Do you recommend a Disney Resort if your in the parks all day???

[CampbellzSoup]

Just asking is wasting the money worth it???? I barely spend any time at all at the resorts besides changing and sleeping!

 

[Ceryssa]

If you're the sort of person that doesn't see dealing with renting a car and driving to the parks an inconvenience, you might prefer to stay offsite. Some people actually prefer doing that, regardless of whether they're staying onsite or not. I don't, so the convenience factor for me is with an onsite stay. I'll happily pay more and give up extra space because it feels more convenient for me, and I'm not interested in going anywhere off Disney property. So it doesn't feel like a "waste" for me, but I totally get how for someone else they'd rather put that money toward something else. It just depends what your priorities are, I think either way is good if it works for you!

 

[smitch425]

Just asking is wasting the money worth it???? I barely spend any time at all at the resorts besides changing and sleeping!

Worth is subjective, but we only use our resort for sleeping and showering, and the occasional meal. We prefer not to drive, and we like the extended FP booking window along with EMH. Staying onsite is the only way to go for us. We prefer to stay value for theming and price.

 

[WDWOswald]

Just asking is wasting the money worth it???? I barely spend any time at all at the resorts besides changing and sleeping!

That's why God created the all star resorts. Cheap, great location and access to disney transportation.

 

[WDWOswald]

If you stay off site you pay $17 to park each day

 

[cheekybulldog]

Last time we went, we stayed off-property and for me it wasn't worth it. Between either cabs, car rental and parking, the convenience factor of just hopping on a bus and having them take you where you need to be is just so much nicer when you stay on site. Yes it's more expensive, but like WDWOswald said that's why there are value resorts, because in the long run its not much more expensive to stay there and it's less hassle.

 

[canadiandisneynut]

I like to head back to a local hotel without worrying about leaving the property at night. There is also great value in a mid day swim on hot days or a shower before an ADR.

 

[Babsy]

We like not having to always go to the parks or leave together. If some of our group wants to go to Epcot for the morning while the rest wants to sleep in and meet up at lunch we all just grab the bus we want when we are ready.

We don't feel that it is a waste. If you feel that way, then staying offsite is probably a better option for you. Many people do prefer an offsite vacation.

 

[sdsatl]

We just stayed at a value resort during value season (LM room at AoA $117/night). We could have stayed next door at Pop for $79/night! If you subtract $17 for parking, you'd have to find a room for less than $62/night. I honestly couldn't. Of all the offsite places people recommended, the rooms were still around the price of a value and some had resort/parking fees?

If you are staying a week or longer, though, there are great deals on houses in the area that come to $69-89 a night. We've stayed with my dad in Champions Gate and driven to Disney every day and loved it.

I recommend checking out Pop! And if you love teenagers and/or constant noise, you could also check out the All Stars.

 

[schwaa]

Just asking is wasting the money worth it???? I barely spend any time at all at the resorts besides changing and sleeping!

Of course.

 

[Disneylover99]

Value resorts are totally worth it.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think if you spend so much time at teh parks, onsite is even more of a value than if you do not. There is nothing worse than having to navigate your way back "home" after a very long day. WE love the convenience of making our way to teh bus stop or the boat launch, hopping aboard and letting someone else get us to the resort.

 

[StrawberryTink]

Staying off site means car rental or cabs, so work out the price of your gas/cab fair every day along with the parking charges at Disney. If you use your own car there is still the up keep of that along with gas and parking. So add that on top of your hotel/villa off site and are you really saving that much more?

If you were on property at Disney, you'd be able to take advantage of free parking at each park or Disney hotel, possibly free dining depending on when you booked, extra magic hours and I'm going to say Pixie Dust to (as I've had my room upgraded a few times, didn't even ask)

Say it's a super hot day, you're staying off property, you drive to the park, pay parking, get the transport to the park, then eventually get into the park, you pay out of pocket for food, you spend the entire day in the park, then go back to your off site hotel super tired, sleep then do it all over again tomorrow. Say you stay at a Disney property, there's extra magic hours, so you wake up, you jump on a bus/boat get straight to the park, don't have to pay for parking (or you take your car anyway, but don't have to pay for parking) enjoy the park, its super hot through the middle of the day, so you head back to your Disney resort enjoy the pools, get a refresh, then jump on a bus/boat and hit the park again; then if you do manage to catch free dining, perfect because you get meals included.

All the perks of staying on Disney property for me make my vacation all that extra special. Last year when we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, we did rent a car as we were heading to Tampa for hockey games, even then parking on site is free. I still praise the amount of time i save by staying on property and not driving to Disney even from a local hotel or friends place which I've done in the past for short visits.

Even if you decide that you wouldn't go back to your Disney resort during the day, you still have to weigh up whether the charges mentioned on top of your off site hotel really save you so much extra cash. (Plus you say all you do is sleep and change there, is that because it's not a lovely Disney hotel? )

Have fun planning your Disney trip!!

 

[Brian Noble]

For me, the real reason to stay in a Disney resort is transportation. Here are some reasons why that can be useful:

• You don't want to (or can't) get a rental car.
• Your party is likely to want to split up frequently.
• You are attending a special event (e.g. Marathon) that draws a ton of traffic.
• You are planning a second glass of wine with dinner at Epcot

A secondary reason is that you don't want to leave "The Disney Bubble." There is something nice about not having to drive under the "See You Real Soon" signs to the outside world, but that isn't a tangible thing, and different people react to it differently.

Interestingly, if you are going to be spending a lot of time at your resort enjoying your room and its amenities, I think you can get a LOT more for your money in a non-Disney resort. There are some spectacular resort-style properties with villas that can be rented for something less than a Disney Moderate. Wyndham Bonnet Creek is one of my favorites. Great location, feels like it is inside "the bubble," pools as good or better than anything at WDW, a modest mini-golf course, etc.

It's also worth nothing that it is no more difficult to take a mid-day break to most well-located offsite locations than it is to many of the Disney resorts.

I've had many stays both onsite and off. From my perspective, the two types of Disney vacations are more similar than they are different.

 

[DizDaD7]

For me this :

* First off before you even arrive in WDW, you have DME, which (is worth it's weight in gold). Not having to worry about your bags once you check them in at your airport is a huge plus, also having a FREE ride from MCO to you're resort.
* 2nd, Free Constant shuttles to and from, as well as boats and/or monorails..... (NO DRIVING)--> No parking fees!
* 3rd, EMH for onsite guests. Either prior to reg. parks opening or extend later.
* 4th, FP + you can make your earlier than staying off property
* 5th, ADR's.....Nuff said
* 6th, & in my eyes, the most Important.......The MAGIC you lose when staying offsite. *There's no way to put a price on this, but it would certainly be a lot IMHO.

Don't get me wrong some money can be saved. We actually rented a beautiful new house just off Rt 192 in Kissimmee back in 2006. It was enormous. Like 2400 sf. 5 bedrooms, 3 - 1/2 baths, 4 car garage, pool w/ lanai, and was only $745... We did rent 2 vehicles, and we basically used 1 to go to and from the parks. It was 9 of us. 6 adults , 3 kids, in a minivan..Big drawback was, when someone wanted to leave, we all had to leave..And when I say leave, That Means LEAVING ALL the MAGIC at the gates....

To each his/ her own I know , but I'll never stay offsite again, suffice to say we bought into DVC, just for the convenience...

 

[Sue M]

Yes, it's worth it. Airport transportation, luggage us taken care of, airline check in for going home, good park transportation.
If you are staying at the parks opening to closing, a value resort would be fine.

 

[lustergirl]

We just stayed at a value resort during value season (LM room at AoA $117/night). We could have stayed next door at Pop for $79/night! If you subtract $17 for parking, you'd have to find a room for less than $62/night. I honestly couldn't. Of all the offsite places people recommended, the rooms were still around the price of a value and some had resort/parking fees?

If you are staying a week or longer, though, there are great deals on houses in the area that come to $69-89 a night. We've stayed with my dad in Champions Gate and driven to Disney every day and loved it.

I recommend checking out Pop! And if you love teenagers and/or constant noise, you could also check out the All Stars.

Actually there is more noise at POP, a bigger place than any of the All Stars.

 

[lustergirl]

If you are spending all the time in the parks then a value resort is just fine.

 

[sdsatl]

Actually there is more noise at POP, a bigger place than any of the All Stars.

I've only been to Pop during value season, so it was pretty empty. I have stayed at the All Stars multiple times during the summer and winter, and it was noisy teens/cheerleaders every single time. I didn't mind when I was young, but I shudder at the thought of staying there now... your experience will make my kids' day, though! Their dream is to stay at the "Toy Story" hotel, so maybe I'll reconsider.

 

[HopperFan]

Just asking is wasting the money worth it???? I barely spend any time at all at the resorts besides changing and sleeping!

I stay 5-6 weeks, 60% on and 40% off. I think the three biggest perks to staying onsite for someone who is not spending time at the resort are (1) 60 day out FP+ for a few rides that are harder to get (2) Extra Magic Hours, particularly during busy times (3) If you are flying then transportation is a whole different level on/off site (we drive).

If these two items are not important to your trip then staying offsite with a substantial savings may work just fine for you. But if you are only sleeping surely check the cost of a value vs a cost of offsite. I am at POP right now (16th) stay and it's been great, super quiet facing the lake and no issues at all. I haven't seen my car all week.