Is it worth it to stay off-site?

[texasroni75]

We keep throwing around the idea of staying offsite, but neither DH nor I really want to drive at all once we arrive to WDW *even when we drive there, we park our car and don't want to look at it again until the drive home . We want to make use of EMH, and yes you can miss out on FD promotions and have to pay parking fees, too. We spend little to no time in our rooms anyway, just use them to sleep and shower, and we really aren't picky about the rooms themselves, values are fine for us. In the end, each time when we crunch the numbers and add in rental car, etc. - it's not enough of a savings to motivate us to go offsite.

But, I admit it is getting closer and closer budget wise to consider offsite. Especially since our family is larger than average, and if all of us come along for the trip, we either need 2 values, a family suite, or move up to a Mod. Which equals much more $$. We actually stayed at the Fort this May to give camping a try to save $$ on the room fees. We already own camping equipment so there was no added investment costs for us there. We liked it so much we are camping again next June. So, it's not offsite, but we do seem to inching our way in that direction!

I can see the appeal, but you really have to do the math to see if it really is better for your wallet, and factor in time getting to and from your offsite-rental.

 

[ICF]

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.

This -- everytime. 2 adults on a trip by themselves a value is fine..the wife and I did it once, it was ok but we love offsite.

As a family with 2 kids -- we'd never do onsite in a value. The rooms are small and overpriced -- even at a value. Offsite offers so much in terms of space, ability to eat some meals in the room, Windor Hills townhouses have their own pool, laundry is great so you don't have to pack as much.

We also hate Disney transportation. You can be from Windsor Hills to the parks in less than 10 mins (except for MK, thanks to the Trans Ctr) -- learn to use Sherberth road, you will become good friends. Nothing is fun about waiting in long lines for the bus and dealing with that mess. No thanks, I'll walk to my car and be in my room most likely before you even get on a bus.

Find a nice condo/townhouse at WH for $600 or so a week (at least in off season) -- enjoy the space, the pool, the easy driving. IMO -- The Disney bubble isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 

[rethciR]

We keep throwing around the idea of staying offsite, but neither DH nor I really want to drive at all once we arrive to WDW *even when we drive there, we park our car and don't want to look at it again until the drive home...

^^^ THIS

We keep toying with the idea of offsite, but when we do Dis, we like to be completely immersed in the magic and forget the outside world exists. Could we save money? Sure. But for our family, we like giving the kids the "full treatment" while they're still at the age they'll remember (and appreciate) the magic.

 

[Sagginit]

I always stay onsite but then again I only go as a group of two as I don't have children yet. I have no intentions of cooking meals on vacation so the kitchen wouldn't help much and I enjoy the giant pool you get at the hotel. I also like to PH and take afternoon breaks. Anytime I have to drive on vacation and cook meals it changes the feeling of it.

As a teenager I went and stayed in mods/deluxe as two teens, one adult. Personally it was tough not having any space as my brother and I squabbled a lot, so I would totally consider offsite for that reason. There are some places on property with kitchenettes, when booking my trip we debated between a suite at SSR and AKL. We decided that SSR was too big for this trip (I'm gonna be 6 months preggo so I don't want to hike to/from my room) but in your situation it may give you more space onsite. This was coming up as a discount on Orbitz but not on the WDW site, so keep in mind blocks of rooms are offered discounted in different places.

Depending on your timeline most places will let you cancel within a certain period of time. So if you go with offiste and then an onsite deal comes up, you could always cancel and swap it out. I think onsite vs off site is as much a vacation style debate as it is a budget consideration. Most people know it technically is cheaper to stay off site, but they are happy to pay for certain things you only get on site.

 

[Fintastic]

Do off-site hotels offer shuttles to the parks? That might sway me. I'd like to park the car and leave it the whole time we're there.

 

[robinb]

Do off-site hotels offer shuttles to the parks? That might sway me. I'd like to park the car and leave it the whole time we're there.

the hotels on Hotel Blvd do but they are often the same price as the All Stars.

With your family of 4 I would also suggest you consider staying offsite in a timeshare or condo if you're looking to save money. You can eat breakfast in the room which will save you money on meals alone.

I stayed at Wyndham Palms timeshare earlier this summer for $222 for the week in a 1 bedroom villa. A 2 bedroom would be in the $300-$400 range for the week. Here is my review: http://www.disboards.com/threads/re...ss-palms-with-pictures.3524116/#post-56068256

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Do off-site hotels offer shuttles to the parks? That might sway me. I'd like to park the car and leave it the whole time we're there.

Some do..though I would get all the information before picking a hotel based on that. Such as their current bus schedules (which of course could change), if they share with any other resorts, etc. Also hotels off-site may charge you parking fees at their hotel or resort fees.

I can't remember the hotel we stayed at when we went in 2011 but they had free shuttles to both WDW and Universal (USO)...the catch for us was we found out they weren't very convenient for us.

For example the USO one left at 7am for a 9am opening with the latest pick up at 7pm. It wasn't advertised but the shuttle for USO was shared with another hotel. So we didn't actually get to the drop off til nearly 9am..and we had to leave Universal a bit early in order to make sure to make it all the way out to the parking lot and get a seat on the bus (we went in Sep 2011 with Universal typically closing 6pm/7pm at that time so it wasn't tooooo bad but still).

For WDW we did take the free shuttle but we ended up liking the ability to leave when we wanted better (we had a rental car as well though the parking back then was like $14/$15)and we ended up driving 2 or 3 out of the 5 days we spent at WDW.

 

[Alesia]

Do off-site hotels offer shuttles to the parks? That might sway me. I'd like to park the car and leave it the whole time we're there.

Offsite hotels are the worst of all possible worlds. You won't get any extra room, you'll pay just as much (if not more,) and the shuttles tend to range from barely adequate to terrible.

If you're going to stay offsite, get a house or a condo.

If you really don't want to drive, stay on-site.

FWIW, there was a time when I sounded just like you. I didn't want to drive on vacation, we just needed the room for sleeping and showering, etc. And then I actually gave staying offsite a shot. I couldn't believe how much better it was. I do love being able to take Disney transportation when staying on-site, but really the driving isn't bad. My favorite house is 15 minutes from MK and AK and 11 minutes from DHS and Epcot.

 

[JenzyHP]

I'd stay off site in a condo/house before I would put 4 people in a value room. My husband and I had one with my toddler and it was tiny with small beds.

 

[vratiana]

We love staying on site at a value with 4 people. It's clean, great food courts, great pools. Love being able to rely on the buses. We can split up if we need to and easily get back on our own. Even without a lot of space, no one has trouble sleeping because we are so tired from being in the parks all day. And, if you happen to be able to get free dining, it doesn't get any cheaper than 4 people in a value with free dining.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Before you decide, take a good, hard look at the size of the beds in the values. They are double beds (or 1 king, which won't work for your family). I think it's going to be a tight squeeze for your family. OTOH, if you truly only plan to use the room to sleep and shower, you may be okay with it.

Generally, onsite is better if you: have a party of 4 or less
prefer to use WDW transportation exclusively
use the room as a crash pad
plan to have every meal (except simple breakfasts) in a restaurant.

Offsite is better if you: have a party of 5 or more
don't mind driving 10-15 minutes each way, on your own schedule
like to have down time outside the parks
value having personal space while on vacation
don't mind making doing some cooking on vacation

We're a family of 6 who appreciates their space and down time, so it's a no-brainer for us to stay offsite. Typically, we rent a house at Windsor Hills (4BR/4BA with a pool). That's just our preference. If you like commando touring, and crash in bed at the end of a very full day, you may be fine in a value. I can respect people who say they don't want to drive or cook on vacation. For us, the cost savings of offsite are huge, in addition to meshing well with our vacation preferences.

 

[tinkerbell1967]

We enjoy both. We stayed on site in July and the last week in Oct we will stay at our timeshare At Vistana in the Courts. The size of the Courts is like a townhouse sleeps 8, two bathrooms, full kitchen, etc. 5 minutes from Disney Springs. I like the location and when I need a break from the hustle it's perfect. On site is convenient and Disney magic 24/7. It depends what you want. Make a list of pros and cons!

 

[powellrj]

We love to stay off-site, but since its just DH and I this trip and got a great deal on Expedia we are biting the bullet and staying in a value. We are still renting a car for the week because I don't like to use WDW transportation. I take my own ECV and its easier to take my own car.

I wouldn't let $20 parking fee decide weather I am staying on-site or off. When you are saving hundreds of dollars on your room, $20 a day isn't that much. People are always using the I am on vacation so I don't cook excuse as to why they don't want a condo with a kitchen. Just because you have a kitchen doesn't mean you have to use it, but we enjoy having it to fix a snack at night or toast in the morning. The same with the washer and dryer. Just because you have it doesn't mean you have to use it, but it is nice to throw a load in when you get back to the room and not have as much dirty laundry to deal with at home.

We always stayed off-site in a condo when the kids were teens, it made for a nicer stress free trip when they each had their own space.

 

[Bete]

I'm in the on site camp. I want to be able to have Disney extra magic hours and I want to make FP+ reservations at the 60 day mark, not 30. Those are the deal breakers for me.

Getting the Disney transportation is nice to the parks staying on site. The schedule is pretty good, too. I like being able to leave the driving to someone else. The offsite resort shuttles are available, but most of them drop you off at Epcot or the Disney transportation center and then you need to use Disney transportation to get to the parks anyway. If they do drop you off at the exact park then the offsite resort cost isn't really cheaper, but you get more room. Most outside shuttles have less choices for pick up and drop off times. Some of them share between different resorts; so, you are making additional stops.

If your dates are flexible, then look for free dining. That's offered in the fall and winter, but the dates are sporadic. There are room only discounts but for value resorts the savings are nominal but you have more choices of dates.

We have stayed offsite and I prefer onsite. The extra room doesn't sway me for offsite. We take our dog on trips; so, we do stay offsite in Orlando.

You get the Disney theming in the resorts staying onsite. You don't pay for parking. I prefer the customer service of Disney employees over many offsite resorts. I like having a food court available at a Disney resort.

 

[Pembo]

We've done both, staying in a 2 or 3 br condo at Windsor Hills offsite. I was very leery of staying offsite: parking fees, hassle of driving, less of the magic feel. That said we had great experiences at the condo. Driving in was easy using the entrance by AK, parking wasn't difficult, cost wise we saved A LOT of $$$ (100/nt) and I actually liked getting away from the magic. Plus the bonus of having a bigger place with multiple tvs to relax in every night and not having to share a tiny space. The kids loved having their own space. A quick grocery stop for breakfast foods, snacks, and misc was also nice. Again, that saved A LOT of $$$ and I didn't have to cook. We had one full day of rain and having a dryer was a huge bonus. We came back midday, dried our shoes, and headed back for a long evening with dry feet.

Staying offsite was the most relaxing Disney vacation we ever took. That said, our last few trips we have stayed onsite mostly because they were shorter trips and we didn't rent a car. But when we go again for a week I would definitely consider the condo option.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

It can be worth it if you find a much less expensive hotel/motel that is in decent shape.

I myself have at times stayed in motels that are only about $45 per night.
However these are places that my family knows and trusts and have been staying at througohout the years.

 

[adisneyaunt]

onsite is total Disney immersion and totally worth it to us. The easy transport, the perks of EMH, earlier FP, beautiful pools, resort theming n so many resorts to choose from. We enjoy the Entire immersive experience and like the Escapism it provides us.. The outside world disappears....

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have tried everything over the years: offsite hotels, offsite condos, single homes with private pools, values, mods, deluxe and renting DVC points.

Our needs, taste and budget have changed over the years. Before we were married in my early 20's we were thrilled just to be on vacation and a Quality Inn on I-Drive was wonderful. There was no internet and I didnt even know there was any onsite options. It was booked very spontaneously.

Later we tried a value just to be onsite. Our kids were 4 & 1.5 so we needed a pack n play. It was a nightmare trying to get our little one to sleep without having to turn all the lights off. It was cramped and there was no DME so we had to rent a car anyway.

We switched to offsite condos, pool homes & timeshares over the next few years for the extra space. Dh enjoys cooking a big breakfast and could do it while I showered. It was nice having our own bedroom and bathroom. EMH was worthless to us because we are not morning people, except dh, and there was no way we'd still be in the parks after 9 pm anyway. I didn't mind hauling our luggage through the airport and in the trunk of our rental car. Kids clothes were tiny so it didn't require a lot of bags.

As our kids becames teens and nightowls, EMH had more appeal. We could easily do EMH at MK from midnight to 2 am. Our taste/standards/budget expanded and we tried onsite mods then deluxe. Now that I'm almost 20 years older than our first trip with kids, and their clothes are close to the same size as ours, it's more bags & heavier and I really don't feel like lugging them around MCO. I love sticking on those yellow tags and our bags all go right to our room. I like checking them back again right in the lobby to go home.
We are not so commando with the parks so having a deluxe resort and all of its amenities are more appreciated.
So really, you have to decide what your needs are and what is most important to you. There is no right or wrong way to go.

 

[ceecee]

I love the convenience of on site, plus you never leave the magic! If you drive...You have to get into a hot car after you find it! We have been using Disney transport for 16 years and have never had issues with it. You line up at the bus stop and get into a cool bus and arrive at your resort. We started at the values, DD loved the themes at the ASMo and POP, it's really neat for a kid (we liked it too!). The food courts were nice there too. The laundry areas are fine(although public) but it's right near the pool, so you can relax at the pool while you do it. Using ME and Southwest airline, I really love checking the luggage at our home airport and not seeing it again until it's delivered to our resort....EASY! I could go on....try it once and see for yourself.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I have done both - if I was going to stay offsite, I'd want to rent a condo rather than a hotel room just for the space.

But I much prefer onsite - the ease of the buses, love the pools and the resorts themselves and extras like charging to the room benefit and extra magic hours.

I stayed offsite for one night last year when I couldn't get a room at the resort I wanted for that one night. It was a basic hotel room and ok but I missed the cute Disney room touches.