Favorite off site but close to DisneyWorld resorts…. Pros/Cons….

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'm in favor of staying onsite, but a friend has a Storey Lake 2BR condo on Paradox Circle that we've stayed in. It's nice, but there's no *magic* there, lol. My kids really like laughing about the gator painted on the wall or the cool sofa that flips into a bed at Beach Club. We only stay 1-2 days at a time, usually, so no crazy costs.

[wendibird22]

I would try to stay on site. The reliable transportation and access to early entry or extra magic hours is worth it. We were just there last week and wait times for every ride, even the stupid ones, were 60min or longer. But the early entry and extra magic hours allowed us to ride dozens of rides without waits. The extra magic hours at MK were 11pm-1am and we rode 12 rides in those 2hrs including Mine Train twice, which had a 2hr plus wait time the rest of the day. Feb crowds are high give dance, cheer, marathon, and Feb recess in the Northeast.

Also don’t forget that you have to make park reservations in advance. Some parks do sell out.


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[smilequeen]

I have no experience yet, but man, my kids are dying for us to book the Harry Potter or Star Wars house and do Disney and Universal again…

https://www.greatescapevillas.com/

[erosenst]

Late seeing this but adding my thoughts...

If price is no object - stay on site, preferably on the monorail. No question. We did that a number of times and don't regret it.

But for our family - we can't happily stay in one hotel room so onsite meant a DVC one bedroom. The 'why' has changed over the years, but the fact hasn't. When DD wanted to go again over winter break, and take the BF, the deal was we would do it only if we didn't stay onsite / pay that much for an unplanned trip. When she was much younger we stayed at Windsor Hills, Reunion and one other near there - we liked having the pool and the space, and her 'time that she was happy at the parks' was relatively limited. This time we knew they would likely stay all day, or close - so we rented points at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It was 1/4 the price, great space, and really close to the parks. It helps that parks open later/close earlier than they did pre-pandemic - but DH and I were happy to run them back and forth when we weren't with them. They did miss out on the 30 minute early access,but given the days we were there they only missed one 'early/late hours'. Not getting access to the headliners early was a bit of a bummer - but they were able to still get a couple, and waited in line for others - think they only missed one they wanted to see. They had parkhoppers and made really good use of them - that helped too.

Have a great trip!

[gatorsmom]

I have no experience yet, but man, my kids are dying for us to book the Harry Potter or Star Wars house and do Disney and Universal again…

https://www.greatescapevillas.com/

Oh my goodness are those houses well-decorated. I love both of them. Sooo well done!

[klwa]

Also are the AoA resort rooms truly obnoxious? They look obnoxious on the websites (as do most of the value resort rooms tbh). I don’t need a Disney themed room down to the last detail, but I do like the idea of the hotel being reachable by a gondola system.


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I'm assuming that you're asking if the theme is totally in your face? We stayed in a Cars suite the last time we went. Yes, it was themed to Cars, with items looking like tool boxes or cones, etc. But it was easy enough to tune out the theming (except in the bathroom oddly). The colors, etc are fairly muted. I think the Finding Nemo rooms are probably the more bright/distracting rooms. This is what we had: https://www.themeparkprofessor.com/2...mation-resort/

[jgenie]

I'm assuming that you're asking if the theme is totally in your face? We stayed in a Cars suite the last time we went. Yes, it was themed to Cars, with items looking like tool boxes or cones, etc. But it was easy enough to tune out the theming (except in the bathroom oddly). The colors, etc are fairly muted. I think the Finding Nemo rooms are probably the more bright/distracting rooms. This is what we had: https://www.themeparkprofessor.com/2...mation-resort/

That’s the suite we had. We loved it! Stepping outside to the Cozy Cone was awesome for my Cars loving boys! My extended family didn’t seem to mind the theming. We were the only family with kids that visit.

[AnnieW625]

That’s the suite we had. We loved it! Stepping outside to the Cozy Cone was awesome for my Cars loving boys! My extended family didn’t seem to mind the theming. We were the only family with kids that visit.

I would be able to deal with the Cars suite….I think. That is the least obnoxious I have seen so far in my honest opinion. We love Cars as well.

Still no update as to whether or not we are going but I have learned a lot from this post so far. Keep the comments and suggestions coming.

Smile Queen those mansion places look cool!


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[AnnieW625]

Update! Dd1’s dance team qualified for nationals again and I am 99% sure we are going. We are most likely going to stay at Coronado Springs and get the travel package through Varsity Sports package unless I can find a better deal through a Disney travel agent (I think the Varsity plan is pretty reasonable tbh). We may still have the option of booking along with a Disney employee with their discount at Port Orleans and then we would buy 3 day park hoppers and ESPN passes separate but now she isn’t sure she is going to be able to go (her dad was just diagnosed with what is most likely non operable leukemia) so we are back to just using the travel package unless I find something better priced.

If you have a Disney agent you like please PM me.

Fwiw booking airfare is on our own and I am okay with that so I would just need assistance on a park stay/tickets.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

What do you need help with? Disney is easily done diy. Agents don’t have access to things you don’t have. Just today, a new sale came into play for my dates. I modified my reservation in 2 minutes and saved a couple hundred dollars.
You know where you want to book. Book it now. You can always cancel if you find an agent and they find you a great deal. I mistakenly waited too long to book my trip last year and watched as every good room I wanted disappeared months before my trip- and never came back. If you see something, book it. No fee to cancel later.


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