Gah! Am I making the right decision to say offsite?

[sbd78]

We are going to Disney in June (the 5th through the 12th). It will be me, DH, our 7yo DS, almost 3yo DD, and 10 month old baby. We booked the Embassy Suites LBV, we were able to get a deal of $97/night all taxes included. And that also includes the free breakfast and 2 hour cocktail hour, not to mention a 2 room suite that will give us some much needed extra space. Sounds great, right? So why do I keep looking at the 20% off value resorts promotion Disney has going right now? To stay at the All Star Sports or Music, its about $150 total more with this deal. Of course we are getting a much smaller room. No free breakfast. But we'll be staying in the "magic" and have use of the bus system. We will be renting a car regardless of where we stay, we aren't flying into the main Orlando airport so DME is not an option and paying for a shuttle for all of us is the same price as renting a car. I've stayed both offsite (Sheraton Vistana) and on (POP) in the past so I've experienced both. I did love the experience of staying onsite, but we only had one child then. I'm afraid we will be miserable in one hotel room now that we have 3. An onsite family suite is not an option as that is 3x as much as the Embassy Suites. Gah, why am I so indecisive?!

ETA, we can get a full refund if we decide to cancel Embassy Suites.

 

[Donnainnj]

We will only stay in suites in the Budgets as the double beds do not cut it for us. In the past we have stayed in a 2br in Bonnet Creek ($120 a night inclusive), very nice and would do it again (as long as the bed bug issues seems to be going away) and Windsor Hills Condo, (I think it was around $100 a night off season, plus tax) also nice and are hoping to do it again over this Easter if a bargain comes through. If not we hope be in a 1br suite. We have also rented pool homes in Emerald Island. ($125 per night yrs ago, for a 4br, and last year, a 6 BR for $169.50 including tax) With the little ones it is very nice to be able to do something while they nap, or when they go to bed early. When we do stay onsite we tend to get connecting rooms at a moderate, or last year we were in a AKV 1br for a few nights. I would go offsite, before I would ever do 5 in a single budget room.
Donna

 

[jenjordan]

I think staying in the Magic is a little overrated. You can resort hop if you want to see the different places, but staying at a Value does have it's drawbacks - especially since you are going in June, which can be crowded with tour groups staying in values.

Also, I would never put 5 people in a value room, especially with a baby simply due to sleep schedules and lack of space. Sometimes the magic stays a little longer when you have a little more personal space

 

[firsttimer2007]

You can't beat the magic of having your very own pool. Or the magic of having seperate rooms to sleep in or the magic of letting the kids watch their own tv while your DH watches something else. OR... the magic of NOT having to share a bathroom[/COLOR!!!!!.

Okay enough with the magic.

Decide what is best for you and your family and go with it. There is magic everywhere. Both have advantages and disadvantages. What do you want/need most.

 

[maurene]

For me, a 2 bdrm suite is totally worth it when traveling with kids. We have 2 young boys and the youngest still takes naps. I need my space!

I've stayed on-site and off-site at DW and guess that I don't really appreciate the on-site "magic." I'm very content off-site.

 

[anorman]

For me, the extra space wins hands down. We have stayed onsite 4 times and last year, for the first time, we rented a villa. Wow! What a difference! The extra space was wonderful! Having a pool in the backyard was such a convenience when you compare it to the big production of getting everybody ready to go to the resort pool where the music, activities, and people can quickly become overwhelming. This was sooooooooo much more relaxing! While you can immerse yourself in the magic of Disney during your time in the parks, it is so much more restful to have a respite away from the hustle and bustle of a resort stay. For us, a return to the villa is the only way to do Disney and still get the vacation we need. You need not be concerned that you are making a wrong choice. You are making the best decision for your family and your sanity !

 

[Cynt]

So why do I keep looking at the 20% off value resorts promotion Disney has going right now? Gah, why am I so indecisive?!

I did the same thing. It's OK. I did it because I was still trying to figure out a way to stay onsite w/ 9 people. I've gone to Disney with 2 people several times so staying onsite in a value worked for just two. There are 9 of us traveling. It will be the 1st time for 6 of the 9. I've only stayed onsite and couldn't wrap my mind around staying offsite. I wanted them to experience the "magic." We would need 3 value rooms if we booked onsite. I finally came to terms that the cramped value room would make us all miserable. The first two or three days we would be ok but by day four we would all be ready to commit murder. So we're staying at Bonnet Creek as originally planned in December. It just makes more sense to have two - 2 bdrm condos. I even priced it again due to the recent $5 shuttle fee at WBC. Renting two cars, parking for two cars is still more economical than staying onsite. It's not really even about the money. It's more about everyone being comfy and enjoying their vacation. We don't even care about the kitchen or laundry. We don't cook on vacation and we surely do not do laundry on vacation. So comfort was the key factor for us plus the resort amenities will allow the grandparents to enjoy the resort when they don't want to go to the parks or return early. We like the idea of being together but retreating to our seperate spaces will enable us to remain sane for the 8 day trip.

But believe me if one of the DVC resorts w/ 2 bdrms had a "FIRE" Sale I would grab it in a heartbeat!

 

[Cynt]

For me, the extra space wins hands down. We have stayed onsite 4 times and last year, for the first time, we rented a villa. Wow! What a difference! The extra space was wonderful! Having a pool in the backyard was such a convenience when you compare it to the big production of getting everybody ready to go to the resort pool where the music, activities, and people can quickly become overwhelming. This was sooooooooo much more relaxing! While you can immerse yourself in the magic of Disney during your time in the parks, it is so much more restful to have a respite away from the hustle and bustle of a resort stay. For us, a return to the villa is the only way to do Disney and still get the vacation we need. You need not be concerned that you are making a wrong choice. You are making the best decision for your family and your sanity !

LIKE!!

 

[sbd78]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. You guys are right. With Embassy Suites, we are getting a comparable room to the AOA family suites (minus the theming) for less than 1/3 of the price, plus we are getting free breakfast and a free 2 hour cocktail hour which are also big money savers. That's tough to beat. And I do think we would be miserable in a standard value hotel room. It worked when we had one child. But now that we have 3, it might be a nightmare. The only reason we even have the option to get a value room is one kid is a baby in a crib, otherwise I believe Disney would force us to do a family suite or book 2 rooms. If I remember correctly from my stay at POP, those value rooms are pretty small. A crib would take up half the room. I feel better now, thanks.

 

[Ds4angels]

It sounds like you got a great deal and yes, the room and happy hour will make your visit be just as magic. We stayed at ASMo and while it was nice to use the bus, it was a tight fit, can't imagine adding a pack -n- play into the mix. /
Enjoy

 

[Brian Noble]

There are three things you might want in any WDW lodging:

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

In general, you can't have all three at the same time, so you have to decide which one you are willing to live without. Of course, all of Disney's marketing is designed to convince you that you can't possibly live without #1. But, it can be done---and it can be great fun!

 

[ccgirl]

We are going to Disney in June (the 5th through the 12th). It will be me, DH, our 7yo DS, almost 3yo DD, and 10 month old baby. We booked the Embassy Suites LBV, we were able to get a deal of $97/night all taxes included. And that also includes the free breakfast and 2 hour cocktail hour, not to mention a 2 room suite that will give us some much needed extra space. Sounds great, right? So why do I keep looking at the 20% off value resorts promotion Disney has going right now? To stay at the All Star Sports or Music, its about $150 total more with this deal. Of course we are getting a much smaller room. No free breakfast. But we'll be staying in the "magic" and have use of the bus system. We will be renting a car regardless of where we stay, we aren't flying into the main Orlando airport so DME is not an option and paying for a shuttle for all of us is the same price as renting a car. I've stayed both offsite (Sheraton Vistana) and on (POP) in the past so I've experienced both. I did love the experience of staying onsite, but we only had one child then. I'm afraid we will be miserable in one hotel room now that we have 3. An onsite family suite is not an option as that is 3x as much as the Embassy Suites. Gah, why am I so indecisive?!

ETA, we can get a full refund if we decide to cancel Embassy Suites.

IMHO, there is nothing magical about squishing that many people in one room. I know a lot of people don't mind but I'm not one of them. Two years ago we stayed at AsMo with my DD and DS. They were 8 and 3 at the time. We then went offsite to a timeshare. When we got to the timeshare, my DD8 said, "Ahh....now I'm home."

Saving money and getting a bigger accommodation it would be a no brainer for me.

 

[crazelion]

I have stayed on onsite and offsite. Offsite wins handles down. More space, cheaper restaurants and 2 TV priceless. My kids did not like WDW food choices at all. They was happy with Golden Corral buffet. LOL

 

[kylmac]

We are staying offsite for the first time this Spring Break and while I originally had reservations about it, I am now completely "in"! All of the positive information I have gotten from these boards has been invaluable. I can't wait for my 2 kids to have their own rooms and the convenience of a kitchen and laundry facilities. We only do breakfast at DVC so the same will apply for the condo we are renting at Windsor Hills. We know the parks fairly well so we will utilize fast passes and we have annual passes so we will not pay for parking at the parks. We have done EMH all the time and as the years go by, it is only my son and I as my daughter and husband prefer to sleep in and catch up with us later. I am concerned about the Spring Break crowds but feel confident that we will have a blast anyway. Now you have me thinking of trying the Embassy Suites in the near future. Love the bedrooms and breakfast buffet! Have a blast!

 

[Darcy03231]

I've done both and was very apprehensive about our first off-site stay (we rented a house). Now, unless there are only two of us traveling I won't stay on-site.

We loved having all the extra space, 3 bathrooms, our own pool and the ability to get up in the morning and have coffee/breakfast before hitting the parks using our full kitchen.

We also liked being able to eat off property and even eat at the house if we wanted to (we actaully ate most of our meals in).

Cost was also much cheaper (even figuring in the rental car/gas/parking). There were 9 of us and the house was $600/week inclusive of all taxes and fees (5 bdrm/3 bath with a pool), so $1200 for the two weeks we were there. We rented 2 cars at @ $800 (total), parking was $400 and gas was about $200. Total was about $2600.

If we stayed on-site we would have need three rooms at a value resort. As I recall the cost was about $125 night per room for 14 nights. We went in the summer so it was high season. Cost was about $5,250.

This didn't even count what we saved by not eating all our meals on-site either.

 

[KingofSwing3000]

Staying onsite is overrated.

 

[akadada]

I agree with most of the post here, onsite is tough and expensive, epecially with the ages of your two youngest. In addition to the tips you already received, we found off site gives us time to wind down and help our kids get really good car nap time. Driving and having a car at the parks is a huge convenience with little kids.

 

[spiceycat]

stay in both - sometimes offsite - other times onsite.

right now got retired - so unless staying at DVC (which first brought in 1993 - when had money) - it will be offsite.

staying this june/july in a Marriott. (okay going to AKV and BLT for July 3 & 4) - but mostly offsite.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Considering the ages of your kids, I would pick offsite. Especially with a toddler and a baby. They are all going to have different sleep schedules, and trying to co-ordinate that in a value room IMO would not be fun. How they sleep at home totally changes in unfamiliar surroundings.

For everyone's sanity, I'd say go with the suite.

 

[KingofSwing3000]

On-site is overrated. I second everyone above who worships off-site.