I'm starting to plan a possible Disney vacation for late next year. DH and I always stayed on site all the times we've gone alone, but would prefer not to this time to save $. What off site hotels have you liked and how far were they from the parks? Do ANY buses run from the off site hotels to the parks? I would prefer something with a kitchenette, but it will only be the 3 of us. (Well, 2 1/2) Thank you!

By Debbie on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 10:27 am:

Deanna, we just went in October and stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on International Drive. I would highly recommend it! We had a 1 bedroom, they also have studios. Our 1 bedroom had a king size bedroom, the kids slept on a sleeper sofa in the living room, it also had a full size kitchen. It is only 10 minutes from Disney, and you don't have to get on I-4, which can be a nightmare. There were tons of daily activities, a little cafe/deli, several pools, a pool side restaurant that had good food. The hotel is also fairly new, so it was clean, and very nice. We will defnintily stay here again when we go back. It is a time share, but we did not do the sales pitch. I just made the reservation on the Hilton website. They did call once while we were there to have us come to the sales pitch and have breakfast. I just told them I wasn't interested, and they didn't call again.

By Jackie on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 10:42 am:

Yes, the Hilton Grand Vacation club is wonderful My parents use to have a timeshare at the one in Las Vegas. They switched their week for Orlando for us a couple of times...I know we couldnt afford to stay there, if not for my parents Timeshare.

By Yjja123 on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 11:53 am:

Check Disney rates first.
There are bargains to be had at Disney. We booked in September for October and the hotels were all reduced. A friend of ours (who works as a hotel manager) told us to wait to book because rates always go down in September.
It is nice to have hotel transportation to Disney. We have relatives in Orlando but usually stay at Disney instead, for the convenience.
Also there are great package deals that include everything.

By Reds9298 on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 07:06 pm:

We always got a package before, when we were childless. I LOVE doing it that way, but honestly just thought it would be cheaper to stay off Disney property. Haven't checked much on it yet though. I love the buses to and from the parks, sending your purchased items right to your room, etc.

I'll also check out the Hilton. Thank you!

By Kate on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 07:34 pm:

It's not necessarily cheaper to stay off site. Especially with a child in tow, I would do all you can to stay onsite. You'll get nicer hotels offsite for less than you'd pay onsite for the same quality hotel, but you can't beat the convenience of onsite and the early entry/late hours for resort guests, the package sending as you mentioned, the ability to purchase the dining plan, etc. Cheapest are the All Star Resorts and the Pop Century. Those are anywhere from $75 to $100 depending on the season. Next up are the moderates ranging from about $125-$145. Then the lower end deluxes are about $205 (Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge) and the high end deluxes will go from about $289 to $$$$. Value and mods are small, with double beds only. All deluxes are larger and have queen beds. For value I recommend the Pop, for mods I recommend Port Orleans French Quarter and for low deluxe I recommend Wilderness Lodge (right near the MK, takes very short time to get there) and for high end I'd go for the Grand Floridian.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 09:02 pm:

When my family went, back in 1979, we stayed in Kissimmee, which is about 5 miles away from Disney World. We didn't just go to Disney World, and were close to a freeway exchange (at least back then, where it was easy to decide if you wanted to go to Disney or to Tampa Bay (like we did one day.)

My folks said it was cheaper. I was only 19, so the cost wasn't a big concern of mine! LOL! I don't know what it would be like today, though.

I know Sarah loved staying at the Disney's All-Star Music Resort, when she went to Disney with the band 2 years ago. I don't know how it's rates compare to any other hotel, though.

By Reds9298 on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 09:10 pm:

I totally love the resports - we've stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs multiple times. I really just assumed that off site was much cheaper, so maybe I was wrong! I need to start checking on the packages. I know that the All Star Resorts are generally the cheapest, but we AREN'T staying there! Too many kids, LOL. So not interested in that, so I figured that off site would be the cheaper way to go. I really hate the idea of driving anywhere on our own (LOL), because I'm so spoiled by the bus and no worries.

By Melissa on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 09:17 pm:

Port Orleans French quarter is a moderate resort that I love. We never do All star for the same reason you mentioned. If you can be some what flexible when you go you can do a moderate for probably 149 a night. I think even if it is a little more than off site, being able to go back to the room with a little one for a mid day break is worth it.

By Tayjar on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 09:31 pm:

Go to mousesavers.com and see what she recommends. They sometimes have great deals and discount codes, too.

By Debbie on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 09:36 pm:

Before our last trip, we always stayed at the Polynesian. I was always able to get a discounted rate. On our last trip it was going to cost us $359.00 a night!! I didn't want to pay that. We got the 1 bedroom at the Hilton for $150.00 a night. We really liked having a kitchen, and the extra room. So, for us, this was the way to go. I refuse to stay at an All Star Resort, the rooms are just too small. If I am going to stay on property, I want to stay at a monorail resort. It is just a lot harder to get discounted rates. Dh said he would be willing to go more often, as long as we stay at a place like the Hilton.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 08:24 am:

Okay so I'm seeing that it's dirt stinkin' cheap to stay at these All STar places - YUCK! The price is tempting, but I know we would be miserable. I think the convenience of staying on site outweighs an off site hotel.

Yvonne - I'll keep your suggestion in mind about calling September!

Thank you ladies.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 08:52 am:

Sorry about the typos - I'm s-l-e-e-p-y!!

By Imamommyx4 on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 12:38 pm:

Last time we (dh,dd who was 5, and me) went, we stayed at the Hampton Inn that was about a mile from the Disney's gates. It was nice, clean, had soft beds, solid white comforters so you could see IF there were stains (but I never saw any) , soft pillows, indoor pool(I think) and complimentary breakfast. The main breakfast item would change daily like sausage and gravy one day, omelets another, and scrambled eggs and bacon another, and pancakes another. But they had muffins, bagels, toast, fruit, cereal,juice, milk, coffee,etc every day. I think it ran about $100 a night in October. It was a left turn and a right turn and then we were on the road that goes past that big Disney shopping area. Its name slips my brain just this second. It took maybe 10 minutes from Hotel parking spot to Magic Kingdom parking spot.

By Bellajoe on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 01:10 pm:

The only sort of bad thing about staying onsite is that as far as I can tell, none of the places have rooms with suites that have kitchenettes.Which means you will have to eat out for EVERY meal which is not cheap at all.
We are going to Disney in June this year with my sister and her family. We rented a house about 10 minutes from the parks. It has its own pool. We are so excited. Although i am not excited about going in June, but that's the only time we can go with the kids.

We went in Oct 2004 and it was perfect, barely any lines and the weather was great!