Really no benefit to stay "on Property" anymore

[elaw]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the MOST amazing perk of staying on property:

STACEY!!!!!!!!!!

Watching her and her "Must Do's" is a Must Do!

 

[davedmaine]

Figure I'll throw my 2 cents in on this conversation.

I've stayed onsite and offsite, flown and drove and really think that I prefer the onsite to the offsite.

Our kids don't have the endurance for evening EMH and it can be difficult to rouse them (and us) to be up and at a park by 8am for morning EMH so losing out on EMH isn't really a factor for me.

I love the DP and despite the fact that it looks like I'll break even on the price of meals this trip it's nice to know that my meals are paid for prior to me arriving and bills won't follow me home. It helps with my budget. I even asked the wife if we wanted to save a few bucks by passing on the DP and maybe forgoing some desserts, splitting meals for the kids since they don't seem to eat as much when we are at WDW, etc. She said no. She likes being able to get a dessert when we are gone and again, just swiping the KTTW card and not worrying about it going on a credit card or what else we could be spending that money on, etc.

I enjoy the Disney transportation. I like the fact that I don't *need* a car there. If we drive our own car it's a 1200 mile trip. While there are some nice things about having a car there, like going to DTD or off-site for something, it's also nice to just relax at the end of a day or even in the morning while we go to the parks. I've literally seen fist fights for people trying to get on the parking trams at MK so avoiding the parking lot is kind of nice. I love the fact that when I fly and I drop my bags at my airport I don't touch them again until I get back home. Disney Transportation also means I don't have to deal with booster seats, etc either. Lastly, my kids love the buses. They think it's a cool and special thing. Something out of the ordinary.

Being immersed in Disney is also a huge plus for me. When I'm on vacation I am escaping from the world and my day to day life. I don't want to watch the news or sports or any of that. I want to have experiences and get away. I want to find Hidden Mickey's and bask in all of the little touches of the resorts, the parks, etc.

And for me, Disney service is another plus. We've experienced nothing but spectacular service from all of the CMs we've met and they go out of their way to make my kids feel special.

Then there is cost. I looked at AAA & Costco packages and still couldn't find much that would save what I consider to be a significant amount of money. If I stay off site then I'm renting a car ($500 for the week we're going,) paying for parking ($14 x 6,) losing out on the DP and potentially time getting to and from the resorts (time = money, esp at WDW.) While the dollar for dollar costs on the hotel/room itself is much higher at WDW than a comparable room off-site, there's much more to it than simply the room.

As many others have said before me, there is still a lot of value for staying on-site.

Dude, put your dining plan money on a Disney gift card instead and then pay for food oop. You're still pre-paying but will save a lot of money.. Everyone is happy

 

[AliceIn]

Dude, put your dining plan money on a Disney gift card instead and then pay for food oop. You're still pre-paying but will save a lot of money.. Everyone is happy

The dining plan saves us quite a bit. It depends on how you like to eat while you are at Disney. If you want a lot of character meals, the dining plan really does work out in your favor. I would encourage folks to do the math and see what works for them based on how you want to eat and where. We saved a few hundred on the dining plan vs. OOP, and Free dining is better for my family over anything less than a 40% room only offer.

 

[cjstarr]

squirrel4569 well stated

We have stayed off property and on only once and this was the last time we went in 2010. Then we stayed at the Movies resort and yes with 2 boys it was cramped but the only time we were there was to sleep. Knowing this my DW would much rather stay there again instead of having more room off site. We do not use EMH or the DDP because of the restriction it could bring. We want to be able to change our mind if we choose to go in a different direction that day. It all comes down to being immersed in Disney and the feeling that one gets.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

EMH is extremely important to our family and we make GREAT use of it (probably because we travel during the Holidays when the parks are REALLY crowded). We get up early, do morning EMH at one park; go back to the resorts to rest in the afternoon and are back to take advantage of EMH in the evenings!!

Those of you who think it is not important; THINK AGAIN!!!!

Your young kids will grow up and want to do many more rides (if not all of them) at the different parks. Much easier to do with EMH.

Also, those of us who make use of EMH are probably not in the park during the peak hours thereby allowing the rest of you with younger children easier access. !! Removing EMH will make the parks much more crowded during the day for EVERYONE!!

 

[RedfromNL]

We are going on a ten day trip, will rent a car, don't use the dining plan and will only use emh (probably) 4 times in the mornings.

We will still stay on-site.

- We like the hotels and theming better than hotels in the area.
- We like the transport options. We don't want to drive all the time, it's just handy to have a car availble when we want it. (and it's not a big part of the budget)

It's a holiday, so we do what we like, and we like staying at the Wilderness Lodge. With or without EMH, Free Dining or whatever.

 

[siskaren]

Not to question a mod, but it seems like a pretty good thread that was getting a lot of response where it could be seen; I don't think Resorts gets near as much traffic...

But where a thread belongs has nothing to do with which forum gets more traffic. This thread is about Resorts, not Theme Park Attractions and Strategies. And considering this thread has added 3 pages since the mod moved it, I'd say it's still getting plenty of responses.

 

[cjstarr]

EMH is extremely important to our family and we make GREAT use of it (probably because we travel during the Holidays when the parks are REALLY crowded). We get up early, do morning EMH at one park; go back to the resorts to rest in the afternoon and are back to take advantage of EMH in the evenings!!

Those of you who think it is not important; THINK AGAIN!!!!

Your young kids will grow up and want to do many more rides (if not all of them) at the different parks. Much easier to do with EMH.

Also, those of us who make use of EMH are probably not in the park during the peak hours thereby allowing the rest of you with younger children easier access. !! Removing EMH will make the parks much more crowded during the day for EVERYONE!!

You need to try and go to the parks that don't have EMH that day. You will find that the parks that have EMH to be more crowded then those that don't which opens up more rides and attractions for your children.

 

[mom2rtk]

You need to try and go to the parks that don't have EMH that day. You will find that the parks that have EMH to be more crowded then those that don't which opens up more rides and attractions for your children.

What I don't like is that if they eventually remove EMH, it's going to be FAR harder to predict which direction the crowds are headed. And with the advent of MagicBands, their entire goal (well, besides the cash....) is to manipulate the crowds around to their liking. Will that be a more even distribution? Or will that be into one or two chosen parks per day that they decide to staff up, allowing them to staff "down" the others? We will have absolutely no way of knowing. THAT is what I dislike most about the coming changes. Sure, I care about EMH. But crowd control overall is an even bigger issue.

 

[mom2rtk]

But where a thread belongs has nothing to do with which forum gets more traffic. This thread is about Resorts, not Theme Park Attractions and Strategies. And considering this thread has added 3 pages since the mod moved it, I'd say it's still getting plenty of responses.

Actually, I'm here because I found the thread in TPAS before it was moved. I don't peruse the resorts board a lot because I'm not comparing resorts. If I was looking for information on EMH hours and parks, I would be checking the TPAS board, not here.

 

[jenji124]

I've stayed offsite once and swore I would never do that again. Didn't feel like I was at Disney when we were off site. It was a nice hotel right by Downtown Disney but we like being immersed in Disney when we go. I love not having a car there its totally relaxing for me.

 

[ManyMinnie]

They haven't. People are jumping to conclusions. You know, the unofficial sport of the Dis.

No, they haven't ~ yet.

I think most people that are familiar with Disney realize the end of of EMH is coming with the advent of FP+ and the Magic Bands.

 

[quandrea]

I love being "in the middle" of Disney. I don't care if I get in early but I want my kids to experience the magic of sleeping surrounded by giant Disney characters. Staying onsite is just fun!

Agreed. We visited friends at the Sheraton Vistana last week and I couldn't wait to get back on property. Know one knows how to theme, landscape and provide service like Disney. The Sheraton was dark, unattractive outside, the pools were loud, crowded, no lifeguards (very unsafe in my opinion), and they were pushing all there for charge activities poolside. I'd never stay off site even if they were paying me to do so!

 

[World Showcaser]

I have stayed both ways and for me I love offsite more due to the fact I am completely in control. Having the car gives me complete freedom from bus schedules and makes park hoping or dinning at whatever restaurant I choose very easy. Plus if you like to shop there are sooo many great designer outlet malls close by WDW it is insane!! Beside 95% of my awake time in WDW I am on the go. So the room is not so important.

You can still do all of these things and stay onsite.

Off-site is much less costly and you do get more 'room' for the money.

People keep saying this but I've done the math for my upcoming trip and this is simply not true. Hotels that are comparable to the quality of the Disney hotels cost the same or more for our August trip. Now, we do have a discount for our Mod but I've never not had a discount staying onsite. By the time you add the cost of parking and other resort fees, offsite ends up being more expensive for us every time I add it up. So, I hear you say this but if you could show me, then I'd really believe you.

I actually can get 2BR condos thru the military for $42/night. In conjunction with RCI.

Ok. Well you aren't really paying $42 a night. You are paying a whole lot more. You forgot to mention all of the fees you pay each year to belong to RCI. (We used to belong to that very timeshare. And I know that it always amounts to more than what you pay for the specific trip.)

I can say that those who stay onsite should be aware that EMH will be significantly scaled back over the course of 2013 and, expectedly, will be scratched in sometime in 2014.

For now.

EMH will eventually be done away with altogether, if not this year, by 2014 at the latest.

Please cite your sources.

What does 'gutted' mean?

I was wondering the same thing.

The dining plan saves us quite a bit. It depends on how you like to eat while you are at Disney.

This is definitely true for my family. It's pretty easy to price out and to see that if you bought the exact same amount of food OOP as the DDP offers that it would cost more. I'm not sure why people argue with this. We actually did one trip on the DDP and did the following trip paying OOP and kept track of everything. We spent waaaay more paying OOP...and I'm not talking a few dollars and cents....I'm talking waaaaay more.

What I don't like is that if they eventually remove EMH, it's going to be FAR harder to predict which direction the crowds are headed.

If they did away with EMHs (which there has not even been a hint of), the crowds would be dispersed more evenly between the four parks. I see this as a good thing. Instead of having to chose which park to avoid based on the one that has EMHs that day, a person can go to whichever park she chooses.

 

[cjstarr]

You can still do all of these things and stay onsite.



People keep saying this but I've done the math for my upcoming trip and this is simply not true. Hotels that are comparable to the quality of the Disney hotels cost the same or more for our August trip. Now, we do have a discount for our Mod but I've never not had a discount staying onsite. By the time you add the cost of parking and other resort fees, offsite ends up being more expensive for us every time I add it up. So, I hear you say this but if you could show me, then I'd really believe you.



Ok. Well you aren't really paying $42 a night. You are paying a whole lot more. You forgot to mention all of the fees you pay each year to belong to RCI. (We used to belong to that very timeshare. And I know that it always amounts to more than what you pay for the specific trip.)





Please cite your sources.



I was wondering the same thing.



This is definitely true for my family. It's pretty easy to price out and to see that if you bought the exact same amount of food OOP as the DDP offers that it would cost more. I'm not sure why people argue with this. We actually did one trip on the DDP and did the following trip paying OOP and kept track of everything. We spent waaaay more paying OOP...and I'm not talking a few dollars and cents....I'm talking waaaaay more.



If they did away with EMHs (which there has not even been a hint of), the crowds would be dispersed more evenly between the four parks. I see this as a good thing. Instead of having to chose which park to avoid based on the one that has EMHs that day, a person can go to whichever park she chooses.

 

[maxiesmom]

No, they haven't ~ yet.

I think most people that are familiar with Disney realize the end of of EMH is coming with the advent of FP+ and the Magic Bands.

Where are you getting that from? That is a conclusion that has been jumped to. No word on that from Disney.

 

[MASKED MANIAC]

They are taking away all the perks of staying at a Disney hotel. It's not worth paying the extra $$$$. Stay off site, and extend your vacation.

Better quality pools and closer to the parks and for the most part better food and safer....

 

[twoplustwins]

As much as we have enjoyed staying onsite in the past, now that we are a family of six, there is not an economical way for us to do that any longer. We can stay at Bonnet Creek for $120 a night and have space to spread out. Having a washer and dryer is such a plus!!

 

[CupcakeKelly]

FWIW, I'm pretty sure 'gutted' is a slang term that is similar to 'crushed' or 'severely bummed out'

 

[married2mm]

FWIW, I'm pretty sure 'gutted' is a slang term that is similar to 'crushed' or 'severely bummed out'

Indeed it is,best said with a certain accent also.
I prefer to say,deeply disappointed.


Back to the onsite/offsite..

We've stayed onsite and offsite.
Never had a bad trip.

However, love being fully immersed in Disney-its fantastic.
Absolutely adore am emh- my main reason for onsite.
Rarely use pm emh,but have done,and been happy,tired bunnies in mk at 3am.

We have a hire car,so the transportation element is not really a biggie,free parking is a great bonus,but free dining,however seals the deal whether we book onsite v offsite.
As that can save us big $'s.