Have you heard of the Disney Bubble? The Disney Bubble is the feeling and experience of a vacation spent almost entirely on Disney property. I’m of two minds when it comes to staying on Disney property. In my opinion, for Disneyland, staying on property isn’t nearly as important as it is when visiting Walt Disney World (WDW). For more on this, check out my Onsite vs. Offsite video.
So when do I think staying outside of the Disney Bubble is a GREAT idea when visiting WDW? If you are traveling with a large group, then staying in a vacation rental outside of Disney property is an EXCELLENT option!
Before our group of nineteen family members traveled to WDW in March 2014, we found and booked a home through All Star Vacation Homes.
When booking, you can narrow your search based on criteria such as guest capacity, number of bedrooms, and desired community. When we’d narrowed down our choice, renting our home-away-from-home required a one night’s deposit upon booking to secure our reservation.
When we were selecting our rental, my initial concern was proximity to the parks. This is why we chose our home in the Formosa Gardens Estates. We were no more than two miles away from a main entrance into WDW.
To give you an idea of the home that we chose for our family’s stay, check out this list of amenities:
• Gated community in Formosa Garden Estates.
• Five minute drive to main entrance to WDW.
• Approximately 3,500 square feet.
• 7 bedrooms
• 6 bathrooms
• Heated pool and hot tub
• Home theater
And here’s the floor plan of the home we rented:
Each couple had a private master bedroom with a king size bed and adjoining bathroom. The little girls in our group enjoyed the themed bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. My two sons shared a bedroom with a queen bed, and my two young nephews bunked in their parents’ rooms due to their ages when we traveled.
How much did all of this “luxury” cost? The cost per night was approximately $500. Take that and split it between the four families who were staying in the home, and each family paid a total of right around $150 per night! Yep, Value Resort pricing for amenities that far exceeded those of a Deluxe Resort on Disney property.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, one of the biggest reasons staying in a rental home was so convenient for our large group was how effortless it made our time together.
The logistics of narrowing down a single Disney property that would fit all the needs and budgets of our families was overwhelming. Even if we had been able to choose a resort, being spread out in different rooms would have made interactions difficult.
By staying off-property in our large rental house, we were able to enjoy meals prepared in the home’s full kitchen. We could put the kids to bed at the end of a long day at the parks and visit or regroup for the next day without disturbing sleeping little ones. We could throw in a load of laundry when needed. We could spend time together with the space to do so, or we could retreat to our own bedrooms. It was perfect!
Here are some pictures of our stay…
I made and packed this wreath to hang on the front door of our rental home. It welcomed us back each day!
This was the formal dining room in the house. It was perfect for the kids and their activities.
…and the puzzle is finished!
I took over a table in the home’s entry way and added a space for our daily schedule, as well as a few homemade decorations.
My son, Riley, opening up a treat in the family room.
My two nephews discussing something very important, I’m sure, over breakfast.
Our bedroom with a clean load of towels to fold. Lack of daily Mousekeeping was the only drawback of the rental house.
The kids watching Frozen in the home theater. Priceless!
Again, if you are traveling with a large group, I can’t say enough about the value in renting a house off-property at WDW. If you have any questions, I’m just a quick email away at [email protected]!