Convince me staying offsite is worth it...or not! :(

[Jakesmom504]

We are planning a trip for Dec 15-22. DH and I originally had planned to go the first or second week of December, stay in a pirate room at CBR and hope to get FD so all we would need to bring was spending money. We asked my family to come along and I'm very happy that they all agreed but my youngest DB is in college and won't get home for break til late the 14th. DM is now worried about the expense and first said they would just stay at a value but is now asking if we would just rent a house offsite. Like I said, i'm very happy that they are going but I really had my heart set on staying on site. I think FD will sway me a little more but is staying offsite really worth it when you have to factor in car rental, gas, parking, and obviously food if we don't get the FD? I would love to hear some feedback especially from those of you who have done both and can compare. Thanks!

 

[disneynut11]

I have done both, including a condo rental, and I would honestly not stay offsite again.
The time to travel, the parking fees were the two biggest turnoffs. We are an early riser rope drop family who always takes a 2-3 hour break for a swim and rest. Staying offsite makes this impossible.

Free dining would be a no-brainer for me...One of the perks for staying off site was more variety in dining options., but free is free!,
and by staying on-site you dont need to worry about a car rental with the buses and magical express.

 

[kkandaj]

I just posted on a thread similar to this one last week, comparing Wyndham Bonnet Creek and CBR. They are literally right next to each other, though CBR is a "Disney" onsite resort. There are 7 of us traveling so would need 2 rooms at CBR at $3000. We are renting a 3 bedroom/2 bath condo with washer/dryer, full kitchen, lazy rivers, game rooms, several pools, free mini golf, activity center for $795 for exact same days/time period. I asked on the other thread what CBR had for an extra $2000, and no one answered that.

We will be making many of our own meals or eating around Orlando, (a few meals in the parks) but will save a ton. WBC also has free buses to the parks. I even found wall decals for $5 at Target of the Fab 5 characters that I am going to put on the walls before my kids come in the room.Granted, we are required to have a kitchen becaue of DS's food allergies, but I still would not be able to lay down an extra $2000. I'm too frugal for that. Our rental car (Ford Escape) is $173 and my parents are getting a Ford Explorer Elite for $237.

We stayed in a house in Davenport 3 years ago and loved it. This will all come down to your budget and how much space you want for your travelers.

The last time I stayed onsite, I was 8 and it was at the campground. At this point, I refuse to stay in a room the size of a Motel 6 room, when I can pay the same amount for 3 bedroom gorgeous resort. Don't believe it when people say you can't have "magic" outside of Disney walls.

 

[eliza61]

For my family I consider how to get the best bang for my buck. So if I'm not using my dvc points, I'm offsite.

1) I don't like values and no way would I ever give disney the money they want for a deluxe.

2) I've never had a hard time going back to my offsite resort for a mid afternoon break. It takes me less time to get to bonnet creek or the new waldorf in my car than it does to get back to my resort using disney transportation. I really don't understand why people feel you can't take an afternoon break offsite. One year we stayed at the AKL and it took us 1 hour to get back to our resort at the end of the night. 1 hour!!!


3) We stayed at the new Waldorf astoria for about $129 bucks a night, which is about the price of a disney moderate. They offer transportation to the parks that is as reliable as disney but even with the cost of a weekly rental (we're only a family of 4 so we can get a good price) and parking fees it was way less than disneys rack rates.

4) We're return visitors. We pretty much make our "magic". I feel more magically when I don't spend 300/night for a room and don't get the quality.
5) I always have a car. The first year I stayed on site and I had 2 kids in a stroller. let me tell you, it was horrible dealing with disney transportation at the end of the night trying to get a resort bus with the masses. never again.

truthfully the only thing we miss when we are off site is the EMH's. so for us when we stay onsite it's using our dvc points other than that, we are offsite.

 

[dhdozier]

Thete are several threads on here already asking that same question. You should also do a search and read those answers. For me the bottom line is $$$ And I have been getting much better deals staying off-site at resorts with transportation included. Good luck and enjoy your family time at Disney.

 

[julluvsdisney]

I have done both, including a condo rental, and I would honestly not stay offsite again.
The time to travel, the parking fees were the two biggest turnoffs. We are an early riser rope drop family who always takes a 2-3 hour break for a swim and rest. Staying offsite makes this impossible.

Free dining would be a no-brainer for me...One of the perks for staying off site was more variety in dining options., but free is free!,
and by staying on-site you dont need to worry about a car rental with the buses and magical express.

Totally agree with this! We have done both and refuse to stay off site ( i guess if it was the ONLY way I could go Id think about it ). We love staying onsite in the middle of the magic. Even my DH who isnt really a disney nut refuses to stay offsite! We dont spend much time in the room so they size doesnt matter to us its just the concience of staying onsite and the magical feeling I get staying in the Disney bubble! I have gone with family before and they have stayed off site while we stayed on site it didnt ruin the time we had with them. Wouldnt the price difference between renting a car and staying offsite be very little compared to staying onsite at a value without the need of a rental?? CBR and POP are right next to each other why maybe you guys can stay at CBR and the fam could be at pop? We did that before and we had a great time! My dad and his GF stayed at CBR and my family stayed at POP. Especially if FD did come out that would sweeten the deal!! Good luck!

 

[pantherlj]

Money aside ..... (we save a lot off site)

Onsite with a 4 and 7 year old at CSR (normal 2 bed hotel room). 4 year old gets sick at 3 AM mid week.... good luck to everyone else getting sleep or using the bathroom.

Offsite a couple of years later - 9 year old gets sick mid week. Off to her own private bedroom and bathroom she goes at 6 PM. The rest of us? DH watched TV and surfed the web in the living room, 6 year old swam in the private pool, I did a load of laundry while hanging my feet in the pool with 6 year old.

This fall we are back off site and hoping we break the "get sick mid week" trend! Even assuming nobody gets sick, it's just nice to have a place to spread out and relax. We like to do a more laid back vacation though. Very personal decision.

 

[honeydiane1953]

If after all this time u don't know staying onsite to offsite quandry I can't help you.

 

[Jaime4004]

If it's just DH and I, onsite. DH and I, plus 3 kids and sometimes grandparents, definitely offsite. So much nicer for everyone to have their own bedrooms, we all sleep better in a condo than in a hotel room. Nice to have a separate living room so we can hang out while the kids go to bed. The best part is having a private pool, I think the kids like this part a little more than the parks! Having an extra bathroom is also very nice. So is having laundry. I know many people hate doing laundry on vacation, but if we're home swimming anyway, it's nicer to throw on a load and not bring back all that dirty laundry. It's nice to have a kitchen with kids. I usually make them lunches to take with us, since they are picky and often starving before DH and I are ready for a meal. We stay about 15mins from Disney, so to me the transportation time seems about equal, those buses take forever. Sometimes we leave the parks for a few hours to get away from the crowds, swim and cool off, nap, etc. I could go on..

 

[powellrj]

It depends on what you want/need from your vacation. If you are using Disney transportation, will use EMH, will be at the parks from open to close and never want to cook anything on your trip, I would stay on-site.

We don't travel like that. We always rent a car, never use EMH, like to come back early and relax, and like to fix a quick breakfast or snack, so its a no brainer, we stay off-site because for less money we get more bedrooms, bathrooms, TVs, a full kitchen plus laundry.

There is no right or wrong answer, its just what you want out of a vacation. This trip, DH and I aren't planning on doing anything but relaxing so the kids will be on their own in the parks and because we have a 3 bedroom condo. We can just enjoy the peace and quiet while they are gone. That will be our vacation!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

If FD is offered we stay onsite. If not we stay offsite. I realize that we could probably spend less $ by staying offsite and only eating some meals at WDW, but FD eliminates the need for us to do that, even if it costs a bit more.

 

[Planogirl]

It really depends on what you want in a vacation.

We couldn't stand the Allstars and we've been leery of Pop as a result so budget is out. We do like some of the moderates but the rooms are tiny and travel can be a pain. I like to drive so transportation time is often the same as some well-located offsite places. The parking fee can hurt but I just budget ahead of time for it.

We enjoy places with space and refrigerators and free breakfast and so on. That can be a factor. I can also often find true luxury hotels on sale offsite at a lower cost than the deluxe places onsite. That helps me decide too.

We also don't feel the need for this immersion either. We love a lot of attractions in and around the area and it's fun for us to explore and try new things. Plus the Orlando area is blessed with some good restaurants.

 

[ICF]

This thread was just done last week....

It's all what you want to do. There is not a right or wrong answer.

 

[TnTWalter]

closer than many WDW resorts...privacy, resort amenities...Fantastic. Check out offsite forum.

 

[Jakesmom504]

Thank you everyone for all of your input...definitely given me some things to think about!

 

[LisaNJ25]

We are staying off site this trip. Even though I am checking in on the day free dinning starts its more than double to stay onsite.

 

[HeatherC]

Either way will be great!

We are a family of five and only do offsite. More for the space than the savings. When the kids were little we hated the idea of one hotel room. Trying to get three little ones to sleep in one room was no vacation for us.

We also tend to vacation longer than a lot of people visiting Disney. On average we go at least ten or eleven days. So that also comes into play. With kids now 15, 13 and 11, we would kill each other in one room with one bathroom for that long a time.

Our trips have now become more of an Orlando vacation than a Disney one. We still do all the parks, shows, restaurants, etc., but also love hanging out at the resort pools (Bonnet Creek is a fav.), shopping at the Outlets, daytrips to the beach, etc..

The first time we went, we had a blast. BUT...we came home so exhausted and hated that. Now we have a blast and come home much more refreshed and relaxed. It is just what works for us.

We are leaving Wed. for another ten day trip. We will be at Bonnet Creek in a three bedroom villa that we are only paying $110 a night (including all taxes and fees). We just can't beat that.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!

 

[Pembo]

My first stay offsite was a HUGE decision. I didn't want to miss the magic, would driving be a hassle, etc... In the end the $$ savings plus the extra space made it a much more enjoyable vacation. It is a different vacation than staying onsite but we liked it.

 

[snowy76]

My first stay offsite was a HUGE decision. I didn't want to miss the magic, would driving be a hassle, etc... In the end the $$ savings plus the extra space made it a much more enjoyable vacation. It is a different vacation than staying onsite but we liked it.

Totally true! It's different. But it's like having kids - you love them all equally, but in different ways and for different reasons. Our last trip was our first offsite. With the money saved on the condo we stayed for almost two weeks instead of just one. That right there made a huge impact on us. We really felt like we'd moved into the area!

And driving ended up being just fine. Leaving a park all tired and knowing you would always have your own seat (and opposed to the buses at park closing LOL), and you would pull right up in your driveway to your own place (instead of the loooong walk back to then resort room) was priceless.

 

[danjoealexis3006]

We Bonnet Creek! You are right there on Disney Property for a fraction of the cost. The resort is absolutely beautiful! You might want to look at renting points from Ken Price. We loved having the kitchen and my son has food sensitivities! I never once felt like I was missing any of the magic! My dh loved not waiting for the bus and we were able to pack lighter and stop at Walmart because we had a car. My 1st love is OKW but we only do that when we travel with family and split the cost! If you must stay on Disney have you thought about renting points from a DVC member? You can rent a deluxe room for a fraction of the cost that you pay Disney. Goodluck