We switched to cruising when they came out with kids sail free, have averaged paying less than $500 pp for the whole trip when you figure in on board credits...but kids really want to return...I can probably save some money up on Disney card...but any deals on hotel onsite stays....or is it cheaper to stay offsite now?
Check the
codes and rates subforum of the resorts board for any discounts that may be available to the general public.
But I think that if you're used to the post-9/11 discounts you will be disappointed. Disney still offers room-only discounts but they are not as plentiful nor are they as generous. 15%-20% off of a value resort room is pretty much the norm now. You'll also be surprised to learn that weekend nights (Fri. & Sat.) are more than the weekday nights during many seasons.
Speaking of "seasons", you will also find that Disney has quite a few more of them. It's no longer just regular season, value season and holiday season. You'll find that Disney charges more for "marathon weekend" and MLK weekend.
If you're looking for package discounts, you'll find that sometimes they just don't fit well with your plans. I've seen plans where kids stay, play and eat free, but if you have a Disney "junior", they don't qualify as a "kid". Or Disney has offered "stay 5 get 2 free", which is fine if you plan to stay for 7 nights but not if you take longer or shorter trips. The most popular is
free dining, which requires you to stay a minimum number of days, purchase at least 2-day MYW base tickets for everyone, and pay the full rack rate for your resort room. For some people, it's an amazing deal. For others, a good room discount is a better way to go.
But just because Disney changed their marketing strategy, that doesn't mean that it is always a bargain to stay offsite. For one thing, Disney offers free transportation to and from your resort and MCO. You won't get that if you stay offsite. If you rent a car, you will pay to park it at Disney. I believe it is $15/day now? And then there is also sneaky pricing by some of the offsite locations, where they surprise you at check-in with a daily "resort fee" that was not included in the price of the room when you booked it.
Just be a savvy consumer and compare everything when you are in the planning stages.
