What am I missing for finding good prices offsite?

[smashing]

I'm trying to plan out our next trip. I read lots about the huge savings staying off site. But I can't seem to find them. By the time I factor on the hotel, Disney tickets, car rental, parking, etc it comes out more expensive for us to stay off site them on. So what am I missing??

We aren't looking for anything crazy! We stayed deluxe onsite last time (my husband is picky). But I have him ok to try moderate this time at POR. We are not value people because of the size of beds, sharing beds with the kids, etc. So maybe I'm not looking at the right kind of hotels off site. I'm putting 3 stars or more.

I would like to make this trip a bit longer and to do some off site stuff so was really hoping to find a good price.

 

[Dave1234]

Try dealing direct with owners. Good resorts are Windsor Hills and Emerald Island both are very close to Disney. Good sites specific to these two resorts are WindsorHillsPrivateRentals .com and EmeraldIslandPrivateRentals .com

Slightly further afield try HighlandsReservePrivateRentals .com you'll find really high standard properties at reasonable prices.

My top tip for getting deals is to look at property availability calendars and find specific slots that an owner needs to fill. They will more likely to give deals if they can fill an awkward slot I.e bookings either side a free slot, means they will find harder to fill.

Hope that helps.

Dave

 

[NinaBella]

I'm trying to plan out our next trip. I read lots about the huge savings staying off site. But I can't seem to find them. By the time I factor on the hotel, Disney tickets, car rental, parking, etc it comes out more expensive for us to stay off site them on. So what am I missing??

We aren't looking for anything crazy! We stayed deluxe onsite last time (my husband is picky). But I have him ok to try moderate this time at POR. We are not value people because of the size of beds, sharing beds with the kids, etc. So maybe I'm not looking at the right kind of hotels off site. I'm putting 3 stars or more.

I would like to make this trip a bit longer and to do some off site stuff so was really hoping to find a good price.

Please be more specific on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a hotel with just beds, microwave, coffee pot? Are you looking for a condo style with a full kitchen?

What website are you using putting in three stars?

What ages are your kids (or how many kids) so we can know how many beds you need.

Are you eligible for any discounts like military discount? AAA?

Also, the time of year you are visiting makes a difference in the prices.

 

[smashing]

Please be more specific on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a hotel with just beds, microwave, coffee pot? Are you looking for a condo style with a full kitchen? What website are you using putting in three stars? What ages are your kids (or how many kids) so we can know how many beds you need. Are you eligible for any discounts like military discount? AAA? Also, the time of year you are visiting makes a difference in the prices.

I guess if staying off site I would like a little more room the onsite offers. But nothing over the top. Would be nice to have a queen or king and bunk beds or twin beds for the kids (aged 6 & 8).
I was looking on sites like Expedia to search for things in the area. Traveling from Canada so no AAA or any other discounts.

 

[NinaBella]

I guess if staying off site I would like a little more room the onsite offers. But nothing over the top. Would be nice to have a queen or king and bunk beds or twin beds for the kids (aged 6 & 8).
I was looking on sites like Expedia to search for things in the area. Traveling from Canada so no AAA or any other discounts.

Which places have you looked at and ruled out?

Have you looked at:

Floridays
Westgate Lakes Resort
Wyndham Bonnet Creek

For a less expensive hotel look at Downtown Disney Hotels like Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort.

 

[nugov2]

We rented a 6 bedroom home for $225 a night at Windsor Hills. Private pool and beautifully themed in WDW decor. It was summer so high season so I don't think you could stay anywhere on site except a value cheaper than that. We did valet our car so we paid $16 a day to park. We drove so we didn't need a rental, but just a quick check on the WDW site(with discount) the available mods for high season are $234 at Saratoga Springs. You could get a 3 bdrm townhouse with private splash pool at WH for $115(that is cheaper than the discounted Pop Century room with discount)....that gives you $119 a day savings over the mod to spend on rental car and parking. I would think you could get a rental for $100 or less a day. Windsor Hills is beautiful and closer or just as close to the parks as most of the values and the mods. If you are staying off site I would go with a house/townhouse rental.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

In order to see the value and savings in offsite accommodations, you have to be comparing apples to apples. That means not comparing the price of a 260 square foot value resort room to a 3 bedroom townhouse in Windsor Hills or a 2 bedroom villa at Bonnet Creek or the Sheraton Vistana.

We are paying about $125 a night for our August stay at the Vistana Resort. A value room with a discount will be slightly cheaper for the same time period. But instead of the 260 square feet and one bathroom, we're getting two full bedrooms (one with a king sized bed, the other with two doubles), two full bathrooms (one with a jacuzzi tub), a screened in balcony, a full kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave and dishwasher, in-room laundry facilities, a large living room with a queen sized pullout sofa, a dining room, and 3 flat-screen TV's. Then, the resort also provides more amenities than any of the values....7 pools, 6 hot tubs, 13 tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, onsite mini golf, daily scheduled activities, surrey bike rentals, etc.

Our room at the Vistana accommodates a family of 8. The value resort at Disney will only support a family of up to 4.

A comparable Disney room would be $700+ ... per night. That's a $575 nightly difference!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Traveling from Canada so no AAA or any other discounts.

We are also Canadian, and have often used our CAA card to secure AAA discounts in Florida. Most establishments and companies will honour them as one and the same.

There are tons of deals out there that we still qualify for, even as non-US residents.

Dreams Unlimited has special rates for the Sheraton Vistana Resort and Sheraton Vistana Villages, for example (among other area hotels and resorts), including discounted "no housekeeping" rates. You can check out their properties and the corresponding offers here:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resort.htm

Visit Orlando also has a special section which features "Deals for Canadians":

http://www.visitorlando.com/EN-CA/discounts-tickets/deals-made-for-canadians/

You may need to order one of their "Magic Cards", but they are free and ship quite quickly to us Canucks.

 

[monami7]

Hilton Bonnet Creek is amazing. Often you can get a discount on their site for a suite. Even a Jr. suite. They have a lazy river and it is on property too!

 

[smashing]

Thanks everyone! I knew there had to be more info out there then I was finding. Most of what I was looking at was pretty normal hotel (not motel) rooms, nothing large or fancy but when doing all the figures it just wasn't adding up. I have checked out a few of the links posted and will check out the others. So far I'm liking what I'm seeing

 

[disneysteve]

We rent every year in Windsor Palms.
http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net/

You can also find endless options at VRBO.com. We have also rented several times in Lindfields which is a tad farther away and a bit older but also tends to be a bit cheaper.

 

[robinb]

I stayed in a 2-bedroom condo in Windsor Hills over Spring Break 2013 for $420 with all taxes and fees. I stayed in a 4-bedroom pool near Formosa Hills home over Christmas for $800 with all taxes and fees.

 

[dougsmom98]

Also, when you start adding up costs, make sure you are finding deals on rental cars. You will want to go to this link to find discounts on car rentals:

http://www.mousesavers.com/transportation-for-disney-vacations/rental-car-discounts/

 

[Ametista]

The best deals OP is going to find are on Homeaway, FlipKey, VRBO, etc. The first thing she needs to do is decide which resort community she wants, then she needs to start searching on those sites. Staying at an offsite hotel isn't going to save her enough money for it to be worth paying for a car and parking (as in a Comfort Suites), and staying in one of the big time share resorts like Marriott Cypress Harbour or Vistana Villages only works if you are an owner or Interval member. The REAL deals are renting directly from the owner on Homeaway, VRBO, Flipkey, etc.

 

[kathy884]

TUG2.net classified ads section and Redweek.com are where we go when we want to rent a timeshare condo from an owner. We can usually rent for a full week for the retail price of a Disney condo for one night lol. Typically too, renting Disney vacation points for a condo onsite is three times the price of a high quality timeshare resort condo for us. // The biggest savings comes from renting a larger place for a larger group. // A home or condo rental in a residential community close to Disney will even be less expensive than renting a timeshare unit from the owner. We personally prefer the timeshare rentals, just because they have more of a resort feel, something we really like. // For hotels you will find much higher class / higher quality places for the same price as a value. // Tell us your dates and what you are looking for and maybe we can give you some links for things that might interest you.

 

[maggiew]

Last December we stayed at the Residence Inn Lake Buena Vista in a 2 Bedroom 2 bath condo. There was a king bed in the master bedroom and 2 Queen beds in the second bedroom. I just did a search on the Marriott site and it is $126 per night in August. It was so nice having the extra bathroom with our teen girls! Plus they each had their own bed, so no fighting.

The hotel had a free breakfast in the mornings including Mickey waffles! They also had an evening reception with food, but we never made it back to the hotel for that.

It was very easy to get there. You turn left outside of Hotel Plaza Blvd and then right at the next light. (I think that was called Palm Parkway.)

Maggie

 

[disneysteve]

One other thing. OP I don't know where you live but are you in realistic driving distance? If so, that cuts the costs dramatically since you don't have airfare or rental car expenses. We drive from NJ every year, just over 1,000 miles each way and it saves us a fortune.

 

[NinaBella]

One other thing. OP I don't know where you live but are you in realistic driving distance? If so, that cuts the costs dramatically since you don't have airfare or rental car expenses. We drive from NJ every year, just over 1,000 miles each way and it saves us a fortune.

She is in Canada.

 

[smashing]

We are coming from Ontario Canada. There is no way I could convince my husband to drive. The kids fight in the car after an hour....the thought of 2 days each way would kill him LOL. Maybe when they get older we can make an adventure of it but not yet .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are coming from Ontario Canada. There is no way I could convince my husband to drive. The kids fight in the car after an hour....the thought of 2 days each way would kill him LOL. Maybe when they get older we can make an adventure of it but not yet .

We are also in Ontario. We much prefer hopping on a plane and arriving in just over 2.5 hours vs. taking 2+ days to drive the same distance. I am with your DH....I would rather have my vacation time spent having fun in Orlando vs. cooped up in the family vehicle. Vacations are short enough as they are!