We are a family of 7 and staying on property is a pipe dream, but we love Disney! We also love our own space and I like to pack light and have access to a washer/dryer. We have done the Sheraton Vistana Resort on the 535, Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Marriott Royal Palms, and have rented a condo at Windsor Hills. All of these have offered something different in terms of experience and amenities. We had a good experience at pretty much all of them. Some good things and not so good things about each place, like anywhere else. We are heading back in August and I have booked the Sheraton Vistana again. I think when considering everything- parking, pools, price, location, cleanliness, etc. - this place has topped our list. I would also do a pool home or townhouse at Windsor Hills, but would probably not rent a condo there again. Pros of all these places was the extra space, full kitchen, laundry in unit and more than 1 bathroom.
SVR- Pros- Clean unit, lots of space, nice location, good parking, close to everything. Cons- the resort is so spread out you can't really walk anywhere. Even to get to the Dunkin Donuts across the street from the entrance, you would need to drive. Not really a problem for us because we had a car, but would be for people relying on uber/lyft. We also received lots of timeshare calls (we ignored), and units had very thin walls (we used a sleep app/noise machine).
WBC- Great pools! Loved the lazy river. Love the high rise set up. The walk between the 6 pools was short because it's a more compact environment. We were on a high floor, had a great view, and could see Hollywood Studios fireworks from our balcony on the nights we were not at the parks. The kids loved that. Cons- parking was terrible late at night after returning from the parks. Lot outside building was always completely full with multiple cars circling. Hubby would drop us at door and find parking in the central garage. Not a huge deal, but definitely not what anyone wants to do at 1am after being at a theme park. Most of the other place we stayed offered parking almost directly outside the door. Another con was the pool towels. You had to bring your room key and go pick them up from a desk in building 6 each day. Not a huge deal, but definitely kind of inconvenient, especially if you were not staying in that building (we weren't), and if you ended up needing extras you had to go back inside the lobby all wet and collect them again with the key.
Marriott Royal Palms- I will start by saying we only stayed here because a friend had a timeshare week to unload. We got the whole week for $800. Otherwise, the nightly rate of $275 at the time would not have even been on our radar. Pros- again, nice large condo with everything we needed. Our unit was a bit dated, but if you went onto the balcony you could see fireworks through the trees. I think they were Epcot fireworks and it was nice. Onsite pool was simple, but clean. Biggest perk is you have access to the amazing pools and amenities at the World Center Marriott by staying here. They have a free shuttle that runs between the locations (just a few min drive and you could even walk if the heat was not so bad). It was great and my kids loved spending the day over at the Marriott big pools.
Cons- Outdoor space at building left a lot to be desired. Trash barrels were overflowing a few times and there was a stray cat always hanging around them. The elevator smelled like trash and we saw a huge bug in the elevator, but can't confirm it was a roach for sure since I have never actually seen one. My husband thought it may have been. I have been told by a friend who lived down South for a while that it's unavoidable to run into these critters at times because of the heat and it was July. Inside our unit was very clean the whole time- no critters or even ants anywhere. This place also has a parking lot set up like the WBC so we were not parked directly outside our unit. But, it was much closer and easier to access than the WBC (no parking garage involved).
Windsor Hills Condo- Pros- Price was great. We paid $850 all in for a 3 bedroom condo. The condo was very clean and had everything- even Netflix! The pool was nice, and since we were there, a new water park has opened. It was fully constructed while we were there- just no water yet. It looked really nice. Definitely a pro! Cons- the landscaping was not what we were used to after staying at resorts. There were many thick bushes and brush around. The pond on property looks like a bit like a giant swamp. It made us nervous walking through the pathways at night, just knowing it was summer time and snakes are living in their natural habitat. We never saw one, it only unsettled me because I have an irrational fear. I know they want nothing to do with us and usually stay away, but the thick brush under the bushes is what made me most nervous, since I had never seen anything but clean mulch at the highly manicured resorts. My kids went night swimming and were covered in huge mosquitoes all stuck to their bathing suits and in their hair when they returned. I don't think this ever happened at the resorts and assume it has something to do with it being a condo community and not a resort. I imagine they don't have access to the same landscaping and mosquito control budget that a hotel timeshare has? I would stay here again, but would want to try a pool home to change it up.
So, this was our experience. I will say that despite some cons listed we really enjoyed each property and none of the stuff listed above was a deal breaker. I would stay at any of these places again. The overflowing trash barrel was probably my biggest complaint about any property.
I'd hate to add to that by a lot.
