Struggling with on-site versus off-site

[kilarney]

Permit an age old debate.

We are struggling with where we should stay during our upcoming trip in January.

We have always stayed off-site. I've run the numbers, and staying at a value resort winds up being no more expensive, if not a slightly cheaper. This assumes that we would use the Disney Dining Plan, since it would save us some money versus ordering a la carte. I also factored in free parking as a resort guest. We have to rent a car no matter where we stay.

Here are some thoughts that we are struggling with:
1) The theming of the value resorts does NOT appeal to us at all. We really like Port Orleans, but that's a big step up in price. We just wouldn't feel that "magical" staying at the value resorts. Nothing snobby at all. We normally stay at VERY basic hotels/motels off-site. But that's the point. The value resorts just don't feel any different than the hotels that are off-site. (at least to us - I know that this is subjective)
2) We can get a much larger place (at least a one bedroom time share) for the same price as the All Stars. Surely space is worth something, especially for a family of four. I don't like the idea of two double beds for a week. We would get a washer, dryer, etc, staying off-site.
3) The off-site places we are considering are hardly off-site. Using back roads, they are hardly farther than the value resorts.
4) I don't want two desserts with every meal! The dining plan is a better deal (for where we want to eat - I ran the numbers for the whole week), but we'd be eating way too much dessert! Basically, we will spend the same ordering a la carte as we would on the dining plan if we do NOT order drinks and snacks during the day. Put the other way, if we use the dining plan to eat at the same restaurants, we would get "free" drinks and snacks. We usually like to order a snack in the afternoon (Mickey bar, or such), so this is an actual savings. We can go without soft drinks.
5) I really don't care about Disney transportation except for the Magic Kingdom. I would use our rental car for all other parks.
6) I am a big time planner. The thought of having to wait until October or so for Disney room discount rates to come out is not fun. I like to have everything planned well before then. I have a back-up hotel reservation, so I guess it's not the end of the world. But I still don't like the though of waiting.
7) We are not big breakfast eaters. We've always used a room fridge to have some millk and fruit with cereal. But that's not worth $10 per day. Maybe a styrofoam cooler with ice would suffice. Or I suppose I could just get some milk in the morning at the resort.
8) With the dining plan, I like the idea of being able to order what I want. I'm the type that will often not order a more expensive item if there is a cheaper item that I like a little less. Having said that, I don't like being tied down to an entree and dessert. We often share one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. I'll miss the flexibility.

Sorry for rambling. Here is our thought in a nutshell. We've never stayed on-site, and I want it to feel special if it's our first time. I think a moderate resort would feel somewhat special. I really don't think that a value would. We are quiet people, and the "loudness" of the value resorts just isn't our style. My dream is to stay at the Boardwalk Inn (purely for location - I like this spot better than the monorail resorts), but even though I could probably afford it, it seems downright wasteful to me. I'd much rather use the money for future trips and/or savings. That's just my nature. A compromise would be to stay at the Swan or Dolphin using a government rate, but we're still spending $100 or so more than a value resort. And can you get the meal plan at the Swan or Dolphin? Our other dream would be a savannah view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

So the simple question is... Is it worth staying on-site at a value resort instead of a larger timeshare unit if the price is almost the same? I know that it's a subjective decision, but I'm really torn. I just can't see which way is better.

Oh... and one last point. I am assuming that with a discount code I can get a room at a value resort for $75 per night in January. Historically, this seems to be a reasonable expectation.

 

[Clare Voince]

I have never stayed value, but I have stayed offsite, a long time ago. If I had a choice between the two, I would choose offsite without a moment's hesitation. The value resorts are completely unappealing to me. I would feel like I was spending my vacation in a Motel 6! We dislike the dining plan and often eat offsite even when we stay on property, so that's not a consideration for us.

 

[francie57]

Staying on-site is the only way to go for us. Not sure why you say two desserts with every meal, its only one. We use the dining plan each trip and it is definitely worth the money. If you don't want the dessert order something that can be taken with you for later on. We have done this many times. As for room discounts, AAA offers them, plus you would get the diamond parking pass for much closer parking at the parks (not sure MK is worth it for parking since you have to use the boat or monorail anyway). There are also lots of people on here that rent points from DVC members so they can get the villas much cheaper than going through Disney. If you did that you would get a full kitchen and washer/dryer with any villa 1 bedroom or larger. We used to stay off-site years ago but can't even imagine doing it now. We get a 2 bedroom villa at the Boardwalk every trip and love being able to walk to 2 parks. We use the bus for MK and use the rental car for AK since the AAA parking pass gets us closer than the bus drop-off. In the end the decision is yours and what you want and are willing to spend on a trip. For us the decision is easy - on-site is the only way we go. Also, don't feel like a resort snob since values are your favorite - I'm a deluxe girl all the way so we don't even consider anything else.

 

[kleigh1969]

I usually vote for "on-site" all the way, BUT 5 of my stays at WDW have been just me and another person. One stay was 3 adults, but it was deluxe and only for 4 nights.

I am a person who really needs some quiet time and personal space, which is no problem with just my husband and I, especially since we have done only moderate or deluxe together.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I would have a hard time staying in a small hotel room for a week with four people. I grew up in a family of 4 and I hated when we stayed in hotels (which wasn't often, we mostly camped) because both my parents snore and I always had to share a bed with my sister and had a hard time sleeping becuase she was always very restless. Uggg. Bad flashbacks....

So anyway, even though I usually say on-site, if the price is the same for more space and it is close, I would stay at your off-site place. Especially if looking at the value resorts doesn't excite you. (My friend always said that from looking at the pictures it would feel like you are staying in a 10 year-old boy's bedroom)

Again, I don't know if you have small children, but this way you don't all have to go to sleep at the same time either.

Seems like there are more minuses with the dining plan than pluses for you too...

 

[floydfamily4]

So the simple question is... Is it worth staying on-site at a value resort instead of a larger timeshare unit if the price is almost the same?

In my opinion NO it is not. I stayed at Windsor Hills in a townhouse and then moved to Pop for 1 night. Wanted to stay onsite and feel the magic. There was no magic for me. I didn't enjoy the small space or the motel feel. If we can't stay in at least a moderate we will continue to be off-site. The dining plan isn't always a better deal. It depends on where you like to eat and what you would eat. When I ran the numbers for our trip (and I included $5 per person per day for a snack) I still came out cheaper and that also included several character meals. But beyond the cost, the comfort mattered to me. My first "on-site" experience was not good and I can't recommend that to anyone.

 

[leebee]

We have always been off-site people with very few exceptions, for specifically the reasons you list: MORE space, cheaper, my own w/d, full kitchen, peace and quiet. This changed recently: we are just 2 traveling, Disney started MDE so no need for a rental car, Disney increased parking prices at the parks, free dining, etc. I am a HUGE HATER of the Disney bus system but suck it up to avoid a rental car. We have stayed at POP, POFQ, OKW (rented points)/CS split stay.
My experience:
POFQ was the first time we stayed onsite. DD has always dreamed of onsite, even though we'd been to Disney probably 10 times before this. This was a split trip: 4 nights offsite WDW, 5 nights in cocoa beach while DD went to space camp at KSC/NASA, and then 4 nights at POFQ. Chose POFQ as it's smaller, and DH hates crowds. It was OK. Can't remember how we dealt with the 2 db issue... perhaps I shared with DD or we had an air mattress for her on the floor? The resort is airy and feels "empty" even when it's not (but I don't remember POP as being noisier, just felt full!). The pool, with the dragon slide, was a nightmare, always full of kids. We had our own car so I didn't have to suffer the bus system. Didn't do the dining plan as we normally don't eat ts every day at Disney. It was nice to finally stay onsite, but not such a big deal, IMO.

OKW/CS was a birthday trip for DD when she turned 13. We stayed at OKW because it was the cheapest deal around; renting points ended up costing us $60 a night for a studio, with no tax. The room was OK, kinda cramped, with 2Q beds, no sofa, teeny bar-style kitchenette and huge bathroom. It's nice to have fridge/coffeepot in the room. We had our own car, no dining plan, ate mostly counter service. We didn't get what was so special about OKW; its theming and decor make it feel like every offsite villa we've ever stayed in. The pool here was very odd, long and narrow, and the resort is very spread out. CS was a special request of my DD. We were only there for 3 nights at the AAA rate, and I had enough rewards on my Disney VISA to pay for the hotel. We had our own rental car but didn't have to pay for parking and didn't use the disney busses, and there's a fridge in the room so we ate breakfast in the room. I liked having the fridge and coffeepot in the room. We enjoyed the proximity to the Pepper Market, as this was at the time the best Disney counter service deal, hands down. DD enjoyed the slide in the pool, but the cascade on the temple was shut off while we were there. We were also happy to each have our own queen bed. Didn't do the dining plan as we normally don't eat ts every day at Disney. I wouldn't have done this if we hadn't gotten the room basically "free".

POP was not particularly noisy, although the gift shop and food court were usually crowded and noisy. Our room was ground level on the back of the 50's building #2. The pool was not noisy. We are not huge pool people, so to us that's irrelevant when choosing a resort. DD liked the theming of POP. We were there 2 years ago, didn't do free dining. I think I just about broke even, but that's because of no rental car/parking fees. We were in on a fridge swap, so no charge for the fridge. The room is small, but we had a king bed as there were only two of us. Reminded me very much of a good, clean EconoLodge.
We are going back to POP this august. Free dining, no need for rental car due to DME and Disney transport, (i won't complain about the busses... I won't..), over $800 in rewards money to offset the room/ticket cost. I struggled with the dining plan decision as we don't normally eat dessert with our meals. If I am ordering "extra" food it's an appetizer, NOT dessert. However... we decided this will be an "eating" trip that lets us try out all the ts restaurants we've only dreamed of (we usually do 3 ts meals during our trips; usually go to Boma, Kona, and CP). I can't get into a fridge swap so we'll be using a cooler with ice... I'll let you know how THAT one works for us! Although, it is cheaper to pay $10 a day for a fridge than pay for breakfast OOP, give or take... and the fridge would hold the leftover desserts...

All in all, I am starting to wish that my DH or Dsis and her family would go to Disney with us again as I am missing all the space and amenities that go along with an offsite villa/condo/suite rental. Right now, it's the cost of a rental car and daily parking at the resorts that is getting us onsite. If you are truly on the fence, what about an offsite vacation and then AKL savannah view for the last night or two... after you are Disney'd out and want to spend more time at a resort than in the parks? AKL s.v. is my dream also but I truly cannot justify the enormous cost of a Disney hotel unless I am going to spend my time there.

DOn't know if I have helped you. I know that we are not fans of sleeping 2 in a double bed, using public transportation, and having to eat what is directed rather than what we choose. I didn't find magic in standing in line for an hour waiting for a bus after a long day in a park, then getting to stand on the bus. There's also no magic in crawling over luggage and people in my room, or having to lay in bed quietly in the morning/going to bed before I am ready so I don't disturb other people's sleep. I miss having frozen bottles of water in my backpack, and the luxury of throwing in a fast load of laundry (far more complicated to take it to a laundry room). In fact, I agree with all your reasons for staying offsite. I just don't think there's enough "Disney Magic" to make up for the loss of offsite conveniences. HOwever, for as long as I can save the rental car money, parking fees, and get free food, I guess we will be stuck onsite.

 

[elle bell]

I'm going through a similar struggle right now. DH has enough Hilton Honors points for us to stay 7 nights in a one bedroom Homewood Suites for free, but we really want to stay on-site. It's really hard to pass up a free hotel though.

I would not consider staying in a value. The theming does nothing for me and I know I wouldn't feel the "magic" staying in any of the value resorts. It's just not for us.

I am considering staying in a moderate. I have concerns about losing the space and kitchen that staying off-site would afford us though. It would be nice to have a separate sleeping area from the kids.

One option that I'm mulling over right now is doing a split stay between Homewood Suites and staying just a few nights at a moderate to see how we like it. Would doing a split stay work for you?

 

[rentayenta]

Have you thought about renting DVC points? You get the room of being off-site with the magic of being on-site.

 

[stepdisney]

How about renting points? This would give you the size room you desire at a much lower cost. Also, depending on the discount for the time you plan to go, you may make out staying moderate or even deluxe if the discount is higher for these resorts. Example, now they have 30% for value and moderate and 40% for deluxe. I've seen Disney give 45% for DVC. 2 years ago, we booked a bounceback that included free dining and 30% at SSR or OKW . By the way, you can book your room before the discounts are offered and apply the discounts in October when they come out. Hope this helps a little. Either way, enjoy your stay.

 

[MODisneyfan]

With what all that you are really wanting in a resort I would stay off site or if you can go with a Moderate. I personally have slept with 4 in a room at ASM and was just fine but it might not be for everyone. As for the struggle with the dinning plan, yes it is cheaper if you pay out of pocket especially if you are going to be doing alot of charater meals that do not include CRT.. The only times I have personally used the dining plan was during free dinning. when doing research before we figured that it was cheaper and that was with us eating more than one sitdown meal a day some days.

 

[kilarney]

Wow. Thanks for some great advice.

One clarification. When I said two desserts, I meant one for each adult. We always share just one dessert, rather than ordering our own.

For dining, we do one sit down meal per day. Some of the meals will be at more expensive places, which is why the dining plan is not a rip-off. These are places that we always like to go to, such as Boma.

Here is what I am thankful you folks have pointed out:
1) The dining plan does limit what you can order. We live in a rural area, with few dining options. I love to experiment and order what I want. The dining plan would hinder this.
2) I LOVE the idea of getting a Disney room for a night or two. Instead of getting a weekly time share, we could get a "suite" for 5 nights and stay on-site for two nights at a nicer place. It would be more money, but I can stomach paying for a nicer resort to get the experience for a night or two. It's a whole week that always seemed wasteful to me. THANKS for that idea. I really love it! Since we'll have a rental car, we can just throw our bags in the trunk on the day we are changing hotels.

I'd even go with a regular room with two queen beds and a refrigerator off-site if it meant having some money to use for a deluxe resort.

Thanks, guys!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

We have never stayed off site and if I even begin to consider it, I change my mind quickly. I just love being in the middle of the magic all the time and most of our stays have been at the values. I don't like the All Stars, but we love Pop and we don't have children. I don' t even pay much attention to the children around the resort anyway.

POFQ is our favorite Moderate and so far CR and WL have been our favorite Deluxe.

We use the dining plan when it is a value to us, sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't depending on the dining choices we make.

We LOVE Extra Magic Hours, especially at night, so hands down staying on site for this alone is enough for us.

I had booked the Dolphin for our Dec trip, but changed when I got a better package for Pop, besides not liking the extra resort charge and paying for resort parking.

It seems to me based on what you have said, staying offsite is a better option for you.

Suzanne

 

[kilarney]

We would need somewhere between 85 and 105 DVC points. At the going rate, that's WAY more expensive than staying off-site with one or two nights on-site.

 

[rentayenta]

We would need somewhere between 85 and 105 DVC points. At the going rate, that's WAY more expensive than staying off-site with one or two nights on-site.

Points can be rented for $10 a point and sometimes less. January is Value season for DVC. OKW is only 10 points a night for a Studio during the week and AKV is only 9 points a night during the week. With DVC you don't pay all the resort fees and taxes- it's just a flat rate.

 

[elle bell]

How do you go about renting DVC points?

 

[bdoyledimou]

Whats with all the slams on the Value resorts!??!

I have stayed at all 3 levels, plus off site, and the moderates don't scream "Disney magic" to me at all.

I found them way to large, way to crowded and everything felt far far away. They were pretty buildings, but nothing that i would call "magical".

The Deluxe resorts, they are magical. The Value resorts are filled with Disney Magic and feeling.

 

[Melodious]

Just my two cents (despite that you seem to now be considering the possibility of a split-stay), one trip (awhile ago) I stayed at the value Sports resort before it was rehabbed into ESPN-whatever, and the next trip I took to WDW, I stayed offsite in a friend's timeshare. The timeshare was gorgeous, there was a pool and a luau one night, and we had two bedrooms and a kitchen. And I hated it.

There IS something special about staying onsite for me and my family, no matter where we stay. I don't want to see things that aren't disney, I don't want to eat things in non-disney restaurants, if I'm eating a bar for breakfast I want that bar to be in a disney resort with disney theming and disney on the tv all the time even though I've watched the programs twenty times already. Maybe it's because we only go once every four years so each time we want to be immersed in the magic. I can stay in normal hotels and suites anywhere, anytime. I can drive into Orlando or other cities anytime. I simply enjoy going full-out Disney when I'm in WDW.

Those two trips set the standard for me, I'd rather stay value (and we were there with the cheerleaders because I was one...don't you feel bad for my mom who took me?) than offsite. Now I don't even think about it. If we're going to Disney, we're going to Disney

 

[GingerJay]

I've gone to Disney twice as an adult -once we stayed at the CR and once offsite at WH. Really, neither one vacation was more "magical" or memorable than the other, and we had a great time on both vacations. They both have their pros and cons. That being said, when we stayed at WH, I greatly appreciated the space and the homeyness of the townhouse and with 5 of us, it was a great option over the more expensive deluxe resorts.

It sounds to me like you pretty much have your mind made up, anyway. Have fun!!

 

[kilarney]

Hmm... maybe points aren't that bad after all.

 

[lustergirl]

I have often wondered about the hotels nears downtown disney like the buena vista suites, they look really nice but I think the transportation issues would be an issue for me. I guess it would be all right if you had your own car. I guess I am just used to disney bus transportation and the extra perks like DME and Extra Magic Hours to give up on disney and stay offsite. I will say that if a large group of my family was going then we would probably rent a house for a week then. And yes I have stayed value several times and see nothing wrong with it.