save or splurge?

[JDSNY10]

Hi Group, trying to decide what we should do and I thought I could use some advice from people that understand.
What would you do for a family of 6..Stay off property to save money and have more space? Stay on Property but get two rooms at a value or moderate? or would you splurge and book a VIilla on property for a thousand or so more?

TIA, Jay

 

[TeamSy]

I would first look at renting a villa on property for the ease of the magical express, transportation, etc. Then my second choice would be off property. If you are renting a car anyway, my choice would be off property and save the money for bigger and better accommodations.

 

[Ceryssa]

I agree with the previous poster. On property is always my first choice. But if a WDW villa puts too much of a strain on the budget, I'd look at off property next. I don't think I'd deal with a value unless it was just me. Personal preference. And I'd prefer to have us all together rather than split up into two rooms that may or may not be together. A 3rd option is the suites at AoA, if that is something that might work for you, and it'd probably be less expensive than two moderate rooms.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We'd do whatever we had to to stay onsite. If budget allows for a Villa that's great, but a suite at a value resort or even two value rooms would still have lots of amenities of being onsite, and you get the total immersion without having to leave the Disney bubble.

 

[WDWOswald]

Hi Group, trying to decide what we should do and I thought I could use some advice from people that understand.
What would you do for a family of 6..Stay off property to save money and have more space? Stay on Property but get two rooms at a value or moderate? or would you splurge and book a VIilla on property for a thousand or so more?

TIA, Jay

Rent DVC points and get a 1 bedroom at old key west. You'll be thrilled

 

[monica9]

Maybe you will get a promotion of free dining for the 6 of you or room discount. The free dining could save you way over 1k for 6 people

 

[AllyinWonderland]

I think it depends on the ages of those travelling and what your priorities are. My first choice would be to splurge on a villa, but for my family that would really put a strain on the budget, so we probably wouldn't do it. If convenience is very important but you don't want to splurge, I'd opt for two rooms at a moderate or value. If you really like having a bunch of extra space and won't miss the conveniences of staying on property, you would probably be happier staying at a house or condo off site. I have family that traveled with 4 kids between the ages of 11 and 18 a couple years ago; they rented a house about a mile away and said it was the best decision ever because they saved money and everyone had plenty of space. Personally, I like being immersed in the magic and like the convenience of being on property so I would sacrifice space and a bit of money to stay at a Disney resort.

 

[Dizduke]

2 rooms at a moderate. Having your own space is always a bonus.

 

[BelleBriarRose]

Personally, I'd stay on property if at all possible. The convenience is unbeatable because you don't have to worry about transportation, bags, park purchases, or logistics from the moment your plane touches down in Orlando. That helps me relax.

But it depends on your family. If you're going to be spending all your time in the parks and only sleeping in the resort, I'd recommend staying in a value resort. If your budget allows for a villa, great! If you have a car with you and don't mind driving, then staying off-site is fine too. I just prefer staying within the Disney Bubble to have a completely immersive Disney experience, and I like the convenience, but then I don't spend a lot of time at my resort since I'm at the parks from opening till close pretty much every day I'm there. So, it depends on your family's priorities.

 

[Sue M]

I'd go with 2 rooms onsite as well. Either at a value or moderate. And request connecting rooms. It's all in how you want to vacation. We fly down so would have to add car rental cost, plus daily parking fee at WDW if staying off site.
We also like to take mid day breaks, then go back to a park later. Hard to do off site. For us, onsite works better.

Having said that, The Doubletree Suites in DTD is a good compromise. They are spacious 1 bdrm suites, and have good bus service. The DTD hotel bus service runs continuously every 30 min. No need to rent a car. You'd just need to hire a Towncar company for airport transportation. We came in a day early one trip so stsyed that night here. Got a good deal with a discount code from Mousesavers.com which included breakfast.

 

[JDSNY10]

Thanks for the replies. My wife wants nothing but to be immersed in Disney. She thinks that the kids would enjoy having that feeling too. I just would like a vacation to enjoy too without feeling so cramped and without breaking the bank. I really can't thank u enough for the replies cause I didn't even think of what would happen if we had to take a middle of the day break. I'm assuming it would be a lot easier if we stayed onsite. If I am crunching the numbers right the difference to rent points would be $1700 more then two moderate or value rooms. We would be spending down time at the resort. Are there tables in the rooms ? Are the mod value rooms big enough to sit down not just on the bed? I'm so confused on what to do

 

[crazylady]

We typically stay onsite, but for 6 people I would seriously consider an off site villa. The cost is so much more reasonable and you'll already be spending alot on food and tickets for a group of 6.

If you're looking at one bedroom villas on-site, 6 people would be pretty scrunched in there and 1700 is alot of extra money to be scrunched. The mods do have a table and a couple chairs. It's been a while since we stayed in a value, but I don't believe they did.

 

[dsnymomof4]

We are a family of 7 and when we are doing a budget trip, we get 2 rooms at Pop. We own DVC now, so on some trips we are in a 2-bedroom villa, but we still enjoy our vacations just as much when we are at a value. Any on-site resort is going to give you that Disney feel - you will be, as your wife says, "immersed" in everything Disney. From the Mickey-shaped waffles at the food court, to the extra magic hours and bus transportation, it really adds to the whole Disney experience. To answer your question about tables, the value & mod rooms each have a small table and 2 chairs. For as little time as we actually spend in the room, the size is just fine. Have a great trip!

 

[cvjw]

Just FYI, but with a party of 6, you would have to rent a DVC two bedroom villa - if all family members are over the age of 3. 1 bedroom villas only hold 5 people plus a child under the age of 3. Don't want you to price out a 1 bedroom villa, only to be disappointed at not being able to book it due to the size of your family.

 

[ellie05]

Personally I'll stay on property. We just got back from our first offsite trip and the driving and traffic is not worth it, but I had to plan a trip for 16 with only 2 months in advance on a busy week so we had no choice but to stay offsite. I would look into renting Dvc.

 

[SabbyR]

We are a group of 7. A dad, mom, 4 teenage or preteen kids and a grandma. We book three rooms at Pop and love it. We've stayed Deluxe with 5 of us before and we like Pop just as much. We've never not received adjoining rooms. We put grandma and 15 yo in a room, the 16 and 17 year old and 11 year old in with dh and I. We always have lots of room.

 

[Kimi313]

Hi Group, trying to decide what we should do and I thought I could use some advice from people that understand.
What would you do for a family of 6..Stay off property to save money and have more space? Stay on Property but get two rooms at a value or moderate? or would you splurge and book a VIilla on property for a thousand or so more?

TIA, Jay

Have you looked into the cabins at Fort Wilderness? DH always wanted to stay there so we tried it a few years ago with adult daughter and boyfriend and we loved it. Murphy bed in the living room, not sure if it was full or queen for that is where boyfriend slept, in the other bedroom there was a full bed that DH used, and a set of bunk beds the me and DD used. The bathroom was full size which was nice for using and storing stuff. Also if I remember correctly the living room had a couple of chairs, I believe I remember a window chair(?) and then there was a table in the kitchen with a bench seat on one side and chairs on the other. There is a nice deck out front with a grill and then your surrounded with grass around the cabin that is good for kids to run around. We didn't use the kitchen cause we flew down and wasn't expecting a full kitchen and the same with the grill. Next time we will probably order food to be delivered there. Also a regret was we never ate at Trail's End which we heard is the best deal for your money and good but time got away from us. There is the boat that takes you to MK or another boat that takes you to Cont or WL. We had good bus service, we enjoyed the petting zoo, we did Hoop-De-Doo, and since we flew they took us by van to our cabin and on the day of check out they picked us and our luggage up. We still talk about going back but the last couple of trips we have gone with family who have picked the resort. Also next time I think we will rent a golf card cause it looked so fun!

 

[tstottle]

You are getting so many opinions! But that is because priorities are different for everyone! For example, we're a "maximize every minute in the parks" family so a value is fine; we're just sleeping there. And we always stay on site to save the time getting back and forth. I have a party of six this year and there are suites at Art of Animation and All Star Music. Google "Art of Animation Family Suite layout" to get a picture of the room layout (and the same for the others). If you want a sitting area and table without breaking the bank, one of these may be the way to go. If you stay in a value and get two rooms it will be like having two normal hotel rooms anywhere (the layout and size, that is). The upside to two rooms is that everyone gets a real bed at the end of a long day, rather than a pullout (this depends on the ages of your kids; little ones won't feel a difference I don't think!) I would say that Art of Animation will immerse you more in Disney than Music...both will be themed and be Disney, but the Animation the rooms are heavily themed, I would say.

Planning a Disney trip can be overwhelming, there are so many choices, but you'll get lots of help here and no matter what, you will have a great time.