Deluxe at Disney or offsite at WBC? Help

left210

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 26, 2005
We are currently reserved for a split stay at AKL and Beach Club; however, if we stay offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek it will save us approx $800. My husband absolutely wants to stay onsite and tells me to stop looking at the offsite resort. I want to stay at Disney, believe me I do but I just keep thinking about that $800 and that would cover the cost of our food or tickets. So please tell me pros and cons. Thanks. I know if I post this here it will probably positive replys for offsite and if I post on other board it will be for positive for onsite but I really need some opinions please.

Also wanted to add we will have a car as we are driving to WDW and are not doing the dining plan.
 
I was very, very on the fence about this for our upcoming summer trip. We had initially talked about staying at either Boardwalk or Polynesian. When I found the Bonnet Creek thread, though, I was intrigued. To spend half the amount of money for a 2 bedroom with laundry and kitchen as opposed to us all being crammed into a hotel room, Bonnet Creek made a lot more sense to me. We do not typically have a rental car when we go to Florida but this time we will have one since we are visiting some family. Knowing we would not need to rely on Disney transportation this time also factored into our decison. Having 3 girls and knowing how much better it would be for them to have their own bedroom and bathroom was a huge plus for BC as well.

All that being said, I love staying onsite and I have been a little bit sad that we are not going to. I love the magic of being completely immersed in Disney 24/7. I figure since this is a short trip for us (5 days, 4 nights), it's a good opportunity to try something new. :)
 
You are saving $800, AND you will have more room (at least a 1BR condo) plus a kitchen and a washer and dryer.

When I travel with my kids, I absolutely refuse to stay in a single hotel room. It's just not a vacation to have to sit quietly in the dark while they try to fall asleep. What's more, the Mrs. and I also sometimes, ahem, "value our privacy" while on vacation. ;)

When it's just the two of us (or just me) a regular hotel room is okay, but we still prefer at least a 1BR condo. I'm an early bird. She's a night owl. The kitchen and washer/dryer are handy, and so on.

You can get a condo onsite---it just costs more. About half of my stays are onsite in a condo, about half are offsite in a condo, townhome, or pool home. Honestly, there is a difference, but for me, I'd rather have a condo offsite than a hotel room onsite with my kids, even at the same price. If the condo is cheaper, all the better.

However, it sounds like it might be just the two of you. If it is, then an onsite hotel room might be worthwhile, even if it costs a little more. For example, for an adult couple, the proximity of BC to Epcot (and its margaritas) is not to be underestimated! Having done both Bonnet Creek and BWV, I would pay a little more to stay at BWV. Would I pay $800 more? Maybe not. But I would think about it.
 
We are currently reserved for a split stay at AKL and Beach Club; however, if we stay offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek it will save us approx $800. My husband absolutely wants to stay onsite and tells me to stop looking at the offsite resort. I want to stay at Disney, believe me I do but I just keep thinking about that $800 and that would cover the cost of our food or tickets. So please tell me pros and cons. Thanks. I know if I post this here it will probably positive replys for offsite and if I post on other board it will be for positive for onsite but I really need some opinions please.

Also wanted to add we will have a car as we are driving to WDW and are not doing the dining plan.
I've stayed at the Beach Club and I've stayed at Bonnet Creek. If money was no object, I would stay at the Beach Club. If $800 was enough money to make me take pause, I would stay at Bonnet Creek. Would I have a great vacation either way? Yes I would.
 


With a car, one of the biggest pro's for staying onsite is that you would get free parking at the parks.... so you would need to factor in an additional $14/day for parking if you are planning to drive to the parks.



That being said, I like Bonnett Creek. It has an advantage over pretty much every other off-site option in that you are still surrounded (3 sides) by Disney. You even have to pass thru the Disney gates on your way to the Resort, so if you wanted too, you could fool yourself into saying you are onsite.


Ultimately, it comes down to what you are looking at for your vacation. Onsite you get access to the Extra magic Hours, Disney Transportation (so you never have to touch your car once you check in), and the knowledge you are in a Disney Resort, complete with mousekeeping and mickey wakeup calls.

At BC you will get a larger room, washer/dryer, kitchen... and save some money.

They both have pros and cons.
 
I would post this question on the Disney Resort thread too. Just like you said, more people who will give pros about onsite and prefer that will be posting there than here. And for balance, I think it would be great to get thoughts from posters there. I'm surprised your difference is only $800.

I usually opt for an offsite condo for value/space etc. (Disney condos -- even renting points are not something I would consider given how expensive they are and what great deals I can get on lovely condo resort offsite. The offsite values in Orlando are incredible!) For offsite stays of a week for more I do owner rentals on sites like TUG2.net and Redweek.com to save $s over retail. But and this is huge I think: we spend as much if not more time other places besides Disney and that negates the onsite advantage quite a bit. We always do two days at SeaWorld for example. A big thing too for me is trip length. The longer the trip, the more my own kitchen facilities, more space, and laundry facilities mean to me.// I do have to say, though, that the deluxe hotels are wonderful. I've never stayed there, but boy do I love the theming of the ALK (really lovely). My favorite stay ever (I've done 22 different trips) was at the Contemporary in a high tower view room when DH had a conference there -- loved being on the monerail -- loved watching the water parade from our balcony with the family after a busy theme park day, etc. I wouldn't have forked over the $s for deluxe, but loved it, and DH's company was paying for three of the four nights.

Do you anticipate doing lots of walking over to Epcot / hanging there -- There is alot to be said to being able to walk over to where you want to go and that would make Beach Club nice.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. I think it depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for and the value of great unique theming (ALK) -- love the place, and I do think it would be so cool to stay there, but have never been willing to fork over the $s / convienence to Epcot vs. the space/ammenites of a nice condo resort that isn't all that different than a nice condo resort anywhere.
 
It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? Much more room and less cost offsite. :)

However, as you can tell by the posts so far, it's still a big decision to make.

Others will probably list all of the reasons why it's better to stay offsite, the cost, the additional room, the washer/dryer etc.

However, we've done both, and I would spend the extra money. We stayed at what was the former Wyndham Palms (believe it's Mystic Dunes now) and had a 2 bedroom, laundry, full kitchen, etc. The place was absolutely beautiful and cost about the same as a Disney moderate. However, after the vacation both of our kids said the condo was nice, but asked to stay in a "real" Disney hotel next time.

I mentioned that they wouldn't have had all of the room, and they responded that when we go to Disney, they want it to feel like Disney. They would rather stay in a moderate at Disney than have the additional room and privacy of a offsite condo.

There are a lot of great reasons to stay off-site, but to us, they don't outweigh the things we miss when not at an onsite resort.
 


Make sure you are pricing Bonnet Creek through a rental company to get the best price. Look at companies such as Vacation Upgrades, Vacation Strategy or Farrell, the savings might be much greater than $800. :thumbsup2
 

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