An extra benefit of staying off site - less stress?

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm curious how true this is today. We haven't done a character meal for quite a while but when we did, we never booked it in advance. We used to have lunch at Crystal Palace almost every trip. We reserved it when we got to the park in the morning. Other times, we might call a day or two in advance for dinner at 1900 Park Fare or somewhere else. Is that no longer possible? If so, that's really a shame.

I literally just looked up to see if we could get Ohana's for breakfast for one of our dates in October, and there's no availability at all (we would have taken any time slot they had). And we're only a party of 2!

 

[mshanson3121]

I'm curious how true this is today. We haven't done a character meal for quite a while but when we did, we never booked it in advance. We used to have lunch at Crystal Palace almost every trip. We reserved it when we got to the park in the morning. Other times, we might call a day or two in advance for dinner at 1900 Park Fare or somewhere else. Is that no longer possible? If so, that's really a shame.

Unfortunately those days are pretty well over. I'm sure maybe if you go at a super slow time, but no, you have hardly any chance of getting walk in service or same day ADRs for character dinners now. For example, I just tried to book dinner for 4 for Monday at MK, and the only opening was a 9:15 pm at Crystal Palace. Tried for lunch on Friday and there was nothing, at any of the restaurants.

 

[disneysteve]

I literally just looked up to see if we could get Ohana's for breakfast for one of our dates in October, and there's no availability at all (we would have taken any time slot they had). And we're only a party of 2!

Unfortunately those days are pretty well over. I'm sure maybe if you go at a super slow time, but no, you have hardly any chance of getting walk in service or same day ADRs for character dinners now. For example, I just tried to book dinner for 4 for Monday at MK, and the only opening was a 9:15 pm at Crystal Palace. Tried for lunch on Friday and there was nothing, at any of the restaurants.

That really sucks. I've said this in numerous conversations on varying topics but I think the bottom line is that Disney World has simply gotten way too crowded. Most of the things that people complain about or are disappointed with can usually be traced back to this fact.

We were watching a show recently about the history of WDW and they mentioned that toward the end of the park's 2nd year of operation, they welcomed their 10 millionth guest. Today, they have nearly 20 million guests every year. Sure there are now 4 parks and 20-some hotels but still, it isn't enough to absorb the vast number of guests without impacting guest experience. You shouldn't need to make a breakfast reservation 6 months in advance. You shouldn't need to decide what time you want to ride a ride 2 months in advance. We don't decide which park we are going to each day until the night before and we certainly don't know where we will want to eat weeks in advance. If anything keeps us from returning to WDW, it will be the ever-increasing need to preplan every moment of every day.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You shouldn't need to make a breakfast reservation 6 months in advance. You shouldn't need to decide what time you want to ride a ride 2 months in advance. We don't decide which park we are going to each day until the night before and we certainly don't know where we will want to eat weeks in advance. If anything keeps us from returning to WDW, it will be the ever-increasing need to preplan every moment of every day.

Amen.

I'm all for having a plan, but the absolute need to micromanage every second is a complete turn-off. It's the reason we've turned to the Universal and Seaworld parks for our family fun in Orlando.

 

[mshanson3121]

Amen.

I'm all for having a plan, but the absolute need to micromanage every second is a complete turn-off. It's the reason we've turned to the Universal and Seaworld parks for our family fun in Orlando.

Its another reason why I know this will be a one time only trip. I'm so happy to take it and know well enjoy it, but have no desire to do it again.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I have to say, I enjoy WDW way more from offsite than I do Universal from offsite. Having the 3 prebooked FPs helps a lot. We were at Universal during a very crowded day in February and it was absolutely miserable without the EPs. I was wishing I even had three prebooked.

 

[disneysteve]

the absolute need to micromanage every second is a complete turn-off

As I said, though, you don't have to do that. Our last trip was the first with the FP+ system in place. We booked a few in advance, mainly because I wanted to see how the system worked (it sucks), but otherwise we just did it day to day. And BOG was our only ADR. We generally only do CS restaurants when we're there.

As for Universal, we've only been there once but absolutely stay onsite when going there to get the express pass. It is totally worth it. We didn't check out of our place at Disney so we didn't really have to move. We just packed an overnight bag for our one night at Universal and then when right back to our rental house. Even paying for 2 rooms that night, it was still completely worth every penny.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

As I said, though, you don't have to do that. Our last trip was the first with the FP+ system in place. We booked a few in advance, mainly because I wanted to see how the system worked (it sucks), but otherwise we just did it day to day. And BOG was our only ADR. We generally only do CS restaurants when we're there.

As for Universal, we've only been there once but absolutely stay onsite when going there to get the express pass. It is totally worth it. We didn't check out of our place at Disney so we didn't really have to move. We just packed an overnight bag for our one night at Universal and then when right back to our rental house. Even paying for 2 rooms that night, it was still completely worth every penny.

Sticking to counter service and not having your heart set on any particular rides definitely allowed you to wing it at Disney (in addition to you being a frequent visitor....you can always catch a favourite on a future trip). Those with once-in-a-lifetime vacations would have much less ability to go with the flow without being disappointed, especially where dining is concerned (I would think character meals, in particular, would be a high priority for most families). Take my most recent attempt....still 120+ days out, and I have a whopping 3 choices for a character breakfast on Friday, October 17th.

Unlike Disney, Universal still has at least a few slower seasons. We were just there (stayed offsite) from May 1st to 8th and with the exception of one day (the 8th), Express wasn't even needed. We have free after-4 pm Express with our Premier AP's and only used them maybe three times. During the day, waits were minimal or non-existant. It was marvellous! No dining reservations, no ride reservations, we arrived when we wanted and left when we were done. If you have the chance to visit during those small pockets of low crowd times, it really is spectacular.....even as an offsite visitor.

 

[disneysteve]

Sticking to counter service and not having your heart set on any particular rides definitely allowed you to wing it at Disney (in addition to you being a frequent visitor....you can always catch a favourite on a future trip). Those with once-in-a-lifetime vacations would have much less ability to go with the flow without being disappointed, especially where dining is concerned (I would think character meals, in particular, would be a high priority for most families).

Unfortunately, those once-in-a-lifetime guests are the ones least likely to know about or understand the system or be able to navigate it efficiently. The whole FP+ and MDE requires pretty extensive knowledge to use it well. Really, do you think most first-timers know that they need to be online at midnight on day 180 to have any shot at getting CRT or BOG? The system is just plain broken at this point. It's really sad.

 

[GoBears 1980]

How many times a week does there need to be a thread telling everyone who likes staying onsite what an idiot/sucker they are?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

How many times a week does there need to be a thread telling everyone who likes staying onsite what an idiot/sucker they are?

Well, if you find those threads bothersome, the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board is probably a poor forum for you to be reading .

How many times a week is there a thread extolling the virtues of offsite? Probably many, many fewer times than there is an "Onsite is the only way to go! Its so magical!" thread on the Disney resorts board. And far less than the number of threads convincing people on the budget board to save more, save longer and be able to stay onsite for a "good" trip versus "settling" for an offsite stay to make things more affordable.

I don't think anyone here in this forum feels that those that stay onsite are idiots or suckers.....we are much nicer and friendlier folks than that . But many of us who have stayed both onsite and off and who can attest to both with personal experiences sure have a lot of first-hand comparisons that we can share. Disney has done a marvelous job at marketing their product as the only way to have a "magical" Disney vacation. They won't tell you how much of a premium you'll be paying for "free" inclusions like transportation and Extra Magic Hours. They won't tell you that the "privilege" of being able to add the dining plan will actually work out more often in Disney's favour than the guests. They won't tell you that you can get 5 times more space, multiple bathrooms, separate bedrooms, a balcony overlooking the lake, in-suite laundry, AND save money versus a 260 square foot room at a Disney "value" resort. Because they don't tell you all those things, that's what we're here for .

 

[GoBears 1980]

Well, if you find those threads bothersome, the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board is probably a poor forum for you to be reading.

I stay in a lot of off site hotels and I do so for a variety of reasons based on my needs, but I don't feel compelled to start a thread to tell people who make different choices that they are stupid for doing so.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

We are going the first week of August. I booked our ADRs, with the exception of CRT, at like the 45 day mark.
I was able to get chef mickeys, tusker house, akershus, and crystal palace, no problem. We booked our CRT at more like 60 days, but were still able to get a good reservation time.

Our trip last July, we booked our FP the night before, got lots of good ones. For the ones we didn't get, we just stood in line for the rides we wanted. Sometimes part of the fun is standing in line. Like Haunted Mansion, with the swayed spray, and the random names on the tombstones. We were delighted to see I. Emma Spook (our daughter's name is Emma), it made for a great photo. 7DMT questions is so impressive. The music of Splash Mountain. Even the rather boring line for A&E is fun, getting to meet the people around you, talk up the kids' excitement, stand in the AC.

For our December trip, we made a lot of our FP ' while in line for that attraction. Anytime we'd get to a line, we'd go on the app and check for FP's. Saved us a lot of time.

We love staying off site. We like having the extra space to stretch out, 3 bathrooms, a living room, a break from overly crowded areas. I don't see myself ever staying onsite. Cramming into a tiny room like sardines is not worth the privilege of making reservations a little early. And saving a little money is always a stress reducer for me!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I stay in a lot of off site hotels and I do so for a variety of reasons based on my needs, but I don't feel compelled to start a thread to tell people who make different choices that they are stupid for doing so.

I don't think that was the OP's point at all.

If you read it carefully, she says that she understands why some folks get stressed trying to make everything perfect. And that for her, she has found that staying offsite helps reduce stress because she has lower expectations...She realizes she isn't entitled to the perfect ADR or FP selection because she is offsite and Disney has made those rules clear.

 

[scdak]

Offsite is the way to go for me, I realize that the choice of offsite vs onsite is a personal decision that each person/family has to make for their own circumstances but years of offsite then the switch to the magical onsite for a number of trips made me realize just how much I love off site! I hated Disney bus transportation and after 3 trips of using it I switched back to driving my own vehicle for my last 10 day trip and was SO much happier to say nothing of the time saved over the course of 10 days (20+ ADR's at resorts). I have gotten spoiled by having SPACE in the condo's I rent (even at other travel destinations) plus having a kitchen, washer/dryer etc is awesome. Yes, I could stay at DVC locations but when I can spend 1/4 the price I can tolerate a little driving time and the cost to park at the parks. So my next trip will be 14 days at Vista Cay in a 3 bedroom condo ............and that's for two people and it was highly rated and about $100 a night, in the building by the pool, walking distance to the convention center which is important for these 2 pooh size women trying to become less pooh size. Yes, I know it will be hot but if we can walk "the Strip" in Las Vegas every day for 10 days in 90+ temps we can handle the short walk to the Conv. Center The only time we took taxi's was at night after the hotel shuttle service had stopped for the night and it wasn't possible to walk to Staybridge Suites due to lack of sidewalks on a frontage road/safety concerns late at night.

I was concerned about not getting ADR's at 180+10 but it was not a problem making them every day and I have everything I wanted at the times I wanted.
Just for fun I tried booking FP+ for July figuring it would be busy then - my trip is in September, and I was able to book everything I wanted at 30 days including 7DMT and adapt them to times I would be making them for in September without any trouble and then cancelled them all. So I feel sure I will get my fast passes without any trouble and if I don't, oh well, its not my first trip there nor will it be my last (I hope!)

 

[BagOLaughs]

Interesting to hear the different view points. We're staying off site this time around with a hire car so we'll have freedom!

Then I'll be able to make up my own mind which one I prefer

 

[scdak]

Gina Gina Bo Bina - you ROCK! Excellent points in your posts for sure, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of stay and its great to read threads that point those out, its threads like this that made me want to try onsite and now that I have I prefer offsite. Will I stay onsite again - maybe? Will it be for long trips - NEVER! My dream when I was a young adult was to be able to afford to stay onsite, I did that first by staying at a value (All Star Sports) and was so disillusioned that I went back to offsite for years. Next was POFQ and Poly split stay - POFQ love, Poly..................eehh, not my cup of tea. POR - hated but for my own personal reasons - for others its a great choice and they love it. POFQ for 10 days - LOVED it even more but one room, one small bathroom, no where comfortable to sit and relax in the room for the little time we were in there got really old. I won't mention my opinion of my LM room at AoA for a night - lets just say my flame suit is in the washer!

On a side note - I read your posts on DC/SW and enjoy them so much, thus why most of our trip is going to be spent at SW/Aquatica with Sept 25th being our day to fall in love with DC!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think one key point that gets lost in the onsite/offsite debate is the car issue. You pretty much need to have a car to have a happy offsite trip (in my opinion of course!).

Anyway, I think it's awesome that Disney provides door-to-door transportation from the airport to the resort for those that don't want to drive around Orlando or for some reason can't. It makes WDW an accessible vacation for everyone, and I think that is great.

I know that for us, if my husband wasn't willing to do the driving, we would be an onsite family only because there would be no way in heck I would be doing the driving on vacation.

 

[jenthern]

I'm curious how true this is today. We haven't done a character meal for quite a while but when we did, we never booked it in advance. We used to have lunch at Crystal Palace almost every trip. We reserved it when we got to the park in the morning. Other times, we might call a day or two in advance for dinner at 1900 Park Fare or somewhere else. Is that no longer possible? If so, that's really a shame.

When I went last January (the week leading up to marathon weekend), they were turning away people who didn't have reservations at Crystal Palace. However, our vacation was planned less than a month out and didn't have any issue making reservations, sometimes even the day before.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I stay in a lot of off site hotels and I do so for a variety of reasons based on my needs, but I don't feel compelled to start a thread to tell people who make different choices that they are stupid for doing so.

That's a rather strong accusation. I have re-read the OP's initial commentary, and all the replies that followed. The only poster using those terms ("stupid", "idiots" and "suckers") is yourself.

There is some great discussion on this particular forum (this thread and all the others that have come before it), and I like to think our differing perspectives give some good food for thought to others who might be considering an offsite stay. I am a HUGE offsite champion and will sing its value and comfort to anyone who asks (because I honestly don't think many folks have a clue about how far their money can go off Disney property), but I don't look poorly on someone who chooses to stay onsite. Their vacation, their money, their choice. Doesn't mean I can't respectfully have a different opinion.