{"id":1455,"date":"2022-07-05T12:01:44","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T12:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/?page_id=1455"},"modified":"2024-01-09T16:15:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T16:15:45","slug":"stay-in-a-disney-hotel-or-rent-a-house","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/?page_id=1455","title":{"rendered":"Stay in a Disney hotel or rent a house?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"1455\" class=\"elementor elementor-1455\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b917def elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b917def\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c979d53\" data-id=\"c979d53\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-903ec7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"903ec7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Should we stay in a Disney resort hotel or rent a house?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1ffab24 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1ffab24\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-da4c0d1\" data-id=\"da4c0d1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c8ccaa7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c8ccaa7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a very personal choice as to whether you go for a rental home or a room in a hotel.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The houses can be great: they give you substantially more space, multiple bedrooms, often a private pool, sometimes a communal pool too, kitchen, lounge, and often a pool table in the garage.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The downside is that the houses are not on Disney property and are generally between 10 to 30 minutes away by car. We wouldn\u2019t advise staying in a rental home that\u2019s advertised as more than 30 minutes away from Disney.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly a house can be anything from a one-bedroom condo\/apartment up to a 10-bedroom private villa \u2013 and everything in between.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Staying in a hotel<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re thinking of staying in a hotel, then staying at a Disney resort hotel is perfect and immerses you in the whole Disney experience \u2013 if you want that!<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the Disney hotels, there are literally hundreds of other hotels outside of Disney in Kissimmee, along International Drive, and along the 192 highway. Their nightly rates vary from $50 a night up to over a $1,000 and cater for all tastes and demands.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These non-Disney hotels can be much better value, have larger rooms and match guests\u2019 desire for a non-Disney retreat.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Immersing yourself in the Disney experience or loads of space in a house?<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Staying in a Disney hotel (or resorts as they are known) on Disney property has many upsides:<\/p><ul><li>You\u2019re immersed in the whole Disney experience<\/li><li>You\u2019re closer to the action (you can walk to a park from some of the Disney hotels)<\/li><li>You get to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resort-hotels-benefits\/#\/drawer=drawerMoreParkTime\">enter the parks 30 minutes early<\/a> (and sometimes stay later, too)<\/li><li>The resort hotels are wonderfully themed<\/li><li>Parking at the parks is free for hotel guests ($30 per day for non-Disney hotel guests)<\/li><li>Disney buses run regularly between the hotels and the parks<\/li><li>The guest experience and service is, generally, amazing<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br \/>However, Disney resort hotel rooms are not cheap, and the rooms are no bigger than non-Disney hotels. You\u2019re paying for the Disney experience, which some will want, and some will want to leave behind when they exit the parks each day!<\/span><\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Our journey from Disney resorts to rental houses<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a personal perspective, we stayed in a number of Disney resorts when the kids were growing up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/port-orleans-resort-riverside\/\">Port Orleans Riverside<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/caribbean-beach-resort\/\">Caribbean Beach<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/yacht-club-resort\/\">Yacht Club<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/polynesian-resort\/\">Polynesian Village<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/grand-floridian-resort-and-spa\/\">Grand Floridian<\/a>, where we were married.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Squeezing three, four and then five of us into a room just about worked, as the rooms generally have the option of two queen beds and a hidden-away day bed.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As our kids have got older and wanted their own bedrooms, and we generally wanted more space and a pool, we have stayed in rental homes. We have forsaken the Disney experience and immersion for a bit more space and accepted the extra miles that we are driving each day.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Staying in a Disney resort hotel<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it\u2019s your first time at Disney and you can stretch your budget, then staying at a Disney hotel can be a wonderful experience.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With over 25 hotels on Disney property, Disney does have hotels that cater for all tastes and, more importantly, budgets.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their entry level hotels are classified as Value Resorts, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/all-star-movies-resort\/\">All-Stars Movies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/pop-century-resort\/\">Pop Century<\/a> being examples. Nightly rates vary across the year from $123 through to $264, depending on the season and the day of the week.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next level up are Moderate Resorts, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/port-orleans-resort-riverside\/\">Port Orleans Riverside<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/caribbean-beach-resort\/\">Caribbean Beach<\/a>. Nightly rates vary across the year from $266 through to $486, depending on the season, day of the week and room type.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The top level of Disney hotels is known as the Deluxe Resorts, which include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/yacht-club-resort\/\">Yacht Club<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/grand-floridian-resort-and-spa\/\">Grand Floridian<\/a>. Nightly rates vary across the year from $522 through to $1,441, depending on the season, day of the week and room type.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Our two favourite Disney resort hotels<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/port-orleans-resort-riverside\/\">Port Orleans Riverside<\/a> is a lovely southern US themed hotel set in a huge area with its own river and direct access by boat to Disney Springs. There is no direct access to any of the theme parks, but the bus service is frequent and easy to use, or just use your rental car.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/resorts\/yacht-club-resort\/\">Yacht Club<\/a> is set on Disney\u2019s boardwalk and next to EPCOT, the rooms are a good size, and it has its own mini water park. You\u2019re naturally paying for the whole Disney experience and the fact that you can walk to EPCOT and get a ski-type gondola or water taxi to Disney&#8217;s Hollywood Studios theme park.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nightly room rates for these two hotels for 2024 can be found from the superb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mousesavers.com\/\">Mousesavers.com<\/a> website, a great site for Disney hotel information, pricing and discounts:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mousesavers.com\/2024-port-orleans-riverside-room-rates-season-dates\/\">Port Orleans Riverside<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mousesavers.com\/2024-yacht-club-room-rates-season-dates\/\">Yacht Club<\/a><\/li><\/ul><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Save money by booking direct<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do choose to go with a hotel on Disney property, then book it through Jo Raccuia at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smallworldvacations.com\/\">Small World Vacations<\/a>, a US-based Disney authorised travel agent that we have been using to book our Disney hotel rooms for over 15 years.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why? Well, firstly, Jo provides a great level of customer service, and, secondly, Jo will ensure that any hotel discounts that Disney releases \u2013 and they do release discounts for all times of the year \u2013 that cover your vacation period are applied to your reservation, even after you\u2019ve made your reservation!<\/p><ul><li>Jo can be contacted at: <a href=\"mailto:jo@smallworldvacations.com\">jo@smallworldvacations.com<\/a><\/li><li>Jo will make a reservation directly with Disney in the US, initially at the \u201crack\u201d or list price for the hotel, with you paying one night\u2019s refundable deposit.<\/li><li>Jo will keep track of any discounts offered by Disney between your reservation being made and your day checking into the hotel.<\/li><li>If a discount becomes available for your reservation period, then Jo will automatically re-book your reservation at the lower rate.<\/li><li>Generally, Jo has secured us discounts of between 20 and 30% on the advertised and initially-booked rate, though it\u2019s never guaranteed!<\/li><li>You can also change or cancel your reservation at any time (up to 48 hours before check in) and your deposit is fully refunded.<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>With Jo and Small World Vacations you can make reservations at any of the Walt Disney World on-site resort hotels (including Disney Springs) and the Universal Orlando hotels, too.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Worth noting that, with the hotel reservations being made with Disney in the US, certain, occasional discounts or packages being offered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/\">Disney in the UK<\/a> may not be available through Small World Vacations.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Pay per room, not per person<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And remember, by booking a Disney hotel room directly with Disney (or one its authorised partners, such as Small World Vacations) you are paying per hotel ROOM per night, not per person per room per night!<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you have received your resort hotel reservation confirmation from Jo, then you can head over to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyworld.co.uk\/plan\/my-disney-experience\/\">My Disney Experience<\/a> (either online or through the app), login to your account, and add your reservation number (on the Disney confirmation attached to Jo\u2019s email) to your Disney account.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once added, you\u2019ll be able to manage your hotel reservation directly: you can add guests, make special room requests, add a credit card for charging, and check in up to 60 days before your arrival.<\/p><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Renting a house<\/strong><\/h2><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you choose to go with renting a house for your Disney vacation, you can book it through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrbo.com\/en-gb\">Vrbo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.co.uk\/\">Airbnb<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/\">Expedia<\/a> or your chosen travel partner.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve booked many times through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrbo.com\/en-gb?preferlocale=true\">Vrbo<\/a> and never had a problem. You can refine\/filter your search easily based on location, budget, number of bedrooms, whether it has a private pool and so on.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking for a rental house, consider one in the following Orlando areas: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welcometowindsorhills.com\/\">Windsor Hills<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.uk\/maps\/place\/Indian+Ridge,+Four+Corners,+FL+34747,+USA\/@28.3066881,-81.6072234,14.92z\/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88dd795dd8f72ce5:0x30be84ec026adf79!8m2!3d28.3012091!4d-81.5973392\">Indian Ridge<\/a>, Champions Gate area, and <a href=\"https:\/\/solterraresort.com\/\">Solterra Resort<\/a>.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, the rental houses are going to be to the south and west of Walt Disney World, on developments along and between the 192 and I4 highways.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As examples, we have recently stayed in (and thoroughly enjoyed) the following two houses, available on Vrbo:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrbo.com\/4706011ha?noDates=true&amp;unitId=5671269\">Windsor Hills Resort<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrbo.com\/7637594ha?noDates=true&amp;unitId=7088934\">Solterra Resort<\/a><\/li><\/ul><h2 style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: center;\"><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/?page_id=1457\"><strong>Next up \u2013 Step 1.7: How do we get our theme park tickets?<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Should we stay in a Disney resort hotel or rent a house? It\u2019s a very personal choice as to whether you go for a rental home or a room in a hotel. The houses can be great: they give you substantially more space, multiple bedrooms, often a private pool, sometimes a communal pool too, kitchen, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1455","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1455"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2489,"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1455\/revisions\/2489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdwtripplanning.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}