Is it REALLY that much Cheaper staying Off-site?

[mjvans]

off site is probably the way to go for us! We will be in Florida in March, having purchased the 4/3 package. We are staying at the Beach club. We extened our trip three more days and in the last week, I have been trying to find a good rate for us. There is no way I am paying $525.00 a night to continue to stay at the Beach Club!! (with the 4/3, I could justify it) And the suite at all star is $330.00 and it just doesn't do it for me.........so checked around and can get a suite at WA for $399.00. Now, not sure I will take the plunge and splurge there, but what a big difference............a suite at a 5 star or an all star suite at a value and a mere hotel room at beach club.....I even thought of Coronado Springs.....looked super and they have 2queen size beds unlike other moderates that just have 2full size beds....I called disney to see if I could book that with 5........the CM rep flatly said NO! I asked why? His exact words were :"Disney doesn't like more than 2 people sleeping in the same bed" OMG!! Really? I asked for a rollaway bed possibly! NO!! Again, with the NO!! So, I am thinking after the week there, a nice property off site for 3 days works for us, especially after that rude CM!! What is up with that! This is the second time I have called and gotten a grumpy CM!

 

[Lovely Style]

You cant go on the price quoted at the Disney site. We always use a room only code. That makes a big difference.

For us, we fly so we dont have a car. Staying off site wed have to rent a car and pay for gas and parking.

So if the ASM room is $80.00 a night.(with a room only code) We'd have to find a room for way less to make up for the car rental, gas and parking. I dont see that happening cheaper?

 

[Brian Noble]

It depends on what onsite option is your comparison.

If you're staying in a Value, and you are flying, it is very very hard to be less expensive offsite---and even if you saving a few dollars, you are probably staying in a place that's not quite as nice as your typical value room. But, if you are staying in *anything* more expensive you can easily get much more for the same money (or less) by staying offsite. Even in a Value, you can often do a little better offsite if you already have your own car.

For example, my upcoming stay in late February, with the current general-public room-only code, would cost about $715 including taxes in a Value/Standard room, and about $1020 in a Moderate/Standard room. I have a rental car reserved for about $250 (and that will probably go down), and parking plus gas will probably come to another $150 or so. So, "net cost" of the value room is only $315, and the net cost of the Moderate is $670.

$315 for a week is tough to do offsite in late February/early March without going to a dump or getting a great timeshare deal. But you can get a *lot* for $670. For example, right now for the same dates, Expedia has a 1BR at Wyndham Cypress Palms (with full kitchen, washer/dryer, king bed, queen sofa, and free wifi) for $570. Plus, food, sundries, etc. are all cheaper offsite than on, and you have your own car to come and go on your schedule, not the bus system---personally we rent a car whether we are onsite or not.

But, where things really get interesting is if you have a larger family, or want to spread out a little bit. For that, you need at least two value rooms onsite---at a net cost of a bit more than $1000. For that same $1000 (and usually less), you can get: a 2BR villa with kitchen at Bonnet Creek, a 3BR townhome with a private plunge pool at Windsor Hills, etc. All with fully-equipped kitchens, in-unit washer dryers, whirlpool tubs, etc.

So, I don't view offsite as the "cheapest" option. But, I do view it as the option with the best *value*. For just a little more than I would spend for a single hotel room, I can have a *much* more relaxing vacation. Some will tell you that they only use their room to sleep, but I suspect that's because hotel rooms aren't good for much else. We make a lot of use of our unit, whether offsite or onsite in a DVC 1BR or larger.

 

[LauraAnn630]

Now that makes sense! It all depends on how many people in your party and at what level resort you are interested in staying at.

Everyone has to do there own homework which to most Disers is half the fun!

 

[indimom]

I've looked at my budget a dozen different ways. We are staying off-site, and budgeted for 1CS and 1TS meals at Disney each day. Staying off-site isn't saving us money, in fact the difference was less than $10. But since we're staying for two-weeks, I really felt the payoff was in the space.
I booked a two-bedroom/two-bath condo with a full kitchen and W/D that includes a jacuzzi tub (it also has a pretty neat pool with a slide, play area and two hot tubs) for the same price as staying on-site at a value resort. And yes, I included the rental car, gas, and parking in my estimates.
It really isn't an on-site vs. off-site decision. It depends on what you want. We loved staying on-site at a value on our last trip, we even liked the buses. This time, I was willing to give up EMH and transportation for the space of an off-site condo.
The only thing which would sway me back on-site for this trip would be free dining. That would be a savings I couldn't pass up for any amount of space.

 

[redboxcar]

I know everyone's talking about going with family and large groups, and the pros and cons of having a condo and lots of room, etc... but coming from a budget-minded college kid, here's another perspective if anyone is interested:

I'm trying to go to WDW and spend as little money as possible, and still have a good time.

I use Orbitz often and was able to find the following package for Sep 2-Sep 9, 2010. This is a package that I used codes and promotions for:

• Round-trip airfare for two from SJC (San Jose, CA) to MCO
• 7-night stay off-site at Seralago Hotel & Suites... I've heard mixed reviews, but I honestly don't care, because I don't have children or anything to worry about, and we probably won't spend a lot of time in our room (being that we are college age) and they have free shuttles to/from WDW
• Two 5-day park tickets... (3-day Magic Your Way base ticket w/ 2 free extra days)

Total price for the package is $1175 including all taxes and fees. That means the only other out-of-pocket will be for meals/entertainment/souvenirs/etc.

As a budgeting student, this is a no-brainer for me, as it includes park tickets!

(BTW, I realize we won't get to park hop and we are going to be there 6 days and only have 5 day park tickets, but because this fits our budget, we will be fine with one park a day and maybe hanging by the pool one day that we don't have park tickets.)

 

[Tara922c]

I think it all depends. I have stayed at a Howard Johnson off site for 50 bucks a night. Dh and I always joke about that hotel, but in reality, it wasn't that bad, and if it was all you can afford, then, I am sure you would still have a great vacation. We looked into renting a condo, and they are cheaper than staying deluxe, plus you have kitchen which can save TONS of money. I found rental cars for about 250 per week. The only differerence is for the cheaper rental cars, you have to take a shuttle from the airport, to the rental car place. So I would say yes, you can stay at Disney cheaper offsite than onsite, but it depend on what is important to you and your family. This year we are staying onside, when dd2 is older, we plan on renting a condo or house, and doing more than just disney.