Is staying off site at WDW all that bad?

[over50visits]

Don't forget Double Tree has a huge parking fee if you're driving. No resort fee (yet), but doubke check that. Just another factor in making your decision.

 

[Farro]

For us, it would be that bad, but our Disney bubble is a priority on vacation. DH doesn't want to have to drive, and we just love the Disney resorts so much that we would be sad staying elsewhere. But, plenty of people do it just fine. We are willing to pay the money for the exact experience we are looking for and shelling out $$ to stay onsite is necessary in our case.

Agree with above.
For us (just us), the hotel is as important as the parks, it's part of our whole "Walt Disney World experience". If we couldn't afford to stay on-site, we would just vacation elsewhere and go back when we saved enough money to stay where we want.

But that's just us!

 

[prprincess]

It depends on our vacation mood. Sometimes we want to immerse ourselves in the Disney experience, so we'll stay onsite. Other times we'll want to give ourselves a bit more downtime and vacation on a more flexible schedule, so we'll stay offsite. We've rented condos and homes, and they've all been just as great as staying onsite. When we've rented homes, I love the fact that we rent them with a pool, so having one to ourselves is a luxury. I don't like the parking situations when we've rented condos, as it always seems to be a bit crowded. I also don't like driving back from the parks late at night when we're tired, so that's when the Disney busses really feel like a perk. I find that we save more money staying offsite as well. Not only on the full "package" but because we have more meals at the rental. But I do love me some Disney restaurants! Honestly, there are equal pros and cons to both and I can't say that I love one more than the other. I just love being on vacation!!!

So regardless, you will have an awesome time staying on or off site! Enjoy!!

 

[kj2mom]

I have done both on site and off and both have been fabulous. I don't quite understand the Disney bubble thing, I mean does it pop when you drive over the property line ? Seriously though, the last time we were off site we were traveling with another family who were supposed to stay with us but then freaked out (after paying so I had to send their money back) about being off site so they booked at POR while we continued our plan to stay off site. I have seen references to how long it can take to get off site but honestly, our friends often took much longer to get to our meeting spot and get back to their rooms. My children absolutely loved going to a restaurant off site (they started a serious Steak-N-Shake infatuation that became a big joke and a great memory from our trip) that we never would have experienced if we had stayed on site. For us, the divide and conquer is not a possibility since it is just me with my two children so that is not a factor we need to consider. We all stay or we all go, there is no alternative.

I always say that expectations are the key. If you expect to take a couple of extra minutes to get from MK to the TTC then enjoy your boat ride or monorail ride and treat it as part of the experience as opposed to something that drags out the travel time. Think about how if you rent a car, you may be able to pull right up to your door (we had a running joke about parking in the exact same spot every night) as opposed getting off at the bus stop. There are positives and negatives about every option but it is how you approach them that makes the difference for us.

Definitely be sure to figure your cost including resort fees, parking fees for both the hotel and the parks if you rent a car, and be sure you are comparing apples to apples but I can honestly say I paid much less than our friends. We were also much happier at our place. There were 5 of them (mom, dad, 25 year old daughter and 13 year old twins) in the one room with one bathroom and because they bailed on us we had a 3 bedroom and 3 bathroom place (with full kitchen, laundry etc etc). We could get up 30 minutes before we wanted to leave, all take showers and be out the door while they were leaving parks early at night because two of them needed to shower before bed leaving three to shower in the morning (in the one bathroom).

Again, we enjoy both - find positives in both and honestly the next time we go I don't know what we will do because we do truly enjoy both.

 

[AntFarm]

This is the Disney resorts forum so the majority will favor onsite. If this thread was in the other forum opinions would vary. When my family could no longer stay in one room comfortably, then we started looking at Bonnet Creek and Disney Springs area suites and did fine and still had plenty of the "bubble", "magic", whatever. The value resorts don't work for us (I'm tall and I have tall sons) and the cost of two rooms or a suite has gotten ridiculous. Most of our time is in the parks anyway so its really not that big of a deal to us either way. When you fit in one room and can get a nice discount it is easy to say onsite or nothing.

 

[AntFarm]

Don't forget Double Tree has a huge parking fee if you're driving. No resort fee (yet), but doubke check that. Just another factor in making your decision.

we booked through mousesavers.com and got a low rate with free breakfast and the parking fee completely waived. mousesavers almost always offers this deal every month (for the Disney Springs Doubletree Suites) if you get their monthly email.

 

[Mousetopia]

This is your difference. DLR is 160 acres (0.25 sq miles). WDW is 43 sq miles. DLR has three hotels on the property. WDW has over 25 hotels on the property. WDW is the size of San Francisco. Can you walk around San Francisco? I think not. You are a mile from Disney Springs staying at the Doubletree Guest Suites. And you are still miles from any of the four theme parks. Staying at a Good Neighbor hotel at DL is not the same as staying offsite at WDW.

Getting to the theme parks from your hotel and then back to the hotel is going to eat up your time. Plus getting between parks if you decide to go to a different park on the same day. Your bus will not drop you off at the MK; you'll be dropped off at the Ticket & Transportation Center - then monorail or take a boat over to the MK.

My guess is that after a few days of spending a lot of time riding to where you want to go you will try to find something onsite. Two weeks offsite is a long time.

I agree completely! First The magic factor is important..there is just a different feeling on property and experiencing disney service first of all but for a trip that costs A LOT of money and thus time is high value, "saving" staying off property is really not saving what you think. The time getting back and forth comes at too high a cost. Staying on property is bad enough! It is a huge property. I try to pick a resort most closely located to the parks I plan to spend my time at.

 

[maxiesmom]

There is no way i would stay off site without a car. No way. You are going to lose a ton of time.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

We prefer to stay on site, mainly for transportation. We do not like to rent a car. We love Disney transportation and use it for our entire trip.

HOWEVER, we did stay off site once and had a great time. It did not take away from the magic, except when we were getting lost getting to where we were going. LOL Pre GPS days. It was an amazing trip just like all the rest. And there are people (many many people) who detest Disney transportation, so even staying on site they still drive back and forth.

 

[SRV10312015]

one thing that a lot of people are complaining about is Transportation... Remember that Orlando has Uber! I plan on using it to get around! Yes it's not free, but time is money!!

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

We are planning our June trip too. Keep watching for discounts, probably sometime in December. Something might come up that allows you to stay onsite.
I agree with many of the posters here. Personally, my family would save up another year to be able to stay onsite, inside the Disney bubble than stay offsite. But, I'm sure you will have a great time whatever you decide. Just keep checking for those discounts

 

[lchuck]

We have stayed offsite at a condo and then a vacation home the past 2 years in a row. The first year we were down there, we had friends staying during the same period of time at the All Star Music resort. They did nothing but complain about the bus service and how long it took to get anywhere. We do drive down, so we already have a car, so no additional money is spent on rentals. We stayed in the Indian Ridge area and found our drive to be 15 minutes or less to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the TTC. Obviously the ferry/monorail adds a bit of time to get to the MK from the TTC, but all in all, it was a huge savings in money for a family of 4 plus 2 grandparents. Also, our kids are younger and we were able to find a home that had a private pool, which we enjoyed WAY more than any shared pool we've ever had. Just my 2 cents, but there was no less Disney magic staying offsite than on. We enjoyed our trips so much that we will be purchasing APs and guaranteeing ourselves at least 3-4 trips in the next year. I can see the benefits of staying onsite if you really don't want to drive around town or for a shorter trip, but for a trip of a week or more, it's worth it to explore the offsite options!

 

[vinotinto]

I have reservations at Double Tree Suites in Disney Springs (in case nothing better comes up) for my first trip to WDW next June. It's DH, me, our two DD's and DH's sister. That makes 5. If a good deal comes up at a Disney resort for a room that can fit 5, we will take it. Otherwise, we find that it's cheaper to stay off site. We will be there for TWO weeks with ten day park hopper tickets. I'm familiar with the perks I'll be missing out on by not staying on site. But what I really want to know is, is staying off site ok? Are the trips still fun? I know some say it takes away from the Disney magic. If this matters, most of the times I've been to Disneyland I've stayed at a good neighbor hotel and it NEVER took away from any of the magic. Of course I would love to stay on site at WDW, but if we can't justify the extra money, then what's the point? Please tell me all the goods to staying off site please.

It's hard to argue with the additional space you get staying offsite. I would not recommend staying offsite unless you rent a car.

 

[cruisingtwins]

For 2 weeks I would not stay anywhere without a full kitchen. Disney food gets old after the first 4 days. Other than that I have enjoyed my offsite visits way more than on site. Tiny hotel rooms are not for us. All of us like our space.

 

[smiths02]

I agree with some PPs. I would not stay offsite for 2 weeks in a hotel. The only thing that would convince me to stay offsite is a rental home/condo/timeshare AND a car.

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to add I have stayed off site many times. Always with a car though. Remember that the off site hotel shuttles run no where near as frequently as the Disney shuttles. And they also drop you off a lot farther from the entrance to the parks. Some don't even go to all of the parks, you need to transfer, which eats up even more time. I agree with a previous poster where I don't think you understand the size and scope of WDW.

Staying off site and not having a car is a huge mistake. Huge.

 

[Jennasis]

I'm interested to see how the off-site service is at Sheraton Vistana Resort in December compared to Disney. We've had GREAT resort Cm's (BLT/CR and Poly) and ones that sucked out loud (BWV).

 

[abner1776]

No one is going to argue that staying off property is cheaper than staying on property...it is...there is a reason why people want to stay on property and Disney is charging you extra for that reason. Therefore, what you have to determine is, is that extra charge worth it for what you are getting by staying on property. As a DVC member, my thought process said, YES it is worth the extra charge and in fact I will buy into DVC to minimize that extra charge and still enjoy staying on property.

But that being said, if I was going to central Florida for 14 days I may very much decide to spend some of those days away from Disney property because while I enjoy the Disney themeing, no way am I gonna spend 14 days at the parks and therefore why pay for the "extra" if I am not gonna use it.

 

[Wishingspell]

I have stayed on and off site and honestly, between the values and staying off site, you're driving/riding far to the parks either way. I have enjoyed my visits staying off site, and have found as long as I have a car I'm perfectly happy TBH.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

So sounds like you don't have a car?
If that's the case then yes staying offsite really is that bad.

My family has stayed offsite many times and although we have stayed onsite for the last 10 years (14 trips) we will be staying offsite again this coming April.
We always have a car if staying offsite and would not even consider staying offsite if we didn't have a car.
We live in WNY so when we stay offsite we drive.
Sounds like you're flying so if you wanted a car you'd have to rent one so you should factor that into your price difference.
Also if staying offsite and renting a car you'll have to pay for parking daily. At $20 a day that adds up.
You really need to keep in mind how much bigger WDW is than DLR. Staying at a good neighbor hotel at DLR means a quick walk to DL, DCA, and DTD. Staying offsite at WDW means a 5-20 minute drive to get to many places on WDW property.
I just feel like it may be worth it to stay onsite for your situation.
If that's not an option though then please just be prepared and have fun!