HELP...I just can't decide which will make our trip more enjoyable!

[luvmytwins02]

I keep going back and forth on this and it is literally driving me crazy! I can't decide what we should do.

Our trip in 2010 we stayed at All Star Movies (had two 7 year old girls). It was their first time at Disney and we wanted to fit EVERYTHING in. And since we went in Feb, we had 0 wait times, and did fit "just about" every ride/show into our schedule. We spent only sleeping time at our hotel.

this time around we are traveling Aug 16-23. crowds could vary between a 3-6 that week. Our girls are now 11, and we also have a 3 year old boy. So...with the summer heat/crowds figured in, we think we will do parks early morning, til lunch...leave and go back to hotel for a break and then go back to a park when the sun goes down. We are not so interested in hitting all the big rides as our little guy will be too small to ride them. We will be getting a 5 day pass with park hopper to give us the maximum flexibility.

We will also have our Van along. My hubby and 1 daugther will drive it down (they would rather drive than fly!) And I will fly with the other two kids. So, we will have our own transportation with us. We would like to do some more sight seeing (as we didn't have a car last trip) and also a day trip to the beach.

If you were going, and wanted to stay within a budget, would you opt for the less expensive hotel with 2 bedrooms (1- king bed, 1- 2 queens, 2 full baths, a full kitchen and free breakfast for whole family. No Disney transportation, so we drive to parks ourselves (the thought of this scare me!----just because the Disney transportation is so convenient).

Or would you opt for a more expensive (smaller room... one kid would get a sofa sleeper for 7 nights) just to get the Disney transportation and have EMH?



If you would go with a Disney hotel, which one would you choose? staying under $160/night (I do have AAA discount available)

 

[puffkin]

Easy. I would go with the bigger room, especially with the ages of your kids. That way everyone gets their space, especially if the little guy needs to nap. We stay DVC and hardly ever take Disney transportation. It is so much easier and faster to drive. Plus you are guaranteed a seat!

 

[luvmytwins02]

Never thought about getting a seat on the bus! We went at such a low crowd time the first time, we didn't encounter any issues. So getting in and out of parks with a car is not going to give me added stress??

 

[disnut8]

Never thought about getting a seat on the bus! We went at such a low crowd time the first time, we didn't encounter any issues. So getting in and out of parks with a car is not going to give me added stress??

No. As much as I love staying on Disney property, our offsite visits have been absolutely fine. The only problem you will encounter is having to pay the $17/day (NOT per park, per day) for the parking.

Once you get to the park, you just follow the Cast Members' directions and the rest of the vehicles. Disney parking is something to behold and embraced and enjoyed compared to everywhere else. What will happen is you will be directed to park right next to the vehicle in front of you. You might stress but guess what? Disney thought of things. You will be able to open all doors because the parking spots are angled just right. And then, here's the best part - after you have taken things out of your vehicle and are ready for the day, you just simply walk in front of your car and then follow the line up to the main way (clearly marked) where you then make a decision to wait for the next tram (if one isn't there already) or walk to the main entrance.

Oh - when you get to the end of your row of parking spaces, note the row number or just take a picture of it. But, if you forget, no big deal. If you can't find the car after, just ask a security guard to help you. Tell him/her the time you parked the car and they will be able to assist.

Exiting is easier. Even after Illuminations. You just go back to your car (you can wear glow sticks to help out), get in and then follow the directions back to your area. I would ask at your offsite place for the directions off Disney and then you'll be set.

But trust me, even if you can't find your way off the property to get back to your hotel, no one at Disney World will laugh in your face.

Story - my husband and I were staying at the Swan. I went there first and then he followed four days later. I told him to follow the signs for the Epcot Resort area and he followed the signs for..... Epcot. Totally different places. So he pulls up to the guard for Epcot and says he's looking for the Swan. The guy cheerfully tells my husband to turn around and take this road and that road and he made it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I would definitely stay offsite in your situation since it sounds like transportation is your main factor and you will have a car this time. Really the only park that is easier to take the bus to is MK...the rest of them are easier to drive to IMO. You will enjoy the extra space!

 

[Kat913]

That's a hard choice. We will be there the same week as you! It's our 1st summer trip. We have been there when it's dead & also when it's crazy busy.We have driven twice. Once when we stayed on disney property & the van never left resort parking for the most part & one visit off site. If you stay on site will you still have the van? That could make it easier at some of the parks to take a break. Also, does the off site location have a nice pool area even though it is inexpensive? Over the summer, since you will want to take a mid day break you might want to consider this. Spending some down time at your hotel by the pool would be a nice way to cool off.
You could consider renting DVC points for an onsite villa this way you'd have the room & the kitchen (we are staying at AKL kidani village 2 bedroom villa with 3 bathrooms with 6 people.) Though not sure what would be available this close.
There are some very reasonable fun resorts and timeshares close by that maybe someone could recommend also. My husband hated navigating in and out of the parks and has vowed to use Disney transportation on all other trips, but I didn't think it was that bad-and the parking lots themselves were so easy & organized (not what I had expected) On a busy day you will appreciate not having to wait for a bus.
Good luck

 

[heidijanesmith]

I keep going back and forth on this and it is literally driving me crazy! I can't decide what we should do.

Our trip in 2010 we stayed at All Star Movies (had two 7 year old girls). It was their first time at Disney and we wanted to fit EVERYTHING in. And since we went in Feb, we had 0 wait times, and did fit "just about" every ride/show into our schedule. We spent only sleeping time at our hotel.

this time around we are traveling Aug 16-23. crowds could vary between a 3-6 that week. Our girls are now 11, and we also have a 3 year old boy. So...with the summer heat/crowds figured in, we think we will do parks early morning, til lunch...leave and go back to hotel for a break and then go back to a park when the sun goes down. We are not so interested in hitting all the big rides as our little guy will be too small to ride them. We will be getting a 5 day pass with park hopper to give us the maximum flexibility. August is hotter than the surface of the sun! Just kidding, but the heat and humidity is intense and really impacted our touring. We would get up for rope drop and tour until noon or so, back to the hotel for a break/swim/nap and then back out at sunset for night touring. The parks are open late and night time touring is cooler. We took a good long break everyday and I still had some heat stroke symptoms one day. Staying on site for us helps minimize the transportation time for breaks and that is important to us.

We will also have our Van along. My hubby and 1 daugther will drive it down (they would rather drive than fly!) And I will fly with the other two kids. So, we will have our own transportation with us. We would like to do some more sight seeing (as we didn't have a car last trip) and also a day trip to the beach.

If you were going, and wanted to stay within a budget, would you opt for the less expensive hotel with 2 bedrooms (1- king bed, 1- 2 queens, 2 full baths, a full kitchen and free breakfast for whole family. No Disney transportation, so we drive to parks ourselves (the thought of this scare me!----just because the Disney transportation is so convenient). WDW is so convenient and I do not like driving myself at WDW and prefer staying on site for the proximity of the parks to our hotel.

Or would you opt for a more expensive (smaller room... one kid would get a sofa sleeper for 7 nights) just to get the Disney transportation and have EMH? I would get a smaller room on site if at all possible and take advantage of EMH in the AM and late PM for touring.



If you would go with a Disney hotel, which one would you choose? staying under $160/night (I do have AAA discount available)

I am not sure what the rates would be for AAA, but maybe you could do a family suite at AoA? Check out mousesavers.com for public discounts that could be good at that time of year.

We found August to be pretty crowded, more like a 6-7 for crowds. The longer you stay in August the less crowded it gets, but it's still good size crowds as it is summer.

 

[1971DBday]

I am not sure what the rates would be for AAA, but maybe you could do a family suite at AoA? Check out mousesavers.com for public discounts that could be good at that time of year.

We found August to be pretty crowded, more like a 6-7 for crowds. The longer you stay in August the less crowded it gets, but it's still good size crowds as it is summer.

Actually the cabins at FW are cheaper then the suite at AoA with the WDW discount (FW $273 vs. AoA suite at $323).

The crowds are going to be very different then what you had in February. If however budget is your priority then off-site will win. But be prepared that your experience is going to be different - not bad. I have never stayed off-site but you might want to research some tips for making this work for your family if the above prices are not practical.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Check out Port Orleans Riverside. Most of their rooms sleep 5, and it is a great moderate resort.

We drive and I still prefer to stay on property so we can be completely immersed in Disney during our vacation.

 

[HookdonWDW]

One of the things that sticks out at me is the fact that you know that you want to go back to your resort in the middle of each day. This would make me lean more towards staying on site. Also, our kids have the same kind of age spread as yours. You may find that staying onsite is more convenient if one of you wants to take the little guy back to the resort, and the other wants (is forced!) to remain in the parks a little longer with the girls.

 

[leebee]

I would stay offsite and stay within a budget, with WAY more space. We NEVER stayed onsite for our first 18 trips. Offsite was always more affordable. We have always found it's easy to get around the area, and the signage at WDW is superb. As far as distance, it never takes us any longer to drive from our offsite hotel, park in the parking lot at WDW, and take the tram from the lot to the park than it does to walk to the bus stop (10 mins from the hotel room in some places), wait about 15 minutes for the bus, have the bus drive to the park, then walk to the park from the bus stop. In fact, sometimes it's a much shorter trip! We also found that mid-day there are fewer buses available for the trip back to the resort for the down time; in fact, I don't think we've ever had a good experience leaving a park, either mid-day or at park closing, with the Disney bus system. Nothing I hate more, after a long hot day/evening at MK than to stand in line for 45 minutes waiting for a bus (2nd week of august), then standing on the bus, packed in like sardines. Even if we stay on property, we try to avoid the Disney buses at all costs! As with every other aspect of Disney World, they want to make getting around the World and parking as easy and guest-friendly as possible. You don't need to stress about driving from an offsite, bigger, more affordable hotel at all!

 

[kathy884]

I'd go for a spacious offsite place. // You can get a lovely condo or house for a very reasonable price. If it's more than four nights, I want a kitchen, more space, washer and dryer. And I love a balcony. Most offsite condos have these. At Disney typically you need to get up to deluxe level for one of these. And Disney condos are outrageously priced, even renting points. For me, my budget, and my vacation priorities offsite in Orlando is a no brainer. // My favorite is renting from an owner at a timeshare resort. I often find rentals on Redweek.com or TUG2.net classified ads section. Just booked a trip for December and got a great deal at Cypress Point. Last time we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana. There are an incredible number of wonderful offsite properties. For what Disney charges, onsite would be hard for me to justify. There is not enough value IMHO for the premium price charged, at least not for what I look for / value in vacation accommodations.

 

[mrstomrice]

You need to factor in how you and 2 children will get to the off site hotel as well. Mouse savers has the Doubletree Suites by DTD for a great rate if you decide to stay offsite.

 

[wcurry66]

We'll be there the same week.. and had the same plans (mid day break)

last time we were there, we stayed in Orlando, with the plan of a mid day break.. but found once we made it all the way back to the hotel, we were done for the day

We've opted to stay onsite - right outside of epcot (The Yacht Club). It should be a quick hop back whenever we're like to hit the pool or take a nap

 

[Judyfun]

I have stayed at the cabins at Fort Wilderness and it was a great time. There was so much to do and see that it was like adding another park to visit.

Bunk beds, extra bed plus the murphy bed, full kitchen. We rented a golf cart to get around and my 18 month old GGD loved that as much as all the rest

Judy