Hum...booked AOA now? cheaper off site

[pixxi]

We always have stayed onsite and love it. With 4 kids (2 kids counted as adults) and 2 adults, it is getting pricey.

Currently for Sept. we have 9 nights booked at AOA, with free dining (bounceback offer). Plus 7 day park passes. Can't remember exactly but about just over $5000.

Looking at Townhouses and such it's about $1000 for 9 days, then adding park passes for 7 days, parking at parks, van rental, then food. It just seems like it is less hastle and just about the same price to stay on property this time.

What am I missing?

 

[HM]

Because you have a large family with several adults the free dining really makes a difference in savings. I can't imagine you'd do much better offsite. Plus your tickets are currently at last year's prices. You'll pay more if you have to purchase now. Stick with what you have.

 

[happily single]

Staying off site you would need a large rentl car/van. That will be at least a few hundred dollars. don't forget about gas, tolls from/to airport and parking at Disney.

I think staying on-site with free dining sounds like a better deal

 

[mrsabbott]

$5000 is waaay over our budget for a vacation! We are a family of 6 and staying on site for 7 nights at a Value suite (not at peak season) would cost us about $2000 (plus tax and fees) or more! I can get a condo with a full kitchen, plenty of space (not to mention privacy from the kids at night), washer and dryer for about $800 (including tax and fees) or less!

We get the military discount tickets and, in all honesty, 4 days (or even 3 days) at the parks and maybe a day or two at the water park or a day at Disney quest is MORE then enough for our family!

As for the free dining, we'd eat breakfast at the condo, pack snacks and sandwiches for us, and splurge on one fun meal (most likely counter service, maybe one sit down or character meal during the week) and snack a day.

Our entire budget, including gas, tolls, parking, food, lodging, tickets, souveniers is $3000 MAX! I could do it for much less as my BIL offered to let us stay at their house but they don't have a spare room and I need a comfy night's sleep so that I can trek my way through the parks each day!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We always have stayed onsite and love it. With 4 kids (2 kids counted as adults) and 2 adults, it is getting pricey.

Currently for Sept. we have 9 nights booked at AOA, with free dining (bounceback offer). Plus 7 day park passes. Can't remember exactly but about just over $5000.

Looking at Townhouses and such it's about $1000 for 9 days, then adding park passes for 7 days, parking at parks, van rental, then food. It just seems like it is less hastle and just about the same price to stay on property this time.

What am I missing?

your cash?

Seriously Disney has priced itself so high that I long ago came to the conclusion that it's not worth it.

"Free Dining" in this case seems to be costing you $4,000

With a townhouse you would have more space and possibly lots of other features.

Until Disney pricing returns to "reality" from "fantasy" it's hard to justify IMHO.

 

[pigletto]

I debated this exact scenario last summer. We brought a friend of dd's, making us 5, and had free dining. I was booked in an AoA suite for the longest time but eventually switched to the Fort Wilderness cabins. Why? Because at AoA it was only the quick service plan for free dining, and at the cabins it was the regular plan. That alone made it cheaper to stay at the Cabins.
We ended up really enjoying it.
I know I could have saved more with offsite but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the teens in our party to be able to hop on a bus without us. I wanted to not have to drive everywhere we went, and I wanted to be on property. So the cabins are an option. But they aren't for everyone. They are lovely but the fort is very relaxed, and spread out. If you want the feeling of being in the middle of it all they aren't the place for you.

 

[robinb]

We always have stayed onsite and love it. With 4 kids (2 kids counted as adults) and 2 adults, it is getting pricey.

Currently for Sept. we have 9 nights booked at AOA, with free dining (bounceback offer). Plus 7 day park passes. Can't remember exactly but about just over $5000.

Looking at Townhouses and such it's about $1000 for 9 days, then adding park passes for 7 days, parking at parks, van rental, then food. It just seems like it is less hastle and just about the same price to stay on property this time.

What am I missing?

I calculated it be about $3500 for you to stay off site: $1000 house/condo, $349 for a minivan, $2100 for 6 7-pay park hoppers and $30 for parking. The remaining $1500 would have to cover food for 9 days for a family of 6. The difference is essentially the value of the QS DDP. I think that I would probably stick with what you have, even though you would have more room off-site. Your two "Disney Adults" make "free" dining worth it.

FTR, you could do a lot better than $1000. Vacation Central Florida has a 3-bedroom condo in Windsor Hills for $299 + taxes and fees ( http://www.vacationcentralflorida.com/home.html) You could add a day on either side of your vacation in a hotel and still be well under $1000. Or, you might be able to wrangle a deal for 9-days with them.

 

[ICF]

I calculated it be about ....$30 for parking.

Parking for 7 days would be $105 ($15x7)

 

[robinb]

Parking for 7 days would be $105 ($15x7)

Whoops . You're right. My spreadsheet must have had a hiccup.

 

[kydisneyfans]

If you are not at a park everyday, then the parking cost can be lowered.

There are dozens of condos on Skyauction for under $300 a week in September. They are good places too-Silver Lake is closer to Animal Kingdom than most Disney hotels.

As a rule for us though-if free dining is in effect, we stay onsite. If free dining is not, then it's offsite through Skyauction.

Airport costs/rentals/etc do not figure in for us since we drive everytime.

 

[robinb]

If you are not at a park everyday, then the parking cost can be lowered.

There are dozens of condos on Skyauction for under $300 a week in September. They are good places too-Silver Lake is closer to Animal Kingdom than most Disney hotels.

As a rule for us though-if free dining is in effect, we stay onsite. If free dining is not, then it's offsite through Skyauction.

Airport costs/rentals/etc do not figure in for us since we drive everytime.

I looked at Skyauction for the OP too but she would need a 2-bedroom which is $350 per week. Plus, she would have to find a hotel for her other two nights.