This trip report will be a bit different from my last one.  It will be shorter and to the point.  Also, no sappy, introspective pontificating.  Those of you who read my last report may breathe your collective sigh of relief now.

While we thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Walt Disney World from within "The Bubble," there was a lot we wanted to do that simply wasn't possible.  Almost as soon as we returned from our January 2015 trip, I started formulating a plan for a more thorough trip to the Orlando area in the future.  I estimated three years would be a good target date.  Among my goals were to stay longer, to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom, and to visit the Universal parks.  I also wanted to do it in the summer so that the kids missing school would not be an issue.  So I set my sights on Summer 2018.  I was thinking about August at first, but the wife said June would probably be more bearable weather-wise.  By June 2018, she would have earned two full weeks of paid vacation.  With a two-week trip in mind, (and wishing to save money by choosing not to fly,) I mapped out a driving trip which would include one day at each Disney park, one at each Universal park, one at Legoland, possibly a water park day, and a night in Biloxi each way during the drive.  We had already spent a few days in the Gulfport/Biloxi area in 2016 and had a great time.  So I presented this two-week plan to the wife.  However, she expressed doubts as to her ability to take the needed time off.  While she would be given two weeks per year with pay, it did not necessarily mean she would get two consecutive weeks off. 

So I had to reformulate the plan.  If we drove and spent a night each way in Biloxi or another similar half-way point, it would be impossible to spend adequate time at both Disney and Universal, and Legoland would be completely out of the question.  So my next idea was this:  Disney for 2018, Universal and whatever else for 2019.  Next, I went ahead and started pricing Disney resorts.  We loved Port Orleans Riverside last time, but there was no way all four of us would stay in one of their rooms unless we opted for Alligator Bayou and our daughter used the Murphy bed.  But I remembered back in 2014 when the Mrs. had asked me to be sure to request Magnolia Bend because she hated the pictures of the decor at Alligator Bayou, so that was out of the question.  Our family had grown, not in number but in size, and we needed more space.  So the only options within our budget were Art of Animation suites and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.  The boy, who would be 15 when we went, was no longer "into" Nemo or Cars and never much cared for the Lion King.   However, the Cabins came highly recommended by The Neverland Family, a YouTube vlog that I had been following.  It was roomier than a similarly priced room at a Moderate resort and far cheaper than the cheapest Villa on Disney property.  But when I sent a link to my wife...again, the decor proved to be what killed it.  Also, she really didn't want to make the long drive and waste two days staying overnight at a half-way point when we could fly and spend more time at the parks.  She even suggested we stay offsite to save money and free up the funds for airfare.  She suggested AirBNB and HomeAway.  This suggestion changed our plan in a very significant way.

HomeAway and its companion site, VRBO, had dozens of listings for condo rentals in the area for $100 a night or less, and most of these had 3 bedrooms.  Two caught my eye:  Vacation Village and Windsor Hills.  Windsor Hills had the lowest daily rate I could find - $80 per night.  3 bedrooms, 2 bath.  That means the kids would not have to share a room, let alone a bed.  Of course, this meant we would have to rent a car and pay to park at the parks, but after some exhaustive spreadsheet work, I arrived the conclusion that we would still save money if we stayed at Windsor Hills and paid for all the stuff we would have gotten included with an onsite stay.