DH and I are planning our return to WDW in November. Going to stay offsite mostly due to price. Thinking about trying Windsor Hills this time but I have a couple concerns:
How easy is it to get out of the complex and turn left onto Lake Wilson Road? Is there a traffic light there? (Units we’re looking at are on that side/end of the property.)
How easy is it to get access to the complex upon checkin? I’ve been reading some horror stories about hour-long lines get a parking pass but none of those are super recent. I’ve only stayed at places which issue a gate code so there’s no separate process to get through the first time but seems Windsor Hills doesn’t work this way.
I’d love to hear from Liners who have recent experience getting into and out of Windsor Hills. Thanks!
We stayed there two years ago! It’s so close to all the parks, even closer than some of the value resorts! We loved it. We went with a large group and rented one big house. There is a great playground, splash pad and pool. It’s a very quiet complex.
I don’t remember having any difficulty driving to the parks or having to cross any dangerous intersections without lights. It was all super easy. I would 100% stay there again. There is a super Walmart and the end of the road which is very convenient, we made multiple trips there during our two week stay.
As far as the gate, yes that was a little bit of an inconvenience but we never waited more than 10 minutes to get through and I really liked the extra level of security!
We stayed in Formosa Gardens on Santee Drive for 10 nights in November 2019, which is just ever so slightly west of Windsor Hills.
We drove by Windsor Hills “back door” on Livingston Road every time we went to/from WDW. We went for a rope drop, daily, and stay till closing each night. We never had trouble getting on or off North Old Lake Wilson Road.
As an added bonus, you can get in to the backside of Animal Kingdom super easy as well. You go straight to the light by Walmart. I love this location.
We stayed there over spring break this year (before and after Easter), and it was great!
There is no light, but we never had trouble making the left turn out of the complex. I was nervous about this at first too, but quickly realized it wasn’t going to be an issue.
We arrived around 4:30 or 5pm, and there was definitely a line of cars waiting to get a parking pass. I can’t remember exactly how long it took - maybe 30 minutes? Cars checking in had a separate line on the left to wait to get a parking pass with a QR code. Once you got the pass, you could use the right lane to scan the QR code to get in, bypassing the checkin lane. Once we had the pass, there was never a wait to get inside the complex.
I was there just last month, we were in a townhouse near the big waterpark so close to entrance. At check in times (4-5pm) the line could get quite long so if possible time arrival a bit later. Only after coming back after closing down MK around 1030 was there a line but a guard was pretty much waving everyone through.
A pro tip my wife found out the hard way, avoid the Walmart at 192 and old lake Wilson road! The place is a madhouse especially on weekend evenings. She had to search the parking lot for a cart. We later on went to a brand new Aldi just south if I-4 also on old lake Wilson road. SO much better, and as a bonus I got ROTR BG from the parking lot! Ask away about Windsor hills as we were just there!
Funny, we experienced zero issues with that Walmart! It was great. We were there numerous times over a two week period. We bought souvenirs (amazing supply for a fraction of the cost compared to the parks), grocery’s, sweatshirts. I’d say we were there at least 5 times. I thought it was so convenient because it’s literally 2 minutes away! It’s actually one of the reasons I would stay there again!
We have WH reservations but haven’t stayed there. I am looking forward to it. From the maps I’ve seen of the Value Resorts, the walk to your car in the morning is much less too.
I agree. I didn’t realize it would be so close until we got there. It was super easy to run in and out on the way to or from the parks. Granted, we were VERY early and very late.
The “back” way to AK using Sherbeth rd was so nice, less then 10 mins! We did mid-day breaks almost everyday and they would be even better with the longer hours then we had in June.
I had the same experience with this Walmart. I’d choose to drive the extra 5-10 minutes to Target rather than deal with that Walmart. I found it cleaner, quicker, and a fraction of the customers in the store.
Stayed at Windsor Hills in May this year and twice before in previous years.
I never had an issue turning left onto Lake Wilson Road. Anytime we would leave, first thing in the morning or later for shoppping/dinner, we never had to wait much. Maybe a minute or so at most.
We checked in on a Thursday and it went pretty quick. There were a couple other cars also checking in, but whole experience was maybe 5 minutes. I do think a Thursday was easier than a weekend. On weekends between 4 and 6ish, there were a long line of cars, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If you can control when you get to the gate, I’d say try to arrive on a weekday or a little before 4, but if you arrive when you arrive, then you will be fine.
I wouldn’t worry too much about either issue. On my last trip, I spent the weeks before the trip worrying so much about the line for rental cars at MCO. Every review I read talked about how it takes hours and I was nervous about it for weeks. The actual experience was a breeze and waited 20 minutes, so I worried for nothing.
