Is it worth it to stay off-site?

[Fintastic]

My DH seems to think that it would be cheaper for us to stay off-site. (We're driving, so we wouldn't have to rent a car to get back and forth.) ASM is cheap as it is, and you get the perks of Disney transport and all that. Opinions?

 

[Eureka]

We have always driven and have always stayed onsite. We've only stayed at value resorts and when you factor the parking into it if you don't stay onsite, I'm not sure it is a huge savings financially. Other than the money, we really just liked being immersed in Disney and it was also nice not to have to take the car everywhere.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

We always stay off site.If you compare apples to apples, you can get an offsite room that is exactly the same size/comfort level as a value for about half the price. If you want more space, you can find super nice condos at Windsor Hills for under $100/night.

We prefer to stay offiste for the extra space. We usually rent a house or townhouse with private pool at windsor hills or similar community for $150/or less. The private pool is so nice, and the home are better themed than the disney hotels IMO.

 

[Alesia]

If extra space would be welcome, stay off site. You can get an entire house for less than a room at a value resort.

I don't cook on vacation, but having a full kitchen is nice.

Having a private washer and dryer is worth its weight in gold.

Not having to share a bathroom can be a wonderful thing.

But, if it's just the two of you and it's a relatively short trip, the convenience of staying on-site might outweigh the benefits of staying off site.

 

[DnA2010]

We were a group if 5- my sister and her hubby, my hubby and I and our mom- For us it was much cheaper - we had a condo like 10 minutes away and liked having space, laundry etc. We loved being able to pop in the car and be at a park without waiting etc. I think our convo was like $550 for the week- 3 bed, 3 bath.

I would like to try onsite on our next trip, but doubt we will.

 

[Fintastic]

How much is it to park at Disney?

 

[Fintastic]

If extra space would be welcome, stay off site. You can get an entire house for less than a room at a value resort.

I don't cook on vacation, but having a full kitchen is nice.

Having a private washer and dryer is worth its weight in gold.

Not having to share a bathroom can be a wonderful thing.

But, if it's just the two of you and it's a relatively short trip, the convenience of staying on-site might outweigh the benefits of staying off site.

It's going to be four of us, DH, me, and DD (14) and DS (8).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How much is it to park at Disney?

 

[chicagoshannon]

If you're just going to stay in a hotel offsite, then I'd just book a value. If you want to have a place where your kids don't have to share a bed, I"d definitely book a condo offsite. We love staying a 2+ bedroom for the space it provides.

 

[Fintastic]

After I told DH the parking fees he's warming up to staying onsite.

I don't mind the kids sharing a bed at their ages, but we'll probably just split up, DD and me, DH and DS.

 

[Alesia]

It's going to be four of us, DH, me, and DD (14) and DS (8).

I would stay offsite. You can get a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house for less than $100 per night. In my experience, trips with teens go much more smoothly if every isn't right on top of each other 24/7.

$20 per day for parking is a small price to pay for sanity.

 

[dhardawa]

We stay onsite, but only go during free dining, so it is very economical for us.

 

[Fintastic]

We stay onsite, but only go during free dining, so it is very economical for us.

When is free dining?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

FWIW personally I would make a list of your absolute needs for you and your family. Then I would compare what perks you value for being an on-site guest and what perks are not that important.

Purely on a cost basis there are plenty of places to stay off-site that are less than on-site but it can be a trade-off depending on what perks you value when you stay on-site.

 

[ellie05]

We personally don't like to stay offsite, but we are also not a big fan of the values. We don't want to deal with traffic and the real world in general. We also take mid day breaks that would be much harder to do if we stayed offsite.

You need to figure out your touring style, what you want out of the vacation and if the small room will work for your family.

 

[Fintastic]

The Values work for us because we just use them to sleep and bathe, basically. We don't hang out at the resorts - we stay in the parks all day. Plus my kids have outgrown naps (although I haven't ).

 

[ellie05]

When is free dining?

8/23-10/1/16, 11/15-11/21/16, 11/26-11/28/16, and 12/10-12/21/16 Those are free dinning for this year. But the booking window has closed already.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We stayed at Pop with our two boys when they were 8 and 11. It was fine, but kind of cramped for four of us. On our next trip, they were 15 and 18. No way did we want to squeeze into a tiny room, nor did we want to pay the prices for larger onsite rooms. My sister wanted to join us on the trip as well.

We rented a 3 bedroom/3 bath house at Windsor Hills for $140 per night. Even with the cost of a rental car and parking it came out considerably cheaper. We bought groceries for breakfast and light dinners/snacks and usually only ate out or in the parks for a big lunch. The extra space with five people (including two tall boys) was priceless. We had a small private pool in the backyard, as well as access to the big community pool. We also loved having the washer and dryer. We only packed for half of the trip and did laundry all the time.

We will definitely stay offsite again.

 

[Marionnette]

My DH seems to think that it would be cheaper for us to stay off-site. (We're driving, so we wouldn't have to rent a car to get back and forth.) ASM is cheap as it is, and you get the perks of Disney transport and all that. Opinions?

Making a list of "must-have", "like to have" and "don't need" features can really help with the decision-making process.

Obviously, that $20/day parking fee for offsite guests is a huge factor to consider. But the amount of space that you get with offsite accommodations can't be ignored. And being able to prepare light meals in an offsite condo can be a big money-saver, too. For a family of 4, the money that you save on dining can easily offset the parking costs.

Regarding *free* dining - it is only offered at select times of the year and there are restrictions on how it can be booked (must pay rack rate for the room, minimum number of days for package, select resorts, select dates, must buy hoppers or water park fun on your tickets, must get at least 2-day tickets from Disney, etc.) Yes, it can save some people money. For others, it's not as attractive. Everyone has to run the numbers for themselves when the offer comes out (if it comes out). The ability to book the *free* dining offer for this fall has passed. If you are planning to visit between now and the end of December, you can still book other discounted packages and room-only deals. Discounts for days in 2017 haven't been made available to the general public but there is a *free* dining bounceback offer that guests who are currently staying in a Disney resort (or will stay between now and Sept. 30). The dates for the bounceback run throughout select days in 2017.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We have done both and def different experiences and pros and cons as others have said. But we prefer staying at WDW but in a bigger room than a value so we bought into DVC. You could consider renting points from a site like David's but there are risks so you need to be aware of that. You do get a bigger room and Kitchen area though for a good price.