Am I a resort traitor????

[litlpixie]

I can't believe I did it, but I did...cxld my ressies at POR. I thought long and hard about the deal presented to me and finally realized that I couldnt beat it...Holiday Inn Family Suites was offering me a 2-bedroom suite w/ kitchenette, free breakfast buffet all week and free lunch and dinner for my 3 kids all week. With AAA and my entertainment card, I'm paying $102.00 a night during Easter week. I figure I'm lucky enough to be going 1 year after my last trip instead of our originally sched. trip for 2005, so I should just count my blessings, shut up and run with the deal, right. I hope this doesnt make me a traitor of some sorts, because I would always rather stay on property, but this deal, I thought was pretty great and with extra $$ saved because of it, I can spend it on fun stuff and extras while there! Wondered if there were any other Disser's out there who stayed off site for the first time and somehow felt a little guilty doing it....OH gee, now I have to change my countdown quote

 

[goofy4tink]

Sounds like a terrific deal. I'm not sure I could have passed it up either!! Go and have a great time. I figure that Disney will still get plenty of your hard earned cash, even if you aren't staying on-site. THink of all the 'stuff' you can buy now!!!! And, with what you're paying for this trip...maybe you can still go back in 2005 and stay on-site.

 

[litlpixie]

goofy4tink,

Amen.

 

[Grumpy92]

Good deal, so dont feel guilty. You need to do what is best for you and you cant beat free food for the kids. Make sure you factor in the parking fee in your budget. Since you are going Easter week keep in mind the crowd capacity. We have had several days around that holiday where the parks do fill to capacity.

I am sure you will have a wonderful time and make sure you do a trip report when you get back. We want to know how it went.

 

[Laura]

Why feel guilty? You're going to Disney World!!!

 

[clkelley]

I have stayed offsite on a couple of last minute trips mainly because of availability. I have found that the hotel off-site is not the problem. They are usually fine, although I miss the resort TV.

My biggest disappointment when I stay offsite is the transportation. I am a huge "hopper". Especially, when I go solo, as those trips are shorter, and I'm mainly visiting with friends, and seeing the highlights. For example, my last quickie trip, I started the day at the Studios, spent a couple of hours at Epcot, then had dinner at the Poly, then went to Pleasure Island for the evening.

It was a major pain to have to go retrieve my car at each juncture.

So, if you use Disney transport a lot, and hop a lot, you may find it inconvenient to go get your car all the time.

Carol

 

[NancyK]

My 69-year-old mother and I just got back from a week at Holiday Inn Family Suites (couldn't turn down that entertainment rate). We had a classic 2-bedroom suite and just loved it. I think it's the perfect place to take a family - great pool for kids, entertainment, breakfast buffet. Having a fridge and microwave was very handy too! If you have your car, you are less than 2 miles to Disney property and there is virtually no traffic on the highway from the hotel to Disney. I'm not sure how the hotel transportation works. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

[CaipiraBob]

I stayed at the HIFS one night because we wanted to be "fresh" in the morning for a full day of Disney on our arrival.

It is wonderful! There's a great pool, the free breakfast is excellent, the buffet-style meals are good and reasonably priced, the rooms are very, very nice, and each room has enough amenties to make a full week stay very comfortable. That, plus if you trip and fall outside of the parking lot you'll land in WDW. It's right there, so no major haul to the park, but a 5 minute drive perhaps.

I would not stay on the ground unless I got a great rate. I think you'll really enjoy this hotel.

 

[disneyscrapper]

I'm in the process of helping to plan a trip to WDW for my senior citizen aunt and uncle. Where exactly is HIFS? The rate sounds great, but I'm concerned that the transportation might pose a problem for them?

 

[brittsmum1998]

If you are going with elderly people don't forget to check Mary's sight for the senior rate. We just came back and had my Mother In Law with us... (she's 84?) our rate was 79$ and she got 1$ off each meal (included all of us) along w/ 10% at meals if we ate at 5:00. We are DVC members so we decided to spend the weekend there. It was great. We never left the sight once. DH was soooo impressed. He wants to make it an annual thing. MY 5 yr old DD was in her glory the whole weekend.

 

[ckb_nc]

WE did an offsite at HIFS this summer at the $99 entertainment rate with my enitre set of in-laws. Being on-site is magical no doubt, but HIFS is a real hit and a great non-Disney place. We ended up doing lots of meals at Disney resorts instead which was just as special.

The only down side for off site I see is it often hard to gewt going in the late afternnon; once we got back to the hotel we tended to stay.

 

[mandasbutterfly]

Great choice litlpixie ... don't feel guilty. How could you pass that up!! I actually stay there almost every time I go to Disney for at least a night or two. Mind you I only live a hour and a half away and go all the time. I love the amenities there that you can't get at Disney hotels at least not for that price. My boyfriend and I stay in the sweet heart suite and it includes a c/d changer stereo, a big screen TV, a heart shaped jacuzzi tub, a kitchenette, a dual shower in the bathroom and a king bed and TV in the bedroom. The free breakfast is great too and so are the pools. It is so close to Disney.. They also have kids suites with bedroom for parents, a bedroom for kids equiped with bunk beds and tv and nintento 64... the have regular two bedroom suites and a cinema suite which has a living room and a bedroom and another room with a 60" big screen TV!! All of the suites also have cordless phones which is nice and a VCR- they have on-site video rental that is reasonably priced and a card where you can rent all you want for so many days at a time. They have childrens activities at night and a train ride for the kids and an arcade!! It is a great hotel for the money and so close to disney and they do provide transportation to the parks but I am not sure how it works. But don't get my wrong I love Disney hotels and I stay there too and will actually be at the Grand Floridian in about two weeks and I can't wait and I do want to stay at every Disney Hotel at least once. You don't however get that Disney magic like staying on site and I know why everyone likes to stay on site but I do not think it is bad to stay offsite every so often, you also don't get transportation that is as good as if you were staying on site and that is another downfall but other than that you are still going to Disney and that is the most important thing. I think you will enjoy that hotel and just being able to be at Disney earlier than you planned to go and think of all the extra money you will have to spend while there and that will be fun too! Have a great trip and don't feel guilty..

 

[DJBounce]

Even if it meant staying in a van down by the river with motivational speaker Matt Foley, I would, if it meant being able to go to Da World!!

 

[Vlahakis2001]

No. You definetly should not feel like a traitor, it was a good deal.

 

[caribbeanme]

Originally posted by DJBounce
Even if it meant staying in a van down by the river with motivational speaker Matt Foley, I would, if it meant being able to go to Da World!!

, hear, hear!!