Switch to off site? what would you do?

[hellokitty]

My parents are going with us in June. We currently have reservations at Riverside, which looks very nice and relaxing.

My mom wants to surprise my daughter with a Discovery Cove
day which is quite expensive!! Therefore she is suggesting that we save money by going to a cheap off site hotel.
We found the Ramada INn Westgate for $37 a night with buffet
breakfast for two adults--this would save us about $400 for the week.

Sure it sounds good saving $400, but the pool is just a concrete
hole in the ground and there are no disney buses or trees, or
ducks to feed, or boats to rent, or boat to dtd.

ONe side note: My husband and I can afford the Riverside as can my mother, but
what would you guys do? Even if we dont stay in the room too much I love the landscaping and feel of disney and dont want to feel like I am staying in a concrete box with no atmosphere.

thanks for all your advice.

[KP2]

My vote: PO Riverside.

Love the resort and the conveniences that staying on Disney grounds has to offer. I feel it is well worth the extra cost.

[Grumpy92]

I certainly understand your predicament. I have been spoiled by staying on property and when I stay off I always miss the little things. Not to mention that POR is one of my favorites. Especially the Magnolia Bend section.
Here are a few suggestions:

Think about staying at a value to cut your cost. Check mousesavers and see about discounts.

Select an off site property that is a little nicer then the avg tourist hotel.

Talk to your husband and mother and go over all your options and fears of staying off property. As well as what type of vacation you want to have.

[eeyore0062]

We have actually stayed at both, the Ramada we stayed in on a 1st night before checking into the WL. While the Ramada was nice, it just wasn't Disney. No theming, no magic, and the transporation just isn't in the same universe. I would choose PO-R, but you have to do what is best for you and your family. If it came down to the resort or Discovery Cove, I would probably go with the resort... JMHO!

[susy]

My vote is stay at POR !!!!!! It isn't worth it to me to throw your whole vacation for one day's outing. Imagine how you would feel if for some reason, you couldn't do Discovery Cove that day (like weather) or if your daughter complains about the hotel or that she's too hot while waiting for whatever transportation Ramada uses.. If you have to make a choice, I wouldn't give up the transportation, theming, nice accomodations, etc. of POR!!!!

[Bob NC]

...cheap off site hotel. .....

Repeat that phrase over and over....Then stay onsite!!!!

lol....I have always been an advocate that you CAN stay offsite and have just as much fun....But my PREFERENCE would be to stay onsite.....

[Sleepy]

If your parents are going and where you plan to stay offsite has no transportation, how would you arrange for a person in your party to get back to the hotel midday if they became too tired or slightly ill? With Disney, you can't go wrong with transportation. Whoever wants to go back to the room can and it won't disrupt the others enjoyment. I would stay in All Stars before I would stay completely offsite. Just my opinion

[tmli]

IMHO if you are only planning one non disney day at Discovery Cove I would definitely stay on site. However my next trip I'm taking my parents and sister for xmas present. I want them to have the onsite feel, plus we are planning on seeing Busch Gardens, Seaworld, and Universal. So we've decided first 3nts onsite, total of 4 diney days. The next 5nts we've rented a villa with all the comforts of home, from where we will make day trips. We will probably make a trip or two to DD later in the week for last minute shopping.

This is the most cost effective way for us to see and do everything we want, and since I'm picking up the tab Cost Effective is good!!!

[BrianD]

on-site

[Tluvs2talk]

Stay 1 or 2 nights at the $37.00 hotel off property. This would pay for 2 people to go to Discovery Cove. Then stay the additional nights on property.

[Alice Sr.]

I would go to biddingfortravel read the posts, become familiar with the bidding process and bid for resort quality or 4 star in WDW area. The only two options if your resort bid is accepted is Wyndam which is right across the street from DD or Marriot World Center which is right outside the Disney main entrance on Rt 4 or whatever they call that road:) The rack rate for these hotels are usually $150.00-250.00 but you can get them for around 40.00-60.00 per night. I have stayed at both, I love the Marriot, their pool is awesome. We are DVD members and stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom at BWV, but my DD's kept talking about the Marriot and how great it was. The bidding for travel board can be rather complex so if you have questions don't hesitate to e-mail me, but once you get the jest of it you'll be amazed at the savings:D

Alice Sr.


edited to remove a link to a commercial site

[hellokitty]

Great advice from all,
but we are only paying $104 including tax at the Riverside a night
and it is hard to go lower unless it is really lower!! and those
places are not too nice from what i can see.

My parents are not into changing hotels so that would not be an option for us.

One thing is my mother has decided to redecorate her house
at the same time she is saving for disney -- that is another reason she wants to save money. the real reason comes out, mom!

[skuttle]

I would stay on-site. By staying on-site, you're always surrounded by the disney magic so your vacation never ends!

[SAKPEG99OKW]

Stay on site. How can you compare offsite to onsite. Their is no comparrison. You mom has great intentions, but, staying off site for ? days just to afford 1 day with the dolphins seems a little steap.

What if maybe you and your mother split the cost of discovery cove? I you sure your daughter would even like discovery cove?

It's a tough decision. But, I would stay on site.


Either way have a great trip.

Scott, Peg and Tyler

[kidzmom3]

i would definelty pick onsite. as a side note, I recently saw a discovery channel show about dolphins and they are not the lovable creatures we all believe. They can be quite vicious and unpredictable. Discovery cove sounds wonderful, but I am now a little leary of Dolphins. They don't have a big brain for nothing.


i am sure discovery cove is safe, but still, have you seen a dolphins teeth??????(lol)

[MJames41]

I would say on site without a question. Even if it means missing Discovery Cove on this trip. And, as far as that bidding site, I will never, ever again do that.

That was the last off site hotel we will stay at for a Disney trip. We got the Marriott Orlando World Conference Center (one of those listed "just off I4". It was so remote. The drive up is 1/2 a mile - and it is the only way in. We took a cab to go eat dinner one night - and the cab meter clicked twice before we were off the property. We got a great rate - $60 a night for 3 nights. And then came the extra charges. After 2 nights I had enough - we checked out (losing one nights money, but actually saving because of the extra charges) and checked in to All Star Sports. That was when our vacation really felt like a vacation, rather than just staying at a hotel. Anyway, enough about that.

There is one issue which is not talked about enough (in my opinion), and that is security. When I've stayed at Disney, I've always felt safe, both for me and my children (both teenagers). I can allow them out to play and not worry about it. Even if my children were younger, if something did happen, I don't have to walk very far to find a Disney employee working on the grounds somewhere. It's not a blatent thing, but it just makes me feel safer. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy your trip no matter what you decide.

[FINFAN]

In order to stay on-site last summer we did several "creative" forms of saving. One very helpful way was to purchase disney dollars at our local disney store for various reasons...good report cards, b-days, easter basket, turn our change in at the bank and then turn that into disney dollars. We then used that money to help pay for our resort. Yep...you can pay for your room with disney dollars. We took $20 p day that would've been the difference between the acceptable off-site hotel we would have chosen and used the dollars to get us on-site. Our family knew of our plans and also gave disney dollars at b-day time, mom's/dad's day, we even asked the kids if that's how they wanted their allowance and they said yes. It is a forced savings as you can only spend it at the parks, hotels or disney stores....WDW dining too. We had some left over(believe it or not) at the end our trip and resort exchanged it back to cash. Maybe there is a way to drop a few hints to your family about this helpful way to get both the cove and on-site.
Good luck...and it sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned.

[ugadog99]

On site, absolutely. There is just nothing like the Disney magic at the resorts. I think the headaches of transportation and wasted time going back and forth off site makes staying on site well worthwhile.

[CaliforniaDreaming]

On-site...

:cool:

[lnhoog]

I would stay on Disney property.

My husband and I went to Discovery Cove last year and were "Trainers for a Day". It was so much fun!

We also combined this trip with Disney World and we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside while there the whole time.

It was nice after a long day at Discovery Cove to come back to our Disney Resort!

[rlyrehc]

Oops! I'm going to disagree...a little.

I have stayed both on-site and off-site and I think it depends on the circumstances. To me, hotels like the CBR are really just hotels and not worth the extra $$. Sorry, I know that is not a popular point of view. On the other hand, hotels like AKL have such great themeing that you can't find anywhere else that it is worth the $355/nt. (Oh and for a first trip to wdw-always on-site.)

Last Easter we went down with two families that just didn't think that they could afford D prices so I found a 4BR, 4 Bath house that was 3yo at homes4uu.com that worked out to be $35/nt for each family. It had a screened in pool and hot-tub so we were able to swim and make noise no matter what time it was. We always rent a car, even on site, because we don't like to waste time on busses, so that wasn't a problem. It took us only about 5 mins longer than driving from the resorts. (We have never had trouble with traffic.) I wouldn't change that vacation for anything. Having our own house allowed us the privacy that we wanted and the cost allowed friends that otherwise wouldn't have been able to go to be there with us.

On another note...We did Discovery Cove last Nov. and loved it. It definately looks expensive on the surface but it includes a 5 day pass to Sea World (OK-we only used one but we could have gone 5 if we wanted to.:p )
You don't pay for all of the extras once you're in. (ie-wet suits, snorkles, sun-screen, lunch, 1 8x10 picture etc.) We are going to go back in the future and we tell everyone that we talk to that it is a "Must Do" and I don't usually go anywhere except D when we're in Orlando. You will LOVE this park. Just remember to take underwater disposable cameras and you will get the best pictures!!

Post back and let us know what you did.

[hellokitty]

One could go crazy trying to figure all this out and trying to please everyone in the group!

We have stayed off site before and I love the onsite feel.
The peace of knowing how close everything is -- and if we want
to seperate - it is only a bus ride away.

Thanks for all your advice, but I am leaning towards the Riverside
still and telling my mom to either save more money or stay else where alone. (oooh, shouldnt talk to my mom that way, huh?)
you would think after 33 yrs. I could stand up to her! lol

[Boots]

I would stay onsite. To me there is nothing like being onsite and if money isn't a problem go for it!!!:)