Having a Disney freak-out regarding offsite hotel (long) About This Page:

[Sue M.]

The Villas do look very nice. It depends how you feel about driving. I hate it on vacation! I'm the one who when she gets to WDW, returns the rental car (we are usually flying into Ft. Laud. to visit family, then drive up to orlando). I always plot my route on mapquest or google maps for where I want to go to avoid getting lost. So if you are nervous about finding your way in the dark, you could do that.
There is Doubletree suites in DTD that is worth a look too. Sometimes you can get a special rate on Mousesavers.com web site. It's in their preferred hotels section. It may cost wise be somewhere between the Villas & CS. I think they have a seperate bedroom rather than that divider that does nothing?
And yes, last time I booked, i agonized about staying at the CBR vs POR!!! This time it was about WL vs AKL!!! But I've booked WL & sticking to it! lo!
Good luck!
Sue

[korki-rad]

Originally Posted by Disney Franatic

A couple of things came to mind that you might want to question. If there is no one in the office when you arrive late evening, will you have to wait until morning to get into your Villa? If that happens, do you want to be driving around late at night looking for another hotel? CS looks very nice. I would call them and see how often and when their shuttles come and go to the Disney parks. My son and his family stayed at an off site hotel this summer, and their shuttle only ran in the morning to the parks and back in the evening to the hotel. Will you have a car in case this happens? I myself like the convenience of being close to the parks to go back to the hotel for R&R. IMO if you are going to be at the parks most of the time, I would opt for CS. If you are planning to spend more time at the Villa the extra room would be nice. Good luck with your decision.

We will be able to get into the Villa at night, but they have some sort of lockbox system for after hours arrivals...they've outlined it but not gone into specifics...we will get info on it closer to our trip.

Good point on the shuttles. I will have to call. We *will* have a car as well, but wouldn't mind saving on parking and gas if at all possible. (DH's sister lives about an hour from Orlando and has offered us the use of her car while we are there.)

DH and I have been discussing all night -- he's leaning toward the villas and I think I am leaning toward CS..................................

[korki-rad]

Well, after hours of agonizing about it last night, DH has talked me (for the time being) into keeping the ressie at the villas. (My hunch is that he just doesn't want to go through the hassle of canceling.) To make myself feel better, I sent the villas a LOOOONG e-mail with some of the questions I've been having about them. Haven't heard back yet, though.

Thank you for all your input and advice. I had DH sit and read everything you all said -- it was his first time looking over the board and he was impressed with all you had to say. Who knows -- you may see him here sometime soon as well!

Thanks again!

~K

[Suzie]

When my kids were 1&5 they would have wanted to be in our room. When they got older the notion of space and having one's own space became a much bigger issue.
I think it will be nice either way. Both places have their good points.
Suzie

[spiceypj]

here is an ad from BWLBV

it is one of the DD hotels.

Orlando Hotels and Orlando Hotel Sales | Travelzoo

tried to find the one they were doing for comfort inn & suites, LBV - it gets better reviews on tripadvisor than the one in Kissimmee. it was wonderful $39 a night. guess it is too late for that one.

the Best Western is an older hotel - but still very nice. Pay for the Mk view and believe me you won't regret it.

the rooms are plain - but that view is pretty wonderful!

[julieb]

Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata

Man it's hard to say. Part of me wants to say the 3 bedroom place ROCKS. But then another part of me wants to say go with the hotel because it's close and a sure thing.

I think I'd stay at the hotel for the convenience of the restaurant, free breakfast and proximity to the parks. Cramped? Definitely. But saving money is great and if you're not going to spend hours and hours lounging around the room... you know?

Yeah, I'm going with the hotel switch.

But to answer your other question yes I question my lodging decisions all the time. I make people in my party insane. We're planning on a Disney trip in Sept 08, staying at the Poly, but I keep second-guessing myself and have (in my head) switched to the Contemporary and Beach Club numerous times. I think I'll switch in my head up until I land at my resort. It's just how I am. Then I forget that I ever considered a switch, lol!

Frankly, either way you can't lose.

I'm the same way! Lots of buyer's remorse going on in the hotel selection process. I had such a tough time last year that I pretty much let DD (age nearly 9) pick this year. I decided on the location and she chose the Poly (I felt that the location made a real difference last time we were there). Anyway, I've had a few second thoughts, but finally I decided it just wasn't worth thinking about any more. There are pros and cons to any place you choose. Which place do you feel more comfortable with? I'm sure that you'll be happy either way. Stop torturing yourself!!

[Luv2golf]

We are also big fans of CS and have stayed in many across the US and have also been very satisfied. That being said..

I would be leaning toward the villas because...

Even if the check-in is rocky, there are still 8 days of vacation to consider.
Full kitchen and laundry (I assumed laundry?)is a BIG deal w/ small kids (and w/ big kids too!)
Even if your kids are uncomfortable sleeping alone at night, it 's nice to have a quiet place to nap away from the action.
It sounds like the villa would be a great place for you and your extended family to congregate and relax together-it's tough to do that in a hotel room.

CS does have a very lenient cancellation policy. Even if your not sure at this point what you want to do, you could go ahead and make the Comfort Suites resv while you can and then give your self the luxury of time to think it over more.

[nconover]

I am also traveling to WDW in June 08 and have four children: 11 Yo son, 4 yo twin boys, and a one year old, well she'll be two when we travel. Personally, because I have so many children, I wouldn't consider staying in a hotel. Children need space and being that I've done both hotel and condo, I now wouldn't stay in a hotel.

The pros of staying at a condo is the obvious, space then you have a KITCHEN!!! The prices in Disney the last time I was there for food was outrageous. We spent the amount of money for one meal in Disney on groceries for the entire week at Walmart. I'm not even exaggerating. Which totally makes up for the extra couple of hundred your paying for the condo. If they have a washing machine it will cut down on how many clothing you will have to pack as well especially with little ones who always find a way to use two outfits a day. The con is location, location, location. If you are planning to come back to the condo every day as I am planning to do, if it's ten miles out, it may be somewhat of a pain.

If your major gripe is about the lockbox, I agree with someone who said to call before you leave that day and ask for more specifics and ask for whom to call if something goes wrong with your key or directions, ect. I don't think it'll be a problem to check in late as long as you have someone to call for your peace of mind. Also, the problem with these hotels is what someone else mentioned, they usually don't have regular shuttles, it's timed. So you are now at the mercy of their schedule instead of being able to leave when you want and come back when you want which is golden with kids. And think about the amount of time you are staying, a lot can happen in 8 days and if you keep the condo, grammie can stay with you instead of another expense with another room and be able to have adequate room to play with the baby, which after a couple of days, you tend to want to spread out. And your family can come there to visit you and you'll have plenty of rooms. And as for the cleaning every day, if you treat it sort of like your home, it shouldn't be too bad. Well I hope that was a little help. Ultimately, you have to decide what's best for your family.
Good luck!

[scottjs]

Thanks Korki. Not the area I was thinking it was, but I still like the Comfort Suites.

[susan]

I think either would be great and extra room is always a plus- especially if you are going to be there for 8 days. That being said, when I reread your posts, it sounds like you want to stay at CS! It does sound like if you book CS, you will be less stressed about checking in, etc. Don't feel bad- I pain over these decisions and then I always second guess myself! I say go for CS for your own piece of mind!

[spiceypj]

they are mostly in Kissimmee not Orlando

here is a map where several houses are located

Orlando Villa Location Map

how much time - weeks? then go to
Stay close to it all when you stay in Kissimmee. Planning your family Disney vacation and get information on places to stay. Great Orlando Hotel Deals.

travel tools -then free vacation planning kit. If you have a lap top kept that website because it also contains a map

Getting Around the Central Florida Area - Maps, Information and more

there is also Orlando maps here
Orlando Travel & Visitors Bureau - Orlando Florida Vacation - Orlando Area Maps

like the kissimmee maps a little better because they have more details.

be sure to ask what mile posts this is between. the Mile posts are what kissimmee has put up to help direct visitors to the right area.

http://images.floridakiss.com/conten...marker_map.jpg

[disney_duke]

I've done both, hotel and villa, with 3 kids. Both have the mentioned pros/cons, but overall it comes down to your schedule. Since it sounds like you are planning some down/off time from the parks, the villa will be a better choice. Even if it's 10 minutes further to drive, it's OK. In our experience, the kids fall asleep in the car before we're even out of the parking lots, so an extra 10 minutes to get to the villa doesn't make much difference. You can buy the same free continental breakfast items at Walmart and still get your breakfast that way, plus it's nice to have the option of a spaghetti or frozen pizza dinner to save some $$$ too. And half frozen (or all frozen) bottles of water are great to bring to the parks. The extra space is convenient, but it also becomes more space to lose things - toys, sippy cups, etc... so plan on searching for lost things when you're packing to go home!!

[minemoz1]

I think everything will be fine. My brother rents a villa in the Disney area and we book it ourselves and through a management company (MC). In our experience, we have never had any problem with guests not finding our property (except for the friends that forgot to take the directions, DUH!). The MC will leave all exterior lights on and lights on in the home prior to guest arrivals. Usually, the MC will provide you with a 24 hour # to call in case of emergencies/problems and are mindful of the time guests arriving at their villas.

As for staying at a hotel vs villa, while it's not on property, we can't give up the space. It is so relaxing to come back from a long day at the parks and actually lay on the couch and watch TV, go swimming or take a dip in the spa. Then have everyone go to their own bedroom. I'm sure you'll have a great trip.

[PeggyN]

Our family of four just returned from 9 days at WDW. We stayed at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins with one bedroom and the Sheraton Vistana with two bedrooms. My personal opinion is that when you spend an exhaustive day at the parks there is nothing better than your own private place to relax in peace and quiet. Honestly, I would not stay in a hotel room with a bunch of people. We ate like kings and the laundry thing is unbelievably convenient. On down days, individuals could sleep in without being disturbed or someone could stay up later if they chose. For me, coming home relaxed and happy was what my money was for! I do realize that people have different goals for a vacation and may feel differently how to get their money's worth. For all of us, we loved the space and privacy and the ablildty to cook great meals.