Fantastic deals in Florida

[jester911]

I would like to say Hello to everyone. Fantastic site here. Lurking forever. We are planning a trip down with the family. Wife and I with our four boys. 5,5,6,7 yup a busy household. I am interested in the whole on-site off site thing/debate. Plus I want to add that anyone that is going down to FLorida they should get on the tourist mailing lists for Orlando and Kissimme as well as tourism Florida. They are sending all kinds of useful packages and deals in the Disney area. Anyone stay at those rental houses off-site. They look great. I just can't seem to decide whether to stay on site or off site. I know there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

 

[Perditamarie]

Welcome to the Dis!! I am a total on-site kind of girl. If you have to fly in, stay on-site and you can use Magical Express and the Disney transportation system and won't have to bring booster/car seats or rent a car and you can also have a vacation from driving too!

Other Disney resort perks are extra magic hours in the parks, package delivery to your resort from the parks, Disney Dining Plan if you enjoy restaurant meals, Magical Express will wrangle all of your luggage too, so you won't have to deal with it once you get on the plane.

Options for lodging your family:

* the Family Suites at All Star Music - a bedroom w/queen bed & bath & tv, kitchenette, 2 bathrooms and sleeping for 4 in living room area w/another tv

* rent 2 rooms at a value/mod/deluxe, depending on your budget

* rent a cabin at Fort Wilderness (has a bedroom w/full bed, bunk beds and murphy bed in living room, plus a kitchen/deck/grill area)

* consider renting points to stay in a 2 bedroom DVC unit (Disney timeshare condo w/all Disney Resort guest perks)

You can order groceries online to be delivered to your resort to ensure you have enough provisions. I have used gardengrocer.com before and will again in Nov.

I hope this gets the decision ball rolling for you....there are a myriad of choices, but there is a ton of great info on this board.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Welcome to the DIS! Good luck with the planning. You can find out all sorts of stuff on these boards, so I hope that helps you out some.

As for me -- I'm an on site kinda gal.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Welcome, count me in for the on-site side. Reason #1 is the transportation issue, between Magical Beginnings and the inter world transportation both time and stress are avoided. Reason #2 is the way on-site resort themes help keep the magic going even after you leave the parks themselves. I stayed off site once years ago and won't do it again especially now that WDW resorts canmatch any bugdet.

GOod Luck

 

[MazdaUK]

Onsite if you can run to it! (And remember you'll be saving on parking etc...., plus yu can get free dining at certain times ) With a youngish family you'll appreciate being to pop back to rest/have pool time, plus the bonus of getting your parcels delivered back to the hotel - with 4 that's otherwise a LOT of plastic to carry with you

 

[kileybeth]

many many off site trips here with our last 3 being on site. I'm a convert. But truth be told I would never have known the full difference until we did it.

Also, staying on site with a party of 5 (we are party of 6) can be very spendy.

We stayed deluxe. Not sure that has been mentioned as most deluxes have the day bed (my DS15 teen was very comfy on it). Also deluxes have two queens as mods and values just have doubles. Family suite at Values appeals to us but is quite pricey as well.

Renting points gives you room to spread out but requires trust on your part with owner. check over on DVC boards.

Those townhouse rentals look so nice and appeal to me as well. With one exception. I'm on vaction too and if my family sees a kitchen and laundry they are prone to think Mom is the one who does that! not happening. I'm eating out thank you. Also with no one to make beds and freshen up bathrooms daily, I would be going nuts and feel like I was at home having to say (pick up that towel, bedspread, cookie crumbs whatever) and that is no fun either. I want service and it does cost more than just a nice dwelling place. DVC only has "once every 4 days clean towel drop /trash pick up" I think or you can pay for everyday housekeeping (around $25 I think?) Housekeeping at a rental everyday is usually not offered but some do it (contact owner) for a steep price ($50 plus as I've seen)

We got bumped up to concierge this last trip and I must say for the extra $100 a day it would have cost, it was a great deal for a larger family. lounge to hang in to get out of room, wonderful snacks, drinks,etc.)

There is a time and place for everything. If you will be going non stop taking in the parks for the first time, down time may not be so important to you.For us as we get older each year it becomes more and more impotant! We love the resort feel, pools, etc. of being on site. Not sure how to attach the monoral convenience to this but it is so so great to already be there!

sorry so long. just my 2 cents.

 

[jester911]

Thanks everyone. You making me wish I was planning for the trip to be sooner rather than later. Those for the on-site. Yes. I do see the appeal. To always have the themes continued at the end of the day. Plus not having to beat the crowds out to the parking lot to avoid traffic. That sort of thing. But I also see the appeal of off-site. My kids are young. And we will be driving down so transportation is not the issue. I just like the thought of having my own pool to crash in at the endo of the day. But those family suites do look good. My DW and I are fine with that. As for Budget. I could probably do the DVD point or the two room thing. Then again the house has laundry. How do you handle that one in a hotel suite?
really flip flopping on this one. Also talking to friends who just got back. They loved the house rental option, and they only stayed one week. I here that two is better. I am thinking of driving down. Staying in Kentucky. Checking out the huge CAVE that is going to be really "cool" according to my kids. Then drive the Disney. Disney will be 4-6 days. Still undecided.

I am going blind from reading these forums!!!!
Loving every minute of it.

thanks

 

[LuvOrlando]

Thanks everyone. You making me wish I was planning for the trip to be sooner rather than later. Those for the on-site. Yes. I do see the appeal. To always have the themes continued at the end of the day. Plus not having to beat the crowds out to the parking lot to avoid traffic. That sort of thing. But I also see the appeal of off-site. My kids are young. And we will be driving down so transportation is not the issue. I just like the thought of having my own pool to crash in at the endo of the day. But those family suites do look good. My DW and I are fine with that. As for Budget. I could probably do the DVD point or the two room thing. Then again the house has laundry. How do you handle that one in a hotel suite?
really flip flopping on this one. Also talking to friends who just got back. They loved the house rental option, and they only stayed one week. I here that two is better. I am thinking of driving down. Staying in Kentucky. Checking out the huge CAVE that is going to be really "cool" according to my kids. Then drive the Disney. Disney will be 4-6 days. Still undecided.

I am going blind from reading these forums!!!!
Loving every minute of it.

thanks

Tripadvisor has a huge stash of photos taken by guests for almost any hotel you can think of so maybe looking through what the REALLY look like might help.

Your trip sounds like it will be a blast.

 

[MinMouse]

We're definitely on-site. We were converted prior to buying into DVC. We had one stay at a townhome rental and it was a disaster. Don't get me wrong we had a great time but the rental didn't have a working phone the entire time we were there (this was 10+ years ago, pre-cell phone era). My DF had a heart condition and I kept complaining that we needed a phone to no avail. We had a washer and dryer . . . which I thought was going to be great. It would have if the dryer worked; unfortunately I realized this after I had wet wash! So we've been on-site ever since. If you rent points from a DVC member the 2-bedroom villas all have washer and dryers and a full kitchen.

In regard to transportation. On most trips we make a 1000 mile drive to the World. But when we arrive we really appreciate Disney transportation.

Best of luck! Welcome to the DIS!

Mindy

 

[mlraabe]

We stay off site. With 4 kids it is so nice to have a pool right out the door and a hottub! Everyone has their own space with plenty of room to enjoy downtime. We would drive each other crazy in a hotel - even with two rooms. Getting to the parks has never been a problem for us. In fact when we compared our time to get into the parks to some friends who stay on site - we could get there quicker!

I like to be able to get the laundry done ( I know it is vacation but I would rather stay caught up than do 100 loads when we get home). We also like to be able to get up and have a relaxing breakfast before we head to the parks. We have come back for a couple hours in the afternoon and then gone back with no problem.

Good luck with your planning! I think it is time for us to start planning again!

 

[mom2att]

We are a family of five. We last stayed on-site when our youngest was still in a crib and we could squeeze all 5 of us in a room. The theming, the "Disneyness" of on-site is incredible, but for cost and comfort, with me off-site wins every time. When we stay off-site, everybody gets their own room, which means we actually get to sleep, and this is a plus after being in the parks all day! With 4 kids, you would require 2 rooms for most on-site properties, and since your kids are young, that probably means an adult in each room. For the same price, you could get a 4 or 5 bedroom house off-site, with your own pool right outside the back door. Laundry? Just toss a load in on your way out the door, and throw it in the dryer when you get home. And even if you never cook a meal in the kitchen, it's at least nice to be able to have a fridge to keep the milk cold for your morning bowl of cereal. Don't worry about fighting traffic to leave the parks in the evening--you'll just zip right out, and many of the popular rental homes are just minutes away from the parks (Windsor Hills comes to mind). Now, exiting to the park to get to your car is sometimes less than fun, especially leaving Magic Kingdom after the fireworks, but those staying on-site have the equally fun task of waiting for their bus with the masses of other cranky, tired people. Probably the only happy people leaving MK at the end of the day are those who are staying at the Monorail resorts, but that's never been in our budget, so we herd it back to the parking lot with the rest of the cattle! The key to making a happier exit from MK at the end of the day lies in staying just a little bit later than everyone else--just sit on a bench and people watch. You'll probably end up at your car just a little bit later, but at least you'll be able to walk out of the park without being crushed!

Either way, off-site or on-site, you're bound to have a great time, but for me, families with several young children should look seriously into the off-site option as well. Happy planning!

 

[jester911]

Thanks so much for the options. I am definetly leaning towards a house rental. The whole though of having a place to relax and unwind after a day at the parks is great. Plus. I wanted to do the one day at a park then a day elsewhere for another then back to the parks. That way we should avoid the burnout I have heard and read about. That way a seven day house rental would mean four days at the parks. Plus maybe a water park or two then a day of something else. Add it up makes seven days. I think the pool at a house would be great. I do want my boys to experience as much as possible. But not to much. They can be a handful when they get going now. I imaging in time for the trip they will be

Again.

Thanks everyone. I love reading the pros and cons to this forum. But I am liking the off-site thing. Just for the numbers. Although the DVC rental with two rooms and laundry plus kitchen. Sounds great too. ARGHHHHH!!!!!

 

[Newcastle]

All of the practical conveniences aside, I think that the preference for staying onsite versus offsite has a lot to do with your feelings about Disney and your past experiences. I went to WDW several times when I was younger and we stayed onsite all but one time. The year that we stayed offsite, just didn't feel like Disney for some reason. I suppose it's the whole atmosphere of staying onsite that resonates with me. My husband would love to rent a house offsite but I just can't bring myself to do it (he's very accommodating though, so I don't have to bully him into staying at the resort!). It just wouldn't be the same. Having said that though, if you've never stayed onsite then you probably wouldn't be aware of the differences.

 

[blessedby3]

We are on site only after staying off site a few years back- no thanks again. We love the convience of on site and we never go off. There is so much to do even when you are not in the parks. We are a family of 6 too and get 2 rooms at a Value when not traveling with more family. I do laundry every trip too and the kids swim in the pool while I lounge by it and go in and out of the laundry building doing clothes.

 

[Funwith4kids]

With 4 kids, like previous poster states having the room offsite for everyone to spread out is invaluable. In addition, we don't want to be submerged with 100% Disney 100% of the time (not to mention 100% of the Disney+ prices). We spend a little over half our days @ Disney and the other half doing offsite activities or nothing at all (staying at the offsite resort).

We love staying offsite, but it will be a matter of your preference when you make your decision. I suggest you identify what you are planning to do and what is most important to you and then identify any way options. As you can see, some people love onsite and some love offsite for many of the same and different reasons.

Once you make your decision don't second guess yourself and look forward to planning the rest of your trip. Best of luck!!

 

[my3disneygirls]

As you can see you will get a variety of opinions. I have stayed onsite many times and for the first time will be staying off site this time around. I can't comment yet as to how I feel about it, but I must say I am looking forward to it. We are a family of five and have stayed at CBR and POR. I liked POR and would recommend it, but after a few days I felt as if I was tripping over people and stuff the whole time. I would want to unwind and watch TV, but the kids needed to sleep.

Now with a two bedroom timeshare I am looking forward to stretching out. The girls will have one room and hubby and I another, plus a living room, kitchen and washer, dryer. No, I will not cook, but maybe reheat leftovers, make coffee, store snacks and water bottles...We rent a car and eat offsite some meals anyway so that aspect does not matter to us.