off site or on site!

[myhusbandnofanofdis]

I know this topic probably has great passion around it... but I want to hear others opinions...

I am a die hard disney girl. I want to enjoy every single minute of it. But, my husband wants to stay off site where you get more for your money.

We are looking at Pop Century vs. Buena Vista Suites. We would have to get 2 rooms at POP to get all 5 of us in there, so it would cost about twice as much :scared: We can't do POR b/c it is full. We might try all star music suites.. I am not sure of the cost.

Anyway, please let me know your opinions about staying off site vs. on site. I would just like to hear others opinions!

thanks
Mary Anne

[tazdeb]

You think you're going to miss out on the Disney "magic" by staying offsite until you realize all the money you're saving can be applied to cool stuff in the parks... like sitting in your private boat, drinking wine and watching the fireworks over Cindys castle.....Taking an early morning ballon ride over the parks....going on an early morning fishing trip in the backwaters of the world...etc...The list goes on and on.....most of these activities I just mentioned are in the $100-200 range, but by staying off site you may save that in 2 nights, or in 2 meals at Disney resort resturants.....Have fun ...TAZ

[FayeW]

I cannot even conceive of a time when I would stay onsite. I cannot fathom paying the price they ask to put all 4 of us in 1 room, when I can pay 1/3-1/2of that price and have mimimum 2bdrm condo with full kitchen and washer/dryer through skyauction. If I want to pay roughly the same price as a room at the All Stars (or much less, depending on what "season" it is) I can book up to a year or more in advance and reserve a 2 or 3 bdrm condo, with free internet and long distance included, at many of the area resorts such as Windsor Hills, Emerald Isle, etc.

You have to understand that for me and my family, the magic is in space and amenities. Not only do we not mind renting a car and driving, we prefer it! The WDW busses, with no seatbelts for anyone (especially infants and young children) and some people with no seat at all, seem very dangerous to me, and I prefer to have my family seated and belted in. I am delighted that I don't have to join the thousands of people standing in line for busses when I exit the park at the end of the night. If we are hungry when we leave, we can stop and grab a snack, or go back to our full kitchen and make something to eat . Most importantly, I can relax leisurely in my pyjamas and have my coffee in the morning. I don't have to get showered and dressed, and stumble to a food court. I don't have to spend outrageous amounts of money to feed my family eating out for every meal.

Last time we went, I packed cereal, microwave popcorn, peanut butter, margarine, Pringles, etc in our bags. At the grocery store I spent $100 or so and got some fresh fruit, bread, bacon and eggs, etc. We didn't eat "big" meals, but we had all breakfasts, a lunch or two, and some snacks. What we save on not having to buy all our meals more than pays for the condo and parking! We save a ton of money on the meals we do pay for by eating some of them offsite. We absolutely LOVE Golden Corral, and always have at least two meals there during our 9 day stays. Love Cici's Pizza, too. It is not gourmet pizza by any stretch but we enjoy it, and feeding a family of 4 for under $20. is a definite bargain. It takes very little time as it is a buffet, so no waiting for your meal to be prepared, and everyone can have as much as they like.

Huge convenience having your own washer and dryer. Don't have to worry about bringing home dirty laundry and don't have to pack as much, either.

We also recognize that there is much more to Orlando than just the WDW parks, (as a matter of fact, we prefer US/IOA!). We spend more time at other parks than we do WDW and offsite is more convenient to US/IOA/SW so it just makes sense for us.

I have never stayed onsite so I can't give you a comparison, all I can tell you is why we enjoy offsite!

[Keacc]

My first question to you is what are the ages of your children. If you have little ones that may need to go back to a room while the others keep going, I would stay on site. If your children are old enough where you stay together all day long and then go back to a hotel or condo, stay off site. Waiting for busses is a real pain. You can get a 3 bedroom condo for less than staying at a so called Disney Value. (the words Disney and Value do not belong together) You can also get groceries for breakfast and snacks in a condo. All of the extra room (extra bedrooms) with children is wonderful.

[spiceycat]

do both alot.

offsite - definitely miss EMH - but if there is some night when it is a must (like MK) then I just stay one night on site.

like to drive my car, although if you don't then Disney transportation is great.
remember that parking is $11 a day so add that to your costs.

if I am flying always stay at Disney so DME works well for me.

make a list of what you would miss staying offsite. also make a list of the benefits of offsite.
like
more room for your money.
generally quiet rooms or villa
timeshares - most stuff to do at the resort

[Brian Noble]

To me, the advantages of onsite are the sense of immersion, and the transportation convenience. We always rent a car, but if folks want to split up, it's just easier on than off. I don't go to EMHs, and none of the other perks matter that much to me.

To me, the advantages of offsite are much MUCH better value---you can get something that looks a lot like a 2BR DVC unit (or better) for the price of a Value room. As noted above, that money can be put to other good uses during your vacation. Want to go to a Party in MK? Book a fireworks cruise? Go ahead! You've saved enough money on your lodging to splurge elsewhere.

Our family of four requires separate sleeping spaces for adults and children. That can't be done onsite for less than about $1,450 for the week when I travel, and that's the AP discount rate. A 1BR in OKW, which has the kitchen that we really get a lot of use out of, would be over $3,250. A Ft Wilderness cabin also has a kitchen, and would be $2,200+. That's too rich for my blood for immersion and the ability to not pay a cab fare here or there.

We do stay onsite, but only when we can exchange into DVC with our timeshare. Then the cost is comparable to our other offsite options, and a 1BR is just barely big enough---especially at OKW where the rooms are pretty good sized.

I just can't see spending an extra $700 to spend a week in less well-equipped lodging just to have Stacy and her Top 7 on the TV.

[hlbrink]

Mary Anne,

I understand your apprehension - this is our first visit to WDW with the kids and our first time staying off-site (to clarify, we did stay off-site on our first trip when I was a kid, but don't remember much about it).

We chose to rent an off-site townhome to give us all separate bedrooms, which will help us all get more rest. The kitchen, washer / dryer and splash pool are also huge pluses.

I won't even go into the price, because that advantage is very obvious.

We rent a car even when staying in Disney, because I don't think the buses are convenient, so this is a fixed cost for us.

I think staying on-site does have an extra pinch of magic that you may not get staying off, but I am certain that once you "take the plunge" you will be just fine. I am afraid that I won't want to go back to staying on-site after our upcoming vacation.

[crusoe2]

OP, I've always been alot like you - I wanted total immersion on my Disney trips. But our last trip with all 4 of us in one room just did me in. My son isn't even going on our next trip but we're staying in a condo offsite anyway. I love the Disney resorts but I don't think even having 2 rooms would entice me to stay at one again. The lack of space in the rooms and the lack of furniture or counterspace for all of our stuff just proved to be too big a hassle. I was constantly having to re-pack stuff to keep the room from being a total mess. Of course, I pack everything but the kitchen sink so this might not be as big an issue for you as it was for me. But I'm looking forward to being able to really unpack and leave things where I need them. Oh, and the money we're saving is huge - we've got a 2 br at Cypress Point in June for $562. This is about a third of what we paid for the room at CBR at the same time last year. I intend to save even more by taking full advantage of the kitchen. I would much rather spend some time shopping and cooking on our arrival day and be able to munch on home-cooked leftovers all week than spend alot of time and money going out to eat. We've always eaten in for several of our meals no matter where we stayed cause we get tired of dealing with our kids in restaurants. It will be so nice to actually eat sitting at a dining table this time instead of sitting on the bed balancing a plate on my lap.:goodvibes

[Princess_Michelle]

Once again, a shameless plug for my Off-Site VS. On-site Trip Report. :cheer2:

I cover all the bases (I think) with pictures.....you can PM me, or post here, any questions you may have of me :)


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1611826

[iluvflorida]

FayeW says it all. I can't add a thing other than to say I agree 110% I guess some will say we just don't get the "disney experience". Sorry but I perfer other experience when in Florida as well as a small dose of disney. There is just so much else.

[Lisa P.]

Mary Anne, Michelle's Trip Report is a must-read for anyone wondering about this. We stayed exclusively onsite for years. Now, rarely - just a night to tag onto an offsite vacation unless we exchange into a DVC timeshare. Anyway, I do understand your hesitation because I used to feel it too.

That said, 2 rooms at Pop or an All Star suite will cost the same amount... which is a lot... too much, IMHO, for what you get. Select an offsite place wisely and you'll be amazed at how much fun you can have with it. Plan to bring along some Disney music, Disney toiletries, Disney stuffed animals, and make your offsite "home base" as Disney-like as you want. We're a family of 5 and we really enjoy having a full 2-3BR condo with a real kitchen, a full-sized living room and dining table, inroom washer/dryer, 3-4 TVs, jacuzzi in the master bath, etc. With the money we save, we're able to afford more frequent vacations, for more days, and we do more stuff (try new restaurants and attractions, etc.).

Buena Vista Suites and other suite hotels do offer daily housekeeping service but they don't have the nice resort feel, extra amenities and family-friendly activities that you'll find at a quality offsite timeshare resort or vacation condo complex. And often, the suite hotels cost the same or more than a resort, especially if you plan to stay for a week or more. So to really "get more for your money," you may want to look at those.

There are plenty of excellent offsites from which to choose and you'll quickly discover some of the most popular ones by browsing this forum. If your family stays at a nice place but you really miss the 24/7 Disney marketing machine, you can always return to an onsite vacation next time. ;) So take a chance. HTH! :)

[dioxide45]

You do need to be careful where you post this question. I think you may get a biased push here towards offsite, though I think it would be more balanced and more opinions of both sides. Many people here have stayed both on and offsite. Responses in the Disney resorts boards would definitly be more biased towards onsite. The true diehards have never stayed offsite and really can't compare. You did pick the right place to post your question.

I have done both, and we now definitly prefer offsite for all the same reasons others here do.

[IDoDis]

I am in the same boat as you -- couldn't decide between on-site Pop Century vs Buena Vista Suites. After weighing the pros and cons, we opted for the Buena Vista Suites this end-of-May/early June. We booked the room for $88 per night for the first 8 nights and $149 for the last 2 nights. We may go stay at the Comfort Inn Suites for the last 2 nights and save $100 bucks.

Here are the reasons we chose Buena Vista vs Pop Century:
1) We could rent a car with the extra savings ($12 per day for mid-sized on Priceline)
2) We'd save on food because we get free breakfast and have the option to eat just as well off-site, if we so desire. Of course we'll eat at least two TS meals at Disney and CS meals for lunch. We can also stop at the grocery store and stock up on snacks and maybe a few lunches (and will buy a $5 styrofoam cooler).
3) We'll get our park tickets from AAA and which includes the Diamond Parking Pass, so we won't have to pay parking fees at Disney.
4) We really want to go to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure this year and with the price of $88 for a 7 day multi-park Universal park pass, we'll have the flexibility to head over to Universal whenever we want.
5) DH is an early riser. At Buena Vista there's a separate room with a couch and a 2nd TV. When he wakes up at 5am, he can go in there, make his coffee, and watch some TV while we sleep for a couple more hours.
6) Buena Vista guests are allowed to use the pool at their sister hotel across the street. That pool has a cool slide so the kids can swim there sometimes.


While we loved Pop Century, we were cramped in our room. The thought of spreading out in a 2 room suite for less money was just too good to pass up.

[powellrj]

we decided to take a trip to see DS perform at WDW and make it a 30th anniversary get away. I priced values and it was going to be $129 for a standard and $149 for a preferred room A NIGHT!

I am paying $79 for a nicer room with a microwave and fridge at Cypress Point which is only a few blocks from DTD.

The money we are saving will go to nicer meals than we would be able to afford with the value.

We love on-site, but I will not pay almost $150 a night for a value when I can get a nicer room at almost 1/2 the cost.

[scotlass]

Ive done both.

And i will never stay off site again.so be careful,*** once you have done it you mite never go back.

[Brian Noble]

the Diamond Parking Pass, so we won't have to pay parking fees at Disney.
Unfortunately this is not correct. The Diamond pass only gives you the ability to park in a section of the lot closer to the gates---you still have to pay for parking unless you have an AP holder in the vehicle, or are staying on site.

[Darcy03231]

I've done both and I have to say I will never stay on-site again. The first time I stayed off-site I was very leery. I thought I really wouldn't "feel the magic". Was I wrong! I think I felt the magic so much more as it was a much more relaxing vacation.

I love having all the space, being able to have coffee and breakfast in my pjs and having a private pool. The last time we stayed on-site the pool was so crowded the kids couldn't even swim in it. Driving around in Orlando is very easy. I found everything to be well marked and easy to get to. We were in the parking lots, parked and at the front gates much faster than it was to wait in line for the bus (and maybe not even get a seat on it). Leaving the parks was also much faster. We were "home", showered, had a snack and ready for bed long before we were back to our on-site hotel (we stayed in the All Star Resorts) in prior years.

There's also the cost savings. I found we saved a lot on the room fees by staying off-site. By having our own full kitchen we also saved a lot on food. We ate breakfast at the house every day, snacked a bit in the park, came home for a late lunch/early dinner and snacked at the parks again in the evenings. We only ended up eating a few meals in the parks.

[davinakb]

Another vote for off-site. Could not imagine paying the $$ for Disney resorts. A few years ago, our room at Coronado was $150, and all I kept thinking was what kind of deal I could have at the Omni or someplace off-site; for conference the Yacht club was $250--think about how fab a room you could have elsewhere. (Only time I recommend on property is: if you are flying, no car, need DME and buses, only doing WDW and it's a short trip and you need EMH/DDP to make trip worth it; even then I say do Value resort as you won't be in room anyway.)

I think I felt the magic so much more as it was a much more relaxing vacation.Darcy, agree with your whole post. Cannot imagine cramming into a small room with 4 people, when you can have more room for less money, relaxed breakfast at "home," and all that good stuff. We've have great deals at timeshare places and private condo/villa rentals for years now. For $70-$100/night (price of a Value resort, which is not a short bus ride anywhere on property IMO), we get 2/3 bedrooms, 2 baths, more TVs, kitchen, washer/dryer, free internet, etc. And the car/parking is break-even as you get around faster (to parks, DTD, to resorts for dinner), can shop easier, visit other places like SW.

Like tazdeb, we parlay the savings into more Disney. We go more often and stay longer; we have the DDE card, so we enjoy lots of signature dinners with wine, lots of extra events at F&W festival, always do a MK party if the right time of year, plenty of souvenirs, shop the outlets. FWIW.

[ADisneyQueen]

Someone posted on this thread that at BVS you could use their sister resort's pool- Caribe Royal. I had looked into BVS, and I thought I read somewhere that Mary from Mousesavers said this wasn't allowed? Have things changed?

[summersalt]

We just returned from a week at Pop. We had a wonderful vacation and Pop was ok. However, I don't think I would return. The bus wait was terrible! I felt as if I wasted a third of my vacation waiting in line. The ME express was really nice when we arrived but it was a HUGE pain in the rear when we had to return back to the airport. We flew Delta and waited in line over an hour to have our bags checked and boarding passes issued. Then when the bus finally arrived, we waited another hour while all the other guests that didn't use airline check in to load their bags on the bus. The room is small with no frig or coffee maker. The food court is very crowded and loud. The coffee was TERRIBLE!!

I would prefer a nice quiet two bedroom suite with my own coffee maker. The opportunity to make my own breakfast in peace and quiet. I'd rather drive and pay to park then waste my time waiting for buses. Just my humble opinion.

[bdink921]

We loved our short stay at CSR--only 3 nights before our cruise--pretty resort and not too bad bus service. It was great for the short stay. Our first trip we stayed at POP--cute resort and huge so lots of people. We were at POP for 1 week and felt that was too long to be in one tiny room. Food court was ok for breakfast and lunar cheesecake was great :love: but the rest of the food was gross. The coffee was sludge--I switched to tea! Buses were ok but crowded with long waits. I vowed next long trip to have a rental car and a place with more room to spread out. This time we're staying in a 3br townhouse with its own splash pool at Windsor Hills. Price is about the same as POP but we are getting much more than just a room. Kids room is cute with some Disney touches and bunk beds. We'll have a rental car too--and good coffee! We are sooo excited for this trip.

One good thing we found about on site though is that if you want to split up or if someone wants to go back to the room with the buses it's easy. Good luck with your decision :)

[mari360]

I vote for onsite.... the experience is magical.... i stayed there in may of 07 in the CBR i never waited any more then 10 min for a bus and it was never crowded.... maybe it was the timing....i'm going again this may staying onsite at CSR... it's based on preference.... i didn't mind paying the money to stay onsite....

[jimmiej]

We always stay on-site. I will gladly pay the extra $$$. As Pete says on the podcasts, when Disney does something right, they really do it right. I've stayed in nine different Disney hotels, & I've always been impressed with the quality & the CMs.

Like others have said, it's all about immersion. I like being free from the real world & it's "issues." I also am "directionally challenged." I prefer to let Disney do the driving.

[disneymom06]

We have always stayed on site and now are going to try Buena Vista Suites as well. We need two rooms and 2 values for the holidays were 260 and BVS are 125. I am optimistic but for 7 days that is alot of money. IMO it is worth a try.

[scjo68]

I am definitely in favor of staying on-site. When I have stayed off-site, I didn't enjoy it as much, even though the hotel was fine.

We have a 3 yo and a 10 yo, so DH and I split up most evenings, with the younger one going back to the room with one of us, and the older one staying later for illuminations, etc. This was quite easy with the busses. I don't know how we could do this off site. We just got back from a week at POFQ, and used the busses exclusively, except for a trip to DTD. And we never waited more than a few minutes for a bus, and I never once had to stand. We stay moderate, so we have a fridge and coffeemaker, so it's easy to have a quick breakfast in the room.

I love never leaving Disney world. When we were off site a few years ago, I hated the traffic of driving in town. This is hard to quantify, especially to a husband, I am sure. It is either something that is important to you or it is not.

Having said that, I am certainly not of the opinion that "Onsite for me=Onsite for all". I have many friends who always stay off-site and love it. My sister is asking me for help planning her first trip, and since she has three kids, I did suggest that she at least consider off-site. But I think she will probably be staying on-site.

I think this "Orlando Hotels" forum will give you lots of "pros" for staying off-site, which is good. If you would like the other point of view for reference, you may want to post in the Disney resorts forum, and get some of the "pros" for on-site. I think a lot of people there love Pop Centery, if you are still interested in it.

[Brian Noble]

One thing to ask yourself as you sift through responses: if someone has only done one or the other, it's not clear that they can meaningfully compare the two. They may certainly enjoy their "usual" choice, and can explain why, but I can't see how they can say it is better than the "other way." That's true for both the "only offsite" crowd as well as the "only onsite" crowd.

[LAH LAH]

Brian,

I agree you can't compare the two if you haven't done both.

We have only stayed offsite...I tried for our upcoming trip to book at the value resorts and just couldn't get past the tiny rooms with no ammenities. Plus I found a house to rent for $400 cheaper than the value resorts. I now have to figure in parking and a rental car...but the house has a kitchen and laundry station...

I think those trying to do this as cheap as possible just can't afford to stay onsite.

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Our first three trips were offsite. I was a stay-at-home Mom and money was tight so it was the only way we could go. Since then, we have stayed on site four times and loved it! I felt like we were always "connected" to the magic on site.
However, our next trip will be with DD#1 (single) and DD#2 with her DH and DS. No way could I afford two or even three rooms, even at a value (which both DD's hate!). We will get a three bedroom offsite and probably two rental cars.
You just have to go with whatever works at the time.

[FayeW]

We have always stayed on site and now are going to try Buena Vista Suites as well. We need two rooms and 2 values for the holidays were 260 and BVS are 125. I am optimistic but for 7 days that is alot of money. IMO it is worth a try.

I know you didn't ask for an opinion on your choice, but I have to tell you that for $125. per night, you can do a lot better than Buena Vista Suites. You could have a 2bdrm at Bonnet Creek for that money (if you rent from an owner thru www.redweek.com, for example). You could have a 2 or 3bdrm condo at Windsor Hills for $75-$100 per night. You could rent a townhouse with it's own pool for less than BVS also. Cypress Point Grand Villas is around $100 per night through HotelKingdom.

All of these choices are true 2bdrm condos, minimum. I think Buena Vista Suites is just "2 rooms", so one bedroom area for everybody, and then a separate living room area. Way better than just a single hotel room, to be sure, but not great value, comparatively, for $125 per night.

Just throwing that out there. Hope I didn't offend.

[PrincessTiffany]

You do need to be careful where you post this question. I think you may get a biased push here towards offsite, though I think it would be more balanced and more opinions of both sides. Many people here have stayed both on and offsite. Responses in the Disney resorts boards would definitly be more biased towards onsite. The true diehards have never stayed offsite and really can't compare. You did pick the right place to post your question.

I have done both, and we now definitly prefer offsite for all the same reasons others here do.
I agree. There is a definite bias on this board. You can go over to the resort board and a poster has asked "What would you NEVER give up to save money on your Disney vacation?" I would say 90% of the posters on that board said they would NEVER give up staying on-site. We would fall into that 90%. We always stay on-site and love it. We have 4 children and we always get two rooms at either ASMo or POP - plenty of room. Plus you get EMH, free transporation from the airport with Magical Express, free transportaion to parks and between parks, and we qualify for the dining plan. We love, love, love the dining plan. Having 4 kids, it saves us a lot of money and it's so convenient to use. Also, a lot of people talk about all of the amenities at off-site places, like, multiple bedrooms, plasma t.v.s, video games, etc. None of that would appeal to us at all. We are at Disney to be in the parks. All we do in our room is shower and sleep, nothing else. So, that's why we are on-site people.

[maxiesmom]

I have done 3 stays off-site, and 6 stays on. Both options do have their good points. Staying off-site you usually get lots more room for your money. And you can save money on food. There are tons of great restaurants, and most of them are much cheaper than what you can find for a sit down meal on site. Plus the hotel we stay at off-site includes a continental breakfast. I'm sure many of the hotels do.

The good points of being on-site are numerous too. Starting with Magical Express. Get off the plane, hop on the bus, and be at your resort in a flash. No messing around with picking up your luggage, Disney will do that for you! When we stay on-site we tend to rely on Disney transportation. It makes it seem more of a vacation, not having to drive anywhere!:goodvibes Driving from an off-site resort to a theme park does take a while. From our resort outside of Downtown Disney to MK was about an hour. You have to drive to the TTC, then shuttle to the front. Then monorail/boat to the MK entrance. Kind of time consuming.

Then there is the total immersion in everything Disney. Staying on-site you can truly forget there is an outside world, for a little while. From Mickey and Stitch waking you up in the morning, to the resort gift shops, you are surrounded by everything Disney. And I love that!

Staying on-site it is much easier to break your day up, and to not worry about seeing everything that instant, that day. If you want to take a break for a couple of hours, just hop on the bus/boat/monorail and you are back at your resort. Or if one person has had enough, they can go back to the resort by themselves, someone does not have to drive them and miss out on the fun. We are big on the mid afternoon short break. It really does recharge you.:) Espcially if you take advantage on the EMHs. Get up early, get to the parks before the big mobs, do what you want and head back to the resort for a quick snooze or swim. Or stay late and sleep in the next day.

If it came down to either staying off-site or not going, I wouldn't hesitate to stay off-site. But if I can choose, I stay on-site. To me the perks it offers way outweigh the perks of staying off-site.

[Princess_Michelle]

Driving from an off-site resort to a theme park does take a while. From our resort outside of Downtown Disney to MK was about an hour. You have to drive to the TTC, then shuttle to the front. Then monorail/boat to the MK entrance. Kind of time consuming.

Unless you stay at Windsor Hills, or a similar community, then you can be there in no time flat. Faster than waiting in line for a bus and getting there even.

We found it easier to go back for an afternoon break staying at Windsor Hills than at Pop. :confused3 And, at the end of the day, we got home atleast an hour earlier, every time, than we did the year before when staying at Pop.

[Princess_Michelle]

We always stay on-site. I will gladly pay the extra $$$. As Pete says on the podcasts, when Disney does something right, they really do it right. I've stayed in nine different Disney hotels, & I've always been impressed with the quality & the CMs.

Like others have said, it's all about immersion. I like being free from the real world & it's "issues." I also am "directionally challenged." I prefer to let Disney do the driving.

:lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2:

I'm sorry, I'm not being mean....I just find it funny that you think you don't deal with real world issues by staying on-site. When staying at Pop, I found myself "immersed" in parents yelling at their kids for ruining the family vacation, and all the "issues" involving bad parenting and a bad sense of entitlement. We had to walk through clouds of "issues" everyday going to and from the food court and while waiting in line for the bus. As a matter of fact, I recall witnessing multiple "issues" that I have yet to see in the real world...like grown adults mowing children over to get on the bus first, or people wishing death upon a handicapped person for holding up the bus line. The "immersion" at Pop kept me up at all hours of the night b/c I could hear everything going on outside my room. And that Nescrape that they call coffee, was really magical.

I'm sorry, really, I'm not being mean...... but when people have different points of view, I imagine we all think the other guy is funny.

I do think that it is only fair though that the OP hear all the views. I almost didn't stay off-site b/c my family tried to pressure me into staying on-site, like we always do....you know what the biggest reason was??? Back when I was 5 yrs. old, we stayed at a cheapo motel on a Disney trip and someone came into our room while we were sleeping and robbed us..... So, they think that staying anywhere off-site will have the same results. :rotfl:

They are singing a different tune now, having seen how our off-site trip was, b/c we all went together, but they stayed on-site.

It really isn't as black & white as On-site or Off-site. If you stay at some cheapo-crap-tacular hotel 20 miles from WDW, then yes, your trip will be way worse than staying anywhere on-site. If you can only have a family of 3 or 4 and can afford to stay at the Polynesian every time you go, then yeah, your on-site trip will be awesome. IMHO, just as awesome as the trip you could take staying in a 7 bedroom house with it's own pool and jacuzzi, that costs less. :hippie:

[maxiesmom]

Unless you stay at Windsor Hills, or a similar community, then you can be there in no time flat. Faster than waiting in line for a bus and getting there even.

We found it easier to go back for an afternoon break staying at Windsor Hills than at Pop. :confused3 And, at the end of the day, we got home atleast an hour earlier, every time, than we did the year before when staying at Pop.

Where is Windsor Hills located? We stay at the Staybridge Suites which is literally right at the entrace to DTD, and I have found that it is much faster to get to the theme parks via the on-site resort busses. But, if I am on-site, I really don't mind waiting for the busses. I like the opportunity to chat with my fellow travelers, so that might be part of the reason the wait seems so short.

[Princess_Michelle]

Windsor Hills is literally 3 miles from the front gate of Animal Kingdom. It took us all of 5 minutes to get there. Door to Gate. EPCOT and MGM take about 10 minutes, and MK is only 20 min. if you get there early and about 30 min. if you have yo park far away from the gate.

I'd say we generally added an extra 1 to 2 hours on our day that we didn't spend waiting/riding on the buses. (That's going back for midday breaks)

[maxiesmom]

Windsor Hills is literally 3 miles from the front gate of Animal Kingdom. It took us all of 5 minutes to get there. Door to Gate. EPCOT and MGM take about 10 minutes, and MK is only 20 min. if you get there early and about 30 min. if you have yo park far away from the gate.

I'd say we generally added an extra 1 to 2 hours on our day that we didn't spend waiting/riding on the buses. (That's going back for midday breaks)

You have brought up a good point. The off-site Disney area is enormous! You really need to look on a map and see where the resort you are interested in is located. It can have a huge impact on your off-site experience.:)

[D&DDisney]

We have stayed at both POP and Buena Vista Suites and would go w/ BVS any day!!!!
For a much smaller price you get 2 rooms, fridge, micro, wet bar sink, counter space, pull-out couch, 2 queen beds and FREE FULL breakfast. The money you save is worth it.
Also, it is a straight shot to the parks from the hotel. Five minutes tops from the hotel to Disney grounds.

[jimmiej]

:lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2:

I'm sorry, I'm not being mean....I just find it funny that you think you don't deal with real world issues by staying on-site. When staying at Pop, I found myself "immersed" in parents yelling at their kids for ruining the family vacation, and all the "issues" involving bad parenting and a bad sense of entitlement. We had to walk through clouds of "issues" everyday going to and from the food court and while waiting in line for the bus. As a matter of fact, I recall witnessing multiple "issues" that I have yet to see in the real world...like grown adults mowing children over to get on the bus first, or people wishing death upon a handicapped person for holding up the bus line. The "immersion" at Pop kept me up at all hours of the night b/c I could hear everything going on outside my room. And that Nescrape that they call coffee, was really magical.

I'm sorry, really, I'm not being mean...... but when people have different points of view, I imagine we all think the other guy is funny.



Since we have stayed mostly in deluxes, maybe my perspective is different.

"Issues" was probably not the best word I could have chosen. I guess one of the main things I was talking about is traffic. As I said in my last post, I like letting Disney do the driving.

[Princess_Michelle]

Since we have stayed mostly in deluxes, maybe my perspective is different.

"Issues" was probably not the best word I could have chosen. I guess one of the main things I was talking about is traffic. As I said in my last post, I like letting Disney do the driving.

Exactly, staying in Deluxes is totally different. And I understand about the driving :) Of course, I never sat in traffic once during my 10 day trip, but really, it doesn't matter, b/c if the way you do it makes ya' happy, then that's what you should do. :thumbsup2

[IDoDis]

Unfortunately this is not correct. The Diamond pass only gives you the ability to park in a section of the lot closer to the gates---you still have to pay for parking unless you have an AP holder in the vehicle, or are staying on site.

Oh, bummer! Well, so that adds $11 a day. Oh well. Is the daily pass still good if you leave the parks (to go back to the hotel for a break) and then come back later in the day? Also, are there any toll roads from Disney to the Buena Vista Suites?

[IDoDis]

Driving from an off-site resort to a theme park does take a while. From our resort outside of Downtown Disney to MK was about an hour. You have to drive to the TTC, then shuttle to the front. Then monorail/boat to the MK entrance. Kind of time consuming.

So, is the only place to park at the TTC if you stay off-site? Why can't you park at any of the parks' lots? Sorry to get OT on this thread. It is budget related though with the parking fees and such.

[spiceycat]

So, is the only place to park at the TTC if you stay off-site? Why can't you park at any of the parks' lots? Sorry to get OT on this thread. It is budget related though with the parking fees and such.

you can definitely park in the park's lot.

but for the MK - the TTC is the parking lot. It is one reason why - lots of us recommend staying onsite if the MK is the main reason for visiting WDW - because it is a pain and half to get too - unless you are using WDW transportation.

WDW transportation - put you up front a small walk to the MK.

offsite - first you have to be in a long line of others cars, vans, etc waiting to get inside - then you have to park the car - then walk to the tram - then decide monrail or ferry - get on your choice - and then get off your choice - and you are finally where the WDW buses start from.

so on the whole - avoid this park if you can - while staying offsite.

it is just as difficult to leave. If the park is closes - it can be really, really difficult - because of the limited number of trams while the parks is closing.\

I waited once for over an hour for a tram. Never want to repeat that one.

[sympatico]

So, is the only place to park at the TTC if you stay off-site? Why can't you park at any of the parks' lots? Sorry to get OT on this thread. It is budget related though with the parking fees and such.

Every park has it's own parking lot but MK's is just further from the MK entrance. You park, take a shuttle or walk if you're close enough to the TTC then go in by monorail or ferry boat. We don't find this bad at all. We stayed at Windsor Hills and was walking down Main Street at the MK in 30 minutes.
I've never been in a long line of cars waiting to get inside but we don't go during the very busiest times. Usually end of Feb - March.
I've heard that people wait just as long to get a bus back to their on site resort.
And I wouldn't avoid this park because I'm staying off site. We always go to MK and never stay on site.
As far as leaving goes wait around in the park for a while instead of heading out when everyone else does. Disney is very good at moving people. It's no big deal.

[FayeW]

you can definitely park in the park's lot.

but for the MK - the TTC is the parking lot. It is one reason why - lots of us recommend staying onsite if the MK is the main reason for visiting WDW - because it is a pain and half to get too - unless you are using WDW transportation.

WDW transportation - put you up front a small walk to the MK.

offsite - first you have to be in a long line of others cars, vans, etc waiting to get inside - then you have to park the car - then walk to the tram - then decide monrail or ferry - get on your choice - and then get off your choice - and you are finally where the WDW buses start from.

so on the whole - avoid this park if you can - while staying offsite.

it is just as difficult to leave. If the park is closes - it can be really, really difficult - because of the limited number of trams while the parks is closing.\

I waited once for over an hour for a tram. Never want to repeat that one.

While everything you said is technically correct...I couldn't disagree more!

I don't find MK difficult to get into or out of at all. I have never stayed onsite, and I would never counsel somebody to avoid MK if they were staying offsite! The parking lot attendants do such a great job parking everybody, and the trams run so frequently that it really has just not been any sort of issue for us at all. We think of the People Mover as the first and last rides of the day.

Leaving the parking lot at the end of the day is no problem, either. We exit the park and get to our car pretty quickly. I am sure we are half way home before the people on the busses get to their resorts!

[IDoDis]

Thanks for the heads-up. On our last trip (which was our 1st family trip to WDW), we stayed on-site and took the buses. It was fine until Memorial weekend. Then, we had to wait in lines for buses which was a pain. We will be there again over the Memorial weekend arriving that Saturday), but will have 10 days, so we can take our time. We have opted to stay off-site this time. On our last trip we never even got to see Orlando! Disney World could have been in any state and we would not have known the difference. This time we'll get to see more of Orlando, visit Universal, and maybe the Kennedy Space Center.

[Princess_Michelle]

We NEVER waited AT ALL to get into/or out of any of the parking lots. :confused3 However, the year before, we waited for an hour plus to get on a bus to our hotel, mulitple times. (We were there in Sept/Oct) We ended up giving up on WDW transport and driving the last half of our trip, I find it 100 times easier to drive, even to the TTC. At the end of the night, sometimes the tram lines get a little long.....but atleast there is the possibility of walking to your car, not so with the busses. You stand, and you wait. We only had an issue with this once, on an MK night. We just lingered and walked slowly out of the park. Then we just walked over to the Contemporary, got on the monorail and back to the TTC. Tram lines were almost done, but we were close, so we just walked to the car. All other days, we had no problems at all. :confused3

[mickeyluv'r]

I have done both, and generally we prefer onsite - UNLESS - unless you are going to do stuff in the other Orlando, or you want an inexpensive room for your arrival and departure days, or you have a spouse that is in Orlando for work and you can freeload in the same room ;) A free room is always a no-brainer.

What I found was, this:

1. Most of the offsite eateries are chains. I'm not so into Perkins, Golden Corral, Denny's, and the like. If those are right up your alley, then offsite might be a good choice for you. I suppose we saved some money getting groceries, but they weren't free and we were locked into eating them once we bought them. Later it the week it was, "Okay, somebody's got to drink this orange juice [yogurt, cereal, cookies], or we'll have to throw it out!" On property, I pick what I feel like eating each day.
It's still worth getting a box of cereal or case of bottled water even if you don't eat all of it, but we did end up tossing some food...Also, there are plenty of eateries in Orlando that are EXPENSIVE. Sometimes it can be fun to eat offsite, but we dn't usually save much money when we do.


2. Transportation. The last time we stayed offsite we were at the Vistanas, which was very close to the entrance of WDW, but maybe not the best property entrance. It still took us a while to get to the parks. The 535 entrance has much better park access - at least for getting to MGM and Epcot. Driving can be confusing at WDW. Roads are marked, but not always heavily - miss one sign and you'll have to make a large loop around the property to get where you want. Off property, someone's always got to be the driver. They've got to be sober, they've got to be awake, they've got to navigate, they got to avoid speeding tickets. Disney busing isn't perfect, by any stretch, but I usually prefer it - and I'm no bus fan in the real world. Everyone in the family gets to relax on Disney transportation.

3. Conformity and quality of customer service. The Vistana was certainly a nice place. We had lots of room, it was very clean. The pool was nice, it was secure. It wasn't as cute as Disney. There was on Mickey soap, no Mickey wake up call, nobody said, "Have a magicl day!"
Off property, you just don't - generally - get the same customer service. That's not to say that the folks at the Vistana weren't nice, they were, but at several of the places we dined we got less than stellar service.
At WDW, when there is problem, the staff is usually willing to help solve the situation quickly. Once we dropped something while getting on the monorail. It went UNDER the monorail car. On a fluke, I mentioned it to a CM at the station where I got off. She took my name and lo and behold - the item was waiting at Guest services a few days later when we dropped by!!!! I'm sorry, but there's just no way that would happen at a subway or train depot anywhere in the real world!! I feel lucky if I can get a subway employee to tell me how much fare to buy!

4. Magic motivation. But the real difference btween on and offsite is hard to describe. When we were on property, we spent a lot more time doing things. Our room was nice enough at Vistana that it was hard to get everyone up and out - and we kind of felt like we all had to go together. We had a group of nine, and at the VERY least - we had two cars so we HAD to come and go in groups of four or five.
On property, we still mostly traveled together, but we didn't HAVE to travel together. When my mom got tired, she could go back by herself if she wanted. If my sister wanted to sleep in, she could.
At the Vistana, and this is where it's hard to decribe, the kids got sucked into watching tv in the room a fair amount. I don't go on vacation to watch tv. I can do that at home. When we were on property, they weren't interested in watching tv. In fact, we hardly turned it on at all in our room.

Now if you are the kind of folks who like sitting in your room watching tv, eating in your kitchenette, playing tennis or something like that; then I can see how that would appeal to some folks. Me, I want to be on the go when I'm at WDW. And I want to be on the go in the parks all day and night.

[HeatherC]

Check out Bonnet Creek resort. It is beautiful, spacious and pretty much "onsite" while being offsite.

Heather

[TotoToo]

Now if you are the kind of folks who like sitting in your room watching tv, eating in your kitchenette, playing tennis or something like that; then I can see how that would appeal to some folks. Me, I want to be on the go when I'm at WDW. And I want to be on the go in the parks all day and night.

I'd venture that 9 out of 10 people would rather have the space, lower cost and flexibility of off site accommodation's (meaning a 1-2 or higher bedroom condo vs an on site hotel room or smaller, pricier on site timeshare) than the so-called magic of an on site stay. If that magic is important to your family and you are willing to pay to get it by all means go for it. But if you prefer value, space and not being tied to the cattle herding of the Disney transport system then off site may be the better choice. We've also done both and would never pick on site again. If you've never done on site then you should consider it at least for a short trip to know if you are the 1 in 10 or not that HAS to have total immersion in all things Disney to be happy.

[Princess_Michelle]

I have done both, and generally we prefer onsite - UNLESS - unless you are going to do stuff in the other Orlando, or you want an inexpensive room for your arrival and departure days, or you have a spouse that is in Orlando for work and you can freeload in the same room ;) A free room is always a no-brainer.

What I found was, this:

1. Most of the offsite eateries are chains. I'm not so into Perkins, Golden Corral, Denny's, and the like. If those are right up your alley, then offsite might be a good choice for you. I suppose we saved some money getting groceries, but they weren't free and we were locked into eating them once we bought them. Later it the week it was, "Okay, somebody's got to drink this orange juice [yogurt, cereal, cookies], or we'll have to throw it out!" On property, I pick what I feel like eating each day.
It's still worth getting a box of cereal or case of bottled water even if you don't eat all of it, but we did end up tossing some food...Also, there are plenty of eateries in Orlando that are EXPENSIVE. Sometimes it can be fun to eat offsite, but we dn't usually save much money when we do.


2. Transportation. The last time we stayed offsite we were at the Vistanas, which was very close to the entrance of WDW, but maybe not the best property entrance. It still took us a while to get to the parks. The 535 entrance has much better park access - at least for getting to MGM and Epcot. Driving can be confusing at WDW. Roads are marked, but not always heavily - miss one sign and you'll have to make a large loop around the property to get where you want. Off property, someone's always got to be the driver. They've got to be sober, they've got to be awake, they've got to navigate, they got to avoid speeding tickets. Disney busing isn't perfect, by any stretch, but I usually prefer it - and I'm no bus fan in the real world. Everyone in the family gets to relax on Disney transportation.

3. Conformity and quality of customer service. The Vistana was certainly a nice place. We had lots of room, it was very clean. The pool was nice, it was secure. It wasn't as cute as Disney. There was on Mickey soap, no Mickey wake up call, nobody said, "Have a magicl day!"
Off property, you just don't - generally - get the same customer service. That's not to say that the folks at the Vistana weren't nice, they were, but at several of the places we dined we got less than stellar service.
At WDW, when there is problem, the staff is usually willing to help solve the situation quickly. Once we dropped something while getting on the monorail. It went UNDER the monorail car. On a fluke, I mentioned it to a CM at the station where I got off. She took my name and lo and behold - the item was waiting at Guest services a few days later when we dropped by!!!! I'm sorry, but there's just no way that would happen at a subway or train depot anywhere in the real world!! I feel lucky if I can get a subway employee to tell me how much fare to buy!

4. Magic motivation. But the real difference btween on and offsite is hard to describe. When we were on property, we spent a lot more time doing things. Our room was nice enough at Vistana that it was hard to get everyone up and out - and we kind of felt like we all had to go together. We had a group of nine, and at the VERY least - we had two cars so we HAD to come and go in groups of four or five.
On property, we still mostly traveled together, but we didn't HAVE to travel together. When my mom got tired, she could go back by herself if she wanted. If my sister wanted to sleep in, she could.
At the Vistana, and this is where it's hard to decribe, the kids got sucked into watching tv in the room a fair amount. I don't go on vacation to watch tv. I can do that at home. When we were on property, they weren't interested in watching tv. In fact, we hardly turned it on at all in our room.

Now if you are the kind of folks who like sitting in your room watching tv, eating in your kitchenette, playing tennis or something like that; then I can see how that would appeal to some folks. Me, I want to be on the go when I'm at WDW. And I want to be on the go in the parks all day and night.

1. We never eat at places like Denny's or Golden Corral. Even away from Disney. We ate at Kobe and Red Lobster when we ate off-site. We could afford to eat at any Disney Restaurant we wanted b/c we saved so much money by staying in our Condo. AND, I didn't HAVE to eat that greasy crap they try to pass off as food at the counter Services, b/c I already "paid" for it either. :confused3 It was a win-win situation.

2. Again, the driving thing was a non-issue. We were EXTREMELY close to the parks, and driving was faster than the buses HANDS DOWN. Roads are marked very well, IMHO, if you are navigationally challenged, or don't pay attention when you drive, then yes, it can be confusing.

3. There was noone at Pop, or any of the all-stars, or the campground, or at Port Orleans waiting there when I got out of bead to tell me to have a Magical Day. If someoen told me that, it was after I had stood in line for half an hour to do/get something, so I could give a crap about their well-wishes. Yes, Disney has awesome customer service, but what happened to you at the mono-rail would have happened whether you stayed on-site or not. :confused3 I think the best customer service that we had off-site was the fact that we never even had to deal with the people. We didn't have to stand in line to check-in or check-out, everything was done over the internet and required no waiting, or dealing with anyone. THAT was good customer service.

4. So your kids watched more TV off-site than on-site?? I don't understand how that should factor in into anyones planning but your own. WE hated coming back to our itsy-bitsy value room, and having to turn the lights out and just "sit" there waiting for the kids to fall asleep. Off-Site, we could put them down in their own room for bed, and go lay down in our own room, in a King Size bed, and watch TV and relax together. It gave us some couple time while on vacation, instead of the constant and exhausting get up and go. Of course, the reason we had so much time to relax at the condo is b/c we got in earlier b/c we weren't standing in bus lines all night.

We didn't think of our on-site vacations as "on the go". It was more like: wake-up, sit around for eons while everyone takes turns getting ready in the one bathroom, then, walk to bus line, SIT AND WAIT, get on bus, SIT AND WAIT, walk to park, enjoy it for a few hours, back to bus line, STAND AND WAIT, walk back to hotel, sit in dark with nothing to do while kids fall asleep, back to bus lines, SIT AND WAIT, back to park, enjoy for a few hours, take part in mass exodus leaving park, get in longest bus lines in the world, STAND AND WAIT (holding sleeping kids for over an hour), squeeze on bus, walk back to hotel (still holding kid) at almost midnight, so we can get up at 6 a.m. and do it all again.....:scared:

We did not spend all our time watching TV. We do watch more TV off-site, but that is b/c of all the extra free time we have by eliminating the whole bus and standing in line thing.

Again, I'm not picking on you. I just hope that the OP realizes that each side of this issue will think that their way is best, and so they have to take each of our reccommendations with a grain of salt. Yes, mine too :) Obviously, there are many factors. I can tell you, OP, that if you stay at Windsor Hills, you will probably have an AWESOME time, just like we did. But, I can't tell you that ANY off-site vacation you have will be the same way, b/c it all depends on where you stay, IMO. Quoted Poster obviously didn't stay in the best of places convenience wise, and probably was against it from the start b/c of those Disney themed rose colored glasses diehard on-siter's tend to wear. (I used to own a pair of these, btw. ;) )

SO just try it out and make up your own mind. :cheer2:

[maxiesmom]

I'd venture that 9 out of 10 people would rather have the space, lower cost and flexibility of off site accommodation's (meaning a 1-2 or higher bedroom condo vs an on site hotel room or smaller, pricier on site timeshare) than the so-called magic of an on site stay. If that magic is important to your family and you are willing to pay to get it by all means go for it. But if you prefer value, space and not being tied to the cattle herding of the Disney transport system then off site may be the better choice. We've also done both and would never pick on site again. If you've never done on site then you should consider it at least for a short trip to know if you are the 1 in 10 or not that HAS to have total immersion in all things Disney to be happy.

Well, we have 8 people in our family, and 8 out of 8 prefer to stay on-site! Don't assume you know what Joe Q Public would prefer. We can all give the OP our opinions. Please don't presume to know what they should do.

[PrincessTiffany]

I'd venture that 9 out of 10 people would rather have the space, lower cost and flexibility of off site accommodation's (meaning a 1-2 or higher bedroom condo vs an on site hotel room or smaller, pricier on site timeshare) than the so-called magic of an on site stay. If that magic is important to your family and you are willing to pay to get it by all means go for it. But if you prefer value, space and not being tied to the cattle herding of the Disney transport system then off site may be the better choice. We've also done both and would never pick on site again. If you've never done on site then you should consider it at least for a short trip to know if you are the 1 in 10 or not that HAS to have total immersion in all things Disney to be happy.
I don't think so. I think you need to venture over to the Disney Resort board, because you would get totally opposites opinions and numbers over there. And for the record, we will only stay ON-SITE, along with all of my BILs and SILs and other extended family. None of them like to stay off-site either. We have at least ten couple friends who have been with their families in the last two years or so and none of them stayed off-site. We have 4 kids and we get two adjoining rooms at an All-star resort. We went this past September and stayed at POP, had great FREE bus servcie, great FREE Magical Express Service, Free Extra Magic Hours at all of the parks and FREE Dining (We ate at a character meal every day we were there). For 8 nights at Pop with 8 day hoppers and all of our food (we used snack credits for breakfasts each morning) it only cost us $2,600.00. I think we got our monies worth of magic for that.

[spiceycat]

I'd venture that 9 out of 10 people would rather have the space, lower cost and flexibility of off site accommodation's (meaning a 1-2 or higher bedroom condo vs an on site hotel room or smaller, pricier on site timeshare) than the so-called magic of an on site stay. If that magic is important to your family and you are willing to pay to get it by all means go for it. But if you prefer value, space and not being tied to the cattle herding of the Disney transport system then off site may be the better choice. We've also done both and would never pick on site again. If you've never done on site then you should consider it at least for a short trip to know if you are the 1 in 10 or not that HAS to have total immersion in all things Disney to be happy.

no offense but here you are wrong.

no one would pay $470 for a view of mk at the Polyn if your example was correct.

believe me they do.

here is Polyn's rates.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortRates?id=PolynesianResortRatesListingPage

Disney sells out of the suites at all the MK resorts. In the last few years Disney has NOT offer discounts or codes or even AAA on their suites.

disney resort have around 85% to 93% occupancy rate. So the disney resorts are - very, very popular and will continue to be.

Outside can be fun, too.

I do both and enjoy both. and I am not the only one.

[maxiesmom]

Op==Have you found this thread to be any help at all? Or are you now just convinced that we are a bunch of bickering nut cases?;)

[TotoToo]

no offense but here you are wrong.

no one would pay $470 for a view of mk at the Polyn if your example was correct.

believe me they do.

here is Polyn's rates.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortRates?id=PolynesianResortRatesListingPage

Disney sells out of the suites at all the MK resorts. In the last few years Disney has NOT offer discounts or codes or even AAA on their suites.

disney resort have around 85% to 93% occupancy rate. So the disney resorts are - very, very popular and will continue to be.

Outside can be fun, too.

I do both and enjoy both. and I am not the only one.

The point is that anyone can get a Disney on site unit if they want. Yet the majority of guests - easily 9 of 10 - stay off site. It isn't even cost as some of the Disney units get down to nearly the lowest levels seen outside (ignoring the really tacky ones of course).

The main reasons to stay outside Disney is better value for the dollar, more choices in accommodations, restaurants, stores, etc, and because unless you WANT to immersed in Disney 100% of the time it is is hassle to be on site (traffic, distance, wasted time in travel) rather than in the local community.

As for visiting the more dedicated Disney Boards of COURSE they only want to be on site - those are the fanatics - far from the average Orlando guest enjoying a week or two in the area. The majority don't care if they are on site or off and in fact most seem to prefer off site as shown by the numbers. If there is 85% occupancy at Disney that means 15% of the rooms are available and unused. While the outside hotels may not always be at 85% (and neither is Disney - they even shut down hotels a few years back) they bury the total number of guests on site by the shear number of rooms they have. I'll stick with my original estimate of 9 of 10 - I'd be surprised if it was 8 of 10.

Sorry, but 1 family of 8 is hardly an unbiased "survey". Again it is likely they all have similar tastes as that is what the groups decided they like. We're a family of 10 and not one of us has any desire to ever stay on site again. Been there - done that - no thanks.

[spiceycat]

go read the latest financial report from Disney.

last year they averaged 93% occupancy rate.

so yes that means 100% alot of the time.

disney generally does not try for 100% - because then you are using all your rooms and when trouble happens - then you have a problem.

promise you - the more hotels that Disney builds - the more people will stay onsite.

you can't compare 2001 and 2002 - to now. Disney so far has not felt the economic problems that the rest of the US has.

people will go on vacations. Disney is not as expensive as places up north.

and going aboard these days - with the US dollar falling. No thanks.

will stay with Disney.

right now the only hotels Disney is building are the DVC. they get their money back fast with DVC. the AKV is DVC going up at AKL. and hopefully the CRV is going up at CR (okay Disney has not say this)

would love Pop to be finished - another site says that it should be started again soon - but it wasn't. the problem seems to be the contractor wants to finish what he contracted for - rooms - Disney wants them to be suites.

can understand both views.

[kilarney]

A couple of thoughts:

1) I've never understood people that rave about Disney Transportation. Unless you're staying in a deluxe, you're going to be taking a bus pretty much everywhere. There is nothing "magical" about that. I'd much rather be in my own car driving from a nearby off-site hotel.

2) This is what it boils down to for me. If by staying off-site I can go to Disney more often, then I will stay off-site. If it doesn't make a difference, then I would stay on-site.

[Frothy]

I suppose a lot comes down to expectation level and what other things you have planned when visiting Orlando.

We stayed on site three or four times previously and we did the "Disney" thing then. We still do it now but not as often and that helps our decision to stay offsite because we like exploring other attractions and areas of Orlando.

The poster who said the food was all chains is wrong. There are some great restuarants if you know where to look and a little research prior to going will reveal Sand Lake Rd and the Mall of Millennia area as just two great eating places.

Transport... frankly Disney sucks as far as I'm concerned. I'll never forget the scramble for the monorail after the fireworks at MK or the hour long wait trying to get back to the Swan from Epcot. The buses actually take longer to reach their destination than driving from outside the area to Disney. We actually timed it once.. and we managed to get to both MK and AK quicker in our car than when we did it staying onsite.

[maxiesmom]

1) I've never understood people that rave about Disney Transportation. Unless you're staying in a deluxe, you're going to be taking a bus pretty much everywhere. There is nothing "magical" about that. I'd much rather be in my own car driving from a nearby off-site hotel.



It wouldn't be magical for me to drive myself, cause I would get lost! I have absolutely no sense of direction! I still get confused driving around my own home-town. There is no way I would attempt to find my way around Disney! That makes Disney transportation very magical, imho!

[Miss Stitch]

I love staying-offsite. We did price our last trip to stay on-site and wouldve cost us $2000 more (flying in from UK for 14 nights). We are a family of five too. Just think of the magic you could create with your savings. Disney want me to pay more, for less space!! They might throw in a Mickey wake up call, or an extra couple of hours in the park, so I am paying $2000 more for that! I've heard more horror stories about transportation and ME than good. If they weren't free, I'm sure most people wouldn't pay for them.

There seems to some kind of Disney snobberty about staying on-site, not particularly on this board but in general. I can't understand why, everyone has different ideas of a great vacation. Mine isn't being squashed into a small space for two weeks with four other people, on top of each other, whats magical about that?

The rooms at Disney are small, even the suites. Off-site you have more space, cooking and laundry facilties, most hotels offer a free breakfast and free internet access. We aren't Disney blinkered, we visit lots of other places, KSC, Universal, Seaworld etc, as well as lots of shopping with the $2000 I saved. It is not a money issue about staying onsite for me, I still spend the money I save, Its purely a space issue.

The magic only stops when you let itpixiedust: The magic is not just Disney, the magic should be spending quality time with your family. Disney is just a setting for this, some of our most magical moments from our vacation have occured in the strangest of places, walking along I-Drive, Eating at Ponderosa, sat outside our hotel waiting for a cab etc,.

[PrincessTiffany]

I love staying-offsite. We did price our last trip to stay on-site and wouldve cost us $2000 more (flying in from UK for 14 nights). We are a family of five too. Just think of the magic you could create with your savings. Disney want me to pay more, for less space!! They might throw in a Mickey wake up call, or an extra couple of hours in the park, so I am paying $2000 more for that! I've heard more horror stories about transportation and ME than good. If they weren't free, I'm sure most people wouldn't pay for them.

There seems to some kind of Disney snobberty about staying on-site, not particularly on this board but in general. I can't understand why, everyone has different ideas of a great vacation. Mine isn't being squashed into a small space for two weeks with four other people, on top of each other, whats magical about that?

The rooms at Disney are small, even the suites. Off-site you have more space, cooking and laundry facilties, most hotels offer a free breakfast and free internet access. We aren't Disney blinkered, we visit lots of other places, KSC, Universal, Seaworld etc, as well as lots of shopping with the $2000 I saved. It is not a money issue about staying onsite for me, I still spend the money I save, Its purely a space issue.

The magic only stops when you let itpixiedust: The magic is not just Disney, the magic should be spending quality time with your family. Disney is just a setting for this, some of our most magical moments from our vacation have occured in the strangest of places, walking along I-Drive, Eating at Ponderosa, sat outside our hotel waiting for a cab etc,.
Do you know what I find magical? Not cooking or cleaning or doing the laundry for 9 days while I'm at Disney. I despise doing those chores when I'm at home, why on earth would I shell out a few thousand dollars to go to Orlando and cook, clean and do the laundry? We went to Disney last September for about $2800.00 stayed on-site at Pop for 8 nights, had park hoppers for 8 nights, had free transporation (bus and ME), and had the dining plan for 8 nights. And the very best part - a maid cleaned my room everyday, lovely restaurant staff cooked and brought meals to me everyday and I didn't do one load of laundry. Now that's magical!

[emmsmama]

Do you know what I find magical? Not cooking or cleaning or doing the laundry for 9 days while I'm at Disney. I despise doing those chores when I'm at home, why on earth would I shell out a few thousand dollars to go to Orlando and cook, clean and do the laundry? We went to Disney last September for about $2800.00 stayed on-site at Pop for 8 nights, had park hoppers for 8 nights, had free transporation (bus and ME), and had the dining plan for 8 nights. And the very best part - a maid cleaned my room everyday, lovely restaurant staff cooked and brought meals to me everyday and I didn't do one load of laundry. Now that's magical!

Cooking and cleaning I agree with you on, but laundry is one area where offsite wins imo. We are planning on going for 2 weeks and if we stay offsite I like the fact that I can pack lighter with a washer and dryer in my condo or townhouse and I can also do a quick load of laundry before leaving so that when I get home I don't have two weeks of laundry to catch up on. Yes the resorts do have laundry, but it is shared laundry so you have to wait your turn and you also can't just put a load in the washer or dryer in the morning or before bed and forget about it while you do other things.

[FayeW]

You know what guys? There is no right or wrong answer to this. What I find stupid, ridiculous, over priced and over hyped is somebody else's magic.

What makes my vacation "magical" is barbaric to someone else.

I know why I do what I do, and it's what works for us. I won't pretend to understand the choices other people make because ultimately, for me, I have to know I am getting value for my dollar. I don't understand the mentality of "why worry about money, it's your vacation" when the reality for me and a lot of other people is that if we didn't worry about money, there wouldn't be a vacation! All I do know is, for my family, if the first trip back in '03 had been an onsite stay, we would have doubled our costs, and it truly would have been a once in a lifetime trip. Thank God I found these boards and found out about other more affordable options (like flying out of the US instead of Canada, and skyauction, and ticketmania for discount tickets). Being able to keep the price and budget within reason for us allowed us to say "hey, that wasn't so expensive. We can afford to go back." And we did. Twice. With a 4th trip planned for Dec.

So, OP. I hope this helps. For some people money is no object and they see value in "perks" that have no value to me (and frankly, seem rather inconvenient). They may also see no value in amenities that are important to me. For us, it isn't about the money so much as it "what else could I do with that money". I can only spend each dollar once, no matter how hard I try to do otherwise. If I spend more of our budget in one area, I have to cut out something else so I have to think with my wallet, and see where the most value and enjoyment lies for my family. We get more value staying offsite, having a proper night's sleep in our own rooms, and relaxing over our coffee in the morning, and those savings allow us to buy our tickets to Universal.

[PrincessTiffany]

Well, I think I going to un-subscribe to this thread now. Seems it's turned a little bit nasty and all of the self-important, I'm better than you posts are getting irritating.

OP, hope ya'll have a great time, no matter where you stay.

[Princess_Michelle]

Originally Posted by PrincessTiffany View Post
Do you know what I find magical? Not cooking or cleaning or doing the laundry for 9 days while I'm at Disney. I despise doing those chores when I'm at home, why on earth would I shell out a few thousand dollars to go to Orlando and cook, clean and do the laundry? We went to Disney last September for about $2800.00 stayed on-site at Pop for 8 nights, had park hoppers for 8 nights, had free transporation (bus and ME), and had the dining plan for 8 nights. And the very best part - a maid cleaned my room everyday, lovely restaurant staff cooked and brought meals to me everyday and I didn't do one load of laundry. Now that's magical!


Well, Sorry, but I cook WAY better than any of those Counter Service places at Disney. While you were eating craptastic, calorie loaded, trans-fat laden, mystery meat that was being handled by several people (who are only making minimum wage, mind you) in a kitchen that is way over used and under cleaned; I was eating my gourmet sandwiches that I made, free of Trans-Fats, and it didn't leave me pounds heavier and feeling sick and bloated. I find THAT magical. :wizard:

I had to do laundry on-site, and it sucked. I also had to clean constantly b/c when you have all those people sqaushed into little rooms, it gets messy, and I can't stand clutter and mess, it stresses me out.

I didn't have to cook, but like I said, I would much rather eat my own cooking b/c I use all natural ingredients and I'm a good friggin' cook. When you are used to eating a certain caliber of food, that Counter Service crap just doesn't cut it. :confused3 Why on earth would I shell out money for that crap that they pass off as food, when it's just going to destroy my body and health and make me feel sick, tired and sluggish??? Even some of the "nice" restaurants weren't up to par as far as I am concerned.

Everyone has their own idea of magical. :confused3 If you can stomach the counter service food then the Dining Plan is great.... but HAVING to eat that junk is one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy my trip in '06 and making sure to steer clear of it is one of the reasons I enjoyed my trip in '07.

[MiaSRN62]

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[maxiesmom]

Why are so many people being so insulting? We all have our own ideas of what makes a Disney vacation magical. Can we not share those views without being so rude?

Btw: I am not made of money, but I do find on-site to be worth the extra money. You have to decide for yourself if this is true or not. But insulting other people point of view is NOT the way to win them over to your way of thinking.

[MiaSRN62]

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[MiaSRN62]

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[ortegah]

Why are so many people being so insulting? We all have our own ideas of what makes a Disney vacation magical. Can we not share those views without being so rude?

Btw: I am not made of money, but I do find on-site to be worth the extra money. You have to decide for yourself if this is true or not. But insulting other people point of view is NOT the way to win them over to your way of thinking.

I agree. I mean if you like making your own food and you think it's better than Disney's food then good for you, but there's no need to call it craptastic and other nasties like that. Good grief.

I did Off-site last June and for me, after paying for groceries and a rental car(and an off-site car rental place to boot) it cost me the same amount of money to stay on-site. And like others have said, I don't have to clean my place up before I leave or do dishes or cook. Who cares if the counter service food is fast food. That's more time in the parks for me ;)

15 days baby! :banana:

[Princess_Michelle]

Princess Michelle....of course you are entitled to your opinion, but this comment is sort of over-the-top. Disney offers many low calorie/vegetarian/healthy meal options. We're all on vacation for Pete's sake. "Craptastic" ? "Mystery meat" ? :confused3
You sound like you really have a grudge against the whole onsite experience. And you are entitled to if this is what it is. But to push it to the extent you did in your above statement----some of our most favorite experiences and memories have been our meals in unique-themed restaurants in WDW. My kids get excited to hear what restaurants we're planning meals at when we're in WDW. It is a HUGE part of our vacation experience. I just feel the way you described it above, is very one-sided.

You are right, I do have a grudge against it. It ruined my vacation in '06, which isn't the first time we stayed on-site, just the first time we had been back in years, and it was craptastic. :thumbsup2

Yes, mystery meat. If you really knew what went on in the process of making the "food" that they serve you, then I'm guessing you wouldn't want to eat it either. It angers me that big companies (Disney isn't the only one) do everything in the world to cut cost, including to pass off patties of animal parts, chemicals, preservatives and feces as "all beef patties" and the public is practically begging for it. :sad2: I mean, if they are giving it away for free, to the masses, how good can it be??? So, yes, it irritates me when people (including myself) fall for that crap. If you know the truth, then it is your duty to atleast warn others of what they are getting into. That's what I am doing, but sometimes, people would rather listen to the advertisers and marketers (who are paid big bucks to deceive the gulllible masses) than to listen to the truth, and it's like beating your head against the wall.....and that's why I get over-the-top. I'm not giong to apolgize for it, anymore than I would apologize for trying to get people from jumping off a cliff.

I don't crusade for it or anything, I just let other people know, that in reality, yes, it is crap. Some people are used to it cause that's what they eat on a regular basis, some people are in denial, and others grin and bear it b/c it's Disney and/or they are on vacation. Whatever.

[Dreamer04]

My two cents!

My DD and I have had two lovely Mommy and me trips to WDW. The first was in 8/04 and we stayed at All Star Movies. We had a blast! Next, November '07 at Coronado Springs Resort-beautiful resort. We loved the whole thing. :thumbsup2

The only time I had a problem with the bus system was when we were leaving MK at closing. The line for All Star bus took forever! :scared1: But there was plenty of magic, for sure. :cloud9: Our trip in November, we rented a car and used Disney transportation. The buses were great for getting to MK. The car we used for Epcot.


We have a trip planned for next Friday, Feb 15th. It will be myself, DD 10, Dsis 54, Dsis 55 and Dmom 81. We are driving down. We have opted to stay off-site at Windsor Hills in a 3 bed, 2 bath condo. The resort looks beautiful, and we are very excited.

Frankly, if it were just my DD and me, I would stay onsite. But with several different needs/issues, WH addressed them all.

We need to be on the ground floor, flexible dining and sleeping arrangments.

Onsite just doesn't give me that in an affordable way. We are paying $984 for 7 nights (including taxes, cleaning fees and cancellation insurance).

The four adults are splitting that, so that's $284 each for a deluxe resort experience.

So, I vote for both!:hippie:

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

For the OP: I have never stayed onsite and probably never will. For us flying from Western Canada that eats up alot of our budget. So we stay offsite so we can see the mouse. I agree I like having the extra room. I don't cook that much when we are there, as I agree it is my vacation too. But it is nice to have snacks, drinks and breakfast stuff. This does cut down on time for getting to the parks, instead of eating breakfast in a restaurant and money. I also enjoy having the laundry right there in our house or condo, as I do not have to pack as much and it is easy to throw a load in before going to the park and putting in the dryer when we come back. I think it is a personal choice for everyone. Everyone has their own budget, ideas and expectations. I am sure you will enjoy your trip no matter what you decide. Go with your heart, head and wallet. Enjoy!!!!:wizard:

[maxiesmom]

Transport... frankly Disney sucks as far as I'm concerned. I'll never forget the scramble for the monorail after the fireworks at MK or the hour long wait trying to get back to the Swan from Epcot. The buses actually take longer to reach their destination than driving from outside the area to Disney. We actually timed it once.. and we managed to get to both MK and AK quicker in our car than when we did it staying onsite.

I have to ask, why did it take you an hour to get to the Swan from Epcot? It is only a 10 minute walk from the World Showcase. Why didn't you walk?

[rosiejo]

I'm a big fan of off-site as I like to save money on our trips - and prefer to have some kind of kitchen facilities so we can fix cereal and toast for breakfast instead of wasting valuable park time in a restaurant (or getting up at the crack of dawn to hit the restaurant and still make park opening).

That said we just bought into DVC - so I get the best of both worlds - the kitchen and the Disney magic!

I'm interested in this thread as it's a topic I happen to be discussing the pros and cons of staying on property (http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/disneyworld/2008/02/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-staying-on-disney-world-property/) over at my website right now :0)

[Dreamer04]

Oh and for what its worth, one of the things we are looking forward to is cooking our own meals. Spaghetti and meatballs, roasted chicken, baked potatoes, pancakes, eggs-all the way we like it.

I know that some people don't think of this as a vacation, but it is for me. :cool1:

[ortegah]

Yes, mystery meat. If you really knew what went on in the process of making the "food" that they serve you, then I'm guessing you wouldn't want to eat it either.

I hate to break this to you, but there's feces in your meats too. Unless you're killing the cow yourself, even YOU don't know what's in your food. As for non-apologetic nastiness, if you really wanted to educate people about what goes into their food and not just blast off at the mouth(fingers), you'd deliver the message a lot nicer. All people see is the nastiness of the post, not the nastiness of the food. It's that bees/honey/vinegar thing ;)

[Chellymouse]

We stayed off site and as you can see, once was enough. Does is cost more to stay at Disney? Not really by the time you add everything else in. You only save if you do as planned. You may want to look at the rent/trade boards from DVC members as you may be able to get a good deal on a 2BR villa on site. What is cost us in gas, parking, food (yeah right...we were going to leave and come back or head out to the car for lunch) the headache of who was awake enough at night to drive back or who's turn it was to have an adult beverage because the other person had to drive, if we wanted to take a break midday, really couldn't. If the only driving force behind the decision is cost, yes, usually it does cost a little less if you stay offsite, but you also don't get all of the benefits of being onsite as a trade off. And remember...off site is only cost effective if you DO eat offsite, pack snacks, food, water (although we always bring our own water). We recently bought into DVC for these reasons. We can't fathom staying offsite, but that's us and that is what works for us. There are many pros to staying onsite which is why this works for us!

[Princess_Michelle]

I hate to break this to you, but there's feces in your meats too. Unless you're killing the cow yourself, even YOU don't know what's in your food. As for non-apologetic nastiness, if you really wanted to educate people about what goes into their food and not just blast off at the mouth(fingers), you'd deliver the message a lot nicer. All people see is the nastiness of the post, not the nastiness of the food. It's that bees/honey/vinegar thing ;)

I buy all my meat from my local butcher, who gets most of his meat from local and regional sources (farms and such). He doesn't kill it, but he's the only person involved in the "processing", he's a nice guy and I know & trust him, so I'm pretty confident in the stuff I get from him.

I'm not being nasty. I use the word crap all the time. :confused3 I mean, it is what it is, you can sugar coat it if it makes you feel better.

[ortegah]

I buy all my meat from my local butcher, who gets most of his meat from local and regional sources (farms and such). He doesn't kill it, but he's the only person involved in the "processing", he's a nice guy and I know & trust him, so I'm pretty confident in the stuff I get from him.

I'm not being nasty. I use the word crap all the time. :confused3 I mean, it is what it is, you can sugar coat it if it makes you feel better.

First of all, you're missing the point. Or are you? Obviously you're a person that doesn't eat processed foods. Well :worship: for you, but that's not the norm. Once again you don't change anyone's mind yelling, "fast food is of the devil" and you and I both know this has nothing to do with Disney's food, but more to do with your disdain for non-organic, pure, straight off the farm, food. But you're using the thread about staying onsite vs offsite to tell your little public service announcement to the world.

There's a big difference between sugar coating and crapping(there I used your word ;) ) all over a thread because you think it's your duty in life to inform us of the evil that is feces filled food.

Speaking of crapping all over a thread, I'm done here.

[maxiesmom]

I'm a big fan of off-site as I like to save money on our trips - and prefer to have some kind of kitchen facilities so we can fix cereal and toast for breakfast instead of wasting valuable park time in a restaurant (or getting up at the crack of dawn to hit the restaurant and still make park opening).

That said we just bought into DVC - so I get the best of both worlds - the kitchen and the Disney magic!

I'm interested in this thread as it's a topic I happen to be discussing the pros and cons of staying on property (http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/disneyworld/2008/02/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-staying-on-disney-world-property/) over at my website right now :0)

You can get a kitchen on site too. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas a couple of years ago, and had quite a few meals in our room. It is very nice to be able to make a sandwich, or to throw some pasta in a pot. But we like to be able to do that while being on Disney property at the same time.

Like I said before, I have done multiple trips both on and offsite. There is nothing wrong with being offsite, and I would do it again in a hearbeat if that was the only choice. But for me paying the extra $$$ to be totally immersed in everything Disney is well worth it. Plus, by the time you factor renting a mini-van in to the budget, well, you don't save that much money over being on-site.

[MiaSRN62]

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[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

A fridge is not all what it is about for us. I have looked at the size of the rooms and we really do enjoy having the extra room for our budget. It is just what works for our family. It is a personal choice for everyone. I think the OP needs to price it all out and make the decision that fits their family best. :flower3:

[emmsmama]

You know what it is right for your budget. Just thought I'd mention about the frig since some offsiters may not be aware they are in the rooms. :) :) :)


Unless you do a fridge swap with a DIS'er or in some other way, you don't get a fridge in any of the value resorts.

Imo, if you are comparing a Moderate, Deluxe, or DVC on-site stay to an off-site condo stay then on-site will likely win. Right now I am not sure if I will stay on-site or off or split it up, but I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I was one of the lucky ones that got the 40% off code for a moderate or deluxe I would be staying onsite for at least a week. However when comparing a value to a condo or townhouse the condo/townhouse is likely to win out.

One other perk I don't think has been mentioned about onsite is that you can make your ADR's for the length of your stay 180 days out. My understanding is that those staying offsite can book 180 days in advance but only exactly 180 days. So staying offsite you can book only one day's adr's at a time, but staying onsite for one week you can make 7 days' worth of adr's. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though :)

[Lucky'sMom]

The more I read on this thread, the more it upsets me. Why are we turning against ourselves?! We all have friends or family members that go the beach every year, or the lake, etc. Most of us prefer Disney vacations year after year. We understand that other people prefer other vacations each year, why can't we all understand that "Disney people" prefer on-site or off-site year after year? There is absolutely no right or wrong on where you choose to stay. Some find the "magic" in the theming on-site, some find "magic" in the space for the money "off-site", we see the benefits in both, and have done both many times. Can't we just all get-along???

[PrincessTiffany]

Unless you do a fridge swap with a DIS'er or in some other way, you don't get a fridge in any of the value resorts.


I think Anybody can get a frig at a value resort. When we stayed at ASMo in '96 it was $10.00 per night. We didn't get one when we were there in September, but I hadn't seen anybody post about them not being available anymore.

[Reflection]

You can get a kitchen on site too. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas a couple of years ago, and had quite a few meals in our room. It is very nice to be able to make a sandwich, or to throw some pasta in a pot. But we like to be able to do that while being on Disney property at the same time.

Like I said before, I have done multiple trips both on and offsite. There is nothing wrong with being offsite, and I would do it again in a hearbeat if that was the only choice. But for me paying the extra $$$ to be totally immersed in everything Disney is well worth it. Plus, by the time you factor renting a mini-van in to the budget, well, you don't save that much money over being on-site.

Whenver the ye olde onsite vs offsite discussion comes up I think it important to note the tangible and intangible benefits for staying onsite.

The intangible benefit/value--and it is this intangible, "Disney Magic," that the fervent (i.e., those it-is-onsite only-for-us-or-we-don't-go-folks) and perhaps not so fervent 'onsiters' are willing to pay major bucks.

For many people (and I'm one of them), Disney Magic, is not something they feel need to pay for in order to have a fantastic vacation. I think tension in this discussion arises when with assertions that a vacation in Orlando when time will be spent at Disney will not be any good or fun unless there is Disney Magic. Speaking for myself, and I've stayed onsite and offsite (prefer offsite), I've never understood what Disney Magic meant and I always have a 'magical' vacation regardless of the location of my accomodation.

The tangible benefits: closer proximity to theme parks (provided you are staying at the Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk (or associated DVC property) because you could walk in a short amount of time to EPCOT; it is much longer walk to MGM. I've not stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge but I don't believe you can walk from that hotel to the Animal Kingdom. The only Magic Kingdom resort from which you could walk is the Contemporary); Early Magic Hours; and the transportation. Depending on how often you have visited WDW theme parks, EMH may not be something you want to do. I know, even when staying onsite, I prefer to visit the non-EMH park(s) to avoid the crowds. And lastly, use of WDW transporation is not limited to those who stay onsite. Guests with valid theme park admission may use the monorail, buses, boats and other transportation. I don't like waiting for buses when on vacation, and always rent car whether I stay onsite or not. But this is my personal preference.

I think people get the best bang for their buck when staying offsite when it is a choice between WDW moderate, deluxe and DVC accomodation or comparable offsite units. At this level of accomodation, particularly deluxe and timeshare condo/villa, offsite locales simply offer better value. And by the time you factor in car rental, you won't be paying as much as if you stayed onsite.

[wahoostampingirl]

The more I read on this thread, the more it upsets me. Why are we turning against ourselves?! We all have friends or family members that go the beach every year, or the lake, etc. Most of us prefer Disney vacations year after year. We understand that other people prefer other vacations each year, why can't we all understand that "Disney people" prefer on-site or off-site year after year? There is absolutely no right or wrong on where you choose to stay. Some find the "magic" in the theming on-site, some find "magic" in the space for the money "off-site", we see the benefits in both, and have done both many times. Can't we just all get-along???

Well said. We've stayed on-site and off-site (sometimes in the same trip) and there are pros and cons to each. I will mention one advantage of staying off-site that I haven't seen mentioned yet. On our most recent trip, both of our kids caught the dreaded stomach bug and I got an eye infection. We were in a condo in Windsor Hills and there was a very good Urgent Care right down the road. I'm not sure of the medical facilities on-site, so I can't compare them, but this one was so convenient for us. My dd6 had to stay home from the parks one day and it was nice to be able to have her sleep in a bedroom while I could watch TV on a comfy couch in the living room, make myself lunch, do some laundry, talk on the phone without bothering her, etc... I know (and hope) this probably won't happen on our vacation again, but for this trip it was so much more comfortable having the extra room since we had to be at "home" a little more than we bargained for.

With that said, we also stayed at POR for the first night of the same trip and loved it. I definitely would like to go back there sometime as well. For our family, it seems to work out that we like staying on-site for shorter trips and off-site for longer trips.

[Reflection]

The more I read on this thread, the more it upsets me. Why are we turning against ourselves?! We all have friends or family members that go the beach every year, or the lake, etc. Most of us prefer Disney vacations year after year. We understand that other people prefer other vacations each year, why can't we all understand that "Disney people" prefer on-site or off-site year after year? There is absolutely no right or wrong on where you choose to stay. Some find the "magic" in the theming on-site, some find "magic" in the space for the money "off-site", we see the benefits in both, and have done both many times. Can't we just all get-along???

I think most of the people posting on this thread do understand it is a matter of preference and I don't see people turning against one another. Ii do see people stating their preference when they have experienced both onsite and offsie stays. I think this is a balanced discussion--and many have pointed out the benefits of staying onsite. The thing is those onsite benefits may not be of interest or value to someone for a variety of reasons.

Whenever i've seen a 'should my family stay onsite or offsite question' on the Resorts Board, the overwhelming response is onsite only because you will have a terrible time not being immersed in the 'magic,' no other hotel or facility is capable of good service, and you will be exposing yourself and family to unsafe conditions and heaven knows what type of salacious and unsavory people and surroundings so why even bother to go. Typically, there is no acknowledgment that there may be benefits to not staying in WDW accomodations.

[Miss Stitch]

Do you know what I find magical? Not cooking or cleaning or doing the laundry for 9 days while I'm at Disney. I despise doing those chores when I'm at home, why on earth would I shell out a few thousand dollars to go to Orlando and cook, clean and do the laundry? We went to Disney last September for about $2800.00 stayed on-site at Pop for 8 nights, had park hoppers for 8 nights, had free transporation (bus and ME), and had the dining plan for 8 nights. And the very best part - a maid cleaned my room everyday, lovely restaurant staff cooked and brought meals to me everyday and I didn't do one load of laundry. Now that's magical!


We stay in a suites hotel, so dont't cook or clean, we eat out and our maid cleans our room, but I do like the facilties to be there if we decide we don't want to go out. I bring enough clothes for our trip, so we don't really need to do laundry, but I find my kids spill everything down themselves and if I wait till I get these clothes home, I cant get rid of the stain.

If people want to absorb themselves in Disney thats great and not leave property thats great, but if everyone does this, there wouldnt be a hotel room left for you!

We pay $9,000 for our trip including 14 nights in a hotel, flights tickets etc. that doesnt include spending money, our hotel and flight alone cost $7,000.

Everybody enjoys different things, have different ways to travel, like different places to stay, and have a different budget. That is what makes the world a great place. It would be very boring if everything did the same thing. I have considered staying on-site but decided it wasn't for me. It didnt take any of the magic away from my vacation.

I'm not from the US and coming to Orlando is more that just going to Disney for me, the magic for me is taking two weeks from my ordinary life, no work, no cleaning, no cooking if I dont want to, no deadlines and spending quality time with my family in a country that I love.

[emmsmama]

I think Anybody can get a frig at a value resort. When we stayed at ASMo in '96 it was $10.00 per night. We didn't get one when we were there in September, but I hadn't seen anybody post about them not being available anymore.

Thanks, I forgot about that option. Either way, it's not included in the values, but an extra you have to pay for. $10 isn't very steep, but that brings the cost of a value up to $92/night when you can get an offsite condo or even a nice townhouse with private spashpool in value seasons for that price.

I still haven't decided whether I will stay offsite the whole time or just part of the time, as there are just so many options and variable to consider :confused3

[Reflection]

We stayed off site and as you can see, once was enough. Does is cost more to stay at Disney? Not really by the time you add everything else in. You only save if you do as planned. You may want to look at the rent/trade boards from DVC members as you may be able to get a good deal on a 2BR villa on site. What is cost us in gas, parking, food (yeah right...we were going to leave and come back or head out to the car for lunch) the headache of who was awake enough at night to drive back or who's turn it was to have an adult beverage because the other person had to drive, if we wanted to take a break midday, really couldn't. If the only driving force behind the decision is cost, yes, usually it does cost a little less if you stay offsite, but you also don't get all of the benefits of being onsite as a trade off. And remember...off site is only cost effective if you DO eat offsite, pack snacks, food, water (although we always bring our own water). We recently bought into DVC for these reasons. We can't fathom staying offsite, but that's us and that is what works for us. There are many pros to staying onsite which is why this works for us!

An offsite 2-bedroom villa/condo of comparable (possibly even better) quality to onsite DVC is absolutely less expensive than renting DVC points. The suggestion (my bolding above) for the only way to save is just not true. There is nothing wrong with DVC--I particularly like the Boardwalk Villas ;) --but onsite villa rentals are expensive. DVC point rental is less expensive than obtaining a regular reservation through Disney reservations but it is not less expensive than comparable offsite. Depending on the location of the offsite accomodation, travel by car is likely to be faster than Disney bus travel to its various resorts.

Regarding needing to bring snacks into the parks--well that suggestion appears to apply to those staying onsite as well--note the numerous questions on the resorts board/budget boards on what snacks to bring, how to fit in a grocery stop from the airport to Disney, room refrigerator sharing, etc. Whether staying on or offsite, I don't buy snacks to bring into the park, because part of my vacation experience is to purchase a Dole Whip if that is what I want.;)


If personal preference is for onsite only, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having that bias, but passing on unfactual information about costs and travel time (car vs Disney bus) is just not helpful.

[Reflection]

Unless you do a fridge swap with a DIS'er or in some other way, you don't get a fridge in any of the value resorts.

Imo, if you are comparing a Moderate, Deluxe, or DVC on-site stay to an off-site condo stay then on-site will likely win. Right now I am not sure if I will stay on-site or off or split it up, but I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I was one of the lucky ones that got the 40% off code for a moderate or deluxe I would be staying onsite for at least a week. However when comparing a value to a condo or townhouse the condo/townhouse is likely to win out.

One other perk I don't think has been mentioned about onsite is that you can make your ADR's for the length of your stay 180 days out. My understanding is that those staying offsite can book 180 days in advance but only exactly 180 days. So staying offsite you can book only one day's adr's at a time, but staying onsite for one week you can make 7 days' worth of adr's. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though :)

Regarding what I bolded in the above post--I think the opposite is true that better monetary value is obtained from offsite when compared to Disney's deluxe and condo accomodations, and I'm interested in how you reached this conclusion. A 1-bdrm villa (regular season) at the Boardwalk DVC is $495; less a 40% discount, the nightly rate pre-tax is $297. With tax the nightly rate is $333.64. So a week's stay is $2335.48. Comparable offsite villa for a 1 week rental is significantly less than that.


Re the ADRs--I'm not sure if what is written above is correct. The only reservation I make sure to make well in advance is Hoop de Doo Revue and there are no restrictions since your credit card is charge immediately for the reservation. Our party size is just two--my daughter and myself--and we really don't have problems finding seating at table service restaurants because we can be flexible. My must-do WDW dining includes Brown Derby and Citricos, and I've not had problems getting a table when we travel. This is my experience; YMMV.

[kty]

We were in Orlando this past November, and it was our first time in a townhome. Actually, it was the first time we ever stayed anywhere other than a hotel room. We travel pretty extensively with the kids 12, 8, 6 and because we are a family of 5, we now need to get two hotel rooms to be "comfortable". The two hotel rooms with connecting doors work fine. When vacationing, we typically stay in the nicer hotels - westin, hyatt, marriott, etc. I do not like to cook, clean, or do laundry on vacation - or so i thought. After staying in a townhome, with all of the extra room and ammenities, I would not go back to a hotel room - in Orlando anyway - knowing what I know now. I enjoyed having the kitchen, for breakfast in pajamas and healthy snacks at night. what we did quite often was get take out from places like red lobster, outback, chinese, etc. Also, I actually enjoyed throwing a load of laundry in (although we overpacked) and heading to the parks, having everything clean. (I hate doing laundry at home). however, the most interesting thing was that when asked, the kids loved their own space, the hubby loved the space and they would choose to stay off site again in a hearbeat. To me, the most important selling point to staying off site was the fact that we did not hear hotel doors slamming, people talking loudly, etc. We actually slept all night!!!:thumbsup2

[dioxide45]

For the OP. If it is your first trip to WDW and you can swing the extra money in the budget, I would suggest going with onsite. I have done both and my first stay was onsite. There is definitly a different atmosphere with staying onsite and it is something that you won't get offsite.
Now that we are more veterans we mush prefer to stay offsite, more for the extra room and other things that would be a hassle onsite (better restaurant and shopping selection).
If you have been to Disney before go ahead and stay offiste, if you absolutly hate it, you can at least say you tried it and you don't have to do it again. As you indicated you will save money. Car rentals are cheap in Orlando, probably the cheapest of anywhere in the continental USA, so the added cost for a car will not make staying onsite cheaper in your situation. Book that car early and keep checking and rebooking if it becomes cheaper. We rebooked a car through Alamo four times and got the price down from $95 to $75 for a one week rental that we just dropped off today.

[emmsmama]

Regarding what I bolded in the above post--I think the opposite is true that better monetary value is obtained from offsite when compared to Disney's deluxe and condo accomodations, and I'm interested in how you reached this conclusion. A 1-bdrm villa (regular season) at the Boardwalk DVC is $495; less a 40% discount, the nightly rate pre-tax is $297. With tax the nightly rate is $333.64. So a week's stay is $2335.48. Comparable offsite villa for a 1 week rental is significantly less than that.


I completely agree with you for monetary value that off-site wins easily when compared to moderate or deluxe onsite. I should have been more specific that what I meant was that the accomodations would be better in a moderate or deluxe so if someone is comparing mod or deluxe onsite to a condo off-site it might make them more likely to stay onsite *if the cost isn't a factor*. You still wouldn't get as much space as off-site, but the resort would have a few more features that might skew the results. However, if money is a factor or you are comparing a value resort to off-site then imo off-site is more likely to win. Honestly though for me, I would rather spend $150 on a sweet house with a private pool, games room, etc. or $100 for a nice townhouse with splash pool or hot tub than spend that money on a mod, and no offence to those who stay deluxe, but my frugal heart would go into arrest spending $200+ on a room for one night lol.

I'm leaning toward 4 days on-site at a value since this will be our first WDW trip and I want to experience the full "magic" people talk about, and then the other 10 days I'll probably spend offsite. I still might just do 14 days off-site, but think I might regret not experiencing both ways to form an opinion.

[Brian Noble]

Well, heck---if cost isn't a factor, I'll take a Grand Villa at BWV, please.

Of course, unless one is post-economic (http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/dictionary/detail.asp?guid=&searchtype=1&DicID=6838&RefType=Dictionary), cost is probably a factor. Even someone who can afford to stay in a Deluxe might reasonably conclude that the additional money required to do so does not provide sufficient value. On the other hand, a person might instead reasonably conclude that it does.

[nicolem05]

just my 2 cents~~ We just returned 3 days ago and if you go to WDL by all means try to stay on site.. but in WDW why would you bother?? I was so worried that we would regret staying "off-site" (we stayed at Bonnet creek in the gates) but honestly I was SOOOO happy we stayed where we did!! Our resort was amazing!! We had great shuttle although we rented a car so drove almost everyday just for our own comfort. We were literally a fence between us and Caribbean beach and after meeting some folks from there and seeing their place definitely liked ours better.. they did too and said they would book at our resort next time (Bonnet creek). If you are will to pay the extra money and compromise accommodations for the extra hour in the park then by all means stay on site. But WDW is sooo big I couldn't tell the difference!! Most on-site resorts required transportation to and from parks unlike WDL where you could walk in and out at your leisure. In my opinion its a big waste of money! I agree with pp's that you can spend that dough in the parks or on special experiences!

**BTW after reading more above posts I will add we could afford a deluxe 2 room DVC rental and we were on the fence about it until shortly before the trip.. but in the end the sq.footage won and the great amenities bonnet creek offered including great pools and fun activities as well as a price tag 1/3 the price.. even when you can afford the extra money it doesn't mean you don't still see better places for your money to go ;)
**As for the ADR's for my experience the above post is totally wrong. I did make reservations less than 180 in advance because we only planned the trip 2 months before we left but I made all my reservations at once almost 2 weeks worth and changed a few a couple days down the road including adding a fantasmic package and was never told that staying off site meant that I could only make one day at a time.. wouldn't that be a lot more work for them??

[emmsmama]

**As for the ADR's for my experience the above post is totally wrong. I did make reservations less than 180 in advance because we only planned the trip 2 months before we left but I made all my reservations at once almost 2 weeks worth and changed a few a couple days down the road including adding a fantasmic package and was never told that staying off site meant that I could only make one day at a time.. wouldn't that be a lot more work for them??

If you are 180 days or more out from your vaca you can only make reservations for one day at a time (the day that is exactly 180 days away from the day you are making the call). If you call when it is less than 180 days from your vaca then for sure you can make a couple week's worth of dining reservations. If you stay on-site though technically you can make reservations *more* than 180 days prior to your stay dates as long as it is is within 180 days of your *first* day of stay on-site when you call.

Honestly I don't understand why people are getting bent out of shape over this choice. Everybody likes different things and has different circumstances. I'm still undecided whether to stay onsite or off and I value what everybody has to say about their experiences and preferences. I take what people say and see how it applies to my situation. If someone says they love on-site because you don't need to rent a car I don't really factor that into *my* situation because I know I will drive there and have my own car or rent a car regardless. If someone says they love offsite because they can sip margaritas by their poolside and bbq supper I don't factor that in because we don't drink or bbq lol. But when someone says they like onsite for the EMH or offsite for the extra space then those are both things that are important to my family and I factor those things into my decision-making process.

[IDoDis]

Yes, everyone weighs things differently. There is no right answer to this question, but it's useful to read the posts because someone may bring up something you didn't think about.

For us, the issue on our last trip was space at Pop Century. We loved staying there, but after a week, we were bickering too much with each other because we never had any "alone" time. We never took advantage of the EMH because we went during the summer when the parks were open until 11:00pm most nights w/out the EMH hours which is plenty late enough for us. We also made it a point to avoid the EMH parks. Some friends of ours always did EMH parks, but followed our advice not to go to the EMH parks (go to that park the day after EMH instead) and they were amazed at the reduced waiting time in lines and said they got to do a lot more in a shorter amount of time. If we stayed up until 2:00am for EMH, we'd sleep half the day the next day and miss out on the shorter morning lines.

So for us, EMH was not a factor when deciding where to stay on our next trip, but the amount of room space was a factor. This summer, we opted for an off-site suite where we can spread out for less $$. We may even change our reservations to a condo instead.

[momlady]

I can't say one is better than the other because I have never stayed onsite, and I have only been with my family once before (we've done 2 trips to Disneyland though). I have longingly looked at the resort slideshows and thought YES, I want to stay onsite -- in fact I do *that* all the time. The cold shock of the quote, though, always puts me off.

We stayed off-site for a week at Christmas 2004 with DS (then 9) and DS 6 (Comfort Suites Maingate East). We never had a problem with traffic and viewed the tram/monorail travel into the parks as part of that magic! We got 5 day parkhopper w/waterpark option, after making the conscious decision NOT to go to any park on Christmas day! Unfortunately it was too cold to use the waterparks although we did take a cool-ish day at the beach midweek. As for the "immersion in the magic" by staying onsite -- by that midweek day trip to Daytona Beach I have to say I was ready for a break from all things mouse-related (sacreligious, I know!) If someone had wished me a magical day at that point, well...you know! :scared1:

The hotel had breakfast included. There was always plenty to eat there and we grabbed yogurt/applesauce cups/fresh fruit for snacks. We had a fridge and microwave in our room as well as a table to eat at, so I bought breakfast stuff, lunch stuff, and a couple of frozen type dinners (like frozen lasagna); snacks and drinks galore as well.

We had planned on all breakfasts at the hotel, one snack per day bought in the parks, and one "restaurant meal" per day. On days where it was supper, I made sandwiches and we packed a picnic lunch to the parks. On days that it was lunch, we ate it in the parks and had supper in our room -- heated in the microwave or purchased takeout (I know, that's restaurant food -- but the microwave was too small for frozen pizza! :rotfl:)

On Christmas Day we went to Mass and then had a huge late lunch at a buffet place that had waaaaaay more food than one could ever dream about (the quality was so-so but the kids raved about it!). Our decision to not go to the parks ended up being a joke because it just torrentially POURED, all day!!!! We would not have gone anyway, it was like a monsoon! LOL

This worked out really well for our family -- no one complained about homemade lunches when they knew they could have a Mickey bar later! The one thing I would say is that once we left the parks, most of the time even with the best intentions of returning after a rest, we ended up being too tired to venture back out once we were :home". That was partly a function of the kids (the 6 year old did not have much staying power back then) and partly a function of a DH with the ability to conk out on a horizontal surface in about 10 seconds flat! One night I left 3 "boys" sleeping and went for a quickie shopping trip to the outlet mall and DTD. I was happy! LOL

This time (Dec 08) with my 2 "take up alot of space" boys (both literally and figuratively) there is no way we would do well in one hotel room, so for peace of mind I am looking at condos or suite hotels. I just can't justify to myself the cost of staying and eating 100% onsite during a holiday rate season... although my good friend the Disney fanatic insists it is THE only way to go!

[ADisneyQueen]

I too, have been debating the on/off site and my trip is 33 days away! I have reservations at both POP and BVS. I will be cancelling BVS soon, although I got a heck of a deal by booking early! Here are my reasons for POP:
1. My kids begged to go back to POP
2. We are taking my mom and need 2 bathrooms, so we booked 2 rooms
3. The buses will work better for us if someone wants to go back to the resort early. My mom has foot problems and really wants this option.
4. The pool at POP is better
5. We are arriving at 9:30 PM at the airport and don't want to be driving around late looking for our hotel. Let Disney do the driving.
6. We stayed offsite once(at HIFS which is now Nick), and although it was OK, I admit that I missed being immersed in the magic.
7. The food court is available whenever, we don't have to drive to eat somewhere ( I don't cook on vacations)

We did think about WH, but it's probably too late now to book. I think for our next trip we will try it and do some other things in Orlando and just a few days at Disney. It just seems easier to stay at POP this time for our family. You just have to determine what is best for your family and your budget.

[Mainebound]

Here are my reasons for POP:

3. The buses will work better for us if someone wants to go back to the resort early. My mom has foot problems and really wants this option.


We are converts to the offsite stay, but this is a really significant concern for us as my mother, who always accompanies us, ages (she is now 72). This year, she has some mobility issues, and cannot even drive her own rented car. Whenever she would like to return to WH, we will need to drive her. I am more than happy to do it for her, of course, but it presents some new logistical problems for us.

[sazcjg]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9. I have looked into offsite prices and here is what I have found. To stay in a room that will accomodate all of us the room rate will be approx $100.00 + tax per night plus an additional $8.00 per day resort fee at a Downtown Disney resort. That equals $964.00 including tax and resort fee. Then you have to factor in the transportation from and to the airport for $125.00 R/T plus the tip....$20.00 for an additional $145.00 expense. Now we have $1425.00 for POR in WDW or $1109.00 for Royal Plaza in DTD. The added expense equals $316.00....:teacher: So now I have to ask my family and myself if saving $316.00 over 8 days is worth it? The bus service cannot compare with WDW's bus service and if I rent a car the price difference then would only be $150.00 est:sad2: So I can save $39.00 a day and not get EMH's, have less than convenient transportation to and from the parks. Hmmmmm.................:confused3 We are staying at WDW!:banana:

[Mainebound]

I agree: I would never stay in a DD hotel again (I did once about 10 years ago) over a WDW hotel.

Personally, when I refer to offsite, I mean a condominuium, townhome, or private home. Our family chooses three or more bedrooms, 2 baths, and plenty of space over a 400 square foot hotel room with one bathroom, and saves money. But we don't do this for cost reasons: I would actually pay MORE to stay offsite for lovely large accommodations and a lovely resort like Windsor Hills.

[dioxide45]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9. I have looked into offsite prices and here is what I have found. To stay in a room that will accomodate all of us the room rate will be approx $100.00 + tax per night plus an additional $8.00 per day resort fee at a Downtown Disney resort. That equals $964.00 including tax and resort fee. Then you have to factor in the transportation from and to the airport for $125.00 R/T plus the tip....$20.00 for an additional $145.00 expense. Now we have $1425.00 for POR in WDW or $1109.00 for Royal Plaza in DTD. The added expense equals $316.00.... So now I have to ask my family and myself if saving $316.00 over 8 days is worth it? The bus service cannot compare with WDW's bus service and if I rent a car the price difference then would only be $150.00 est So I can save $39.00 a day and not get EMH's, have less than convenient transportation to and from the parks. Hmmmmm................. We are staying at WDW

I wouldn't consider the DTD hotels really offsite (even though they are considered to be). You are still paying a premium for where they are. Depending on what time of year you visit, you could get a rental car very cheap. Orlando has some of the lowest rental car rates in the nation. In many cases you could rent a car for a week for what you are paying for your transportation to and from the airport. If you rent a car you won't have the transportation expense of $145 to and from the airport. So your extra of $150 is no longer accurate. You need to re-analyze your scenario. Don't forget to consider savings on food purchased outside WDW.

[kty]

sazcig,

I want to know how your family of 5 stays in one hotel room? are they suites for the price of 100.00 per night:confused3 we are a family of 5 with children 13,8,7 and now need two rooms with a connecting door if we stay in a hotel- either that or a large efficiency with a pull out sofa. gone are the one room days:scared1: we just stayed off site at a WH townhome and had plenty of room for not a lot of money.:thumbsup2

[sazcjg]

The $100.00 a night room I was refering to was Royal Plaza in DTD. It will sleep 5. Our family is one that starts to the parks in the early morning and may come back to the room for a break in the afternoon and then right back to the parks until closing time. As far as renting a car, I guess that would offset the shuttle fee from the airport but would also add parking fees at the parks. I believe they are 11-12 dollars a day. So there is another $80.00 plus $3.00 a gallon gasoline etc etc. So as I said before if it is only a difference of a few hundred dollars over a weeks time then we prefer onsite all the way.

[Brian Noble]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9.
Yikes. Five people in one hotel room? With one person on a trundle bed? One bathroom? I suppose if that works for you, that's fine, but I'd much rather have a couple of rooms, minimum. For $1000, you can get a 2BR at Cypress Pointe for the exact same dates via hotelkingdom. Add the car and parking, you're up to $1300. Yes, you don't have EMH, but in June I'd just as soon skip it anyway---the non-EMH parks tend to be much less crowded, and the hours are already longer than I can make use of.

But, hey, if you want to stay in POR, I get that. I would never do it, but I see why someone else might. I may not be the right person to ask though, because we always rent a car, and almost always skip EMH, even when we are onsite. Though, even then, we absolutely need two separate sleeping spaces, with a door in between, for kids and adults. That means either two rooms, a Ft. Wilderness cabin, or a 1BR or larger DVC.

[MikeKV]

Might I add that my DW, DD5 and I are getting an $800 townhome in Windsor Hills. In case you aren't familiar with WH this community is only 2 years old and the closest offsite community that you can get. The townhome includes 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a large full kitchen, 3 large flat screens, and a gameroom basement. Oh, did I mention a PRIVATE pool attached to the townhome along with the large community pool that includes 2 large slides? We love the Poly (onsite) but for the amount of room that a townhome gives us and the convenience of cooking our own meals, if we want, pools and lower cost I'm staying offsite.

[myhusbandnofanofdis]

Thank you all so much for all of your input. I think it has been a very good discussion (except maybe the beef/feces discussion:scared: ), but everyone has presented their point of view from a very balanced factual perspective. Thanks!

We have decided to stay off-site for this trip. Specifically at Windsor Hills in a house. There were many factors we took into consideration. Although I will greatly miss being on property, I think I am one of those who thinks the magic is worth the money, but I understand that my husband and our friends prefer the space, and having a kitchen more than the magic. So, I am giving it a try this year!

We live in Georgia and can drive, so we save on airfare and associated travel costs. Last year, we stayed at POR for about 190 a night. This year, our Windsor Hills 4 bedroom home is going to cost us about about $100 a night (it is really $200 a night, but we are splitting it with another family). You have to add on about $4.00 a day for a cleaning fee, and $11.00 a day to park at the parks, but I think that is about all the additional costs we would have. Last year we ended up driving to the park from POR because the busses were so slow and crowded... so that isn't really an extra expense.

I know it might not be as perfect for me, but I think my friends and family will be happier. I will let you all know how it goes!