Affordable Family Resort with slides and Lazy River

[newfiegirl]

After spending a week on site, where can we stay that is Affordable, child/teen friendly and has a nice pool, slides and Lazy River. It can be in Orlando or anywhere two hours away. Just somewhere to go after a hectic week onsite.

 

[Woodview]

Try The Omni Hotel at Champions Gate

Near Hwy I-4 & Hwy 27 & Hwy 192

 

[CaLuCa]

I've been looking at The Grove west of Disney. I really like the room set ups with the multiple bedrooms and multiple beds. My kids are not fond of sleeping with one another, so having extra beds is a plus. I found a decent deal on hotels.com and booked a weekend, but not till the end of May.

14501 Grove Resort Ave, Winter Garden, FL 34787

 

[Upatnoon]

After spending a week on site, where can we stay that is Affordable, child/teen friendly and has a nice pool, slides and Lazy River. It can be in Orlando or anywhere two hours away. Just somewhere to go after a hectic week onsite.

How do you define "affordable?"

Cabana Bay at Universal has a lazy river, slide and you can pool hop to every other Universal pool.

Wyndham Bonnet Creek has slides and two lazy rivers. It's a timeshare resort that can be rented from owners.

Orange Lake Resort is another timeshare place you can rent that has a lazy river and lots of pools.

 

[Lewisc]

I'll second Cabana Bay. It's a very short walk to Volcano Bay water park, assuming your budget has room for tickets.

 

[TamaraQT]

I vote for Bonnet Creek and Orange Lake-River Island. However, I vote for Orange Lake over Bonnet Creek for things to do. Both resorts are nice, but I think Orange Lake with the 4 villages has more to offer people in every age range.

 

[DLgal]

Cabana Bay is my vote. It's such a great all around resort.

 

[newfiegirl]

Cabana Bay is my vote. It's such a great all around resort.

I would like to stay under $200 (this might not be possible for July). We will not be doing parks on this part of our vacation, so mostly staying at pool area.lazy river.

 

[TamaraQT]

We go to the area every summer and many times its a "No Theme Park Vacation" Many people have a hard time understanding the concept. I love Orlando area and do not need a theme park visit to enjoy Orlando or validate my vacation. Because it is the theme park capital of the world it is surrounded by so many other venues and options. In my opinion a timeshare resort is the best option. You get so much space and privacy. 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Also the kids/teens can find so much to do and stay entertained without parents always tagging along. Most have supervised kids clubs where kids get to do stuff with other kids. Teens get to go about and have fun. Activities, dance/pool parties, movies, so much offered and available. I say give a timeshare resort a try. I think renting from an owner at Orange Lake will be great for various age groups. My daughter still says the glow in the dark pool party was her favorite. The dive in movie was second. She enjoyed her week and we didnt visit a single theme park. Drove to Clearwater beach for a day and did other stuff thruout the week. Having a washer/dryer to throw a load in at night to wash while we slept and dry while we all shower is a HUGE benefit. Also a suitcase full of clean clothes at the end of the trip is also a perk. The jacuzzi in the master bedroom is a highlight of my vacation. Pick up some relaxing bath fizzies and a glass of wine and relax while watching TV. Umbrella drink on the balcony at night is another highlight. If it rains you can play family board games on the balcony or at the full dining room table. Better than being cramped in a hotel room with 2 beds 1 bath. If your balcony has a poolview like i ALWAYS request its even better.

 

[JennSaint]

I would like to stay under $200 (this might not be possible for July). We will not be doing parks on this part of our vacation, so mostly staying at pool area.lazy river.

We rented a 2 bedroom condo at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for under $200 a night on ebay.

 

[TamaraQT]

I've been looking at The Grove west of Disney. I really like the room set ups with the multiple bedrooms and multiple beds. My kids are not fond of sleeping with one another, so having extra beds is a plus. I found a decent deal on hotels.com and booked a weekend, but not till the end of May.

14501 Grove Resort Ave, Winter Garden, FL 34787

I've been looking at this too. Considering it if we arrive on Wednesday and stay there until we check into our resort on Saturday. Looks like the kids would really enjoy this. Its a newer resort and looks very clean and modern. It is definitely going onto my list of possibilities. The nightly rate is a little out of our price range but I am going to see if there are discounts and other options available.

 

[CaLuCa]

I've been looking at this too. Considering it if we arrive on Wednesday and stay there until we check into our resort on Saturday. Looks like the kids would really enjoy this. Its a newer resort and looks very clean and modern. It is definitely going onto my list of possibilities. The nightly rate is a little out of our price range but I am going to see if there are discounts and other options available.

Be warned there is a $30 resort fee and a parking fee ($15, I think). The hotels.com had a parking included incentive so that helped. I'm not a fan of this trend of resort fees and parking fees adding on $50 to the nightly stay. A lot of the DS hotels do this too. B, Hilton Palace, Hilton, Double Tree (although their resort fee is $14 or something, but the parking is $22). Just add the resort fee in! Parking I can see because not everyone brings a car.

 

[TamaraQT]

Be warned there is a $30 resort fee and a parking fee ($15, I think). The hotels.com had a parking included incentive so that helped. I'm not a fan of this trend of resort fees and parking fees adding on $50 to the nightly stay. A lot of the DS hotels do this too. B, Hilton Palace, Hilton, Double Tree (although their resort fee is $14 or something, but the parking is $22). Just add the resort fee in! Parking I can see because not everyone brings a car.

Thanks for the fee info. I definitely would need to factor that in. But...the fees for a 2 bedroom resort compared to a standard hotel room may be easier to accept.

 

[northernlights2]

Have stayed at lots of off property places over the years.

Best condo resort for us was Marriott Harbor Lake. Wonderful places for kids. No lazy river but it has a really good mini golf area. Lots of activities for the kids. A bit on the pricey side though.

Under $200? For us it would be Cabana Bay at Universal. Has everything you are looking for, plus a decent arcade, a bowling alley, two large pools, three bars, large exercise room, a good food court, Starbucks, nightly movies, fast bus transportation to Citywalk...

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We paid 499 for 7days at Sheraton vistana
On skyauction.com

 

[ClapYourHands]

I'll second Cabana Bay. It's a very short walk to Volcano Bay water park, assuming your budget has room for tickets.

I don't think OP even needs tickets! We stayed at Cabana Bay, and were excited for the short walk to Volcano Bay. But we only ended up spending an afternoon at VB before we gave up on the Tapu Tapu system of line reservation, which is supposed to be a virtual line, but still had us waiting 20 minutes or more when we returned for our slides. Plus, there's no standby line, so if your slide return time is in an hour, you are limited to regular swimming or the lazy river (or not so lazy river, which was fun but so fast moving that we got separated).

Although we had Universal tickets that included VB for four days, we never went back because the CB pools were so great. One courtyard has the lazy river, and another has the water slide. And - this is key for me - there are very attentive lifeguards EVERYWHERE. It's so nice for me to be able to relax a bit, knowing that I don't have to have my eyes on all children at all times. Not to say I'd ever just ignore my kids in the water, but if there are more kids than adults in your party, there's peace of mind knowing that there is someone else looking out for them.

Also remember that unlike Disney, Universal officially allows pool hopping, so if your kids get tired of CB, you can go to one of the other pools and hang out there. Want a more tropical vibe? Sapphire Fall is literally across the street! Get tired of Sapphire Falls and want to party at the Hard Rock pool? Just hop a boat from the dock!

I think the only down side to this is if being so close to the Universal theme parks would be a tease for your kids. I know many families would be okay with this, but other kids might start ramping up the requests to go to Universal, too!

 

[chicagoshannon]

Windsor Westside is a nice house rental community. It has a lazy river and kiddie slides (no big slide). Also an arcade and the houses usually have a game room in the garage and their own pool.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think OP even needs tickets! We stayed at Cabana Bay, and were excited for the short walk to Volcano Bay. But we only ended up spending an afternoon at VB before we gave up on the Tapu Tapu system of line reservation, which is supposed to be a virtual line, but still had us waiting 20 minutes or more when we returned for our slides. Plus, there's no standby line, so if your slide return time is in an hour, you are limited to regular swimming or the lazy river (or not so lazy river, which was fun but so fast moving that we got separated).

Most days Volcano Bay opens an hour early for resort guests, AP holders etc. The strategy is to walk over in time to be there for "rope drop". In the first hour or two go on all the high demand attractions. The virtual line is designed to reduce the time you wait on line. Instead of waiting for hours you're waiting for 20-30 minutes. You can't be on two lines at once, virtual or real. The hour or more you save with virtual line can be spent in the wave pool, lazy river, dining or sunning.

Pool hopping is a plus. Sapphire Falls is a short walk. You can take a bus to Hard Rock or Portfolio.

3 park tickets are generally more expensive then 2 park tickets.

 

[ClapYourHands]

The virtual line is designed to reduce the time you wait on line. Instead of waiting for hours you're waiting for 20-30 minutes. You can't be on two lines at once, virtual or real. The hour or more you save with virtual line can be spent in the wave pool, lazy river, dining or sunning.

Oh, I understand the theory. I just found that the reality was disappointing. Tapu Tapu doesn't really reduce how much time you wait for an attraction. It just allows you to wait elsewhere for part of it. With wait times of 30-90 minutes, that's the time you wait until you return. Then you wait for another 20-30 minutes physically in the line. The result is you're still only riding 1 ride every hour or two.

It's fine if you're an adult who wants to lie out in the sun or chill on the lazy river. It's not as enjoyable if you're a 9-year-old who wants to use the slide. My kids were happier at Cabana Bay where they could go down the slide, get back in line, and be going down the slide again in 5 minutes. They would rather be active, even if it means being on a less intricate slide.

I realize this isn't Disney, and FP isn't exactly being in line. But as for not being in more than one line at once, I like that when I'm waiting for my Mine Train FP window to open, I can ride Haunted Mansion standby. I wouldn't like to be limited to 1 ride per hour in a theme park, and I didn't enjoy it at the water park.

Most days Volcano Bay opens an hour early for resort guests, AP holders etc. The strategy is to walk over in time to be there for "rope drop". In the first hour or two go on all the high demand attractions.

Early entry is effective, but you have to be up for being drenched by 8 or 9 am (depending on the season). We were there in November, and I didn't think it was enjoyable swimming weather until late morning at the earliest. OP may or may not have a similar issue. I don't know if early entry rope dropping is how she's looking to unwind after a "hectic week" at Disney. But even if she gets there at opening and makes the most of the first hour or two, that still leaves her to contend with the drawn-out waits for the rest of the day.