DL hotels: onsite versus off site

[iambrink]

DH and I visited DL once back in 2004 and stayed in one of the hotels directly across the street from the entrance. We loved how small DL was compared to WDW and was amazed that we could simply stay in a hotel across the street and it still be convenient. Fast forward to 2018 and we will be taking our kids for their first visit before a DCL cruise. We are frequent flyers of Orlando and DCL and usually stay on site for a night or two after our cruises, but the advantages seem more obvious given the size that WDW has evolved into over the years. I certainly am not one of those that have to stay at a DL hotel and would only consider Paradise pier due to cost, but is there something i am missing when considering staying off site at DL versus onsite? thanks

 

[lalasmama]

I'd consider staying offsite still. Paradise Pier means you have to cross the street, walk half the length of Grand Californian, and then the length of Downtown Disney District. Or, you can walk half that, and pay half that. You won't have Mickey Mouse soap, but for a savings of $150+/night, you can bring your own Mickey soap, lol.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Stay off site and save your money for the cruise. Some of the off site hotels include parking, breakfast, etc. The Disney branded hotels are expensive and they charge a lot for everything else. There are hotels across the street that are less than a 10 minute walk to the park gates.

 

[ParkHopper1]

I stay both on site and off site both several times a year. When I stay on site, I defiantly feel more like I am in the Disney "bubble" than off site. The Harbor side reminds me of entering the Vegas Strip and defiantly leaving the resort experience so to me it all depends on what you want out of your vacation.

If you just want a bed and shower and money could be spent elsewhere to plus your trip, stay off site.
If you want the fully immersed experience and the finances are not going to cut into your trip budget...stay on site.

Even though the PPH hotel is the most removed of the three, going in and out of DTD vs Harbor Blvd is still night and day for me.

I stay on site when I am going for "vacation"...I stay off site when we are doing just an impromptu park trip with friends.

 

[lalasmama]

Oh, you also get early entry. But, again, that's an hour. Would you pay $150/day for an extra hour in the park?

 

[iambrink]

I might miss the Mickey soap...LOL! But $150 night could pay for something else..i certainly don't want to waste money, but i am certainly leaning towards staying across the street...i just didn't want to miss anything...

 

[Niltiac]

I'm going to go with the consensus here. You mention that you enjoyed the convenience of staying across the street before, so why mess with a good thing? Paradise Pier will be farther away and cost a lot more. What you would get for the extra money would be atmosphere/ambiance, arguably a nicer (but longer) walk through DTD, early entry, and the pool. If none of those things strike you as something you would regret missing out on, I would save the money and stay across the street.

 

[cruisehopeful]

i just didn't want to miss anything...

You won't miss anything because if you want to do anything at the hotels (afternoon tea, Trader Sam's. etc) you can still go do that. You won't have the early entry every day, but would you use the early entry? My family never wakes up early enough to use it.

 

[lalasmama]

I might miss the Mickey soap...LOL! But $150 night could pay for something else..i certainly don't want to waste money, but i am certainly leaning towards staying across the street...i just didn't want to miss anything...

I understand missing the Mickey soap I've considered staying on site often... But then I look at the price difference between on-site and off-site. I pay about $120-150/night across the street (Tropicana or Park Vue). We don't use the pool, we have a locker (so no need to send packages back to our room), and I don't really "care" about the Disney bubble. So, I would spend $100+ more for EMH (the extra hour in the morning). I'm just not willing to pay $1.67 per minute to spend an extra hour in DL (assuming the price difference was only $100; often it's far beyond that!).

 

[iambrink]

What's funny is the last time we went it was before kids, so i didn't really give it any thought. I also think there may have only been one Disney hotel..maybe two, but i didn't even consider staying there. When we plan our stays at WDW, i spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide where to stay and there are so many options. This planning for DL is a whole different story...now there's kids and two more sets of tickets to buy!

 

[tarheelalum]

If you have got the extra money to spend then stay at Disney. But if money is tight for the vacation, I don't think its really worth it to stay at a Disney Hotel.