How do you justify the $$$$??

[ekball]

I have to ask this to those of you who stay "on property" at the Disney hotels. Out of curiousity only...How do you justify the $$$???

Here's why I'm asking...We are going to WDW in September and have chosen to stay off property at Windsor Hills. We found a 3 BR townhouse (with splash pool) for $775 for a week, taxes and all fees included. A ridiculously good deal.

DH and I have talked at length about staying on property, and fully intend to when our children are older and will remember the trip (they will be just under 3 - ie free - and 14 mos in Sept.) For now we can't justify spending the $$$ on a Disney hotel because the kids won't even remember the trip when they are older. Also, DH and I are spoiled - we do not want to stay in a 1 BR hotel room, having to go to bed with the kids, and having no living space to enjoy a little down time when kids are asleep. We want space, and have decided that when we finally do stay at a Disney hotel, that we want to be able to afford a villa, Jr. suite, 2 connecting rooms, or something similar (like I said, we are admittedly spoiled ) So for now, Windsor Hills works perfectly for us.

THAT SAID - we also realize the "magic" we are missing by staying off property, not to mention the convenience, which is why we want to do this when our children are older.

Anyway, I was just wondering how people do it? Justify the cost of staying at a disney hotel. Sell it to me folks Actually, no need to sell really. I'm already sold. I just want to hear out of curiosity more than anything. How different is the experience of a Disney vacation staying on property?

I grew up about an hour+ from WDW, and thus have been in love with the magic since I can remember. We live in CT now, and while I want my children to experience the magic of Disney, we have to factor in hotel fees, rental car, plane tix, etc. We're not cheap, but it can get very pricey.

Anyway - just curious how everyone feels about it. TIA

 

[mom23boys]

We have three boys so space is limited in a reg hotel room. After our first trip off site with all of them we decided to buy into DVC.

My DH and I also like having our own space. We usually get a two bedroom so the kids can sleep and we can use the living area, also we use the kitchen.

You may want to look into renting points for DVC for your vacation. For 5 nights at a 1 bedroom at OKW it would be about $1100. Weekends are more expensive for points.

Having two kids under three you may like the kitchen and the washer and dryer.

All I can say is that we stayed off site once and I will never do it again. We like being in a Disney hotel. We do rent a car so we still have that expense but my DH does not like to be without.

We are also Hotel snobs, but having 5 in our family we are limited in hotel choices and almost always have to get a suite.

Good luck on your decision I hope you have a great vacation.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I have to ask this to those of you who stay "on property" at the Disney hotels. Out of curiousity only...How do you justify the $$$???

Here's why I'm asking...We are going to WDW in September and have chosen to stay off property at Windsor Hills. We found a 3 BR townhouse (with splash pool) for $775 for a week, taxes and all fees included. A ridiculously good deal.

DH and I have talked at length about staying on property, and fully intend to when our children are older and will remember the trip (they will be just under 3 - ie free - and 14 mos in Sept.) For now we can't justify spending the $$$ on a Disney hotel because the kids won't even remember the trip when they are older. Also, DH and I are spoiled - we do not want to stay in a 1 BR hotel room, having to go to bed with the kids, and having no living space to enjoy a little down time when kids are asleep. We want space, and have decided that when we finally do stay at a Disney hotel, that we want to be able to afford a villa, Jr. suite, 2 connecting rooms, or something similar (like I said, we are admittedly spoiled ) So for now, Windsor Hills works perfectly for us.

THAT SAID - we also realize the "magic" we are missing by staying off property, not to mention the convenience, which is why we want to do this when our children are older.

Anyway, I was just wondering how people do it? Justify the cost of staying at a disney hotel. Sell it to me folks Actually, no need to sell really. I'm already sold. I just want to hear out of curiosity more than anything. How different is the experience of a Disney vacation staying on property?

I grew up about an hour+ from WDW, and thus have been in love with the magic since I can remember. We live in CT now, and while I want my children to experience the magic of Disney, we have to factor in hotel fees, rental car, plane tix, etc. We're not cheap, but it can get very pricey.

Anyway - just curious how everyone feels about it. TIA

Since I was raised Catholic, I kind of view WDW as "Heaven" and to me being offsite is like being relegated to purgatory every night. It's still a great vacation, but I'm not "in" Disney the whole time and I know it.

It is worth it to me because:

I can look out my window and see a "Disney" view.

I can hop onto a bus, boat or monorail and be right back in the park.

EMH!!!

No need to drive,park, or worry about accidents. I can drink around the world at Epcot and there's always someone there to drive me back "home". No worries about whose taxi I'm getting into.

I love "mousekeepers" with towel animals, artistic organizing and arranging and they make me feel like I am their guest.

I love the themed pools and gift shops because I know I am really in Disney.

I love the Disney music around the resorts and the Disney channel in the room.

It is really like a separate attraction to me.

I love the refillable mugs - it's just another thing that makes me feel "taken care of".

I love the restaurants and even the food courts at the mods. I love being able to hop from park to park or park to resort and dine wherever I like.

I love being able to see fireworks and ELP from my room or from a beach/deck at my resort.

I love the conveniences of Mickey wakeup calls and toiletries and front desk assistance.

I feel safe in a Disney resort- much more so than in other places.

I feel constantly safe, unworried, and taken care of- a feeling I very rarely get.

 

[KTSMOM]

I would consider staying off site if I had my own car to drive while I was at DW. We have always flown to DW and staying on site with busses readily available is a big plus for us. My DH and I once tried off site with a hotel that was near by. They only came by every few hours to pick people up and in the evenings we had to take a taxi to get to the parks or DTD. Now that we have a child, it's a huge plus to get back to the hotel whenever we need to. Also, with free dining, I can definately justify paying more to stay on site. Most of all..it's the Disney magic. Staying on site just gives me a good feeling and I really enjoy it!

 

[NotUrsula]

Time is money. The proximity cuts the commute time considerably, and I get extra hours in the parks.

 

[o2bacelt]

I'm not sure that we've spent that much more staying on property as we would have if we were off.

We prefer the convenience of being right there, especially having a 2 year old. We take an afternoon break back at our room, if I had to drive off property when we wanted a break, it wouldn't be worth it for us.

We enjoy being in the middle of the magic for our entire stay instead of stuck on 192 trying to get into the park during morning rush hour.

We stay in a single room, that works for us as we were, until recently, a co-sleeping family.

We save for our vacations and work hard to pinch pennies where we can so we can enjoy ourselves completely on vacation. My DH loves Disney as much as my daughter and I, so much so that when I suggested a second trip this year, it took him about 1/2 a nanosecond to agree that he'd love to do it too.

 

[loriandmatt]

ok - we generally stay on property, but i have to say that we only have two choices:

camp at FW or get a code or some other serious discount and even then only stay at a value.

we don't see as staying at FW as a bad thing at all. we love it and actually prefer it to most hotel/resort stays we could afford.

we also don't mind (if we are going to go with a hotel/resort for one reason or another) the values. we kind of have the "we are only sleeping there" mentality.

We spend our "real" money on our APs and of course on food.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

For us the idea of going to Disney and staying "onsite" is what it's all about . We don't have to worry about catching a taxi or paying the fare,were surrounded by Magic 24hrs/day ,our kids love the resort themes and for our next trip in August (8 ngts/9days ) park tickets and room were paying less than $1450 for 2 adults& 2 kids!

 

[robinb]

Welcome to the DIS!!!

I think a budget is a very personal decision. What one person feels comfortable with if different that what someone else feels comfortable with. I have stayed on-site and I have stayed off-site and I have no problems spending the extra money and staying on site. I don't "justify" it in any way ... it's just what I prefer. FWIW, that decision is for ME, not for my daughter. I use the Disney bus system to get to the parks and I enjoy the theming of the Disney resorts. With only one child, we easily fit in a Value resort (All Stars, Pop Century) but if we want to spead out we can since we own at the Disney Vacation Club. I have stayed in the smallest room Disney can offer (All Star Sports) and the largest (a 2265 sq ft 3-bedroom Grand Villa at Old Key West) and I love them all.

I can understand the allure of a pool home (or a townhouse in your case). I have always wanted to stay in one because they look so nice. I seriously thought about it for my next trip with my extended family as there will be 12 of us. I *almost* booked one in Windsor Hills for this summer, but I dragged my feet on pulling the trigger. Good thing too since Disney offered Free Dining starting in mid-August and I jumped all over that! Now we're in 4 rooms at Pop Century for a little more money and we'll be eating like Kings .

 

[lindakmonty]

I've stayed both on and off property...and I have to say that we will not stay off property again. It is easier since I only have one child,but dh refuses to go unless we stay on property. We go back to the hotel for a nap and refresh... and I can't imagine doing this off property. It just takes too long and isn't convenient. Of coarse you'll pay for convenience, but it is worth the extra cost. Even if you stay at a value resort. You don't have to pay parking, you can take advantage of the extra magic hours!!! I would love to stay at the monorail resorts, but we'll try to stay at SOG and walk to Poly... since dh is in the military and we can stay there. The resorts have great themes, restaurants, pools !!!! It's Disney, you can't go wrong. But if it were stay off property or don't go at all.... then I'd be off property You can always rent points from a DVC owner and stay at a great resort at a discount as well!! DH refused to do that... he's not into "renting"... I don't see the difference between renting points and renting a hotel room??? but oh well, he's stubborn!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We have 3 children and our oldest just turned 4. We would NEVER stay off site. It is too inconvenient for us. We don't want to be bothered renting a car and lugging carseats etc. We also like staying in the middle of the magic. We like seeing the castle from the Poly and hearing the music. We also don't go to bed when the kids do. We put them to sleep and dh and I sit on the patio or balcony and enjoy our surroundings as well as each other. Stepping into that Disney resort makes me feel like I've entered heaven! Just the smell of it is wonderful! There is also no way we would be able to do as much. Our kids need a break during the day and so do we. If we had to drive back to some other place we would never go back to the parks at night. We would also have to pack so much to go to the parks. Now we only pack a few things in our video camera bag an that's it. (and I have 2 in diapers!) We know how long we are going to be in the parks and then we are just a monorail ride or boat ride away from our room. We wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[formernyer]

During the time that you're going to be traveling it's a much better value to stay onsite!

My entire trip for 4 is going to cost less than $1,200 for 5 days, 4 nights. That includes four 5-day parkhopper tickets (purchased privately for $775), 4 nights at a Value resort, all meals, and gas. I already know from my last trip (before the DDP included better snack options) that the DDP will feed us like pigs for the entire time we are there and meal-sharing will enable every meal for the 5 days to be covered. I'll also be dining once a day at a nice Disney TS restaurant that I couldn't otherwise afford.

 

[phorsenuf]

Our first trip with the kids we stayed off-site. On the second trip we stayed on-site and my DH about died when I told him how much it was. This of course was before I found the DIS (and now we own DVC).
The third time we went to go I looked at off-site places and DH said no way, we are only going if we stay on-site! LOL Convenience and magic is what its all about. He tells everybody to stay on-site. He tells them it may cost more but its so worth it.

 

[juligrl]

1. We don't have to rent a car. Since we generally fly to Disney, if we were to stay off-site, we'd have to get a rental car which would be an added expense. Plus, we don't have to pay for parking.

2. We don't have to navigate. We're on vacation, we really don't want to bother with maps, getting lost, asking directions and paying tolls.

3. Extra Magic Hours!

4. We have a 2,500+ sq. ft. home and are always going several different directions at home, we use our vacation time as a chance to spend family time together, so one room works best for us.

5. It's more convenient for us to get out of the parks for a mid-day nap if we stay on-site.

Honestly, we wouldn't want to do it any other way.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I guess it all boils down to how you are getting to WDW, plane or driving, how many people or solo, do you want to do things off-site, so many variables. I love on and offsite but the past few years I have decided to take one of my dogs down with me, I drive, and for me off-site has been better.

I stay at extended stay deluxe hotels they have full kitchens which saves me on-site food $ the dog costs no more than $75 fee no matter how long you stay...I have a keen nose and I have never smelt that doggie smell in their hotels, a professional cleaner totally takes care of any room an animal has been in..total costs for me for 16 nights $1,200. and located approx 2 miles from AK

jmho..you can find great places off-site too

Ruthie

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Anyway - just curious how everyone feels about it. TIA

Hi,
We feel kinda opposite about the age of kids part...our son is young now, so the convenience of the bus system is a must. Hassling with getting him in and out of the car seat is not my idea of Disney fun! For my dh, the not driving thing is HUGE for him. He does most of the driving on our vacations and just not having to worry about figuring out how to get everywhere and park under crowded conditions is a big draw for him. Plus, we stay at Values for now and get the AAA discount, so it's really not THAT expensive compared to off-site.
The deal you found sounds great, but we are spending much less than that at Pop Century. You do get a lot of extra amenities, though, but we're not the kind of people who do much more than sleep in our hotel room after a long day in the parks. If you do spend a good chunk of time in the room, you might want to stay off-site and get more luxurious accommodations and do the driving yourself. All depends on what your priorities are!

 

[brymolmom]

Before Sept 2005, I had never stayed onsite. Like you, I could not justify the cost and thought that I might do so when my kids (now 4 and 2) are old enough to appreciate it.

Then I ran the numbers with FREE DINING. And, my numbers worked out to be a LOT cheaper staying onsite. We didn't have to rent a car - and all our food was INCLUDED (well, ok we did buy a couple things here and there). And we were people who always used to get our own kitchen and make many meals in the room AND bring some meals to the parks - SO- it still ended up a lot cheaper since the dining was free. Even off site - buying the bulk of your meals out somewhere is very expensive.

The only thing I truly miss is, like you, I really LOVED having at least a 1 bedroom suite to let the kids go to sleep in one room while dh and I relaxed in another. I'm not a huge fan of the one hotel room either. But, for the price difference AND for the fact that we are closer, can use their transportation, Magical Express, get EMH and get the whole 'magic' I'm suffering through the one hotel room. Besides, dh and I just took turns taking a nap while the other went to the pool for a drink, etc. - so it wasn't too bad. And well worth the sacrifice.

Now, if you cannot part with the multi-room setup - I would agree - I can't bring myself to spend that to stay onsite (since there are so many reasonably priced places so close by). But, if you are willing to try it once and stay at a value - you might find it worth the effort!

 

[sameyeyam]

I don't justify anything about my annual Disney trip. I used to spend my life analyzing savings/budgets, etc... Until my mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at age 59, 1 year ago.

Now I live for enjoyment and what makes my family happy. Yes I still plan for the future, put away for retirement, etc... But I have a very keen realization that life can disappear in an instant when you least expect it.

Whenever I consider my life and our family activites now, I do everything possible to make sure my family has fun. Because that is what life is all about. It's really much to short to not have fun and enjoy yourself to the fullest extent.

So I say what the heck, unless it's going to cause you severe financial hardship, stay on-site, have concierge level, go to a really fancy off-site. Just as long as you do whatever makes you happy, it can never be the wrong choice.

 

[PaulaSue]

We went with our parents (we are both onlies and both sets of parents came) so it was 9 of us...

*free bus to and from the airport, no rental cars needed.
*free busses to and from the parks, we can come and go as please and not all have to go. No worries where we parked.
*we all got the meal plan and ate like royalty.
*we all had AAAs and used the discount code
*It was Dh and my first family vacation for over 5 years and it was for our 10th anniversary


It was EASY with 3 kids and that is what I want my vacation to be.

 

[AllyCatTapia]

?I'm paying less than you (original poster) for same amount of nights, so..?

You know my deal breaker though? NAPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. Suuure, they TELL you they are "5 minutes away", but you have to add the TTC, finding your car, going in or out of the pay booth, etc etc etc.

Or, they tell you they have busses too- well guess what- most of their bussed aren't contnuous like Disney...and of course, Disney gives it's OWN busses special privelages, parking, drop off, etc etc etc.

Yup. Time is money.