Is staying 14 nights on property too long?

[TheMacFamily]

My family and I are from the UK and have always taken 2 week trips to Florida and stayed off-resort in a villa. We've always wanted to stay on Disney property and are planning 2 weeks on-site for May/June 2022.

My question to any of you guys who make longer trips (I guess mainly from the UK) is how was your experience of such a long time staying in the resort and Disney bubble? Normally when staying in a villa, we go to a theme park every other day and enjoy plenty of pool and rest days in between, and we are a little worried about what kind of chill time we can find around the Disney Resorts on our off-days.

My heart says 2 weeks at Disney would be amazing but I'm a little worried that the hotel life might get a little grating for that length of time.

We are thinking of a week at Pop and then a week at The Poly (or possibly Beach Club). Will we be able to find some quiet places to chill on our off days?

 

[kathy884]

I realize you are looking more for UK visitors than USA visitors, but thought I'd respond anyway. For quiet places, activities, etc. the Disney resorts have the nice pools, easy transportation, activities like the little boats, waterskiing, the boardwalk, etc. so have plenty to do for days off. If doing value (POP which so many love) and then deluxe Poly or Beach Club, I would do value first.

The question then becomes how do you feel about staying in a hotel room instead of a villa for two weeks. I for longer trips really like the villa/condo option if it seems like a reasonable option for location and affordability (so many great offsite options like this in Orlando). It gets really old for me having to eat all my meals out. It's not that I want to do a ton of cooking on vacation, but the kitchen is so great for a few simple meals, snacks, etc. - just way better than just a mini frig and microwave. Just having the table is nice for ordering out on a chill day (pizza / salad) vs. eating that in a hotel room. And offsite villas are so economical (less expensive than the POP). I wake up earlier than the rest of my family and love being able to go to the living room/dining room/kitchen area and turn on lights without disturbing anyone, grab my laptop and do some planning, read a book with the light on early morning, etc. And with little ones who nap it's heavenly to have them in a quiet room while you are in other rooms. doing normal activities just like you do at home. I like the big table in a villa/condo to play some family card games or simple games like Apples to Apples some evenings. The kitchen is great for teens and older who snack a lot for making their own food. They can do some of this with a mini frig and microwave too, but a kitchen is nicer. I just love the extra space. I also like the balcony / patio for sitting out in a villa. Rooms we've stayed at in deluxe properties at Disney have this too, but for way more dollars.

If it were me, in your shoes, with the desire to try onsite Disney, I think I would do Disney property for one week and then a villa for the second. We one time did a week onsite and then a week offsite, and it was heavenly for me to move to the bigger condo / offsite place, even though onsite Disney is really nice in so many ways.

Not in Orlando but in other places I've stayed in a hotel room for two weeks (when I didn't have a good villa/condo option available - location/price). We managed and made the best of it. It was fine, but got old for me. I really when available try for the condos or suite hotels like a Residence Inn for longer stays -- life is just so much more comfortable.

I don't know ages of your party, etc. I will say that onsite is pretty sweet for the 13 + kid set who can't drive or take an uber as they can do things on their own taking the Disney transportation around. They are fine though with offsite resort condo places too with all the recreational activities -- going to the pool, hot tub, tennis courts, shuffle board, etc.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

One of the advantages of staying on site for a longer period, is that you don’t feel obliged to be at the parks from RD to close and you can explore them at a more leisurely pace. All the resorts have some quiet corners and there are some beautiful gardens with seating.

 

[finedice]

The kitchen is the biggest thing for me, but only because of your length of stay. If you are renting a car (wow how those prices have increased in one year!), it may be more tolerable because you can at least venture off property for a few meals to break up the monotony and slight hassle of Disney ADRs, beverage prices, etc. as well as to hit a grocery store for some basic groceries like bottled water, adult beverages, cereal and other snacks for the mornings and afternoon pool time etc. We always stay in hotels on property, but the longest stay ever was 11 days. (We were still sad to leave at the end).

The split stay is not bad, but the POP (which a previous poster mentioned is loved by many), only has the large QS option for meals which may get monotonous. On the other hand, the offerings are pretty good, and nicely varied there. The pool area is okay, but definitely lacks compared to the moderates and deluxes.

Make sure to take it easy in the parks on a trip that long - your feet will thank you!

 

[disneyfan150]

We've done split stays between on site and then a villa. It was the best of both worlds.

 

[jo-jo]

Staying at POP the first week.....that week you'll probably be at the parks at lot. Second week at poly or beach club, you'll want some time to relax and there are lots of spaces to explore so you won't feel stuck in a room.

 

[thinkerbell]

We do that every time we go but it is just the two of us. I wouldn’t do it with kids in tow because the rooms would definitely close in after about a week. In June we are staying at Pop and then moving the second week to Coronado Springs. We love it. We get a 10 day ticket and go to the parks for part of the day instead of all day. Most of the time, we go in the morning and leave around lunch time. We leave and go back to the room to rest or swim and then back at night. We aren’t young chicks anymore. We go off property to shop or sight see on our days off...or just hang out at the pool.

 

[Nabas]

My heart says 2 weeks at Disney would be amazing but I'm a little worried that the hotel life might get a little grating for that length of time.

How many people in one room?

My spouse and I are ready to leave after about 5 nights in one room together. With our kids in the room, we're ready to leave after 2.

 

[Disneylover99]

We are a family of 4 who stay at Disney Resorts for 2-3 weeks on our yearly trip.
Usually we stay for 2 weeks at Pop followed by up to a week at the Poly.

I know for many/most, 2 weeks at Pop with a family of 4 would be too much. But for whatever reason, we love it!
We go to the parks daily, but sometimes only for an hour or so. We do get a chance to relax and unwind.
We hang by the pool, visit other resorts, and spend time at DS.

 

[BeeBopp717]

We go 10-14 nights per trip. Allows for non park / pool / chill days back at the resort, which to me, are necessary with little kids. I love those days because Disney is amazing, but it isn’t a “vacation,” so to speak & those days give you a vacation feel.

 

[Twitterpaited]

Not at all.

 

[disny_luvr]

Not at all! We usually stay on property for 10 nights, but this summer we have a 13 night stay. Even after 10 nights, we always wish we had a few more days. We enjoy staying at deluxe resorts because we aren’t park commando people and we actually spend a lot of time at our resort. To us, the benefit of longer stays is it gives us downtime, which we truly need; Disney is not a relaxing vacation. We also travel in the summer and it’s HOT! The longer stays allow for midday breaks and resort days to relax, enjoy the pools, and the resort amenities that get us out of the heat and sun.

 

[_19disnA]

It depends on the size of your party. Since your other thread asks about 2 rooms, I have to assume you have 4+ people traveling. Staying that long in a small hotel room can be a challenge. Might also look to rent a home in the Orlando area on something like VRBO since there are many available. Provides more space for a lower price and gives you more options. Many have a yard and/or pool so there are various outdoor options compared to a hotel. Disney parks involve a LOT of walking, so likely you won't be doing a park every day you are there. Longer stays when traveling internationally makes sense due to the transit time and need to adjust to the time change.

 

[ellbell]

I've stayed 2 weeks at Pop over hurricane Dorian with my 2 teenage sons. As a result we ended up.spending an entire day in our room. We never once felt too crowded. We set up the ironing board between the beds and played board games and cards that day. Other days we were at the parks or the kids would go to the pool. We didn't feel crowded at all. We had a great time and in fact I'm headed back with them again and staying 2 weeks at Pop in September. We alsways have a great time and since we don't need to rent a car because we rarely leave property we end up saving money.

 

[BayGirl22]

Not too long for us, but too long in a hotel room for all the reasons above.
We would spend at least the 2nd week in a villa - but still onsite. Look into renting DVC or booking a DVC villa through Disney. There are offsite options too, but we prefer to be onsite and not have to rent a car to enjoy all the Disney resorts have to offer. This is obviously dependent on budget, but I'd at least price out those options.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would spend at least 3 days of it at Universal Studios in one of the hotels that offer free Express Pass. Although they lack Disney theming the hotels are just as nice with excellent service. IMHO, better than Disney’s.

 

[DL1WDW2]

With hurricane season , you will be so thankful to be on property!
I love staying at POP Century or Cabana Bay FamilySuites at Universal .
Cabana Bay does not include free express pass but if you are planning for extra days, they offer early entry advantage... so you probably would not need the express passes.
To be honest, I love these 2 resoerts so much, I could probably live in them for a year and not wish to be offsite!
P..S. I actually do live offsite .... haha

 

[Wdwfan2016]

We always stay for at least 2 weeks when we are on property. I don’t think I could do pop century for that long as we normally stay at yacht club or Polynesian. It works for us. I would not recommend switching resorts halfway through as that’s a pain. I wouldn't want to re park and spend time moving resorts.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Just DO IT and have a great time!!

 

[kylenne]

Not UK here, but I do have family in the north of England and my stepniece and her husband always come for 2 weeks and stay just about all of it on property. They usually do Uni the first day or 2 in a hotel with express pass and then move to Pop. If they skip Uni then they do a split stay with POFQ or BC. Though they sadly had to cancel their first stay at Gran Destino last year for obvious reasons. They always have a blast and never feel like they’re bored.

I agree, and don’t think it’s too long at all either—my gf & I are booked for 2 weeks this fall. As much as I enjoy my solo long weekend getaways as an AP, I much prefer longer trips with plenty of rest and relaxation time at the resort…I go often enough that trips are as much about the resort as the parks. When I go with my gf (no kids) we don’t do less than 9 days. The nice thing about longer trips is that you really do not feel that pressure to “do it all” and can take a slower pace. You can get your must do’s in at the parks, but can also venture out and enjoy so many more of the things the World has to offer outside of them. Enjoy Disney Springs, a day at the water park or mini golf. Explore Fort Wilderness and see the horses. Stuff like that is so much easier to do when you’re not dead tired rope dropping every day.

I think as a family with kids, I agree that a villa with a kitchen would be best for you. Split stays are really not as stressful as folk make them out to be, as long as you pack and organize well. Use “moving day” as a park or pool day. I am just solo on my upcoming trip, but that’s what I’m doing when I switch between GF and YC.