Vacation Homes?

[worfbb77]

Hi Everyone,

Finally talked my wife into going back to Disney with our son who will be 1 1/2 when we go. We are also taking our friends and thier daughter who is 2. My question is would it be better if we rented one of those acation homes or booked two rooms at a All - Star? Have any of you used one of those vacation homes? How are they? Any info would be great.

 

[Nemo14]

We have done both, and with a large group I really love having our own home to go back to. However, with kids that young, I'd say stay on Disney property. It's so much easier to just go back to your room for naps, breaks, a swim,etc. All the resorts have pools designed with kids in mind, and I know that Pop Century even has a little splash place where the kids ( and adults ) get sprayed.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

"Better" is somewhat subjective. What is important to you?

Kitchen facilities--refrigerator for milk & juice? Ability to make simple meals? This could be handy with the kids. Eating just one meal at "home" will save a lot of money without a lot of work (rotisserie chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, rolls, cookies/brownies, etc. No real cooking involved and everyone is happy)

Car--a necessity for off-site lodging. If you are flying and will need to rent, you'll need to add that cost when you do comparisons. (Not an issue, of course, if you are driving to Florida or if you had planned on renting anyway)
Will you rent a van for everyone, or one car per family?

Nap time--both kids will need one, even if they no longer take regular naps. Opinions are divided over Disney transportation. Some stroller people find it easier to put all the equipment into a car and drive rather than load it all onto a Disney bus. Others like that the bus will get you to your resort pretty quickly. With bus transportation, the parties can split up more easily--Dads take kids to the house; moms stay in the park.

Many of the resort homes have a private pool. Might be nice for after the kids are asleep. Resort pools are bigger and noisier.

Privacy--will you want time away from the other couple? Sometimes good friends have different vacation styles and expectations, and can get on each other's nerves. With a resort, you will have the option of private space.

Disney Magic--some of us want to be immersed in it 24/7; others really appreciate getting away from that frantic energy. You know better than I how you feel about that.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[PirateJ]

I have stayed at vacation homes for about the last 10 years I have gone to Disney on vacation. Some of the important immenities you get in a vacation home that you will not get in a hotel are: space (so you are not on top of each other), 2 bathrooms, private pool and a full kitchen.

If you search around online or through vacation guide books (call the chamber of commerce for a book) you can rent a house for less money than it would cost to stay in a hotel for a week; approx $100 a night (keep in mind you could split the cost with the other family you are going with).

If you don't mind staying off property (and obviously if you are flying, renting a car is a consideration) I would go with a vacation home.

Keep in mind with booking to ask questions ie how far it is from Disney and what community it is in...if you look online (there are tons of websites) you can also see pictures of the homes.

Good luck and Happy Travels!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Nap time--both kids will need one, even if they no longer take regular naps.

I totally agree with Yellow Shoes - but just a reminder - naps do not have to be taken back at the room / villa. My youngest was just under 2yrs on her first visit - we took our own stroller and she walked when she wanted and she slept in the stroller when she wanted. This meant us being able to enjoy the parks ALL DAY.
Our last trip (and our next trip) we stayed in a villa just off Highway 27 near the junction with 192. Ideally situated (a 20 minute drive) privacy and loads of space to relax. Biggest plus was the washing machine could be left washing the clothes while we were out all day instead of being tied to a washroom or leaving it all until you get home

 

[STITCHRULES]

I would stay on property but select a Disney Vacation Resort- this way you have the best of both worlds. I have stayed in Wilderness Lodge, Beach CLub and Saratoga Springs and they are great. You have full kitchen facilities, washer/dryer, every amenity of home yet right on Disney property - so no need for a car!Hope this helps!

 

[brich]

Vacation home hands down. Have done so the past few trips down and have absolutely loved it. With 2 small kids, it was great. Our own pool and jacuzzi for unwinding after the kids go to bed. A kitchen to prepare breakfast and an occasional dinner. And the best part if you have kids.. A WASHER AND DRYER!!! You can pack half as much if you don't mind a load of wash midweek. This can be a great thing with little ones. :sohappy:

We usually stay over in Formosa Gardens Estates and it's literally 5 minutes from the Animal Kingdom.

The only reasons we are staying on property for our next trip is that my youngest has never stayed on property, there is only 4 of us going this time as opposed to the usual 8 and we want to check out the AKL. Otherwise, we would not hestitate a second to rent a vacation home and will probably do so after this next trip!!

 

[blackerbys17]

I love the idea of staying on Disney property as much as the next guy but after staying in a suite at the Gaylord Palms last time we went we are now in love with the idea of having seperate bedrooms and we both agree it will be hard to go back to a regular room.

So, for our Halloween trip for MNSSHP (10/30-11/01/05) we are staying at the Cypress Palms in Kissimmee for $100.00 a night in a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo with a full kitchen, washer & dryer, 3 TVs, large furnished balcony (or patio) and even a jacuzzi in the master bedroom. After taxes, our 2 night stay will be $226.00. Now, compare that to our original reservation at Port Orleans Riverside for $333.00 with taxes for a standard room during the same dates. Not a bad deal!

I agree with other posters though, there are ways of having it all, being in a home away from home style accomodation AND staying at Disney. The DVC resorts are great for that but as you all now, VERY expensive. However, for anyone interested, I found some GREAT deals on Ebay for my dates!

Just as an example, a studio at Old Key West would have been $208 WITH tax for my stay and a 1 bedroom villa would have been $498 WITH tax which is one heck of a bargain! Just think about it, I could have gotten the Old Key West studio (deluxe resort) for $62 LESS a night than Port Orleans (a moderate resort) through Ebay!!!

In the end we decided not to because we did the math. Did we really want to spend $272 more for the convenience of being AT Disney when we were already going to take our car to the Park anyways? PLUS, we get one extra bedroom AND bathroom AND jacuzzi at the Cypress Palms! The logic was simple and the Cypress Palms won.

Personally, I have a little "system" for picking where I want to stay. I rate my priorities in order for a particular stay. For example, for this Halloween trip, my first priority was
1. 2 seperate bedrooms a must
2. price
3. location

Just decide what is most important to you and go from there. I can tell you that what we are doing at the parks influenced my decission. Since we are going to MNSSHP being close to the parks for a midday rest was not important to me because we are going to the party at about 5 PM and then leaving at 12 AM but if we were doing a full day at the park, I'd probably like to be a little closer.

Have fun!
Monica