Disney pushing resorts not parks

We go at least once a year to WDW and have always stayed onsite, but now they have simply priced us out. I'm not paying $200+ for a moderate and I hate the Values. Their construction is cheap, the rooms are extremely basic and very loud. We pricelined a great hotel room at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista resort around the corner from DTD for $72 a night. We are saving $127 per night by doing this, the hotel only takes 10-15 minutes to get to from the parks, it's a larger room with bigger and more comfortable beds, and our breakfast will be way cheaper offsite than in a resort foodcourt. My problem lies in the fact that in paying $100 per day (actually more as we have park hoppers), I expect to get on several rides per day.
We are now being majorly penalized by staying offsite by the FP+ system, but it's not worth that $127 per night just to get my FP+ for a lousy 3 rides! We always go during a value season as we don't stand in any 30 minute lines for any ride. I feel really sorry for first time visiting families in the spring and summer who don't have a clue about advance planning. Boy are they in for a shock. I totally agree with the above poster about Disney getting $0 revenue off my offsite stay. It's just gotten way to expensive for the average person. We will not be going next year at all.
 
For us, having WDW be a whole resort and not just a bunch of theme parks is the main reason that we go. I feel so relaxed when I'm there. I have been to most amusement parks in the Midwest and even have season passes to one of them. We ride everything (big and small), but until 2010, never even considered going to WDW because of what I thought was a cost issue. So in 2010, a co-worker gave me great information and put me in touch with his wife, who is a Disney travel agent. We took our first trip on a strict budget and were hooked from the moment we stepped off the plane.

For the first time, I didn't need to drive anywhere. No maps, no getting lost, no trying to find my car in a crowed parking lot, etc.

I only have two trips under my belt with a third planned in 2014, but we have not only been to all four parks, but rented a surrey bike, rented Sea Racers, went to the dinner show at the Poly, saw Cirque du Soleil, people watched from a bench or the balcony, went swimming and so many other things. It's relaxing, and I can spend my down time just enjoying the time with kids or in the case of my upcoming trip, introducing my mom to WDW.

So yes, WDW being an entire resort is perfect for my family and to be honest, it's worth every penny for me.

We still go other places too (Cedar Point this summer), but WDW is my favorite because is more than just theme parks.
 
CWdreamer said:
For us, having WDW be a whole resort and not just a bunch of theme parks is the main reason that we go. I feel so relaxed when I'm there. I have been to most amusement parks in the Midwest and even have season passes to one of them. We ride everything (big and small), but until 2010, never even considered going to WDW because of what I thought was a cost issue. So in 2010, a co-worker gave me great information and put me in touch with his wife, who is a Disney travel agent. We took our first trip on a strict budget and were hooked from the moment we stepped off the plane.

For the first time, I didn't need to drive anywhere. No maps, no getting lost, no trying to find my car in a crowed parking lot, etc.

I only have two trips under my belt with a third planned in 2014, but we have not only been to all four parks, but rented a surrey bike, rented Sea Racers, went to the dinner show at the Poly, saw Cirque du Soleil, people watched from a bench or the balcony, went swimming and so many other things. It's relaxing, and I can spend my down time just enjoying the time with kids or in the case of my upcoming trip, introducing my mom to WDW.

So yes, WDW being an entire resort is perfect for my family and to be honest, it's worth every penny for me.

We still go other places too (Cedar Point this summer), but WDW is my favorite because is more than just theme parks.
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By Jove, I think s/he's got it!
 
I saw that as well. The one with the family getting off the monorail? My oldest commented on the content of the commercial being focused on where to stay.
 


We have always stayed onsite and have gone yearly for the last 8 years. We love the deluxes but have decided to skip this year. I just can't justify spending over $400/night for a hotel room. The price of the tickets are astronomical also, our family of five for the week is now over $1500. We love Disney but over the last 3-4 years the prices have jumped considerably.
 
kandb said:
We have always stayed onsite and have gone yearly for the last 8 years. We love the deluxes but have decided to skip this year. I just can't justify spending over $400/night for a hotel room. The price of the tickets are astronomical also, our family of five for the week is now over $1500. We love Disney but over the last 3-4 years the prices have jumped considerably.
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We visited WDW 3 times last year. We HATE HATE HATE FP+. We had a total of 5 DVC contracts and nearly signed a 6th at GF. We sold 3 contracts and 2 are under contract. Disney tickets, food, hard ticket events and souvenirs are ridiculously priced. Not Disney's fault, but airfare is outrageous. We can afford it, but it is not worth it anymore.
 
CWdreamer said:
For us, having WDW be a whole resort and not just a bunch of theme parks is the main reason that we go. I feel so relaxed when I'm there. I have been to most amusement parks in the Midwest and even have season passes to one of them. We ride everything (big and small), but until 2010, never even considered going to WDW because of what I thought was a cost issue. So in 2010, a co-worker gave me great information and put me in touch with his wife, who is a Disney travel agent. We took our first trip on a strict budget and were hooked from the moment we stepped off the plane.

For the first time, I didn't need to drive anywhere. No maps, no getting lost, no trying to find my car in a crowed parking lot, etc.

I only have two trips under my belt with a third planned in 2014, but we have not only been to all four parks, but rented a surrey bike, rented Sea Racers, went to the dinner show at the Poly, saw Cirque du Soleil, people watched from a bench or the balcony, went swimming and so many other things. It's relaxing, and I can spend my down time just enjoying the time with kids or in the case of my upcoming trip, introducing my mom to WDW.

So yes, WDW being an entire resort is perfect for my family and to be honest, it's worth every penny for me.

We still go other places too (Cedar Point this summer), but WDW is my favorite because is more than just theme parks.
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X3. This is us too, except we don't have a decent local theme park. Disney is worth every penny. This company created a miracle out of Florida swampland and gives us an experience we can't get anywhere else on Earth. They can't do it for free. I love the feeling of being on Disney property 24/7. I would not hesitate to do a solo trip or one with just my daughters in law and grandchildren. You won't see me going into Orlando doing that.
 


anniepoppins said:
We are now being majorly penalized by staying offsite by the FP+ system, but it's not worth that $127 per night just to get my FP+ for a lousy 3 rides! We always go during a value season as we don't stand in any 30 minute lines for any ride. I feel really sorry for first time visiting families in the spring and summer who don't have a clue about advance planning. Boy are they in for a shock. I totally agree with the above poster about Disney getting $0 revenue off my offsite stay. It's just gotten way to expensive for the average person. We will not be going next year at all.
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I hear you on the hotels,I just stayed at POP for the marathon and it's horrible to hear the flushing toilets and showers running from your neighbors.However from what I hear even if you're staying offsite you can at least get the 3 FP+ selections at the kiosks around the parks as they're eliminating legacy FP,it's still not as good as it used to be since you're limited to 3 a day in one park and if you don't have magic bands you're also behind the eight ball as you have to wait until you enter the park to make your selections unlike those with magic bands who can make selections days in advance.I stay offsite on most of my trips with some onsite stays for events like the marathon and at least by staying onsite now I have magic bands for future use with my AP.I'm not totally knocking FP+ as we had a day on our marathon trip where it was pretty cool to enter the park by just using the bands and then heading directly to Soarin knowing your FP+ was already reserved,there are positives to it with a lot of negatives since there's so many situations where it might not work as well.
 
Gumbo4x4 said:
First day at the park, $100. 10th day at the park $10.
First night in the resort, $300. 10th night at the resort $300.


Hmmm, wonder why they'd push the resorts........ ;)
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Not only that but if you are in a "hotel" room you will need to eat somewhere.

Now add in the ease of the "free" bus to/from the airport and the "free" transportation to/from parks there is no need to have a car.

So no car and staying in a hotel means you are a captive audience which means you will be eating on property which is just more money.
 
It's interesting to read the different viewpoints.

Some sound positively dreamy talking about being at the Disney resort and not having to drive. I think that that is fabulous! Others question the value of the resorts and I can understand that too.

I've been pushing onsite occasionally because I love a few of the resorts. I would love them no matter where they were so them being at WDW is irrelevant to me. I have little desire to stay onsite otherwise even though the location can be nice under certain circumstances.
 
anniepoppins said:
We go at least once a year to WDW and have always stayed onsite, but now they have simply priced us out. I'm not paying $200+ for a moderate and I hate the Values. Their construction is cheap, the rooms are extremely basic and very loud. We pricelined a great hotel room at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista resort around the corner from DTD for $72 a night. We are saving $127 per night by doing this, the hotel only takes 10-15 minutes to get to from the parks, it's a larger room with bigger and more comfortable beds, and our breakfast will be way cheaper offsite than in a resort foodcourt. My problem lies in the fact that in paying $100 per day (actually more as we have park hoppers), I expect to get on several rides per day.
We are now being majorly penalized by staying offsite by the FP+ system, but it's not worth that $127 per night just to get my FP+ for a lousy 3 rides! We always go during a value season as we don't stand in any 30 minute lines for any ride. I feel really sorry for first time visiting families in the spring and summer who don't have a clue about advance planning. Boy are they in for a shock. I totally agree with the above poster about Disney getting $0 revenue off my offsite stay. It's just gotten way to expensive for the average person. We will not be going next year at all.
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I LIKE your thinking. Another option if you have the $200 but want more value is to rent a 4-5 bedroom home at Windsor Hills (or one of the MANY other developments near the park). In this case you have privacy, full kitchen with granite counter tops, laundry, game room in the garage AND a private screened swimming pool. Start to stop time from the driveway to the Magic Kingdom parking lot is about 15 minutes. After we did this once we would never go any other way. From my perspective, there is NO magic in a 300 sq ft hotel room with 4 people 2 beds, and 1 bathroom. Our family has a bedroom for the luggage at Windsor Hills :rotfl2:

Here is a good example: http://www.vrbo.com/203495

(No, I don't own a home in Orlando... just sharing my experience :))

Ed
 
For us, the "full package" is what makes the magic. Hubs and I took our first trip EVER on our honeymoon. We stayed off property. We lost a lot of time and didn't get to do as much stuff as we would have liked to. But we were completely new to it and we still had a great time. About 4 years later, we took an unexpected "crash" trip with our now 2yo and another couple. We stayed at Pop. The difference in staying on-site vs off-site was amazing to us. About 4 years after that, we returned with 2 children and another family and again stayed at Pop. The "Disneyness" of the value resorts make it even more Disney for us. Another mom I know, who just returned from a trip over Christmas break and I were talking last week and she hit the nail on the head when she said, "It felt so good to be in the Disney Bubble." There is something to be said for the Disney Bubble - staying on property, using Disney transportation, eating in Disney restaurants (and it can be done on a budget!) that lets you feel like you are in a world that doesn't lead a usually distracted mind back to a closet that needs to be cleaned at home or the science fair that is coming up in a couple of weeks. I honestly think if I was leaving the property, I would be leaving that Bubbly feeling every night and those "regular" thoughts would be disrupting my vacation. Hey - I've got 13 days left until Bubble Re-entry and I can't wait, what else can I say???:love:
 
edolee said:
I LIKE your thinking. Another option if you have the $200 but want more value is to rent a 4-5 bedroom home at Windsor Hills (or one of the MANY other developments near the park). In this case you have privacy, full kitchen with granite counter tops, laundry, game room in the garage AND a private screened swimming pool. Start to stop time from the driveway to the Magic Kingdom parking lot is about 15 minutes. After we did this once we would never go any other way. From my perspective, there is NO magic in a 300 sq ft hotel room with 4 people 2 beds, and 1 bathroom. Our family has a bedroom for the luggage at Windsor Hills :rotfl2:

Here is a good example: http://www.vrbo.com/203495

(No, I don't own a home in Orlando... just sharing my experience :))

Ed
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:thumbsup2
 
Laketravis said:
That's exactly why I'd want to stay at US on the days we'd be going to those parks. So if I'm staying at a US resort for five days, what would be the advantages of moving to a WDW resort for the next 5 days while we go to WDW parks? Other than being able to pre-book FP, of course, but with AP's and a prior stay I might already be able to do that. Transportation wouldn't be an issue since we'd have a rental, and parking is included with the AP.

So with AP's to both WDW and US, it seems there might be a slight edge to staying at a US Resort because of the FOTL option?
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If you visit FL like we do and can swing a US AP then I would do that. I don't know when you travel to FL but depending on the time of year, you can score some great AP discounts on the hotels. We are talking rates $40/night cheaper than All Stars to stay in Royal Pacific. I don't think I have to tell you how far apart those two are in hotel value. ;)

Once Avatar opens (hence...something new that sorta interests us...in like the way that it's not Princess-related and doesn't involve Dwarfs) and they have all the FP+ fiasco worked out, then my plan would be simple. If it "works out like they think it will" and offsite guests can book FP+, then I would totally plan to stay onsite at Universal and drive my rental down and check Avatar and the night show at AK for a day.

I'd be like....I reserved my rides at Pandora, Everest and the Safari in the afternoon so I have no real need to get there early. I might as well enjoy early entry to Uni...ride what I want pretty much whenever I want with FOTL....check out the 3 new rides that have been built there since Avatar broke ground..maybe go back to the room...maybe swim, eat and then head the whole 7 miles down Turkey Lake road to Disney. Since I would be entering through the DTD side I would get my first look at the new parking garage and mall that had been built since I'd been there. BONUS!

If I am lucky, I will stumble upon some information celebrating the 5th new DVC opening since the Polyenesian's in 2015.

But...since this about the commercial that is bombarding me....since when does the Monorail enter CR at about 60 mph?
 
For us staying on site a wdw is "worth it" for the airport pickup/drop off and not needing a car, ex for park hopping
On the flip side they are expensive for what you get as a whole. Heck tix prices are getting to where its not worth it IMO too

I actually am thinking the next time around of staying off site, hear good things about some bonnet creek resort.

You really want to see where Disney prices are not worth it compared to off site, go to disneyland
 
That is interesting, a little glimpse into their strategy and priorities. They are a hotel company who manages parks as a way to get you to stay in their hotels, not the other way around.
 
ArwenMarie said:
That is interesting, a little glimpse into their strategy and priorities. They are a hotel company who manages parks as a way to get you to stay in their hotels, not the other way around.
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Great point. And thankfully DLR still has it the other way around. And it shows in the parks.
 
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