Tried offsite, but going back to on property

ready2vacation

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
We have really enjoyed our week at Disney and think Windsor Hills is a very nice place to stay, but as the week progressed we have decided that we will likely go back to staying on site. We are those that like the full onslaught of Mickeyness, not to mention we spent as much time at the Poly staying offsite as we do when we stay there - so for us it is just easier to go back to staying there.

Again, WH was great - the guards were awesome working the gate (no issues there), the resort was quiet, well-groomed, etc. We liked our townhome and renting from All Stars, but didn't care for the splash pool (seemed hot and gross to me), the bugs (I know they are everywhere, but I just don't notice them on property LOL), etc.

Thanks to all that had provided me with ideas and insight prior to our offsite stay. Syndrome, if you read this, we didn't make to the Hole in a Role (or Rolle with a Hole???) after all, but thought of you each time I drove by :)
 
Glad you had a good time. :) Offsite isn't for everyone, but IMHO enough "onsiters" discover they really enjoy it that it's worth giving a shot. Didn't work out that way this time, but at least now you know what really is best for your family! :thumbsup2
 
Syndrome, if you read this, we didn't make to the Hole in a Role (or Rolle with a Hole???) after all, but thought of you each time I drove by :)

Thanks, lol......:rotfl2:. Too bad, you would have liked a "real" NJ bagel. :lmao:
We are going down to WDW in a few weeks, staying on-site this time...........the one thing I am disapointed about is missing "Roll with a Hole", lol. :headache:

Anyway, I guess some of us are not "on-site people" or "off-site people".
We like to do both for different reasons. Look at my sig, and you can see we stay at a lot of different places when in Orlando. We like Windsor hills, but cant see how anyone would like those splash pools. We stay in a house. The resort is great, but you do feel a little disconnected from WDW. That can be good too. Sometimes we feel we need a break from the mass of humanity at WDW........even the resorts. We tend to stay at an on-site resort (WDW and Universal) for shorter trips, but for longer trips......8-10 + days we like to stay offsite. Just seems more relaxing for us.
At least you tried WH, now at least you know you have other options. I dont know how old your kids are, but as they grow "up" you may find yourself wandering back to offsite for comfort and personal space!


Our problem is that we are a family of 5............on site (even the expensive Deluxes) seem cramped to us. We wind up getting on each others nerves in a few days. Off site it seems like everyone has their own space.........but we do miss the "magic" in all honesty. If we could find a 3+ bdrm in WDW for an affordable price, we would be all over it. Thats why we have been thinking of DVC lately............:scared1:

Thanks for thinking of me !:rotfl:
Syndrome
 
Our problem is that we are a family of 5............on site (even the expensive Deluxes) seem cramped to us.

I don't know how onsiters with multiple kids do it. Stuffing ourselves into a hotel room with a couple of kids is not my idea of a vacation! :crazy2:

Thats why we have been thinking of DVC lately............:scared1:

If you're not a devoted onsiter, you might look into owning another Timeshare and trading in. Without having paid that big hunk of cash upfront, I can trade into DVC for about what it costs a DVC owner in yearly MFs, and there are plenty of TSers who can trade in for considerably less. What you want is a TS that is not in Orlando (Orlando is overbuilt, but the real reason you want to avoid Orlando is that Orlando TSs can't trade into DVC); that trades through both RCI and II (since DVC has switched back and forth a few times); and either buy a week that trades fairly well, or get into a points system.

We own with Bluegreen, and so can trade into DVC for what it costs us to stay at our own Orlando resorts. I believe Wyndham has the same deal, plus with Wyndham you have Bonnet Creek and one of the few resorts near Washington, D.C. as part of the system. For people who "have" to stay onsite, and who are limited to school vacation dates, buying another condo and trading in is pretty risky; not much availability. But if you're okay with staying offsite if you can't get a DVC unit, and particularly if you're flexible enough to go whenever you can get a reservation, it's a great deal. :)

We go in May and have kept an eye on October, November and January; there's always been some 1 BR DVC units available in all those timeslots, and often 2BRs. SSR and OKW always show up, and then all the rest depending on the year. And that's just looking at the stuff that wasn't pulled by an "on-going search" with RCI: signing up for an on-going search improves your odds. People who can go offseason and are flexible on dates can usually trade into DVC pretty easily; trading into a particular DVC resort at a particular time can be a lot trickier.

Through RCI you cannot request savannah view with AKL, but most people get it and you can grab a week, check the code, and discard it if it isn't coded for savannah (it's still not absolutely guaranteed but no reservation with Disney is :p ). Generally, people trading into DVC get the mid-range units -- the cheapie rooms and Boardwalk views go to the owners, so RCIers get a view of the pool or whatever. Not the best but not the worst, either. ;)
 


I don't know how onsiters with multiple kids do it. Stuffing ourselves into a hotel room with a couple of kids is not my idea of a vacation! :crazy2:

Heck, we only have ONE child, and we dread the idea of staying in a standard hotel room. While we love the magic and theming of the Disney resorts, we need at least a one bedroom in order to be comfortable and the Disney villas are just too costly.

Gotta have those separate sleeping quarters from the kiddo and two TV's is a must. Our first Orlando trip was to POR, which we loved, but now that we have seen the space and amenities we can get elsewhere for a fraction of the cost, I am afraid we will be offsiters forever (or at least until DH and I are travelling without the boy).
 
I have 5 kids, and we got 2 rooms. We were not cramped at all. Costly yes, but worth it for us.
 
The only way I will ever stay onsite is if my husband and I were to take a trip by ourselves, perhaps for Food & Wine Festival or some such event. He runs marathons and has mentioned the Disney marathon in passing so that would be a possibility. Our children are teenagers, DD is in university this year, and we do better as a family if we have our own space. If they are with us, it will be offsite (unless I fall into a bucket of money and can afford to stay at a DVC resort).

We don't actually like the WDW parks as much as US/IOA so staying onsite for the "magic" never seemed like a good idea for us. Seemed like an expensive pile of nonsense for us all to sleep in one room and have to depend on buses to get around, actually.
 


and two TV's is a must.

We get two rooms when on the road -- whichever one I'm going to sleep in, and the one where the TV can be on. ;) My mom often threatens to get her own room so she can watch something not sports, which is maybe more where you're coming from. The only sports she watches are various Olympic events, although she's such a rabid Olympics fan we all know to schedule around them or she either won't show, or will demand a TV tuned to them while she's there!

I have 5 kids, and we got 2 rooms. We were not cramped at all. Costly yes, but worth it for us.

We're Timeshare people; I want my living room and my full kitchen while on vacation. :p Returning to the same hotel room night after night make me flash back to that time my family was trapped in a hotel room for a month waiting for the moving company to get its act together; not a good mindset for vacationing. ;)

I think it's also a personality thing -- I've got five kids, too, and three of them are pretty mellow, but I wouldn't want to be stuck in a hotel room for even one night rooming with my most territorial son and my most territorial daughter. :rotfl2:
 
We totally converted to pool homes last year. After a year of being spread between three Disney places (two ALSMo and one FW) we vowed never again...what a hassle. Having the pool house we had our own pool, kitchen and laundry. Each person had their own bedroom and bathroom. No way we'd go back. Not sure what "splash pools" are as the house had a real pool and whirl pool. The house we chose for next July even has a huge game room.
 
We totally converted to pool homes last year. After a year of being spread between three Disney places (two ALSMo and one FW) we vowed never again...what a hassle. Having the pool house we had our own pool, kitchen and laundry. Each person had their own bedroom and bathroom. No way we'd go back. Not sure what "splash pools" are as the house had a real pool and whirl pool. The house we chose for next July even has a huge game room.

The WH townhomes have private splash pools - I think they are 10x10 or something similar.
 
I don't know if we'll ever go back to on-site either even with my family getting smaller (down to one child traveling with us). We are so spoiled by the room, the kitchen, and the washer/dryer, but we save so much money covering breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks after our visit to the Publix that we have funds to spend elsewhere or just enjoy the cheaper vacation. And at this point, what we like best is that Florida sun, even over Mickey! :o
 
OP, it's good that you tried it out and know why you prefer one over the other. I like to hear experiences from families that have tried both rather than trying to be sold on the idea from die hard onsiters (or offsiters) who haven't actually tried it for themselves.
We will most likely stay offsite for our next trip for several reasons (stayed in a family suite at AS Music last time). Financially it is a lot more practical for us now that our oldest two kids are "Disney adults" and our youngest is now three years old; we don't want to be restricted to going to Disney when the biggest discounts/promotions (e.g., free dining) are offered since this is the only way staying onsite is financially practical for us with the kind of accommodations we need; and our oldest two children are getting to the age where they don't like sharing beds or sleeping on pull out beds either. So, we are considering renting a vacation home or a three bedroom condo for our next Disney trip. A lot of large families who prefer staying onsite advocate getting two standard value resort rooms as that works out for a lot of families' budgets and meets the room occupancy issue; but I am on the fence about getting two standard value resort rooms because me and DH really prefer having at least a queen size bed; and I also like having a "suite" layout (separate living room, kitchen/kitchenette) for a week long vacay. If it was just me and DH, or if the trip was a short trip (3 nights or less), than we would probably be fine with the standard room layout. It seems like the full immersion factor and all inclusiveness is the real big draw for staying onsite for many and I can appreciate that; but based on our experience from our last trip, I can say that my family's vacationing style is that we don't need to be immersed in the "magic" once we leave the parks and we aren't "stay in the parks from sun up to sun down" people. We enjoy the experiences in the parks, character meals, etc. but at the end of the day we just want some down time and relaxation as a family and don't really use the resort recreational amenities much. I love Disney, but I am also excited about the prospect of being able to see a little more of the Orlando area which we weren't able to do before because of relying 100% on WDW buses. I will definitely come back to this thread after our trip (planning for a spring 2013 trip) and share our experience.
 
there is a resale market for DVC and you can still get SSR pretty cheap for a DVC resort at WDW.

would recommend OKW too - it was under $50 a point for a while - but DVC has been using their rofr on OKW alot lately.

don't buy HH or VB despite there much lower price - because their maintence fees are so high.

now I do both love onsite and offsite. my last trip was to Westgate Villa (did really hate that place). use to own at Westgate and boy it was bad. My last visit was great - the sales people are still pests - but can easily ignore them now. Liked it because got to have my pets there. when I owned it you could have pets in 1999 but in 2001 you could not....So that go me mad. Now though would stay there again. My cats really love the place. as long as it is pet friendly

so had one day trips to BLT and AKV.... really need my Disney fix.

now I own at DVC - BLT - but since the price has almost doubled since I brought (now when brought at OKW it has tripled) BLT. can't recommend it any longer. that say resale is a great option. now you do lose benefits to trade out - but most of my DVC is only spend at WDW anyway.
 
We totally converted to pool homes last year. After a year of being spread between three Disney places (two ALSMo and one FW) we vowed never again...what a hassle. Having the pool house we had our own pool, kitchen and laundry. Each person had their own bedroom and bathroom. No way we'd go back. Not sure what "splash pools" are as the house had a real pool and whirl pool. The house we chose for next July even has a huge game room.

ITA ;)
We love the pool home we rent at Indian Creek!!!
Can't beat under $1000 for 9 nights with our own private pool and gameroom..plus it has Disney themed bedrooms the kids love and is 5-12 minutes to the parks depending on which park we're going too. The cherry on top is it has 4 bedrooms so we split the cost with my in-laws! Less than $500 for the 9 nights rocks!:thumbsup2 We actually prefer IC over a 2 bedroom DVC stay...gasp!:crazy2:
 
OP, it's good that you tried it out and know why you prefer one over the other. I like to hear experiences from families that have tried both rather than trying to be sold on the idea from die hard onsiters (or offsiters) who haven't actually tried it for themselves.
We will most likely stay offsite for our next trip for several reasons (stayed in a family suite at AS Music last time). Financially it is a lot more practical for us now that our oldest two kids are "Disney adults" and our youngest is now three years old; we don't want to be restricted to going to Disney when the biggest discounts/promotions (e.g., free dining) are offered since this is the only way staying onsite is financially practical for us with the kind of accommodations we need; and our oldest two children are getting to the age where they don't like sharing beds or sleeping on pull out beds either. So, we are considering renting a vacation home or a three bedroom condo for our next Disney trip. A lot of large families who prefer staying onsite advocate getting two standard value resort rooms as that works out for a lot of families' budgets and meets the room occupancy issue; but I am on the fence about getting two standard value resort rooms because me and DH really prefer having at least a queen size bed; and I also like having a "suite" layout (separate living room, kitchen/kitchenette) for a week long vacay. If it was just me and DH, or if the trip was a short trip (3 nights or less), than we would probably be fine with the standard room layout. It seems like the full immersion factor and all inclusiveness is the real big draw for staying onsite for many and I can appreciate that; but based on our experience from our last trip, I can say that my family's vacationing style is that we don't need to be immersed in the "magic" once we leave the parks and we aren't "stay in the parks from sun up to sun down" people. We enjoy the experiences in the parks, character meals, etc. but at the end of the day we just want some down time and relaxation as a family and don't really use the resort recreational amenities much. I love Disney, but I am also excited about the prospect of being able to see a little more of the Orlando area which we weren't able to do before because of relying 100% on WDW buses. I will definitely come back to this thread after our trip (planning for a spring 2013 trip) and share our experience.

Agree about wanting some down time at the end of the day. We love Disney but don't need the theming in my face once we leave the parks. We are coming in November this year and highly considered staying on site but at the end of the day, I just can't see spending what the deluxe resorts cost for tired and out dated rooms that are in need of major refurbishment... JMO :)

We are staying at the Waldorf for 2 nights and then heading to stay onsite at Universal.
 
OP, I'm curious- you said you spent just as much time at the Poly- doing what? Meals or????
 

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