First trip... WBC or stay at disney??

[lolobug]

Hi!
It's our first trip and we do have a visa so we could get a discount (assuming they offer one for next Jan). If we stay at WDW we would book at the contemporary, otherwise we would like WBonnet Creek. Suggestions? Advice? Will we "miss out" on Disney if we stay off property? Thx!

 

[DisneyOrBustColorado]

We have only ever stayed on Disney property during our Disney visits. We have stayed twice at the Contemporary & we LOVE it there. The only reason that we haven't stayed there every time is the expense & the fact that we want to try different Resorts.

I personally just think that Disney makes it so easy for the people staying on property. Although we usually vacation in the fall & have not been there during peak season, I can say that I value the Disney transportation system. I love not worrying about driving, perking etc... Especially when you stay on the monorail. Now with the new "My Disney Experience" system that Disney is releasing in 2013, it sounds like it is going to make it much more convenient for Disney Resort guests to take full advantage of.

You'll have to decide what is best for you & whatever you decide... Hey, you're going to Disney World!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

There are three things you might want in your Disney vacation lodging:

1: To be onsite
2: To have a reasonable amount of space.
3: To spend a reasonable amount of money.

It's generally impossible to have all three at once. The contemporary rooms are (obviously) onsite, reasonably spacious (assuming you are talking about the Contemporary proper), but not at all reasonably priced. However, if that is in your budget, I suspect you will enjoy it. The location is excellent.

On the other hand, for about 1/3 the price (and possibly even less) you can have a 2BR condo "inside the gates" or, at worst, within a stone's throw of WDW property.

It's really up to you how you want the vacation to go.

 

[lolobug]

We have only ever stayed on Disney property during our Disney visits. We have stayed twice at the Contemporary & we LOVE it there. The only reason that we haven't stayed there every time is the expense & the fact that we want to try different Resorts.

I personally just think that Disney makes it so easy for the people staying on property. Although we usually vacation in the fall & have not been there during peak season, I can say that I value the Disney transportation system. I love not worrying about driving, perking etc... Especially when you stay on the monorail. Now with the new "My Disney Experience" system that Disney is releasing in 2013, it sounds like it is going to make it much more convenient for Disney Resort guests to take full advantage of.

You'll have to decide what is best for you & whatever you decide... Hey, you're going to Disney World!!!

What is the" my Disney experience?"

 

[pbarager]

This past December was our first time at WDW and we stayed on-site at CSR. We loved it and it really helped us get how Disney works and it made it very easy. This year we are going back in December and staying at WBC. The rooms are much larger and the transportation is good. We can exchange our time share points for DVC in the future. I would always recommend staying on-site for your first time and enjoy the magic!

 

[akadada]

If it's your first time I would stay on site. The on site experience is great. If you become frequent, you'll save a small fortune staying offsite and at least for us onsite loses its luster relative to what we can do with the savings. Plus I can't stand Disney bus service, so we always have a car. It's cake to drive on Disney property.

Or do both...we stayed 4 nights offsite (windsor hills) and 4 nights at the Dolphin. Saved about $1500 this way.

Best of luck!

 

[blackacex2]

Our first trip (our honeymoon in 2010) was at a 1 bedroom in bonnet creek. It was insanely nice and we loved every second of it. Absolutely phenomenal resort that is clean, has massive rooms, beautiful pools, and AWESOME views. Get a rental car and book bonnet creek. You are missing almost nothing that a Disney resort can offer besides some extra magic hours (not worth the extra cost IMHO) and maybe access to a Disney gift shop in your hotel (as if you won't have enough opportunities to buy disney stuff)

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We have done it both ways - off site condos and Disney themed onsite hotel. My daughter and I loved the Disney themed hotel on our 4 day mother/daughter trip. Since it was a short trip we flew, didn't rent a car, used Disney busses and a hotel room was fine for the two of us. For my week long trips with the whole family, we need more space so we choose condos. Eating out 3 meals a day gets on our nerves so we like a kitchen for longer trips as well.

In a nutshell:
short trip with 2 people = Disney Hotel
long trip with whole family = offsite condo

Although I have used the busses, I'd much rather drive my family to and from the parks as it takes soooooooo much less time! And after a long day I do not want to chance having to STAND on a bus. So Disney transportation is not a big factor in my decision.

 

[Cdn Gal]

I think that you have to stay on site at least once. We have and thoroughly enjoyed it, but now stay at WBC as much as we can since it is so reasonable and we can go more often. If you don't see yourself coming back in quite awhile then stay on site, if you could see yourself coming back within a year or so then stay at bonnet creek. Either way you will have a wonderful time! Good luck!!

 

[JimMIA]

Hi!
It's our first trip and we do have a visa so we could get a discount (assuming they offer one for next Jan). If we stay at WDW we would book at the contemporary, otherwise we would like WBonnet Creek. Suggestions? Advice? Will we "miss out" on Disney if we stay off property? Thx!

Tell us more about your family, budget, length of vacation, etc, and I think we can give you more valid suggestions.

"Which is better?" seems like a sound question...but it's really MUCH more complicated than that.

Brian's points above are accurate, and I also agree with Cdn Gal's point about staying onsite for your first trip...if that fits your needs.

 

[finny1981]

Hi!
It's our first trip and we do have a visa so we could get a discount (assuming they offer one for next Jan). If we stay at WDW we would book at the contemporary, otherwise we would like WBonnet Creek. Suggestions? Advice? Will we "miss out" on Disney if we stay off property? Thx!

Well let me tell you my honest opinion. Our first trip we stayed offsite at what was then the Holiday Inn Sunspree and went to Disney for 6 days, we drove and were very happy.

The next year we were going to stay offsite again, but Disney was running a promo so we stayed at Coronado Springs, we still drove down, but used Disney busses the whole time...awesome trip!

The next year we decided we wanted to fly down and skip the 18 hour drive so we stayed at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness because with 6 of us we wanted the space. The biggest reason we stayed on site was because of Disney's Magic Express and that way we did not have to rent a car. Again we had a wonderful time.

Last summer me and my two younger one's had to go to Orlando for a competition and so we stayed off site and rented a car, but were blessed to be able to spend two days at Disney World...another amazing time.

We are planning 1 trip this spring and possibly one this fall and have been looking at staying onsite vs staying off site. We will be driving down again and staying 7 nights. I am looking at a family suite at a Disney Value vs. WBC and to be honest for 7 nights at WBC in a 2 bedroom it is less than 1/2 of 6 nights on property at a value with the current 20% special. So we are choosing WBC definitely, although we like EMH and have enjoyed the bus system (some do not, but we have always had good experiences) the cost difference is substantial.

Long story short, this will be our 4th time as a whole family and my 5th and I can honestly say every time was magical and just a wonderful time. The decision really needs to be factored on whether you are flying and not renting a car and want to use Magic Express, if EMH are important to you or if you want to not have to drive during your trip. FYI if you stay of site parking is $14 per day at the parks, however they have an amazing parking system and you never have to "find" a parking spot.