Am I missing something?!

[DISvirgin1]

We are heading to WDW in February. Third visit, and we've stayed both off and on property. Price wise, we could stay at the Pop for about the same price as some of the similar hotels offsite. The only offsite option that is actually cheaper is the rate I got for a one bedroom at Bonnet Creek. But even then I have to factor in the costs of a rental car, parking, etc. I will say we loved the convenience of staying onsite last time - shuttle from airport, shuttles to and from parks, etc.

I guess I'm just not seeing the value in offsite this time - obviously space with the one bedroom, but we are rarely in the room except to sleep - and our kids are young enough (7 & 8) that it's not as if we have this crush of big teenage bodies

I guess I'm wondering if I'm missing something? I want to make sure I'm not getting bamboozled

 

[Upatnoon]

We are heading to WDW in February. Third visit, and we've stayed both off and on property. Price wise, we could stay at the Pop for about the same price as some of the similar hotels offsite. The only offsite option that is actually cheaper is the rate I got for a one bedroom at Bonnet Creek. But even then I have to factor in the costs of a rental car, parking, etc. I will say we loved the convenience of staying onsite last time - shuttle from airport, shuttles to and from parks, etc.

I guess I'm just not seeing the value in offsite this time - obviously space with the one bedroom, but we are rarely in the room except to sleep - and our kids are young enough (7 & 8) that it's not as if we have this crush of big teenage bodies

I guess I'm wondering if I'm missing something? I want to make sure I'm not getting bamboozled

Yes, this is true. If you don't need the space and amenities of WBC, a value can sometimes be had for the same price and can work out better for your family.

Remember, you are also giving up a full kitchen, king-size bed, washer and dryer, pool slides, lazy rivers, hot tubs, etc.

 

[RvingDude]

What about other theme parks?
If you are just doing Disney, then you probably have the right strategy.

My boys and I like to visit other places, so having a rental car allows us to visit Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Cocoa Beach, etc at our leisure.
The rental car also provides quick and easy access to Walmart or cheap eat restaurants to help offset the cost.

 

[katyjeka]

We've stayed at three values, Pop included. My dh refuses to spend 10 plus days in a VERY tiny room, trying to be quiet as the kids sleep. The theme may be cute but the rooms are basic motel 6. We love a balcony and space to move around. 2 bathrooms are an added bonus!! We have friends who love the values and they work for them so to each his own. This is a vacation for mom and dad too, and we need privacy. I guess privacy is where the value lies for us.

 

[DISvirgin1]

We've stayed at three values, Pop included. My dh refuses to spend 10 plus days in a VERY tiny room, trying to be quiet as the kids sleep. The theme may be cute but the rooms are basic motel 6. We love a balcony and space to move around. 2 bathrooms are an added bonus!! We have friends who love the values and they work for them so to each his own. This is a vacation for mom and dad too, and we need privacy. I guess privacy is where the value lies for us.

Good point! We only plan on staying 5 days - I would want more room for a longer stay!

 

[DisneyDahling]

We've stayed at three values, Pop included. My dh refuses to spend 10 plus days in a VERY tiny room, trying to be quiet as the kids sleep. The theme may be cute but the rooms are basic motel 6. We love a balcony and space to move around. 2 bathrooms are an added bonus!! We have friends who love the values and they work for them so to each his own. This is a vacation for mom and dad too, and we need privacy. I guess privacy is where the value lies for us.

My husband and I used to always stay onsite. This next big trip (October 2015) will be the first time staying off site because now we have a son and my husband refuses to give up the privacy factor as well. I get it, but I am also just the tiniest bit nervous about staying off property. Fingers crossed it all works out as I hope.

OP, it truly comes down to how YOU and your family like to vacation. If you have older children and are planning on being at the parks from RD to close, then staying on site definitely has its rewards. If you like a slower pace, want to explore other offerings that Central Florida has to offer, then off site could be the ticket.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a magical vacation!

 

[katyjeka]

I too was nervous the first time. I find not waiting on a bus a huge benefit to staying offsite. There are many times we spend all day at a park and love coming "home" to a condo with lots of space. Just for example, staying at Bonnet Creek we were able to be at Epcot before friends staying at Wilderness Lodge and we both left our rooms at exactly the same time. (we decided to see which was faster)The same friends spent most of their time when out of the park with us. Their boys liked the pool area better and they used our washer/dryer. When they discovered what we paid compared to their "discounted" room at WL they were more than a little mad. Trust me, we've had many magical trips outside the bubble and unless Disney has a drastic price drop,which we all know will never happen, we will continue to enjoy our trips offsite. Have a great trip.

 

[jm106]

We did the math last trip and it was not worth it for us to stay off. We did a split 9 night stay, but had a PIN. We passed on a rental.
We do not mind small room/sharing a room, we arent 3 large meal per day ppl, we do not want to cook or do laundry usually so when I ran the numbers, accommodations, parking, gas, car rental and the ease (I find on site easier but some ppl do not) it was worth staying on.
We have to factor it all in and see what works for your family and budget.

This trip, we were offered a condo for Free, we will drive so have no car rental expense and doing both Universal parks and Disney parks. Still, we wont cook or use much of the space and I will definitely miss having a nicer resort, cool pool and activities for kids (we are in a condo although have 1 night at Hilton Bonnet creek with points.)

 

[Brian Noble]

If you are flying into MCO, it's often hard to beat a single Value room with no rental car on price alone. The Value motels are perfectly competent, clean, well-kept, the staff is adequate, and the food courts and the pools are fine.

So, if you are just looking for rock bottom price, that might be the way to go.

Where offsite gets interesting is that for a very modest increase in cost, you get a very large increase in the space and quality of your resort/room. It's pretty easy to rent a 2BR or larger condo/timeshare/townhome, plus get a rental car and pay for daily theme park parking, for something between the cost of a single Value room and a single Moderate room.

This next big trip (October 2015) will be the first time staying off site because now we have a son and my husband refuses to give up the privacy factor as well.

We almost never share a single hotel room when we travel with the kids---and they are now 13 and 15. It's our vacation too! For Disney trips we have done that onsite (2BR DVC villas at OKW, VWL, and BLT; two Sequoia Lodge rooms at DLRP) and offsite (Windsor Hills, Bonnet Creek, HGVC Sea World, and Dolphin's Cove for DLR).

 

[sueliz]

I don't think you are being bamboozled. I think the huge savings comes in when you have a big group. We saved A TON staying at a 4 bedroom in Emerald Island when there were 6 of us because we would have bought 2 rooms at Disney - 1 for our family of 4 and the other for my parents. This way we had so much room to spread out while being together. We saved by having a kitchen because we had good breakfasts, took frozen water bottles,snacks, fruit, etc, then had some nice ADR a few nights at Disney. a few nights we ate back at the condo- some homemade but some good restaurants much cheaper than disney. If there are only 4 of you, it is personal preference I think. our kids our young too, but it is a much more relaxing/enjoyable trip to not have them in the same room as us. When we came back for naps during the day they each had their own room so they would actually rest and we could watch tv downstairs. But if you don't spend much time in your room and aren't bothered with the small amount of space, I can see how not going through the hassle of renting a car would be preferable.

 

[Mickeypooh99]

It just depends on what you like on vacation. We love extra space. That's our priority. We like a separate bedroom, and my boys don't like sharing one bed. We always do some laundry on vacation too. We like having a kitchen or a microwave/fridge at the very least. We don't always use the full kitchen, but its nice to have just in case. We don't like Disney busses, so we would rent a car either way. For us, offsite saved a lot of money for many trips.

Last summer we took a cross country trip out west, and we stayed in a lot of one room hotel rooms. We really didn't like it, and we will avoid it whenever possible.

 

[bluetree]

It just depends on what you like on vacation. We love extra space. That's our priority. We like a separate bedroom, and my boys don't like sharing one bed. We always do some laundry on vacation too. We like having a kitchen or a microwave/fridge at the very least. We don't always use the full kitchen, but its nice to have just in case. We don't like Disney busses, so we would rent a car either way. For us, offsite saved a lot of money for many trips. Last summer we took a cross country trip out west, and we stayed in a lot of one room hotel rooms. We really didn't like it, and we will avoid it whenever possible.

Can someone tell me how to post a thread w/o quoting someone???? Thank you

 

[pigletto]

We are heading to WDW in February. Third visit, and we've stayed both off and on property. Price wise, we could stay at the Pop for about the same price as some of the similar hotels offsite. The only offsite option that is actually cheaper is the rate I got for a one bedroom at Bonnet Creek. But even then I have to factor in the costs of a rental car, parking, etc. I will say we loved the convenience of staying onsite last time - shuttle from airport, shuttles to and from parks, etc.

I guess I'm just not seeing the value in offsite this time - obviously space with the one bedroom, but we are rarely in the room except to sleep - and our kids are young enough (7 & 8) that it's not as if we have this crush of big teenage bodies

I guess I'm wondering if I'm missing something? I want to make sure I'm not getting bamboozled

We were very happy with onsite when the kids were small. Then things started to change. The kids got bigger, we got sick of buses, we wanted a kitchen, we wanted to try offsite restaurants, and we wanted to go to other places in Orlando. All of those things combined added up to offsite making more sense.
For this trip Pop would have cost us $969. Sheraton Vistana Resort cost us $620. We get at least 6 times the space, a kitchen for breakfasts and snacks, laundry in room, 7 pools at the resort etc. It just made more sense for the type of trip we want to do.
If you want to exclusively do Disney, have the dining plan, and don't want to drive then onsite makes more sense.
We've just decided to branch out this trip because our needs have changed.

 

[DanInMN]

We have been to WDW many times, staying offsite and onsite. Both can be great fun.

I do not like the Values as much though. With paper thin walls and small/uncomfortable beds... they really are a Motel 6 with large decorations. Although I am cheap, this is not what I want from a vacation.

The Moderates are beautiful and offer a great experience, but are basically a nicely landscaped and decorated Howard Johnson's at a very high price. If you can get a Mod with free dining, then the savings of no rental car, free parking, and "free" food can make them a good value. Especially in the low season when the rack rate is lower.

Offsite can get you better-than-Deluxe accommodations at a Value price. We have enjoyed Bahama Bay Resort many times, and are trying Bonnet Creek in a week from now. Our one week at Bonnet Creek in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1500 square foot condo costs just $499 - no additional taxes or fees. Renting a mid-size car for a week costs $147 from Alamo, including taxes/fees but not including gas/tolls/Disney parking.

By staying offsite you can eat a few meals in the condo, and a few more at reasonably priced restaurants, which can lower the cost of a trip by a few hundred dollars more. You also have options to shop offsite, volunteer at Give Kids the World, spend a day at the beach, visit Kennedy Space Center, etc...

 

[bluetree]

We have been to WDW many times, staying offsite and onsite. Both can be great fun. I do not like the Values as much though. With paper thin walls and small/uncomfortable beds... they really are a Motel 6 with large decorations. Although I am cheap, this is not what I want from a vacation. The Moderates are beautiful and offer a great experience, but are basically a nicely landscaped and decorated Howard Johnson's at a very high price. If you can get a Mod with free dining, then the savings of no rental car, free parking, and "free" food can make them a good value. Especially in the low season when the rack rate is lower. Offsite can get you better-than-Deluxe accommodations at a Value price. We have enjoyed Bahama Bay Resort many times, and are trying Bonnet Creek in a week from now. Our one week at Bonnet Creek in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1500 square foot condo costs just $499 - no additional taxes or fees. Renting a mid-size car for a week costs $147 from Alamo, including taxes/fees but not including gas/tolls/Disney parking. By staying offsite you can eat a few meals in the condo, and a few more at reasonably priced restaurants, which can lower the cost of a trip by a few hundred dollars more. You also have options to shop offsite, volunteer at Give Kids the World, spend a day at the beach, visit Kennedy Space Center, etc...

How did you manage to get bonnet creek at such a reasonable price? Also are there any other places offsite you enjoy staying at?

 

[bluezy]

I agree with the others who have said that the onsite v. offsite decision really is dependent upon what you want out of your vacation.

For our family, we won't even consider staying off property. We're not on vacation to save money. We know we want to stay onsite so we save until we have enough money to stay onsite. That said, we do stay at a value resort because, like others, in the grand scheme of our vacation we don't spend much time in the room. We've always gotten connecting rooms at Pop or AS Movies and most recently a suite at AoA. We like having a little more space to spread out than a single room offers (we always have between 3-5 kids traveling with us) and we like having 2 bathrooms. Since we eat breakfast in the room most days, the kitchenette at AoA is a nice bonus (as is the private master bedroom), but I don't cook meals on vacation (even when we do a staycation) and I only do laundry if I absolutely have to (and then it's usually one or two loads while the kids are swimming). We usually only swim a few times while we're at Disney (spending most of our time in the parks) so the kids could care less if there's a sliding board and I really have no desire to go in a hot tub. We drive the 1,000 miles to Disney World but we park the car once we get there and don't use it the entire week. We're perfectly happy using Disney transportation and in more than 35 days at WDW and using the buses numerous times each day, I can count on 1 hand the number of times we've had to wait an unusually long amount of time for a bus (other than at park closing when we expect long lines). For us, the convenience of staying on property at Disney is worth the cost.

Now, on any other vacation -- especially one that we plan to spend a lot of time relaxing in the room -- we'll splurge for much better accommodations.

 

[BeerMe]

There is no "right" answer here. We have stayed just about everyplace onsite at least once and have stayed in about 10 offsite condos. The one thing I definitely agree with is that onsite is better for short trips and offsite better for long trips. Since out last 5 trips have all been a month or more, we tend to stay offsite more now. Although in February we are staying at Cabana Beach at Universal for a few days, then a condo for 4 weeks and then at SOG for a few days.

ETA: We are retired so month-long trips are now an option.

 

[chimilady]

There is no "right" answer here. We have stayed just about everyplace onsite at least once and have stayed in about 10 offsite condos. The one thing I definitely agree with is that onsite is better for short trips and offsite better for long trips.

I am about to check out from our first offsite trip and I don't think I could ever go back on site again. I'm in a 2 br condo at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and my entre room at Pop fits in the master suite! It was so nice that when I got up in the middle of the night I didn't wake my kids up. And I could do laundry in the unit and start bacon while they were asleep in their own room. No more yogurts and packing snacks for us. I feel we are living the life and right in the middle of all the action. 2 minutes from Epcot and can see the fireworks from our balcony. I should add my BFF is a CM so we've never paid rack rate ever. And she just left an hour ago and said this place is gorgeous and a steal for the quality and location.

 

[BeerMe]

I don't consider Bonnet Creel offsite. It's a great place to stay. We never pay rack rate either, since the military rates are so good. I appreciate what Disney does for service members.

 

[limpy]

We are doing Bonnet Creek in February and there are a TON of reasons why we decided against staying onsite. We originally looked into a 1 br villa at AKL and when we realized we could pay a third of the price for a 2-br deluxe suite at WBC during peak season, it was really a no brainer.

- The biggest one: If you can get deluxe accommodations (which is what we want) at value prices, why not? Space, kitchen, laundry, separate bedrooms and bathrooms, etc, etc.

- We have two small children (including a 1 yr old who is a light sleeper) who are in bed by 8:30 at the latest. We are not going to tip around a hotel room on our vacation and our kids are too young for a connected room.

- Our kids have fairly boring and inexpensive palates. I don't want to pay a premium for cereal and PB&J. We will do a few character breakfasts and dinners in the park to satisfy those desires.

- Relatedly, we couldn't care less about the dining plan.

- We want the freedom of having a rental car anyway (which we booked for $130/week) and will avoid waiting in lines for Disney transportation when the kids are melting down at the end of the day.

- I want my hotel to be a relaxing respite from the parks.

- You don't need to stay onsite to get the most popular ADRs (I got BOG for 4 ppl at 5:35pm within a week of my 180 days opening).