Humor Me! ;)

[Beemitchcowski]

Oh, I'm just going to jump in...........First of all, I think that you should try to stay on site so that you know if it is for you or not.

My kids are now 18 & 24. We have done on-site, off-site and home rental. For us, there were different needs at different stages, ages and type of trip. When the kids were little, a few "all consuming magic" was great. Not every trip, because finances or "just a change to see if we like it" was in order. As these boys became men, they loved having their own pool, room and "big fridge". It was also nice to have room to put them to bed and stay up at times when they were just worn out. On that note, some trips were pretty commando and we all went to bed at the same time.

Hopefully I haven't confused you.............most of all, you are going to Disney!!!!

Na...I"m already confused!

My Dh and I were just discussing how maybe in a couple of years (if we don't add #3!) we can give staying on property a try...We figure we can say that we rented a townhome..and did Bonnet Creek/timeshare....I really really want to go back for Christmas...and I told DH if we do that ...I REALLY want to stay on property because our visit will probably only be for a few days!

Thanks!

 

[Detailor]

Originally Posted by Detailor
Personally, I would go to Disney and stay on Disney property but only if we were staying at one of the DVCs.

I would add, "But only if you're in a 1 BR or above." If you're traveling with kids, then IMHO the DVC studios are just glorified hotel rooms. Actually, I've gotten more amenities in some hotel rooms, so just hotel rooms, no glorification.

I agree that a 1 BR is the minimum that I'd be interested in for 2 people. Any more than 2 people, at least for me, means a 2 BR timeshare villa.
As far as amenities are concerned I was thinking about "resort amenities" versus "in-room amenities." Sorry if that intention didn't come out clearly in my original post.

Dick Taylor

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I think the Wyndham Bonnett Creek resort is an excellent choice if the accommodations there suit your family's needs and preferences more while still allowing you to be a very short drive to the Disney parks. What defines a "magical" experience is subjective for every family. If you are traveling to Orlando with the intent of spending the majority of your time at the WDW parks, then it IS a true Disney vacation. Not staying at a Disney owned resort doesn't make your trip less of an "authentic" one IMO . There are people who stay at the Disney resorts and only spend one day at a park or don't go to the parks at all. Have a magical trip

 

[minerva78]

Reading through this thread has been really helpful for me as well. My younger daughter has a sensory processing disorder, although she's making good improvements with OT, and my older daughter has mild sensory issues (mainly difficulties with extremely loud noises). When I started researching Disney, I was convinced I was going to say onsite, and after doing more research I'm pretty convinced we'll stay offsite!

So many people kept saying how you don't get the true Disney experience unless you stay on property. While that is nice for some, I didn't know if that was a big deal to me, because I personally didn't want to be in all of Disney 24/7 - especially since we'll be going to Universal IOA one day, but felt like maybe my kids deserved it. But now I just realized that it may not be good for my kids to be in all of Disney all of the time either, because it could be VERY overwhelming for them. Just going to the parks will be an experience! It just makes me more and more comfortable with staying offsite now, because I think that will be best for our family. It sounds like you're probably making a good decision staying offsite too.

 

[Beemitchcowski]

Reading through this thread has been really helpful for me as well. My younger daughter has a sensory processing disorder, although she's making good improvements with OT, and my older daughter has mild sensory issues (mainly difficulties with extremely loud noises). When I started researching Disney, I was convinced I was going to say onsite, and after doing more research I'm pretty convinced we'll stay offsite!

So many people kept saying how you don't get the true Disney experience unless you stay on property. While that is nice for some, I didn't know if that was a big deal to me, because I personally didn't want to be in all of Disney 24/7 - especially since we'll be going to Universal IOA one day, but felt like maybe my kids deserved it. But now I just realized that it may not be good for my kids to be in all of Disney all of the time either, because it could be VERY overwhelming for them. Just going to the parks will be an experience! It just makes me more and more comfortable with staying offsite now, because I think that will be best for our family. It sounds like you're probably making a good decision staying offsite too.[/QUOT

Thank you!

I'm glad this thread has been helpful! Your kids will still have a fun Disney experience staying offsite! Remember..you can always make mickey mouse pancakes in the morning...set out "surprise" goodie bags in the morning with a note from Mickey and his Friends..to add some extra magic! Also..you could even set some time aside and walk around the resorts and see what they have to offer! I suggest bringing items such as noise reducing headphones...mini flashlights (some of the waiting areas can be really dark). Now my 6 year old has Autism...so I found a really great site that has Social Stories and pictures of Disney....you might not need anything like that..but they serve as a great resource for kids that need visuals!

 

[Beemitchcowski]

deleted info about GAC card

 

[shalom]

So many people kept saying how you don't get the true Disney experience unless you stay on property.

Yeah, but what is the "true Disney experience," really? I've got some built-in skepticism about the whole "only onsite will do" routine, because before I found the Dis, the most rabid onsiters I knew had never heard of the Pirate Tutorial, or the Citizens of Hollywood, or ANY of the live stuff at any of the Disney parks. I'd never gone, but I knew there were live skits and things, however when I asked them about the non-ride stuff, they kind of stared blankly a moment, then assured me there was nothing to do there but rides, so if I'm not into amusement park rides I shouldn't go.

They don't notice stuff like the Flower & Garden Festival or the koi pond or the Cinderella mosaics, either; I'm pretty sure the whole park is a vague background blur to them except the rides. But they still felt informed enough to tell me what I had to do for the "True Disney Experience." I think of them every time someone says, "Oh, you gotta stay onsite to get the Full/Real/Total/True/Whatever Disney World Experience." There is no True Disney Experience -- there's just a zillion different varieties of great ones.

I want well rested kids that aren't so overstimulated that they can't even make sense of what is going on....

My parents took us to Disneyland when I was in my teens, and although I enjoyed some stuff early in the day, by the time we left I'd spent hours just wanting to Go Home NOW, Please, so for the longest time my main memory of it was just of being miserable and bored. Some of the most anti-Disney people I've known had parents who were Disney Commando. I think they'd actually enjoy WDW if they took it at a slower pace, but with their past experience blocking things, it's never going to happen.

The only "best" Disney experience is the one that works best for you. The funny thing is, that even Disney Commandos argue over what particular rides are "must dos," while onsiters sometimes split between the Deluxe All The Way guys and the ones who think Deluxe is way over rated. They may look like they're united in what a Full Disney Experience is all about, but look a little deeper and they're talking about two very different things, and just using the same name.

 

[minerva78]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I completely agree with everything you said.

The one issue I've had since starting to learn more on these boards is that many people who stay onsite seem to be VERY dedicated to this, to the point of making you feel bad for even thinking of staying offsite. Many people with young children seem extremely passionate about this, to the point of making you feel like you are shortchanging your chidren's "Disney experience", and it does make me doubt myself sometimes. But once someone finally opened my eyes to the benefits of staying offsite, I've gone down the road and I don't feel like I'll turn back! It is so quick for people to forget that your Disney trip is what you make of it, and that no one's trip has to be the same as the others' because we all have different families with different needs and wants for their vacation. If my kids grow up feeling shortchanged because we stayed offsite, I'll deal with that later. But for now, I like the idea of paying less for much more room and separate sleeping areas, because I also intend on coming back to a resort for naps and/or down time. And I doubt they will really care. What I remember about my Disney trips as a child were that we actually went to Disney twice, when many of my friends' families never went - my husband never did. I remember seeing characters, taking pictures with them, going to a character breakfast and riding the monorail, which was so cool at the time. I had a great Disney experience as a child, without having to stay onsite! I just wish Disney trips were as simple now as they were then, lol.

 

[shalom]

You're welcome.

Many people with young children seem extremely passionate about this, to the point of making you feel like you are shortchanging your chidren's "Disney experience", and it does make me doubt myself sometimes.

In my experience (I have five kids, most of whom are now teenagers), young children are the last ones to care about that sort of thing. And it's quite common for people on their first trip to discover that their kids, little ones and even older, would rather play in the pool/do other "little" stuff than go to the parks, and this happens both onsite and offsite. Not to say little ones don't enjoy the parks, but I really think only a certain percentage of kids want to hit the parks day after day (although I'd hazard a guess that they're a lot more common in some families than others, so it wouldn't surprise me if families with two commando parents are more likely to have commando kids, etc.). But I also suspect a lot of Disney-loving parents teach their kids to love staying onsite because they, the parents, love it.

I say this because I am a Disney-loving parent who'd love to stay onsite, only my rotten kids won't play along. We went and toured the DVC resorts last time we were in Orlando (we're timesharers), and I recently told the kids, "Hey, I think we could do a DVC unit next time!" and they all voted against it. I didn't expect my teenage boys to be excited about it, but even my youngest, who adored the Animal Kingdom Lodge and said she really wanted to stay there back in the day, said, "Nah, I want to stay at Bonnet Creek and do the lazy rivers."

Not that I'm really opposed to Bonnet Creek, but I've been wanting to stay at the Contemporary since I was 11, and would love, love, love to get a 2 BR at Bay Lake Towers in 2013. But, alas, I have failed to correctly indoctrinate my kids. I'm guessing it isn't hard to do -- adults hanging out on the Disney Resort Board here at the Dis start to think it must be reality, so how tough can it be to convince your kids of it? And if I'd just raised my kids to believe, "Only Disney will do," then I'd feel a lot more justified in paying the extra money to stay onsite - "for the kids," y'know.

More seriously, I think it's a family thing. If you raise your kids to think you failed them by not having onsite vacations, they'd probably believe you. But if you raise them to believe that where you stay is not a big deal, and let's just be glad we got to go to Disney, they're probably believe that, too! So you're probably right that they're not going to care.

 

[Beemitchcowski]

Thank you everyone for your replies! We can't wait for our next trip (in MAY--Yeah!) I feel better now about planning another offsite trip!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I completely agree with everything you said.

The one issue I've had since starting to learn more on these boards is that many people who stay onsite seem to be VERY dedicated to this, to the point of making you feel bad for even thinking of staying offsite. Many people with young children seem extremely passionate about this, to the point of making you feel like you are shortchanging your chidren's "Disney experience", and it does make me doubt myself sometimes. But once someone finally opened my eyes to the benefits of staying offsite, I've gone down the road and I don't feel like I'll turn back! It is so quick for people to forget that your Disney trip is what you make of it, and that no one's trip has to be the same as the others' because we all have different families with different needs and wants for their vacation. If my kids grow up feeling shortchanged because we stayed offsite, I'll deal with that later. But for now, I like the idea of paying less for much more room and separate sleeping areas, because I also intend on coming back to a resort for naps and/or down time. And I doubt they will really care. What I remember about my Disney trips as a child were that we actually went to Disney twice, when many of my friends' families never went - my husband never did. I remember seeing characters, taking pictures with them, going to a character breakfast and riding the monorail, which was so cool at the time. I had a great Disney experience as a child, without having to stay onsite! I just wish Disney trips were as simple now as they were then, lol.

I wouldn't feel that way at all. Like I said in my previous post, if you are going to Orlando with the intent to visit the Disney parks, then your trip is no less of an "authentic" Disney trip than that of a family staying at a Disney owned hotel. I think the people who come across as onsite die harders and are quick to thumb their noses at staying offsite are a lot of times people who have the "all Disney or nothing" mentality. We have young children and stayed onsite for our past trip and I can tell you that there were many moments that our family would have benefited from the amenities and atmosphere of an offsite condo or vacation home, which is why we are strongly considering staying offsite for our next WDW trip. I don't think my children would have felt short changed at all and probably would have appreciated the extra space to spread out in a condo or vacation home as we aren't the type of family that spends every waking hour in the parks. There are tons of people who love Disney but don't think twice about taking advantage of the fact that there is an over development of timeshare resorts and vacation home communities in the Orlando market resulting in some really competitive deals for your dollar. For one family, there may be a year when staying onsite works out better for that particular WDW trip and there may be another year when staying onsite doesn't work at all for that same family. When you are in the parks or at the character meals, everyone is enjoying the same Disney "magic" regardless of where they sleep at the end of the day.

 

[PoppyGirl]

DD and I stayed at Bonnet Creek last year and we absolutely loved it!! The resort is so beautiful, the rooms were fabulous. It was a totally relaxing trip for us. As you can see from my signature, we've done a number of trips and I have to say that last year at BC was probably the one that felt the most like a VACATION to me. There are 2 lazy rivers and DD and I both loved them. We loved the pools, we loved the proximity to Disney. We got everything that was great about Disney and everything that was relaxing about "not" Disney all in one. I've been researching buying there ever since. (don't quite have DH on board with it yet!)

Given everything you've described about your family, it sounds like a great choice for you. I truly don't like driving, but I even found that having a car was fine and I enjoyed being able to get where we wanted to be with no waiting on anyone. It's no more than a few minutes from any of the parks. I do recommend some sort of navigation though...I just used the one on my phone and found it invaluable.

We were able to make a quick grocery stop and pick up a few things,, but you can also have groceries delivered. Have you seen the "we love Bonnet Creek" thread? There is tons of advice there.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. I am sure you will not regret choosing Bonnet Creek.

 

[shalom]

When you are in the parks or at the character meals, everyone is enjoying the same Disney "magic" regardless of where they sleep at the end of the day.

(on the whole post, really).

Unless we made an early reservation at the Castle the day we're doing MK (highly unlikely), the only ADRs we'll do next time will be for resort restaurants. You can enjoy the resorts (just not the pools and the like) without staying there, too.

I kind of wondered if the kids would be interested in/jealous of the resort pools, since the pool at place were were staying was dead basic (although the hot tub was kinda snazzy), but the only one who seemed to notice the pools was hubby, who perked up a bit when we were walking by Stormalong Bay. I was all, "hey, check out that volcano! Isn't that waterfall cool? I want to go swimming here!" but the kids were just kind of, "whatever, mom." No lazy river, no big deal, I guess.

 

[kimmer]

We've stayed at Bonnet Creek the last two years, and are returning for our trip this coming May. Our family LOVES BC. It's clean, spacious and only minutes from the parks.


For us, we just can't justify the price to stay on-site. It would cost us more, and we'd be receiving less (in terms of room size).

Have fun! You'll love it

 

[Beemitchcowski]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I am getting so excited about this trip! It looks like Bonnet Creek will be a good fit for us! I am going to have WEGOSHOP deliver groceries so hopefully we won't have to leave the disney gates (from my understanding and what I remember....Bonnet Creek is within the gates...right?)...so if we never go out to eat outside of property (inside of property is also DTD..right?)....then its like we never left....right?

I know that the Bonnet Creek Shuttles are not as convenient as the Disney shuttles..but I am hoping that we can use them a few times to see how my son does on them!

Now if I could stop myself from going onto the Disney Resort threads where they talk about ONLY doing onsite!

 

[Detailor]

Bonnet Creek is within the gates...right?)

Right, it's within the gates.

...so if we never go out to eat outside of property (inside of property is also DTD..right?)

Bonnet Creek isn't technically "on property" as Disney doesn't own the land that the resort was built on. But, yes, Downtown Disney is definitely on property.

....then its like we never left....right?

Right, it's seem like you never leave the Disney property as once you're out on East Buena Vista Drive you'll be going towards all things Disney.

Have fun!

Dick Taylor