Doing the fuzzy math for on site vs off site . . .

[kaguilbeau]

I'm bring 3 of my older kids on a 4 night trip Oct 16-20. As most of you know, it appears these dates will be blacked out for free dining. I'm hoping for a room discount, but not sure about that either. The total for our hotel (Coronado Springs) is 867.00. This includes tax and free transportation to/fro airport.

I've looked at some other places in the DTD area, specifically Doubletree Suites. I know Mousesavers and some others have discounted rates, but as we've all suspected - there is something very special about this time frame, as a quote for my 4 nights was 124.00/night plus 153.00 for taxes & services fees for a total of 649.00. Then I have to pay for round trip town car service - say 130.00 (110.00 plus gratuity both ways), bring my off site stay to 779.00.

Yep, it's cheaper - by 88.00

Everybody looks at things differently. Since we'll be without a car, we'll depend solely on shuttle. Also, since my kids are early 20's, we'll be coming and going as we please. Shuttles are the reason I would consider the DTD area as they run every 30 minutes.

What is your breaking point? How much cheaper does your quote need to be before it is worth it to you to move off site?

 

[Ksquared]

if you can't rent a car and your quote is only a difference of $88 then I wouldn't change to offsite.

We've done onsite and offsite but the last few trips we've done offsite but we have a car and I think that makes a big difference.

We are pricing our trip for next year and staying offsite is more economical for us but we are not dependent on transportation and meals at the parks either....

 

[sympatico]

We stay offsite because we like it that way: house with private pool, we always rent a car so we're not stuck in one place and we do more than just Disney. For us it isn't about not being able to afford to stay onsite it's just we like being off site. But if you don't have a car and are only going to Disney then you should stay onsite. Less hassle for you and only a $88 difference.

 

[TamaraQT]

I would suggest ONSITE for you and your family. I have never stayed onsite but considering it a possibility for a few days next year IF we return to Disney. However, it seems you are focused solely on a DISNEY vacation so I think onsite is your way to go. Since you are not going to have free dining, the budget can add up pretty quickly when you will have to consider the cost of meals. Eating offsite can be more economical when free dining isn't an option. But of course you need transportation to and from offsite restaurants, so you have to factor that in also. Lots to consider and its not an easy decision for everyone. But considering your trip is only 3 months away, the disboards are definitely a good source of info. Have fun planning and have a FABULOUS vacation!

 

[robinb]

I'm bring 3 of my older kids on a 4 night trip Oct 16-20. As most of you know, it appears these dates will be blacked out for free dining. I'm hoping for a room discount, but not sure about that either. The total for our hotel (Coronado Springs) is 867.00. This includes tax and free transportation to/fro airport.

I've looked at some other places in the DTD area, specifically Doubletree Suites. I know Mousesavers and some others have discounted rates, but as we've all suspected - there is something very special about this time frame, as a quote for my 4 nights was 124.00/night plus 153.00 for taxes & services fees for a total of 649.00. Then I have to pay for round trip town car service - say 130.00 (110.00 plus gratuity both ways), bring my off site stay to 779.00.

Yep, it's cheaper - by 88.00

Everybody looks at things differently. Since we'll be without a car, we'll depend solely on shuttle. Also, since my kids are early 20's, we'll be coming and going as we please. Shuttles are the reason I would consider the DTD area as they run every 30 minutes.

What is your breaking point? How much cheaper does your quote need to be before it is worth it to you to move off site?

I don't have a problem staying offsite to save some money, but I would have to save a whole heck of a lot more than $20 per night! I would stick with what you have.

You might also look into renting points for a DVC studio. A studio at SSR is 58 points so your stay would be $696 (@ $12 per point) and there are no taxes charged on that amount. So, a studio at SSR would save you about $170 over CSR. There are some availability problems now (Fri is not available) but you may be able to find an owner who can waitlist you.

I do wonder what's going on that weekend since all the other DVC resorts are sold out. Is it Food and Wine?

 

[kaguilbeau]

@ robinb . . . they only had a 1 Br available at the time I checked. I had two different owners check for availability. SSR was the only resort that had an opening. The points for that were more like 120 +.

In my mind, the savings would need to be closer to 150.00 for the trip to justify staying offsite - - maybe more than that. I look at all the research I'm doing as furthering my disney knowledge !

 

[Girls1]

Well for me the savings should be atleast $200 with all things considered.
In your case though I would think about the amount of space you're getting at each hotel. A suite at the Doubletree is twice as large as a room at CSR.
I throw that in because you mentioned how old your kids were. But of course it's only 4 nights so you might not mind sharing a small space.
Just something else to factor in

 

[Candleshoe]

I don't have a problem staying offsite to save some money, but I would have to save a whole heck of a lot more than $20 per night! I would stick with what you have.

You might also look into renting points for a DVC studio. A studio at SSR is 58 points so your stay would be $696 (@ $12 per point) and there are no taxes charged on that amount. So, a studio at SSR would save you about $170 over CSR. There are some availability problems now (Fri is not available) but you may be able to find an owner who can waitlist you.

I do wonder what's going on that weekend since all the other DVC resorts are sold out. Is it Food and Wine?

I'm a big fan of offsite and I would suggest onsite for you. I have to have a car to go offsite -- that's my personal given.

I'm not looking it up, but OKW is usually less than SSR, so you can look at that, too.

 

[Rosebud123]

Why not Wyndham Bonnet Creek? $480 total for a 2 bedroom in the WDW "bubble" and you can rent a car for less than $150, probably closer to $100 for only 5 days in Oct if you keep a close eye on the discount codes on the Transportation forum.

You can stop at a grocery store and get breakfast stuff/snacks/cocktails, etc.

After staying at WBC, I would NEVER choose to cram 4 people in one room again at Disney when I could have a gorgeous 2 bedroom at WBC with a balcony, full kitchen and, best of all, a washer and dryer!!!!!

They have busses that run to and from WDW all day, but not nearly as often as WDW busses. It's very close to DTD, though.

 

[jamuth]

Stay onsite for such a little price difference. Right now I am agonizing over our off site reservation. It is $1500 cheaper then AoA (where I really want to stay) but I just can't justifiy it. I was Praying for free dining but that week is blacked out.

 

[Grog]

Keep in mind that there are two kinds of staying offsite. The kind that saves you money, and the type that can be just as expensive as staying onsite but without the onsite perks.

Example- You can rent a nice house or condo for a little more than half what you're going to pay for the Doubletree. With the money you save you could rent a car and still have a nice savings (and no having to pay for transportation to and from the airport), especially if you get a good deal on the car through Priceline or something similar.

 

[Candleshoe]

I got the impression they didn't want a rental car. That's the main reason I'd suggest onsite. Even with WBC I don't know how good the shuttles are. Then again i don't like Disney transportation so I'm not the best judge of shuttles/buses.

 

[Upatnoon]

I'm bring 3 of my older kids on a 4 night trip Oct 16-20. As most of you know, it appears these dates will be blacked out for free dining. I'm hoping for a room discount, but not sure about that either. The total for our hotel (Coronado Springs) is 867.00. This includes tax and free transportation to/fro airport.

I've looked at some other places in the DTD area, specifically Doubletree Suites. I know Mousesavers and some others have discounted rates, but as we've all suspected - there is something very special about this time frame, as a quote for my 4 nights was 124.00/night plus 153.00 for taxes & services fees for a total of 649.00. Then I have to pay for round trip town car service - say 130.00 (110.00 plus gratuity both ways), bring my off site stay to 779.00.

Yep, it's cheaper - by 88.00

Everybody looks at things differently. Since we'll be without a car, we'll depend solely on shuttle. Also, since my kids are early 20's, we'll be coming and going as we please. Shuttles are the reason I would consider the DTD area as they run every 30 minutes.

What is your breaking point? How much cheaper does your quote need to be before it is worth it to you to move off site?

The massive savings you get offsite is when want some space.

A 2BR at Bonnet Creek can be had for $120 a night (often less) including all taxes and fees. That's $480 for 4 nights. The same thing on property, such as renting DVC points to stay at Old Key West, is going to cost around $1,400 in your time-frame.

Now in your case, it may be true that after renting a car and paying for parking, the overall cost of staying in a place like bonnet creek will be the same as staying on property. HOWEVER, off-site you get to stay in a 1200 square foot villa, with the freedom to go anywhere with your rental car. Onsite you are limited to a tiny hotel room and are at the mercy of the Disney transportation system.

 

[Grog]

I got the impression they didn't want a rental car

You may be right, or they may have ruled it out because of what they are paying already. I was pointing out how, if they stayed elsewhere, they could afford one and not have to worry about shuttles or paying for airport transportation and still come in well under budget.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you really want to split up frequently, (and you don't have at least two cars), it would be hard to beat the convenience of a Disney resort. A close second would be DTD, which you've already explored but probably will not save much money, or perhaps Wyndam Bonnet Creek---it also has semi-convenient shuttle service. You'd probably want a 2BR at Bonnet for your travel party and that would probably not be less expensive either, but it would be a lot more comfortable than four adult-sized people in a single Disney Mod.

 

[kaguilbeau]

Why not Wyndham Bonnet Creek? $480 total for a 2 bedroom in the WDW "bubble" and you can rent a car for less than $150, probably closer to $100 for only 5 days in Oct if you keep a close eye on the discount codes on the Transportation forum.

You can stop at a grocery store and get breakfast stuff/snacks/cocktails, etc.

After staying at WBC, I would NEVER choose to cram 4 people in one room again at Disney when I could have a gorgeous 2 bedroom at WBC with a balcony, full kitchen and, best of all, a washer and dryer!!!!!

They have busses that run to and from WDW all day, but not nearly as often as WDW busses. It's very close to DTD, though.

That one was a consideration too. My quote was 149.00 per night (596.00) plus the shuttle from the airport. That rate was the same whether I got a 1 or 2 br. It was cheaper by 120.00 +/-.

 

[kaguilbeau]

If you really want to split up frequently, (and you don't have at least two cars), it would be hard to beat the convenience of a Disney resort. A close second would be DTD, which you've already explored but probably will not save much money, or perhaps Wyndam Bonnet Creek---it also has semi-convenient shuttle service. You'd probably want a 2BR at Bonnet for your travel party and that would probably not be less expensive either, but it would be a lot more comfortable than four adult-sized people in a single Disney Mod.

Good point. And this isn't our first trip - the kids are accustomed to coming and going as they please.

 

[Brian Noble]

If it were me, with that travel party, I'd go with the larger unit at Bonnet Creek, even with the slightly less-convenient shuttle service. Even if the kids take a cab once in a blue moon, it will still cost less, but it will be VASTLY more comfortable.

 

[Grumpy92]

This just happened to me. We are going at the end of August and there have been no AP or Fla Res discounts only a late summer discount. I looked into the possibilities of a Disney resort as we have always stayed at one of those. But even with the late summer discount it was still very expensive. At the same time I kept looking on the Hilton site. I had recently stayed at the Hilton at BC for business and loved it. The pool and the large new rooms are incredible.
I kept waiting for a better Disney resort discount but nothing came.

I discussed it with my family and found that the Hilton at DTD had a AAA discount for $87 a night, this was even cheaper then Pop. So we booked there. We like the ability to go across the street to DTD and pick up Disney buses and all the food options there as well. The Hilton gets the EMH and has buses to the parks.
I am still in shock that we are going to wdw and not staying at a Disney resort. But the price was just too good to pass up.

So you might want to check out one of the Hiltons on property. There are two, Hilton at Walt Disney World (DTD) and Hilton at Bonnet Creek. Check frequently, the closer it gets to your arrival date the better chance you will find rates that have dropped. I used hilton.com.

 

[robinb]

I discussed it with my family and found that the Hilton at DTD had a AAA discount for $87 a night, this was even cheaper then Pop. So we booked there. We like the ability to go across the street to DTD and pick up Disney buses and all the food options there as well. The Hilton gets the EMH and has buses to the parks.
I am still in shock that we are going to wdw and not staying at a Disney resort. But the price was just too good to pass up.

That's a great price for that hotel! Just so you know, Disney discontinued bus service from DTD to the parks. The buses from DTD ONLY go to the resorts.