Are onsite hotels worth it?

[LittleBoyBrew]

We visited UO one week after Halloween in 2009 (the first weekend of November). We stayed off-site and did not buy FOTL pass. Of course there was no WWOHP yet, and lines were generally short, though popular rides such as Spiderman, Mummy, and the Simpsons could be a 15-20 minute wait. In two days we saw all we wanted of both parks.
This year I would expect with WWOHP things would be busier, plus there is more to see. My guess is Sept/Oct is busier than Nov. If it were me, I would plan to stay on-site, use FOTL, and not spend an extra day of my life waiting in line.

 

[amshowers]

Yes, you will need 2 rooms. The Royal Pacific will be the least expensive. We are a family of 6 and needed to get two rooms (though I still think it's ridiculous that the 800 sq ft kid's suite at Hard Rock can't legitimately accommodate 6!). We ended up at Portofino Bay with the stay more save more rate of $182 per night per room.

I keep wondering if we should switch to Royal Pacific for $149 per night per room to save $350 or so, but so far we haven't. That $350 would basically be a trip to the Blue Man Group, so I've been debating whether it's best to have that money go towards a nicer hotel to enjoy for 5 nights or to go towards one evening's entertainment.

I actually love RPR and don't think it is worth the extra 350.00 for PBH. I don't think the pool is so much better at PBH to stay there again and you could always pool hop. RPR is closer to IOA so less travel time. I would pocket the extra $, jmho.

 

[lamb616]

IMO, the all star suites are not even as nice as a standard room at the royal pacific.. don't let the word "suite" fool you.

we will only be in the room to sleep so I don't care how "nice" any of the resorts are. I just need the extra space of a suite.

 

[GetGlowing]

Park hours for Sept & Oct are 9-6 or even 9-5 almost every day. We have multi-day tickets and plan to be in the parks 2 days staying off-site, and two more days on-site with FoTL. We are looking forward to those two on-site days so we can do as much as possible. Staying on-site, even in "low" or "off" season is worth it to us.

 

[Lewisc]

Assume the parks aren't that crowded. Regular lines might still be 20 minutes. Express little or no line. In the course of a day you might still save 4 hours. Some people might rather spend the 4 hours at their resort pool. Others not.

 

[disney-super-mom]

See, I knew I shouldn't read this thread because I had made up my mind for us that the cost wasn't worth it and we should stay off site this December 9th and 10th.....and now I'm questioning that decision.....again.

Boy, you all are good sales people!

 

[brenda1966]

See, I knew I shouldn't read this thread because I had made up my mind for us that the cost wasn't worth it and we should stay off site this December 9th and 10th.....and now I'm questioning that decision.....again.

Boy, you all are good sales people!

Me too! Keep questioning my decision, even though my one night is already paid for! I figure the express line will allow us to ride our favorites over and over and over, which is something DD likes to do. So, even if it wasn't necessary to have express to get to ride everything, it should give us extra time for all those repeat rides.

 

[4greatboys]

yes

 

[goofy!]

I keep asking myself the same thing..... is it worth spending nearly $250 for one nights stay to get FOTL during the off season. At this point we don't even know if we'll get early entry into HP -- that's a huge benefit of staying onsite right now. But will it still be there in the offseason?

I guess, in my mind, it's coming down to a gamble. Do I gamble that crowds will be light and we'll be able to ride E.T. 3 times in a row and still ride everything else? This will be our first trip to US and we are only doing 2 days, so I really want it to go smoothly. So, that is why I've booked my one night onsite and am really hoping I don't regret it.

Our planned park days are Oct 25 and 26 (going to IOA on the 26th).

Don't forget to take into consideration Halloween Horror Nights. You might see an increase in crowds during your dates. Although again, all speculation with the addition of WWOHP.

 

[goofy!]

Jumping in late on the on-site bandwagon here, but it also depends on what kind of vacationer you are.

If you are the planning type that likes to get to the parks early, plan all your rides and thrive on sticking to a schedule and commando touring, FOTL may not be as important.

We are not that type.

We like to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast in the club lounge and then head over to the parks when the rest of the crowds start pouring in.

Having FOTL allows us all this and still be able to be glared at by the same people waiting for their first ride on MIB as we pass them yet again for our 3rd or 4th ride in a row. Didn't like our score? Missed that one alien? Just go ahead and get in the express lane again. It is not going to take us 20-60 minutes to reride, or on a slow day, even 5 minutes.

We like to walk around the parks and decide on the spur of the moment if we want to ride something or not. We hate sticking to a plan. If we want to ride Spiderman, FOTL gives us the freedom of not having to worry about what the wait lines are going to look like.

We can eat when we are hungry, rather than trying to fit it in our touring plan. FOTL allows you to make snap decisions without having to factor in wait times.

Lastly, we do put value on our hotel stays. The prices are more than fair for the type of resort, 4*, you are getting. And if you do your homework, you can usually find a decent discount on top of that. It may not be at the time of booking, but if you keep checking, you usually can find one. There is only one stay we have had where our initial booking price stayed the same and we couldn't find anything lower and that was over a holiday weekend.

So, it all boils down to what kind of vacation you want and what value it has to you.

 

[GetGlowing]

Good post, Goofy!

 

[DenMig]

Staying onsite sounds well worth it. Unfortunately I was just trying to book a room from June 7th to June 12th and all 3 hotels have NO availability. Bummer, we just decided to add Universal after a 4 day Disney Cruise.

Do rooms ever become available ? Or should I kiss that idea goodbye ?

 

[damo]

Staying onsite sounds well worth it. Unfortunately I was just trying to book a room from June 7th to June 12th and all 3 hotels have NO availability. Bummer, we just decided to add Universal after a 4 day Disney Cruise.

Do rooms ever become available ? Or should I kiss that idea goodbye ?

June 7th 2011? The rooms aren't available to be booked yet. Should be available soon though.

 

[DenMig]

June 7th 2011? The rooms aren't available to be booked yet. Should be available soon though.

Oh, ok. I feel stupid now, lol. It let me type in the dates and it came back with no availability. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[oregondisneyfans]

I actually live in San Diego now but felt no need to change my name I booked free dining for our WDW stay in August 2011 but now am waiting to book Universal. I am staying onsite for sure and everyone's comments helped me reach that decision. We want to ride things multiple times and this is our only trip to Florida from the West Coast planned anytime soon. Does anyone know when 2011 begins reserving? I have gotten mixed answers from the Royal Pacific and Universal. Thanks again.

 

[patster734]

Jumping in late on the on-site bandwagon here, but it also depends on what kind of vacationer you are.

If you are the planning type that likes to get to the parks early, plan all your rides and thrive on sticking to a schedule and commando touring, FOTL may not be as important.

We are not that type.

We like to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast in the club lounge and then head over to the parks when the rest of the crowds start pouring in.

Having FOTL allows us all this and still be able to be glared at by the same people waiting for their first ride on MIB as we pass them yet again for our 3rd or 4th ride in a row. Didn't like our score? Missed that one alien? Just go ahead and get in the express lane again. It is not going to take us 20-60 minutes to reride, or on a slow day, even 5 minutes.

We like to walk around the parks and decide on the spur of the moment if we want to ride something or not. We hate sticking to a plan. If we want to ride Spiderman, FOTL gives us the freedom of not having to worry about what the wait lines are going to look like.

We can eat when we are hungry, rather than trying to fit it in our touring plan. FOTL allows you to make snap decisions without having to factor in wait times.

Lastly, we do put value on our hotel stays. The prices are more than fair for the type of resort, 4*, you are getting. And if you do your homework, you can usually find a decent discount on top of that. It may not be at the time of booking, but if you keep checking, you usually can find one. There is only one stay we have had where our initial booking price stayed the same and we couldn't find anything lower and that was over a holiday weekend.

So, it all boils down to what kind of vacation you want and what value it has to you.

I totally agree!

I would also add that it's nice that I don't need to worry about parking or transportation to get to Citywalk or the 2 theme parks.

No long hike from the parking garage to Citywalk, and not having to remember where the car is parked when leaving. Then having to deal with the others cars that are leaving too.

Or if you took transportation that's supplied by the off-site hotel, not having to stop at several other off-site hotels either going or returning from Universal.

Nope, my two transportation options are either a serene walk along the dedicated pathway from the hotel to Citywalk, or a relaxing boat ride.