Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 8405183)

I'm not adamantly against it. I was toying with it because perhaps the family would like to see some of the other stuff Orlando has to offer...

Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 8405183)

I'm not adamantly against it. I was toying with it because perhaps the family would like to see some of the other stuff Orlando has to offer...

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow (Post 8405244)

For us, it made the whole vacation very relaxing. We still did everything we wanted to do, but being able to come "home" and relax...or swim....in our own area so to speak just made the trip for us.

We're actually doing it again out in California this summer. Nice house with a pool.

Originally Posted by Dartgod (Post 8405257)

Vacation rentals are great. We did it the first time on a trip to Chicago and ended up with a great condo overlooking Grant Park at a very reasonable price. We rented another condo in Belize last year and again it was much cheaper than a hotel. We'll consider one for any vacation going forward.

Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 8405159)

We are considering booking our next trip to Disney. The kids are clamoring for it, and I'm thinking we "owe" them one presumably last trip there. Frankly, there's alot more of the world I need to go see, but whatever.

The key thing here is that we're likely going early in the summer, in June, so swimming/pools are suddenly an important consideration, and somethign I know NOTHING about at Disney. So a few questions:

1. is it worth it to add the water park package to the base tickets. Basically, the 8 day magic pass gets you into one park per day. Add park hopper for $234. Add water parks for another $234, and it's like "holy crap, that's $500 more just on tickets?!"

2. alternative to water parks is to stay at a lodge (we will be staying at the park unless more experienced heads on here give us a better plan) that has a great pool. Which resorts have the best pools? Our general rule is to cheap out on accomodations -- as long as it's clean and functional, we're fine. We don't loiter in the room -- we're too busy being out and about, so springing extra for rooms isn't our usual plan. But if a park has a fantastic pool with several slides, etc., maybe...?


Thoughts? I'll take referrals to websites for more insight. Glad to do my own legwork.

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP (Post 8405270)

I'll also vouch for vrbo.com

I've rented apartments/homes from vrbo in Napa, Barcelona, Victoria BC, and Cusco Peru. Excellent experiences each time.

Originally Posted by Dartgod (Post 8405288)

We were actually planning a family vacation to Orlando for next Thanksgiving until one of the nephews couldn't get away from work.

We found an 8 bedroom house 5 minutes from WDW for $2500 total, inc. taxes for 7 nights. Really nice place with a pool, gameroom, etc. It would have been perfect for our group of 15 adults.

The only drawback is transportation, so if you are going this route you need to factor in the cost of a rental car.

Even still, we were looking at over $5,000 at minimum for hotel rooms.

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN (Post 8405275)

Where is the cheapest place to get 2 week passes to Universal?

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP (Post 8405296)

I don't think they sell 2 week passes. I think they do up to 4 days or annual. You can get a 2-park Annual Pass from AAA for $253 (non-FL residents) or $193 (FL residents) which has zero blackout dates and free parking after your 1st visit. If you're going during dates where there are no blackouts than you can get a power pass instead of the preferred for $185 (non-FL residents) or $150 (FL residents).

Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 8405293)

I spent 5 seconds on vrbo and started thinking about inviting my bro/sis-in-law and their kids. There is a 2,700 sq.ft. 5 bedroom house in Orlando with indoor, heated pool, for like $1,000 for the week. :-O

Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 8405293)

I spent 5 seconds on vrbo and started thinking about inviting my bro/sis-in-law and their kids. There is a 2,700 sq.ft. 5 bedroom house in Orlando with indoor, heated pool, for like $1,000 for the week. :-O

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN (Post 8405299)

Appreciate the info, So i wonder if the 2 week 175per deal is a scam?