Advice for on or off disney park

[Tripletmimi]

Our family is planning a trip to Disney in October. My daughter's triplets will celebrate their birthday there and it will be my husband and I's 40th anniversary so the whole family is going (8). We are debating on a house at Windsor Hills or staying in two rooms at POR. We need pros and cons from disney vets on best options.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We'e stayed both on and offsite many times. I prefer onsite. It is perfectly possible to either, and both have their fans. It partly depends on how you like to vacation.

1. Do you prefer eating in- or eating out while on vacation?
A.) in B.) out

Do you prefer to be on the go/maximizing your vacation time, or having a good deal of time 'relaxing in you own space'/t.v. time?
A.) on the go B.) in own space


Do you prefer having a kitchen/wasing machine/dishwasher or having freedom from those appliances?
A.) freedom B.) having clean laundry


Do you prefer food court food or place a high premium on having preferred food brands?
a.) food court B.) my brands


Do you prefer a big public pool with a water slide and fun features or a private smaller pool wiht no lifeguards?
A. Big B. private


Do you prefer a small space (park right outsiide the door) Or a big resort where you'll have to do lots of walking between room and a beautiful lobby?
A. Small B. ) big lobby


this is a triple point question - do you prefer drving twenty minutes to get to the parks or waiting about the same amount of time fora clean bus ride? Offsite you MUSt have a car, but the car gives you freedom to come and go when you want, but you have to navigate (which can be tricky), and driving takes time in Orlando traffic. Also everyone must come and go together. You also have to pay for parking (I think $14 per day) Bus rides are free, clean, and you don't have to think- but you will have to wait.

A.) drive myself B. bus

There is also much to do at Disney hotels. I place a premium on a beautiful lobby and an interesting pool- with water slide. Renting a home is a bit too much like being at home for me. A home however gives you a greater sense of privacy- the pool will be small and basic, but it will be private. no lifeguards, no other guests.

Note that it is possible to rent a car if you stay onsite- with the option to take the bus. If you plan to have a car either way, then that may impact how you answer the last question.

If you score high on the A's - then offsite is probably your best bet. If you scored high on the B's then onsite is probably the way to go.

 

[marilyn23]

for me I would say onsite. We've done both and the preference for us is onsite. Offsite is nice but I prefer onsite the fol reasons:
-Free transport from Airport to hotel
-No need for a rental car as the buses stop at the resorts every 15-20 minutes. If you are staying at POR you can even take a boat to DTD, really nice.
-The rooms at POR have just been renovated, so nice and fresh.
-If you time it right, there is free dining at Disney. It's a great value
-Totally immersed in the Disney magic. When we stayed off it was still alright but being able to have parcels delivered right to your resort is nice. Also you don't have to worry about the massive parking lots. Getting from the parking lot at MK to the actual park is a trek.
-In the end it all works out to your budget but we found with the free dining and no rental car we were paying the same or even less staying on.
-No matter which choice I'm sure your trip will be wonderful

 

[mickeyluv'r]

All that said, in your shoes- I'd consider the new Animation resort over two rooms at POR. The new Animation resort does not have a pool slide, but it is brand new. The food court looks really excellent. The buses there will be good, thought he resort is going to be quite popular.

Another thing to consider is thatthe offsite house probably costs less. I'm not sure. You will save money on food if you opt to eat in your room/offsite restaurants. Many of the offsite choices in Orlando are chains- evey chain under the sun - but there are many fun choices if you live in an area that doesn't have many restautrants. And even if you stay offsite, you can always eat onsite.

To answer what might be your other question - why do I stay offsite - I pick offsite for several reasons. One is variety. Many offsite resorts are very nice. Most of our offsite time is when we plan to visit non-Disney stuff. Orlando has much ot offer besides WDW (though if you've never been, Disney is big enough and complicated enough that you should stick with just WDW)

We usually get a car, so sometimes we stay one night offsite to save a few $$. If I have a VERY early flight home- we sometimes opt to stay at the airport Hyatt the last night. It's less $$ than some Disney places, very nice. you roll out of bed and you are AT the airport. Easy.

What every you choose- I will say this - get everyone on the same page!!!!!! It is SO mcuh easier to have everyone stay ni ONE place witha big group. Also come up with a basic plan each day - which park and one sit down meal.

Witha big group - if you stay onsite - consider he dinign plan. It won't save much money - but all meals will be prepaid. (I like the DDP with on QS meal and one TS meal). For us that is WAY easier with a big group.

 

[jwmoss]

I vote for onsite. With 8 people, some of them children, you guys can really utilize the buses. Sometimes someone needs a nap or a couple of people want to go back to the hotel to swim, and the buses make that easy.

Plus you can use the dining plan(s) if you're onsite.

 

[turkeymama]

Disclaimer: In 6 trips since 2005, I have never stayed offsite, although we have considered it twice.

Extra Magic Hours alone are a big selling point for our family. I love being able to utilize evening EMHs especially. We can take a midday break to nap and swim and head back to the parks later in the evening. Once the offsite guests have left the park, it really feels empty. That makes for a fun night! Also, having Disney's transportation is great for when half the group wants to go back and nap or if someone is not feeling well. It happens at least once every trip for us.