Good for the budget, now tell me it will be okay!!

[laliwalden]

I have 5 free nights at a hotel that I earned while traveling for work. I have to use them by May. So I figured we would go back to Disney!!

Here is my thing- I am such a brat, I hate the idea of staying off site!! Tell me it's awesome!! I think I have gotten so spoiled with staying onsite, having the dining plan etc!!

Plus, this will be our last trip for a while. We want another baby, so it will be about 2 years before we go with the new baby.

So, any thoughts??

 

[inkedupmomma]

why dont you exend the trip, and do 5 nights offsite, and then 2 or 3 on site?

 

[crisi]

I like offsite. I used to be an onsite snob (and still stay onsite, we are DVC members), but I've had a few work related trips offsite. The hotels are often a MUCH better value offsite, traffic isn't bad (depending on when you stay).

We don't do the dining plan even onsite, and if you stay offsite there are some nice Orlando area restaurants to visit as well.

 

[Marionnette]

I have 5 free nights at a hotel that I earned while traveling for work. I have to use them by May. So I figured we would go back to Disney!!

Here is my thing- I am such a brat, I hate the idea of staying off site!! Tell me it's awesome!! I think I have gotten so spoiled with staying onsite, having the dining plan etc!!

Plus, this will be our last trip for a while. We want another baby, so it will be about 2 years before we go with the new baby.

So, any thoughts??

It can be okay. Alot will depend on your expectations and the hotel ammenities. Do your research and know what your getting into and you will be fine. Check tripadvisor for reviews.

 

[racechick8293]

I like offsite. We have easy access to reasonably priced dining options, and I'll only book hotels with free wifi, fridge, and microwave. So far, those type of items have saved us enough money that we can visit twice as often.

 

[cepmom]

what hotel are you staying at? DH earns lots of Choice hotel points for work travel, but we also really enjoy staying onsite.

For this upcoming trip in May we are staying 2 nights at a Choice hotel near Universal on points, then moving over to the Beach Club for 5 nights (weeknights...cheaper than weekends) and on our last night there, moving over to a Choice hotel near the airport using points to save money.

Often times you can also cash out the points for other things like gift cards or air miles etc. We do that too since we don't use the points for hotel stays all the time

 

[disneychrista]

Who cares where you SLEEP you will be at Disney World when you are AWAKE!!

 

[loveysbydesign]

We actually prefer off-site! The magic is what you make of it!

 

[racechick8293]

what hotel are you staying at? DH earns lots of Choice hotel points for work travel, but we also really enjoy staying onsite.

For this upcoming trip in May we are staying 2 nights at a Choice hotel near Universal on points, then moving over to the Beach Club for 5 nights (weeknights...cheaper than weekends) and on our last night there, moving over to a Choice hotel near the airport using points to save money.

Often times you can also cash out the points for other things like gift cards or air miles etc. We do that too since we don't use the points for hotel stays all the time

I'm using Choice points for a 2 night stay this weekend... I LOVE free things!

 

[tripletots]

We stayed off site for the first time last year. I thought it was going to be awful. It wasn't. We felt right at home when the kids turned on the TV and there was Stacey telling us about Disney's Top Seven. We felt right at home. We drove, like we always do, so we weren't dependent on bus transportation. Staying off site allowed us to venture beyond Disney's gates which we've never done before. We ate at Sweet Tomatoes and everyone loved it. We also ventured off to one of the malls, Florida Mall maybe, it's heading towards Universal. Anyway, they had a Sanrio store (Hello Kitty) and that was also a big hit. I didn't realize how much we miss by staying onsite.

 

[laliwalden]

Thanks so much for the replies!!

The hotel is Holiday Inn-Downtown Disney. It looks nice and I will for sure research it some more before I book anything!

I know we will have an amazing time, even if we are offsite! How could you not, it's Disney for petes sake!!

Im really excited! I also get discount tickets thru my work. It's almost a challenge now to see how much I can save!!

 

[crisi]

Thanks so much for the replies!!

The hotel is Holiday Inn-Downtown Disney. It looks nice and I will for sure research it some more before I book anything!

I know we will have an amazing time, even if we are offsite! How could you not, it's Disney for petes sake!!

Im really excited! I also get discount tickets thru my work. It's almost a challenge now to see how much I can save!!

Downtown Disney is barely even offsite.

Don't forget to budget for parking. That is the biggest downside to offsite - in my opinion - you need a car and you'll pay to park it.

 

[Tink9295]

If you're using Holiday Inn points, you might want to try Holiday Inn Orange Lake. It is a timeshare, but you can use points too. It's a beautiful resort. Great rooms and even a lazy river. We stayed there 2 years ago and would go back in a heartbeat.

 

[laliwalden]

Downtown Disney is barely even offsite.

Don't forget to budget for parking. That is the biggest downside to offsite - in my opinion - you need a car and you'll pay to park it.

That is one thing I was worried about, the car thing. But, the hotel has a free shuttle to the parks, so I may just have a car service drive us from the airport and not even get a car.

Is that too scary??

 

[laliwalden]

If you're using Holiday Inn points, you might want to try Holiday Inn Orange Lake. It is a timeshare, but you can use points too. It's a beautiful resort. Great rooms and even a lazy river. We stayed there 2 years ago and would go back in a heartbeat.

It's actually just free nights, not really points. I did look at Orange Lake is on the list of hotels I can go to. I will check it out! Thanks for the suggestion!

Holy Cow!! I just looked at that hotel, it looks amazing!! Especially for free!!

 

[Merryweather27]

Of course it'll be ok; you'll be at Disney!

We went off-site this year so we could book a pet-friendly hotel and take our dog with us to save on boarding. I thought the thing we'd miss most would be EMH, but honestly, the crowds were reduced enough at the non-EMH parks that we didn't feel deprived.

Paying to park was a bit of a drag, but $14 a day is nothing compared to what we were saving on our room...it was cheaper than a value and came with a kitchenette!

And if your hotel has a shuttle, you won't even have parking to worry about. From what I've heard non-Disney hotels can sometimes be dicey, but the DTD ones are usually top-notch.