Changing to off site?

[candacewi5]

Hi all! We have our first ever trip to WDW booked for 1/22/15- 1/31/15 booked at POR preferred room with MMW 7 day tickets no PH, and the regular dining plan. I am extremely frugal by nature and the cost of this trip has been giving me nightmares. This is likely to be our only WDW trip because there is way too much to see and experience in the US. I also have a child with multiple food allergies and WDW is the one place he will be able to have a choice of a wide variety of meals and eating out. I am torn now after looking at the savings of staying off site in a condo, not paying WDW resort prices. Even after figuring in parking, rental car, etc costs I think we would still come out way ahead. I am even thinking about using some of what we save to splurge on a day at Discovery Cove for a one of a kind experience for us Midwesterners! So I guess my question is will we miss out on anything by staying offsite? Will it be less "magical"?
Oh and we booked through a TA and I would feel like we would short change her if we totally back out on our reservation. Would it?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!'

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We travel various places each year and one of the main reasons we like Disney is because of the ease of it.

With the exception of staying one night at Shades of Green pre-cruise we only have stayed onsite. We like the ease if it, don't need a rental car we just hop magical express show up at Disney and don't have to drive for the entire trip. We like the convenience of just charging everything back to our room, we like the resort package delivery service. We like the fact we don't have to take our luggage around. We also are at the parks before opening time and always goto the park with early entry. You don't get early entry stating offsite, and we get at least 2 of the headliner attractions done in the park during early opening.

And don't feel bad for tour travel agent if you switch, it's your money and your vacation.

 

[jmsaj]

If you have Chase Disney visa there is a special out for cardholders that could save you some money.....out for public on Oct 9th I believe. Worth checking it out!

 

[stasijane]

Did you get any kind of discount on your trip? Room, free dining maybe? If not there is a room offer I believe coming out soon. I stay off site just as much as I stay on site and other than the EMH and having the magic band sent to you there really isn't much I can think that you would miss other than the what I call "complete Disney experience" Which is just everything Disney from sun up to sun down If you stay off property you are forced to remember the real world still exist.

 

[Malibustyle23]

I have only stayed once offsite, with my inlaws. I wouldn't personally prefer to do it again. I like to be in the Disney "bubble". We probably wouldn't take a trip to WDW in the foreseeable future if we had to stay offsite. But many people do and LOVE it. Different strokes.........

Have you priced out a value resort with a standard room? That may be closer to the price of the offsite tag. Are you going to eat all the food on the dining plan? Many people say that it really isn't worth the money especially if you don't eat that way/much. Pricing out OOP may save some money as well.

If I was only going to WDW once I would want it to be as nice and easy as possible but that is me. If I was able to go more often I may contemplate offsite.

 

[Carina]

We LOVED staying offsite, my kids found their own rooms and our own pool a LOT more magical than overcrowed busses and 2 little beds crammed into a small room.

We loved having a full kitchen and eating privately on our own patio next to said private pool.

Nothing about teeny little Disney Accomodation or being herded like sheep onto buses is magical to us.

Add in the associated costs and all the other experiences those savings bought us, it was a win/win for us!

 

[Bete]

Hi all! We have our first ever trip to WDW booked for 1/22/15- 1/31/15 booked at POR preferred room with MMW 7 day tickets no PH, and the regular dining plan. I am extremely frugal by nature and the cost of this trip has been giving me nightmares. This is likely to be our only WDW trip because there is way too much to see and experience in the US. I also have a child with multiple food allergies and WDW is the one place he will be able to have a choice of a wide variety of meals and eating out. I am torn now after looking at the savings of staying off site in a condo, not paying WDW resort prices. Even after figuring in parking, rental car, etc costs I think we would still come out way ahead. I am even thinking about using some of what we save to splurge on a day at Discovery Cove for a one of a kind experience for us Midwesterners! So I guess my question is will we miss out on anything by staying offsite? Will it be less "magical"? Oh and we booked through a TA and I would feel like we would short change her if we totally back out on our reservation. Would it? Thanks in advance for your opinions!'

You haven't reached your 45 day mark yet for your Disney reservation. Right now, just announced is a stay, play, and dine deal which will be good for you and save you decent money. Your travel agent should be able to do this for you, right now. You may be a very happy camper with this promo deal from Disney. I'm not sure about your resort and a preferred location, bit your travel agent can figure all of this out for you. Even if you have to make a little change in your resort choice you will still be very ahead on the savings. Good luck.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi all! We have our first ever trip to WDW booked for 1/22/15- 1/31/15 booked at POR preferred room with MMW 7 day tickets no PH, and the regular dining plan. I am extremely frugal by nature and the cost of this trip has been giving me nightmares. This is likely to be our only WDW trip because there is way too much to see and experience in the US. I also have a child with multiple food allergies and WDW is the one place he will be able to have a choice of a wide variety of meals and eating out. I am torn now after looking at the savings of staying off site in a condo, not paying WDW resort prices. Even after figuring in parking, rental car, etc costs I think we would still come out way ahead. I am even thinking about using some of what we save to splurge on a day at Discovery Cove for a one of a kind experience for us Midwesterners! So I guess my question is will we miss out on anything by staying offsite? Will it be less "magical"?
Oh and we booked through a TA and I would feel like we would short change her if we totally back out on our reservation. Would it?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!'

First of all, the "magic" is where you find it, not where you are staying. The resorts and condos surrounding Disney World can be every bit as magical as the onsite resorts if you choose the right one. Don't buy into the Disney sales pitch! And this is coming from someone who prefers onsite!

Secondly, you will only miss out on a few perks:

• Package delivery to your resort. Not the big deal that they make it out to be. It can take a couple of days for your package to reach your resort gift shop.
• Free transportation and parking. You *could* get by without renting a car if you're willing to take Disney transportation. BTW, those buses aren't that crowded during low-attendance days, like the time you plan to go, unless you're trying to leave a park at closing time. People who park their cars in the lots still have to either walk to their cars or take a tram.
• EMH (extra magic hours) are not available to offsite guests (with a couple of exceptions). That's extra time in the parks at a time when the parks tend to close early. It also gives you a head start on EMH mornings because you're already in the park and waiting in line for your 3rd or 4th attraction when they drop the rope for the day guests.
• Magic Bands are free for onsite guests. Offsite guests can purchase them but they have to wait until they get to Disney to get them.
• Scheduling your FP+ in advance of offsite guests. If there is an attraction that is a must-do (Anna & Elsa meet & greet?), you stand a chance of being locked out of the FP+ selection for the most popular ones. Onsite guests can schedule 60 days in advance. Offsite guests cannot schedule until 30 days ahead of arrival.
• Charging to your room account. You can walk into the park with no money in your pocket and be fine. Just use your Magic Band and the PIN number you gave it in order to make your charges. You can settle the bill any time during your stay by going to the lobby concierge or you can let the charges go to the credit card on file.

And as a PP mentioned, there is a Stay, Play & Dine package discount that will apply to the dates of your stay. It is already available to Disney Visa card holders and should be available to the general public very soon. It may make staying onsite a little more attractive.

The last thing that I would like to say is that you're being very nice to consider your TA's feelings, but it's your money and you should not feel obligated to spend more just to make her feel better. She's your TA, not your BFF.

 

[kymom99]

I know a lot of people who go and stay off site. I plan to stay at Windsor Hills next trip. However, for a first trip, I think you will find staying on property a priceless experience. As others have said, look into the discounts. I have never used the dining plan and have never regretted it. Have your travel agent price out the trip without dining. That is one way you can cut back on the price.
I don't know how old your kids are, but if they are younger, like in the 4-8 range, they will love the value resorts as well as any. If they are older, the mods would be best. In the values the rooms are small, but they won't want to be inside much anyway. The only time we felt claustrophobic was when it was raining.

Have a great time!!

 

[vleeth]

We've done both.

I enjoy the 'feel' of being at a Disney resort. But I must add that I don't like to spend money. We've stayed at Disney twice and both times it was because we had free dining and it didn't cost that much more.

We enjoyed renting in the Emerald Island subdivision. It was soooo much cheaper. Not only did we save on the place to sleep, but we saved a ton on food. There is a grocery store really close by. The drive to Disney was really short with no traffic. And I was able to pack less because I could put clothes washing at night for free. It's also a real plus to be able to have multiple bedrooms and bathrooms.

 

[sahmoftwo]

We've done 3 trips and stayed off-site every time. For us, not only is it much cheaper, but we love having the space to spread out! If the kids need to go to bed early they can do so without all of us having to hang out in a quiet darkened room. We rented in Windsor Palms this trip in Sept. and loved it. We had our own pool in the backyard and my kids really liked that. The owners of the home we rented had decorated the kids rooms with a Disney theme so we didn't miss out on any "Disney magic". We've also stayed at Bonnet Creek which is located on Disney property but not owned by Disney. That was lovely. It had a resort feel, but plenty of room to spread out. We stayed in the 2 bedroom/2 bath condo. Many people love staying onsite and wouldn't have it any other way, but I wanted to reassure you that you can have a super wonderful trip staying off-site as well, especially if it will save you money and therefore save you some stress.

 

[Darcy03231]

We've done both. For us, unless there are only two of us traveling, we much prefer to stay off-site. Everyone prefers having more space for less money and we've never found it "un-magical" to stay off-site. Even when staying on-site we prefer to drive our own car around. Overall, I've found that the bus service is usually pretty slow and we spend quite a bit of time waiting around for a bus when we opt not to rent a car. I can usually be where I want to go much faster going on my own.

I also prefer the full kitchen, private pool and washer and dryer in a vacation home. I also like not being stuck with on-site dining, which IMO, has gone way downhill over the past several years.

Personally, if I could save enough money by staying off-site to do a day at Discovery Cove that would seal the deal for me. I wouldn't hesitate to stay off-site. What do you think your kids are going to remember more? All of you crammed into one small themed hotel room or a day at Discovery Cove.

 

[msmama]

You don't say kids ages but things to think about:

Will you be taking mid-day breaks? If so, compare driving time to wherever and bussing to resort. If you do go back mid-day, will you actually make it back to the parks?

If you're staying in a condo with a kitchen/laundry/etc, will you really feel like you're on Vacation cooking and cleaning?

I'm an onsite girl all the way so I might be biased, but if I was thinking one and only one ever disney trip, I'd go all the way and stay onsite.

 

[hkp1042]

We always stay in Windsor hills in a townhouse. We love it, the extra space is nice after a long day at the parks and many of them are disney themed so no loss of magic in my opinion.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Hi all! We have our first ever trip to WDW booked for 1/22/15- 1/31/15 booked at POR preferred room with MMW 7 day tickets no PH, and the regular dining plan. I am extremely frugal by nature and the cost of this trip has been giving me nightmares. This is likely to be our only WDW trip because there is way too much to see and experience in the US. I also have a child with multiple food allergies and WDW is the one place he will be able to have a choice of a wide variety of meals and eating out. I am torn now after looking at the savings of staying off site in a condo, not paying WDW resort prices. Even after figuring in parking, rental car, etc costs I think we would still come out way ahead. I am even thinking about using some of what we save to splurge on a day at Discovery Cove for a one of a kind experience for us Midwesterners! So I guess my question is will we miss out on anything by staying offsite? Will it be less "magical"?
Oh and we booked through a TA and I would feel like we would short change her if we totally back out on our reservation. Would it?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!'

I was in the same position as you. Do what your heart and pocket book tell you is best for your family. I've stayed on site more then off site. This trip for the near exact reasons you stated we are staying off site in a town home. I choose it because it is Disney themed, about two miles away from the parks, but offers so much more Independence for my family away from Disney. We are saving 2/3 the cost off site in rooms. Enough I can update our tickets to Annual Pass again, which gives us the free parking and discounts and another trip.

We will have three bedrooms, washer and dryer, full kitchen, living room away from two of the bedrooms, pool at the back of the home and larger one at the site. Three TV's, game system, high chair, stroller.

We won't have MB, I have two from last year, if I didn't I maybe would have bought dd one, I never used mine it hung in my bag. We can keep food for breakfast, pack small cooler, and lots of chill space.

We won't be packed sardines in buses, play sit and wait games for buses.
But the greatest thing is no regret on my valuable money being spent like Monopoly money.

It's still Disney, it's just without Disney controlling my needs and limiting me to their dome. As far as the TA, you don't have to explain, your plans changed and you have to cancel.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Staying onsite has a lot of advantages. EMH. Ease of getting around. If you need to take an afternoon break you are not that far from your room. Or if there is a downpour and you get caught in it and need to go back to the room to change clothes - again you are not too far from the room.

Plus if this is your only visit to WDW make the most of it and stay onsite. You won't regret it!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Staying onsite has a lot of advantages. EMH. Ease of getting around. If you need to take an afternoon break you are not that far from your room. Or if there is a downpour and you get caught in it and need to go back to the room to change clothes - again you are not too far from the room.

This isn't always the case. There are a lot of offsite locations that can be reached MUCH quicker & easier in your own car vs taking Disney transportation back to your onsite room (again, depending on which resort).

 

[Carina]

This isn't always the case. There are a lot of offsite locations that can be reached MUCH quicker & easier in your own car vs taking Disney transportation back to your onsite room (again, depending on which resort).

I agree. We were in the Indian creek area. We could be in our car within 5 mins of leaving the gate (long estimate) and we were MAYBE 5-7 mins from buckling our seatbelts in Animal Kingdom Parking Lot to our driveway.

That was 5-7 mins in my own seat, in air conditioned bliss listening to the tunes of my choosing. And the walk from my driveway to my front door was about 14 seconds. Signifigantly shorter than the walk from bus stop to hotel room in ANY resort!

No one would ever convince me a BUS is better than a car! blech!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

This isn't always the case. There are a lot of offsite locations that can be reached MUCH quicker & easier in your own car vs taking Disney transportation back to your onsite room (again, depending on which resort).

The times we were off site I found it was was much easier to get in and out of the parks. The inside resort roads to the parks system I found confusing even with or especially with a GPS. Even staying on site I had a rental car, after using the bus system a few stays and the rental sitting, I found I preferred it to the bus.

Especially if trying to get to DTD. You would think it was easy, but drive me nuts. Also, the buses back from DTD were horribly over packed, stopped to change drivers and didn't seem to arrive at the resorts timely.

 

[candacewi5]

Thanks so much everyone! I think we will be switching to offsite and using the extra savings to fund a Discovery Cove day followed by a Sea World day. I really, REALLY like the idea of having bedrooms so I don't have to go to bed when the kids do nor worry about waking them up accidentally. Since we have never been to WDW, we definitely won't notice any difference in the magic because it is all new anyway. I found a great town home with a private pool and I think I may talk my sister into driving down with her 2 boys for a few days of R&R with us. We will definitely have the room, somebody might as well come enjoy it with us. I am also having weight loss surgery in a few weeks, and by the time of our trip won't be able to eat more than 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of food at any meal. Kind of makes buying the dining plan a waste for me. I can easily get what I need to eat by sharing a bit if food from anyone else's plate. Thanks for all of the feedback and opinions! You all helped me hash it out in my head and I am much more comfortable with the decision. I booked a convertible for our rental car and the kids are thrilled! Lol, we will have fun wherever we can!