I got into an interesting discussion with a friend recently, who is planning a Disney World vacation with extended family. We were talking about the various options for where to stay: official Disney resort, off-property hotel, or vacation home or condo. It was kind of interesting, as they all have pros and cons, and when it comes to deciding the best option, especially if you are trying to have as affordable a Disney vacation as possible….as she was….then the picture isn’t always black and white. As she was leaning towards renting a home, I’m going to focus this post on the pros and cons of vacation home rental at Disney, and then would like to hear from you.
In the interest of full disclosure here, we have not stayed in a vacation home when visiting Disney World, but I know plenty of people who have, and every one has been very pleased with the experience. And I always find this interesting, as I would miss that “Disney emersion” that you get when staying at a Disney resort, but for these folks it was no problem. In fact, as one told me, “it’s kind of nice to get away from it for a bit.” ……OK. I do get that.
Beyond that part though, the case for renting a vacation home at Disney World can definitely be made, as there are several great reasons for doing it.
- If you are traveling with more than the typical size family of parents and a couple of kids, it will more than likely be cheaper than renting multiple hotel rooms, or even a Disney villa. Probably a lot cheaper in fact, because having this “home away from home” means that
- You can do some cooking/preparing meals, to save money on food costs. Now, personally, I kind of really hate to do much cooking when I’m on vacation because, well, I’m on vacation. But even so, the ability to have a decent breakfast before going to the parks is pretty nice. And if you want to have a relaxing day and not rush off to the parks right away….or even <gasp> take a day off and not go to the parks at all one day…how nice would it be to just hang out at your house, eat in, and just chill? Vacation homes in Florida typically come with a private pool, so you can just unwind at your own pool, frosted beverage of choice in hand. I must say, that scenario sounds pretty tempting, doesn’t it? Which leads me to
- The relaxation factor. And this is the one that I find most intriguing, because “relaxing at Disney” sounds like an oxymoron….but honestly, having a vacation home makes it easier to do than staying on Disney property or even at a non-Disney hotel. It’s just you. And I think for many people, that is the single biggest attraction: the ability to get away from the crowds and the noise and the “go go go” feeling, and just chill a bit in between. It makes for happier, more relaxed families, and that makes for happier vacations.
So what would be the downside?
- Well, if it matters to you, not having that Disney feeling 24/7 for starters.
- Next would be transportation issue. You will need a car, and need to factor that into your plans: cost of car, gas, and parking at the parks, as well as time involved going to and from the parks. It won’t be as convenient perhaps as just hopping on the monorail to go back to your hotel for a swim, so you would need to keep that in mind. Also getting to the parks will be a hassle because you will not be able to take advantage of Disney’s Magical Express.
- Also you would not be eligible for things like the Disney Dining Plan, so again that needs to be factored in.
- Not to mention missing out on specials like FREE DINING!
- Finally you can forget Extra Magic Hours too. You need to be a Disney Resort Guest to take part in Extra Magic Hours.
But all in all, as I discussed with my friend, especially if you have a large group or family, renting a vacation home or condo at Disney World can be a very affordable option. I believe her plans are to do just that, so I will be interested in how her experience works out.
In the meantime, I am curious: Have you ever rented a vacation home or condo at Disney World? What was your experience like, both good and bad? Would you do it again? Please let me know in the comments below.
Nancy of The Affordable Mouse
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We went to WDW for our first ever family vacation this July and with 6 of us, me, my husband, my 22 yr old stepdaughter, our 3 boys ages 4, 10, and 13 we opted to rent a vacation home, we had a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home with a private pool and it worked great for us. We drove to Florida from Illinois so renting a car wasn’t an issue. There were just way to many pros and not enough cons to make this a difficult decision for us. The only benefit to staying on site that would really have made much difference to us would have been the dining plan. Extra hours are really a non issue with a 4 yr old in the group he was exhausted enough in regular hours (even with a afternoon nap). Eating at “home” instead of the parks saved us money and buying most of our groceries before we left for vacation saved us even more. (An option for us because we drove down and had the room in the van) It would have been nice to keep the $14 a day we spent on parking in our “fun” budget but it was something we had planned for. Another huge pro for me was having a full size washer and dryer at my disposal. It was so nice to be able to just throw everyone’s stinky, sweaty clothes in the wash rather than have them smelling up our hotel room. It also saved room on what we packed to take with us. For our next trip we are looking at staying on site, after that I will be able to compare but I really don’t think that we will missing out on that much when we opt to stay somewhere else.
i think staying on is easier and a better deal. the resorts are extrememly relaxing and the meal plan or hotel discounts not having to rent a car etc. make it cheaper. Really after a LONG day do you really want to drive to your hotel?!
I have always stayed on property for my visit but we stayed a few days before at the Holiday Inn mega-plaza which is about 20 minutes away. I think they have a shuttle and you can always take a taxi to Disney. Our “room” was spacious; it had 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, plus a large living area and decent kitchen. The resort had multiple pools and all sorts of activities plus a free internal shuttle. There was a grocery store right off property. If you don’t want to be totally immersed with Disney every second, are on a budget, or want some downtime away from the crowds then I highly recommend staying off property.
We always stay on property. That way don’t have to rent a car. It’s just much more convenient.
We are locals as well as owners with Hilton Grand Vacations Club. We don’t stay in “regular hotel rooms”, but rather at either a Hilton Resort, or we trade into a trade company for another resort in the area. It works best for us because:
1. we are local and so drive the car there.
2. My husband and I have different sleep schedules, so a resort or home with multiple rooms is really a must…also because we have 2 kids – one under age 2.
3. we have different eating schedules/like to snack/etc. I can cook breakfast, we can hit a park, grab a snack in park, and then head back to resort for dinner…..
4. We keep better hydrated. We hit Walmart when we get to Orlando – grab a case or two of water, and stick bottles in fridge and freezer…frozen ones go in ziploc bag in backpack on way to the parks.
It is a personal preference, in my opinion…
We have used the same villa for multiple trips now. In addition to being much cheaper, more private and more relaxing, we find plenty of pluses. One of my grandkids just said the other day that she’s ready to go back and (gasp) doesn’t care if we go to the parks, she loves the house! My grandson looks forward to the house as much as the parks and makes sure we schedule downtime to enjoy it. It’s not even the pool so much as we have one. But there is a gameroom fully decorated in Mickey style with pool table, air hockey, basketball, arcade games, etc. as well as Xbox and DVDs in each bedroom. Their rooms are in Lion King and Nemo motifs. we also make Mickey waffles on our sleep in day. We drive anyway and never have a problem making RD. It takes less than 10 mins to get to AK. We stayed 2 weeks in summer for $149 a night. 4 bedrms. We’ve paid less in the fall. And we avoid EMH parks anyway.
Renting a vacation home sounds like a great option for some families! We stay at the Boardwalk with our DVC points, and it is perfect for us! We would really miss Magical Express and especially Extra Magic Hours! Staying on property has such a magical feeling and we would love to keep that! But you never know what will happen in the future!
When we go to Disney we always rent a vacation home or condo. We always go with another family so it makes it easier to have a good time with each other in the same place. Also it provides for a cheaper way to have more privacy. If I stayed on site I would have to rent a hotel which would mean both of my small children would have to stay in the same room with us. I also enjoy having more room than a hotel room can provide. Also the prices for the vacation rentals outside of disney are super super cheap. I could only stay about 3 days on property for the price that I am paying to stay 9. Transportation is not an issue for us because we drive to Disney so we have a car. I have stayed at Disney one time before having kids and I was very very frustrated with taking the buses to the parks. Getting on at the end of the day was a nightmare and it took a very long time to get back to our hotel. Of course there are still some hotels at Disney that I really really want to stay at but for now I am more than satisfied with staying off site.
Our last stay was offsite at a condo 5 minutes from Disney. It was great for the aspect of we were able to spend less money, we spent $200 on groceries and had a place to go so the kids could take naps.
The down fall was driving back to the Disney, parking and the distance. We loved our stay and would probably do it again, after we’ve had the magic experience. But going full Disney may make us change our mind on the next trip we have planned.