Disney hotel vs on other on site hotel

[ecarline]

First time heading to disney and I'm debating whether to pay the large difference to stay at a Disney hotel vs a stay at another hotel still on the Disney grounds. I would like a reliable bus service but I have heard that the Disney buses don't run as often as stated. I don't mind the extra money if it really is worth it. Thanks in advance

 

[coluk003]

not sure what you mean by large. i have access to the pricing for both(not at this time) and its not that large, and some values are less.
1. you can get the dining plan
2. transporation from the airport is on your own DME does not go to shades of green swan or dolphin.
3. you are right the bus's dont operate as often to the parks.
430 days fast pass's instead of choosing them 60 before arrival

 

[tina.tina]

First time heading to disney and I'm debating whether to pay the large difference to stay at a Disney hotel vs a stay at another hotel still on the Disney grounds. I would like a reliable bus service but I have heard that the Disney buses don't run as often as stated. I don't mind the extra money if it really is worth it. Thanks in advance

What hotels are you considering?

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

Are you driving down or are you flying. From what I have seen/understand the hotels that are on Disney Property, but not Disney hotels, have worse bus schedules then Disney does. They might go once or twice to the parks a day but if you miss your bus at the end of the night you are paying for a cab. If you are driving it will make it easier but at the same time you will be paying $20 a day to park.

I know that the buses at Disney don't always show up every 20 minutes but at the same time you are never waiting a hour for a bus, nor will they ever leave you stranded at a park.

 

[ISeeTheLight105]

If you are worried primarily about the transportation, and are looking at one of the "on-site" resorts near Downtown Disney, I would take the walk over to the bus stops over there, especially because they have a stop for every resort AND park direct. I've been considering this myself!

 

[MikeTex1]

I for one, love staying on site. Part of vacation for me is getting away from my regular life. I don't want to drive or deal with traffic. From the moment I get to the airport until I get home Disney takes care of everything for me. All the added benefits (Magic Express, Extra Magic Hours, Disney Transportation, Package Delivery to my hotel, etc.) is well worth the additional dollars. I have stayed offsite and you don't get the same magical feeling.

Not sure if your first time will be your last time but if this is a once in a lifetime trip then stay onsite.

Collect Memories not Things!!!!

 

[msb578]

I know we're not clear on specific hotels yet, but it's worth noting the Swan/Dolphin do have 60-day FP+ booking. And the internal transportation is provided by Disney.

 

[pooh4evr]

If you are worried primarily about the transportation, and are looking at one of the "on-site" resorts near Downtown Disney, I would take the walk over to the bus stops over there, especially because they have a stop for every resort AND park direct. I've been considering this myself!

There are no buses that go from Downtown Disney to the parks. If you want to go to a park from DTD, you would first have to get a bus to a resort then get another bus to the parks. This would take a long time, and the buses don't start running there as early as they do at the resorts.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

My beautician stayed at the Best Western and had the worst bus experience. They need to get back to the hotel and waited 40 minutes in the rain for the bus. Plus you will need a rental car to get to the non-Disney hotel from the airport. Those hotels that are close to Disney do no offer shuttle service to the airport.

 

[aprilnmay]

I prefer to stay on property. If you don't mind waiting on buses, you can get anywhere on property without having to drive. If you choose to drive to a park you still get free parking. Items you purchase on property can be sent to your resort. Dining plans, extra magic hours. For me at least, the benefits far outweigh any potential savings of staying off property.

 

[minnie mum]

Transportation factors alone are enough to keep us at onsite resorts. If you fly: you get free airport-resort transfer with DME but if you stay at a non Disney hotel you either need to pay for a bus, taxi or Town car or need to rent a car. If you drive down or rent a car, resort and park parking are free if you stay onsite. At a non Disney hotel you pay for both your hotel parking and parking at the parks. Onsite resorts have free, frequent transportation to the park entrances. Non Disney hotels other than the Swolfin generally have less frequent buses and may charge a fee for the service.

Then you have to consider the other perks of staying onsite as previously mentioned. The OP doesn't mention which Non Disney hotels she is considering and which level of Disney resort she is comparing them to price wise. You really could only fairly compare any of them to the mods or deluxes. Really, the only non Disney resorts "on property" are the Swolfin, SOG, the 4 Seasons, and Bonnet Creek. The hotels that are near DTD really aren't on site. They'd be more accurately called good neighbor hotels.

 

[ejdmomma]

I love staying on site, but for budget reasons we have also stayed off site. I have a family of 5, so it's a little more expensive to stay on site than for a family of 4. For longer stays, we usually stay off site. Hands down, the Disney buses are better than the off site hotels. You might feel like you are waiting longer at the end of the night after fireworks, but like I said, the off site hotel buses are worse. I would say between the buses, magic express, extra magic hours, and being able to make ADR & FP+ reservations earlier - it's definitely worth it to pay extra to stay on site.

 

[biim85]

I stayed at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek once which is on property and has pretty reliable bus service. I also stayed at one of the downtown Disney DoubleTree and found myself walking rather than continuing to wait for buses that ran on an imaginary schedule. So I think it all depends on what's in your budget and how long you're willing to wait.

 

[cjparker0110]

I would definitely recommend staying on site. If you are worried about price, look at the value resorts. They don't cost any more than staying in a Holiday Inn in Kissimee, but they are still magical at least. The only "non-Disney" hotel I will stay in is Shades of Green, and that is only if I travel there with my family because you have to be military to get in there. My dad is retired Air Force. Of course, with military comes discounts. I will do that. But even there, you can walk to the TTC in a few minutes from there. Plus they have a fairly regular bus to the TTC. I can't speak for other "off site" hotels, but I can't imagine transportation being any better.

WDW transportation is great. My guess is that if buses don't come as often as stated there is a reason. Perhaps someone just missed the bus when they got out there. That happens. It takes a while for the next one. Perhaps someone who was disabled was getting on/off one. That can delay them as well. Sometimes it is best to know what ALL of the bus options are. Say there is a bus to each park, and also one to TTC. If the park buses are 40 minutes apart, but the TTC bus comes every 10 minutes, it may be better to go to the TTC and catch the monorail or another bus to the park. Sometimes this may be quicker. Other times it may take longer. But mentally you may feel more productive taking longer while "traveling" than if you are sitting for 40 minutes waiting on the bus you just missed, without knowing when you missed it!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I stayed at the doubletree and the busses were very reliable and ran often. Though I would recommend a car. At HBC I feel a car is a must.

 

[MrsHull]

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek last year and it was a beautiful resort with large, clean suites. It worked well for our group of 7. However, we had to drive to and from the parks. The bus service, which was not free, was not reliable and had to be booked the day before. That doesn't work out so well if you need to return to your room from the parks earlier than intended or if your group decides to follow a different plan at the last minute. We wound up driving and having to make multiple trips to take grandparents back to the hotel in the middle of the day. We are staying on-site for our next trip.