All Stars or off-site...without EE is there enough justification to stay on site?

[Barb D]

We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times now, and always loved it. But one of my main motivations for staying on site was EE. Are there enough perks left to make it worth it to continue to stay on site without it?

I guess there's the Disney transportation, so for someone who doesn't have a car that would be a reason. But for someone with a car, it's really not that big of a deal to drive to the parks. MK is the only one that has an advantage using the bus from All Stars. For the rest of the parks, the hike from the bus stop isn't that much closer than the hike from the parking lot.

And there's length-of-stay passes, which you can only get on site. But there are plenty of other pass options.

Anything else?

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Barb D
We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times now, and always loved it. But one of my main motivations for staying on site was EE. Are there enough perks left to make it worth it to continue to stay on site without it?

I guess there's the Disney transportation, so for someone who doesn't have a car that would be a reason. But for someone with a car, it's really not that big of a deal to drive to the parks. MK is the only one that has an advantage using the bus from All Stars. For the rest of the parks, the hike from the bus stop isn't that much closer than the hike from the parking lot.

And there's length-of-stay passes, which you can only get on site. But there are plenty of other pass options.

Anything else?

We have been to WDW many times and have never used EE. We will also stay on site for the theming and service that you get from the on site resorts. There is more to a WDW trip then the parks to us. We will be at the Dolphin next month and being able to walk from our resort to either MGM or EC cannot be beat by any off site resort.

This does come down though to what is important to each traveler. To us we will always stay on site EE or not. We never considered EE a perk anyway.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Originally posted by Barb D
We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times now, and always loved it. But one of my main motivations for staying on site was EE. Are there enough perks left to make it worth it to continue to stay on site without it?

I guess one thing that I'd like to ask is what are the perks for staying off-site? Why would anyone want to stay off-site rather than on-site? Surely it's not cost as cheap as the All Stars are.

 

[cottontail]

Hi: Your question just hit a thought in me.

For us we really missed the EE. We were down there in april, in the past we would get in at 7.30 a little before the crowds and heat of florida. This time we ended having two of the kids on separate days get migraines from the heat, and I felt that starting at 9, I could only stand 3 hrs during the am, cause it got to a point that being in the park in the heat really got to me, I have high blood pressure, don't know if that was the reason or not. But I guess I should write to guest services and voice my complaint.

I can see how you would feel this way about staying onsight, because we are slowly losing perks that should be given to resort guests paying the big bucks for the rooms.

When I tell others to stay onsight for their first trip to wdw they all ask does it include the passes in those room rates, lol. I wish.

Deb.

 

[Barb D]

If we could afford to stay at a monorail resort or at one within walking distance of the parks, I could see location as an advantage. But the bus trips from the All Stars are pretty long any way.

We really stretch it financially even staying at the All Stars. And with 3 children, we won't be able to do even that much longer, if at all. Youngest DD will be 3 in October, and as I recall you can only stay at the All Stars with 2 adults and 3 kids if one of them is 3 or under. Pretty soon we'll be forced up to the moderates if we stay on site.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Barb D
If we could afford to stay at a monorail resort or at one within walking distance of the parks, I could see location as an advantage. But the bus trips from the All Stars are pretty long any way.

We really stretch it financially even staying at the All Stars. And with 3 children, we won't be able to do even that much longer, if at all. Youngest DD will be 3 in October, and as I recall you can only stay at the All Stars with 2 adults and 3 kids if one of them is 3 or under. Pretty soon we'll be forced up to the moderates if we stay on site.

You are correct that a family of five either has to stay at a deluxe, home away from home or POR. POR is going for $89 and $94 a night plus tax depending on the code used. I guess you could get a motel room off site for less money but I have a feeling the theming and service will not compare to POR. It does all come down to personal choice though. Everyone has a certain vacation budget and how you choose to spend your vacation dollar is a persaonal choice. Hope you have a great trip no matter where you end up staying.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We had a car rental for a few days on one trip and couldn't wait to get rid of it.
But at the last trip, with the bad bus service at POR, a car would have been better.
We just like being able to be driven to the front, without having to sit in long lines getting in and out of the parks (car).
I checked around for our May trip at the DTD hotels. They were running higher in cost than POR, and I knew the bus service would not be as good. (Well as far as location of pick up and drop off. Their bus service couldn't have been much worse than POR, I wouldn't think.)
I enjoy the AS, but I can see after a few stays you would want a change of scenery. But I would always go for on-site than off, unless I had a real sweet off-site deal.

 

[NancyIL]

It depends a lot on the price difference. I prefer on-site, but I never felt like I was missing any of the Disney magic when we stayed off-site and drove each day.

If you decide for sure on off-site - I highly recomend giving www.biddingfortravel.com a look. It is a site with strategies for using Priceline for hotels, airfare and rental cars. I stayed at the Marriott Orlando World Center in 2000 through Priceline - and it was wonderful.

 

[Reflection]

Originally posted by WolfpackFan


I guess one thing that I'd like to ask is what are the perks for staying off-site? Why would anyone want to stay off-site rather than on-site? Surely it's not cost as cheap as the All Stars are.

Offsite perks include MUCH larger room accomodations; wider selection (cuisine and costs) of restaurants, and opportunity to explore other attractions in Orlando (assuming you have a car).

 

[Vlahakis2001]

I could not imagine staying off-site. What's the point of going to Disney and not doing Disney?

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

If I were you (3 kids and a tight budget) I'd do some research and find a hotel near WDW that offers family suites. I think there are some, but I don't know the names. All Star is way too small for a family of 5, I think it would be better to be off-site and have a larger room. Have you ever checked out Ron Jon? A friend of mine said it was nice. Or maybe the Westgate Lakes Resort. We stayed there once and it was nice. There are 100's of hotels around the Orlando area, and many of them offer great discounts. Do some searching on the internet.

I think it's better to stay off-site than not go at all.

Another idea is to rent DVC points. If you are lucky, and really watch the rent/trade board closely, you can get points really cheap! We were able to get $6 points for our April trip! If you could find a deal like that you could get a studio villa for about $66 a night.

 

[el_tigre]

It seems like a thread like this pops up every couple of weeks and it always strikes me a bit odd. To me, staying off-site is the equivalent of going to Las Vegas and staying off the strip. Sure, you can still experience the best of Vegas if you're not headquartered on the strip, but you're definitely missing something by not staying in the action. IMO, you're always better off experiencing everything a vacation destination has to offer.

I may be off-base. I average vacationing in WDW only once every seven years. So for me, every trip to the World is really special. (This will be DW and DS's first visit, so that average could easily go up.) I also have the Dolphin for $99 a night, so I doubt I could find an off-site hotel which is as nice and would be an equivalent in value. It's just my opinion that if you're going to spring for a WDW vacation, you need to immerse yourself in everything it has to offer, with or without EE. I would rather visit a day or two less and be on site than to have to stay off-site.

 

[TexasAggie]

We really like staying on site because of E night. It lets you get into MK after hours when it is cooler and they only sell 5000 tickets. You get to ride the most popular rides without standing in line.
Also, you can charge all most everthing to your room key and it makes it easier to go back to your room in the middle of the day to rest up if you are staying on site.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

I've taken my family to WDW three times over the last six years.
We've stayed at the Contemporary, and the All Stars. On our last trip EE was no longer available. It didn't effect our trip since we were staying for 10 days.

I like the convenience of Disney transportation, BUT, our last trip we ventured out in Orlando by taking Disney bus to the TTC then jumping on the Lynx and going to several of the other attractions in Orlando.

Bottom line for me, if I'm planning on a longer trip, I may still stay at the AS a night or two, but after traveling around other areas in Orlando, I'm definitely more inclined to check out other off site options.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

If you decide on off site check here (DU) and Mousesavers.com for some nice deals. We feel the loss of EE too. We are lucky enough to get a good rate at Swan and the location is wonderful. Are either of you a teacher, government emp or a nurse? If it were not for that we would move off site too. Without EE it is not worth it to me to pay more for a small room and a (IMO) difficult ressie system with no 800 number. The parks are magical no matter where you stay!

 

[eeyore0062]

For us the only motivation we need to stay onsite is the extra dose of Disney magic!

Yes, transporation is a nice perk, especially if you want to have a few cocktails with meals at the parks.

We LOVE being able to take advantage of E ticket nights! MK at night is so magical, and the fact that is usually isn't crowded, and you can go on the e ticket items numerous times is a great incentive.

The theming of the resorts adds that extra special something that a Days Inn or Holiday Inn just doesn't have, even in Orlando.

Dealing with traffic outside of Disney World, does not a wonderful vacation make! At least for us. When we go, we like to immerse ourselves in the Disney magic, and pretend there is no outside world. Stepping off property messes up the illusion for us.

I know that it isn't a favorite of many, but we do enjoy the character caravans at the resorts in the mornings they are scheduled.


For us, staying onsite is a no brainer.

 

[Debbie]

This does come down though to what is important to each traveler.

This is so true. As one who loves Disney, it was with a heavy heart that I cancelled my stay at All Star Music for August . But even though I had a super deal at ASM, I got the tremendous deal at Courtyard By Marriott at Downtown Disney. I weighed it up, sighed heavily, and made the reservations. $275+ US$ is not to be sneezed at for our "cheap trip" of 2002.

FYI, our kids actually prefer Holiday Inn Family Suites, and that one saves us mega bucks on food for the clan! And we don't have to get 2 rooms!

I'm certain, Barb, that whatever you decide, it will be a magical trip because I believe that the magic is not the hotel (although Disney does it up well!), the magic is the time spent with your family! (and there are a lot of off-site people, so it can't be that bad!)

 

[mat2672]

Alot of people dont understand why someone would want to stay offsite and not have the "magic" at all times, and Im like that as well. But the thing is , if you dont neccesarily feel the "magic" when your onsite then you should do whats best for your budget, convenience, etc. I would never stay offsite unless I absolutely had to, but at the same time I realize that everyone doesnt feel the same way about being onsite. Its kind of like that Harley Davidson T-shirt that says.."if you have to ask, youll never understand". I think the same applies to the disney magic at the resorts. If you have to ask why, even after staying at a disney resort, then you probably wont ever feel the need to stay onsite if it isnt convenient to you. You either feel it or you dont. The enights never were a factor for me anyway. I love the transportation and the disney feel of the resorts, but to each his own!!

 

[Chance's Mom]

DisneyCrazyMom-I agree with your post 100%!


You can find nice off-site accomodations that :

Can be very reasonable (yes, cheaper than the All Stars) as well as the luxury of a fridge, microwave, and a separate sitting and sleeping area for less than you would pay at a moderate.

Give you a free breakfast (I think we spent around $20 every morning at the ASMo food court, and it was a mad house- and that was only for 3 of us!)

Are just as close to the parks as some of the Disney resorts


Require no deposit and ressies can be cancelled or changed until the day of arrival.



Sometimes, money is a big factor. As much as we'd like, everyone can't do the Poly Concierge. I think the off-site hotels offer an important solution for large families who are on a budget.


Just my 2 cents

 

[susy]

In researching a trip for some friends, I found some good deals on suites around WDW on valuetrips.com. I love the AS, but with five it is probably not too comfortable. If you have a car and can find some place close and inexpensive, then I would go for it. With little ones you will want to take breaks, so I would try for a close proximity.