Has anyone stayed offsite?

[hippiechick72]

My hubby really wantst o go to WDW again this year, but we just can't swing it right now. At least I don't think we should. Would it be cheaper to stay offsite rather than staying at WDW?

 

[Bren's Mom]

The answer to that question depends on a number of factors. What you need to do is get the best quote you can to stay onsite, then quote the best alternative (hotel/condo) you can making sure to add in the cost of a rental car and parking. You can also try to figure what meals onsite (or the DDP) would cost vs. eating in your condo (or at a hotel).

I've factored this several times for my family of 4 to stay in a condo. It's slightly cheaper to stay offsite I've found, and for us the benefits would be immeasurable...a week in one Pop room I'd go nuts...we need the space!

 

[JaimeinWonderland]

, Its a lot cheaper to stay off site, BUT you get what you pay for! We made a reservation at a Days Inn for $40 a night and it was AWFUL!! There are some decent ones out there but be careful where you book!

 

[4Seasons]

, Its a lot cheaper to stay off site, BUT you get what you pay for! We made a reservation at a Days Inn for $40 a night and it was AWFUL!! There are some decent ones out there but be careful where you book!

There alot of great offsite deals to be had in the Orlando area, especially in the condo/townhome/homes, that are an absolute bargain and you get MUCH MORE than you pay for!

Alot depends on the timeframe you are going, but in general you can get something really nice for under $100/night.

 

[JaimeinWonderland]

There alot of great offsite deals to be had in the Orlando area, especially in the condo/townhome/homes, that are an absolute bargain and you get MUCH MORE than you pay for!

Alot depends on the timeframe you are going, but in general you can get something really nice for under $100/night.

We are staying at Sunlake for the week for just $75 a night for a 3 beedroom condo!! In some people's opinion this is still high! I have 3 kids so it works great for us!

 

[mouselovr]

You gotta really number crunch this. Especially with all the perks Disney is offering with free nights and 40% off stuff, and if you are interested and they do free dining. We stayed at the Radissson Worldgate one time for $55.00 a night and it was honestly one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in, from the rooms to the staff it was great, but I would really check out the deals from Disney first you can do a value resort for about the same price with discount codes. Do you know anyone who has a vacation club or timeshare program that they could sell or trade you some points for that might also be an option!
Good Luck!

 

[maleficentmom]

hey! We have tried to figure this out too. The cheapest I have found is the 4 plus 3 free deal staying at a value resort using dates to get the 200 gift card offer. we will pay the extra (think its around 53 per ticketw/this deal) to get no exp. to use leftover days on next trip. This ends up being around 1465 + noexp. cost - $200 gift card. (ie around 1400 plus air and eats)Although i have been trying to figure out extra discounts(maybe AAA?) on top of this.If just a few nights Buena Vista Suites is nice, has shuttle and free breakfast buffet that is yummy. but i think more bang for your buck per day w/ the disney deal, 7 nights w/tix minus giftcard is 1265!

 

[akayek31]

we went in July 2008 and stayed at the Best western Lakeside. It is $65 a night but is $55 a night for me since I work for the state government. We are staying there again this year after our week at Disney so we can go to Universal. It is on all of the hotel websites. It has 3 pools, a mini golf course, a fridge in the room, and free wifi! I booked through the hotel as I had a couple problems when I booked through a travel sight. I hope this helped

 

[tonilea]

Unless you have an AP, don't forget to factor in the expense ($12 per day, I think) of parking.

 

[Darcy03231]

We stayed off-site in August 2007 and it was much cheaper, even with renting a car. There were 9 of us and we would have needed three hotel rooms on site at peak season prices. Here are our figures:

5 bedroom/3 bath private pool home, including all taxes and fees - $700/wk

Rental car #1 - $200/wk

Rental car #2 - $175/wk

Parking - $168/wk

Gas - $75/wk

Total = $1,318.00

Total cost for three on-site rooms was about $3,000.00

We also saved a lot of money by eating meals in. I really didn't count the groceries into my budget as we would have had to buy groceries at home.

We found staying in the villa was wonderful. We had a private pool, plenty or room to spread out, a washer and dryer and full kitchen. The adults could easily stay up at night visiting, playing cards and watching tv while the kids were in bed. No one was crowded into one small room. I would definitely go with a rental home again.

 

[hippiechick72]

The buy 4 get 3 plus the gift card is not working out for me. I've called AAA and Disney both and I get a price lower than 2200 staying at a Pop resort. I think they are jipping me out of hte 3 free nights. I went last year for 2000. I was quite surprised that it costs more this year with their promotion. I hate to stay offsite. I lvoe the Disney perks for staying onsite, but if it's cheaper than I may reconsider.

 

[DebMcDonald]

We stayed in Lake Buena Vista at Spring Hill Suites for around $75 nightly, which included a breakfast buffet. It was a very nice hotel.

 

[jodgaff]

I love staying at the PoP Century and now with the buy 4 get 3 deal it is great!

 

[njsweetP]

We always stay off site. Having that extra space is priceless to me. For the last couple of years we've stayed at the Cypress Pointe Grandvillas. It's 2 bedrooms/2 bath/full kitchen condo w/a washer and dryer. It's very close to DTD and many restaurants. We love it here and can't wait to go back in June!

 

[richmond282]

We stayed at a very nice 2 bedroom condo (that I found on vrbo.com) for $69/night. It's really hard to beat that. My DD had her own room and we didn't have to tiptoe around after her bedtime.

 

[crazelion]

Off site can have many benefits to it:

Hotel can come free breakfast. Stay F airfield by Marriott on Canada Avenue July 4th weekend for 80.00 dollars a night with the free Orlando magic card.

Be come go as please without waiting for a bus with your car

Save money by eating of fsite at cheap restaurants that can pick up coupons for.

 

[mickistreeter]

We have done them both. We started at a disney value resort, then two years at CBR, then POFQ, then Old Key West. This last year was the first year we stayed off grounds, and you have your pro's and con's to both. The house we rented last year, was only a mile from disney, we had four bedrooms, and our own private pool, hot tub, and game room. We also liked the fact that we could do our meals right at the house, that saved us alot of money! It worked out good cause we were only a mile from disney. The downfall is that you have to pay for parking, and you are not in the disney atmosphere. This year we are again staying off site again, we got a four bedroom, and are only paying $750 for a week, and that includes all the taxes and cleaning charges. You can find a two bedroom for even cheaper if that is all you need!

 

[kellia]

With 3 kids, I can't imagine being trapped in a hotel room with them for a week! I think that would put the limit of family togetherness to a test!

We've gotten great deals in Jan/Feb in condos. 2 years ago we got a 2 bed condo at Windsor Palms for $400/week! This time, we got a townhouse at the same place for $800 for 10 days. You just can't beat that! It allows us to cook our own breakfast, make lunches for the parks, bring very few clothes because we washe them each night in the washer/dryer in unit. Awesome!!!

Also, I like having a car so we can go when we want.

But of course, you have to make sure how the numbers work for you!!

 

[Suz D]

The buy 4 get 3 plus the gift card is not working out for me. I've called AAA and Disney both and I get a price lower than 2200 staying at a Pop resort. I think they are jipping me out of hte 3 free nights. I went last year for 2000. I was quite surprised that it costs more this year with their promotion. I hate to stay offsite. I lvoe the Disney perks for staying onsite, but if it's cheaper than I may reconsider.

The problem is that you pay the maximum price for the rooms for the first 4 nights. I figured it both ways because it seemed high to me too. We booked the 4/3 but we're hoping for a discount code for the time that we'll be there. If one comes out it might very well be cheaper to get a room and tickets or do a AAA discount.

 

[Marshay]

When we want to go to WDW but just go cheaply like for a quick weekend where we'll spend all our time in the parks anyway -- we use Priceline. I've gotten $28/night for I-drive (La Quinta, Best Western and Comfort Inn). At that price you can get multiple rooms and still come out ahead. The rooms are BASIC -- except we did get a free breakfast.

I also paid $45/night for Radisson Worldgate on Priceline and $80/night for a room in-season at one of those hotels right across/down from DTD (I forget which one).