Really no benefit to stay "on Property" anymore

[mickeynut1]

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

Not every situation is the same and the DDP does and can save people money over paying OOP. The DDP being a good deal or not being a good deal is not a cut and dry issue. As a pp said, everyone should look at how they normally eat and run the numbers of paying OOP vs the DDP and see which is the better way to go. Getting gift cards for meals is a way of "pre-paying" just like using the DDP, but that is not always the best route to go for every family. What works for some people won't work for others.

 

[RedfromNL]

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

Yes, it comes from gutting : sticking a knife in the guts and taking them out....

That would leave one severly bummed out wouldn't it

 

[Dis703]

Well the biggest perk to me is walking back to my room from HS/Epcot and having all the dining and entertainment options right there on the Boardwalk. If we didn't have kids though I might consider staying offsite some of the time.

 

[Masonmj84]

I personally don't give a rip about EMH (actually that's not entirely true, EMH draws crowds away from other parks and helps detemine which park to avoid on a given day).

For us, staying on-site is all about not having to deal with driving and parking and being immersed in the magic 24/7.

 

[squirrel4569]

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

It's similar but not exactly the same. If I have gift cards I can spend that money on something else right? I could spend some on souvenirs or other experiences instead of food. You're still thinking in the back of my head "I could spend the money for this dessert/appetizer/drink on something else" instead of just relaxing, swiping the card and going on your way. Honestly there isn't a lot of value in the QS plan, but the regular & deluxe plans can save quite a bit if you do character or signature meals.

 

[gdrj]

Well the biggest perk to me is walking back to my room from HS/Epcot and having all the dining and entertainment options right there on the Boardwalk. If we didn't have kids though I might consider staying offsite some of the time.

With our kids in college and out (and not traveling with us all the time), for us there is even less reason to stay off property. As DVC members studio or 1 BR works. Waking up and walking along Boardwalk to grab a cup of coffee in the morning beats the view on 192! Watching Disney come to life in the AM is fun for us. To be able to walk to EPCOT or MK (after staying at BLT) or look at a Safari at AKV from your balcony is well worth it for me. No driving, no T-shirt stores, or waffle houses let us escape from reality a bit more. I also enjoy being able to eat Dinner in any of a number of Countries by just walking there.

With that said we are staying over XMAS off-site (Bonnet Creek) 3 Bedroom and while it is kind of on property, and is very nice, its still not the same for us.

You ever notice that no one can "do Disney" as well as you and your own family can (at least that is my conclusion).

Definitely no right or wrong in regards to everyones thoughts and opinions, it is whatever is right for you and your family.

shhhhh ps (we do know they are wrong though...don't we)

 

[CupcakeKelly]

Yes, it comes from gutting : sticking a knife in the guts and taking them out....

That would leave one severly bummed out wouldn't it

Yeah, that sounds like a total bummer.

Whenever I hear the word I think of it in accent, so I read "gutted" but I think "guh-ED"

I guess to weigh in on the topic at hand, I am staying on property for the first time this December. I never considered it before when it was just my hubby and me, our Florida vacations only had a couple days in Disney and usually involved a baseball game in Tampa and a trip to Ft Lauderdale. This time going with my 3 year old the convenience and the magic pushed us to stay on site.

 

[mom2rtk]

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.

Well, I'm not happy with just avoiding the biggest crowd. I prefer to have an opportunity to choose the LEAST crowded park. Just a difference in perspective I guess.

 

[mmmears]

For my family, the EMHs (both am and pm) are a MAJOR perk to staying onsite and paying for a Disney resort.

 

[TheDisney411]

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!!

We have a large family also and we only travel during free dining weeks now. As long as they continue free dining it is cheaper for us to stay on site, especially since all but one kid is now over 10. If, in the future, they ever ended free dining, we would possibly have to go off site then to save money.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We've tried staying offsite and as nice as it is to have extra space, it was very frustrating for me.

I'm an early riser, so is my DD. We would wake up and be all ready to go and my husband and son would still be asleep.
Because we only had 1 car, DD and I were stuck there annoyed that we were wasting time and I would get madder and madder that DS and my husband wouldn't get out of bed.

So we stay onsite even if there is no place for me to get away from my husbands snoring. DD and I can get up and go when we want and DS and my husband can waste their time sleeping if they want.

Our upcoming trip may be a bit different since both kids say they want to sleep in now so I'll be heading out alone but I don't mind.

We also like the Evening EMH since it gives the lazybones more park time. Hopefully they won't completely go away.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

One more from me...


Disney costumer service..
DH and I have stayed in many non-disney hotels and every time we do. We are disappointed..
I don't know what we are expecting, since we know its NOT disney.. But we are just spoiled I guess..

I find the service at offsite hotels is equal to or better then Disney.

At "deluxe" hotels off site they KNOW how to do it. Disney only knows how to charge.

The service at CSR was equal to a dumpy Hampton Inn I stayed at in Texas a few years ago.

And is there service at a value? Not IMHO. Service at the Fairfield Marriott Village was a heck of a lot better (and the room was SO MUCH NICER and CHEAPER!)


I don't do EMH and did the DDP once, won't do that again. I would rather drive then deal with Disney buses except to the MK (which I go to rarely anyway) so... where's the benefit. Pay more, receive less and be happy because "they have mouse ears on their name tags" UH NO! LOL!

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

For my family, the EMHs (both am and pm) are a MAJOR perk to staying onsite and paying for a Disney resort.

Same for us. In fact it is THE MAJOR perk. Everything else is nice but EMH makes the extra costs worthwhile. Same for Universal and staying onsite there. The only reason to do it (for us) is early entry!!!

 

[gilesmt]

Maybe you should try Disneyland. They offer no free ride to the hotels, I think it cost $16, they offer no dining plan, they offer emh but they give them to anyone who buys a ticket, the offer no free bus service to the park, but they do offer a monorail ride, but in the morning 50% of the time it is closed and you have to walk and coming back between 8 and 10 at night it is always closed. They have lost our packages every time we have asked for that service and we had to show the receipts and have them sent over to our room three days later. Am I missing anything, oh yeah the best part, you can actually walk to the main gate and save $200 a night if you book across the street at a non Disney hotel. I am always surprised that there hotels are booked solid, we only stay there when the military has a really good rate or Expedia has a really good rate for $100 a less. That has not happened in several years now.

 

[andyman8]

Please cite your sources.

Well, Disney just reduced all Friday evening EMH hours at MK through the end of August (just before NoJ and then MNSSHP starts; both of which occur at MK on Friday evenings). Why would Disney just randomly cancel EMH. Oddly enough, just a bit over three months ago PMEMH was shortened to two hours. As MyMagic+ begins to roll out, Disney will supplement these EMH reductions with additional MM+ benefits that will surely cost less then operating a park for two additional hours.

I'm not saying EMH is going away, it's just going to be significantly scaled back. Oh, and for sources, there's easyWDW, Touring Plans, among the many others.

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

Just to put this out there, Disney hasn't yet officially announced that the PPCtF Parade will be ending next month, but how can they have a parade without any performers in it? Disney generally does not "announce" these kind of things, they just let them happen. The same thing happened with the PMEMH reduction; Disney never officially "announced" that they were reducing PMEMH, they just updated the calendars.

 

[tinkerpea]

Yeah, that sounds like a total bummer.

Whenever I hear the word I think of it in accent, so I read "gutted" but I think "guh-ED"

I guess to weigh in on the topic at hand, I am staying on property for the first time this December. I never considered it before when it was just my hubby and me, our Florida vacations only had a couple days in Disney and usually involved a baseball game in Tampa and a trip to Ft Lauderdale. This time going with my 3 year old the convenience and the magic pushed us to stay on site.

I'm actually from Newquay cornwall in the UK and pronounce my words "gutted" like they are spelt!! I was brought up to pronounce my words properly lol.
It does mean disappointed, not everybody who uses the word uses it in a slang term and its a very commonly used word where I come from

 

[tinkerpea]

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.

What accent is that?? I'm curious

 

[DizDaD7]

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.

LoL...Now this is funny....Stay off site...Hahahah

I guess DME, Buses to and from boats, monorails, really don't come into play either...& EMH, Hmmm what else....Oh biggest of alll...The magic that stays with you when you leave the park & go back to your resort... You just don't get that once you leave the property & head back to a renatl or condo off site...

 

[nolanboys]

As a family of 6, all I have to say is no rental car! DME and the busses and monorail mean not having to spend a lot of money for a rental car. We love morning EMH, especially at MK. We can get so many rides done in that first hour, that we can go back to the resort and relax in the afternoon.

 

[ironpig70]

First I am a DL guy. Done it a dozen times and never stayed on site and probally never will. As on and off site is a short walk.


Was at the World once a decade ago and we drove as we had plans after leaving WDW. And we stayed onsite.

The biggest perk for us and our family is getting up and hoping on a bus and being at a park or our hotel. I looked offsite and the resort I found had free parking so thats a plus. They also had a shuttle which was $5 rond trip per person. So thats $25 a day to stay all day at the park. If we did a few days at the hotel pool that adds up.


Since I am not a WDW regular I dont know how EMH will affect us but I will stay on site next trip.