Is Staying off site cheaper? looking for suggestions.

[mshanson3121]

For those of you that stay offsite, do you find it hard to get FP and ADR that you want?

The newer rides can be, but the rest aren't bad. If there is something that is *really* a must do that's a newer/highly popular attraction, that's where throwaway rooms come in.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

For those of you that stay offsite, do you find it hard to get FP and ADR that you want?

got victoria and alberts so yeh and fps I wanted. In fact many I did not even use

 

[kels420]

No.

Even when I stay onsite I am never booking at 180 because I don't decide to go until 120 or less. I've picked up BOG, probably one of the hardest, a week out. DS got us California Grill during fireworks, day before. Just keep checking at different times and odds are you can get most of what you want.

FP+, yes new rides are tough after the 60 day mark but they are very few. And we have actually picked them up very last minute, or we do rope drop.

Ok we haven't been since Oct 2015 so was wondering specifically about BOG, mine train and new frozen ride

 

[HopperFan]

Ok we haven't been since Oct 2015 so was wondering specifically about BOG, mine train and new frozen ride

Well Dining is not much of an advantage. If you start looking at 180 you should be able to get what you want. Like I said, I've gotten BOG a week out and actually changed my times week of. I have also cancelled it many times week of while I was there. There is no dining I haven't been able to pickup much less than 180.

FP+ both 7DMT and FEA will be harder, maybe not impossible. We got 7DMT day of in the park over a holiday weekend. We have been at park at rope drop and gone straight to the one we want to ride we did not get. AND now that Pandora will have 2 FP+ but only able to pick one per day, some folks may actually shift their priorities from the other two.

We can't forget that FP+ is not the only way to ride these rides. If I can save a couple thousand dollars to have much more lodging .... I am willing to stand in line for an hour for a ride. We all used to stand in lines, but somehow FP+ has made us forget that, as if it's the only option.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Ok we haven't been since Oct 2015 so was wondering specifically about BOG, mine train and new frozen ride

We just retuned from a 5 day offsite trip (Vacation Village at Parkway) over Easter Week (super crowded level 10 days). I got FP+s for everything I wanted including 7DMT. FEA wasn't available when I booked FPs at 30 days, but I did see it for a decent time a couple of weeks later. However, I didn't want to give up my Soarin FP to get FEA (Soarin is DH's favorite, and he hadn't seen the new Soarin movie yet).

We also got all the ADRs we wanted for the times we wanted (including an 11:50 BOG lunch and a PPO ROL Tusker House breakfast). I booked the ADRs about a month before our trip. Sci-Fi and BOG took a little stalking but I got what I needed.

 

[robinb]

We just retuned from a 5 day offsite trip (Vacation Village at Parkway) over Easter Week (super crowded level 10 days). I got FP+s for everything I wanted including 7DMT. FEA wasn't available when I booked FPs at 30 days, but I did see it for a decent time a couple of weeks later. However, I didn't want to give up my Soarin FP to get FEA (Soarin is DH's favorite, and he hadn't seen the new Soarin movie yet).

We also got all the ADRs we wanted for the times we wanted (including an 11:50 BOG lunch and a PPO ROL Tusker House breakfast). I booked the ADRs about a month before our trip. Sci-Fi and BOG took a little stalking but I got what I needed.

I do have to say that you need to be "on the ball" and get in at 30 days. I just spaced out the 30-day window for my upcoming Wishes/Avatar trip and FEA, 7DMT and ROL are are sold out . I'll obviously keep on checking but it's a PITB.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I do have to say that you need to be "on the ball" and get in at 30 days. I just spaced out the 30-day window for my upcoming Wishes/Avatar trip and FEA, 7DMT and ROL are are sold out . I'll obviously keep on checking but it's a PITB.

It is a PITB, but with some stalking, I am sure you will get everything you want!

 

[TamaraQT]

But a lot of people get irritated being held captive by Disney while vacationing there. So, I'm sure to them, the ability to have more independence and save a few bucks on the resort stay is a big deal. We stayed off-site when I was a kid, and we had a blast. I have no idea where we stayed, it was a million years ago, but I'm pretty sure there was Disney stuff in the gift shop, a swimming pool, and some palm trees. To a kid...that's all that matters!

I guess THIS is my problem....the feeling of being held CAPTIVE. It all comes down to if you are going for a DISNEY vacation or an ORLANDO vacation and that is where the onsite vs offsite argument should REALLY begin. If you plan to ONLY visit DISNEY then there should be NO ONSITE/OFFSITE debates. My family and I go to ORLANDO for vacation and that includes more than DISNEY !!! Disney is NOT enough to keep me entertained to the point that I want to ESCAPE reality. That may be another PERSONAL issue within itself, but I digress to make it a topic of conversation. So if I am going for DISNEY only, then I will stay on-site. If I plan to enjoy ORLANDO and other areas of Florida, then I stay off-site.

WE RENT a car, we STAY at Timeshare Resorts, WE DINE at restaurants in the area. We do things we don't get to do at home. One of the highlight of MY vacation is being able to come back to my room and RELAX in a Jacuzzi tub while the kids are doing stuff in their OWN room or in the livingroom or making snacks in the kitchen or whatever. MY TIMESHARE ROOM is a vacation getaway at the end of the day. No cramming into a room with 2 beds and 1 bathroom. That is NOT my ideal of vacation. There is NOT ENOUGH MAGIC for me to enjoy that. So staying onsite for me will only work for a 3 or 4 day stay. After that, find me a TIMESHARE RESORT so MY REAL VACATION CAN BEGIN !!!!

What is a throwaway room? We are British so are not always familiar with the terminology used on Disboards, sounds intriguing.

Not sure what a throwaway room is, but it was already noted you were British when you referred to a renting a car as HIRING a car. That cracks me up everytime...it never gets old

 

[mshanson3121]

It all comes down to if you are going for a DISNEY vacation or an ORLANDO vacation and that is where the onsite vs offsite argument should REALLY begin. If you plan to ONLY visit DISNEY then there should be NO-OFFSITE options. You are going to DISNEY ONLY.

I guess this is a "to each their own thing". We went for Disney only. And loved our off site stay.

 

[nursejackie]

I guess THIS is my problem....the feeling of being held CAPTIVE. It all comes down to if you are going for a DISNEY vacation or an ORLANDO vacation and that is where the onsite vs offsite argument should REALLY begin. If you plan to ONLY visit DISNEY then there should be NO-OFFSITE options. You are going to DISNEY ONLY. My family and I go to ORLANDO for vacation and that includes more than DISNEY !!! Disney is NOT enough to keep me entertained to the point that I want to ESCAPE reality. That may be another PERSONAL issue within itself, but I digress to make it a topic of conversation. So if I am going for DISNEY only, then I will stay on-site. If I plan to enjoy ORLANDO and other areas of Florida, then I stay off-site.

WE RENT a car, we STAY at Timeshare Resorts, WE DINE at restaurants in the area. We do things we don't get to do at home. One of the highlight of MY vacation is being able to come back to my room and RELAX in a Jacuzzi tub while the kids are doing stuff in their OWN room or in the livingroom or making snacks in the kitchen or whatever. MY TIMESHARE ROOM is a vacation getaway at the end of the day. No cramming into a room with 2 beds and 1 bathroom. That is NOT my ideal of vacation. There is NOT ENOUGH MAGIC for me to enjoy that. So staying onsite for me will only work for a 3 or 4 day stay. After that, find me a TIMESHARE RESORT so MY REAL VACATION CAN BEGIN !!!!



Not sure what a throwaway room is, but it was already noted you were British when you referred to a renting a car as HIRING a car. That cracks me up everytime...it never gets old

I always try to say vacation and not holiday, fries instead of chips, soda and not pop/fizzy drinks (as we call it), but I'd never thought about hire instead of rent. Another 'americanism' I need to remember

 

[Monykalyn]

I guess THIS is my problem....the feeling of being held CAPTIVE. It all comes down to if you are going for a DISNEY vacation or an ORLANDO vacation and that is where the onsite vs offsite argument should REALLY begin. If you plan to ONLY visit DISNEY then there should be NO-OFFSITE options. You are going to DISNEY ONLY. My family and I go to ORLANDO for vacation and that includes more than DISNEY !!! Disney is NOT enough to keep me entertained to the point that I want to ESCAPE reality. That may be another PERSONAL issue within itself, but I digress to make it a topic of conversation. So if I am going for DISNEY only, then I will stay on-site. If I plan to enjoy ORLANDO and other areas of Florida, then I stay off-site.

WE RENT a car, we STAY at Timeshare Resorts, WE DINE at restaurants in the area. We do things we don't get to do at home. One of the highlight of MY vacation is being able to come back to my room and RELAX in a Jacuzzi tub while the kids are doing stuff in their OWN room or in the livingroom or making snacks in the kitchen or whatever. MY TIMESHARE ROOM is a vacation getaway at the end of the day. No cramming into a room with 2 beds and 1 bathroom. That is NOT my ideal of vacation. There is NOT ENOUGH MAGIC for me to enjoy that. So staying onsite for me will only work for a 3 or 4 day stay. After that, find me a TIMESHARE RESORT so MY REAL VACATION CAN BEGIN !!!!



Not sure what a throwaway room is, but it was already noted you were British when you referred to a renting a car as HIRING a car. That cracks me up everytime...it never gets old

We love our timeshare too! While I do like certain aspects of onsite stays (and plan on doing that for August), our Thanksgiving trip is going to be mostly offsite at our TS. I am looking forward to leaving crowded parks, having a separate bed for everyone, T-day dinner on our lanai(weather permitting), hitting the pool/hot tub etc. Depending on flights we may end up onsite a night or 2 prior (and yep-paying for that "convenience" and FP window ) We only plan on Disney during both August and November trips, but it is nice for us to have option of going offsite to eat as well.

 

[TamaraQT]

I always try to say vacation and not holiday, fries instead of chips, soda and not pop/fizzy drinks (as we call it), but I'd never thought about hire instead of rent. Another 'americanism' I need to remember

You don't have to remember it....I like it and respect the difference in sayings and cultures. So I will RENT my car and you will HIRE yours!!

One thing I love about Disney is the people that visit from other countries....no matter how different the culture, when everyone is in DISNEY we all seem to speak the same language and I just LOVE that !!!!

 

[TamaraQT]

I guess this is a "to each their own thing". We went for Disney only. And loved our off site stay.

I had to edit that remark. It didn't come out as I intended. But you are right, to each his own.

 

[edolee]

Not sure what a throwaway room is, but it was already noted you were British when you referred to a renting a car as HIRING a car. That cracks me up everytime...it never gets old

First, I agree with most/all your thoughts on wanting a better room for your family... I would never stay onsite again, regardless of how much Disney time was involved. Even if I was spending every second in the parks during the day I would STILL stay offsite... Why? Staying offsite can indeed be less expensive, but for me I find it to be a far better VALUE. 4-6 bedroom villa with a private pool, multiple bathrooms, game-room, full kitchen, gas grill, jacuzzi, and on our last trip a lake with good fishing less than 30 feet from our back door!.... all for the price of a moderate or less. To me that is good value. (We mostly don't utilize timeshares any more, but rather tap the vast supply of vacation developments surrounding Disney. e.g. Windsor Hills, Lake Berkley, Sunset Lakes, and on and on and on.)

Throwaway rooms are controversial... some people think it is cheating/immoral. Basically, it is the practice of renting an on-property room/campsite for a day or two (with no intention of staying there), and getting the benefits that come with that rental. There is a substantial thread on this concept on the theme park attractions and strategy board.

I tried it on our last trip, and I must say it was awesome. We rented a campsite for 1 night for about $75... and in return got:

1) 180 day window for ADR
2) 60 day window for fastpass
3) Parking passes for two days ($40 - checkin and checkout days)
4) 4 free magic bands ($52)
5) EMH for two days (We never use this anyway, but we could)

The savings on parking and magic bands more than covered the cost of the room... but frankly the ADR and Fastpass windows was what I was really interested in.

Hope that helps!

Ed

 

[BigredNole]

Never thought about booking a campsite for the day. This does solve 2 problems for us: FP and MagicBands. This would get us EMH for AK and ability to get FPs for FEA possibly. I have to see if it is worth $85 for those 2.

 

[Klayfish]

Never thought about booking a campsite for the day. This does solve 2 problems for us: FP and MagicBands. This would get us EMH for AK and ability to get FPs for FEA possibly. I have to see if it is worth $85 for those 2.

I think it depends on time of year. We're going at the end of June and the cheapest campsite we could get would be $125 including taxes, etc... We plan to convert our tickets to APs when we're there, so the magic band benefit is worthless to us. We really wanted it just for the ability to book early FP+, but not sure it's worth the money.

 

[mshanson3121]

I had to edit that remark. It didn't come out as I intended. But you are right, to each his own.

I still would disagree. You say that if you're going for Disney only, that there should be no onsite/offsite debates, insinuating that if you're going for Disney only, you should only stay on Disney property. But here's some food for thought with regards to this claim: many people can't afford a Disney vacation in the first place, unless they stay off site.

 

[BigredNole]

We plan to convert our tickets to APs when we're there, so the magic band benefit is worthless to us.

You will not get a Magicband when you convert. You have to order it online and it is delivered 10-14 days later. I am in that same boat. We will be activating our APs but will not receive our Magicbands until the second trip with them.

 

[richmo]

I often stay offsite and there's plenty of good places, some inexpensive, some not. But OP's original post has two things that directly conflict with each other: offsite and shuttle. If I was serious about not staying at a Disney resort, the only resorts I would consider with a shuttle would be those on Hotel Plaza Blvd, since the shuttles are on a regular schedule. Other hotel shuttles are notoriously bad and really can restrict your time, both going to and returning from the parks. If you do that route, make sure you have Uber or Lyft setup, because you might need it.

 

[robinb]

I tried it on our last trip, and I must say it was awesome. We rented a campsite for 1 night for about $75... and in return got:

1) 180 day window for ADR
2) 60 day window for fastpass
3) Parking passes for two days ($40 - checkin and checkout days)
4) 4 free magic bands ($52)
5) EMH for two days (We never use this anyway, but we could)

Everyone has the 180 day window for ADRs. Onsite guests have a 180+10 window. Which means that they can book ADRs 180 days from their check-in date but their ADR window is also open for 10 days after their check-in date. That means that they can grab ADRs at 181-190 days prior to a specific date instead of a rolling 180 day window for offsite guests. Frankly, I don't think it's all that important.