I can't shake the allure of staying on site

[disneyseniors]

I just want to point out that when you stay off site their are no people that come to your house and force you to cook or do laundry. I also didn't clean anymore than I would in a hotel room. Honestly the 5 minutes the hotel maid is in your room doesn't really do a whole lot. Lets be honest unless you are checking out they do the bare minimum unless you are club level and have turn down. Quick making of the bed and wipedown of the bathroom and empty the garbage. I am one who keeps even a hotel room picked up so I don't mind spending less than 5 minutes to make up the bed and dh took out the garbage at the house(which took all of 30 seconds). Other than that no cooking or laundry to be done unless you want to(and some want to even in the disney bubble, but at least offsite I can do laundry while sipping coffee or a drink at night and take a dip in the pool while I'm waiting for the load to finish). I'd imagine doing laundry on site is a huge PITA. I just don't feel that b/c I am offsite I all of a sudden have to do all these tasks people associate with being a must when you are off site.

We also stayed off site peak season and I can gurantee we were back at our house relaxing before people even got on that bus or ferry to their hotel. The lines at night were so long. I can't imagine waiting in that after a long day at the park. There was no traffic, but b/c of the helpful people here we were advised of the quickest routes and to take advantage of valet at MK to make in and out a breeze!!

Chill! I only stated what WE like, not the rest of the world. It's not a major issue, so chill. You like what you like, that's great! We like what we like! Why am I even saying this????? There's not need to get offended because I said I like onsite and not doing laundry, cooking any meals, etc. That's just ME. I've stayed offsite, as I stated, and it was great for us at the time, with small grandkids, lots of other stuff to do at Nickelodeon. I don't need to defend my husbands dislike of driving. But just so you know, he drives over 300 miles a day in his job, so he really needs his non driving vacation So, smile, and I'm glad you love offsite and all those things! to each his own, no need to be defensive about it!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I don't think PP was being defensive, just pointing out that cooking/laundry really have nothing to do with your choice of accommodations. Offsite guests have all the same food options you have PLUS many, many more. We had a washer/dryer in our cabin, but didn't do any laundry. We DID use the dryer a couple times to dry our towels after water park days.


And while the break from driving is certainly something some can appreciate, your previous contention that the buses actually save time vs driving really is just not the case at all

 

[nugov2]

Chill! I only stated what WE like, not the rest of the world. It's not a major issue, so chill. You like what you like, that's great! We like what we like! Why am I even saying this????? There's not need to get offended because I said I like onsite and not doing laundry, cooking any meals, etc. That's just ME. I've stayed offsite, as I stated, and it was great for us at the time, with small grandkids, lots of other stuff to do at Nickelodeon. I don't need to defend my husbands dislike of driving. But just so you know, he drives over 300 miles a day in his job, so he really needs his non driving vacation So, smile, and I'm glad you love offsite and all those things! to each his own, no need to be defensive about it!

The Lady(or maybe sir) doth protest too much, methinks

I don't have caps and an abundance of punctuation all over my post. I was just pointing out that while lots of people say one of their reasons to skip off site is b/c they don't want to do laundry and cook because it is a vacation. I just wanted to say this isn't a requirement of being off site. You only cook and do laundry if you want to and can happily dine on site every night if you'd like

 

[Ceryssa]

We stayed onsite for our first trip in November. I will say, I was VERY worried about the lack of space; we've always stayed in condos when we go on vacation and I wasn't sure how my kids would do sleeping in the room with us and each other--my oldest has trouble settling down at night. And the idea of not having a car and being able to run to a convenience store if we need really freaked me out. We stayed at CSR and YC, so I can't say if the values would've worked for us (double beds just aren't an option for us; queens are bad enough as we're used to a king at home). But we found the space in the room to be plenty for the 4 of us, considering the little amount of time we spent there. It being our first trip, we spent the majority of our time in the parks or doing things outside the room. There was plenty of space for our stuff. And the store onsite had everything we needed when we stopped to pick up items like Advil, etc. I priced out onsite vs offsite this time as well, and the difference between the two was actually minimal once I took into account renting a car (we fly), paying for parking, etc. One of our least favorite things about vacation is having to drive anywhere, so the buses/boats/monorail were great for us. In the grand scheme of a Disney trip a couple hundred dollars doesn't make or break the budget for us, so we stuck with staying onsite.

 

[disneyseniors]

The Lady(or maybe sir) doth protest too much, methinks

I don't have caps and an abundance of punctuation all over my post. I was just pointing out that while lots of people say one of their reasons to skip off site is b/c they don't want to do laundry and cook because it is a vacation. I just wanted to say this isn't a requirement of being off site. You only cook and do laundry if you want to and can happily dine on site every night if you'd like

 

[disneyseniors]

Uh, What does that have to do with it??? (protest too much???)
anyway, thanks for the permission to eat where I want to, sheesh...............sorry I gave an opinion that was not for offsite. oh well..............have a nice day

 

[nugov2]

Uh, What does that have to do with it??? (protest too much???)
anyway, thanks for the permission to eat where I want to, sheesh...............sorry I gave an opinion that was not for offsite. oh well..............have a nice day

It is a quote from Hamlet. It is now used as a figure of speech when someone is trying to convince others that someone is doing something that they are guilty of doing. For example, in your post you are stating I need to "chill" or am upset when nothing in my post indicates that I feel this way. Instead based on your post with caps and excessive punctuation, it is in fact you who may need to chill or is upset. Since Gumbo posted the same thing, I am going to assume I am not the only one who feels you may have misread my post.

I feel as though you may have a problem misreading people's posts though, as I don't think I gave you permission or tried to deny you permission from eating anywhere(though feel free to quote where I did say this if it happened). I really don't think I have given the message that I have a problem with anyone who loves onsite giving their opinion, so again I feel you are reading way more into my post then is actually there. I just feel that when someone makes a statement that may be only partly true that I want to clear it up. I see that comment made a lot(as I stated earlier) that off site is unappealing b/c who wants to cook and clean on a vacation. I was just stating that for us we were off site and ate almost exclusively on site(we also did activities on site every day we weren't in a park) and spent almost no time cleaning. I just always find that an odd argument for not renting a house off site b/c nothing requires you to do those things. I was just giving my experience as I have been both on and off site, I wasn't negating anyone elses experience. If you feel that I was, you are reading a lot into my statement that isn't there...but feel free to quote my comments where I criticized someone's opinion.

 

[disneyseniors]

It is a quote from Hamlet. It is now used as a figure of speech when someone is trying to convince others that someone is doing something that they are guilty of doing. For example, in your post you are stating I need to "chill" or am upset when nothing in my post indicates that I feel this way. Instead based on your post with caps and excessive punctuation, it is in fact you who may need to chill or is upset. Since Gumbo posted the same thing, I am going to assume I am not the only one who feels you may have misread my post.

I feel as though you may have a problem misreading people's posts though, as I don't think I gave you permission or tried to deny you permission from eating anywhere(though feel free to quote where I did say this if it happened). I really don't think I have given the message that I have a problem with anyone who loves onsite giving their opinion, so again I feel you are reading way more into my post then is actually there. I just feel that when someone makes a statement that may be only partly true that I want to clear it up. I see that comment made a lot(as I stated earlier) that off site is unappealing b/c who wants to cook and clean on a vacation. I was just stating that for us we were off site and ate almost exclusively on site(we also did activities on site every day we weren't in a park) and spent almost no time cleaning. I just always find that an odd argument for not renting a house off site b/c nothing requires you to do those things. I was just giving my experience as I have been both on and off site, I wasn't negating anyone elses experience. If you feel that I was, you are reading a lot into my statement that isn't there...but feel free to quote my comments where I criticized someone's opinion.

Okay, peace, love, whatever. I just get tired of people jumping on others who have another opinion, that's all. Have a great day.

 

[nugov2]

Okay, peace, love, whatever. I just get tired of people jumping on others who have another opinion, that's all. Have a great day.

 

[disneyseniors]

View attachment 78678

why do you have to make fun of someone or argue. Please be an adult and move on to something more important. Have a pixie dust day

 

[disneyseniors]

oh, I forgot to say. Over and out, enough time wasted on this so won't respond to more inane posts

 

[flopnut2112]

We stayed value twice when the kids were young and literally just slept and ate breakfast at the resort. 2 years ago stayed in Davenport with a large group. We had much less time in the parks daily due to the drive plus no EMH. This Christmas we are happy to pay premium prices and stay in a deluxe (AKL) it could be the last time with all of our kids in tow

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Someone earlier said "what's a few hundred bucks in the scheme of a disney trip?"

Idk, do you go to the grocery store and tell them to add to your bill, be cause, what's a few extra bucks? Do you toss money to your cell phone company just because? Do you burn 100 dollar bills for fun?

Disney or not, a few hundred bucks represents a few hundred dollars worth of opportunity. I could spend it on a wdw hotel, or I could use it for nice clothes, or several meals out, or heck, put those several hundred bucks away and after a few trips, I've got myself enough for another vacation.

Idk, the more I have analyzed it, the more I realize I just can't see the value.

 

[tup1830]

After having stayed at the "off site" four seasons and the "off site" waldorf astoria, i can happily say that staying off site is not as bad as people say it is. For the price, my comfort was much higher and i was closer than some deluxe properties to the parks.

That said, its very personal, very very very personal decision. Some may go out on a limb and say that if they don't stay on property, they'd rather not go. Umm, i'm pretty sure if someone was offering them a free vacation with an off site hotel, they'd go.

While there are perks for staying on site, you're paying for it with higher fees/costs. They aren't "free" perks. I've stayed offsite luxury and onsite roy suite grand floridian...i can't say i'd push one more than the other. Each trip is different...and if it changes with my family, i can't imagine trying to figure out whats best for another family.

$500 is $500...its not cheap, maybe a few days of work...a few christmas gifts...a few memory making meals....a few memory making activities. At the end of the day, you need to figure out what will make your family happiest.

 

[Ceryssa]

Someone earlier said "what's a few hundred bucks in the scheme of a disney trip?"

Idk, do you go to the grocery store and tell them to add to your bill, be cause, what's a few extra bucks? Do you toss money to your cell phone company just because? Do you burn 100 dollar bills for fun?

Disney or not, a few hundred bucks represents a few hundred dollars worth of opportunity. I could spend it on a wdw hotel, or I could use it for nice clothes, or several meals out, or heck, put those several hundred bucks away and after a few trips, I've got myself enough for another vacation.

Idk, the more I have analyzed it, the more I realize I just can't see the value.

I wasn't trying to be flippant, just observing that a Disney trip costs a lot of money no matter which way you go, and a few hundred dollars one way or another doesn't impact our enjoyment to the extent that staying in the resort we prefer does. I said "doesn't make or break the budget for US". Not that it should be the case for everyone. But that isn't the case for everyone, and I totally get that. I'm glad you were able to come to a decision you're comfortable with. I priced it out both ways for both our trips, and probably will again next time we go. If the situation is right, I'd be open to staying offsite. And since you've already experienced it, I'm sure you know that you won't have any less fun doing it that way. Enjoy your trip! :

 

[Gumbo4x4]

For $500, I probably would pull the trigger. In our case, it was closer to $1,200 - and that was in comparison to a value. That was definitely enough to take the savings.

 

[BabyHabs]

I probably could have written your OP. I feel exactly the same way. We first went a few years ago and stayed off site at a resort, 2 bed, 2 bath, got a rental car and did things at our own pace. We now have 3 children and I can't imagine being stuck with them in a hotel room for a week. We need our space and I would love to stay on site, but the price for a 2 bedroom villa on site is so much more than a 2 bedroom resort off site. When I started planning our March trip, I wanted to stay on site, but the price just didn't make sense. And we are not value hotel room type family. We like to spread out. Maybe the next trip, when all the kids are at the perfect ages - youngest is only 1 - we will splurge and stay on site. I would like to try it someday.

 

[MandiC]

Who knew off-site vs on-site would create such a debate? I think for some people the benefits of on-site are not worth any amount of money more than what they pay on-site. For my family 'saving' $500 staying off-site would not be worth it (especially considering that we would then have to rent a vehicle and pay parking/gas which over the course of a week would be at least $200 bringing our 'savings' down to less than $300) Maybe someday we will decide it is better to stay off-site (especially if we ever decide to do more than just Disney during the trip, which I would say is quite a few years away for our family). We are very frugal at home, but vacation is vacation and where we place our vacation priorities may be different than where another family places their vacation priorities. We work hard for our money so when we go on vacation we enjoy being able to spend on the things we feel make our vacation better. Not the same as throwing money away at all.

 

[powellrj]

I think many times people aren't comparing the same type of lodging. I remember a few years ago a teenager posted on the Orlando board about how awful off-site was. It got pretty heated and her mom got involved. Come to find out she had stayed at a low budget motel. Well of course you aren't going to like it as much as a disney hotel. When we are talking about off-site, most of us are talking about condos or pool homes or at least a suite or deluxe style hotel that can offer things you can't get a WDW. If we aren't staying in a pool home or condo, we are staying at one of the on site hotels at Universal.

On our last trip we stayed at Bahama Bay in Davenport. It was a little out of the way, but it wasn't bad because the traffic was never bad. We had a 3 bedroom condo for under $500 for the whole week. We were able to take our DS and DDIL, plus our DD. Everyone one had their own bedroom and TV, plus a full kitchen with a washer and dryer. We ate breakfast in the condo most days, but a few days we ate at a breakfast buffet that was under $10 a person with made to order eggs and waffles. I think it was Bennigans, but I am not sure about that. We ate at counter service or snack type places for lunch and then most nights would stop at a nicer restaurant on the drive back. It was a really nice relaxing budget trip that never felt like a budget trip.

 

[jhoannam]

We love going back to the room to rest. And staying onsite makes that really easy.