Is it worth the extra $ to stay on Site?

[pmdeve]

I am planning our trip for next June and looking at the various resorts. There are 5 of us. Would it be better to stay offsite at the cheaper rate or stay on site? If on site, which resort would you suggest for a family of 5 with 3 adults and 2 children.

 

[damo]

It looks like Diagon Alley should be opening next June. In that case, staying on site will be well worth the money.


All of the resorts will fit 5 people in a room. The new Cabana Bay will offer early admission every day but will not offer the unlimited express passes like the other 3 hotels do.

 

[macraven]

i love a relaxing vacation so i always stay onsite.


i save down time of the start of the day, convenience of returning to my hotel for a break in the afternoon, and only have to deal with planning my entertainment for the day.


it might cost me more in the long run, but, for my darkside vacation, my priority is to relax, unwind and not rush.


decide on what your priorities are to determine where to stay.
everyone is different on how they like their vacation to be.

 

[MDer2FL]

I'm hoping it is worth the extra $, because we are leaving in 28 days and staying onsite for 3 nights for our first Universal visit. It was the advertised perks and the recommendations from this board that decided it for us (DH, me, 3 kidlets).

 

[mjohnson96]

We only stay onside now when going to Universal. Love having the ability to go back to the room easily for swimming and naps. We check to find the best rates, usually have 1 AP to get the AP rate and that usually saves us a ton!

We feel the perks as well as the resorts are well worth the costs

 

[macraven]

I'm hoping it is worth the extra $, because we are leaving in 28 days and staying onsite for 3 nights for our first Universal visit. It was the advertised perks and the recommendations from this board that decided it for us (DH, me, 3 kidlets).

homie, you'll like it.
you really, really, really will like it..........

unlimited usage of the express lines
early entry
star service system for your room needs



when it gets hot at 2:00, you can come back to the hotel, relax around the pool, do the pool activities (when an adult wins, it's a drink), swim or just take a nap in the lounge chair.

or, hit your room for a little siesta.

return back to the parks when the heat dies down after 5:00 and hit the rides.

in the evening do the pool dive in movie, eat a late dinner at city walk, hotel pool hop, etc.

you won't have to pack for the day for the park as you will be thisclose to getting back to your room anytime.


just think that you won't be cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, or making your bed those 3 days you will be onsite.

 

[MDer2FL]

Okay mac, I've figured you out. You're really a secret UO agent sent out to win over doubtful tourists....

 

[TaylorsDad]

Okay mac, I've figured you out. You're really a secret UO agent sent out to win over doubtful tourists....

Yes and she recruits another agent every time someone stays onsite.

We usually do only value hotels at Disney but hate to do anything but onsite at Universal. There is a reason why everyone recommends that if you do a split stay of Universal and WDW you do Universal last- You really will get spoiled by the convenience and the perks and dread having to go back to planning every detail of your day at WDW well in advance (and I am saying this as someone who loves WDW also). My only caution is once you stay onsite you will not want to visit any other way.

 

[Bluer101]

homie, you'll like it.
you really, really, really will like it..........

unlimited usage of the express lines
early entry
star service system for your room needs



when it gets hot at 2:00, you can come back to the hotel, relax around the pool, do the pool activities (when an adult wins, it's a drink), swim or just take a nap in the lounge chair.

or, hit your room for a little siesta.

return back to the parks when the heat dies down after 5:00 and hit the rides.

in the evening do the pool dive in movie, eat a late dinner at city walk, hotel pool hop, etc.

you won't have to pack for the day for the park as you will be thisclose to getting back to your room anytime.


just think that you won't be cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, or making your bed those 3 days you will be onsite.

This is why we love doing on our summer trips. It is a real relaxing vacation.

Okay mac, I've figured you out. You're really a secret UO agent sent out to win over doubtful tourists....

Nope, just like Mac and the rest that help, you will see. You will be hooked with the VIP treatment of staying onsite.

We need to meet up since we are there the same time. We stay at RPR from June 29- July 7.

Are you just doing US and IOA?

Yes and she recruits another agent every time someone stays onsite.

We usually do only value hotels at Disney but hate to do anything but onsite at Universal. There is a reason why everyone recommends that if you do a split stay of Universal and WDW you do Universal last- You really will get spoiled by the convenience and the perks and dread having to go back to planning every detail of your day at WDW well in advance (and I am saying this as someone who loves WDW also). My only caution is once you stay onsite you will not want to visit any other way.

This is why when we visit Disney we stay at RPR and drive down for a day or 2.

 

[macraven]

i see Bluer has my back.
thanx homie.........



if being a secret UO agent would get me a big room discount, i'll sign up !!!




homies that really enjoy staying onsite just want to share their experiences of how great it is.
word of mouth is believable.


you can watch the UO commercials, see the ads in the paper and magazines, listen to the spiel by the TM on the phone when you call to make a ressie.......


but hearing about the perks and how awesome the onsite hotels are from someone that has been there, might help you make that decision.

 

[MDer2FL]

Wow, hope no one took my "secret agent" post as an insult! It was meant as a light-heartened compliment!

 

[macraven]

Wow, hope no one took my "secret agent" post as an insult! It was meant as a light-heartened compliment!

nope, i took it as a joke......


i'm sure no one here did either.

 

[lizaisabel]

It is worthy! I stayed 4 nights in the past and the additional amount paid by night for an on site hotel was at the end less than the amount I would paid for the express pass for a party of five and the regular hotel room rate. I loves the hard rock since it was very comfortable and it has a walking path into the parks. And we were a party of 5 and we stayed the first 7 days in Disney properties and we were very happy with the luxury and amenities if the Hard Rock.

 

[Bluer101]

Wow, hope no one took my "secret agent" post as an insult! It was meant as a light-heartened compliment!

No way, this is such a laid back crowd here at the dark side. There is so much love and help it unreal. Please don't take it that way. We always like to give as much info as possible so you can make the best decision for your family.

I have meet a few homies at Universal and it's always nice to share the experience.

 

[schumigirl]

Definately worth it........you won`t regret it in fact you`ll love it

 

[glocon]

I have got to agree with everyone above. Once you have done UO while staying onsite, you will not want to do it any other way ever again. You just feel pampered and relaxed.

And nothing can compare to the unlimited ep's. Nothing.

 

[ultimate_ed]

I'll have to pile on to the on-site love - and I don't even make our first visit until next week!

For both our previous visits to the World (stayed at the Poly) and the Land (stayed at one of the nearby partner hotels), we've lived by the strategy of hitting rope drop and staying until lunch time, back to the hotel to relax and swim through the afternoon, then return to the parks in the evening.

It has made for rather relaxing and low stress park visits. After hanging out for months on "the dark side" getting ready, I'm looking forward to enjoying all the parks and resorts have to offer. Particularly here during the summer, with the AP discount on the room and the unlimited express pass, staying on-site was the easiest decision of my vacation plans.

 

[reelmom]

Yes and she recruits another agent every time someone stays onsite.

We usually do only value hotels at Disney but hate to do anything but onsite at Universal. There is a reason why everyone recommends that if you do a split stay of Universal and WDW you do Universal last- You really will get spoiled by the convenience and the perks and dread having to go back to planning every detail of your day at WDW well in advance (and I am saying this as someone who loves WDW also). My only caution is once you stay onsite you will not want to visit any other way.[/QUOTE]

Or go to another park. I was a diehard Disney fan until we stayed onsite at Universal. I still love Disney but every time I start looking to book our next WDW vacation, I end up booking Universal instead. You can't beat the express pass, no ADR's, and the closeness to the parks. Plus, with the APH rates, the rates can't usually be beat either.

 

[patster734]

We're staying off property for our next trip because the money is just too tight, and I'm bummed about it. Fortunately, we're going the first week of October, so I don't anticipate large crowds.

This trip will also be split between visiting Universal and Disney (Food and Wine at Epcot and the new Fantasyland upgrades at Magic Kingdom), so staying off-property is more reasonable.

But if I could afford it, I'd stay on property as I typically do, especially if planning a Universal trip only.

 

[Princessmom2]

Worth every penny! We love the Portofino-my husband will actually relax there. We head to the parks when we feel like it, use the express pass, eat a leisurely lunch, go back to the room for a while, and go back to the parks, all the while actually enjoying a vacation. And if we can only go for a day or so, we check in early on the one day and just spend the one night, then stay until after dinner the next night. Worth it for the express pass alone. . . .