disney hotels or offsite

[cptkirkh]

Ok so this will be our first time to Disney for our family. We have a 12 and 3 yr old. I am trying to do this on a budget. I can't decide if i want to stay onsite, DoubleTree in Disney or at something like the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista. i like the Fairfield price at the free breakfast and it also has a free shuttle. Should i scrap it all and go onsite?

 

[Southernmiss]

Ok so this will be our first time to Disney for our family. We have a 12 and 3 yr old. I am trying to do this on a budget. I can't decide if i want to stay onsite, DoubleTree in Disney or at something like the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista. i like the Fairfield price at the free breakfast and it also has a free shuttle. Should i scrap it all and go onsite?

You'll get answers for both. I am usually very frugal but our family loves onsite for the extra magic hours, no driving once you are there and being immersed in the experience. We only stay onsite.

 

[drgnfly30]

I tend to tell first timers to stay onsite; nothing beats being fully immersed in the experience.

Which by the way can be done on a budget!

 

[pieface]

Stay on sight it is so magical the entire time your there your in a magical environment. There is no outside world inside Disney. Plus if you get tired just go back to the hotel and take a break. Love on sight.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

You'll get answers for both. I am usually very frugal but our family loves onsite for the extra magic hours, no driving once you are there and being immersed in the experience. We only stay onsite.

So do we !

I tend to tell first timers to stay onsite; nothing beats being fully immersed in the experience.

Which by the way can be done on a budget!

Exactly !

Stay on sight it is so magical the entire time your there your in a magical environment. There is no outside world inside Disney. Plus if you get tired just go back to the hotel and take a break. Love on sight.

Ah the Wonderful World of DISNEY.

Stay on site without a doubt you will not regret it

 

[cjnix29]

If the Double Tree is what you are talking about being IN Disney, it isn't. It's near downtown Disney, but not actually a WDW resort. What that means is that you don't get the perks of staying onsite....magical express, on site charging, extra magic hours, etc. Our family prefers staying on site, but there are plenty of great off site hotels and you will get larger accommodations for less money, certainly. Staying off site, you will have to factor in parking fees too. Since it is your first trip, you won't have anything to compare it too. So it will be easier to stay off site for the first time. ... have a great trip no matter what you decide!!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Onsite. You can do value resorts if you want to save money. Pop is a good choice. Save money by choosing a value season time to go and try to book during free DDP. Off site shuttles are not good with kids and you would want to drive to the parks adding 15.00 in parking per day.

 

[seasheller]

Staying onsite is so much easier. You can get shuttles to and from the parks and Downtown Disney all day long. We stayed once at a Holiday Inn because they said they had shuttle service to the parks. They didn't tell us that it only went a few times in the morning and a few times at night. When they dropped us off at a park in the morning, they told us to wait in a certain spot for our night return shuttle. There were 20+ people waiting there in the dark and a shuttle never showed up. There had been a bus earlier in a different location and he left empty. (We did ask if it was for the Holiday Inn. This was a No-No. Found out we were supposed to ask for a bus number not the location where we were going.) They at first refused to come back to pick us up until we told them how many people were waiting there. Not a fun experience at the end of a long day.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

With the age gap of your kids, I think onsite would be best. Your 12 yr old will probably outlast your 3 yr old. With the Disney transportation it's easy for one parent to leave with a child, or go back to a park later with the older one.

Also, depending on what time of the year you go it can work out cheaper than offsite, once you factor in car rental, parking, etc. Of course, onsite budget will be a hotel room, and offsite budget could be a condo with separate rooms. It all depends what works best for your family.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Sometimes those free shuttles only run once or twice a day. And they drop you off at the Ticket and Transportation area so you still have to take disney transport to the parks on top of that.
If you are renting a car, staying off site will work easier.

If you aren't renting a car, I'd stay onsite.

I much prefer onsite myself.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'll add to the chorus of onsite fans.

Transportation is one huge issue; it's constant. And at the end of a long day, that's incredibly important.

And then there are all the "little" extras. Like Disney's Magical Express, so you have free transportation to and from the airport. And access to Disney's Extra Magic Hours, when the park is open only to onsite guests. (OK, so granted that's about a zillion people. But there are another 3 zillion people NOT on site who aren't there.)

And there's the feeling of staying onsite. I stayed off site a number of times before we had kids. For me there's no going back.

We're saving now for a return in August 2014. For us, it's worth saving for over a year to have the amenities offered on site.

 

[oneprincessjo]

My question is how often do you plan on taking your kids? Is this a one time thing? Something you will do several times throughout their childhood? It it's a one time thing I would do an onsite resort, get the whole experience. There is something so magical when you arrive to your Disney resort. There are so many resorts that you can find something within your budget I am sure. If this is something you plan on doing once a year or once every other year you can stay at the Hampton Inn in downtown Disney for less than a value resort in Disney I believe. We drive to and from Disney every year which takes about 2 days so we always stop at a Hampton for the night before arriving. I LOVE their beds and their complimentary breakfast is AMAZING!!!! We always stuff ourselves before we make that final trek to Disney.

 

[Marionnette]

Ok so this will be our first time to Disney for our family. We have a 12 and 3 yr old. I am trying to do this on a budget. I can't decide if i want to stay onsite, DoubleTree in Disney or at something like the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista. i like the Fairfield price at the free breakfast and it also has a free shuttle. Should i scrap it all and go onsite?

I'm an onsite gal and I could make a very convincing argument for staying at one of the Disney-owned resorts. But if we're talking about traveling on a strict budget, I think offsite always wins. The shuttles may not be the most convenient and you won't get that all-encompassing Disney feeling 24/7, but you're going to spend less on accommodations offsite most of the time.

Just be aware that:

• The "free breakfast" may be nothing more than a muffin and some coffee.
• The shuttles run sporadically. They do not drop you off at the park entrances. They may not conform to your schedule. And you may have to book your seat ahead of time.
• If you are not renting a car, you will need to pay to get your family to the hotel and back to the airport.
• If you are driving or renting a car, you will pay $15/day to park at the theme parks.
• Some hotels have a resort fee that is not included in the price of the room. Some will charge you to park your car. If the hotel that you are booked at has such fees, you will be required to pay that fee when you check in.

Just be an informed consumer and look at all of the costs of staying onsite vs. staying offsite. What looks like a bargain at first may not be the money-saver that it appears to be.

 

[twinnersmama]

For me, I can't beat the convenience of staying on site. At the end of an exhausting day I don't want to try to find my rented car in the lot, figure out how to get back to my hotel ... etc. I just want to hop on the Magical Express, talk to few other people on the ride, and be dropped off at my resort.
Plus we always take advantage of the extra magic hours

There is sooo much to do on Disney property, there's no need to leave (IMO)

We have always done our trips "on a budget" ... always stayed at POP ... it can be done.

but ultimately, this is your vacation, your money ... you have to do what suits your needs.
Enjoy whatever decision you make !

 

[Fantaluminishes]

Nothing beats staying on WDW property. I have stayed at many Disney resorts. But I also don't mind staying in Kissimmee either. Sure, you have to pay to park at Disney, and shuttles can be questionable. But you can save a great deal of money staying off site.

Not that it was asked, but in California, I never stay at the hotels at Disneyland. They are way too expensive, and IMO not worth it. They just can't be compared to staying at WDW.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would stay onsite especially since you have a 3yr old. It will be more convienent to be able to catch a bus back to your resort if you little one needs to take a nap.

My beautican stayed at the Best Western and relied on their free shuttle to the parks and said NEVER again. Her little one was cranky and they left and waited 35 minutes for the bus to come!

If you stay offsite and decide to drive to the park you will have to pay $15 a day to park at Disney.

If you stay onsite you can take advantage of the extra magic hours and you can get a lot done in thoses hours because the park is usually not as crowded.

I would stay at one of the value resorts. If you belong to AAA you can usually get the rooms for $5 -$7 cheaper than booking directly with Disney.

If you stay onsite during the free dinning offer that can save you LOTS of money.

Also if you stay onsite you won't need a rental car because Disney has free shuttle service to and from the airport. Off site hotels do not have shuttle service to the airport unless you are staying at one that is less than a mile from the airport.

If you 2nd child has not turned 3yrs old yet, now would be a good time to go because 2 and under get into the parks for free and that is a HUGE savings. Especially since tickets prices just increased today and it will cost you more to go.

 

[cdrn1]

I used to be very smug and think I was so smart for not paying all that money just to stay at an onsite hotel. I didn't understand why someone would pay all that money just to sleep onsite. Then I stayed onsite with a friend. It was like...okay. Now I get it.

 

[Pembo]

On a budget? Have a car? Stay offsite. We stayed in a 3 br condo at Windsor Hills for LESS than the price of a value resort even having to pay for parking.. WH is quick drive to the parks. We saved money by being able to eat healthier foods at our condo. Loved the washer and dryer and the pool there is amazing.

Yes you're giving up EMH but we always chose the park without the EMH and had no trouble with crowds.

I am a fan of staying onsite too but for money purposes, offsite in a condo is my choice. Check out the Orlando forum for more offsite ideas.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We had NO trouble getting around from our off site location. But, we also had out own car. I would not care to have to rely on hotel shuttles from an off site location. Honestly, after having out own car there, I probably wouldn't care for Disney transportation either

 

[oneprincessjo]

We had NO trouble getting around from our off site location. But, we also had out own car. I would not care to have to rely on hotel shuttles from an off site location. Honestly, after having out own car there, I probably wouldn't care for Disney transportation either

Agreed! I always stay onsite but we drive down, so unless we can walk or take the monorail we will drive our own car. I HATE the busses, you couldn't pay me to use those again. Lol