April 15, 2011 by DisGuruMom
In the past, I have jokingly described myself as a resort snob. Honestly, who would not enjoy the luxury of a Disney deluxe resort? For many families a deluxe just isn’t in the budget however. We have been fortunate to stay at all levels of Disney resorts, but for us deluxe stays are a rare treat.
Our first experience with a Walt Disney World value resort was actually a last minute add-on to a 10th Anniversary stay at the Grand Floridian. We had booked 6 nights there and decided to travel down a day earlier but hated to pay another $300+ for a less than a half day plus sleep time. So we decided to give a Disney value resort a try. (more…)
Category: Resort ReviewsTags: Value Resort | Comments Off on Disney’s Pop Century Resort
April 12, 2011 by DisGuruMom
Have you ever had an opportunity to spend a day or two in Orlando with very little time to plan? This happened to us when a family friend offered us a short stay in his condo in Daytona, Florida. Being that close to our favorite place in the word, how could we not drop in for a quick hello? This offer came to us only about a week before the travel dates. Which happened to be the week before the Fourth of July. We knew we didn’t have the time to spare before or after the beach portion of the trip to go into the parks, but we knew we could do some resort-hopping, hit Downtown Disney, eat at a couple of Disney restaurants, and maybe even ride a quick loop on the monorail. (more…)
Category: Resort ReviewsTags: Offsite Resorts | Comments Off on SpringHill Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista
by DisGuruMom
Orlando, Florida plays host to uncountable conventions and other business and sports events in addition to being a vacation destination for families the world over. As such, there are numerous hotels, resorts, condos, villas, timeshare accommodations, and rental homes from which to choose when planning a visit. Our first choice is always a Disney resort even if our activities are not on WDW property We are in Orlando annually for a national youth sports championship in which our kids participate. Although it is not held on Disney property, we always make a point to visit the World during our visit. Usually we stay at a Disney resort and enjoy a few days in the parks as well. However, on our most recent trip we stayed at the resort the activities were in, the Rosen Shingle Creek. (more…)
Category: Resort ReviewsTags: Offsite Resorts | Comments Off on Rosen Shingle Creek
April 1, 2011 by DisGuruMom
As a family of five, we have fewer resort options – especially affordable resort options – than the typical four-person family. The one resort that best meets our needs for sleeping space with a below-deluxe price tag is Port Orleans – Riverside. Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, and the non-suite Coronado Springs rooms only allow 4 plus one child under 3 in a crib. Riverside, however, allows 5 plus the additional child under 3. (more…)
Category: Resort ReviewsTags: Port Orleans, Riverside Resort | Comments Off on Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
March 31, 2011 by DisGuruMom
We have spent two memorable vacations at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World Resort. Our first was our honeymoon in 1994 and more recently in September of 2008 as a family of five. As honeymooners CBR offered a good value for the money, and we loved the tropical beach theme. We enjoyed a corner room on the second floor in the Trinidad North section which was very convenient to Old Port Royale which houses the main pool, shops, arcade, food court, and full-service restaurant (now Shutters). Since that time, rooms in the sections of North Trinidad and Martinique have been designated as preferred rooms meaning you will pay $25-$30 more per night for that convenience. When we returned in 2008, (more…)
Category: Resort ReviewsTags: Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney Moderate Resort | Comments Off on Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort