WHERE TO STAY??

[reneeinnc]

HELP!! Trying to plan this 1st family trip to WDW is overwhelming!! It seems like most people like HIFS as a place to stay off Disney. What about Hawthorn Suites? Is $116 a good rate for Oct. 2000 at HIFS? Do they include breakfast? I think Hawthorn does and that seemed like a good deal. Also, what is traffic and parking like when you stay off Disney and have to drive and park there each day? Any advice regarding trip planning would be greatly appreciated! We are a family of 5, with kids 6-11.

 

[disneymommyof3]

I don't know about the place you are currently looking at but, from reading these posts, I checked out Comfort Suites Maingate and got a great rate of about $83 for the first night and about $54 for each add. night. It has many amenitties and comes w/ 2 queen beds and a pull out couch. There is also a fridge and micro. in the room. Check out choice-hotels.com. Good Luck

 

[Buckeye Ron]

I just used priceline.com the last week and I was really amazed at how I saved. Like you, I'm used to paying $100 + per night. I rented a hotel room with Renaissance World Gate, which is a 3 star hotel, typically rents rooms between $89 and $109 (depending on the season) for $50.00 a night. It's really worth checking out. You need to request a 3 star hotel in the immediate WDW area and be ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY SURE you don't make any mistakes in filling out your request. Read it aloud to yourself three times before making the request. Once you make the offer, it may or may not be accepted. If it is accepted, your charge card is charged at that time and you can't change your mind or make changes. You can really get great deals, but you have to be absolutely certain of your dates and be very carefully about not making any mistakes in your offer. And always request no less than a 3 star hotel.

 

[pstepka]

We, too, are a family of five (kids 1-1/2, 3-1/2 and 11) and we stayed at HIFS. My kids loved it and I LOVED having TWO bedrooms plus a living room. The breakfast buffet was wonderful, also. We had a fridge and microwave, a big bathroom, plus a tv and vcr in each bedroom plus the living room. The hotel is themed for kids and the pool was great. I would look into HIFS in detail before deciding on a one-bedroom suite at Hawthorne.
www.hifamilysuites.com

 

[mjohnson512]

We are going to WDW in May and am terrified at booking a place to stay, too many choices! ( this is the 1st time I have ever done a discussion, anywhere, so please forgive if I make mistakes!)
All we have taken care of, so far, is our flight. Now researching for park tickets and where to stay. Any kind of advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[momuv2poohs]

I would suggest HIFS, check out the sites here on this board.. also try vistana.com I have never stayed there but I plan on it. There is tons of info here - just do a search. If you decide to stay here let me know I have tons of info. I guess it would also depend on what price range you are wanting.

 

[reneeinnc]

I just called and reserved a kidsuite at HIFS for Oct. for $122 a night. Is this a good rate? Seems high to me??? Vistana Villages was $164 online.

 

[leebee]

Offsite has always been a great choice for us. We have stayed in several locations (192 east of disney, 192 west of disney, up near SeaWorld, LBV) and have never had a problem with traffic and parking, although this depends on time of year and time of park entry. Oct. should not be a diffficult time of year- even with traffic, construction and crowds you should be able to drive to WDW, park, catch a tram and be at the park entrance in about 30 mins. maximum; actual driving time was probably 10 mins. Facilities and what you pay will depend on your flexibility. If all must have private bedrooms (even if 2 kids share), try HIFS or one of the vacation condos/villas; Holiday Villas has pretty good rates (www.holidayvillas.com) and it's very nice (2 & 3 br villas ranged $89-$129/nt, Oct. 1999, and absolutely worth every penny and more!). If you can be more flexible, we were VERY happy with Comfort Suites MainGate East. Best rates were from www.choicehotels.com, $55.50 plus $2 resort fee per nite in Jan 2001. The br area has 2 queen beds, TV, desk, bureau, end tables,living area has queen sofa bed, coffee table, eating table w/2 or 3 chairs, kitchenette with counter height fridge (that DID freeze the water bottles), microwave, sink, 4 cup coffeemaker, cabinet space. Bathroom was very spacious with lots of vanity space, good water pressure in shower. Bedroom area is separated from living area by half-walls. There's a good photo at the website. Free b'fast buffet was FAB, as were the pools. Excellent deal for the price, and TV in br area can be turned to living area, so younger kids can get to sleep while adults stay up. Also pizza, burgers and hotdogs, as well as beer and mixed drinks, soda, chips etc. available for sale during evenings in b'fast buffet area. Pools were terrific. We stayed for a week, me, DH and 7 yo DD for 4 nites, joined by sis and 3 yo niece for 3 additional nites. Don't get overwhelmed- these boards are a great resource, and if a room is small, unclean, musty smelling, etc., you'll hear about it here, for sure! RElax and have a great trip!

 

[tednvon]

Hi, one more post to confuse or enlighten!...we have been many times to Disney with kids and grandkids over the last 25 years and have fallen in love with condos and/or homes for rent. These give you private baths for mom and dad, lots of space, a community pool or your own pool and prices are around a 100 give or take number of bedrooms. Right now Orlando is very over built with rentals and the people who rent out their own properties are really working hard to make them special...If you wnat to have some fun, go to vrbo.com and search central florida...you will find a huge list of properties with lots of amenities. I am not a salesperson or a rep, but have stayed in many different wonderful places and if you want specifics on a particular condo development or housing area either post or email me....driving around the Disney area is really quite easy...there are a couple a tricks to stay away from 192 construction, and once in Disney you just follow the big blue signs...you will LOVE Disney....Ted in Iowa

 

[pomcoach]

Ted, We are also from Central Iowa. We will be a family of 5, 4 adults and 1 child when we go next Jan. 2002. We really must have 2 bathrooms and 2 or 3 bedrooms. Lately we looked at Florida Leisure homes. But nothing seems to have rates yet for Jan. next year. I would really love to hear from you about a reputable company with vacation homes that you've been particularly pleased with. My e-mail is pomcoach@juno.com
Thanks Ted, and is this darn snow ever gonna melt?