Disney Resort or Off site hotel?

[sjnocill]

I am going back and forth on this. I have seen a lot of people suggesting staying in the park, but I have not seen a lot of the reason's why, other than parking and extended hours. But I have also seen to avoid the parks with extended hours. We are trying to go on a budget and found a decent hotel right outside of Animal Kingdom for $60/night with free hot breakfast. But I could also stay at one of the value resorts in the park for $89/night.

So what are some of the other advantages to staying inside the park?

Thanks for the help.

 

[maxiesmom]

First off, let me say that we have done both on and off site stays.

For me, the main reason to stay on site is transportation. I like not having to rent a car and having Disney get me where I need to go. I use Magical Express to get to my Disney resort (free!) and then I use the busses, boats, and monorails to get around.

Transportation is a big negative if you stay off-site. Renting a car is pricey, and then you have to pay to park at the parks each day. Some off site resorts have shuttle busses, but they do not run as frequently as the Disney resort busses. Plus, you are dropped off way away from the park gates.

I also like going to the EMHs at the parks. The morning ones are great, as so many people like to sleep in on vacation. If you get there early, you can get so much stuff done before the rest of the world gets up and gets to the parks. Night time EMHs are great too, simply because the parks feel so different at night. They are simply beautiful with all of the extra lighting on.

Having said that, if there was a huge difference in price , and I had someone else to do the driving, I wouldn't have a problem staying off-site. But for less than a $30 a night difference, I would stay on-site.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

All the perks are well and good, but for us it's the experience. We wake up in the morning and know we're in Disney (since Mickey and Stitch made our wake-up call). Friendly cast members almost the moment we walk out the door. A hop on the monorail, boat or bus then we're at the park. Back to the hotel for some fun and games by the pool (again, run by some wonderfully fun CMs). A nice "welcome home" on the way into the lobby. : CMs bending over backwards to make sure we're happy. Settling into to my themed room at the end of the night and being almost too excited to sleep before we get to do it all over again.

That's just the beginning of why we stay on site.

Yes, I know lots of people complain about grumpy CMs or smudgy mirrors, but the good has always outweighed the bad for us. I don't know if we could ever stay off-site again.

 

[imthatgirl]

We used to only stay off property, never saw the big deal really.
then 3 years ago we bit the bullet and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Honestly we won't ever stay off property again.
We don't use disney transportation so thats no big deal....but getting around the property is so much easier when your on property.
I know so many hotels off site seem so close...they aren't.
Plus I knwo you're supposed to avoid EMH parks....but thats only for during the day, using the EMH is awesome. It's so much easier to park hop and go back to your resort for a swim ....when your resort is 10 miutes away*by car, it's different if you use the buses*. When your hotel is 25 minutes away....it really does change things.
We like to spend the day at a park...go back to the resort for a while and then hit the EMH where ever they are.

I also can't express how different it feels to stay on property. Just hearing "welcome home" when I check in....it all adds to the feeling. And lets face it we love WDW for the feeling it gives us.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Everyone has different reasons for preferring on/off site.

For you, staying onsite at $89/night with free Disney transport and no parking costs that would be less expensive than a $60/night off-site room to which you have to add a rental car ($150-200) plus the cost of parking at the parks.

For my family, off-site will almost always win out when we are ALL going. We have 2 boys, 10 years apart in age, one is my stepchild. We need space, it's important to us. So we would never be able to stay in one value room. So if I compared the $89/night x 2, that's $1246 for a 7 night stay. I can get a great 2 or 3 bedroom condo off-site for $700-800 for the week. Even adding in the rental car and parking, I'm still saving. Add in the additional savings of being able to easily have some meals in our condo, we've saved even more.

 

[irishtigger]

I would stay on. Transportation being a big reason why but also that Disney Magic there is just something to be said about the hotels on property regardless of deluxe or value they just add so much more to your trip. That being said I have been there during peak season and I still don't understand why people say to avoid the parks with the EMH. Usually during night hours the park is not busy and you get on all of your favorite rides sometimes over and over again. Stay on property I think you will be glad you did.

 

[frkymcky]

Disney has mastered making you feel as if you are truly in a different world. Each resort has it's own "personality" - DH and I have stayed off site (years ago - twice) once we stayed on property, we both knew instantly we could NEVER stay off site again. We felt when we were off site the feeling of Disney was gone when we left the property, staying on property we are ALWAYS in that world, which is a great place to be. We hope that his parents will feel this way when we get there Saturday!!

Also take into account the cost of parking if you stay off site, $14 a day can add up quick. We always use a rental car when we are in WDW, so the cost of the car is irrelevant for us however the parking fee for a 7 days trip would cost $98 if we were not on property - that can be breakfast for a few days.

Good Luck!!!!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

I agree with it is just a diffren vibe to stay on property. Plus I like the fact we can take the bus back top teh room eat lunch nap and not have to worry about too much.

 

[sjnocill]

Thank you guys for the great insight.

So it seems like the biggest difference is the Disney experience and ease of transportation. We are driving down, so we wouldn't have to rent a car, but we would have to pay for parking.

I think we will be staying on-site.

A couple more questions though. If we stay on site but want to drive our car to one of the parks, do we still have to pay for parking? Or can we leave our car at the resort and use the wdw transportation on the day we check-out?

 

[arihillfarm]

Thank you guys for the great insight.

So it seems like the biggest difference is the Disney experience and ease of transportation. We are driving down, so we wouldn't have to rent a car, but we would have to pay for parking.

I think we will be staying on-site.

A couple more questions though. If we stay on site but want to drive our car to one of the parks, do we still have to pay for parking? Or can we leave our car at the resort and use the wdw transportation on the day we check-out?

If you are staying on-property, you can drive to the parks and not have to pay for parking. You can also use your resort's amenities (including parking) until midnight on the day you check out.

-Astrid

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Thank you guys for the great insight.

So it seems like the biggest difference is the Disney experience and ease of transportation. We are driving down, so we wouldn't have to rent a car, but we would have to pay for parking.

I think we will be staying on-site.

A couple more questions though. If we stay on site but want to drive our car to one of the parks, do we still have to pay for parking? Or can we leave our car at the resort and use the wdw transportation on the day we check-out?

Parking and use of Disney transportation is included in your on-site hotel stay. You're considered an official Disney guest (with access to the perks) until midnight of your checkout day.