Have you stayed off-site?

[tophee99]

If you have, where did you stay and would you recommend it to a family with 2 kids under 8? I realize that it isn't the same as staying at Disney and having the 24hour disney magic, but I figure I should check out all options before we book. TIA.

Tophee

 

[cabmom]

Here is where we have stayed 2x and I'm going again in May. It's beautiful and only 10 mins or less to the Welcome to Disney gates! It's at Marker 4 on the 192 going west.

http://www.a1vacations.com/USA/Florida/Disney/Orlando/vacation-villa-Kissimmee/p217772.htm

Marilynn

 

[CharlesTD]

When at Disney we only ever stay on site there is no point in staying off property when doing WDW the drive back and forth and if for some reason you feel like going back to the resort for a rest or swim it is much much easier when on site.

 

[Logans_Dad]

I did a pile of research before deciding to stay in a villa. I googled and vivisimo'd until my fingers were blistered. There are all kinds of private owners out there with 3, 4, 5 and more bedroom homes, lovely and with varying degrees of quality (3*, 4* etc) and the rates are (IMHO) reasonable for what you get (our Lindfields villa [5 miles away] 3 BR, 2 bath 1750+ sq.ft., private pool & spa is about $1100 US for 8 nights incl. gas pool heat). Travel time is not much worse than bussing from parks to resort.

Not on-site but I think the space and the "away" time will be a good thing. Downside is the requirement for a car rental. Upside - freedom, flexibility and privacy. And I don't really care if we cook a meal - just as happy eating out...

Be aware. There's a new roadway (Western Beltway) connecting I-4 to the south, connecting with already completed sections north of 192 - scheduled for opening in December 2006.

Section 1 and Section 2 are the most applicable at dot-period-state-period-fl-period-us/turnpikepio/NewWebPages/western_beltway-period-html - its the link to Western Beltway Maps (sorry - apparently I'm not allowed to post links yet).

It runs adjacent to Indian Ridge, right through the middle of Indian Creek and adjacent to Oak Island Cove. All nice areas just west of WDW but traffic and traffic noise may be a concern. It certainly was for me in the final choice.

Pretty easy choice for me when I weighed the pros and cons - no disrepect to those preferring on-site.

Hope my 2¢ worth helps.

 

[wee-haggis]

We've done both and they both have their pros and cons.
But...I have to say that offsite is winning right now because the price of a fantastic Villa is less than a moderate Disney hotel (why would I put my family of 4 into one room,with one bathroom and 2 beds with no conveniences when I can get a full house with 2 bathrooms seperate bedrooms,more than one TV and a private pool with a lake view....you can't beat it IMHO !!
As for the drive,where I say is a 15 minute drive via Maingate East.
Since we have annual passes we can get more than our share of Magic at the parks (without having to stay onsite)

 

[chasbos]

We stayed off sight at the Holiday Inn Family Suites (now the new Nickelodeon hotel) and we loved it.

Our kids were 3, 6, 8, & 10 at the time.

We drove down that year from Ontario and our van did not move the entire week we were in Florida.

The hotel offered complimentary shuttle service all day long.

We had a very relaxing week and really enjoyed the hotel - and the hotel really catered to the kids.

 

[NancyK]

Hi,
Although I love staying onsite, don't let anyone tell you that you have to be on Disney property to have a magical time. The magic is being with your family regardless of where you lay your head at night. This past January we stayed at Cypresse Pointe. Booked through hotelkingdom. Got a fantastic rate for a 3 bedroom. It was literally about a mile or two from Downtown Disney. A car is necessary but we were minutes from the parks. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. You'll find that if you go to the Resorts Board, people will tell you that you "HAVE" to stay on property. If you head over to the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board, you'll get a more balanced view. They also have lots of good threads on the various hotels in the Disney area. Good luck with your research. You'll have a wonderful time whether you stay on- or off-site!

 

[runner26.2]

I agree with NancyK. We've stayed both on and off site and both have benefits and drawbacks. We've had great vacations doing both. Staying off site in a 2 bedroom condo with a good pool/kids area is an excellent way to spend down time. The extra space in a condo also gives everyone a little more space. A week in a hotel room with three young children can be very trying on your patience (at least it is on mine ) even if you are at the Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[hockey mom]

We have stayyed off site many times. Places like Silver lake, Cypress pointe, and Nick suites are just as easy to get to by car as some of the on site resorts. Using skyauction for a condo is way to good of a deal aslo to justify staying on site.

 

[briarberry]

We are trying offsite this trip. We have stayed onsite the past two times and loved it. This time we will be there 2 weeks with family from the UK and we just decided we needed lots of space. We are renting a "villa" with 2 master bedrooms plus 2 more bedrooms. It has a pool and the garage is a games room which will keep the kids entertained! The price is way more reasonable than a Disney moderate resort. We have annual passes so we won't have to pay for parking at the parks.
I know I will miss Disney transportation but we aren't planning on going to a park every day anyway. Plus this way our Florida relatives can also spend a night or two with us.
Good luck with what you decide.

 

[SandraC]

DH wants our next Florida trip to be more about Florida and less about Disney. Our kids will be 9 and 15 for the next trip, so we'll likely stay in Daytona Beach for a few days and then move over to Disney ~ hopefully Beach Club! We will do two or three Disney parks days and the rest will be Florida. S

 

[GUNER]

We have stayed on-site in a moderate and deluxe many times. We have also stayed off-site many times. Now that the kids are older we need more space which you can't get in a moderate and will pay alot for in a deluxe. We stay at the Caribe Royale in a 2 bedroom villa with washer and dryer and kitchen( I never cook). It is great having the extra room with out the extra price. We have a pool right outside our villa and the slide pool a short walk. We are exactly 3 minutes from Disney by car. We have always rented a car whether on-site or not. We have never wanted to take the bus. We probably get to our off-site hotel much faster than if we stayed on -site and took the bus. We are on our countdown to our next Caribe Royale stay in July!!

 

[Ham Ham]

7 Minutes from WDW main gate.

I checked out the complex when I was there last August.

http://www.floridaxyz.com/index.html

The unit is owned by a Canadians.

 

[riu girl]

I am FAR from a disney expert but my opinion:

If going to Disney theme parks every day and have no issues with Disney transportation : stay at Disney

If going to other theme parks/activites (besides Disney): stay off-site, since you can get a beautiful condo unit/house for same or usually less them what you will pay at Disney (ex. we paid $367 Cdn/week for a 2 bdrm, 1275 sq. ft unit at Orange Lake for next Florida vacation). We are not planning on doing a lot of Disney stuff this time so this will work out perfectly for us.

That being said, DH does not want to stay at Disney next Disney based trip due to size of Disney rooms (even deluxes). He prefers a full kitchen (and yes he is willing to cook/do dishes!!!)

Good luck with your decision.