Staying onsite still worth it?

[mattman2k]

We stayed at the ASMov May 2001 and had an incredible time. The entire vacation went off without a hitch, including 3 days at the HRH Universal. The main reason we stayed onsite was to take advantage of EE, which we certainly did. Had planned on using the Disney transportation but as we had a rental car anyway we ended up driving everywhere, which was fine and more convenient to us.

Anyway, we are planning a return trip for May 2003 and in starting the research again I just found out that the EE is no more.:mad: We will no doubt do the rental car thing again so the onsite transportation is not a value. What other reasons are there to stay onsite? No doubt I can get a nicer room at a nearby hotel for the money I would spend on a value or moderate resort.

Talk me into it guys!!:jester:

[dcedwards]

We prefer onsite because of the Disney Magic 24-7. It is just Disney all the time. We like the disney soaps in the bathroom and the theme at the resorts. It just seems to have the "magic" that you don't find at an offsite hotel. I think it depends on what you are looking for. Rooms off site are probably less expensive and might be bigger and nicer, perhaps, but they just feel like hotels that we would stay at anyplace else. Not the same. Even when I had a convention on International Drive we stayed at the POFQ instead of at the conference hotel. Plus, you never know when they are going to bring back EE. By the time you go, it might be back. They have brought back several other things of late.

[skuttle]

DH and I enjoy staying onsite because of the location! By staying onsite, the Disney magic never goes away. You're always at WDW and always feel surrounded by the Disney magic. And that's worth every penny!

[SouthernMom]

We were close to canceling our onsite ressies. We were staying at PBH during the Universal part of our trip, and at Caribe Royale while hubby was at convention. Somehow packing up and moving that extra time ... well, was it worth it? We ended up doing it ONLY because we wanted to take advantage of e-night. The CR is an ultra nice place, the room was much larger (and yes, nicer) than our on-site room. BUT, there's just something special about the onsite theming. Once we arrived at CBR we felt more like we were on vacation than at CR. I will say though, that we had that same special feeling at Universal's Portifino Bay. We'll never stay anywhere but Dis or Universal unless it's necessary for conventions.

[MELSMICE]

I think it's just all about the Disney magic. You can stay off-site & save money & we have done that, but nothing compares to staying on-site. I guess it's hard to explain unless you have experienced both.

When exploring your options if you do decide to go off-site check into Holiday Inn Family Suites. Very reasonable, clean, very close to WDW.

You'll pay more on-site, but there's nothing like!!!

[Billpowerrock]

got to stay on site, well i do anyway, i want the whole experience, and sure its more money, but i mean, a vactation to disney might not happen so often, i m going for the first time without my folks in jan, taking my girlfriend, and i ve been looking all over for deals, and sure i thought about staying off site, but i jus dont see the point, if i m paying, i want disney 24-7 and staying inside is great, i was at thw wl last summer with my folks, and it was great, such a goodfeeling, great service, disney is great, staying in the resort is great, i just hope everything there remains great, i keep hearing that the disney company is not doing to well

[eeyore0062]

MOST DEFINITELY! Stay off site, then stay onsite, and then weigh in with the opinion. There is NO comparison. While onsite you are immersed in the Disney Magic... you don't have to deal with traffic, you can park at the parks for free, you can take advantage of E ticket nights, and the character caravan, as well as the transportation, which is very convenient.

[Gail T AGAIN]

For yrs. I stayed off sight, it was fine, but then WHACK, reality woke me up and I tried onsite. My first onsite hotel was Dixey landings and from that moment I knew I couldn't do off sight again. I am leaving in 2 days and staying, are you ready for this, 5 nights 3 hotels just to experience the magic, I am going one of those days to US and was going to stay at Portofino bay hotel but changed my plans to stay one night at Animal Kingdon because there is nothing like the magic you feel from staying on a disney property.

[MHopkins2]

You didn't mention the members of your group, but...

* Munchkins: as everyone mentioned, there is just more "magic" on-site. Adults might not care so much, but kids might, once they're old enough to notice stuff like Mickey shower curtains, wake up calls, etc.

* Teenagers: onsite makes it easier to split up and let everyone do what they want to do (safe, reliable transportation back to the hotel if Mom & Dad went out to a nice dinner alone).

* Avid shoppers (like me! :) ) There is no joy quite like the one when saying, "Just send it back to the hotel, please." :D Not only do you not have to haul your purchases around the park, you don't have to wait in a long line at the end of the day at Package Pickup. If you're not a shopper, this probably sounds ridiculous; if you are, you know what I mean!

[Tesabat]

I've stayed off-site a couple times. Not really interested in doing it again. It was less expensive, but I felt like I could be staying at a hotel anywhere. It was a bland, standard, three-star hotel. I could have been waking up in Toledo or Topeka or...you get the idea. I had to "convince" my brother who is traveling with us this trip on his first, ever, Dis vacation that staying on-site was a good idea. He's seeing $$$ mega deals...not ambiance. But since this "is" his first trip, I want it to be special, and convinced him that total Dis immersion is a must! :) (I must be rather convincing as we are staying at VWL!!)

I think if you were only staying on site at the All Stars to get EE, and the room was basically just a place to crash, grab a quick bite, and jump in the pool...then you should stay off site, because you can do that anywhere. You don't need ASMu to do that! You are using your own transportation anyway...so, I'm not seeing much advantage. I'd try it offsite...there are tons of great deals out there right now...and then you'll have a good comparison.

[Trekker]

The only thing I can tell you is what I've experienced. In our several trips to WDW we did stay offsite one time because we got such a "good deal".

I have to say that as others have posted - once I drove out those Disney gates back into the real world the day was over and we could have been in any city in any state. It just felt like our vacation ended each day.

When staying onsite there is so much to see and do at each of the resorts that even though you leave a park you never really leave Disney, and you can truly feel the difference.

Offsite is not for us, my DW, DS, & DD all agree that the vacation is much "different" when staying at a Disney Resort vs offsite.

[sharoncity]

A friend of mine recently went down and stayed off site because of thge deals. When she returned, she said never again. When she mentioned it to people beforehand, they just sort of said "oh, offsite?" But no one really told her don't do it. Her experience was that by the time they packed up each morning, drove in, parked, walked......Well when they got tired they went back to their hotel. NO Way were they going to go back in to WDW again that day. So if you like to take a break now and again, that is a really big plus of staying onsite. You'll end up getting more for your money on the tickets. Also, as someone else mentioned, lets all hope that EE is back by May 2003! I think there is a good chance of it with the other things that have already returned. Good luck with your decision!

[jjsmom]

Don't forget that by staying off site, you have to pay parking ($7/day I think), spend $$$ on extra gas traveling back and forth (a lot of places advertise "minutes from WDW"-it ends up being longer if you sit in traffic coming/going).

I'm a big fan of penny pinching and budgeting, but if there is any way at all I can stay on-site, I will do it. We stayed at All Stars last year and loved it.

[s&k'smom]

Just wanted to add my pro on site vote! There really is something about the magic and being surrounded by it 24/7. We love not having to rent a car and being able to go back to our resort during the day. We feel very spoiled during our stays and I just don't think you'll find a place that treat kids and espeically kids with disabilities with so much respect. When I changed our ressies recently to GF the CM put me on hold to check with her supervisor on getting us a specific room request for our DS who is mildly autistic. She went out of her way without my even asking. Now that's magic!

[Kim&Chris]

I stayed off-site twice. After my first visit to an on-site hotel, I swore that I'd never stay off-site again. As other posters have noted, you can stay at any old Holiday Inn, but you can only stay at CBR, POR, CR, Poly, etc in ONE place!!

IMHO, the Disney hotels are as much a part of my vacation as the theme parks.

[Eeyore1954]

I am a definite on-property fan. Like someone else said, the magic definitely ends at the gates.

My DW and I went in May. We didn't miss EE/Surprise Mornings; in fact, we almost welcomed the change (is that heresy?). We didn't feel the pressure to get up early, grab b'fast and rush to the bus to get to the park. We took a more casual approach and arrived whenever...

The Character Caravan was fun. We stayed at WL and several times the characters grabbed some wooden ponies from the Whispering Canyon Cafe and started their own pony race in the lobby. It was a hoot to watch!

No e-nights? No problem, my DW and I hit Pleasure Island and had a blast. I could spend hours at Adventurer's Club. Anyway, we are not big "ride" people anyway.

We have stayed on and off-property. Our feeling: we stay on-property or we don't go!

[erikthewise]

When you go to Waikiki, do you stay inland and drive to the beach?
When you visit London, do you stay at a bed & breakfast in Reading and take the tube into the city?
When you visit Vegas, do you stay at a Motel 6 in Needles and commute?
Then you are a candidate for staying off-site at Disney.

Seriously, give off-site a try and see what you think. Obviously a lot of people do it and they can hardly all be miserable; I'm sure most of them still have a great time.

As for myself, I don't go on vacation to save money; if I want to do that, I stay home. Once I've paid for airfare and park passes, I want to make the trip as enjoyable as possible. The only way I would be tempted to stay off-site is if they paid ME $50 a night to stay there. Well, maybe $100....

[donnamerry]

and don't forget if one of the WDW parks reach full capacity anyone trying to get into the park that is not staying on-site, may have a problem! The on-site resort guests get in before off-site.

[Hollymom1229]

I will never stay off of Disney property again, to many bad experiences, but I would stay in one of the hotels in Downtown Disney again. The bus transportation is pretty good, they participate in e-night, you don't have to deal with the traffic of getting on property, very nice all around, without being total Disney immersion.

[gepetto]

E-nights were cancelled for our late May trip. But we got to the parks at opening and had no problems getting on the ride we wanted with minimal lines.

I prefer taking Disney transportation. I hate styaing offsite and having to worry with the traffic on the highway and then parking and trams. So even though I miss EE....it's still ok. We found the Character Caravan a little disorganized and unreliable.

[SnackyStacky]

The first time I went, I stayed off site. It was nice, but I didn't like having to say goodbye to Disney World each night.

The last time I went, I stayed in a Downtown Disney resort, and LOVED it!!!

For my trip in September, we looked at prices for the Grosvernor. It was $74/night before taxes, which was pretty comparable to what I was finding elsewhere. I believe with taxes, it came to about $99/night.

But then, we managed to book a room at POR for $84/night INCLUDING all taxes and fees.

Basically, if you look hard enough, and long enough, you can find some on property rooms cheaper or only a few dollars more than offsite!

Check out www.onlinevacationmall.com That's where we got our room. If you click on hotel only vacations, you can find some GREAT rates. The package we picked had the option of getting travel protection, a rental car, passes not only to Disney but Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, and a SLEW of other attractions, and most of them are unbeatable rates.

[starshine73]

Onsite is definitely the only choice for us! Why? Number one, we hate to drive! This means we don't have to rent a car, and we never get lost. The package shipping to your room is great too. You can charge things to your room card if you link your credit card to it. I tend to have more stamina than DH and I can keep going while he goes back to the room to nap. Like someone else posted, it was kind of nice on our last trip to sleep in a bit and not worry about early entry. Not that I don't really want it back!! But it was early December and we didn't really need it. Never tried Enights but hoping to this October! And the best part about staying onsite is you don't have to leave WDW until your vacation is really over.

[jwwi]

Onsite. Why? The clean bright rooms, the castmembers, the hidden mickey's. No EE, sleep later, enjoy the resort. Being surrounded by many others who feel the same way you do about WDW. :)

[MLAinVA]

Onsite always!!! We have stayed at the GF, SOG (many times), BWI, BWV, the bungalos at Disney Village, CSR, and one time on "hotel row". Even though those hotels are on Disney property, we still missed the magic and were really sorry that we made that choice. If I can't find or afford a Disney room, we'll probably stay home.

[Ilove8Trax]

YES! It is worth it! Because of obvious Disney Magic. If you believe in it, you'll feel it.;) :eek: :eek:

[Mymatisse]

I haven't stayed onsite yet. In fact, I'm planning to stay at POR in September and am very much looking forward to it. However, I can say this. I stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Downtown Disney last January and it was Great! It was a nice compromise-- a great location, transportation to all the parks, a decent room, without having to pay Disney Prices!

There is no doubt that I am going to LOVE POR from all that I've read, but if I wasn't getting such a great deal I would definately look to staying off site (maybe on hotel plaza blvd.) before I would shell out money for an All Star resort.

[Ajax]

My wife couldn't get her mom & sisters to spring for an on-site resort in February for a four day trip. So they stayed at a hotel whose name escapes me in Kissimee.
She told me she'll never do it again, and felt as if she had been punished for not clapping during Peter Pan.;)

[JonHM]

One more vote for onsite - it is a *completely* different experience staying onsite - utterly immersive and magical - at least at the moderates and up. Not knocking All Stars, just haven't stayed in them, so can't comment on the experience. But every other time we have stayed onsite, it has been unbelievable. From the time you arrive and check in to the time that you leave for the airport on your last day, you are utterly engulfed in Walt Disney World - I don't care how nice the hotel room off grounds, even one for hundreds of dollars a night, I would stay on site instead. And being able to go to a park for a few hours, go back to the resort to rest and then back out to the parks all without dealing with traffic is just wonderful. Early entry will probably be back in *some* form before your next trip. I would do some hunting into what kind of bargains you could dig up at a moderate. Port Orleans French Quarter is very nice, and I've heard very good things about Coronado Springs as well.

[mikesmom]

I agree with the poster that said it's hard to take a nice break and come back. By the time you walk out of the park, get to your car, drive out of the lot, and drive to your hotel, it's plain too much work to do it all over again to come back. It can take a full hour just to get to even a close hotel. We took several trips and stayed offsite before deciding to try onsite about 3 years ago. It was a truly amazing improvement to the quality of the vacation just to head back to a Disney hotel for a break.

We were there 2 weeks ago and while we did stay onsite we did venture out a few times for groceries and 'cause members of our group wanted a mall trip. Traffic is HORRENDOUS right now. I've always felt traffic was bad in the Orlando area but this was beyond belief. I-4, 192, you name it - they were all congested, had construction, closed lanes, closed exits - it was a complete nightmare any time we ventured out. It didn't seem to matter what time of day or night it was - the traffic was always a snarled mess. The very thought of trying to deal with that at the end of the day when you're already tired is just awful.

[jiminyfan]

I have to agree witht the oters, we did the off-site thing a few times to save money or if the trip was planned around other things thatn Disney. We did two off-site disney trips and neither felt as magical or special as theon-site ones. It jsut didn't feel like a "DISNEY" trip having to leave the resort at night, fight traffic and etc.

We will always stay on-site for the Disney portion of our trip.

:cool:

[nwdisgal]

I like the landscaping and the resort feel for staying on site. Unfortunately, once you drive out of WDW, you are hit with strip malls and the glare of I-4 and the other busy roads in that area. I've stayed both on-site and off-site and prefer on-site by a long shot. Our room offsite was much larger at half the price, but we also enjoyed (?) a view of I-4. That bugged me enough to offset any gains from room size. I wouldn't do it again. Also, I noticed a difference in room cleanliness between Disney and the offsites. I missed the happy, smiling faces and the activities on site.

[Gail T AGAIN]

I just got back, I did stay on property but to be honest if you rent a car it is just as good to stay off property. the perks at Disney are gone, hopefully they will come back some day. Just like life things go in circles, so at some point I bet they will.:)

[disdaddy]

i love being on-site because you're surrounded by the disney environment (and generally can ignore the outside world). in addition, if you have little kids, you generally can't beat disney transport (especially the monorails)!

[BeckyV]

We stayed offsite only once at a timeshare and then checked into OKW. We had a three bedroom and only at two bedroom at OKW. The difference was between night and day. And the timeshare was a top of the line Gold Crown Property. Last New Years we switched resorts from BWV to VWL. We thought we would go offsite to eat during the wait to check in. My Hubby says never again. I will never get him offsite again. He loves going and parking the truck and never moving it. Disney is just different. The whole atmosphere is Disney. I just returned from two days at DVC's Hilton Head Resort and then checked into a Marriott for a week in a two bedroom timeshare. I had no doubts about my recent add-on to DVC Hilton Head. It had that Disney magic just like the other resorts. We love Disney and became DVC members at BWV, VWL, and HH. They are all home to us and nothing compares. Why do you think the number one timeshare group on the web www.tug2.net names Boardwalk as one of the top timeshares in the world while Orlando is full of first class timeshares?