Holy snaps! Looking at these prices!

[OurBigTrip]

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.

Great observations, and 100% on point.

 

[jcondrad]

I was a complete on-site snob until our last trip. My dh and I did a solo trip and stated at the dolphin (amazing AAA rate over Memorial Day weekend!) and decided to visit our friends staying in Davenport. It was also our first trip having a rental car.

Once we drove from park to park or to other hotels, we were shocked how close things were! On the disney buses, we always thought things were so spaced apart due to the long waits (sometimes) and the multiple stops and just plain long routes the buses took. And when we ventured to the premium outlets and our friends condo, it put it even more perspective on how quickly you could get to places in or outside the disney bubble.

We are going back in November and originally had pop booked (with the plan to upgrade to deluxe after discounts) but found a great deal with Shades of Green (free breakfast and dinner buffet!) but are now booked at Wyndham Cypress Palms. Got 2 weeks for $349 total!! This was a deal through armed forces vacation club who was running a bogo deal. We will have a 2 bedroom suite, full kitchen and laundry.

I must say we are AP holders so parking at parks is no big deal for us, we planned to rent a car anyways and we will have 2 little ones in tow so being able to come and go is a necessity. I remember waiting with screaming children for a bus to come by, then waiting to stop at 2 other hotels before getting to our resort, while trying to hold a baby and a stroller. We also plan to venture off site a bit so with that amount of savings it was an easy choice for us! I still LOVE the vibe of disney resorts tho!

 

[harbin]

This will be our third trip to the world...

First was off site at some horrible hotel (we didn't know any better), and took the hotel shuttle to get to parks... It wasn't a horrible trip, but VERY different than our second one (after research and planning)

Last trip was AOA family suite, 7/26/13-8/1/13

2 adults, 1 kid, 1 infant. DXDP= $5200

Upcoming Trip:
3/27/14-4/5/14
2 adults, 2 kids (infant turned three)
BWI, Regular dining plan

For the bargain basement price of $8229!!

Now, this is rack rate in peak season. But I wonder, how many people can afford an 8K vacation? I question all the time if it's worth it just to be in the Disney Bubble. I have thought about looking offsite due to these insane prices, but worry I wouldn't enjoy it as much. I am hoping that we will get a discount at some point... otherwise, we may have to only go every few years, or downgrade to a moderate or value. I have thought about the Swan/Dolphin since they are in the same area, but again worry about "losing something" in the experience of it all. Here is hoping that a discount allows us to stay in our dream resort... otherwise, it's back to the drawing board.

 

[disney1990]

My family has never stayed off-site before and really never considered it. Until now. We love being onsite and being surrounded by all things Disney. We are looking to book a vacation either during Winter Break (1st week of February); Spring Break (2nd week of March) or right after school is out (June 6th). I priced all 3 out today and am SHOCKED at the prices I'm seeing! And I won't even get into the airfare! I think we will probably end up driving because of that (18 hours one way).

Has anyone else gotten sticker shock from these prices while planning your own trips?

Anyone considering staying offsite because of it? If so, where?

We were down 4th of July 2013 for 10 nights. We stayed at the Marriott on Palm Parkway for under a $100 a night with a full breakfast buffet each money. Never thought I would be forced off property, but the resort prices are really getting out of hand. We were literally 5-10 minutes from Downtown Disney in traffic.

 

[plumsiren]

Now there is the new art of animation family suites. I got a price of $133 a night on those.

That's a price for the single Little Mermaid rooms, not the suites. Those are waaay more.

 

[dmccarty]

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

So, you two are sitting right next to each other and reading the DIS to find out you feel about staying onsite/offsite!

Welcome to the 21st century!

Some nights, the four of us are in the living room all on our lap tops. We just need to get the chip integration to be Borged.

Later,
Dan

 

[shalom]

Has anyone else gotten sticker shock from these prices while planning your own trips?

With depressing regularity. We own a timeshare and can usually get a nice 2 BR condo for $50-$70/night through RCI or renting points from friends; no way can we get anywhere near that for two rooms onsite!

We also don't like to eat out all the time, especially breakfast, so much prefer to have a full kitchen, meaning we'd want to be in a DVC unit. I can trade into DVC for much less than Disney charges, but it's still way more than many other options. *sigh*

Anyone considering staying offsite because of it? If so, where?

I'll second the recommendation that you ask that question on the Orlando attractions board, where there are plenty of people who've stayed both on and offsite who can offer recommendations. The general consensus there seems to be that if you only need one room, if you use the onsite transportation, if you like the dining plan, and if there's a discount, staying onsite is usually pretty comparable to offsite (although you can get much nicer units offsite for the same price if you know where to look). OTOH, if you need two rooms, offsite is usually the better deal, and by a fair margin. And of course plenty of people there prefer offsite because you can get much bigger units and/or more amenities than onsite.

Some people who were long "onsite all the way" discover that Bonnet Creek or the Swan or Dolphin give them the same "Disney bubble" feel as the onsite resorts, for a lower cost. We haven't stayed onsite or at any of those, but for me, the energy in the Swan and the Dolphin is definitely different from that at Disney. If I remember rightly, my one daughter who noticed the same thing said that the Swan and Dolphin feel "more like you have to behave" than WDW resorts.

My hubby and some of the other kids couldn't tell the difference and don't understand why the Swan and Dolphin aren't considered onsite. So I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to the vibrations or something.

I've known a lot of former "onsite all the way" people who now stay offsite a lot. Some of them still value onsite for the same reason they always did, but they also value other things they can only find offsite; some of them are now "offsite all the way", and wish they'd discovered offsite sooner. I'd say it's worth trying once if onsite prices are getting to you. It is tougher to research offsite resorts, but since you're posting on the Dis, you know how to do that I'm thinkin'.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

In pricing out the trip we took last month, I compared costs for onsite vs. offsite. True, we could stay at a value resort for the same cost as an offsite townhouse. Where's the savings? Well, the cost would be the same for one room at a value. We would have needed three of those small rooms for our party of five - one for DH and myself, one for 18 and 15 year old boys, and one for my sister. For $140 per night, we got three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full kitchen, a living room, washer/dryer, and a private pool. It was so much nicer and much less expensive. Even after adding in a rental car and parking fees, we saved quite a bit of money and thoroughly enjoyed our accommodations.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

This will be my first time staying onsite and I have to say I am very excited. However, I have had many wonderful trips to Disney offsite. I never felt like I was getting cheated out of a Disney experience.

Last October we stayed in a 2 Bedroom/2 Bath Condo and it was amazing. It cost about $500 for the week. We definitely have plans to return there in the future. We have also stayed at very nice hotels on International for sometimes as low as $30/night and had really great stays.

As long as you do your research you should find the perfect place for your family!

 

[teentoddlermom]

OP is right about the really high pricing of Disney rooms! I briefly considered off site my last trip in July because it was regular season and even values were up there. But I did get an ap rate and that made it better than off site. Over the past 3 years i have stepped down from deluxe to moderate and them quickly to value. I can't believe rack rates at all levels! And you pay rack rate with "free dining'. But i do not like the dining plan so free dining is not a carrot that interests me. I'm just not finding decent discounts. I want to pay no more than 115 for a preferred room at a value, 150 for a standard at at a moderate, 200 for a standard at wl or akl and 275 for a standard at bc. I wonder if i can ever get that again. Those are examples of Rates I've found between 2009 and 2012. Just not seeing anything like that these days. Now I know that people on these boards will snicker at anyone paying close to rack but I am seeing fewer and fewer discounts. The economy is picking up and Disney is sitting pretty. Close to 500 a night for a family suite at aoa? And they still call it a value resort? They need to change what they call that category. I will never stay off site. But I may stop going to wdw so often.

 

[need2travel]

I agree w/ the previous posters about prices getting out of hand, we go Easter week every 2 years staying at a deluxe. Out last trip was 2012, well I just priced out our trip for 2014 & realized that our deluxe has just gone out the window! We will be cutting out a night & staying at a moderate IF we go (probably not) or most likely going in 2015 still with a moderate. It looks like due to the time of year we go our deluxe days are over. Too bad, it sure was nice while it lasted.......

 

[Harlemgirl720]

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.

You are so right. If I wasn't in DVC, I wouldn't be able to go 3 times a year. At one time I had a sister working for Marriott and being able to stay at the SeaWorld Renaissance or JW for $29-59 a night was dream. After she quit, DVC made more sense.