If you used to stay onsite...

[Darcy03231]

I still do both. It all depends on whose going, ages, how long, etc.

12/09 -It was me, my Mom and my niece for 5 nights/6 days. I got a PIN for free dining so we stayed on-site.

4/09 - It was me and my two teens during a school vacation week for a full week. We stayed off-site as they wanted to other things than just WDW.

10/08 - It was me and my 4 y.o. niece for a full week. We stayed on-site as it was just the two of us and I found it easier.

8/07 - 9 of us went for 16 days. We rented a 5 bedroom/3 bath private pool home and had a wonderful time!

 

[angelmav]

Offsite, well, for starters were a large family that drives anyway, so the Disney transportation is of no use and for getting around much worse. Second, we can stay in a house with private pool for a 1/4 of what we would spend for two moderate rooms, and thats with pin code! The Dining has gone downhill and the plans have been gutted of value, so even though well dine onsite were more particular about it and can enjoy sleeping in, bfst by the pool and meals when/where we want.

All that said we still nearly bought points at AKV! We love disney! We only changed our minds when we realized that the annual maintenance fees were still double what we pay for offsite accomodations, and they go up every year!

As much as we would love to stay onsight, for a family our size we just cant justify the much higher costs and get much better accomodations off-site. With the economy in the state it is, I dont see travel deals going anywhere anytime soon either.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

We do not travel as a full family anymore. I go too often to stay onsite all the time. My DH's salary isn't what it use to be and I find that there is a better "value" for me outside now that my kids are grown. Don't get me wrong, if I can get a good deal, I would stay onsite, but I am not going to spend a fortune just so I can stay.. I would rather put the money in to extra trips since I am only just about 3 hours away.

 

[So_Money]

Until Disney wakes up and fixes their housekeeping mess and mediocre food, we'll be staying at the Waldorf Astoria or Ritz Carlton. Nothing is keeping us onsite anymore. It's really too bad because we never would have though about staying off site. It's just not worth it to stay on site anymore.

 

[BAST]

We have stayed onsite at the deluxe resorts for our previous family trips to WDW.
We really liked being in the middle of everything and the ability to get back and forth from our room easily (especially when the kids were younger). We have also liked the dining plan. We do not really use Disney transportation - since we always rent a car.

This trip (August, 2010), we will stay offsite for two reasons: (1) cost (the price difference between my currently booked room and a 40% discounted room at a deluxe resort is huge, and the dining plan for my now 'adult' 10 and 11 year old is a terrible deal); and (2) the benefits of a two room suite versus a deluxe room.

 

[disneymom06]

I love staying onsite but recently with the 4 kids, the two rooms have just gotten too expensive. I like to go more than once a year and we do spend downtime at the resort but I just couldn't justify the price difference.

During FD, I will book 2 value rooms, it is the best value on that discount,(But not in any other resort category) but otherwise, even 40% is no great deal for my family.

I would prefer onsite, but for the value, offsite is a better deal, in both space and money.

 

[Chrisinroch]

We've done onsite a bunch of times, offsite hotels, and Windsor Hills and Terra Verde. We ended up buying a house in Terra Verde. It is so much nicer...space, private pool, full kitchen (i like to cook), etc. It takes maybe ten minutes more in the AM and may actually be faster in the PM over waiting in line for disney transport.

For me, I eventually got sick of that sucking noise I always heard when I was onsite....the giant vacuum attached to my wallet. Food is overpriced and underwhelming (had gotten steadily worse over past 5 years maybe) as the disney dining plan disincentivises quality). So I guess the joy of immersion at Disney turned into a feeling of captivity.

 

[avahoneybee]

We've never stayed off site but there are so many lovely resorts now in the Disney World vicinity.

 

[chonga]

I enjoy the on-site because I like to have everything Disney wash all over me.

 

[wahoostampingirl]

We stayed onsite for a short 4 day trip, but for all the rest of our trips, we've chosen to stay offsite. We rent a vacation home either in Windsor Palms or Windsor Hills.

I actually went so far as to book a 1 BR villa at WL for our upcoming Jan. trip, but even with the 4/3 deal, it was going to cost me over $2000 more than the 3BR/3BA townhouse with its own splash pool that we ended up renting instead. My ds8 is super excited that the townhouse has 2 x-box video game players and we all love that we can spread out. I picked a townhouse that has a Lion King themed bedroom for my twins (although dd8 says she will be sleeping in the queen BR away from her brother!). Although, I don't cook on vacation, it is nice to have the full kitchen for quick breakfasts and snacks.

We always have a rental car or our own car since I'm not a fan of the Disney buses, so that doesn't factor into our decision. Windsor Hills is super close to Disney. There is a shortcut road to AK and you can be there in 5 minutes.

There is one more reason why I like staying offsite. On one trip, a few years ago, everyone in my family got a stomach virus one after the other. It was so much easier to stay "home" with a sick kid when the child can rest in a bedroom, while the parent has a nice comfy living room to hang out in. I can't imagine how our vacation would have gone if we had all been squished into a hotel room while sick. Of course, no one wants to get sick on vacation, but since its happened to us, it's never far from my mind while planning where to stay.

 

[persimmondeb]

I prefer onsite, mostly on the theory that if a thing's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. Total Disney Immersion! It is not always practical, unfortunately. Last trip there were 6 of us (myself, DH, DS, my sister, her SO, and his mother), and we would have needed at least 3 rooms. Onsite just wasn't reasonable to contemplate, and we got a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom pool home for less per night than one room in a moderate resort.

The space was nice, and the house was absolutely gorgeous, but it just doesn't have the same vacation feel. My sister and I are also the kind of people, who faced with a fabulous fully equipped kitchen, a decent supermarket all of about 4 blocks away, and a houseful of hungry people, feel compelled to cook a majority of meals. Also we didn't pay to heat the pool, so we really didn't swim at night. With that many people it was really the only way to go, but if it's just the three of us we'll be onsite.

The previous trip, we actually moved mid-trip, staying at the Caribe Royal for Sea World and Discovery Cove, and Port Orleans for Disney. That worked out very, very well, and we'd do that again.

Next time, we're probably going to fly, instead of drive (it's about 18 hrs from here), and will stay onsite, no rental car.

 

[dyna]

We just got back after a week in a 2bed condo. DH had made ressies for POP in Feb which we are going to cancelWHY?

We can not imagine ever staying in 1 room for a week again we like our space to much even tho it only 2 of us. I put my stuff in 2nd bedroom shower in 2nd bath DH an I can both get ready without being on top of one another. We eat a full hot breakfast every morning at our leisure at our own table in our own quiet condo.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I've always stayed onsite, and couldn't imagine leaving, but bedtime is pretty miserable when one of us has to leave every night to get the kids to sleep. (and the other just sits in the dark room.) We never use the resort amenities, and always drive our car, so I began to consider it. This trip, instead of 5, we're 6- so it was either $4160 at POR, or $875 in a 3/3 townhome at WH. Yeah, no brainer for us- plus, we're not falling all over each other; instead of just yogurt we can have full hot breakfast, and we have a pool literally right outside the door. I really think we'll probably be converts after this trip. I have to admit, it will be nice to not be "stuck" with the decreasing quality of the WDW food as our only option.

 

[katallo]

For us, it's getting pretty simple...850.00 for a two bedroom at Bonnet Creek weekly vs. over 1,500.00 (renting points) for a one bedroom BW standard for 4 nights. We were always onsite guests, but decided the money saved can buy park passes...and we still get to stay in a beautiful resort.

 

[spiceycat]

well use to do both - but considering might be moving to Davenport (between 12 and 17 miles from WDW) - might just reconsider.

 

[jenbren]

We stayed onsite the last 3 visits but went offsite this time because there were 13 of us (all family) for Christmas. We are here right now in a 6 bedroom in Windsor Palms and loving it!! It is only 5 miles to WDW and we all have our own rooms, our own pool, and our own hottub (which is heaven!!) I thought I would miss being onsite and being able to do extra magic hours but I don't at all. We are close enough to leave for a while when we want to and we have done that a few days. As much as I love the Disney resorts I wouldn't mind staying offsite in a house again - it is nice to have space to spread out!!!

 

[MinnieForMe]

Space!

Resorts just as nice if not nicer than Disney.

Believe it or not, we appreciate all the other places to visit in the Orlando area (SeaWorld, Universal (not as much as other places) Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Fantasy of Flight, Helicopter rides, Downtown Disney along with the Disney parks.

 

[TamaraQT]

I guess its the same argument of staying on-site vs. off-site as it is to drive vs to fly. Different strokes for different folks. But after reading this posts, it seems more people are moving towards off-site lately. I have never stayed on-site. The main reason is affordability. If you do a price comparision and factor in how much on average a meal would cost vs "disney dining" then off-site will win, hands down! We ate breakfast at the golden corral buffet which is a lot cheaper than disney prices. And buffets aren't the BEST quality, but I have found they are better quality than Disney food for a lot less. Thats just my humble opinion. I love the space and privacy an off-site condo provides. I love having a full living room, full diningroom and full kitchen. I love having a screened in balcony/patio to relax on with a morning cup of coffee. Last year, we stayed in a 3bedroom/3bath condo that would sleep up to 12 people for only $850 or $875. Something like that. And the one thing I must mention that is the icing on the cake to me, having a full size washer and dryer. I pack ALOT less by having them right inside the condo. I pick up a cheap bottle of detergent and fabric softner at the local walmart and wash a quick load a day to keep from carrying dirty clothes back home. It sure helps when you have YOUNG children who seem to spill everything. And I dont find it fun to wash clothes in a sink or bathtub and dry them on the shower rod. Again, that is just my humble opinion.

 

[Brian Noble]

But after reading this posts, it seems more people are moving towards off-site lately.

That's partly because it's being discussed on the off-site board. Ask this question on the Disney resort board, and you'll get a very different picture.

 

[RDM83]

My mom works at Marriott and I get a pretty nice discount for a regular hotel room..$39/night and for the 2 bedroom suite $129/night but i still opted for cabins at ft. wilderness. I guess its because its gonna be my first time at WDW.... Do you think i should reconsider???