to have adjoining rooms?

Did you look into a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga or Old Key West? Both of those resorts are huge and usually have good availability. I don't know off the top of my head what the cash price is for those but it might still end up being cheaper. It is also possible to rent DVC from owners which may also end up being cheaper than 3 rooms at Yacht.

 

[SoupBone]

Did you look into a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga or Old Key West? Both of those resorts are huge and usually have good availability. I don't know off the top of my head what the cash price is for those but it might still end up being cheaper. It is also possible to rent DVC from owners which may also end up being cheaper than 3 rooms at Yacht.

I think the villas max per 2 bedroom villa is 6. I'm not sure how we would do that. No doubt those are nice places though.

 

[Victoria]

I think the villas max per 2 bedroom villa is 6. I'm not sure how we would do that. No doubt those are nice places though.

A 2-bedroom at OKW holds 8 (and not that I condone it, but there is a lot of extra space in the living room....:lookaroun). A 3-bedroom holds 12 people.

 

[slappy magoo]

A 2-bedroom at OKW holds 8 (and not that I condone it, but there is a lot of extra space in the living room....:lookaroun). A 3-bedroom holds 12 people.

Tut-tuts and wagging fingers aside, one of the questions the OP asked concerned being able to take advantage of EMH if more people were in the room than legally allowed. Adding more than 8 people in a room only coded for a max of 8 means those extra people won't have room key cards, and that means they can't get EMH wristbands and won't be able to take advantage of EMH. So the only solution there (and I'm really truly not condoning it) would be that at least 2 people won't be able to do EMH each day. If there are always at least 2 people who'd rather have some alone time in the room knowing they have 3 hours "quality time" before anyone else returns... :shrug:

 

[slappy magoo]

Thanks for the additional advice! Looks like we will end up with 10. We decided to get three rooms at the yacht club instead. It's more expensive, but other than the cabin suggestion we are very limited. I know they can't guarantee, but will Disney mark it as a request to have adjoining rooms?

Of course you can have it noted, and they'll try to accommodate you.

If you're already booked, you're already booked, and I'd suspect the three rooms at YC will be more comfortable, but just to throw a few more options out there...

1: The All Star Suites each sleep 6 and give you two bathrooms. Get two of them, you'll have 4 bathrooms split up amongst 10 people instead of 3, plus kitchenettes. Of course, if you're booked at a Deluxe Epcot resort, switching to a Value may seem anticlimactic, but just throwing it out there if $$$ becomes an option...

2: You said you booked 3 YC rooms. According to allears.net, YC rooms each sleep 5. In fact it looks like many of the Deluxes sleep 5 (the exceptions: standard rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge, plus Swan and Dolphin). While it'd probably be tight, you could make it 2 rooms instead of 3, and still be covered unless your party becomes even bigger.

3: 1BR Villas at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village and Bay Lake Towers also sleep 5 (a king sized bed in the bedroom, a sleeper sofa and a sleeper chair). They also each have 2 bathrooms. So you could opt to get two rooms in either of those resorts (or one of each and keep rotating who stays where so everyone gets a chance to experience both resorts (and the luxury of the king sized beds - fyi, DVC members only get daily Mousekeeping if they pay extra for it, but if you're paying cash for the room, you'll get fresh sheets and towels every day).

 

[SoupBone]

Of course you can have it noted, and they'll try to accommodate you.

If you're already booked, you're already booked, and I'd suspect the three rooms at YC will be more comfortable, but just to throw a few more options out there...

1: The All Star Suites each sleep 6 and give you two bathrooms. Get two of them, you'll have 4 bathrooms split up amongst 10 people instead of 3, plus kitchenettes. Of course, if you're booked at a Deluxe Epcot resort, switching to a Value may seem anticlimactic, but just throwing it out there if $$$ becomes an option...

2: You said you booked 3 YC rooms. According to allears.net, YC rooms each sleep 5. In fact it looks like many of the Deluxes sleep 5 (the exceptions: standard rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge, plus Swan and Dolphin). While it'd probably be tight, you could make it 2 rooms instead of 3, and still be covered unless your party becomes even bigger.

3: 1BR Villas at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village and Bay Lake Towers also sleep 5 (a king sized bed in the bedroom, a sleeper sofa and a sleeper chair). They also each have 2 bathrooms. So you could opt to get two rooms in either of those resorts (or one of each and keep rotating who stays where so everyone gets a chance to experience both resorts (and the luxury of the king sized beds - fyi, DVC members only get daily Mousekeeping if they pay extra for it, but if you're paying cash for the room, you'll get fresh sheets and towels every day).

Cool deal I'll ask about that. I'm not actually booked yet (technically). I have the rooms on a 7 day hold so if we don't put a deposit down by the 19th we lose them (no penalties). There was one 3 bedroom OKW villa left to rent for the dates we are going but it was $9200 which is well beyond what I'm comfortable paying for lodging. This is because she said they can't apply the pin discount to 3 bedroom villas.

I may talk to them about the 6 person All Star rooms, because even though the Yacht Club is Deluxe, I'm not opposed to staying cheap either. Keep the suggestions coming! :sohappy:

 

[dreamfinder]

Just remember to look at the details for the room type. Not knowing how close all of the adults on your trip are, they assume multiple people per bed. So if you have 8 single adults, then some may be uncomfortable sharing a bed with someone else. But if you had 4 couples, then I don't see that being an issue. Also, often that last few people in the room end up on a pull out. So definitely look at the room layouts.

I think that will really influence your room choice as much as anything.

Also, what are the bathroom habits of your travelers? If you have people who take long showers, or a long time in the bathroom, then you would want to count bathrooms. 2 may not cut it, especially if you plan on getting to rope drop.

 

[slappy magoo]

If you know the dates you're planning on going, do a little homework. Go to allears.net, and click the links for the various accommodations. Aside from letting you know the max occupancy, they'll also let you know the normal room rates. There are also tons of pictures of each resort, with examples of room types as well. This might give you a better idea on which sort of room would be best for you and your party, and the absolute most you could expect to pay for them.

(Note: Make sure you look throughout every resort category, including the "Disney Vacation Club" category. The Treehouse Villas, and the 3BR Villa at Old Key West you had been discussing, are technically Disney Vacation Club resorts. Still available to the public, in theoretically more-limited quantity. That's where you'll find stuff like the 1-BR Villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Bay Lake Towers I described before, the ones that will each sleep 5 and have 2 bathrooms.)

Then, go to mousesavers.com, and see if you can find any discount codes for the times you're going. It might actually save you some serious coin if one or two people splurge on annual passes, and then you can get passholder discounts on the rooms you're booking. Or see if, in the time you're planning on going, there's a free dining discount.

Then call back Disney. If YC still seems like the best way to go, see if any of the codes you found could be applied to your reservation, or see if other rooms may be available.

 

[SoupBone]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. After discussing with everyone going, we decided to stick with the Yacht Club (Garden View). The 3 acre pool area sold me, and I've always wanted to check it off my list so now I'm excited.

Plus we are going to book reservation at the Yachtsman for dinner one night and I hear it's awesome.

One word of advice for anyone reading this thread. If you want to use your pin, you better do it quickly. Disney's travel agents (the three I've spoken with) all say that because of the 40% off rooms, they are booking up ridiculously fast. All other options I had considered were nonexistent except for AKL villas. I'm happy with our pick though! :sohappy: