help- husband wants to stay offsite

[Markstudy]

I live 90 minutes from Disney. I have done it both ways...

Staying off-site works fine if -
-you get up early (short lines)
-or go durring slow months (Sept or Jan/Feb)
-or if you just want a taste of Disney. Go to the Cape and see NASA, Go to Universal, Sea World, Beach day, Gator World.... But that's a different kind of vacation.

Staying on-site works if-
- you are an early-bird with kids, and husband wants to sleep in, swim in the morning while you wait in line with kids for kiddie-rides and then meet for lunch. He could play golf or go fishing...then meet for lunch in the park.
- you and kids want to swim in the middle of the day...or nap
- you want to see all of the 9,000 things that Disney has to offer

I stay on-site because I can park my car and toss away my keys, and forget about driving. Also with the meal plan, I toss away my wallet and don't worry about money either.

 

[lumpysluck]

wow- thanks for the info-(not the divorce though)
this vacation is more for the kids- during the day- that is why mil is going- so we can go to dinner etc. and meet up with our friends that are going(6 diff. couples with kids- all staying outside of disney- sone at the vistana some at Nickelodan-I just do not want to be on others schedules and feel like if we are in the park this would not be as big of a problem- we can say we will meet you there instaed of everybody waiting at the off site to go together. so what value resort is " the best" i feel the extra mabey not worth it as a room is just a place to crash- we went on a disney cruise last dec- had a stateroom with a veranda but were only in the room to sleep and nap!

 

[ICF]

We have always stayed off-site and likely always will, as long as we have the kids with us.

We can get 7 nights in a 2 / 3 BR Condo for about $350 wk. That includes a full kitchen as well. I can't get anything near $50 / night on site. Even adding in parking, I am coming out way ahead vs staying in a 1 room hotel value hotel for $79 - $99 night. We can also stop and get food for the room so we aren't eating in the parks every meal either. With 2 kids and 2 adults sleep time is always interesting in a hotel room due to different schedules and the like. With an offsite condo we have our own rooms and that is not an issue.

We're on 192, just minutes from the park, and we don't have to wait for buses or fight for a spot on one when they do arrive. We simply go to our car and drive the 5 mins back to our condo.

Their may be more "disney magic" on site, but I'll gladly save my $$$$ and have lots and lots more room to spread out while at the Condo in the evening or for mid - day breaks.

 

[grimley1968]

Staying onsite benefits:

- Get to parks faster and easier
- Disney does the driving, if you wish
- EMH, if you wish to do that
- Dining plan, if you wish to do that

Yes, there is a premium for staying onsite, but I think it's worth it, especially if you stay in a moderate or deluxe resort.

As for the posters who believe that they could get to their offsite hotel quicker than onsite, I'll lay money down that I can get back to my Wilderness Lodge room faster from Magic Kingdom by direct boat, direct bus, etc. than you can, having to go from MK to the TTC, then the TTC trams, then drive outside of the Disney property to your hotel. If I use the boat from WL, I can leave my 4 YO sleeping in her stroller the whole way, if she's taking her nap or whatever.

As for the dining plan, OP, it's up to you to decide if it's "worth" it. First of all, you need to decide whether you want to eat most, if not all, of your meals on Disney property. Second, you need to decide if you want, on average, one table service meal a day. If you meet both those conditions, as our family does, the dining plan might be a good buy - THIS YEAR. We're getting it this year, but won't next year when they drop the included tip and appetizers. I could do without the appetizers, but I hate the idea of having to pay something out of pocket (tips) for something that is supposed to be all-inclusive. But for this year it still includes tips and appetizers.

 

[Aye Sea Turtles]

my husband hates lines, waits, car rides etc...

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but WDW has all of that in spades, whether you say onsite or not!

But seriously, it sounds like WDW may not be the best vacation destination if your husband is adverse to those sorts of things. WDW can be overwhelming at times to even the most tolerant among us. Perhaps your vacation dollars would be better spent where the entire family could enjoy themselves...after all, isn't that what going on vacation is all about? JMO of course.

 

[kimluvswdw]

Staying off site . That is a terrible thing.

All kidding aside, all of the value resorts are nice, but the Pop Century is our favorite. It is very new and colorful.

 

[ICF]

As for the posters who believe that they could get to their offsite hotel quicker than onsite, I'll lay money down that I can get back to my Wilderness Lodge room faster from Magic Kingdom by direct boat, direct bus, etc. than you can, having to go from MK to the TTC, then the TTC trams, then drive outside of the Disney property to your hotel. If I use the boat from WL, I can leave my 4 YO sleeping in her stroller the whole way, if she's taking her nap or whatever.

And I'll lay down money I can get to Silver Lake Resort from Animal Kingdom faster then you can get back to the Wilderness lodge.

Other than the MK, getting to your car is a piece of cake and a couple minutes walk or shuttle ride to your car.

 

[dburg30]

please help- first trip to disney world for dd 9 and dd 5. my husband hates lines, waits, car rides etc... he wants to stay at the sheraton vistans b/c we have some friends staying there. I feel that we should stay inside b/c dd 5 still naps and husband likes to sleep late and and nap as well- also is the dining plan worth it? what value resort is best- we will be booking two rooms any help would be graeatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I havent read all the posts, but is your husband just going to be staying in the room or what is he doing? I mean, he 'hates lines, waits and car rides' Ummm that's a lot of what happens at WDW lol. Good luck whatever you decide

 

[maxiesmom]

We're on 192, just minutes from the park, and we don't have to wait for buses or fight for a spot on one when they do arrive. We simply go to our car and drive the 5 mins back to our condo.

Their may be more "disney magic" on site, but I'll gladly save my $$$$ and have lots and lots more room to spread out while at the Condo in the evening or for mid - day breaks.

Our off-site hotel of choice is on 535, closer than 192, and it is much more than 5 minutes to get to any park. I think that the reason people feel it is faster to drive from off-site is that you are doing something instead of waiting to ride a bus. It may not feel like it is taking much time, but it is. Plus depending on what park and where you have to park your car, you then have to wait for a tram to get to/from the park enterance. And at the Magic Kingdom, as they do not have a parking lot per se, just the TTC lot, that can be an ordeal.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

please help- first trip to disney world for dd 9 and dd 5. my husband hates lines, waits, car rides etc... he wants to stay at the sheraton vistans b/c we have some friends staying there. I feel that we should stay inside b/c dd 5 still naps and husband likes to sleep late and and nap as well- also is the dining plan worth it? what value resort is best- we will be booking two rooms any help would be graeatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

remind DH that it will cost per day to park at the 4 main parks not the water park but the 3 main parks $11 a day. that might help and it might not. good luck.
oh yeah as a WDW resort guest you get to enter certain parks 1 hr before anyone else can (it's a good thing on some busy days) and you can once again at certain parks stay later with lighter crowds.

 

[ICF]

Our off-site hotel of choice is on 535, closer than 192, and it is much more than 5 minutes to get to any park.

We take the Sherberth Rd back enterance and once we hop in the car it's not more then 10 minutes back "home" from any of the parks.

 

[Spectro is #1]

It seems that of the folks that have done both on and off property trips recommend an on property stay. But the ones that say have only stayed off-property and can't compare the two fairly say to stay off property.

 

[RNdisneylover]

Well, I wanted to stay on site this time too, but my mom is going to go with us and we needed more space... and since this trip was planned in less than 2 weeks (on a budget) we opted to stay off site...

I found a great deal on a hotel (that has free full breakfast and a kitchenette) and free transport to the parks... (about 5 or 10min away)... for almost the same price as staying on site...
so that's what we decided to do.

Best luck on what you guys decide!


**ETA** Our reason for staying off site is strictly budget related....

 

[wahoostampingirl]

I won't get into the whole debate on if it's quicker to get to the parks from onsite or offsite, but I will say that as a person who also hates lines and waits, I personally prefer staying offsite. However, if you've got your heart set on staying at a Disney hotel, would your dh be willing to do a split stay? Then you could see the pros/cons of each for yourself.

I haven't stayed in a value, so I can't answer that question. But I think POP might have its own bus, whereas the AS resorts share one. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I've done both 3 times, my family much prefers offsite to onsite. We get triple the space for a 1/3 of the price of a Disney room. Add in parking, and we are still saving nearly a hundred dollars a night and have a relaxing vacation where we can spread out and enjoy ourselves.

The drive from the Fountains to MGM, Epcot, and AK is less than 12 minutes from condo to front gate. The MK is dependent on monorail times, but is about 20 minutes. Our last wait time for a Disney bus was over 40 minutes.
We go back daily for naps, take time to eat in the room or pickup something on the way back.

 

[wahoostampingirl]

It seems that of the folks that have done both on and off property trips recommend an on property stay. But the ones that say have only stayed off-property and can't compare the two fairly say to stay off property.

Nope. I've stayed on and off, and I prefer Offsite. It might be the minority opinion, but please don't assume for everyone.

 

[amyhughes]

My hubby is the same way. We rented a house last time and I cannot relay the frustration! I am a rope dropper, he is a sleep-in kinda guy. It's his vacation too. So we split it this upcoming trip and rented DVC points for a 2 bedroom Villa at BWV. This way we get a room, the kids get a room, balconies, a kitchen, bathrooms all to ourselves and most importantly: If he wants to sleep in, I'll let him and he can meet with us later. Granted after a couple of days of missing his kids reactions I am sure he will be up and ready, but I digress.

I have stayed offsite and it just seems to fan an already frustrated flame: Get to the parks later, have to stand in longer lines, which makes DH wonder why we are even here, kids get upset cause we aren't doing ANYTHING. Plus the DDP, which depending on the household can either frustrate the situation more or make it easier. I find the DDP to make things easier, provided you plan and view the menus and reviews.

To each their own, I know there are folks who don't want to give WDW anymore moola. But, for me it is all about convenience since both my boys are under 5.

 

[ScottNBecky]

You cant go wrong with POP. We love AKL, but if you have to stay at a Value, Pop is excellent.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Since the majority of your question is about Disney resorts, I'm going to bump this over to resorts.

I'd reccomend posting your question about the dining plan on the restaurants board.

 

[wdhinn89]

We have stayed onsite and offsite. My family prefers offsite at the Parkway International Condos.(Islandone.com). The kids love having their own room with their own bed and TV. I love the full kitchen and my own bedroom and bathroom with Jacuzzi. We are 5-10 minutes tops from the parks. We also sleep in. We never get to a park before 10:00 except Animal Kingdom. We will only stay at a monorail hotel on property ( We are actually staying at the GF in Nov). because we too don't like the buses. Offsite we save money on breakfast and accomodations but we don't give up space for it.

If your friends are early risers, go to the park with them and meet up with your husband later. We used to get up early everyday and spend all day at the parks and be exhausted after a few days. Now we let the kids sleep in and take it easy then we could stay later and not be exhausted and nobody is cranky. It is supposed to be a vacation!