2 ADULTS 30 YEARS YOUNG - DISNEY HILTON Vs. DISNEY MODERATE

[Tigger-Boy]

WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK? DISNEY HILTON Vs. CBR or POFQ. i am curious as i have only stayed on disney property at Yacht Club in 1992. i was 15 and parents brought us for family trip, i dont have that kind of $$ but can aford moderate level accomadations. tryin to decide... it will be me and my wife both 30...

 

[macmom3]

We've stayed at POFQ 3 times as a family and my in-laws have stayed there 6 times. Needless to say we really like it there. It's the smallest Disney property and the bus transportation is really easy. Only 1 stop for the resort. Where other resorts have several stops. POFQ buses share with PORS for going to MK only. All other parks they go directly there. Pool is nice, resort is quiet and food court has many options. I recommend asking for a room in building 5. Depending on the room you can get either a pool view or a river view. It's really close to everything.

 

[trac96]

have only ever stayed off property once and we will never do it again. there are to many pluses with disney to stay off property.

 

[MoonFaerie]

If it was just me & dh, I would for sure have gone with the new Waldorf opening next month. With the kids, we're doing a moderate this time around.

 

[KatMark]

DH has stayed at the Hilton at Downtown Disney while on business -- he said it was very nice -- no complaints. That being said, if going to Disney, I would never stay offsite and would always stay onsite. Either one of the two moderates would be fine and I think you will appreciate staying onsite--it is so much better than offsite.

 

[Tigger-Boy]

waldorf sounds nice... but not this time... i budgeted around $150 a night for lodging.... so disney moderate... or hilton

 

[Tigger-Boy]

DH has stayed at the Hilton at Downtown Disney while on business -- he said it was very nice -- no complaints. That being said, if going to Disney, I would never stay offsite and would always stay onsite. Either one of the two moderates would be fine and I think you will appreciate staying onsite--it is so much better than offsite.

... i am really thinking POFQ

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

We were just down in FLA this past June/July for 13 days and we stayed off property. I have to tell you I wanted to go home after the 4th day. I hated it. Between the car and traveling between parks we wasted so much time. When we stay on property we don't rent a car and use Disney transportation. The only reason for us staying off property was due to my parents and their budget. My recommendation, go for one of the Moderates. You will be thankful that you did.

 

[MoonFaerie]

waldorf sounds nice... but not this time... i budgeted around $150 a night for lodging.... so disney moderate... or hilton

When are you going? For my dates, they have rates of $179 with a stay 3 get 1 free deal, making it right at $150/night.

 

[suz_cute]

I'd go for the moderate on property. You can't beat the perks of staying on site, the bus service is great, not needing a rental car is a big plus, and most of the moderates have other things onsite at the resort that you and the wife would enjoy that aren't available offsite. Take some time to drink it all in, and enjoy the perks that the moderates have to offer in your down time!

 

[nurse.darcy]

I would choose to stay on-site. I have done off site and don't really care for it. Staying in a moderate is an awesome choice. You can take Magical Express from Orlando International directly to your hotel for free. They also transport your bags to your room. You can take the internal transportation for free (busses run every 20 minutes - at POR and POFQ you also have a boat to DTD) to all the parks - including the water parks if you choose to go there. No need to navigate traffic or figure out where to park. When I stayed off-site there was a shuttle bus that came and dropped us off at Epcot only. It came every 30 minutes to an hour depending on time of day. . .but only Epcot.

There are times of year when you can get a general public room only discount. Its worth looking into. If you keep playing on these threads you will find those. Then you can get tickets from undercover tourist for slightly less than buying directly from Disney. Or, you can get package deal discounts for the general public which will include your park tickets. There are some really great deals out there. Instead of budgeting money for room nights, make a budget for your trip and then fit a disney vacation into that budget.

Now if I want to go deluxe and I can't afford a Disney property, I would stay at the Swan/Dolphin. These are starwood group managed properties that are on site in the Boardwalk area. They participate in the extra magic hours program and are so close to being disney properties that its difficult to distinguish. However, no Magical Express from the airport so you need to find your own way from there. They do participate in the internal transportation.

Okay, so that was enough for this chapter. If you have any questions there are many of us who frequent the "World" often enough to answer. Just ask, we will answer.

 

[let'sgo]

I'd stay at a moderate. The theming is wonderful and it just makes the experience so much more special. We've stayed off site, but since staying on site we like it much better and now would not consider off site.

We no longer have to rent a car, and it's nice not having all the hassle of driving and parking. Plus you can use Magical Express to get to the resort from the airport.

 

[Epcot4Me]

Personally, I'd go for a moderate over the Hilton. There's just something about being on property.

That being said, I stayed at the Hilton by DTD once when I won a trip and it was fine. You can easily walk to DTD to get buses to the other resorts and their park buses ran at decent times. This was awhile back, but I do remember sometimes the bus times were spread out by a half hour, but they give you a schedule so you aren't surprised by waits like you can be with Disney buses.

Also, at that time the Hilton got access to early entry, the predecessor to EMH...not positive that it still does.

The rooms were clean and comfortable. There were plenty of restaurants in the hotel that were cheaper than Disney restaurants.

I think either choice is really fine, but I'd always choose a moderate on property over anything off.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

If this is a Disney vacation stay on-site.

If this is a FL vacation where you want to go to the beach, shops, other attractions stay at the Hilton.

 

[princssdisnygina]

I vote moderate! As I am not a huge POFQ fan at this point I still love staying on Dis property over not. It is way more convenient plus you get that touch of "I'm at Disney" feel. Off property I feel like I am on a business trip or just a weekend trip. I will NEVER stay off Dis property again. It is just too easy and convenient. We actually stay at the POP and I am 31 years young as well! The POP lets me save the extra $$$ for some Disney shopping!

 

[need2travel]

Definitely stay onsite, there's just something about being immersed in Disney for you whole stay that is just so fun. POFQ is a great resort, my husband & I stayed there in '04 & loved it. It's small as op's mentioned & very romantic w/ that New Orleans flare. (Coincidentaly we stayed at the Yacht Club in '08 & missed the POFQ-the Yacht just didn't have the right feel for us-nothing wrong w/ it-just not "us") We've also stayed at the POR, that is POFQ's sister property, it's very romantic as well-if you decide on the FQ take a walk over there one night & stroll their grounds. So pretty......Good luck w/ your decision!

 

[december14disney]

Onsite Onsite did I say onsite?!

We stayed at the Royal Plaza (I think thats the name) a few years ago which is right by the Hilton. Gorgeous hotel. Great rate. HATED traveling to the parks. There was a bus that stops at all the DTD Disney hotels but the time schedule means if you miss it you are waiting an hour for the next one. And walking back and forth to DTD just to get a bus was annoying.

The theming and being right in the magic is so worth staying at a moderate. The next year we stayed at POR. Was the room as nice as the Royal? Nope. But the hotel itself was FANTASTIC. We will never stay offsite again.

Can I recommend POR? I love that resort.

 

[Jubaby]

I've done both. The rooms at the Hilton were nice, but I'd much rather be onsite. The transportation is the main reason. The busses at the Hilton only run about every hour, you have to walk miles to get to the bus stop locations, and after a late night at MK we waited about 1 1/2 hours to get a bus back to the Hilton. They were only running one bus, and the crowd was huge waiting in line.

After that, I decided "NEVER AGAIN".

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Me and my Fiancé are both visiting WDW in about two weeks. We are 32 and 31 and love it! We have stayed off-site before, and will never do it again. The hotels are great off-site, but the Extra Magic hours and the Disney Transport just make it worth it to stay on site every time. Not to mention the Magical Express from the airport is amazing....so my advice, always stay On-Property when you can.

 

[ElizabethB]

With the great introductory rates they're running, I'd pick the Waldorf. Otherwise, I'd pick the new Hilton at Bonnet Creek. Either would be so much nicer than a moderate -- and both are very close to the Epcot Resort Area (although I think you'll need a car). Take a look at the pool for the Waldorf and Hilton -- it looks gorgeous.

While nicely landscaped and themed, when all is said and done, the Disney moderates are tarted up motels. Bathrooms are exceptionally tiny, closet is a bar across the space with no closet doors, the sink is in the bedroom, the rooms are small although they seem bigger if you get a king bed. Yes, you're on-site, which is nice, but a motel is a motel is a motel.

Waldorf and Hilton are hotels!

We always rent a car because the thought of taking two buses and a monorail to get to any of the resorts for dinner is just too miserable. Whenever we've done it, a 5-minute drive turns into a 1 1/2 hour trip. If you must use the buses, on-site would be better.

EMH mornings are too early for us. We're on vacation! We were just at WDW two weeks ago and EMH evening was way, way too crowded. The one at MK ran from 11 pm to 2 am. By around 1 am the crowds finally slowed down and we could get on rides without waits. By then, we were so exhausted we left.

Far better than EMH is purchasing MNSSHP or the Christmas one (although those only run seasonally). When people have to pay an extra $55 per person, many don't go. By contrast, EMH costs nothing extra, so everybody and their dog (so to speak) is there. At AK a couple of weeks ago, we waited over an hour during EMH evening to ride Kali River Rapids. There were no fans going and I honestly thought we'd melt before we got to the ride. The next day, the wait was around 30 minutes.

Add to that the fact that anyone can stay for EMH evenings now. Even if you're not a resort guest, you can shop, you can dine. You're not supposed to ride the rides. They try to check room keys, but it's pretty hard for the CMs to check room keys plus keep the lines moving.

With everyone able to stay and eat and shop, EMH evenings have lost any bit of exclusivity they had. The parks are crowded and we just don't see the value of EMH anymore.

So, I'd stay at the Waldorf!!!

Just my 2 cents.