Crazy to be considering staying off site?

[ldhr2005]

We always stay on property. Well, once ions ago we stayed off- but simply because it was free. Now, with 2 kids, Disney's "affordable" rooms are feeling smaller and smaller every trip. We are currently booked for a standard value room with Free Dining. Though, after looking at Seaworld's packages (1 bedroom, 2 queen beds, and full kitchen) for $400 cheaper...I am having Disney second thoughts. We would still do the parks (just buy tickets at AAA), and I know we would have to pay for a parking, loses EMH and free dining. But, with a full kitchen would we even miss it. Honestly, there are only a few select character meals that the kids feel strongly about...the rest we do out of needing to eat, lol. Thoughts???

PS. Regardless of where we will stay we will have a car, and use that instead of any other transportation, so that is a null point...

 

[powellrj]

We are no longer an on-site family and love all of the extra room we get off-site. We did the Sea World promo a few years ago and really liked it, I think we stayed at the Blue Heron and would go back in a heartbeat!

 

[jameyh]

We too are staying off site due to the size of disney rooms. For about the same price per night at a value we are staying at bonnet creek in a 2 bedroom, full kitchen and laundry! We have never done the dining plan, but with a full kitchen we decided we would save money by just paying out of pocket for 2 character meals, the rest we will just cook or grab outside the parks.

 

[2girlsR2good]

I think it totally depends on your goals. I don't want to fix meals or do laundry while on a Disney vacation. I have to do both when we go to the beach each summer, and it is a different kind of vacation. Good, just different.

I want to have a great pool if we go during warmer weather. I want a lobby that feels like a vacation from the moment I step in. I want in the "bubble" and don't want to see a Target, run to a grocery store, etc. So, for us, it's on site.

 

[cobright]

We've had too many magical moments on-site and awful ones off-site to risk it.

 

[set1208]

I have four children so we are going off site for the first time and I couldn't be happier! We are renting a van, we have a five bedroom villa with a private pool, week-long passes to SW, a day at Lego Land, tix to MNSSHP with CRT, a day at HS with breakfast at H&V, and Ohana another morning. All that and we are still saving $1500 by not staying onsite. I love being fully immersed in Disney but the saving, and the variety of things we have planned, will make this a great vacation.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We only moved a little off site to the DTD double tree Hilton but no one in my family wishes to stay onsite again. We all loved the suites extra space and although we had our car for some extra early ressies overall we used the hotels transport and it was excellent. The bus driver even made sure I had a seat when I was holding the baby.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[DSNY4ever]

If it was a savings or us to stay offsite we would. However as a family of 3 who get by without a car it ends up being cheaper onsite in a value for us so far. But if you think you'll get good use out of that kitchen, and you'll need a car anyway- then do it! Since you said you have two little kids I doubt you are getting to enjoy much of the evening extra magic hours anyway. That $400 could go toward the rental car or the character breakfasts you mentioned.

 

[cobright]

Kitchen in suite vs ddp...

How good is your cooking?
Do you mind leaving the park 1 or 2 times a day to get fresh suite-cooked meals or transporting them into the park cold and carrying them with you for hours?

For my family, we have not ever recieved the same level of service off-site. Wyndham was a nightmare, even the dtd hilton was just "okay". On a 10 night stay the savings ammounted to about 10% of the all-disney resort options.

What is the purpose of your hotel, a place to sleep, an extension of your dianey experience, or a vacation destination in itself? Its a different sorting criteria, but for us having a CM at arms reach at every moment of our stay is worth the smaller room and extra $$. We want a room to sleep in and a resort to extend the disney magic beyond park hours.

 

[Sparkly]

We don't cook, and we stay offsite. So you really don't need to. Throwing a load of washing in the machine after getting home from the parks isn't a bother either to us.

 

[sb682]

I stayed on property several times as a kid, but it's just unfathomable to me now. DH needs a break from Disney at the end of the day, and we just can't justify paying for a tiny value room when we could get a 2 bedroom condo for the same price or even less. I can pack less because we have a washer/dryer in the room. Instead of sitting in the dark waiting for DS to fall asleep, we can tuck him, close the door to his room and sit and talk or watch TV with the lights on. We have a kitchen, so we can save money by eating breakfast and making our own coffee in the morning. Eating while we get dressed or in the car also helps us get to rope drop. If it were me, I would rather have that $400 to spend on food or souvenirs.

 

[brymolmom]

We stay both on and offsite...Depending where the deal is the best. Honestly, we only consider onsite with free dining at this point. It is the only thing that makes it at least close to even on the savings.

We're going in a couple weeks...Got a car rental for $195 for 10 days. Staying onsite at Universal (can't beat the perks there) for 2 nights...Staying at Staybridge Suites LBV (awesome location, full HOT breakfast every day, kitchen and 2 bedrooms all for $85 per night) for the next nights. We enjoy it offiste. Thing we like the best is after a LONG day at the parks I can't stand fighting with the food courts at the resorts. Always so crowded with so many lines. When we stay offsite we usually call for takeout on our way out the park - stop for 2 minutes to pick it up and are relaxing in our room - maybe with the TV on, relaxing with our meal in no time. Saves time, saves money, and no cooking!

Little offsite tip - Get the phone numbers for a couple takeout places between the parks and your location...On your way to the parking lot call in your takeout order - it'll be ready as you pull up!

 

[GatorMama]

We have stayed offsite twice and had a great time both times. A week at Wyndham Cypress Palms (with two days at WL at the end) and then a week at Orange Lake something or other for a week last year. It was DIRT CHEAP and bith great resorts but I had to cook too often. It was nice to have a washer since we had cloth diapers on both trips. This trip we aren't doing the parks really, just MNSSHP once. We are staying at SOG for two nights so I can ease DH into on site stays because I want to stay on site in spring 2015 for our next BIG trip.

 

[Jennybump]

Here's my attitude: while I may never be an off-site devotee, the plain truth is that as a family of five staying on site is so expensive that it limits the frequency of our trips. I would rather have 3yrs between off-site trips and then a big on-site trip every decade than have an on-site trip every six years. I just would. And knowing that means I can choose to be envious of those who can afford both frequency and location (and believe me, sometimes I am), or I can be joyful that we are going to my most favorite place on earth after just 2 1/2 years bc we are staying off-site. All those hotels will still be there in 10 yrs when I have the money to stay there again.

 

[num1tigerfan]

My DD will be in a cheer event at Disney's Wide World of Sports in March 2014. The room rates for staying onsite are at all extreme highs. I actually have never seen value resorts at $197/night. Our kids are now 11, 12 so we REALLY need space and privacy for dressing etc. We went to Mall of America last month and it took forever to get ready to go all waiting for the bathroom to change. I will not pay $197/night for cramped accommodations if we can have a 1 bedroom suite off site near downtown disney for the same price. Obviously if the value's are that high, the family rooms or larger rooms are even higher. I did consider renting DVC points to get a larger room, but since it is spring break time, that is still coming out about $200/night.

 

[Ceryssa]

I'm sure you're getting all different answers to this I have only ever stayed off-site, so I don't have the perspective of staying on property. I'm planning our first family trip and for us, our kids just wouldn't ever settle down if we were all in the same room, so that right there puts us in a suite at minimum. I just couldn't justify the cost versus a condo offsite (although I tried, I really did! Some of those new AoA suites just look amazing!). I guess it comes down to what your budget is and where you want to spend your money (for me it's food! lol). I think you can definitely have an awesome trip while staying offsite. Have fun whatever you choose!

 

[brymolmom]

My DD will be in a cheer event at Disney's Wide World of Sports in March 2014. The room rates for staying onsite are at all extreme highs. I actually have never seen value resorts at $197/night. Our kids are now 11, 12 so we REALLY need space and privacy for dressing etc. We went to Mall of America last month and it took forever to get ready to go all waiting for the bathroom to change. I will not pay $197/night for cramped accommodations if we can have a 1 bedroom suite off site near downtown disney for the same price. Obviously if the value's are that high, the family rooms or larger rooms are even higher. I did consider renting DVC points to get a larger room, but since it is spring break time, that is still coming out about $200/night.

Just a word of caution for you - WAIT to have all the info from the cheer team before booking anything. My girlfriend did this last year when she heard about her dd's cheer competition - booked an offsite condo cheap. THEN 2 months later they found out that they HAD to book the ONSITE deal for her daughter to be allowed to cheer. I believe the deal is that the entire team must book the onsite package (room, tickets, etc) for them to qualify to cheer in the competition. If your dd is staying with other team members onsite - that would work too, but her dd was only 8 so she ended up havign to cancel to do the whole family in the team package.

Don't get me started on being 'selected' to cheer in their competitions...OMG the $$$$ they make those teams spend!!! Brilliant on their part but WOW!

 

[Legendteri]

We have only gone once and stayed offsite, but I did not regret that decision. We stayed at Worldquest Resort in a 3 bedroom 3 bath villa with a full kitchen and laundry. We shared the villa with my family so that also helped to cut down on costs.

This will sound silly, but one of the things I liked most was having a door to the bedroom. I remember going into our room after long, tiring days in the park; closing the door and just decompressing. That wouldn't have been possible in a regular hotel room.

 

[Dizisfun]

We stay off site and I enjoy it better than the one time that we stayed onsite. We stayed At the all star sports resort when my boys were 9 and 11. I didn't like being stuck in one room with a tiny bathroom. I'd rather be spread out in a 3 bedroom villa with plenty of bathrooms and drive the 10 minutes or so that it takes us to get to wdw.... Our kids are now grown and when we go we usually end up with a few grand kids and/or their parents. So staying offsite makes it affordable for the entire family.

 

[melissasmithpackett]

but in 2014 we are going with 8 family members so currently i am checking out rental homes. if you have any good experiences i would love to know the names of the rental.