Considering staying off property - what did I forget

[TeresaWen]

For the first time in about 20 years we are thinking of staying off property the next time we go to Disney World. We have been doing a lot of traveling and have stayed in some wonderful hotels with large rooms or suites and have become spoiled by the room.

We can get a 2 or 3 bedroom suite through "get a way" deals from our timeshare (NOT DVC!) for almost the same price as one non-discounted night in the YC. I do love staying on property and have come up answers to the "perks" Am I missing something?

1) EMH - ever since Disney did away with wristbands, most of the perk for us is gone. We love being in the park at night and we can do that while staying off property. You only need to stay on property if you plan on going on attractions. Anyway I am usually too tired to go since I am mostly a morning person - hitting the fitness center first thing in the morning (so morning EMH are meaningless for me)

2) being able to send packages back to the hotel. Not important anymore since we almost never buy anything and if we REALLY needed something we could always sent it to the front of the park or have it delivered directly home.

3) Hotel Theme - I must say I love the hotels but we could still enjoy them - dinner, lunch, a drink in the bar or by the pool at our favorite hotels. And I will NOT miss the teeny tiny rooms and watching TV sitting on the bed!

4) Transportation - this was a biggie but I think I have it all figured out. We can take our hotel transportation TO the park in the early afternoon. In the evening, we can head back to our fav hotel, have a drink in the bar, and take a cab back to our hotel. Extra 15 minutes or so is nothing. We do not like to drive in Disney. We do not use ME - we take a towncar to and from the airport.

Is there some perk of staying on site that I am missing? Cost is a small piece of this decision. I just cannot take the small rooms anymore and I do not want to spring for a suite or villa. They are just not worth the money. When we spend money, I like to think we are getting value and I just cannot justify the cost of a Disney Suite. I also love having a full fridge and a microwave. we do not cook on vacation but I enjoy keeping wine and snacks. Love that I can make tea without having it taste like coffee.

 

[disnut8]

4) Transportation - this was a biggie but I think I have it all figured out. We can take our hotel transportation TO the park in the early afternoon. In the evening, we can head back to our fav hotel, have a drink in the bar, and take a cab back to our hotel. Extra 15 minutes or so is nothing. We do not like to drive in Disney. We do not use ME - we take a towncar to and from the airport.

Are you sure about what I bolded? This is the one thing I have to caution guests about - do you have a copy of your resort's transportation schedule to and from Disney World? When we stay offsite, we always use a car but I look at the resort's schedule. Most of the time, it's one or two times to Disney World in the morning (usually arriving at the Transportation and Ticket Center only so you have to transfer from there) and one afternoon time and one evening time (sometimes it's after the fireworks, sometimes not).

I would call and get a copy of the bus schedule before making your final plans. I don't know where you are staying but cabs would run you about $10-$20 per trip.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Can't take advantage of the Disney Dining Plan.... if that is something that interests you.

 

[keishashadow]

Can you trade into DVC?

We stay offsite now and again, but wouldn't dream of doing it without renting a car whether the resort provided shuttles or not. We travel frequently too and have accepted that any resort/hotel/timeshare will offer a more 'intimate' experience when we travel with our children. We enjoy it with a 'good night john-boy' routine at night and then compare notes as to who snored the loudest in the morning.

Not for a minute do I consider most disney deluxe category rooms square footage to be comparable to what you'd find at true deluxe hotels that are comparatively priced. You're paying for the location, convenience and pixie dust. If you stay offsite you will not get the same experience. Not to say that's not a good thing (we love the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress) but it is different.

Cab fares can add up very quickly within disney property. You can google orlando taxi fare calculator to get an idea what your costs would be from whatever property you are considering. We last paid $20 plus tip just from the poly to epcot when the monorail went down. If cost isn't an issue, then a cab is viable option for you.

Not sure when you'll be visiting, but sometimes during holidays, disney parks are at capacity and only onsite guests are guaranteed entrance to 'a' park.

 

[fadingjamie]

Wow.. you're going to pay for a cab ride every night?

 

[tennessee]

paying for a cab is still cheaper than paying those unreal prices for deluxe hotel. Would not pay those prices. I stay value, and save the money and go two or 3 times a year.

 

[TeresaWen]

Thanks for the insights.

Since we don't have a trip planned yet and I don't have a hotel picked out I really don't know if they offer transportation - good thought! I just assumed that everyone offered it...may not be great but it would be something.

Daily Cab fare - Given we would be saving thousands on the room, $20 - $30 a day is not bad but something to think about. We really don't want to drive - that would just kill the mood and then we would have to make sure we always had a designated driver.

We would not be there during a time where the parts could close to capacity and if they did we would not want to be there anyway

I do understand about the pixy dust - we LOVE disney hotels - hoping visiting would be enough.

Not sure what we are doing...most likely not going until 2014 - we have several non disney vacations planned this year.

If only the rooms were bigger!

Thanks for the comments - keep them coming!

 

[KristinAnne]

We co-own an RCI timeshare that is 1 1/2 miles from Animal Kingdom. I'd love to stay onsite, but I can't justify the costs, considering what we pay for a huge villa compared to what we would pay to stay in the same level of Disney hotel. Is there missing pixie dust? Yes, probably, but still not worth it. That said, I wouldn't go without renting a car. Definitely look into transportation or town cars you could get by the day. Doing that is still cheaper than getting a villa on property.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would make sure you plan your trip so that it is not over a major holiday. Many times Disney will have morning EMHs every morning for the Magic Kingdom during peak periods. You don't want to be behind all of those people.

In checking off site bus schedules, don't just check how often they go, check where they go to. Some only drop off at the TTC, leaving you to make additional transfers to get to where you want to go.

 

[spiceycat]

sounds like you might be a good one for the DVC.

you buy it resale - much, much cheaper than from Disney -- the only problem is disney has cut some of the places you can go because you did not buy directly from them.

since my dvc is only for Disney - that is not a problem. You bank and borrow - go you would be going every third year.

think both SSR and AKV are still good deals in the resale market.

 

[francie57]

You should check into renting points for one of the DVC villas. You would have much more room, a kitchen, and in-room washer/dryer. We stay in the villas every trip and love them. If you rent points it would be much cheaper but you would still have all the perks of staying in Disney.

 

[YachtandBeachy]

So...why can't you just park at, say, Downtown Disney and then use Disney Transportation instead of paying for cabs?

 

[ncc1701]

So...why can't you just park at, say, Downtown Disney and then use Disney Transportation instead of paying for cabs?

The DTD buses only go to/from the resorts and not the parks. They are geared for resort guest to go to DTD not a way to get to the parks

 

[lucas]

Downside is outside traffic! And, the feeling of leaving the magic behind.

 

[Ofinn]

Why don't you rent a car. Check out the transportation board for coupon codes. I have rented cars for around 250.00 for 2 weeks and 100.00 for 1 week. I think the money you save staying offsite will off set the car rental and the parking fees. We have never stayed offsite, but we may in the future. Disney prices for deluxe resorts which is what we like are getting ridiculous. I can stay at the Waldorf for about 250.00 a night including tax and that's rack rate. I would need at 35-40% off to get at a Disney resort to get that price.

 

[MMS1125]

my first inclination was if you are paying YC prices for an offsite villa you are still paying too much. You can stay at WBC inside Disney gates for $120/night 2BR through VU if you travel during value season. Decent bus schedule and still full of magic. Best of both worlds if you are looking for value and space.

 

[TeresaWen]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Lots to think about.

There are two reasons we don't want to rent a car:

1) We do feel like some of the "magic" would be lost having to head to the parking lot and fighting traffic back to the hotel. If we head over to a resort (we spend most time at EPOCT so we would stroll back to the BC, have a drink and get in a cab)

2) We do like our wine on vacation and would rather not have to worry about driving. My husband really feels like he is on vacation when he can have a few glasses of wine and not have to think about driving! We would most like be there during food and wine. And if not, we are very good about making our own F&W festival

xoxoxo

 

[Bete]

We just stayed off property for December 2012. We had a car.

Our resort had transportation to the Disney parks, but it's on a very rigid schedule. There were like three times in the morning to get to Disney and three times at night to come back and nothing in between. There aren't multiple buses, either. You need to make sure you catch the bus you need. As the other poster stated all off site resorts do not offer these services. Some resorts charge for the transportation service.

Our off site resort had a bar; so, you can drink there. Also, you can buy your own wine or whatever for your room by taking a short trip wherever on your day of arrival with your limo driver. You can get plastered in your safe room if that is your pleasure. Some limo companies will include a stop in their price for shopping. I would enjoy the Disney resorts for a dinner, not for drinking if you want the experience of being at a Disney resort.

I, too enjoy the space offered at an off site resort for the price and value. I, too, enjoy having a real kitchen for an affordable price. I liked having a nice, hot breakfast every morning included in our resort stay.

Would I do it without a car? I don't think so. We enjoyed the freedom a car gave us to go everywhere in Orlando, not just Disney. Actually, on our last trip we probably enjoyed Universal Studio and IOA better than Disney. I'm a diehard Disney fan ( 40 trips through the years ) but I enjoyed branching off a bit outside of Disney. It had been about a dozen years since our last visit there; so, it was more exciting for us. Sea World is another consideration.

Cabs are not always waiting at the Disney resorts for passengers. It somewhat depends on the time of day. It's a hard commute for a taxi to get onto Disney property. Usually, you get taxi drivers who just had a trip there from the airport and is waiting for a fare out of Disney. Calling on your cell for a cab may or may not work at Disney. You may have to to get a bell boy to get you a cab. This is another step, more waiting time and now an extra tip is needed. You say you are pretty well played out by the time late evening comes and I wouldn't want this hassle at the end of my day.

We are seasoned travelers, now and I believe this is why we are not married to staying on Disney property, now. I would not stay off site without a car. You say you have done other trips in larger accommodations, but I don't think you were without your car. How did you handle the drinking and driving in those situations?

 

[Ofinn]

Have you considered the Swan and Dolphin? We always rent a car even if staying onsite. We do take cabs at night if we are eating at other resorts. We also like to drink. I'm not sure what PP poster was talking about with the taxi situation. We have never had a problem getting a cab. There are always taxis lined up at the resorts and parks.

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

I stay value, and save the money and go two or 3 times a year.

Same here! Don't really need a deluxe hotel when all we do is sleep and shower. We are park ppl and don't spend days hanging out at the hotel.
We are at the parks morning till night.

Staying off property...the bus service is sketchy, and not available at all times of the day. We tried off property last summer. I cashed in some hotel loyalty points for free hotel nights and paid for a couple nights to save money...never again. The bus service didn't meet our needs due to the times offered and parking fees really add up.

We prefer to stay on property...in a value hotel and use Disney Bus Transport

Taxis are always available, but can get pricey. Going to one end of Disney Property (near Pop or Downtown Disney) to the other end (Magic Kingdom resort area) can cost up to $25 - $30 for one way plus tip.

We do occasionally use a taxi on property, to get to dining reservations if they are really early in the morning. I have never had a problem getting a taxi when I needed one.

After trying off property last year, we just weren't happy.
We prefer staying on property.