Holy snaps! Looking at these prices!

[Mickey'sApprentice]

LOL. If I did not have my dvc, no way, no how would I pay Disney prices. My family is too big for values and we don't like them so that's not an option.

Interestingly enough I hear a lot about being "surrounded" by Disney but most of the deluxes and not "Disney-fied" almost all are based on some other place. I tried to price out a vacation for next August in cash and sweet lord!!

Good luck and please rest assured my family has had absolutely fabulous vacations off site.

We are so thrilled to have DVC as well. My DH and I have taken what seemed to be rather extravagant vacations (flying, regular DDP, staying at BWV) and only spent $1200 for the WHOLE trip!!!

There is something to be said for coming out of the hotel and walking or taking the boat straight to Epcot.

DO look at the DVC boards here on the DIS. The site sponsor of all of the DVC pages (The Timeshare Store) is a great place to purchase points resale. Purchasing resale is not for everybody, but if you love Disney, plan to visit often, and are in a good place financially then it can be an excellent option.

 

[DanInMN]

To the OP... when you have school age kids you tend to visit WDW during their vacation times, which are prime times at prime prices. To reduce costs you can:

- Take the kids out of school at another time to get low season rates and discounts or free dining and/or
- Stay off site. We have had good experiences at Bahama Bay Resort and Reunion Resort (more expensive)

Do consider that off site stays have extra costs like:

- car rental
- gas
- tolls
- parking
- no "free" dining
- some off site resorts charge extra resort fees, taxes, and cleaning fees

Factoring everything in, our upcoming POR stay is the same price as an off site stay.

Finally... watch out for the really cheap off site locations. One time we had booked a "Best Western" in Kissimmee, and it was horrible. We checked out the next day and found another place. I have not stayed in a Best Western since! On another trip our return flight was delayed due to weather and we stayed one night at a Quality Inn near 27 and I-4, although not horrible, it was a third rate motel not suitable for a vacation.

 

[1000HappyWishes]

While I understand why some will want to stay offsite, I don't think I ever will. I like being at a Disney resort and being on Disney property. The staff is always really kind and while I don't mind staying offsite (I did on my choir trip) if I'm given a choice I'll pick onsite.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

While I understand why some will want to stay offsite, I don't think I ever will. I like being at a Disney resort and being on Disney property. The staff is always really kind and while I don't mind staying offsite (I did on my choir trip) if I'm given a choice I'll pick onsite.

I never will again myself as long as I go solo. Even if it costs a bit more, it's worth it. I only go on vacation once or twice a year and I care more about having a good time than trying to save a few dollars.

 

[Tara8595]

I definitely beat the onsite drum more times than not, but every once in a while, we stay offsite at Buena Vista Suites, which is in spitting distance of the 'Welcome to Disney' sign, has a decent free breakfast, huge suites, nice staff, and is about the same as a discounted moderate in value season. We only stay offsite when we have APs, to save on parking.

It's a good option if you have more than 2 generations in the same room who may kill each other in a value, or if you have small kids who go to bed early, or, in our case coming up, there are no discounts available because it's a holiday weekend.

We have reservations at Riverside for Thanksgiving weekend for around $920. I have a suite at Caribe Royale (first time) for $420 (AAA discount). I just can't justify the price difference for less room, especially when I only have an 8 minute drive to see Yeeha Bob anyway.

The other good thing - not as long of a walk to your room from the parking lot/bus stop. Sometimes that walk just to the back of the 60's building at Pop makes me feel like my feet are broken at the end of a long day.

You really have to know where you are staying though. I took a chance on Park Vue Inn at Disneyland which was right across the street and it was a hole of a place. We switched to Disneyland Hotel after one night.

 

[Missyrose]

OP, you will also get very different responses by posting the same question on the Orlando Resorts board.

 

[fla4fun]

You really have to know where you are staying though. I took a chance on Park Vue Inn at Disneyland which was right across the street and it was a hole of a place. We switched to Disneyland Hotel after one night.

This! Your decision to stay offsite has to be tempered by your choice of which offsite resort you choose to stay in. There's a big difference in the Waldorf Astoria and the Motel 6. There's a big difference in a well maintained Motel 6 and one that is run down. It's harder to do the research when it's an off property hotel, because sites like Tripadvisor can be so subjective. People rarely go to a site like Tripadvisor to talk about how great their stay was, but they will sure go there to complain. So you might see some complaints and think the place is horrible, not realizing that hundreds of people have stayed at the same place and had great visits. When I'm researching the average hotel, I not only go to Tripadvisor, but I make the rounds of all the online booking sites and check their reviews as well.

Even then, you have to really read between the lines sometimes to get the full picture. For example, I have a favorite hotel at the beach that I like to stay in. When a bad storm came through and they had to close down for repairs, a ton of negative posts hit the travel sites for the few days they were moving guests around. So on many sites, this made the hotel look like a poor choice for quite a while because those negative posts brought down the overall rating. But if you read the actual reviews, most of them were giving the hotel kudos for how they handled the situation - even though they were giving them one star because it had occurred .

That being said, you can definitely have a less expensive stay off property if you do the research. There are pros and cons to onsite and offsite and you have to decide which compromise works best for your family.

 

[leebee]

There's never going to be an agreement between the "always onsite" and the "always offsite" people. There are benefits and drawbacks to each. We detest the Disney bus system, so that's not a perk to staying onsite for us; in fact, the only way DH will stay onsite is to rent a car, and DD19 and I decided on our trip last March that having a car is really the way to go at Disney. Just our opinion, but that's how we feel about our vacation. After beating ourselves to death all day in parks, we really don't want a 10 min (or longer) hike to/from the bus stop/food court to our room all the time. We have stayed at values and moderates, and find them all to be at least a step below a good Hampton Inn, and HI will give me a government employee discount for a bigger room, with better beds and more bathroom/counter space, with a fridge, breakfast, and sometimes a microwave for about half of the cost of POFQ. Even throwing in parking, we are ahead, because remember, we are going to rent a car regardless of where we stay. HOWEVER... we really enjoyed ASMu last spring, and I would stay there again when looking at onsite accommodations (if it's just DD and me). The room size was adequate, we could park very close to our building, and if we chose to walk to the food court, it wasn't an endless hike.

We usually stay offsite. Bigger, better place to stay for less money usually wins out for me. DEFINITELY stay offsite when DH is with us. He is not a Disney-phile (although he's been with us on 7 trips) so we need the space in the room, and the space from the parks/Disney, when he is with us. There's also a level of non-privacy when a teen girl stays in the same room that includes her dad, although at least now there are privacy curtains at the values; that bathroom is just too teeny for dressing in very easily! When looking at offsite hotels I am pretty careful about doing the research in advance, and have found that reading TripAdvisor can be an accurate indicator of how "good" the hotel will be (not just in Florida, but anywhere).

 

[catho72]

Okay. Most hilarious real life interaction on the DISboard yet. I run to DH (actually we are sitting in two recliners next to each other) and I say "wow! I love this! This is the best explanation of how I feel about staying onsite I have ever read!". And he says.... "Of course it is. I wrote it."

So I scroll up, see that yes he did write it and say. "Oh."

He says "Don't you ever look at the authors when you read the posts? You don't, do you. You don't care who writes them."

Stacy

That is hysterical!

I typically don't look at who writes the posts either unless I agree with them 100% or vehemently disagree with them. Or if it's on a thread I go to daily...such as the YC/BC FAQ. There I pay attention to who said what since we are a happy family over there!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[MaleficentRN]

I've done both and had no regrets either way. Spent two trips at Nick Hotel because the kids requested it. Never had an issue. Huge cost savings with eating breakfast and some dinners off site and yes, even with parking it was much less expensive considering we had a two bedroom suite with kitchenette and great pool at our disposal.
Now, I have worked out inexpensive Disney resort trips, but I haven't gone during peak times and have either gone with a room discount or by renting DVC points and those options take time to work out and you often make concessions.
If you are dead set on staying at WDW and have the time, look around this board and you'll find many ways to save on your trip. Good luck!

 

[eliza61]

So basically you have to do your homework.

I use to think that way until the price difference became thousands of dollars. Yikes!!

So here are some of the things I think about when I go offsite.
true savings. Now I'm a deluxe gal so my savings is probably greater but so far I've stayed at
1) Waldorf Astoria
2) Double tree Suites
3) Lake Buena vista resort

All of them saved me any where from 1000 bucks over 7 days up to 1400 dollars difference. Sorry that is simply way to much.
All of them had shuttle transportation to the parks that was quick easy and efficient.
My one con is most of them did charge me a parking fee. I always have a car
The one thing I did miss was EMH.

So think of the perks that onsite offer and see how important they are to your family. We don't do the ddp so free dining is not a perk for us. we always have a car so Disney transportation is not important to me, I never ever do rope drop. I've gotten back to my offsite hotel quicker than I've gotten back to my Disney resort with the exception of epcot area resorts which I walk to.

Have you priced out the Swan or dolphin? They are cheaper than Disney and just as nice and if you are a teacher or American express card holder you can get some good discounts.
I totally get the whole "immersion" thought but unfortunately when I leave that immersion I still have to eat, pay housing etc etc. so I have to balance our wants.
Lastly for me it's also about value. How can I get the most for my vacation dollars. I'm simply getting to the point where I'm irked that Disney is charging ridiculous prices and not delivering on the quality of services. No where else on the planet would you get the 3 star quality for the prices at the Polynesian. no where. I just have a problem with that.

Basically, make a list of all the things you really enjoy from a resort and then chose.

One thing I've found from years on the dis. Some of the mantra is soo not true.

1) If you don't do rope drop you wont get any thing done
2) lol If you don't make adr's you're doomed to eat fast food your entire trip.
3) If you stay offsite it won't be magical.

My family has broken all 3 rules (we never make adr's anymore) and we had fantastic vacations.

 

[dissupermom]

yes, there is a big difference in going to Florida for vacation and going to WDW for vacation. I like going to WDW, and want to be immersed and totally surrounded by disney the entire time I'm there! I want the total disney experience and will spend the few extra bucks to do so. I stayed at vistana- not impressed. stayed at a vacation home- not impressed. I don't want to cook or clean on vacation. I like having clean towels and linens every day! since we drive, we have the convenience of choosing to either bus it to the parks, or drive..

 

[eliza61]

Hey OP,

suggestion. why not post this question on the Orlando forum? get some perspective from folks who go to Disney all the time and never stay onsite.

They can give you a ton of great information and recommendations.

 

[jperrot1]

We just gaot back from Disney CBR vacation with my parents and my sister's family who all (except for us) haven't been to disney in 4 years. I can say they were shocked by the increase in prices. I did tell them that prices have gone up since then. But, still, they couldn't believe the food/meal prices. I think a lot of families are getting priced out, or at least, need to save for an extra year or so to pull off a disney trip. My wife and I weren't shocked because we know the prices have gone up. One of the Disney information sites, or one of the Disney books, have shown/documented the increase in prices of room, food/meals, and tickets. And they show increases in percentages. I don't remember which book or information site, though.

 

[ARAITHEL]

I've done the number crunching on booking hotels plus car:

This is what I have found:
For our vacation booked for 1/15-1//21 2013
POFQ room plus ME: 1184.61
Bonnet Creek room plus rental car: 1304.68
Holiday Inn plus rental car: 763.18
Wyndam plus rental car: 818.08

Unless I stay at the holiday inn, I'm not saving that much. I still have to buy park tickets and food. Hopefully S/P/D will come into play soon so I've budgeted $480 for the DDP.

Staying offsite doesn't pencil for me. I took out the airfare and the park tickets just because they cost the same wherever you stay I think. The differences are the room, food and park tickets. I think if we stayed offside I think I'd spend way more on food if I don't get the s/P/d promotion...I'm thnking about $150 per day!

 

[eliza61]

I've done the number crunching on booking hotels plus car:

This is what I have found:
For our vacation booked for 1/15-1//21 2013
POFQ room plus ME: 1184.61
Bonnet Creek room plus rental car: 1304.68
Holiday Inn plus rental car: 763.18
Wyndam plus rental car: 818.08

Unless I stay at the holiday inn, I'm not saving that much. I still have to buy park tickets and food. Hopefully S/P/D will come into play soon so I've budgeted $480 for the DDP.

Staying offsite doesn't pencil for me. I took out the airfare and the park tickets just because they cost the same wherever you stay I think. The differences are the room, food and park tickets. I think if we stayed offside I think I'd spend way more on food if I don't get the s/P/d promotion...I'm thnking about $150 per day!

The difference in wyndham and bonnet creek would be the room size. Those two resorts would get you at least a one bedroom suite so you can't compare them to the price of a moderate.

a One bedroom suite at the wyndham with free wi fi and free parking is 205 night for the week of 10/20-10/26.

A one bedroom suite at WLV which is 529 a night (no discounts, not sure how easy it is to get discounts on suits.) even with 30% off the room rate is about 370.00

Now there is the new art of animation family suites. I got a price of $133 a night on those. I've never seen them but I've heard they are nice.

Why would you spend more on food offsite? Disney food unless you get free dining is notoriously expensive.

Your right though, every family has to crunch the numbers for themselves.

Me and my two girlfriends are thinking about doing a "girls weekend" in February (Yippee, no kids, no hubby. LOL sorry some times I need that).
Now I didn't price out a rental car because no matter where I stay I get one. I drive to the parks except MK. so for me that's cost is always there.

We're planning for 2/20-2/24 The two lowest prices we found were for the YC (that was a surprise) and the Ak. YC would cost me 2381.63 before the discount. I'm hoping to get a 30% discount from my annual pass. that would drop it to 1666.63. If we stay at the Waldorf I got a price of 1112.00. Now for me every thing else is equal. I have annual pass so no park ticket issues. I'm always going to have a car and I don't do the ddp so free dining is never a perk for my family.

 

[ARAITHEL]

Why would you spend more on food offsite? Disney food unless you get free dining is notoriously expensive.

I was thinking dining on Disney property for the most part and buying OOP. I can eat at McDonalds at home. LOL

 

[Missyrose]

I was thinking dining on Disney property for the most part and buying OOP. I can eat at McDonalds at home. LOL

There's way more than McDonalds outside the Disney bubble.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

You do know Orlando has more then 'Mickey Ds?

 

[Missyrose]

This thread struck a bit of a chord with me. Look, I'm someone who loves the Disney bubble, it's why I've bought three DVC contracts. But I also know that some trips call for venturing beyond the Disney bubble. I just get sick of the generalizations that get made when people try to convince other people that onsite is the only reasonable answer. For the record, it's not a choice between staying onsite or braving drug deals and three square meals at McDonalds. There are lots of really great options offsite (some might even argue that there are options nicer than the Disney resorts) and there are some really terrible offsite options, but one terrible offsite option does not mean all offsite options are terrible.