Two value rooms or off-site condo for large fam?

Penmac

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 31, 2017
I am starting to think about plans for our upcoming trip this summer, and yet again I am agonizing over the property vs. off-property stay. For previous trips we have always stayed offsite in a nice condo. We have 5 kids under 9 so can't fit in a standard hotel room, or even a room for 5. We have done Sheraton Vistana, Royal Palms and Bonnet Creek. It is so nice to have a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms and most importantly- a washer and dryer just off the kitchen! Can't be beat during Florida summer heat. And we have always managed to get a very good nightly rate (between $130-$160). These places have been great and I haven't had any complaints (besides the parking at Bonnet Creek).

I am tempted to pay a few dollars more and go with two connecting value rooms on property. The thought of using a hop on, hop off bus and taking advantage of EMH sounds great! We tend to do rope drop in the AM, take a mid-day break, and then go back to park for the evening hours. So, making it easier to get back to the hotel mid-day is appealing. However, we would not do the meal plan since it would not be cost effective for us. So, not having a kitchen could be a problem for us. We rarely do ADR (five kids under 9 in a sit down restaurant is not my idea of a vacation and it's astronomically expensive at WDW). And, NO washer/dryer in unit scares me. We generate 1-2 loads of laundry a day.

We almost booked into the Fort Wilderness Cabins last summer, but the sheer size of the place intimidated me. The internal bus system sounds like a drag. So, I am looking more at a hotel scenario- Pop, or All Stars..

I am looking for feedback from larger families who have done 2 connecting rooms and have not done the meal plan. How did you manage meals, and how did you find time to get laundry done? Or did you? How is navigating the bus system from these value resorts? Would we really save time from driving? We will have a car. We also have strollers to drag with us and I am worried about that on the bus. I have read horror stories about people waiting 45 min for a bus, or being in line for 1.5 hours at night to get bus back to resort. This suddenly makes the tram to the car not seem so bad. We will be there in early July so it will be very busy at the parks.

We would be looking to do about 4 nights. We are staying off property for an event in Orlando for a couple nights and then will be doing a few days at the parks.

Thanks!
 
My opinion...

I love the convenience of staying on site. I have never stayed at the resorts you mentioned but I have stayed at POFQ and I love the resort for the smaller size and one bus stop. If you can get it through a booking site then you may be able to get below Disneys rack rate. We have started renting points for villas at animal kingdom lodge- that is what works for us.

I will point out that if you get 2 rooms onsite then you can get the deluxe plan for ONE room (list one adult and all kids under 9 but over 2 in this room up to 4 total people -you will also have to purchase your park tickets through Disney making it a package) and get the Deluxe dining plan. That way you have 3 table service meals per person per day and the credits are pooled which means the credits can be used for adult or kids and you can use the credits however and for whoever you want (meaning the people in the other room) You could also do this with the quick service plan. I would not do this for the regular dining plan.

Staying off site is going to be the most economical and WDW now has good neighbor hotels in DS that may work for you.

Good luck
 
We debate this but off site always loses. My daughter is a family of five and it works out best to book two rooms at POP (our favorite). The convenience is just so worth it, especially with little kids. You may save some money staying off-site but how much is convenience worth to you. For us, convenience wins every time. Plus, it feels more magical when you are engulfed in Disney, versus leaving the parks to go elsewhere. I'm sure you'll get a number of different opinions in here, so the best way to decide is what's more important...cost...or convenience?
 
We're a family of 5 and for us it's not even a momentary debate. Offsite only. Onsite would be a disaster for us. First, it's far, far cheaper. We never pay more than $100/night, including all fees. That gets us 3-4 bedrooms, 1100+ sq ft, a family room, full kitchen, laundry, etc...things you simply can't get in a tiny hotel room. We pack all of our food, so a kitchen is a requirement for us anyway. But having room to spread out and relax is critical. We love coming home from a day at the parks and relaxing at "home".

I also don't think it's inconvenient in any way to stay offsite. We have our car, so we can come and go as we please. No waiting for a WDW bus, or transferring buses if we want to hop around, etc... Depending on where we stay, our "commute" to the park is probably about the same amount of time as onsite guests in some cases. Plus, being offsite allows us to have so many other options...going out for dessert, shopping, etc...

I know a lot of people swear by the WDW property "bubble", and I fully respect that. But for us, the bubble is far beyond WDW owned property, and staying onsite would be terrible. In fact, this past trip, we tried to stay one night at the Dolphin, using two rooms. We didn't even stay the night, we left around 9pm and went back to our condo.

You've got a car and a stroller to lug around, plus clearly want to do laundry. Why hassle with the bus, limitations of clean clothes, no place to cook food (if that's what you want to do), etc...? You won't really save much money, if any.
 
We debate this but off site always loses. My daughter is a family of five and it works out best to book two rooms at POP (our favorite). The convenience is just so worth it, especially with little kids. You may save some money staying off-site but how much is convenience worth to you. For us, convenience wins every time. Plus, it feels more magical when you are engulfed in Disney, versus leaving the parks to go elsewhere. I'm sure you'll get a number of different opinions in here, so the best way to decide is what's more important...cost...or convenience?

Thanks for your reply! I am happy to hear you say that there is a convenience perk for a large family staying in two hotel rooms. That is my biggest concern... And I guess one of the things I have been wondering to myself is- is it really more convenient? Are the buses from Pop or All Stars quick during peak season? Do you end up dragging bags of laundry to a communal room and waiting around for it to be done? How do you store food for a family of 7 in two small rooms with tiny fridges? This is what I am struggling with. We will absolutely not get the meal plan under any circumstances so these are factors to consider. I guess I am looking at it like, it's less convenient in some ways, and more convenient in other ways and I need to pinpoint what is more important to us! That's the hard part!

One thing I am worried about is FP. I am decently organized and always booked our FP's first thing in the AM on the 30 day window. I've never had a problem getting what we want besides missing out on SDMT once (which we rode at Rope Drop and did rider switch so kids still got 2 rides in). We were able to ride Navi River Journey last summer and the summer before we got the Frozen ride only 3 weeks after it opened. But with the addition of the good neighbor hotels I am a bit worried about everything being picked over by the 30 day window.

Thanks for the perspective. I really appreciate it!
 
We're a family of 5 and for us it's not even a momentary debate. Offsite only. Onsite would be a disaster for us. First, it's far, far cheaper. We never pay more than $100/night, including all fees. That gets us 3-4 bedrooms, 1100+ sq ft, a family room, full kitchen, laundry, etc...things you simply can't get in a tiny hotel room. We pack all of our food, so a kitchen is a requirement for us anyway. But having room to spread out and relax is critical. We love coming home from a day at the parks and relaxing at "home".

I also don't think it's inconvenient in any way to stay offsite. We have our car, so we can come and go as we please. No waiting for a WDW bus, or transferring buses if we want to hop around, etc... Depending on where we stay, our "commute" to the park is probably about the same amount of time as onsite guests in some cases. Plus, being offsite allows us to have so many other options...going out for dessert, shopping, etc...

I know a lot of people swear by the WDW property "bubble", and I fully respect that. But for us, the bubble is far beyond WDW owned property, and staying onsite would be terrible. In fact, this past trip, we tried to stay one night at the Dolphin, using two rooms. We didn't even stay the night, we left around 9pm and went back to our condo.

Ok, you sound exactly like us! Maybe just what I needed to hear. My husband would definitely agree with you 100%. I am the one wondering if we are missing out on something, and worried about missing the good FP and EMH. I do remember coming back to our condo last summer after a full day at the park and saying to my husband- "thank God we are in a condo. I can't imagine shoving into a hotel room with this cranky crew right now". Haha! But, it's easy to forget that when you are planning your trip and feeling the pull to the "bubble". Thanks for sharing your perspective!
 
My opinion...

I love the convenience of staying on site. I have never stayed at the resorts you mentioned but I have stayed at POFQ and I love the resort for the smaller size and one bus stop. If you can get it through a booking site then you may be able to get below Disneys rack rate. We have started renting points for villas at animal kingdom lodge- that is what works for us.

I will point out that if you get 2 rooms onsite then you can get the deluxe plan for ONE room (list one adult and all kids under 9 but over 2 in this room up to 4 total people -you will also have to purchase your park tickets through Disney making it a package) and get the Deluxe dining plan. That way you have 3 table service meals per person per day and the credits are pooled which means the credits can be used for adult or kids and you can use the credits however and for whoever you want (meaning the people in the other room) You could also do this with the quick service plan. I would not do this for the regular dining plan.

Staying off site is going to be the most economical and WDW now has good neighbor hotels in DS that may work for you.

Good luck
Wow, thanks for the advice! I never would have known to do that. It's probably not for us, but I love reading about all the options!
 


Ok, you sound exactly like us! Maybe just what I needed to hear. My husband would definitely agree with you 100%. I am the one wondering if we are missing out on something, and worried about missing the good FP and EMH. I do remember coming back to our condo last summer after a full day at the park and saying to my husband- "thank God we are in a condo. I can't imagine shoving into a hotel room with this cranky crew right now". Haha! But, it's easy to forget that when you are planning your trip and feeling the pull to the "bubble". Thanks for sharing your perspective!

Don't worry about the FP+ part, especially in the summer. You can get anything and everything, except Pandora stuff (which even that may start getting a bit easier). We literally get 6-8 FP+ per summer day, sometimes more. We'll get the "big" rides too...TT, RnR, FEA, 7DMT, etc...without too much trouble.

Yes, we couldn't imagine going back to a small hotel room after a long park day. No way.
 
I am starting to think about plans for our upcoming trip this summer, and yet again I am agonizing over the property vs. off-property stay. For previous trips we have always stayed offsite in a nice condo. We have 5 kids under 9 so can't fit in a standard hotel room, or even a room for 5. We have done Sheraton Vistana, Royal Palms and Bonnet Creek. It is so nice to have a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms and most importantly- a washer and dryer just off the kitchen! Can't be beat during Florida summer heat. And we have always managed to get a very good nightly rate (between $130-$160). These places have been great and I haven't had any complaints (besides the parking at Bonnet Creek).

I am tempted to pay a few dollars more and go with two connecting value rooms on property. The thought of using a hop on, hop off bus and taking advantage of EMH sounds great! We tend to do rope drop in the AM, take a mid-day break, and then go back to park for the evening hours. So, making it easier to get back to the hotel mid-day is appealing. However, we would not do the meal plan since it would not be cost effective for us. So, not having a kitchen could be a problem for us. We rarely do ADR (five kids under 9 in a sit down restaurant is not my idea of a vacation and it's astronomically expensive at WDW). And, NO washer/dryer in unit scares me. We generate 1-2 loads of laundry a day.

We almost booked into the Fort Wilderness Cabins last summer, but the sheer size of the place intimidated me. The internal bus system sounds like a drag. So, I am looking more at a hotel scenario- Pop, or All Stars..

I am looking for feedback from larger families who have done 2 connecting rooms and have not done the meal plan. How did you manage meals, and how did you find time to get laundry done? Or did you? How is navigating the bus system from these value resorts? Would we really save time from driving? We will have a car. We also have strollers to drag with us and I am worried about that on the bus. I have read horror stories about people waiting 45 min for a bus, or being in line for 1.5 hours at night to get bus back to resort. This suddenly makes the tram to the car not seem so bad. We will be there in early July so it will be very busy at the parks.

We would be looking to do about 4 nights. We are staying off property for an event in Orlando for a couple nights and then will be doing a few days at the parks.

Thanks!

We have traveled to Disney with 5 kids on numerous occasions (always in late June). The kids are all teens/adults now, but we did several trips when they were young. We always did 2 rooms at a Value Resort and it worked out well for us. If your youngest is under 3, you could also consider a family suite. That way you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not you actually get connecting rooms *and* you'd have a microwave and coffee pot in the room (to help with breakfast options). The suites at All Star Music are only a few dollars more than the cost of two rooms. The suites at AoA are a bit more expensive than ASMu. We eat breakfast in our room every day. We bring granola bars, bagels, muffins, cereal, Pop-Tarts,etc. as well as some snack foods to eat in the room. We don't do many (if any) TS meals while we're at Disney -- our kids were never really interested in meeting Characters and we have far better restaurants at home (we live within 45 minutes of a major city). We don't do a dining plan because they don't fit the way we eat. We find that even if we eat whatever we want and buy all of our drinks and snacks in the parks, we still spend less than the dining plan. HOWEVER, if I had 5 kids under the age of 9, I would give the QS dining plan (since that's the plan that would work best for us) a bit of thought. The price for kids is $22/day and that covers 2 meals/2 snacks per day plus a refillable mug. You could most likely split some of those meals between kids. When our kids were young, we'd often buy 2 kids meals to split between 3 or 4 people (depending on the meal). Just something to think about.

I rarely do laundry when we're at Disney. On the few trips that I did do laundry, I would just do 2 loads while the kids were swimming at the pool one afternoon or evening about midway through a 7-day stay (our kids range in age by 18 years, so the older ones were always able to help my husband keep an eye on the younger ones at the pool while I ran to check on the laundry). Now we just use the space saver travel bags so we can pack more stuff in less space and I don't have to do laundry anymore. :D I sort our laundry into "loads" and pre-treat stains before we leave Disney so that once we get home, it's really easy to just grab a bag of dirty clothing and dump it in the washer. If you need to do laundry, I'd probably try to do it your last day at the other hotel before heading to Disney. One less thing to worry about at Disney.

As far as bus service, we've always had pretty good luck as far as waits. (We've never used a stroller at Disney so I can't really help you with the bus/stroller situation but I will say there are always several people with strollers on the bus so you won't be alone!). We typically do rope drop most mornings and then head back to the resort around lunch time, returning to the parks again after dinner. We find using the buses to be quick and easy -- especially at the Value resorts as they only have one bus stop and for the most part, only pick up/drop off at one resort. We expect there to be long waits at the end of a night so when possible, we either try to leave the park 30-60 minutes before closing time or if we're staying until closing time, we take our time leaving the park -- stopping at the bathroom, grabbing a drink/snack, window shopping, etc. -- so that the lines are shorter when we finally do get to the bus stop. We've spent about 50 days in the parks over our last 7 trips and we usually ride the buses 4+ times a day. I would say that 95% of the time we've waited less than 20 minutes for a bus (with the vast majority of those waits being less than 10 minutes). It always *feels* longer because you're usually anxious about getting to the park or you're tired and just want to get back to the resort, but when we started actually keeping track of how long our waits were, they were generally very short. Our longest wait by far has been at Animal Kingdom Lodge following dinner one evening. We waited over an hour for a bus to DHS...while 2 or 3 buses showed up for each of the other parks during that time. Very frustrating. The 2nd longest wait was at the Grand Floridian one afternoon when we waited 45 minutes for a bus to DTD/DS. And one night after Fantasmic we waited about 35 minutes for a bus back to Pop Century (but we knew we'd have a long wait). You said you'll have a car, so if you find the buses to not work for you, you can always drive to the parks. We have a car there as well but we prefer to let someone else do the driving for us.
 
Thank you so much for the advice!


We have traveled to Disney with 5 kids on numerous occasions (always in late June). The kids are all teens/adults now, but we did several trips when they were young. We always did 2 rooms at a Value Resort and it worked out well for us. If your youngest is under 3, you could also consider a family suite. That way you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not you actually get connecting rooms *and* you'd have a microwave and coffee pot in the room (to help with breakfast options). The suites at All Star Music are only a few dollars more than the cost of two rooms. The suites at AoA are a bit more expensive than ASMu. We eat breakfast in our room every day. We bring granola bars, bagels, muffins, cereal, Pop-Tarts,etc. as well as some snack foods to eat in the room. We don't do many (if any) TS meals while we're at Disney -- our kids were never really interested in meeting Characters and we have far better restaurants at home (we live within 45 minutes of a major city). We don't do a dining plan because they don't fit the way we eat. We find that even if we eat whatever we want and buy all of our drinks and snacks in the parks, we still spend less than the dining plan. HOWEVER, if I had 5 kids under the age of 9, I would give the QS dining plan (since that's the plan that would work best for us) a bit of thought. The price for kids is $22/day and that covers 2 meals/2 snacks per day plus a refillable mug. You could most likely split some of those meals between kids. When our kids were young, we'd often buy 2 kids meals to split between 3 or 4 people (depending on the meal). Just something to think about.

I rarely do laundry when we're at Disney. On the few trips that I did do laundry, I would just do 2 loads while the kids were swimming at the pool one afternoon or evening about midway through a 7-day stay (our kids range in age by 18 years, so the older ones were always able to help my husband keep an eye on the younger ones at the pool while I ran to check on the laundry). Now we just use the space saver travel bags so we can pack more stuff in less space and I don't have to do laundry anymore. :D I sort our laundry into "loads" and pre-treat stains before we leave Disney so that once we get home, it's really easy to just grab a bag of dirty clothing and dump it in the washer. If you need to do laundry, I'd probably try to do it your last day at the other hotel before heading to Disney. One less thing to worry about at Disney.

As far as bus service, we've always had pretty good luck as far as waits. (We've never used a stroller at Disney so I can't really help you with the bus/stroller situation but I will say there are always several people with strollers on the bus so you won't be alone!). We typically do rope drop most mornings and then head back to the resort around lunch time, returning to the parks again after dinner. We find using the buses to be quick and easy -- especially at the Value resorts as they only have one bus stop and for the most part, only pick up/drop off at one resort. We expect there to be long waits at the end of a night so when possible, we either try to leave the park 30-60 minutes before closing time or if we're staying until closing time, we take our time leaving the park -- stopping at the bathroom, grabbing a drink/snack, window shopping, etc. -- so that the lines are shorter when we finally do get to the bus stop. We've spent about 50 days in the parks over our last 7 trips and we usually ride the buses 4+ times a day. I would say that 95% of the time we've waited less than 20 minutes for a bus (with the vast majority of those waits being less than 10 minutes). It always *feels* longer because you're usually anxious about getting to the park or you're tired and just want to get back to the resort, but when we started actually keeping track of how long our waits were, they were generally very short. Our longest wait by far has been at Animal Kingdom Lodge following dinner one evening. We waited over an hour for a bus to DHS...while 2 or 3 buses showed up for each of the other parks during that time. Very frustrating. The 2nd longest wait was at the Grand Floridian one afternoon when we waited 45 minutes for a bus to DTD/DS. And one night after Fantasmic we waited about 35 minutes for a bus back to Pop Century (but we knew we'd have a long wait). You said you'll have a car, so if you find the buses to not work for you, you can always drive to the parks. We have a car there as well but we prefer to let someone else do the driving for us.
 
I would vote for offsite, mostly for the extra room, full kitchen, laundry facilities, and bigger beds. The beds in the values are only doubles--DH is a "king" man, although he'll do a queen, if he has to, for a night or two.

We're also a family that values our space. Plus, my kids don't really care for restaurant meals of any type--they would much rather have Mom-made food (gee, thanks! I'm flattered...I think.). And they just love renting a house with a private pool--this was, hands-down, their favorite feature of a house rental. Even more than having all the bathrooms! I find that multiple bedrooms also helps when you have kids with different sleep needs (naps, early bedtime, etc.).

It's kind of funny, since I made most of the meals at the house, the kids had extra appreciation for the few snacks we did purchase.
 
We stayed offsite on our first two trips because we had access to a timeshare and the cost was so low there was no point in considering anything else. For our upcoming trip, that wasn't an option, so I explored all of the other opportunities, including staying onsite. We have a family of five, and as it turns out, offsite wins by a large margin, and not just because of cost... We chose a 3-bedroom townhome at Windsor Hills for our upcoming trip and I'm really excited about it (even though our condos at Marriott Harbour Lake were fantastic).

1. We always have a rental car, and love the freedom to come and go on our own schedule. With the townhome, we will have our own driveway! I can't wait to park, walk in our front door and be "home". No worrying about finding a close parking spot and hauling tired kids up to a hotel room late at night. Loading and unloading the car at the beginning and end of the trip will be a lot easier, too.
2. The space! I love my kids, but they don't always get along. They get along even less when they are forced to spend every minute together. The more room they have to spread out and do their own thing, the happier everyone will be. They will have four TVs and Playstation to choose from when they need downtime.
3. Full kitchen... we like eating out, once in a while. But not every meal of every day. I LOVE being able to prepare simple meals and easily reheat and serve leftovers at a real kitchen table. We shop for groceries on our arrival day, then we bring our own drinks and snacks into the parks and usually buy one quick service meal a day. The rest of the time, we are eating our favourite foods, which are a lot healthier, too.
4. THREE BATHROOMS! We can have all three kids showering at the same time and we will be ready so much more quickly (whether it's heading out for the day, or trying to get them to bed at a reasonable time).
5. Our own pool. All townhomes at Windsor Hills have their own "splash pool". Ours included pool heat, so the kids can swim whenever they feel like it. If only one or two want to go in, it's not a hassle. My husband and I can also go in at night after the kids are in bed. Windsor Hills also has a large communal pool, and they are currently working on new water slides, hot tub and splash pad, in case the kids want more of the "resort feel".
6. Our own bedroom. My husband and I don't insist on a lot of privacy, but having a lockable door on vacation is a beautiful thing. ;)
7. Laundry. I love being able to do laundry on vacation. I don't find it a chore at all. Just throw in a load whenever we feel like it. We don't have to leave wet swimsuits hanging around, and we can wear the same favourite Disney clothes multiple times.
8. Proximity to Disney. Windsor Hills is really close. In many cases, our total time from our driveway to the front gates will be less than it would take to walk to the bus stop and wait for Disney transportation.
9. Cost. It's not the biggest deciding factor, but it is still very significant. The TOTAL cost for our townhome is $144 per night, including pool heat, taxes, and the one time cleaning fee. There is no housekeeping during the stay, so no tipping necessary. There is no fee for parking. We will save a LOT on food since groceries will be so much less expensive that restaurant meals.
10. It's not a factor for our family, but many of the units at Windsor Hills also include baby items like cribs, high chairs, playyards and strollers.

I know there are additional costs to staying offsite, but we would want a rental car either way. Parking at the parks definitely adds up, but the extra $20 per day is worth it for us to be able to ride in air-conditioned comfort, listening to our favourite music, and park right in our own driveway.

We have had good luck getting advance or same-day FP+ for every attraction we want. We may not get FoP this time, but we can work around that. Obviously, for you with a family of 7, FP booking becomes a bit more of an issue, but it would never be enough to make me want to give up all the other advantages of our offsite choice.

Good luck deciding - I'm sure you'll have a magical trip either way!
 
We love Windsor Hills also! So close and so nice to have the space to spread out! Super nice pool and in October they were building more water slides to be open this year!
 
We stayed offsite on our first two trips because we had access to a timeshare and the cost was so low there was no point in considering anything else. For our upcoming trip, that wasn't an option, so I explored all of the other opportunities, including staying onsite. We have a family of five, and as it turns out, offsite wins by a large margin, and not just because of cost... We chose a 3-bedroom townhome at Windsor Hills for our upcoming trip and I'm really excited about it (even though our condos at Marriott Harbour Lake were fantastic).

1. We always have a rental car, and love the freedom to come and go on our own schedule. With the townhome, we will have our own driveway! I can't wait to park, walk in our front door and be "home". No worrying about finding a close parking spot and hauling tired kids up to a hotel room late at night. Loading and unloading the car at the beginning and end of the trip will be a lot easier, too.
2. The space! I love my kids, but they don't always get along. They get along even less when they are forced to spend every minute together. The more room they have to spread out and do their own thing, the happier everyone will be. They will have four TVs and Playstation to choose from when they need downtime.
3. Full kitchen... we like eating out, once in a while. But not every meal of every day. I LOVE being able to prepare simple meals and easily reheat and serve leftovers at a real kitchen table. We shop for groceries on our arrival day, then we bring our own drinks and snacks into the parks and usually buy one quick service meal a day. The rest of the time, we are eating our favourite foods, which are a lot healthier, too.
4. THREE BATHROOMS! We can have all three kids showering at the same time and we will be ready so much more quickly (whether it's heading out for the day, or trying to get them to bed at a reasonable time).
5. Our own pool. All townhomes at Windsor Hills have their own "splash pool". Ours included pool heat, so the kids can swim whenever they feel like it. If only one or two want to go in, it's not a hassle. My husband and I can also go in at night after the kids are in bed. Windsor Hills also has a large communal pool, and they are currently working on new water slides, hot tub and splash pad, in case the kids want more of the "resort feel".
6. Our own bedroom. My husband and I don't insist on a lot of privacy, but having a lockable door on vacation is a beautiful thing. ;)
7. Laundry. I love being able to do laundry on vacation. I don't find it a chore at all. Just throw in a load whenever we feel like it. We don't have to leave wet swimsuits hanging around, and we can wear the same favourite Disney clothes multiple times.
8. Proximity to Disney. Windsor Hills is really close. In many cases, our total time from our driveway to the front gates will be less than it would take to walk to the bus stop and wait for Disney transportation.
9. Cost. It's not the biggest deciding factor, but it is still very significant. The TOTAL cost for our townhome is $144 per night, including pool heat, taxes, and the one time cleaning fee. There is no housekeeping during the stay, so no tipping necessary. There is no fee for parking. We will save a LOT on food since groceries will be so much less expensive that restaurant meals.
10. It's not a factor for our family, but many of the units at Windsor Hills also include baby items like cribs, high chairs, playyards and strollers.

I know there are additional costs to staying offsite, but we would want a rental car either way. Parking at the parks definitely adds up, but the extra $20 per day is worth it for us to be able to ride in air-conditioned comfort, listening to our favourite music, and park right in our own driveway.

We have had good luck getting advance or same-day FP+ for every attraction we want. We may not get FoP this time, but we can work around that. Obviously, for you with a family of 7, FP booking becomes a bit more of an issue, but it would never be enough to make me want to give up all the other advantages of our offsite choice.

Good luck deciding - I'm sure you'll have a magical trip either way!

Great post! Thank you!
 
We stayed offsite on our first two trips because we had access to a timeshare and the cost was so low there was no point in considering anything else. For our upcoming trip, that wasn't an option, so I explored all of the other opportunities, including staying onsite. We have a family of five, and as it turns out, offsite wins by a large margin, and not just because of cost... We chose a 3-bedroom townhome at Windsor Hills for our upcoming trip and I'm really excited about it (even though our condos at Marriott Harbour Lake were fantastic).

1. We always have a rental car, and love the freedom to come and go on our own schedule. With the townhome, we will have our own driveway! I can't wait to park, walk in our front door and be "home". No worrying about finding a close parking spot and hauling tired kids up to a hotel room late at night. Loading and unloading the car at the beginning and end of the trip will be a lot easier, too.
2. The space! I love my kids, but they don't always get along. They get along even less when they are forced to spend every minute together. The more room they have to spread out and do their own thing, the happier everyone will be. They will have four TVs and Playstation to choose from when they need downtime.
3. Full kitchen... we like eating out, once in a while. But not every meal of every day. I LOVE being able to prepare simple meals and easily reheat and serve leftovers at a real kitchen table. We shop for groceries on our arrival day, then we bring our own drinks and snacks into the parks and usually buy one quick service meal a day. The rest of the time, we are eating our favourite foods, which are a lot healthier, too.
4. THREE BATHROOMS! We can have all three kids showering at the same time and we will be ready so much more quickly (whether it's heading out for the day, or trying to get them to bed at a reasonable time).
5. Our own pool. All townhomes at Windsor Hills have their own "splash pool". Ours included pool heat, so the kids can swim whenever they feel like it. If only one or two want to go in, it's not a hassle. My husband and I can also go in at night after the kids are in bed. Windsor Hills also has a large communal pool, and they are currently working on new water slides, hot tub and splash pad, in case the kids want more of the "resort feel".
6. Our own bedroom. My husband and I don't insist on a lot of privacy, but having a lockable door on vacation is a beautiful thing. ;)
7. Laundry. I love being able to do laundry on vacation. I don't find it a chore at all. Just throw in a load whenever we feel like it. We don't have to leave wet swimsuits hanging around, and we can wear the same favourite Disney clothes multiple times.
8. Proximity to Disney. Windsor Hills is really close. In many cases, our total time from our driveway to the front gates will be less than it would take to walk to the bus stop and wait for Disney transportation.
9. Cost. It's not the biggest deciding factor, but it is still very significant. The TOTAL cost for our townhome is $144 per night, including pool heat, taxes, and the one time cleaning fee. There is no housekeeping during the stay, so no tipping necessary. There is no fee for parking. We will save a LOT on food since groceries will be so much less expensive that restaurant meals.
10. It's not a factor for our family, but many of the units at Windsor Hills also include baby items like cribs, high chairs, playyards and strollers.

I know there are additional costs to staying offsite, but we would want a rental car either way. Parking at the parks definitely adds up, but the extra $20 per day is worth it for us to be able to ride in air-conditioned comfort, listening to our favourite music, and park right in our own driveway.

We have had good luck getting advance or same-day FP+ for every attraction we want. We may not get FoP this time, but we can work around that. Obviously, for you with a family of 7, FP booking becomes a bit more of an issue, but it would never be enough to make me want to give up all the other advantages of our offsite choice.

Good luck deciding - I'm sure you'll have a magical trip either way!

Very well said, I wholeheartedly agree. Having the space to spread out is wonderful...our kids don't always get along either. Nice to give them places of their own. And yes, no complaining about a private bedroom for DW and myself. :D Same with the food and laundry. It's so much less work than I think some people feel that it is. We cook super simple stuff that will last for days, so we just heat and eat...at a kitchen table. Same for laundry. Throw a load in while relaxing and watching TV. It's great. Saves us from packing a lot...we only bring 4 days worth of clothes with us, for a 17 day trip.

The place we just stayed at had a private driveway too, which is great. Like you said, park in the driveway, open the door and you're home.

There's a lot of hype on this board about Windsor Hills. We haven't stayed there, so I haven't experienced it personally. Based on all the talk here, I looked closely at it, but my own opinion was that I didn't see anything "special" about it over the many other places we've stayed over the years. I'm budget oriented, so I find less expensive places.
 
the moment you said your family produce two loads of laundry daily my advice is to stay offsite. No table service for you? stay offsite. Maybe book the last night of your trip onsite to experience the Disney Bubble. The bus will work fine and the flexibility of staying onsite is great, no trams, no big parking lots, etc. But onsite means eating most of your meals at the restaurants. I personally have declined trips with friends who stay offsite, I refuse to cook or do laundry on my vacation and onsite goes well with that.
 
Very well said, I wholeheartedly agree. Having the space to spread out is wonderful...our kids don't always get along either. Nice to give them places of their own. And yes, no complaining about a private bedroom for DW and myself. :D Same with the food and laundry. It's so much less work than I think some people feel that it is. We cook super simple stuff that will last for days, so we just heat and eat...at a kitchen table. Same for laundry. Throw a load in while relaxing and watching TV. It's great. Saves us from packing a lot...we only bring 4 days worth of clothes with us, for a 17 day trip.

The place we just stayed at had a private driveway too, which is great. Like you said, park in the driveway, open the door and you're home.

There's a lot of hype on this board about Windsor Hills. We haven't stayed there, so I haven't experienced it personally. Based on all the talk here, I looked closely at it, but my own opinion was that I didn't see anything "special" about it over the many other places we've stayed over the years. I'm budget oriented, so I find less expensive places.

We checked out some other communities as well. I ended up settling on Windsor Hills because my kids were used to a "resort" with the community pool, water slides, etc. and they didn't want to give all of that up. We're also going for 13 nights this time, so will have a lot more time to relax and enjoy the facilities. But I do acknowledge that there are other less expensive but still very nice options. Is there anyplace in particular you have stayed that you would recommend for budget-conscious families?

Another nice thing about many of the vacation rentals near Disney is that they have Disney-themed bedrooms (and in some cases the entire house!) This is nice for families where the parents don't care about the Disney bubble, but still want the kids to feel fully immersed in the Disney experience.
 
Maybe book the last night of your trip onsite to experience the Disney Bubble.

Like I mentioned in a previous post upthread, we actually did, for the first time ever, book one night onsite to experience the "Disney bubble". We booked two rooms at the Dolphin. We thought and hoped the kids would get a kick out of it. We kept it a surprise. When they realized what we were doing, they were super excited. They couldn't wait to explore the hotel, check out the rooms, swim in the pool (even though it was only 70 degrees outside), etc... We went out to dinner...offsite, we took our car. Then came back and walked to the Boardwalk...rented a surry bike. Then took a ferry to HS and did a few rides. Everyone was having a great time...until we were heading back to the hotel and the kids realized "Oh...we have to all sleep in a small room together and share a bathroom". Then the excitement wore off REAL fast and we just went back to the condo for the night. On the bright side, the housekeeping at the Dolphin had no work to do in our rooms. :D

We checked out some other communities as well. I ended up settling on Windsor Hills because my kids were used to a "resort" with the community pool, water slides, etc. and they didn't want to give all of that up. We're also going for 13 nights this time, so will have a lot more time to relax and enjoy the facilities. But I do acknowledge that there are other less expensive but still very nice options. Is there anyplace in particular you have stayed that you would recommend for budget-conscious families?

Another nice thing about many of the vacation rentals near Disney is that they have Disney-themed bedrooms (and in some cases the entire house!) This is nice for families where the parents don't care about the Disney bubble, but still want the kids to feel fully immersed in the Disney experience.

Yeah, I know what you mean. We did a few 4-5 day trips a few years ago, but the majority of our trips are between 9 nights and 17 nights long, so we definitely have plenty of time to enjoy the facilities. Don't get me wrong, I don't think negatively about Windsor Hills...I haven't even stayed there so I couldn't have that opinion. I just didn't see what was so special about it above any of the other places that run along Rt 192, right outside WDW. Yes, the community pool is very important, especially for a summer trip. Disney themed rooms are really cool too, we've had several of those. The place we just stayed at was called Regal Palms Resort and Spa. It was a bit farther out than we usually stay (about 15 minutes to the "entrance" to WDW), but well worth it. Very resort like. One of the bedrooms was decked out...over the top decked out...in Minions theme. The kids thought it was awesome. We've had other places that had full out Disney themed rooms...we always like to rent from private owners, not rental agencies. They tend to have nicer facilities and have a personal touch. Last summer we stayed at a place called Vista Del Lago. Definitely not a resort like Regal Palms, but it was a fantastic value. It was a single family home (prefab), so it was the ultimate in privacy. Had a private covered driveway (the covering was awesome to protect the car from the sun), screened in patio, etc...and was quite budget friendly. We've stayed at lots of other places along Rt. 192...I'd have to check my VRBO account to try to remember the names. Frankly, we haven't come across a place we really didn't like...we just like that section along Rt. 192. It runs east/west across the south side of WDW. It has tons of rental resort communities. It also has endless gift shops, Publix grocery stores, Target, Wal-Mart, restaurants, etc...
 
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I stayed off site in June with my cousins, plenty of room, beautiful community, nice pool. We drove, still had to wait for the transportation to the parking lot to get the car, so you still have to wait. It just wasn't the same for me. But...if space is what you're looking for and you plan on spending a fair amount of time at the resort, go off site. We also park hop, and it's so much easier without the car. We had to keep figuring out where to end up depending on what time the parks closed to get back to the car on time. At 30 days out, we could not get FOP. We did get Navi and the River of Lights show. We ended up waiting 2 plus hours in line for FOP. But there are certainly many good points in here to help you decide. Good Luck!
 
Just gonna throw this out there for you... The Summer Meal Deal was just released today. It provides one QS meal per person per night for guests 3 and up. You have to book a package (room and tickets) to get the deal. Book by Feb. 11 for travel May 29-August 25.

It won't help with having more space in a condo v. two rooms, but it will definitely help with the overall cost. :)
 

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