delimma.....

[scanmom]

I currently have 2 ressies for hotels. One onsite (2 rms POFQ), and one offsite (2 br at Vistana). I am really torn about which one to keep. We are driving, so we will have a car. The Vistana will save us about $700.00 total. My DH will want to go back to the room midday for a break...most days, but not all. And I am not 100% sure that we would use the EMH's, but since my kids are older, they might want to do the evening ones. So, what would you do? I really am not sure which way to go with this, but we are going May 27-June 2nd, so I need to decide pretty quickly!! Help!!!!

 

[David R]

Both are beautiful resorts, but POFQ is a personal favorite. Nothing beats resort package delivery either! But if you have a car, you'll move around the parks faster (although don't forget the time consuming tram/monorail rides). $700 is indeed a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere.

I didn't help at all, did I?

 

[jim1051]

Stay in the disney resort

 

[scanmom]

David, you sound like me!!!! I really love staying onsite, and the perks are nice, but $700.00 is alot of money, and Vistana has the kitchen, which we would probably use somewhat, which adds up to even more savings!!!! Thanks for posting!!

 

[fancythemouse]

how many kids do you have?

and how old?

need some info before I make a judgement

 

[BTown]

$700 is a considerable chunk of change, but as far as I am concerned, a BIG part of the Disney experience is the total immersion from being able to stay on Disney grounds, and be surrounded by the magic 24/7. For me, never having to leave the grounds and break the magic, that's worth any amount. Also, I know this wont be a deal breaker, but you need to take into consideration what parking will cost you every day (isnt it about $15 a day now?) as well as the travel time to and from the parks. Honestly, after treking through the MK for 12 hours on your feet, do you really want to walk to your car, try and get out of the parks with EVERYONE else, and drive back to your hotel? Why not just let Disney take care of that for you.

 

[Del]

We love the extra room at the Vistana....love having the kitchen and the whole resort feel. Being in just one room does not work for my family anymore. This resort is so close to Disney.....we found we made better time than waiting for the bus, as we had in the past. We view the $700 as food money. Good luck in your choice.

Del

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

$700 is a considerable chunk of change, but as far as I am concerned, a BIG part of the Disney experience is the total immersion from being able to stay on Disney grounds, and be surrounded by the magic 24/7. For me, never having to leave the grounds and break the magic, that's worth any amount. Also, I know this wont be a deal breaker, but you need to take into consideration what parking will cost you every day (isnt it about $15 a day now?) as well as the travel time to and from the parks. Honestly, after treking through the MK for 12 hours on your feet, do you really want to walk to your car, try and get out of the parks with EVERYONE else, and drive back to your hotel? Why not just let Disney take care of that for you.

I believe parking is $9.00 a day now. But let's not forget the ever rising price of gasoline!
This post was very well written and expresses my feeling exactly. The last thing I want to do is drive during my WDW vacation.

 

[Tricia1972]

I like the ease and comfort of staying onsite, so I would recommend the resort. However, you seem to be leaning towards staying off site. (Mentioning the kitchen and the savings of $700).

I would suggest doing what feels best to you. If you don't mind driving and dealing with traffic - then stay off site.

If you prefer 24/7 magic and don't want to deal with driving - stay onsite. Another reason to stay onsite would be if you are going back to the hotel MOST afternoons. Do you really want to drive in, lug around, drive back, rest, drive back in, and drive out in one day?

Ultimately it's a personal call for you. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[Mrs Potato Head]

If you want the flexibility to get back to your room at all, I'd stay on property. My husband's mom owns a timeshare in Orlando, and on our last two trips we stayed there to save money. It wasn't a good idea for our family.

We didn't have time to use the kitchen for anything other than coffee/tea in the mornings, because we'd have lost too much time in the parks. We didn't enjoy the driving back and forth from the resort to the parks, and the parking also wasn't an enjoyable situation.

All in all, we felt we LOST a lot of time in the parks. Even DH says we'll only stay on Disney property now....the lost time is worth too much.

Just my .02

 

[MDDisneyFan]

You said that you have older kids. If they are teens and you feel comfortable letting them go/stay at the parks without you, it is much easier for them to catch WDW transpo to get back to the hotel. When my son was a teenager he did this with a cousin. I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable letting him get on a non-Disney bus. And, having to drive them back and forth would get old real fast.

It's always a Disney resort for me. It's worth the extra $. On those trips where I'm more limited in funds, I stay in a value Disney hotel.

 

[scanmom]

there are alot of great opinions here!!! My kids are 21, 18, 16 and 12. I am so thrilled that my DS21 is coming with us!!! He is usually not able to these days, with college and all. I really like the disney resorts, but I really am leaning towards Vistana. We stay in a 2 br condo when we go to Branson, so I know how nice the extra room can be. I am wondering if anyone knows how long the actual travel time is from there to the parks? I like the disney transportation, but the busses are really not quick, with all the stops at the resorts, plus there is usually a wait time at the bus stops. We stayed offsite a few years ago, at a Hawthorne suites near Sea World, and it wasn't bad to drive. So, any more ideas or opinions are very welcome!!!!

 

[David R]

A friend of mine likes to say "how long are you really going to spend in the room when you are on vacation?" and he is right for the most part. So choose whatever you think will be most convenient to you.

Disney resort = great theming that consistently keeps you in the "Disney experience" plus package delivery (can you tell I think that's a great feature?) but expensive
Vistana = kitchen and savings. Cost of parking plus tram rides (which I despise, specially when going in/out of the mk)

 

[Hannahsmom]

We stayed at the Summerfield Suites once when my daughter was a toddler, rationalizing the "need" for a kitchen. We had grand illusions of making meals in the room to economize our trip. But the reality was, no one wanted to cook (or clean) after spending all day in the parks. So we too ended up using the kitchen for coffee in the morning. With your kids being older, I would stay onsite.