Best options for staying off site for WDW

[Lborneke]

Hello Everyone,

Looking ahead to next December, we are looking at going with an entire sibling group and their families to Disney World. We are talking about a group of 50 people. In looking at possibilities, what are the best options for staying off-site for Disney World? Shuttles from airport to the resort would be very important as would shuttles to the parks. Are there any resorts that would offer these perks or any others?

Thank you!

Laura

 

[VacationForever]

If you have RCI and/or II, the best option is to buy Last Call and Getaway weeks. They are usually listing those weeks for cheaper than maintenance fees. I think you want to narrrow down to what they have and then find out if they have shuttles to the parks. I know most of them do.

 

[moonstone]

Vacation Village at Parkway may have the number of units you need. There are usually lots on Last Call or Extra Vacations and Dec (especially early in the month) is a slow time. Their 2 bedrooms are lock-outs, so almost like having a 3 bedroom (with small unit living room pull-out used). This is our favorite (so far) off site resort. We have had 2 extended family vacations there, using 3 two bedroom units. Our DS loves the layout as the kids (12 & 14yo) have the small side with their own private space (& own TV) & access to the bathroom, while the adults have the large side. This set-up might not be ideal for families with very young children as the bedrooms are so far apart. DS brought their baby monitor on their trip when the kids were little.

The resort offers a shuttle to Disney & Universal but I believe there is only 1 trip over in the morning & 1 trip back. We have never taken it, preferring to use our own vehicle(s) in case we want to stay later than the shuttle time. I don't think they have an airport shuttle but may be wrong.

There is a public transit bus route along US192/Irlo Bronson with a stop right at the driveway of VV @ P for anybody staying there without a car. You'd need to Google the Orlando/Kissimmee transit route to see how far along US192 it runs. Years ago our other DS took public transit from MCO to the resort for a total of $2. (took nearly 2 hrs) when his flight arrived before we did (driving from Canada).


~Diane

 

[chalee94]

Shuttles from airport to the resort would be very important as would shuttles to the parks.

There are a lot of great offsite resorts, but I never recommend relying on a resort's shuttles to the parks. (Similarly, I'm not sure of any resorts that offer service to the airport.)

I would strongly recommend rental cars or else just opening up the wallet to stay onsite.

But I agree that if your trip is in early Dec, discounted getaway weeks will be plentiful.

 

[VegasBella]

I was going to suggest a rental car as well but with a large group of 50 people, I can see why the OP wants a good shuttle option for whomever doesn't get a rental car.

We stayed at Bluegreen Fountains last year near WDW and that worked well for us. It had onsite restaurant and bar, pools, kiddie area etc etc. Very reasonable since we got it on RCI for only 7 credits or something. I also see those listed as last calls or extra vacations. But for such a large group I would try to book it well in advance, you don't want to chance it and then wind up with your people all spread out at different resorts and hotels.

That was off season though - first week of December. Plenty of availability that time of year. You should be able to find lots of options if you go when school is still in session.

Next year we're planning to stay at Hilton Grand Vacations Club At Tuscany Village. We think that will be a good location since it's near where we stayed last time and thought that was good (not too far of a drive into WDW) but this one also has direct walking access to a large outlet mall, which we think will be nice for us. With a large group of 50 people I think it might make sense to choose a resort that has a bit more than just the resort stuff, walking distance to something appealing can be good.

We rented a car last year and plan to again next year so I didn't research the shuttle options beyond learning that the costs of the shuttles is often just as much as parking so it's not worth it unless you don't drive. Pretty sure both these places have shuttles to the parks, not sure they also go to the airport or not.

 

[Maple_Leaf]

You may want to check out Blue Tree, Cypress Pointe, Grand Villas and Legacy Lake Buena Vista. They are adjacent to each other and walking distance to a variety of restaurants so you can spread 50 relatives around based on what is available. I think they all have shuttles.

 

[Lborneke]

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts. I do appreciate them all and I am currently taking it all in and processing. Would you say those discounted weeks would start showing up in August? Family members want to have a plan so they can ask for time off of work, make arrangements for pet sitting and be assured of airline tickets on the same plane.

 

[bankr63]

With 50 people you are going to struggle for transportation. The shuttles from most resorts handle about a dozen people at a time, so you are going to fill 4 trips; that is unless they are using full size buses, in which case you are going to fill one full bus. Considering there will be others wanting to share those shuttles, you will need to manage expectations. I would probably recommend renting a fleet of several 8-10 passenger vehicles which will give you a lot more flexibility around departure and arrival times. Rental may seem expensive at first, but compared to shuttle costs, it will pay off in about one day. Yes, parking at the parks will also seem expensive (but really $25 for 10 people is only $2.50pp) , but if you have a couple AP holders in your group, their vehicles will be free. In general, I rent a small SUV for my family of 4 and come out way ahead of the cost of using shuttles (just the round trip cost from the airport to the resort will cover half the rental cost).

If you don't want to rent that many vehicles, you might consider contacting Mears transportation in Orlando. They are by far the biggest operator in the area with shuttle options all the way up to motor coaches.

I'm not sure I agree with the approach of waiting for Last Call and Getaway weeks. Finding 6 or 7 2BR units at one single NICE resort on selloff will probably be a challenge. If people are willing to be spread around at different resorts then waiting might be a viable strategy.

 

[pedro47]

Why not rent two (2) small shuttle buses or a charter bus for your vacation? Also, look at Government Employees Travel Opportunities website for more timeshare getaways.

May I also suggest you look at Sheraton Vistana Resort. That is one of the largest timeshare resort in Orlando and Florida.

Sound liked you are going to need eight (8): Two(2) bedrooms units that sleep six (6)
or Six (6): Three (3) bedrooms units that sleeps eight (8).
Good luck.

 

[spiceycat]

most timeshares only have a morning run and late afternoon/early evening shuttle (if that much). Disney is the only one with everything you want. So either be prepared to pay Disney prices - or rent your own shuttles. that isn't to my knowledge any other choice. that say Bonnet Creek does have shuttles to the parks. You can definitely get it cheaper than WDW resorts. Go to disboards.com to get a list of the current owners who may rent to you.

here it their site

https://www.wyndhambonnetcreek.com/


I happen to also like Silver Lake resort. It does not have shuttles.
http://silverlakeresort.com/

both are really close to WDW.

 

[VegasBella]

I was assuming the group of 50 was all going to Orlando but not that they’d all want to go to the parks. I thought the idea for shuttles was to allow each party to decide and pay for themselves. Some would rent a car and others would use the shuttles and some would just stay at the resort. To me, a large family reunion of that type would revolve mostly around the resort with each person/party taking their own excursions to parks and other attractions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BDMX2]

Not a timeshare, but I've always thought this place would be awesome to try if I had a huge group: http://www.sweetescapehouse.com

As for transportation, don't forget Uber/Lyft - both are readily available in the Orlando area and would be a good option for a group wanting to split up and do different things at different times.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are planning on Christmas time next Dec, do yourself a favor and book Disney resorts. It's hard enough to get to WDW with one vehicle let alone a group of 50 during that time. Lines to get into the parking lot reach back for miles. Otherwise, skip Christmas and do another time of the year.

 

[silentg]

Orange Lake is a great place to stay. You could rent a few passenger vans at the airport and drive to the resort and drive to WDW. Lots to do onsite. We are partial to Orange Lake because we own a week.
Safe Travels
Silentg

 

[DeniseM]

With 50 people, I don't think trying to get everyone into one timeshare is feasible - especially if you are talking about Christmas or New Years. I'm not sure this is doable. You might want to use a travel agent.

 

[Lborneke]

Thank you Everyone. I would prefer to just stay at Disney myself because I think it would be easier. We are looking at early December. I will pass this info along to the family members. Thanks again

 

[moonstone]

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts. I do appreciate them all and I am currently taking it all in and processing. Would you say those discounted weeks would start showing up in August? Family members want to have a plan so they can ask for time off of work, make arrangements for pet sitting and be assured of airline tickets on the same plane.

Right now on the "Extra Vacations" section, there are 2 bedroom units at VV@P for just over $500.US (my log-in shows prices in Cndn due to my location, so I'm roughly converting) for the first week of Dec. RCI has frequent sales for Extra Vacations so you will probably be able to get a better price later on. I don't know if I would wait until August to book. If you are going to need that many units it may be wise to book as many as you can as early as you can. You can phone VV@P closer to your check-in date to request all the units be in the same bldg or area if that is desired. Our requests there have always been filled.


~Diane

 

[Sea Six]

Someday I hope to read about how a group this large was able to navigate the land of the mouse