Windsor Hills has ruined me for Wdw resorts

[crusoe2]

I think I asked this on another thread-I hope I'm not repeating myself on this one-but how hard is the drive to the parks. I'll have a gps, but I'm from a small, small town and the driving makes me nervous. Still plan to do it, just worried about the logistics!

We live in a small town too so I know what you mean. The drive from WH to the parks is quick and easy tho. We have stayed at WH twice now - once in October and once in late June - and we did not find the traffic to be bad at all. You'll hang a left coming out of the WH gate and that road takes you right back out to 192. You can go right and follow the signs that will take you to the main gate into Disney property or you can go left and follow the Sherbeth Road route (which seems to be the quickest way to Animal Kingdom). DH always does the driving and we've only done the Sherbeth Road route once so I don't recall the exact details. But it's easy to find more specific directions here on the boards - they've been posted several times so you should be able to pull them up in search.

The only thing I can think of that might be tricky is finding your way back from the parks after dark. I seem to recall the signage for getting back off property wasn't that clear. But I'm afraid I can't be much help on that one - DH likes to "experiment" with different routes so I'm not always sure just where I am.

 

[december]

Thank you-that does help me feel better!

 

[leanne11]

disneymickey..can i ask which dave robison's house did u rent?? was it a townhouse...looking for reviews for his new end unit townhouse??? did you get 1 of his deals??

 

[dragitoff]

We go back and forth with this ourselves. We go to WDW every year but only go for extended trips once every 2-3 years. I have alot of business in Orlando that allows us to make 2-3 day trips here and there. We've stayed at Windsor Hills and loved it. We had a very large group so there's no way we could have done the same trip for close to the same money staying on-site.

When doing that, we did; however miss the transportation. We like being at the parks at rope drop and then leave for a few hours early afternoon to relax and return later in the afternoon and use up our FP's. That wasn't really as feasible staying off-site, but as our kids have gotten older, we do that less and less anyways.

You really can't beat the value if you've got more than 1 family. I've never priced it otherwise, especailly since Disney villas are sooooo expensive.

 

[MamaJessie]

Well, I had to postpone my feb trip But on the bright side we are going to give off site a chance when we reschedule for later this year. There are so many recommendations on here I am going to give it a try. It will be nice to have some elbow room with four kids!

I think I am going through dave robinson. I love taking the virtual tours on the website and the prices. Seeing a positive review here pushed me in that direction for sure so thanks!

 

[hkp1042]

Thank you for this post. We are going for the first time and are staying in Windsor Hills (much more practical for our family of 5) but I kinda felt like we were missing out. I am glad so many people like staying off-site. I know our family wouldn't have gotten te full use out of the dining plan because my kids are very lite eaters and are totally content with a sandwich and goldfish...LOL

I used some of the money we saved but staying off-site and booked a character breakfast

 

[crusoe2]

Well, I had to postpone my feb trip But on the bright side we are going to give off site a chance when we reschedule for later this year. There are so many recommendations on here I am going to give it a try. It will be nice to have some elbow room with four kids!

I think I am going through dave robinson. I love taking the virtual tours on the website and the prices. Seeing a positive review here pushed me in that direction for sure so thanks!

We've stayed in 2 of the condos on Dave's site and we were pleased with both. We've booked one of the townhouses for our next trip. They are great to work with and the units we've stayed in have been very clean and nicely furnished. I highly recommend them.

 

[ldhr2005]

How are the pools there? I have been going back and forth between staying on and off site. This is our first time as a family of 4, and it just makes more sense the have the extra space, washer/dryer, ect. I looked into getting a 3 bedroom townhouse w/ the private splash pool, but honestly I cannot discount the the price of a 2 bedroom condo. Any thought would be appreciated. Just as a side note...we generally stay on property in a Value, and rent a car regardless.

Thanks!

 

[James65]

How are the pools there? I have been going back and forth between staying on and off site. This is our first time as a family of 4, and it just makes more sense the have the extra space, washer/dryer, ect. I looked into getting a 3 bedroom townhouse w/ the private splash pool, but honestly I cannot discount the the price of a 2 bedroom condo. Any thought would be appreciated. Just as a side note...we generally stay on property in a Value, and rent a car regardless.

Thanks!

We enjoyed the pool when we stayed in Feb 2009. DS - 7 at the time - really loved the slide.

 

[Minnie Lor]

Interesting thread. Some friends of mine are reserving at WH for their son and future DIL. They want to go to WDW for their honeymoon. The parents own a timeshare and can get an awesome deal at WH.

The newlyweds will NOT have a car. How difficult is it to use the park shuttle from WH? I did tell them to keep a certain amount of cash in case they miss a bus and want to take a cab. Of course, They'd like to use WH's transportation.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

Totally agree!! We stayed in a villa at Windsor Hills back in November and I can honestly say it was a wonderful experience. We had privacy, peace and quiet, room to spread out, full kitchen, our own pool, and still less than what a hotel would have cost.

 

[Jacksam]

How are the pools there? I have been going back and forth between staying on and off site. This is our first time as a family of 4, and it just makes more sense the have the extra space, washer/dryer, ect. I looked into getting a 3 bedroom townhouse w/ the private splash pool, but honestly I cannot discount the the price of a 2 bedroom condo. Any thought would be appreciated. Just as a side note...we generally stay on property in a Value, and rent a car regardless.

Thanks!

My husband, our two boys (3 and 7), me and my parents stayed in a 3 bedroom townhome last summer. We really enjoyed the private splash pool. We enjoyed so much that we are going back this summer, just the four of us and we are staying at a 3 bedroom townhome just so we can have the splash pool!

 

[Pembo]

ldhr - We stayed in a 3 br condo and my 12 and 8 yo LOVED the slide at the pool. I can't even count how many times they went down. My dd still talks about it as her favorite slide. I went back forth between a th and a condo but price won out and I don't regret it. We have a pool at home so the splash pool wasn't that appealing to us and my kids love the slide.

Minnie Lor - Tell them to get a car...they can probably get a compact for pretty cheap and it will be worth every penny not to rely on other transportation. I would stay on property if I didn't have a car.

 

[ladeeesquire]

we stayed at WH in sept in a 3 bdrm, 2 bath condo. It was very nice. Lots of closet space, etc. We was me, dh, two adult sons and a 2 yr old. It was great to be able to put my dd in bed and then relax on the couch in the evening. The boys shared a room. We had a view of the fireworks from our balcony on the evenings we were in. For 4 adults it was a LOT cheaper than on property. The week for our condo was only $550, car rental was about $230 (minivan).

If it was just the 3 of us me, dh and dd we'd probably give disney property a try. It would be a convenient to use the disney transportation and I think it would be fun to do a trip that was all disney all the time and we're planning to do so in a year or two.

You definitely need a car rental if you're staying at WH. I can't even imagine not.

 

[Disneymommy2006]

We are thinking of renting a two bedroom condo at WH in June. Anyone ever stay here: 7675 Comrow St. Unit 402. I'm a little nervous and because we've never stayed at WH at all so a suggested unit would be great!

 

[Jenny-momof3]

Minnie Lor~ They really need to get a car. WH charges for their shuttle...I believe it was $12 a trip/ per person or something like that....and you have to book it in advance ( the day before) We looked into it last time we stayed there ( spring break this past year) and didn't want to pay to use it.

 

[Minnie Lor]

Minnie Lor~ They really need to get a car. WH charges for their shuttle...I believe it was $12 a trip/ per person or something like that....and you have to book it in advance ( the day before) We looked into it last time we stayed there ( spring break this past year) and didn't want to pay to use it.

I will let them know. Not sure if a car is an option since they're under 25. It's hard when you give advice to someone and they don't take it.

 

[lionking13]

My family is planning another trip to florida and we are going to stay in windsor hills. We loved it there last time and we figured we would not need to switch resorts. Anyways , we were wondering what were some 3 to 4 bedroom townhouses that have excellent disney themes. If someone could please answer my question we would greatly appreciate it

 

[sympatico]

My family is planning another trip to florida and we are going to stay in windsor hills. We loved it there last time and we figured we would not need to switch resorts. Anyways , we were wondering what were some 3 to 4 bedroom townhouses that have excellent disney themes. If someone could please answer my question we would greatly appreciate it

Just to clarify something: there are only 3 bedroom townhouses so if you need 4 bedrooms you'll have to go to a pool home.
The townhouses that I've stayed in weren't Disney themed but these get good reviews: http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/

 

[Mom2boys2]

Just returned from a weeks stay at next2disney.com

We had a great time. Townhouse was nice and comfy. Their VRBO number is #203947. Caroline was very easy to work with. It is kid friendly- board games, movies, toys, high chair, pack-n-play, etc...all there for you. They also have 2 umbrella strollers.

My 5 year old loved that there was even a stool under the sink that he could use to brush his teeth, just like at home!