Help me justify staying on property, please!

[welovedisneyx4]

Hello everyone! I need some advice, please.

We are looking at a Disney trip next October and I am considering staying on property. We own a timeshare at Westgate Vacation Villas, so we normally stay there. However, I really want to stay on property at least once in my life (hopefully, more than that! LOL!) Also, this trip I will also have my parents w/ us, this would be their 1st trip to DW, so I want it to be special. The resorts I am considering are AKL, CR, Poly, CS and WL. Hopefully, they will have some kind of deals so we don't have to pay full price, but I am willing to splurge to some extent. I am thinking that a DVC 2 bedroom unit is going to be too much, like I said, I am hoping for some good deals. I would rather stay at one of the deluxe resorts as opposed to CS (hopefully for a larger room), but my dad would love the theming of CS, so that is an option.

Now what I need is some help to justify not staying at our 2 bed room, full kitchen condo, 1 mile from Disney (traffic has never been a problem), which we will have paid taxes on and will cost us nothing additional, except for the extra night we stay.

We will be staying 8 nights. It would be myself, DH, DD9, DS5, and my parents. (They are in fine health and have no special needs). We would get 2 rooms.

Can all you resort lovers help me? Why should we give up a very nice, paid for, 2 bedroom condo close to Disney, for 2 standard "expensive" rooms. Please tell me about the Disney magic we would feel and any recommendations on which resort to choose.

TIA!!!

 

[DisneyPete]

I'll never stay off site again. There are the sensible reasons like the rooms are always clean, you're closer to bed at night and fun in the morning, the pools are great and the transportation makes it easy to get around.

But the real reason is because when you stay off site, your vacation always takes a little break as you leave WDW and go to your hotel or condo. You feel like you are leaving and having to come back. When I stay on site I feel like I am always part of the magic. Even the people who are staying there are in a better mood because everyone is there for a Disney vacation and we all want our share of the magic. I love turning on the TV and getting my Disney update. I love my Micky Mouse wake up call.

You see, the fun never ends when you stay on site. Unfortunately, you will probably wind up selling your timeshare once you see what staying on site is all about. But, then again, you could buy DVC instead!

 

[jordanyosh]

As much as I love staying onsite, I would recommend you stay at your timeshare. You could use the money you save on a room and really do some very nice meals. OR you could maybe do your timeshare for 5/6 nights and a Disney resort for the last 2/3.

The Epcot resorts would be nice. BCV, BWV, YC/BC.....

 

[tink2]

If cost is the issue- have you considered 2 rooms at a moderate?
I will never stay off-site again! You can get great rooms and there are rooms for everyone's budget- especially with codes.
Once you stay with the convenience of on-site, you'll never want to go back again.
However, it would be hard not to use the timeshare already paid for!
Good luck!

 

[Kirby]

Saving with the timeshare or spending money at a resort. Hmmm, tough question. I've only stayed on site and have no desire to do other. Maybe do like the a previous poster said and split your time there.

The convenience and ease of staying on site out weighs staying off site and saving money to me. To be able to go back to your room at any time of the day and not leave Disney property is worth it.

 

[mrsmom]

I have stayed at Westgate lakes and in a two bedroom, but i keep going back to disney onsite. I know westgate has more room but I just love the feel of saying onsite even if it was the value resort. I would say i would atleast try it once if money isn't an issue.
Good luck on your decison.
Kim

 

[Mickey's Sister]

I have to agree with DisneyPete. There is just something more magical about staying on-site. Our off-site stay wasn't actually bad. But it did feel like you were leaving & the vacation was interrupted. I don't know that it's really anything you can verbalize except that the magic just never stops on-site. They have taken care of every detail. Good luck with your decision.

Kirby, your tag about Yul Brynner - is that true, or just a tag? If so, count me in. I was probably the only 6 year old who planned to grow up & marry Yul Brynner (LOL)

Jessica

 

[Leota]

I like jordanyosh's suggestion of splitting your stay between your timeshare & an onsite property. For your onsite stay, I would go for the full immersion of the Contemporary or Poly - that puts you really in the Heart of it all & surrounds you absolutely with Disney Magic.
By splitting between your timeshare & paying for an onsite for part, maybe you could extend your stay or do something really special (like a fireworks cruise)

Like others have said, the concern is being able to stay offsite again, once you've been on..... I know it never enters our mind to stay offsite....

 

[mouseRD]

Maybe if you did stay offsite for 4 days & onsite for 4 days, you could do the water parks, AK, Disney Quest & Downtown Disney (may as well drive there since the buses are kind of slow to DD from most of the resorts) & play miniature golf near BB on the days you are staying at the condo & then stay at an Epcot or Monorail resort for your days at the other parks! (Unless you choose AKL resort!).

 

[welovedisneyx4]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think we will probably stay on-site. It is over a year away and we can start saving for it now. We will try to rent out our Westgate week anyway and can use that $ towards our room. With my parents w/ us, I'm sure the kids will want to stay w/ them some, so DH and I will have a little peace! LOL!

I don't think we would split the stay. We hate having to pack up everything. We did this at the beach this summer and it seemed to really make the vacation seem shorter.

I would love to sell this stupid condo. It is a very wonderful place to stay, but w/ the $ we pay in taxes and the fact that we don't use it every year, it just isn't a good deal for us anymore.

Now, I just need to decide which resort! I like the CR and Poly for the Monorail, but AKL and WL have such great theming!

Guess I need to get out and buy the 2005 UG! Did you hear it is out now?

Edited for stupid spelling error!

 

[DaveO]

I am a DVC member and if you go to the DVC Rent boards here you can get the that 2BR DVC condo for 25% - 50% off the rates depending on the days and seasons. You should at least take a look. I think it would be cheaper than 2 rooms at a moderate as well.

Dave O.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

Thanks DaveO, I will look again. I do love the space of a 2 bedroom villa. I love my family, but a hotel room can get awfully crowded after a few days! LOL!

 

[Pryncess'mom]

But I do agree with the majority of the OP. Staying onsite is more than just the convience of being close and not having to drive. It is the whole magical experience. and, we have that experience no matter what level resort we stay at. While the monorail resorts are beautiful, we have had just as nice a time at the value resort (PC) we stayed at. One of our most favorite resorts is POR. We just love the theme and the landscaping. The food court is nice and Piano Bob is a MUST SEE!!

I think what we really like is that even though you have left the parks, there is much going on in each resort that it does feel as if you are still *there*. Having stayed onsite most of our trips, we will not go if we can't stay onsite. For us, the only trip to Orlando is a trip to Disney!!! ( I do realize there is other stuff there!!!! We just can't bring ourselves to leave Disney for it!!) I really would recommend trying onsite at least once. You might get hooked!!

Good luck with your decision, and have a magical time!!

Deb

 

[Kirby]

Kirby, your tag about Yul Brynner - is that true, or just a tag? If so, count me in. I was probably the only 6 year old who planned to grow up & marry Yul Brynner (LOL)

I just loved Yul Brynner. One of my long time wishes was to see him in the King and I. I finally got to see him star in it at the Dallas Summer Musicals. It was wonderful! I still like to watch his movies.

 

[swilphil]

I would stay at the Poly or look into renting 2 studios at the BC or BWI. I'm not sure how easy it is to rent 2 studios and make sure they are close together, but I do know that renting 2 studios is sooooo much cheaper than renting a 2 bedroom villa. You won't have as much room, but you will each have a fridge and microwave. Your kids would love the pool at BC!

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

We have only stayed offsite once before(only part of a trip) and it was in a dumpy hotel. (DH no longer does the planning )

Otherwise, we have stayed on site and really enjoyed it. The problem is, the budget. As you can see by my signature, we will have 14 nights in Orlando. And we got it for less than two nights at the CR. That is the only way we could do it this time. I think we will have a great time, even if it's offsite. Your vacation is what you make of it, right??

As far as your situation, On-site would probably be great. I have had many opportunities to be onsite, and think that everyone should do it at least once, just to see how it is.

I would be happy at ANY of the deluxe resorts, but if you feel you want deluxe but the price is a bit too much, WL is a great option. A little less on the pocketbook, but OH, SO NICE!!

 

[bethbuchall]

Mom of Sleepy, Bashful, and BabyDoc--I know that you will have a great time! I would pick two weeks off-site over a much shorter time on-site as well. I thought that I would absolutely hate staying off-site, but my parents own at Marriott's Grand Vista, and we were able to stay free for a week twice now. Those were terrific vacations, and the extra space was wonderful. That's not to say that I don't like to stay on-site when I can afford to! For our last trip we added 4 nights at the CR to the trip. We wouldn't have been able to do that long a trip without Mom and Dad's generosity and our off-site accomodations.

Beth

 

[jenjen212]

Another great place you could stay at is Fort Wilderness. It is similar to your time share that you have. They are cabins, which includes a full kitchen a bedroom with a queen and twin beds, and a murphy bed in the living room. They all have decks that have a picnic table and BBQ. The resort has a mini-grocery store.

There is the Hoop-De-Doo musical revue there with is a very cool dinner show to go to. It is a priority seating though. But if you can't make it there for the show, right next door to it is a buffet restaurant with the same food at a great price. I think it was somewhere around $13/per person.

YOu get the same great "Disney Feel" there as well. A lot of times there are special rates on here for Fort Wilderness as well.

When you go, definitely try to make priority seating at a character meal, like Chef Mickey's or at 1900 Park Fare, etc. or one in the parks for when you go, like Cinderella's in the castle at the Magic Kingdom.

I, like the others, have also decided that I will never stay off site again. Once, you go, you never want to go anywhere else. I would definitely try to check in to the DVC!

good luck!
Jen

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

My family has stayed off-site in a timeshare condo with a full kitchen, etc..., at the Best Western LBV on Hotel Plaza (DTD) and on site at the Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, All-Star Music, and soon Pop Century.

The time share was right at I4/192/World Drive, so it was fairly close. It was nice and all... but when we left the parks, we left Disney. No more magic. No more Disney service. We were now back in the real world, surrounded by tourist traps, and chain restaurants, just like home.

The Best Western LBV on Hotel Plaza Blvd was still on Disney property... but it wasn't Disney. It was a nice enough hotel, and if there are no Cast discounts available on property, I wouldn't hesitate to have my family stay there again. But, given the choice, on property is the way to go, even if it may be a little more. It's worth it. The thing about Disney, things are expensive. BUT -- if you pay attention, you get a good value for your money.

When you stay on property, you never leave Disney. The magic never ends. It's a seamless transition from having fun at the parks to having fun at whatever themed resort you are staying at. It's not just a hotel -- it's a deeply themed resort, right down to the details of how the cast members act and speak.

Plus, staying on property, you get to relax and enjoy WDW's amenities and recreation so much more.

 

[lyncruiser]

We've done both off-site and on-site many times. On-site have stayed deluxe, home away from home and moderates. We stay on-site for the convenience and the beauty of the resorts. Having said that, we've also had wonderful stays off-site. One of our favorites was Holiday Inn Family Suites. Nice room, fun pool and good hot breakfast every morning. Our least favorite place on- or off-site was the cabins at Fort Wilderness. They were so inconveniently located, we couldn't believe it. We had to use a golf cart to get anywhere (which added $40 per day to the cost!)
Staying at Orange Lake Country Club, HIFS or even Hilton Grand Vacations up at Seaworld seemed easier. I think on-site is fun, but we've had great times off-site as well. I would pick an off-site condo anytime over a value and might well pick it over a moderate. Probably wouldn't pick it over a deluxe monorail hotel or a deluxe Epcot resort. Our favorite is a one bedroom villa at BWV or BCV. All the space of a condo plus the magic and convenience of Disney.