Treehouse villas

[AirlineGuy07]

We are staying at the Treehouse Villas next May and was wondering if anyone has stayed there yet. I don't here too much discussion about them. What did you like? What didn't you like?

[lockedoutlogic]

We are staying at the Treehouse Villas next May and was wondering if anyone has stayed there yet. I don't here too much discussion about them. What did you like? What didn't you like?

well....we haven't stayed there yet....

BUT, i'd be willing to bet what the pro and cons are:

Pros:
great point value for the villa....best in DVC history
Accomodations are first rate
Location is very quite and relaxing
'private" i.e little used pool

Cons:
Way too far away from desk/ facilities
Overcrowding of pool/ service area at Saratoga
Must take a bus to get to desk/ facilities
All pre-existing Saratoga problems

hope this helps

[DizneyRox]

I heard loads of people complainig that it's always at least a two bus hop to get anywhere. From the treehouses to the main area, then another bus to get to a park/DTD. Going to another resort would be three busses most likely.

I'm not sure how the treehouse busses rn, but if they are anything like the rest of the busses at WDW, you're looking at at least an hour to get anywhere if you need to catch two busses.

The bus situation is horrendous propery wide...

[lockedoutlogic]

I heard loads of people complainig that it's always at least a two bus hop to get anywhere. From the treehouses to the main area, then another bus to get to a park/DTD. Going to another resort would be three busses most likely.

I'm not sure how the treehouse busses rn, but if they are anything like the rest of the busses at WDW, you're looking at at least an hour to get anywhere if you need to catch two busses.

The bus situation is horrendous propery wide...

I heard this too.....they need a better option to at least get the guest at the treehouse to the main area of saratoga.....in some cases that is dangerous, you can't have it take an hour to grab any sort of food.

i personally have been over buses for some time....but they just can't work any type of mass transit alternative into the stock price....so it looks like buses forever.

I thought expanding saratoga was a terrible idea in the first place....for many reasons....but to do so over a spread out tract was incredibly silly.

They figured if they give you a self-contained 3 bedroom unit at a 2 bedroom point price....you'll forget that it has no services added to it and exaggerates an already bad design at the existing "saratoga"....

but hey....keep on sellin'

[GothMickey]

The treehouses just opened, correct? Do we have a map of the area yet? I'd like to see how far from the main resort they are located. So, you cannot park your car over by the treehouses? Interesting set up. And from reading the above posts, Fort WIlderness Lodge came into my mind. Don't you have to take a bus from your outpost to the front of the park only to have to pick up another bus to get you to the resorts?

[DizneyRox]

The treehouses just opened, correct? Do we have a map of the area yet? I'd like to see how far from the main resort they are located. So, you cannot park your car over by the treehouses? Interesting set up. And from reading the above posts, Fort WIlderness Lodge came into my mind. Don't you have to take a bus from your outpost to the front of the park only to have to pick up another bus to get you to the resorts?

Yes, similar to Fort Wilderness. IMHO though, there's a big difference between a 3 beroom house and a campsite, so a tradeoff in amenities should be expected.

As far as I could see, only busses were allowed into the treehouse area. I didn't ride and see where it went or how it stopped once inside. I think there are 50 units in there, meaning possibly 50 families. I can't imagine they would run busses all that often for that few people, however that's pure speculation. Fort Wilderness holds significantly more that the Treehouses.

Google Maps should give you a pretty good idea of the area.

[AirlineGuy07]

From what I hear about the bus situation I'm glad we will have a car there. Hopefully it won't be too far a walk to High Rock Springs Pool or the pool too over crowded.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Do we have a map of the area yet? I'd like to see how far from the main resort they are located. So, you cannot park your car over by the treehouses?

I just sent you a PM with a link for this.

[Maleficent's Dad]

There are actually 60 Treehouse Villas. There are two bus stops in the treehouse "loop." These buses "run constantly," and bring guests to/from the Carriage House at SSR. The boat/ferry also runs from the THV dock to the dock at SSR, so that is an option. Depending on your location in the treehouses, it may be easier/quicker to walk over to the SSR stops.

There are a few reviews by Deb Wills on her site. There is another review that I read online; if you want the link, let me know and I'll PM it to you.

So far, the buses have been running "better than expected," with relatively few complaints.

I'll let you know my reviews of the transportation in a few weeks. So far, that is my only concern with these new accomodations.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I am staying there in October, and reading these posts makes me wonder if I did the right thing... Access to the busses tot he parks is what makes a Disney resort special... Maleficent's Dad, can you PM the link to the reviews you read??? I want to rad them for myself...

[Maleficent's Dad]

I'll post an honest review in August. I'm excited about staying there, but I know, like everything else in life, it won't be "perfect."

Maleficent's Dad, can you PM the link to the reviews you read??? I want to rad them for myself...

Sent.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I'll post an honest review in August. I'm excited about staying there, but I know, like everything else in life, it won't be "perfect."

Sent.

Thanks!!!!

I am staying there in October and am hoping for the best... I also feel things aren't perfect anywhere.... Hopefully, between now and October, I can learn how the bus system works for the treehouses so I don't have any issues or surprises when I get there...

[DizneyRox]

Just to clarify, when I meant I heard, I actually heard someone (they were sitting in front of us) on the bus from SSR to Epcot who was staying in the treehouses say what a drag it was to have to take at least two busses to get anywhere.

Didn't want it to seem like it was something seen in some seedy Internet Disney fan forum...

[lockedoutlogic]

There are actually 60 Treehouse Villas. There are two bus stops in the treehouse "loop." These buses "run constantly," and bring guests to/from the Carriage House at SSR. The boat/ferry also runs from the THV dock to the dock at SSR, so that is an option. Depending on your location in the treehouses, it may be easier/quicker to walk over to the SSR stops.

There are a few reviews by Deb Wills on her site. There is another review that I read online; if you want the link, let me know and I'll PM it to you.

So far, the buses have been running "better than expected," with relatively few complaints.

I'll let you know my reviews of the transportation in a few weeks. So far, that is my only concern with these new accomodations.

Ok...you know I love you....

but come on, aren't you giving the doubt to much of a benefit here?

you have to take two buses to get out of the resort....that alone is low grade and a potential nightmare when things get crowded...or congested...or both...as they can be....

and the "running constantly" thing? now you know better....you can probaly walk right up and get on one....and walk right up to the epcot bus at the carraige house....and get all the lights on the way there....and have a new ticket gate open just as you walk up...and catch the 4:30 friendship launch for your 4:45 dinner in Marakesh....

but let's be serious...on the aggregate...it'll probably take 30-40 minutes (or more) to get out of the property....then 15-20 (or more)from there....so you are looking at a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour to get to a park that is at most 4-5 miles away. and the boats will only slow those times down.

And that's before they start to neglect the transportation a little....and barring a whole range of issues that can hamper the trip as well...

I'm not trying to rag on you too much....but you obviously had the eggs sunnyside up this morning...

This design is problematic....as is the overdevelopment of Saratoga...and the refurb/rehash of existing spaces when they originally built

sometimes a cake is just a cake

[Ed]

I'm reminded of an old saying ~~~

"Don't knock it if you ain't tried it."

After reading all the "complaints" about the Treehouses, I decided to take a look yesterday.

We drove all through the area. Parking spaces are assigned to each treehouse; several have handicapped parking spaces and long, low-angle ramps from the parking up to the villa itself.

During the roughly half-hour that we were there, we saw no fewer than five buses making the rounds. At the time of day we were there (1:30 pm) there were few takers; the bus stops were empty.

Are they quite removed from the check-in area, front desk, and restaurants? Yes, absolutely. Is that a major flaw? Not in my book. The villas are meant to be "home away from home" resorts; that's why they have full residential kitchens and laundry facilities. You stock the fridge, do your own cooking, etc. And when you don't feel like doing that, you go to a restaurant, or you pick a different resort! For those occasions when we just want to "get away from it all", these villas are perfect! It's peaceful, very shady, away from the hustle and bustle prevalent at many other resorts, yet it's still right on property.

We occasionally stay on property without ever setting foot in any of the four parks. We spend a lot of time in the pools, hot tubs, or just chilling in our villa. This area is perfect for that kind of relaxation.

And if we DO decide we want to go to a park or a restaurant, we do the same thing we do at home - - hop in the car and GO.

Do the Treehouses fit everyone's image of a perfect resort? Of course not! Different strokes for different folks. But let's remember the marketing buzz word that DVC uses in promoting the Treehouses - - It's "Glamping" - Glamorous Camping!

My prevailing point is that the Treehouses will perfectly fill the bill for a certain percentage of the folks who are looking for exactly that kind of vacation. And they WON'T satisfy people who are looking for a more active, more convenient location.

Bottom line: Do your homework. Research info from people who have actually stayed at any given resort. And take the broad-brush condemnations from folks with no first-hand experience with a very large grain of salt.

[AirlineGuy07]

Couldn't of said it better myself Tigg Tigg. Well done! Every resort can't satisfy everyone.

[Pirate Granny]

Need to know the pool situation...is the quiet pool...just that...a rectangle in the ground? And I don't mean the grandstand pool...

Can someone send me the link to the map of the treehouses?

Many thanks to all.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Need to know the pool situation...is the quiet pool...just that...a rectangle in the ground? And I don't mean the grandstand pool...

Can someone send me the link to the map of the treehouses?

I PM'ed you the link.
Pool is a rectangle in the ground. They do have a small fountain in one corner. Search some sites for their pics (if you need a link of pics, I can send it via PM) and you'll find it without too much difficulty.

[TinksDH]

We're staying there in March 2010 after a 4 night DCL cruise. Can't wait to try them, and we are tickled that DVC has so many different types of accommodations to suit our differing vacation needs and wants. A nice quiet treehouse nestled in the woods sounds great coming off of a 4 night cruise where our kids will have tried to jam as many hours into the day as possible! Being 2 buses away from the parks won't matter as we will be in "slow" mode for sure!

Of course, we also love Vero Beach, which isn't a popular resort on this board either. Maybe we're "different"!

[braindew]

Our DVC guide had just stayed in them when were signing up in June. She was surprized how small they actually are inside...and FULL beds...I repeat, full beds. I am 6-4 and that is out of the question for me. But we drove by them and they have a special appeal that makes me want to visit someday...but we stuck to our favorite resort and bought AKLV.

Like previously written, these are still "cabins" and all that goes along with it. I just stayed at the FW Cabins...and I bet there is much more room than those have.