Having second thoughts about staying on-site

[DebIreland]

Our plan was 4 nights ASMo and then 8 nights POFQ. 5 of us: DH, me, 11yo DS, 8 yo DS, 15mth old DD. I wanted to have the disney magic 'round the clock' and really escape reality! But after all that planning, and thinking we were finished with our decision-making, DH and I are getting panicky about the lack of space and amenities with all of us in one room (can't afford two rooms) especially when you can get a suite or even a villa outside for not much more money, sometimes less. I'm sad about not having the Disney magic feel all the time. Am I doing the right thing? Which is better do you think - more space or more magic? Is staying on-site *so* good that it's worth giving up on space? I'm thinking of the Wyndham Palace Resort as it's so near Downtown Disney and doesn't seem too far from the parks. Oh *sigh*, so confused and this is supposed to be fun.

Perhaps 6 days off-site and 6 days on-site? But doing that, I wouldn't know which one to do first. In our 12 days, we plan to do 7-8 Disney, 2-3 universal, 2 chilling out, just relaxing. But initially we will want to immerse ourselves in the Disney theme parks as it's our 1st time there and it's a long-awaited trip so it seems sensible to be onsite for those first days but then will it be disappointing 'leaving' Disney after 6 days to stay outside?

Not sure if I'm overly concerned about the Extra Magic Hours at night. The parks will be open quite late (9pm ish?) in June anyway right? So we might never even use the extra hours! *Sigh* and HELP!!!

 

[HANDYMOM]

I'd definately choose close quarters inside the World instead of more spaciousness outside anyday, but that's just my opinion. We really spend the vast majority of our time out and about whether it's at the parks, Downtown Disney, the pool, the food court, playing mini golf etc. We found one room to be fine....

You may want to switch from POFQ to POR because they have trundle beds in a lot of the Alligator Bayou rooms. This would eleviate some of the cramped quarters at bedtime.....

 

[tinan]

Deb....I would just take a serious look at all amenities/offerings between staying on and off site. I'm a novice, but I looked at staying on and off site. Since we are flying down if we stayed offsite we would almost need a rental car or at least airport transfer if the offsite offered Disney transportation. By adding on the rental car, we would also need to add on those parking fees at the parks. Also try to think about how much time you will be spending in the room. For us, esp. going in Value Season, it was definitely better for us to stay onsite. Additionally with staying onsite, I was able to look at the package deals and chose to go with the MYW + dining. I like knowing that the majority of our food is paid for upfront and not having to worry about what the kids want quite as much. Although, on the other hand, I know what you mean about wondering if the room is going to be big enough. Just consider all of your pros and cons as well as all costs associated with staying on or offsite. I have a feeling the room may feel small, but we shouldn't be there long enough to worry about it plus we are looking forward to using Disney's transportation.

 

[Princess Glenda]

You'll be surprised at how little time you are ALL 5 in the rooms together. I think the advantages of EMH and free transportaion, etc. would outweigh the negatives. I think you will have a wonderful trip!

 

[Disney Doll]

I'm for the magic. If I was going to do 6 in/ 6 out, I'd start by being off property and spend my last 6 days on property.

But I will happily admit that I am a Disney snob.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

We have been in the Value resorts with 2 teenagers (1 boy, 1 girl!) and an infant, as well as myself and my wife.

We aren't in the room enough for it to be an issue - the teens were always out and about - pool, food court, playground, arcade, just walking around.

When they were in the room, they were either in the bathroom or on the bed watching tv.

1 definite vote for onsite here!

 

[MagicKingdom05]

Deb,

I agree with what the other people said. I made the mistake of staying offsite 4 years ago, and obviously offsite resorts have changed over the years, but I will never do it again.

I had such a horrible time, I was actually glad to go home.

 

[Cookie Princess]

We have stayed both on-site and off-site and we will NEVER stay off-site again. Although you might spend more money and have tighter quarters, the perks you get by staying at an on-site location are worth it. The transportation alone is key for us so that we can head back to the resort around mid-day, take a break/swim and then park hop to another theme park that evening. We also take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours almost daily. On days we might want to take our rental car back to the parks, our parking is free. When we stayed off-site, the Magic ended when we drove off of the WDW complex. Just my 2 cents...

 

[disney queen]

i agree. onsite is 1000% better than staying offsite.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Well, I think you have to decide what is important to you and your family. If your family is going to get grouchy and there are going to be problems with such close quarters than I would stay off site with out a second thought.
This is your vacation. You don't want to be at each other all the time.
I personaly need to have space when I get back from a tiring day at the parks. I would not be able to do it in a small room with so many people.
I have stayed off site many times and it really is NOT that bad.
Yes I like being on site more but you have to take a look at the whole picture and what is going to make this a relaxing vacation for you. Not a stressful one!!!!
Have fun no matter what you decide!!

 

[Minky]

I say split it up, this way you cant have any regrets or wouldve couldve's....I love renting out vacation homes while visiting florida, having all the room and your own pool/spa. Its great! Then stay the rest of the time on site so you can take advantage of the perks like the emh and stuff.

 

[dkrause716]

I would definitely go for cramped quarters on-site! There is no way you can top round the clock Disney magic! If you are really worried, why not consider one of the DD hotels? I know there are a few that offer suites at reasonable prices. Check www.mousesavers.com for special deals. At least you would be very close by.

We stayed off site years ago and wasted so much time just driving back and forth. A huge part of the "magic" for us is not driving! Disney transportation is awesome.

Good luck making your decision!

 

[vernon]

I understand your reservations about lack of space in the accommodations you've outlined. You do however have a number of workable options.

Have you considered the cabins at Fort Wilderness, you have a bedroom with a queen sized bed and bunkbeds for the kids. In the living/dining room there is a pull down bed if the kids want to sleep in there as well as a good sized kitchen area.

If you REALLY want to stay on site, but think the lack of space is going to be an issue, then this is your most economical option available to you.

Other options on site would be to rent DVC points from a member and rent a one bedroom DVC unit. The set up for these accommodations is a master bedroom suite which has a kingsize bed and an ensuite jacuzzi. The living/dining room has a pull out double sofabed (may be OK for your two older kids) and a pac-a-way crib for the 15 month old could go in either your room or with the other kids. Even renting from owners this option is going to average I'd guess $300+ a night, but it is possible to claw back some of that extra accommodation cost by making use of the full kitchen facilities the unit offers if you had breakfast in your room each day (toast cereal etc) it would probably save you $50-60 a day. Taking a couple of sodas for each of you to the parks/pool could easily save you $15-20 a day. If you got takeout/frozen Pizza a couple of times for dinner it may save you a further $70-100 each time. It also offers you and your partner the chance to put the kids to bed and still be able to stay up, chat, enjoy a glass of wine/couple of beers (more savings over hotel prices) which is impossible in a regular hotel room.

If you're not sure about renting points from a stranger (DVC member) you could rent one of these units direct from Disney (expensive) or maybe consider using this type of unit for your "on Disney time" and a cheaper off site option (like the excellent Holiday Inn family suites that would suit your family very well).

IMHO there is plenty of magic to be had while staying off site, plus if you're planning to do any off site activities (like SW, US, IOA or BG ) why pay the premium to stay on Disney property if you're not using the services you are paying top $ for. There is also a HUGE difference between putting up with tiny rooms for a long weekend ( the way most Americans vacation) and doing so for two weeks (the way most Europeans do). IMHO there is little that takes the gloss off "the magic" a vacation more efficiently than sharing a cramped room with your entire family for a fortnight. It's true you may spend little time in your rooms, but with a toddler it's also possible you could spend quite a lot of time. If you look into the total cost of the holiday (flights,tix,food etc) then paying a little extra for the accommodations that gives you the best chance to make it a memorable trip ( for all the right reasons) is money well spent. As previously stated, it may mean you have to adjust some of your other preferences (eating out all the time, not carrying drinks) but a few small and simple measures could offer you enough savings to justify the slightly higher cost of rooms.

I would probably prefer to do off site first, particularly if I was planning to stay in one of the spectacular DVC units.

 

[jiminyfan]

we will always stay on-site for a WDW vacation. My wife was very skeptical at a WDw vacation for our first together in 1991, we stayed off-site. After that trip we now have 35 plus trips onn-site ina row. We will never stay off-site for the WDW portion of our vacation. The magic and canvience is much greater on-site.

I have done both and to me, there is no question - ON-SITE is the only way to go.

 

[shirleyb]

I'd go for all days on site, but that's just me. We're a family of 5 also, although mine are older than yours - 15 DS, 13 DS, 8 DD and we've always shared a room, never rented two, no matter whether it's Disney or elsewhere. We're staying at POR and I can't wait!

 

[sters]

I'll vote for magic and convenience, particularly with a baby in tow. You never know when you'll need to head back to the room, where your 11 year old will just be picking up steam. We were seldom in our room, either at the park or the pool. Whatever you decide, you will likely have a good trip.

 

[teanbean]

I stayed off-site the first time I went to Disney and really enjoyed myself. HOWEVER, my second trip to Disney the entire family came and we decided to stay on site thinking that this would be our one family trip to Disney. We stayed at the BWV and absolutely loved it. We have stayed at the Contemporary--which was okay--and at a Downtown Disney Hotel, the Grovenor. We love the Boardwalk area because of it's close proximity to Epcot and usually stay there--we are staying at the Dolphon on the 16th of March. However, I wouldn't even think of going to Disney if I was staying off-site. You just can't compare staying on-site and off.

We have gone to Orlando and stayed three days off-site and visited the ocean, Celebration, shopped, and visited other touristy places. We then arrived at Disney refreshed and ready to go. I can honestly tell you that there is no comparison to staying on-site as opposed to off-site and don't let anybody tell you different.

You really won't be spending much time in your room. We have stayed five in a room and it's not discouraged us one bit. Nobody ever complains or gets grumpy. After all, we are in our 'Happy Place'.

The bottom line is that it is a decision to be made between you and your dh. This is merely my opinion on the on-site, off-site dilemma. No matter what you will have a great time.

 

[DebIreland]

Sloppy Irish kisses for all of you beautiful people!!!!

Thanks SO much for your wonderful replies. I am excited all over again! I am CONVINCED, onsite it is! I like all the excellent reasons for staying onsite. You are so right Tinan about looking at all the amenities/offerings of offsite v. onsite. When you boil it down we'd be giving up a lot of perks by staying offsite.

Hey another 'plus' I just thought of is, another couple of years and my 11yo will be going his own way more and more and might not want to be so near mom and dad all the time, heaven forbid! At least this year, he'll actually enjoy being in the room with us. My kids are what I like to call "cozy" kids. Even the 11yo is still at the stage where he likes hugs and cuddles and I think (**think**) they'll like the cozy factor of all of us being together. At least the kids and I will like it. As for DH... well maybe his patience will truly be tested... after 5 days just imagine the computer in this graphic is Walt Disney World or worse, *me*

Excellent points too about us not being together all the time. There will be plenty of times I'm sure when DH will take the boys out while I chill out with my little baby girl in the room or at the pool. We'll make it work!

Vernon, I'm going to give some more thought to the FW cabins although I did a quick price check and they're still a bit above our budget.

To those who said they would never even consider off site, thank you SO much for convincing me to stay onsite. You folk are wonderful!!!!

 

[lovwdwalot]

How about renting points from a DVC member, you will end up paying alot less for your room if you went this route. Just think... a two bedroom villa at a Disney resort! All that room and Disney magic too!

 

[tinan]

You're most welcome! I'm even considering bringing an air mattress in case those beds are a little too close for comfort. I have been told that they can fit in even the value resorts. During the day I would lean it up against the wall. I need to have a backup plan since my girls don't like sleeping together (13 & 10). I'm happy for you making up your mind......I know it can get frustrating! I have had my share of headaches while planning our first trip.