WDW - stay onsite or rent a home?

[rizzo0904]

We will be going to WDW with my inlaws. There will be 4 adults and 2 children. I'm not sure what's better. Do we stay in a WDW resort? Or do we rent a vacation home? WDW resorts are convenient. But the rental would be much cheaper and also allow us to cook dinner, have more space, etc. My other hotel issue is where to stay. MIL wants more of a luxury resort. I refuse to spend a lot of money on a hotel where all I do is sleep and shower. I'd be fine at an all-star resort. So where do we compromise? Thanks!

[Momof3Labs]

If you stay in a house, factor in the cost of a rental car - perhaps two rental cars, so you can split up and leave the park early with kids, etc. If your MIL likes luxury hotels, though, won't a rental house fall short? (No fancy pool, no daily maid service, no restaurant, etc.) I think that you all need to start with a budget and see what best fits that budget as there is a HUGE price difference in the options you are discussing.

[egoldber]

Someone has to compromise. Who is paying? Have you talked to MIL about this?

And honestly, IMO, the "deluxe" resorts at WDW are not as fancy as what she may be expecting. They have fabulous theming, but I don't think the service is that great.

Have you considered the Swan and Dolphin hotels? They are Starwood hotels, but are on-site and offer many of the same amenities as other WDW hotels: can walk to DHS and Epcot, park transportation, etc. They offer more of a luxury hotel experience AND are generally much cheaper than the WDW hotels.

[rizzo0904]

I will check out the swan and dolphin...thanks!

Here's the irony...dh and i can afford the trip but hate wasting money on a room we will barely be in. in-laws can not afford the trip but want to stay in a $350/night room. we haven't set a budget yet.

i've looked at the benefits of staying on site. our kids will be 4 and 2.5. we won't use the extra magic hours as they will need to go to bed. we won't use central billing. we would rent a car either way as i like the convenience so i don't car about the free shuttle to the airport. free parking, however, is nice. if i recall, it's $11/day to park. but if we rent a home/condo, it's going to be $1,000/week cheaper by the numbers i quickly ran. so $77 to park is worth saving $1000 to me. i also like the idea of being able to cook some meals and have more room. being in a hotel room with 2 kids gets cramped.

as for budget, we don't really have one. i'll spend whatever we need to but want a good deal. mil doesn't know what a budget is. we will split the costs.

question? i know there are some onsite events at the various hotels. i assume you can attend them as long as you stay at a wdw resort? what if you don't?

[egoldber]

Well, essentially it is convience vs price. At WDW resorts you also have free bus/transport service to all parks. Not so important for the parks except MK. MK is a bit of a PITA to park at the TTC and then monorail or boat to the MK. Generally a 30-45 minute process from start to finish. Bus drops you off right at the gate to the MK.

Also most deluxes offer the ability to walk or monorail to at least one park. It eliminates a lot of driving and down time. We love the ability to walk out the door of the room and walk to parks and many restaurants without having to wrangle kids and family into car(s).

There are on-site WDW suites with full kitchens, but almost certainly pricier than your rental. So it's all about what you value on a vacation.

Many resorts are having buy 4 get 7 days promotions which is really a good deal. Not sure if you have priced that option. On top of that free dining may be being offered as well. In which case you need to price things a bit more carefully.

We have been many times and have stayed off-site, and in WDW suites, deluxes, mods and values. All have their pluses and minuses, do it's just a matter of balancing what you want to do.

Also, if your kids still nap, don't underestimate the value of being able to run back to the hotel at midday and then back to rest. Much easier to do at the on-site hotels.

[mnosky1]

We have stayed twice at houses off site and 3 time son site (Wilderness Lodge, Swan, Dolphin).

House advantge:
More room to spread out, especially need for us when going with extended family.
Private pool and hot tub right off kitchen so made it musch easier if DD wanted a quick dip in pool before dinner (Which she always did).
Drive to parks (like PP, advantage except for MK, but kids love boat/monorail and even parking lot tram so that's sort of a wash)
Baby stuff in house we rented, like high chair, booster, kids cups etc, DIsney themeing in out hotels which kids loved. We also had "deluxe" house,s much cushier than the deluxe disney hotels
It is awesome to go hang out by pool or watch TV while kids sleep upstairs (or nap).



I didn't see much difference between the time it took to go back to house to nap vs hotel to nap - it is a pain either way - at least at house you can relax in rest of house while kiddos nap instead of having to sit in silence or out on hotel room deck.

Disney hotel advantage
I didn't think I would but I do love being able to charge everything on one card. (YOu cna't do this at Swan/DOlphin either)
Disney themeing
Customer service
Fun pools and activities for kids
Gift shop!

Disadvantage - smallish hotel rooms, tough for napping, eating in room etc, one bathroom



Swan/Dolphin is nice and really is like a luxury hotel - much fancier than the Disney "deluxes", EXCEPT: no balconies on standad rooms, $10/day "resort fee" and $11/day parking at hotel (approx prices) (parking at other disney hotels and parks though are free if you stay at S/D). We use free spg hotel nights so it's no brainer for us. The luxury is nice and the location too but not Disney themed. The pool is vey nice. No magical express but service to all parks.

My husband and I are trying to decide where to stay for our next trip - we would like to do a house but it only makes sense financially if we have more people.

A big difference for us is we do not see the Disney transporation as a huge benefit and no disney transportaion is why many peopel don't stay off site.
A lot of people love the Disney transportation - we do not. We had a lousy magical express experience and won't do that again. We hate waiting for the buses plus it is just nicer to get in your car at the end of long park day than a bus. The kids almost always fall alseep and on a bus, that is quite difficult to balance kid(s) and stroller, bag etc!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Nothing really helpful to add as I have no btdt but if you rent a car and drive to the parks but then decide to do a park hopper, who is going to go back and collect the car later? Or will you just pack into the car midday and drive to the next park (and hope for a spot depending on time of year)? Just a logistical thing that popped into my head.

Beth

[egoldber]

who is going to go back and collect the car later? Or will you just pack into the car midday and drive to the next park (and hope for a spot depending on time of year)?

This is really not hard. We have done this many times. There is generally a large exodus from any park after the parade and even after lunch time (2-3). It's generally pretty easy to find a parking spot (even a close one) if you go to a park in the late afternoon.

While it seems faster to drive, people have timed it and it's really a wash to bus or drive back to hotel. By the time you get to the car, get in, drive to the hotel, park in an often far spot and then walk to the front of the hotel, it's about a wash.

It is also VERY convenient to have the bus transportation if you have family who want to do different things at different times. You are not reliant on one vehicle to get everyone everywhere. So if the toddler is melting down or needs a nap, but the older child is still going strong, you can easily split up and meet back at the hotel. IME this is a HUGE advantange when you are traveling with extended family with different ages and different interests. (No way no how could we go to WDW with the ILs without having the WDW buses to rely on.) For example, my older DD loves the shows and night fireworks. My younger DD not so much. On our upcoming trip we plan to split up after dinner with one parent staying with the older and the other with the younger.

There are 2 distinct disadvantages to the WDW resort bus service. The first is breakfast reservations. If you plan breakfasts, especially if you are staying at one hotel and the breakfast is at another hotel, it can take a full hour or more to make that connection. PITA!

Also, after parades and especially after night time firework shows ( Especially Wishes and Fantasmic) the buses are generally packed. But frankly, getting out of the MK at night is a zoo no matter how you do it unless you stay at the Contemporary and walk. Even if you drive, then you have to get back to the TTC by boat or monorail which are jam packed. So it is generally not any faster to leave if you drove.

But if you don't plan to stay for night events, then it doesn't affect you. But I woudl say not to rule out the possibility, especially if you go in the winter when the nighttime displays are much earlier. This is one of the real advantages of going in the winter IMO. :)

[hellokitty]

With 4 adults and 2 children, I would stay off site. You have enough adults to help lug the baby gear around. The added space, economy of the rental vs hotel, ability to cook at home and the private pool are great, it sounds like you will have the extra help of fil/mil. How old are your children?

[billysmommy]

The EMH are not only at night but in the morning also and the park opens an hour early for resort guests.

We love the morning EMH and are able to get so much done in that hour. Our boys wake up so early that we find we have more than enough time to get up, showered, dressed, grab something to eat and we're still there early for the EMH without rushing

[JTsMom]

Everyone else has already made a lot of good points, but here are a few additional thoughts.

-Have you looked into the DVC properties? You can rent points from someone, and make it more affordable that way. That way, it would be more deluxe for your IL's, but more affordable for you, and you'd still have the convenience factor.

-What about a timeshare off property? They often have shuttles, nice pools, etc.

-Watch mousesavers for more deluxe off property options at a discount.

-Would you consider splitting up for the hotel part? Meet up somewhere each day?

-As far as staying on/off site, I prefer on, but more for the themeing. We avoid the EMH parks (we follow a touring plan like Tour Guide Mike's and stick with the least crowded parks), we prefer to drive almost everywhere, and have our own car and a AAA diamond parking pass, so those two things aren't a big deal to us at all. One other perk is the dining plan if that appeals to you- we've done it on our last 2 trips. We also like the Key to the World cards here.

No matter what you decide, I'm sure you'll have fun. :)

[hbridge]

If you decide on a traditional hotel style room:

-GET ADJOINING ROOMS!!!!! We've done this twice with my parents and it works great. While the kids sleep, ect, adults are in the other room with the door between open. Also, there are two baths if needed.

-Make sure there is a fridge in the room. DC are addicted to milk, makes all the difference.


Have fun.

[PAfirsttimemom]

We just went with my parents and two brothers and their families. There were 14 people total--8 adults and 6 kids. We rented a house in Emerald Island Resort, which was 5 minutes from the Disney parks. It was awesome. Everyone loved the house. It was a single story, 6-bedroom house with 5 bathrooms. Every adult couple had their own bedroom (two were kings and two queens) and bathroom (the two kings had large spa tubs), and the kids in two twin bedrooms shared their own bath. The place had a large gathering area and kitchen and a separate dining area, as well. Plus a large pool/spa with a safety fence around it. It really was perfect. Each family had their own car (we rented ours because we flew to Fla) for the best flexibility. We were glad for this, because our kids are little and sometimes needed car naps between or after stints at the parks. Because each family's kids are different ages, we split up and did different things sometimes, and it was nice to be able to come together and hang out at the house.

[mousemom]

We just went with my parents and two brothers and their families. There were 14 people total--8 adults and 6 kids. We rented a house in Emerald Island Resort, which was 5 minutes from the Disney parks. It was awesome. Everyone loved the house. It was a single story, 6-bedroom house with 5 bathrooms. Every adult couple had their own bedroom (two were kings and two queens) and bathroom (the two kings had large spa tubs), and the kids in two twin bedrooms shared their own bath. The place had a large gathering area and kitchen and a separate dining area, as well. Plus a large pool/spa with a safety fence around it. It really was perfect. Each family had their own car (we rented ours because we flew to Fla) for the best flexibility. We were glad for this, because our kids are little and sometimes needed car naps between or after stints at the parks. Because each family's kids are different ages, we split up and did different things sometimes, and it was nice to be able to come together and hang out at the house.

PAfirsttimemom, that house sounds great! I've sent you a pm to get more info, if you get a chance.

[rizzo0904]

Our kids will be just over 4 and almost 3. We won't need much baby gear....carseats and stroller only. Thankfully we won't need to worry about cribs. And hopefully they will both be potty trained.

I don't plan on park hopping throughout the day. I prefer to go to one park and enjoy it at a leisurely pace rather than jump between 2 or more....just my preference.

Cars...we will likely have 2. A minivan for us and a car for the inlaws. Car rentals are cheap compared to everything else so I don't worry about those.

I checked out all star vacation rentals and they seem to have some very nice properties...and at $1200/week it's a LOT cheaper than hotel rooms. The kids can swim in the pool without a bunch of people around. And I really like the idea of being able to cook some of our own meals.

[egoldber]

.and at $1200/week it's a LOT cheaper than hotel rooms

FWIW, you can stay on WDW property for that, although perhaps not somewhere like GF or the Poly.

[rizzo0904]

FWIW, you can stay on WDW property for that, although perhaps not somewhere like GF or the Poly.


Well, $1200 for a home would be divided between the two families for $600/week. If we did rooms, only the all-stars would fall into that category and MIL refuses to stay there.

A side question - any tips for travelling with extended family? We've never travelled together before and I'm thinking we should set some ground rules/expectations before we go. I don't want to feel that we have to spend 24/7 together....but MIL will expect that. I'm going to offer to her to take the kids to a character breakfast on her own as special grandma time. She really wants to go and I think it would be nice for her to have some special time alone with them. At the same time, dh and I will want some time with just the kids too. So a little give and take.

[egoldber]

I think you could stay at a Moderate for about that and in a Value for less, but if that's not what you want, it's not what you want. :)


any tips for travelling with extended family? We've never travelled together before and I'm thinking we should set some ground rules/expectations before we go. I don't want to feel that we have to spend 24/7 together....but MIL will expect that. I'm going to offer to her to take the kids to a character breakfast on her own as special grandma time.

We go every 3 years with an extended family group: us, MIL and FIL, SIL and other SIL/BIL and 3 kids. You truly cannot stay together all the time. No one will be happy. Ever. You need to plan to split up and meet back up at mealtime reservations, etc. Also, your older child is going to be able to do some rides and attractions that your younger one may not want to do or be able to do. Being able to split up is great. Also, sending someone off to get FastPasses while someone else stands in line for a different ride is a good plan.

Is your MIL EXTREMELY capable with your kids? I would not send my MIL, who is pretty agile and spends a fair amount of time with my kids, to a character breakfast by herself. Especially when that means parking, getting in the park with all the gear, going through the security line, negotiating a stroller and then dealing with both kids at the meal. Character meals are sensory overload with lots of excitement. Also, many of them are buffet and it can be very difficult for one person to manage food for 2 kids plus themselves and also characters, etc.

A better plan IMO for alone time for you and DH would be to go out at night while the kids are asleep and she stays with them. We have done this and it works well.

[rizzo0904]

egoldber - thanks for all of the advice! FIL would be there too, but I didn't realize the breakfast would be soooo much work. Life was easy before kids...lol.

As for the moderate hotels...most seem to be $150/night which would be $1050 per room (we would need 2...one for them and one for us). Am I missing something to make it cheaper??? I also looked at some of the villas and they can be $800/night. And a condo rental is only $1200/week which is $600/week per family.

Dining plans....I guess if we could score a free dining plan, it may be worth it to stay in a WDW resort. I just don't like how kids 3-9 have to order off the kid's menu. Kid's menus are usually full of crap. We took ds to dinner a few nights ago and the kid ate stuffed mushrooms and butternut squash ravioli. He's not a chicken fingers and fries kind of kid...he he he.

[Momof3Labs]

Disney has been running a lot of promos lately - 40% off the room rates, or stay 7 nights, pay for 4 nights, for example. They don't do that too far in advance, so there may not be any deals yet for your dates, but I wouldn't rule that out given the economy.

[JTsMom]

Yeah, don't every pay full price at Disney, unless you truly have no other option! If nothing else, there's always a AAA discount, which isn't huge (IIRC, it's 20 or 30% for moderates), but certainly better than nothing! Hang out over at disboards on the codes and rates board. Also, do you have every email address you all have registered with Disney? If not, do so! They randomly send out promo codes. Be sure to sign into the accounts and do things like check rates and save itineraries. Nobody is sure exactly how the codes get sent out, but if you sign up several times, you up your chances.

We got a free dining code for our recent trip, along with a couple of others. We stayed at Pop Century and ate for free. :boogie:

[las710]

I agree with the person who posted about renting a unit through the Disney Vacation Club. We just went with our two kids (3 and 1) and mother-in-law in November and rented via a DVC owner a 2-bedroom at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and would highly recommend going that route. Some nice things about the DVC suites/villas is that they have the full kitchen you desire, you can use Disney transportation for free, and you can take advantage of the dining plan. The do have nice theming and pools and offer some additional amenities that off site properties may not.

I looked at staying off site at the Lake Buena Vista Resort & Spa ($150/night + tax for a 3-bd condo) and weighed it against AKL using a DVC owner. It almost came out the same dollarwise once you take everything into account (taxes, car rental, parking, etc.), but we were able to purchase the dining plan by staying on-site and I think that saved us money in the long run.

By going through a DVC owner, we were able to get the 2-bd villa at AKL for $207/night inclusive of tax and all fees. The same room via Disney would have cost $650+ tax/night for the nights we were there which we never would have done. You can find owners willing to "rent" their points at www.disboards.com and view the point charts at http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml. The going rate seems to be $10/point so if one night's rental is 25 points, your cost would be $250. If you wanted to create a little space between you and the inlaws, you could get two units -- a 1-bd and a studio and stay in different areas of the hotel. Of course, the 2-bd unit we stayed in was a combination of a 1-bd and studio and it was cheaper to rent as a 2-bd. You can close the door between the two units though and create a little better separation.

The AKL was very nice, however the Disney transportation to the parks posed a bit of an issue for us. We had to go back for naps because our kids are young and we figured we spent about 3 hours commuting on one particular day. Doing it over, I would be sure to stay at the Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary (you can actually walk to MK from there)or one of the Epcot resorts that offers a boat to Epcot where you can then hop on the monorail to MK.

We had such a good experience with the DVC that we are going to become owners ourselves at Bay Lake Tower.

Hope that helps : )

Lisa

[clc053103]

We had such a good experience with the DVC that we are going to become owners ourselves at Bay Lake Tower.




We Love DVC as well- after renting through it for years we are now proud owners at Bay Lake Tower!

[las710]

We Love DVC as well- after renting through it for years we are now proud owners at Bay Lake Tower!

It is pretty amazing... or at least looks like it. Have you stayed there yet? We probably won't go til Spring 20111, but cannot wait!

[clc053103]

It is pretty amazing... or at least looks like it. Have you stayed there yet? We probably won't go til Spring 20111, but cannot wait!

Yes we stayed at BLT in September of this year and are now booked for Sept 2010! It was AWESOME. Great rooms (we are in a 2 br), great location, fantastic pool and CR ammenities. We used to stay at Boardwalk and were always happy but now, we are just in love with BLT!