I cried today when I cancelled our onsite reservations...

[Sher]

I know I'm a sap--completely and thoroughly brainwashed by The Walt Disney Company--but I feel like I have been kicked out of the club. With the elimination of early entry, the perks of staying onsite just aren't enough to justify $109 at the All-Stars vs. $58 at the Hampton Inn. We save year round to be able to go to Disney at all, and need to spend our money wisely. My fear is that once we stay offsite once, we will never be able to justify the onsite rates again.

Anyways, there are 7 nights available at the All-Star Movies for 3/24-3/30. Hope whoever gets them has a great time.

Sher

[wdw4us2]

You shouldn't feel like a sap - you made the decision that was right for you and your family. After your stay at Hampton Inn, you should write/email Disney and let them know your feelings as to why you cancelled staying onsite. If more people would do that, maybe Disney would rethink EE! I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter where you stay!

[Disneycrazymom]

Maybe you will feel better to know that my DH travels A LOT for work and he chooses Hampton whenever one is available. He says they are very nice and breakfast is good. You'll have a great time, on or off site it is still Disney!

[js]

sher, don't feel bad! Really. How many people can say they are even going to WDW in March!
We went to BC in August (my mom took my family) but prior to that my family-dh, dd & ds was at WDW the Oct. before. I was just like you. First I had ressies at CBR but then kept thinking for the price I will be confined to one sm. room with the 2 kids at night and wanted a little more space. Transportation wasn't an issue since we were driving down.
It took me a good week to get the courage to cancel our CBR ressies and book HIFS. We loved it! Don't get me wrong, we LOVED BC. But we also loved having the extra 2 rooms, 2 tvs and free breakfast (and kids free dinners) at HIFS. I would book HIFS or another offsite, if worth the money, in a second. You could have 2 connecting rooms (extra bathroom, extra tv, kids sleep by themselves, etc) for the price you are paying for one All Star room. (BTW we have stayed there to but that wouldn't deter me from staying off site).
You made the right decision for your family and now you will have extra money to spend for your family and remember your kids are already lucky to be going to WDW, I am sure many of their friends (and yours) wouldn't care where they were staying as long as they were able to be at WDW :) Go and have fun and now that your decision is made, be happy with it and resume your planning :)

[Dallas_Lady]

Originally posted by Sher
--completely and thoroughly brainwashed by The Walt Disney Company--

I love this line! I think that is the heart of it all. I was trying to explain to my husband why we simply HAD to stay at a Disney hotel for twice as much money (with half the amenities) as an offsite resort. I kept going on and on about "Magic." Well, he pointed out to me that we will be going to WDW, something I haven't done in 5 years, and that our vacation wil be enjoyable regardless of who owns the hotel we stay at.

My first (and only) trip to Disney was offsite. I had a wonderful time. My second trip to Disney will most likely be offsite too. Try not to feel bad, just think of the money you will be saving and the benefits you will get!

[chrissyk]

Would it be possible to get a cheaper rate for the All Stars? I don't think that you'll get $58/night, but you might get it a heck of a lot closer to that price. I must have called CRO over a dozen times in a row, with tons of different codes, but ultimately I got a discount of 35% off rack rate for the GF in May :) If it means a lot to you to stay in the park, I'd say keep trying to call CRO to get a better rate and don't give up!

[Mickeyluver37]

My first (and only) trip to Disney was offsite. I had a wonderful time. My second trip to Disney will most likely be offsite too. Try not to feel bad, just think of the money you will be saving and the benefits you will get!

Your siggy says Fairfield Inn. Was this the one at Universal? We have 6 nights booked at CBR, and 3 at Universal Fairfield. The Universal package is all paid for, and there are huge penalties for cancelling. Right now, I'm really regretting it, and wishing we just stayed at CBR the whole 9 nights. So, any good thoughts? How is the continental breakfast? Is this going to be a huge dissapointment after a week at Disney? I've asked about this hotel on both the Universal and Orlando boards, and apparently no one has ever stayed there, LOL.

[Bill From PA]

I'd still look for a discount code for your time frame. Last year we booked the first week in March at AllStar for $107, then found a code here for $99 at PO/Riverside. I don't like losing EE either, but we've been off-site and to us it makes a huge difference never having to leave 'The World', always feeling the Disney atmosphere, being able to pop back to the resort for a shower or a dip in the pool without a major commute. If booking a WDW resort meant I couldn't go at all, I'd go off-site, but I'd try to economize elswhere first.


Bill From PA

[disneyholic family]

i really know what you mean about the magic and all that...
but just think about all the money you'll be saving this way......
just be sure you spend it to have a good time while you're on vacation.....
like a lunch at a restaurant you might not otherwise have done.....
you'll be saving over $350 (and even more when you take into account the tax diffierentials)....
use it to make your time at WDW even more spectacular...
and staying offsite can be very nice...
until 10 years ago we almost always stayed off property (to save money).....we still had a grand time..
this year we're going offsite for part of the trip because i'm annoyed with disney for cancelling EE......
anyway.......you'll see....you'll still have a wonderful time....
(and hampton inns are very nice indeed)....

[gepetto]

I have stayed on and off-site and have never had a bad time! Have a good trip!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Grumpy92]

This will be a good experience for you. You need to try both ways atlest once. It will make you appreciate whatever your preference down the line is. Just make sure you give your self plenty of time for travel, Central florida roads can get congested and add your parking fee to your rate. I am sure you will still have a good time. Make sure you do a trip report when you return so we can get your feedback.

[Firefighter Mickey]

Originally posted by Mickeyluver37


Your siggy says Fairfield Inn. Was this the one at Universal? We have 6 nights booked at CBR, and 3 at Universal Fairfield. The Universal package is all paid for, and there are huge penalties for cancelling. Right now, I'm really regretting it, and wishing we just stayed at CBR the whole 9 nights. So, any good thoughts? How is the continental breakfast? Is this going to be a huge dissapointment after a week at Disney? I've asked about this hotel on both the Universal and Orlando boards, and apparently no one has ever stayed there, LOL.

The Fairfield Inn at Universal has only recently opened, hence the lack of information. We stayed there for a few nights in January. The property was fine, but someone should have fired the interior decorator or certain color/print combinations should be made a punishable crime (it's not really that bad, just a bit startling when you first walk into the room). The continental breakfast is typical for most Fairfields I've stayed at, juices, coffee, tea, fruit, cold cerial, various breads and muffins - nothing fancy, but certainly adequate. The front desk staff were helpful and friendly.

It is within walking distance of Universal, but it's a long walk; we did that one day and the next decided to go ahead and pay for the parking fee at Universal and drove the car. the walk over in the morning wasn't so bad, it was the walk back after a day in the parks that was the killer.

There are a number of places to eat nearby, and a number of other places that will deliver. There's also a walgreen's (with liquore store) just across the parking lot.

We chose the Fairlfield for price, location, and because I had a Marriott Rewards certificate which got us a free night (and I earned reward points on the other nights). I can't compare it to Disney hotels, because we've only ever stayed at the "Home away from home" resorts (OKW and BWV) which aren't anything like a typical Disney hotel room.

[cottontail]

Hi Sher:

I noticed that the american express code had rates of 84.00 at the value resorts when you are going 2/14/02 -4/20/02. I think you would just have to join american express and I would go for the no fee card. Now is your hampton for 58.00 including the tax or not? Have a great trip whatever you do.

You can reach the codes on this site. Near the top of the resorts page, just in case you didn't know.

Deb.

[dizfamily]

Would you rent a car if you were staying onsite? If you rent a car no matter what, then that doesn't factor in. But we never rent a car when we stay offsite and I factor that cost in when comparing offsite vs onsite rates. Our last trip we stayed offsite because dh had a convention at an offsite hotel and that's where the company put us (hey, it was paid for, so no complaints) but we then had to rent a car AND pay for parking at the parks. This time I begged dh to ask his boss if we could stay onsite instead...told him we'd even be saving the company money (the convention hotel is $200/night and we're staying at POR at $124/night) and they said yes!! Since we're saving so much on the hotel, they're paying for a rental car for him but we don't need one now, which saves US money. I HATED driving to the parks last time. We got lost EVERY time and it ended up taking us like 45 minutes or more to get back to a hotel that is literally 2 miles from the WDW gates. Not to mention the fact that parking at this hotel was VERY far from the hotel entrance....had to walk carrying a sleeping 5 YO!

[susy]

If you end up staying at Hampton Inn , is this the Lake Buena Vista one right outside Downtown Disney???If so, my sister stayed there and said it was nice and I believe they have breakfast. You can also get on the property real quick by going into the DD entrance, the make a left at the end of the street and you'll be at the parks in minutes.

[walt's assistant]

Sher, don't feel bad. Some of the BEST visits we've had to WDW we stayed off-site.

This will get me shot by just about everyone here but WDW properties are, from a purely cost basis, a questionable value. We all pay it because we enjoy the 24 hour Disney magical experience. However, when you consider how relatively little time we actually spend in our rooms and what we get for the money, it is a sobering question indeed.

We enjoy staying on-site because it makes the vacation extra-special. But there are other off-site properties that are very nice indeed and are priced well below Disney.

OK everyone, please don't shoot me too much for this post!

:(

[MJames41]

I won't shoot you, Walt's Assistant, but I do disagree with you - at least in my opinion. Our vacation in 2000 started at the Marriott Orlando World Conference Center. Fancy name for a very fancy hotel (that we got for $60 via Priceline). And, for us, it just sucked. They didn't mention the hidden fees (about another $30 per day), the shuttle to the theme parks was supposed to be free (it wasn't) - and it went there a few times a day (3 or 4 in the morning and 3 or 4 at night). It is isolated (the hotel is about 1/2 mile down the road - one entrance in - to take a taxi anywhere cost $2.00 to leave the parking area), and it just wasn't what we wanted. We didn't feel like we were truly on vacation until we cancelled the last night (without getting any kind of refund or even an apology for the washer's and dryers breaking down with our clothes in them) and went from a 4 star resort to the 3 star All Star Sports. It was just so much better there. My one night at the All Stars, when you consider that I forfeited the money paid for the extra night at the MOWCC cost me around $150 - and it was so worth it.

I know there are some nice off site resorts out there, and Sher I hope your vacation is fantastic, but I don't want to stay off site unless we are going off site (the Caribbe Royal and the Grovesnor in particular I want to stay at sometime). The MOWCC is a world class resort - but to us it was just a hotel room, where as a Disney resort is part of the vacation. Enjoy.

[B3LM]

Sher, you'll still have a great time! We did the same thing. We've decided on a last minute trip over Easter break and I was able to get a ressie at AsMu for 3/29 - 4/5. But, I just can't justify spending over $100 per night when we could get a family suite at Comfort Inn LBV for $67 per night! The family suite has a queen bed, and a kids' area with bunk beds, a junior bed, and a 19" tv/vcr. Sure beats the 2 double beds at All Stars.

My DH always tries to stay at Hampton Inns when he travels, too. He says they're really nice and he loves the continental breakfast that's included.

Have a great trip!
Beth

[The Pluto People]

We have stayed off site and we've stayed on site...the only thing that really matters is that you are with your family, on vacation, and having fun! Relax and enjoy!:D

[eeyore0062]

I am sure that you will have a great time anyway. Think of it this way... you can save that money for the next time when you DO stay on property. Personally, I just can't bring myself to stay off property, I love the whole immersion in the Disney concept, but you have to do what is right for you at this time.

[BroadwayBunny]

I'm staying off-site for my trip in March. I just couldn't justify the cost of a moderate or better resort, when I could get a suite at the Doubletree at DD for the price of a moderate. Without early entry, there just didn't seem to be any point. Plus, I'll have my own car with me. So transportation is not a problem. Even so, the location is so close to DD, that I'll be still be able to use their transportation.

[Robinrs]

I agree with Pluto People, the magic for me is being with my family AND ON vacation, period.

Enjoy your stay and don't cry, you're going to DisneyWorld!:D :D

[Sher]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I know that we will have a great time. We drive down so we won't have to rent a car and we really do spend very little time in the hotel room. Hopefully we won't get lost on our way to the parks every day. (my nightmare) We are staying at the Hampton Inn Maingate West and it is supposedly a really short easy trip.

Having said that, it will be really hard to convince me that onsite isn't better. I love being on property the whole vacation and we have had great experiences with the Disney transportation. I have e-mailed Disney about the reasons for my cancelling my reservations. I don't think they are too concerned about my one week at All-Star Movies, but there are hundreds of families like mine making these same decisions. With all the hotel rooms available in the Orlando area, they are going to have to provide enough services and perks to make the extra cost justified. I think that is especially true for the value resorts. The people who can afford the Yacht and Beach Club aren't considering offsite, but the families looking for something in the under $100 range are.

Again, thanks for the support. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sher

[spiceycat]

I am so sorry that you feel bad. I love WDW I brought into DVC and I do love the place. However there are a bunch of other things to visit and see in Orlando besides WDW. If you always stay at WDW you might never even realize that these places exist.

look at this site in the attractions area
http://www.floridakiss.com

what the address of the place that you are staying at - and the city - it could be Lake Buena Vista, Kissimee or Orlando. If I know where it is located I could probably send you a map.

[hercamore]

At least you get to go, LOL

My dd and I have been trying to find decent airfare from Mn over spring break.

No way, spending 900. before we even get there is too much.

The Hampton Inn lbv is a hop and and a skip from mgm and epecot.

I bet the rooms are nicer than the Allstars, too.

Enjoy.

Herc

[Boots]

Sher we have some friends who always stay at the Hampton Inn. They go each spring mainly to watch the Braves and WDW is almost an afterthought to them!

[Margie J]

Sher, don't cry. The Hampton Inn is a great place and very close to WDW and Universal. Think of all the "Magic" you can have with that $50/day you'll be saving! :D

I've stayed on-site and off, often with a mix. Last December I tried the ASSp for one night just to see what it was like. I even invited a friend to stay over that night. My friend took one look and decided to stay with another person that night ... at the Caribe Royale! I didn't really enjoy the ASSp even though I do understand why some people may choose it.

At least you are going and I know you'll have fun.

[emmalgin]

I think there should be a supoort group (ala AA) for those brainwashed by Disney. Like a cult....

Hampton Inn's are great. Never had a complaint. Only thing I'd check is when the Hotel was built. I've always learn from mistakes and one is that stay away from older Hotels.... The LBV I think is new (2-3 years old).

Breakfast is very good (and thus are saving $5/person/day) minimum. Take some fruit or yogurt from breakfast and you will be saving more.

A busy day at the park and then a larger, more comfortable room at night and you are far ahead of the game.

Also note that if you are driving, you only pay once for parking so you can leave during the day and return later if you want.

Good restaurants off site, and downtime.

BTW, what is so good about the All Star Hotles, they look very basic, are far from the parks and some times you need a break.....

[Robinrs]

BTW, what is so good about the All Star Hotles, they look very basic, are far from the parks and some times you need a break.....

I do agree but I think the All Stars offer people who normally cannot or will not pay for the onsite experience a chance to try it out. It's not for me but some people really like them, and I'm glad at least it's there as an option.

Too bad about the experience MJames 41 had with the MOWC. I stayed there in May of 99 and LOVED it. It's very close to the parks and a beautiful, though not "magical" hotel. I remember emailing the company when I got back about how well we were treated, we went to celebrate my friend's adoption of her daughter, and they wrote and called me back.

On the other hand I had to email Disney about my trip to ASMusic to complain about their lack of customer service. It was horrendous. They, too, called and wrote me back, which was a major plus in my book.

Everyone has their own criteria for what makes the perfect vacation, and it's impossible to please everyone.

[baileybrad]

but I understand what you mean about saving the cash. We stayed off-site at VV for 10 days in late January and had a wonderful vacation. We had APs so our parking was covered. The cost savings measure of Disney doing away with EE pushed to implement our own cost saving measure. We enjoyed spending the money that Disney would have gotten. Just enjoy your family and try not to let where you are staying be the driving force of your vacation. Make it your family and have a blast.

PS It could be worse you could be staying at the MOWCC. :)

[jgates]

We stayed at HI Maingate West one nite then Courtyard DD (7 free nights with marriott gc's). The HI Maingate West was fantastic-close to the parks, wonderful cont brkfst., pleasant people. If I had not had the free nites I never would have left there.

[Sher]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Just a few more comments.

All-Star Movies----We have stayed here 3 times and LOVED it. The total Disney theming is just what we want on a Disney vacation. We have also stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort and it was very nice too. We just don't spend enough time in our room to justify the moderate rate. I hate to see people bad mouth the value resorts because I think it might scare people who are considering them. Before our first trip, I thought that it would be better to not go at all than to have to stay at one of the All-Stars which is why we chose CB. Now, having stayed at both, we like the All-Star Movies better! Everyone has different wants and needs.

I hope you all have great trips. Have a Disney day!!

Sher

[higgin704]

I have stayed at Poly, Beach Club and, last year, the Hilton in DD. We got it via Priceline for $75. The rooms were just as nice, the pool was great, the hotel was beautiful, the restaraunt was wonderful. We easily could walk to DD. The shuttles were free. The only gripe I had was the timeshare people we learned to avoid:) I really never noticed the difference in the "magic". Indeed, the housekeeping staff even arranged our girls babies and blankies in various ways each night. We spent $6 on a few days to drive to the parks. It was a short, easy ride.

In addition, we requested a room high up facing DD and had an amazing view. All that for $75 a night. We spent our saved money on fancy dinners and souveniers and still had some left over. I really don't think you will miss a thing staying offsite.

Have fun.
angie
(currently scheduled for WL in April, but will take one of the DWV resorts on priceline if I can get them for the price I want...in a heartbeat)

[Goofy Dad]

Every trip to WDW is different, and everyone's needs are different. The most important thing is to enjoy it as much as possible, without breaking the bank.

We have stayed offsite and onsite. I agree that they are different vacations, there is something magical about being onsite.

We (my wife, my 7 yo son and I) are going in April this year, and for the first time in 4 years we have chosen to stay offsite, entirely to save money. We did this for a number of reasons, although EE never has meant much to me, E-ride nights do (they are back but weren't when we booked) and frankly the final straw for me was when I found out that they weren't delivering packages to the rooms any more. I know they are going to the resort, but it's not quite the same. We got the Comfort Suites Maingate East with an Expedia Special rate of $55 per night. We are there from the 19 - 29, 10 nights for $627 including taxes. I could not possibly do that onsite. In addition, this has 2 queen size beds and a day bed, and a kitchenette. My wife and I are not small people and the double beds in the value and moderates just don't cut it for us. We usually get a towncar or limo, I hate the shuttles so when you combine a roundtrip you get pretty close to the cost of a rental car and with the AP passes parking is not an extra cost. Having said that I would never have done so without first checking on this site to make sure the hotel was ok, and I have found only positive reviews for the CSME.

In fact we are going with my Mother in Law, my Sister in Law and her 5 year old son, my Brother his wife and their infant. Although the room would have slept 6, at $55 per night we all got our own rooms and could have privacy.

Onsite we have stayed at the Contemporary, the Treehouses at the Disney Institute, All Star Sports, The Bungalows at the Disney Institute and Coronado Springs. Of the places that we have stayed onsite we loved the bungalows at the Disney Institue, they were perfect for us, and with AP discounts could usually be had quite reasonably. I was very unhappy to hear that they were shutting down and the DI was becoming part of DVC.

Offsite we have stayed at the HIFS (we went down on buisness) and they were good too, but not the same as on-site, and years ago when we were very young and adventurous we stayed a very long weekend at an Econo-Lodge, which was actually not too bad, it had a nice pool, but the gap in the room door allowed the palmetto bugs free access to the room. We used a towel to keep traffic to a minimum when we were in the room. Other than that the room was fine.

In the end, it is a Disney trip, and most of your time is in the parks anyway. When my brother had a car at the All-Star Sports he used it instead of the busses because it was faster and more comfortable. If the hotel is close it shouldn't be that different.

[mom42860]

We were looking forward to our 1st onsite trip in Sept. scheduled for FW cabins, we had to reschedule and now it will cost us $250 compared to $150. So we are staying offsite for $95 (2BR suite with kitchen) we will use the extra money for a couple of character dinners!

[LeahA]

Sher,

I was booked for a week at WL for a $144.00 per night rate, but, I was playing around with Priceline and got the Hilton DD for $60.00 per night. The rate difference pays for our tickets!
I am bummed still, and it's been a couple weeks since I made the cancellation, but, the way I look at it, the onsite resorts are not going anywhere, and when I'm ready to spend the extra money, I'll be more appreciative of staying onsite!

Leah :)

[SimonV]

Sher,

From what I can tell, you've made absolutely the right decision for all the right reasons. And I honestly think that once you get there, you will still have a fabulous time. The Disney resorts are always the icing on the cake for me, but I've stayed offsite plenty of times and still appreciate everything about the parks. There's nothing to stop you visiting a resort or two for a meal, either, if you really need that Disney 'fix' ! And I also think you should email Disney to let them know exactly why you cancelled your reservations. The loss of EE is a big blow, IMHO, and they need to address this sooner rather than later.

Have fun!

[hellokitty]

We are going in march and got the CBR (moderate) with the amex discount for $107 a night
plus tax.
just a thought

[Robinrs]

I hate to see people bad mouth the value resorts because I think it might scare people who are considering them.

Don't worry about that Sher, it that were the case NO ONE would stay off site after reading the Disney Resorts board the way they bad mouth it over there!

I, personally, was let down by All Stars because I expected the WORLD! A bad review here or there lowers expectations and when you go you say "it's not THAT BAD!"

Like you said, everyone has their own wants and needs!