Just Back, Few Things I Observed (11/12/17 - 11/18/17)

[Jobie]

Thanks for your trip report. We have been thinking about booking at Windsor Hills condos, but haven't done it yet. We usually stay onsite, but the nice amenities of a condo might sway us. We are getting older and the thought of a nice recliner or couch at the end of a busy park day sounds like heaven
Would you expand a little on why you liked Windsor Hills and your stay? Thank you!

Overall I thought Windsor Hills is a nice property. Well maintained and clean. We didn't go to the pool, but we could see it from our balcony and it was very large with a nice looking slide. Of course it lacks the Disney theming, but it still looks like a nice pool.

Our condo was a little larger than the apartment we went now. So the extra space was great! It was really nice getting ready in the morning with two bathrooms, versus the one you get in a hotel room. Also, a hot shower does not heat up and make the entire area humid in such a large condo compared to a hotel room. Our condo had the following:

• Full kitchen, with all appliances needed and tools needed to cook and serve food (pots, pans, bowls, plates, utensils, etc)
• Washer and dryer
• Dining room
• Living room with a pull-out bed in the couch
• Nice size balcony
• Master bedroom with master bathroom.
• Secondary bathroom
• Second bedroom with queen size bed
• Third bedroom that was Disney decorated and had bunk-beds. Bottom bunk was larger than the top.

We got all this for around $90/night. For the price it is hard to beat.

We did have an issue with the A/C unit where it stopped working. This was due to someone coming in, replacing the air-filter and putting the A/C on the wrong setting. I called them and it was fixed that day. Thankfully it was cooler out, so it was not a big deal. If it happened during the summer, that night without A/C could have been an issue.

You do give up a few conveniences by getting a condo. You are not getting any room service, so you have to make your bed yourself and make sure to keep things tidy. They give you some starting supplies (toilet paper, trash bags, dish soap, and more) but if you run out you will need to provide your own. Beds were a little old, and not as soft as I would like them. And of course, it is missing that Disney touch.

If you can get past the couple of conveniences, then it is really a bargain. It is a lot of space for less money you would spend at a Disney value resort (at least for the dates we were there). It is not 5 star resort, but it did feel like home for a week. That is probably the best part. It felt more like being in a home than a hotel room.

Let me know if you have any more questions about it.

 

[Tigger's ally]

We have found that doing our fast passes in the evening of the second park of the day lets us "go with the flow" all day and still get rewarded with riding the musts in the evening. We go to AK in the morning but have fast passes at MK at night. Vice versa. We hit rope drop and ride what we want, being totally flexible.

 

[YawningDodo]

We have found that doing our fast passes in the evening of the second park of the day lets us "go with the flow" all day and still get rewarded with riding the musts in the evening. We go to AK in the morning but have fast passes at MK at night. Vice versa. We hit rope drop and ride what we want, being totally flexible.

I may try this the next time I/we go. In fall 2015 we did all our fastpasses for the morning and were generally able to still get on things and/or get more fastpasses in the afternoon, but in a way having morning or midday fastpasses can actually mess up your flow for hitting standby lines right after rope drop.

 

[fbarker]

Understaffing.

and you know they are understaffed how?

 

[Tigger's ally]

I may try this the next time I/we go. In fall 2015 we did all our fastpasses for the morning and were generally able to still get on things and/or get more fastpasses in the afternoon, but in a way having morning or midday fastpasses can actually mess up your flow for hitting standby lines right after rope drop.

The reason it works for us is we are go go go in the morning and we take our time, have some drinks, relax in the evening. Really, most of the time we don't ride anything other than our fastpasses at night and watch fireworks. End of September we rode everything we wanted in the morning before most people were in the parks.

 

[disneyseniors]

Overall I thought Windsor Hills is a nice property. Well maintained and clean. We didn't go to the pool, but we could see it from our balcony and it was very large with a nice looking slide. Of course it lacks the Disney theming, but it still looks like a nice pool.

Our condo was a little larger than the apartment we went now. So the extra space was great! It was really nice getting ready in the morning with two bathrooms, versus the one you get in a hotel room. Also, a hot shower does not heat up and make the entire area humid in such a large condo compared to a hotel room. Our condo had the following:

• Full kitchen, with all appliances needed and tools needed to cook and serve food (pots, pans, bowls, plates, utensils, etc)
• Washer and dryer
• Dining room
• Living room with a pull-out bed in the couch
• Nice size balcony
• Master bedroom with master bathroom.
• Secondary bathroom
• Second bedroom with queen size bed
• Third bedroom that was Disney decorated and had bunk-beds. Bottom bunk was larger than the top.

We got all this for around $90/night. For the price it is hard to beat.

We did have an issue with the A/C unit where it stopped working. This was due to someone coming in, replacing the air-filter and putting the A/C on the wrong setting. I called them and it was fixed that day. Thankfully it was cooler out, so it was not a big deal. If it happened during the summer, that night without A/C could have been an issue.

You do give up a few conveniences by getting a condo. You are not getting any room service, so you have to make your bed yourself and make sure to keep things tidy. They give you some starting supplies (toilet paper, trash bags, dish soap, and more) but if you run out you will need to provide your own. Beds were a little old, and not as soft as I would like them. And of course, it is missing that Disney touch.

If you can get past the couple of conveniences, then it is really a bargain. It is a lot of space for less money you would spend at a Disney value resort (at least for the dates we were there). It is not 5 star resort, but it did feel like home for a week. That is probably the best part. It felt more like being in a home than a hotel room.

Let me know if you have any more questions about it.

Thank you so much for that detailed response. It sounds like a great place.
I know we would miss the Disney bubble, but I really think we will try this the next time.
Again thanks for the report.