Disney budget vs off-site

[j37o]

We are heading to Disney for my daughter's 4th birthday in October. We were originally booked to stay in a royal room at Port Orleans Riverside, but due to an unexpected surgery this month, we are cutting back our budget. I was sick to my stomach as I cancelled our reservation this week, knowing I just missed the October discounts if I wanted to get a cheaper Disney resort room and that would probably eliminate staying on site.

I want to make my daughter's birthday and first trip to Disney as magical as possible. I thought about the Nick Hotel since they had a good sale going, but reviews on here having me running quickly away from that idea. A budget Disney hotel would work in our budget or I've looked at the Blue Heron Beach Resort, the Melia Orlando Suite Hotel and the Lake Buena Vista Resort.

Can anyone offer some advice or guidance. I know she'll have good time regardless, but I can't help from wanting to make her birthday trip "perfect." Thanks.

 

[BeerMe]

Really no advice - you'll have a good time whatever you do. We do both. I like the room and amenities offsite and the theming onsite. It's a tossup.

 

[powellrj]

We have stayed at Blue Herron before and its really nice, but I would look into Windsor Hills or Bonnet Creek first.

 

[Shea&Van]

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected medical situation, but I want to make sure that you know that no matter where you stay - your trip will be amazing! WDW is awesome and once your little girl sees that castle, it will be magical.

If I were you, I'd do some reserach on-line and check out Mousesavers. The woman who runs that lists several hotels that she "endorses." My sister had a nice experience at Buena Vista Suites in January. The room costs like $100 per night and includes a free breakfast. She felt the commute was not bad and the property was clean and well-kept.

We have had good experience at off-site stays as well. In 2011, we rented a townhouse from vacationcentralflorida and it was pretty good. The townhouse had Disney decor and it was also very clean. The rates were competitive and we loved having the extra space and our own splash pool. The only thing that can be difficult is that they only rent Sat-Sat and that doesn't always work with people and their traveling schedules.

This year we are renting a house in Emerald Isle and I'm hopeful it will be great.

Many people on the boards like Bonnet Creek so check that out as well.

Staying off-site does not mean that your trip will not be fantastic. There are pros and cons to both and we have done both. Sometimes it's just not in the budget to stay on-site. Luckily there are plenty of budget-friendly options not too far from the gates.

Best of luck! Your daughter is lucky to have such a thoughtful parent!!

 

[serene56]

I want to make my daughter's birthday and first trip to Disney as magical as possible. I thought about the Nick Hotel since they had a good sale going, but reviews on here having me running quickly away from that idea. A budget Disney hotel would work in our budget or I've looked at the Blue Heron Beach Resort, the Melia Orlando Suite Hotel and the Lake Buena Vista Resort.
.

Kids will be thrilled to stay in a box at Disney. I dont think kids give a hoot one way or another where they lay their heads.....do they??

 

[LovesTimone]

I would try to stay onsite, for her 1st trip, not having to drive back and forth to the parks is worth it alone. If you forget something its just a bus ride away. Also you get EMH when staying on site, which is a great benefit if you need to head back to the room to let her take a nap or take a break to relax or swim.

When you run the numbers make sure to include the hidden fees, such as parking at the offsite resort, that can be anywhere from 10 to 25 dollars a night, extra resort fees, we just got back from Vegas and the resort fee was 25 dollars a day per person, we got that comp'd but still that would have been 250.00 if we would have had to pay it. Some friends stayed at another resorts near Universal, and was hit with a 25 dollar a day resort fee per person per day, and with a family of 4 that was 600.00 dollars for the week. They totally were not expecting that, it did not show on their CC until 2 days after check out she is still fighting it. That was 2 months ago. They are telling her it's in the fine print. Her CC provider is looking into it for her but still, just the aggravation alone.... Oops almost forgot paying for parking at the parks.

Are you flying or driving? if flying you will be renting a car? cost here for car and gas, is mileage included? Is a bus to WDW offered, and is there a charge for that?

I have had good luck with Hotels.com and scored a fairly good rate on Disney hotels, at the last minute. Last year I got CBR for 149.00 for a unplanned girls weekend to F&W. Also do you have AAA, the travel planners there have help me several times get tickets, or rooms when and where I wanted that I could not secure on-line. I would try all the travel site as well.

For her 1st trip you will want to be enjoying all that WDW has to offer, I would go with a value. She will love riding the buses, that is a big deal for them at that age.

Go enjoy and make those memories !!!

 

[shalom]

Can anyone offer some advice or guidance. I know she'll have good time regardless, but I can't help from wanting to make her birthday trip "perfect." Thanks.

How long are you staying and how many are going? A 4 year old will likely love any of the Disney Value resorts, but those rooms are small. After a couple of nights in such close quarters, any possible Disney Magic would not compensate with my crew.

The other thing is, how do you feel about driving and how do you tour? If it's two adults with a little one, then it's just a matter of whether you want to drive or not; if you hate driving, onsite is the way to go. Bonnet Creek is a fairly close second if you want to stick to hotel transportation (there are some good public bus routes from other resorts, but that's more hassle IMHO).

Staying onsite gives larger groups more flexibility -- even if it's a couple with little ones, one adult can take the bus back to the hotel with fussy little one while the other adult can stay in the parks with the kids who're still raring to go. But if all the kids need naps at the same time or the family just prefers to stick together, and if someone doesn't mind driving, the onsite transportation is not such a great benefit. Except for the MK at closing, driving to many offsite resorts can be faster than the onsite transportation. Staying at an onsite resort, driving is less of a benefit sometimes, because you have to park so far away from your unit!

You get more bang for your buck offsite, but it does take more research. Lots of people manage to find one or two bedroom units for the price of a value room onsite, though. You can also save money with a kitchen, but that also takes more work. Breakfast in the unit is pretty painless (throw a few bowls and spoons in the dishwasher and run it when necessary), and if you like to take breaks in the middle of the day anyhow, throwing in some TV dinners or whatnot is not a big deal, but probably won't save you as much with a 4 year old as it does with my teenagers.

Some people insist you should stay onsite your first time; I think it makes more sense to stay offsite first, then the next time you take the kids, you can kick things up a bit by staying onsite! But try not to get wound up about it; you can have a great time, either way.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

If a value resort is within your budget, definitely go for it! Actually, your daughter will probably love the theming at those hotels. My suggestion would be AS Movies. The Toy Story area is adorable--she'll love it.

If you're flying in, you won't have to rent a car. Disney transport works just fine.

What you'll save in time traveling, parking, gas, etc. is worth it to stay there. She never stayed in the royal room, so she won't be comparing it to anything. She's going to have a great time no matter where you stay!

I know a lot of people say the rooms are small, but we've stayed there with our family of four and been perfectly happy. We don't spend much time in the room at all. It's a place to sleep, shower, dress, and store our stuff!

And there's always next time for an upgrade---something to look forward to!

 

[Ametista]

My daughter actually prefers staying offsite. We have stayed at so many nice resorts with 2 and 3 bedroom units and awesome pool areas that when I finally tried to stay onsite with her she was really disappointed in the small rooms. Our favorites are Marriott Harbour Lake, Marriott Cypress Harbour (neither is really budget but you can try), and Paradise Palms (must book through Homeaway or Flipkey/Trip Advisor for good rates). We have also stayed at some cheaper places like Vacation Villas at Fantasy World (super reasonable and really close to Disney). Whichever you decide, make sure you also check the same rates on Expedia and Orbitz because sometimes they have bargain rates.

 

[PWammy]

Have you compared prices at any of the hotels near Downtown Disney? Some of them have really good shuttles or you could hop on the Disney shuttles if you want to avoid driving (which I always do). I agree with other posters, the magic won't be lost on a 4 year old no matter where you stay. I've stayed off site and I've done a couple of values. My daughter loves it either way.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Try the double tree at DTD.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[smorkovsky]

There are a lot of options in Windsor Hills, and most of them have private pools in addition to the resort pools.

 

[webcreatrix]

We have stayed at All Star Music, All Star Movies, the Polynesian, Windsor Hills, and Hilton and Wyndham Bonnet Creek. You cannot beat the value of WH or WBC. Because we have never stayed at a moderate resort, I"d definitely consider it an option. I LOVED the Polynesian, but our stays at Windsor Hills and Bonnet Creek were just as enjoyable and such a great value!