We plan to visit WDW in October. Unfortunately, all of the WDW hotels are full. We were looking at two new hotels in the Lake Buena Vista Area: the Homewood suites and the Holiday Inn Family Suites. Rates are pretty good at $79(1bd suite) and $103(kid suite), respectively. Any comments on these or other suite hotels outside WDW??

A friend of mine is going to stay at Homewood suites (I think) next week with her family & mother-in-law. Then we get to do a week long convention. But when I get back after Labor Day, drop me an email and I'll give you her comments!

Certainly the Lake Buena Vista area is the second best place to stay if the Disney property is full. Try looking into the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista, good location, breakfast included, etc. You may also want to look into the Residence Inn Lake Buena Vista. My Unofficial Disney guide gives the Embassy Suites an 86%(don't stay at the one on International though), Summerfield Field Suites Lake Buena Vista gets an 82%, although I really don't know exactly where it is.Don't do the Buena Vista Suites as it is rather far out, on a highway, below some hydro lines. Caribe Royale Suites are also too far out, I find. We stayed at the Vistana Resort once and enjoyed it. May be too pricey though. We went in the summer and it seemed more reasonable.

Any comment on the new Holiday Inn Family suites or the new Homewood Suites in LBV?

My family and I are staying at the Holiday Sunspree and have reserved a Kid Suite. If you'd like, once our trip is over, you can contact me and I'll tell you what it was like.

Annemarie, thanks so much for mentioning Buena Vista Suites. I ususally stay at the Embassy Suites LBV, but was considering Buena Vista Suites, since I'm failing to find rates as low as in the past for the Embassy. We don't drive, so we wouldn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere. I knew there had to a reason their rates were so low.