Is Staying off site cheaper? looking for suggestions.

[new]

We have on stayed on site, but I want to try something new. I would like something child friendsly (kids ages 9 and 12) and we will need shuttle to and from wdw. I would like something comparable to the price of staying on site, but nicer and possibly less expensive. Suggestions (mid July)

 

[writerguyfl]

"Less expensive" is a relative term. When looking at off-site options, be sure to factor in things like airport transportation, parking fees, and/or resort fee. (Those things will not apply to every hotel.) You also need to investigate the shuttle schedule. Many off-site hotels only provide 2 or 3 trips each way to Disney World. Additionally, many only go to one theme park (usually Epcot). From there, you have to use Disney transportation to get to other locations.

Personally, I'm a fan of the hotels at Disney Springs. These seven hotels are on Disney property, but are owned and operated by outside companies. They share shuttle buses that run every 30 minutes all day long. Each bus goes to two theme parks. Usually, one goes to Epcot followed by Disney's Hollywood Studios. The other goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (monorail/ferry to Magic Kingdom) followed by Disney's Animal Kingdom. The system isn't as convenient as Disney resort, but it is a vast improvement over most off-site hotels.

Disney Springs Hotels Marketing Website (including some discounts): http://disneyspringshotels.com/

As you search for prices, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Lots of people seem to compare Disney's Value Resorts with off-site hotels simply because they are generally comparable in price. That's problematic because the Value rooms are tiny motel-style accommodations and many off-site hotels are must nicer.

As an example, I picked a random date in July (7/13 for 5 nights) and priced out my favorite Disney Springs hotel, the DoubleTree Suites:

• Disney's All-Star Music/Movies/Sports: $160/night
• Disney's Pop Century: $176/night
• Disney's Caribbean Beach: $210/night
• DoubleTree Suites: $132/night using discount from the website above

At the DoubleTree Suites, you'll get a 540 square foot, two-room suite with two queen beds and a sleeper sofa. Unlike Disney's Value or Moderate Resorts, all room are interior entry and you'll earn frequent guest points through Hiltons Honors program (free to join).

Feel free to ask any questions. If you can provide more concrete dates, I'll gladly search more options.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

We have on stayed on site, but I want to try something new. I would like something child friendsly (kids ages 9 and 12) and we will need shuttle to and from wdw. I would like something comparable to the price of staying on site, but nicer and possibly less expensive. Suggestions (mid July)[/QUOTEIf you like deluxe you will get lots of bang for your buck especially through virtusio with Waldorf

 

[AdamEfimoff]

delete

 

[AdamEfimoff]

There a heaps of factors besides the upfront cost you should consider before considering price. It depends what value adding or benefits the hotel offers . For instance will you have a car ? or relying on busses? Will transport to and from the parks be sufficient ? Will there be enough dining at the resort? and nearby ? or will you have to take transportation to and from the hotel? Will you be staying at a high end or motel style accommodation? Will you be going to just Disney Parks or Universal? Do you want to have an option of a kitchen or not? etc etc

 

[BigredNole]

Cheaper is relative. You have to weigh what you are looking for versus any potential savings. Yes, offsite cost less initially. However, the extra costs add up quickly.

Room: Usually much larger for much less
Getting anywhere: Without a car, it becomes a hassle and cost adds up quickly.
Getting from MCO: This is about $100 round trip to add to the total
Meals: How do you plan to get groceries if you plan to use the room for meals?

As you can see, the added costs will offset onsite quickly without a vehicle. Even if you rent a car, the parking fees get high.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I am not even sure what the op is looking for

 

[BigredNole]

I am not even sure what the op is looking for

I think he is looking for someone to be his Travel Agent and do all the work for him.

 

[danielocha30]

none of the off site places offer a good shuttle to the parks, they are buses shared by few hotels and seating is limited you are supposed to get on the list of the shuttle the day before, the pick up times are awful, your shuttle no matter how close to Disney the hotel is will probably not take you there early AND they do pick you early from the park, meaning you will miss fireworks shows, is not a good service as Disney offer, this shuttles are not the best option, they reduce your park time, when staying off site is the best to rent a car, and that adds to the cost so at the end you're not saving at all, unless you're a annual pass holder having a car means parking will be around $20 per day at the parks and also some nice off site hotels charges for parking daily, as much as $30 at some places, if renting a car is not a option be prepared to deal with a lousy shuttle service

 

[Dean1953]

I'm staying for 3-5 weeks in June-July in a two bedroom timeshare that costs $90 a week to exchange for. I banked the weeks 20 years ago and the Maintenence fees were around $300 a week. We are driving and will pick up our 13 month annual passes the first day, so no parking fees. We will repeat this at Christmas time, possibly spring break 2018 and June 2018. We could never afford to do this while staying at a Disney resort (or eating very often at Disney restaurants, for that matter).

 

[mshanson3121]

While it can vary, yes, generally off-site is much cheaper, but it all depends on what you're looking for etc... If you're looking for an upscale hotel that has GOOD shuttle service to/from the parks etc... My guess is, it could cost you just as much as a Disney Value room (though perhaps still cheaper than a Disney mod or deluxe), but as one poster mentioned - you can get better rooms. Some of them even have kitchenettes etc... which can save you a significant chunk of change.

Where you can really save money is when you rent a condo/home etc... They're nicer, bigger, cheaper, and you can buy a weeks worth of groceries for breakfast, lunches etc... and save a lot of money - yes, even factoring in renting a car, parking etc...

As for the driving being so "horrible" (people say it all the time), I'm not sure where these people are used to driving, maybe back roads of Nebraska, lol, but my husband found it a piece of cake - and this comes from a man who hates city driving. Everything is exceptionally well marked. Is there lots of traffic? Of course, but it's very straight forward. Also, having your own car is typically better than Disney transportation as you can get to/from your condo (lodging) quicker than relying on the Disney bus system. And it's also definitely better than relying on off-site transportation, because you can come/go on your time table.

 

[KristinU]

Yeah, I think renting a car is key to enjoying off site accommodations. But if you're able/willing to rent a car you can totally enjoy much more space at great resorts for the same prices as a regular small hotel room at Disney.

Plus, a car is just a time saver. DS and I had the occasion to use DME from the airport last month and as I stood there nearly an hour waiting to board a bus I said to myself "you know what's magical? Me. In my rental car arriving at the resort right now." Rental cars from MCO are generally a decent rate, and driving around property is easy with clear signage. Like Danielocha30 said, you'll need to factor in parking, though. And once you pay at one park for the day you pass is good at other parks if you hop to another or take a break to your resort then return.

For us, after a couple of decades of staying on site we tried off site and love it. If we aren't in our RV at Fort Wilderness, we just prefer the extra space that we can get at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for the price of a moderate.

 

[ThistleMae]

Mousesavers has a list of their recommendations (a credible Disney site). The one I looked at had shuttle service but I would call and ask about their drop off and pick up times. I am staying off site this year at my cousin's condo. They have shuttle service but the times are not great at all. The first pick up time to the parks is 11 a.m. and it goes to AK. Return is at 11 p.m. at MK only if it is open till then, otherwise it's 9 p.m. It will be crazy to try and figure out how to manage a day, especially if we want to be at AK in the evening. We couldn't even make it back to MK unless we miss the nighttime fun there. I'm going to suggest we drive and pay to park. It will still be cheaper than staying onsite. But....you cannot buy or be part of the FD plan if it's offered and for some families this is a huge savings. Good luck.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you don't want to drive (and are a family of 4 or less)...Uber can be your friend, especially if you only see 2 trips a day (to/from the park)...stay in the cheapest, nicest place and rely on Uber, not shuttles, if you don't want a car...

 

[robinb]

If you don't have a car and you want to take a bus to the parks, your best bet would probably be the Doubletree Suites mentioned above.

If you're OK with renting a car or taking Uber, you can look at renting a condo or a timeshare. I rented a 1 bedroom at Wyndham Cypress Palms last June (at the very last minute) for only $222 all-in for a week though Skyauction: https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...ion-bidding-extensions.3520051/#post-56060923 . Taxi Fare Finder says it's about $15 one way from WCP to Epcot (https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main...49778750000002&toCoord=28.3782982,-81.5483299) so you'd spend about $30-$40 per day on transportation.

You could also consider Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is very close to WDW. It's more expensive than other nearby timeshares but people really love it.

 

[momto2js]

I will add my opinion, I agree with the above that having a rental car is really the key to staying offsite. We have had occations to compare driving VS Disney transportation and the car won by at least 40 minutes EVERY time. We have done week long trips offsite for less than $2000 for the entire stay. But we drive so always have a car.

 

[misse336]

I think that offsite is the best deal for people/families who have one or more of the following characteristics:
-more than four members (since that places you outside of one budget hotel room category)
-who have a car or would rent a car anyway even if staying on Disney property
-want more space
-want to stay at more luxurious accommodations (larger rooms, private pool, etc)
-plan to eat some meals at their townhouse/hotel

We are a family of 5 who drove to FL. We choose to stay in a 3 bedroom townhouse due to the cost of the moderate resorts. Plus the fact that I really didn't know how it would all work out to have 5 people in one hotel room for 12 days - one who would need to sleep on a pullout type couch/bed and not a regular bed. Since we did decide to rent outside of Disney I was also able to invite my parents to go with us since we had space for them. Having 3 bathrooms and our own washer/dryer was great - throw a load of laundry into the washer/dryer and get it out in the morning without having to wait in a laundry room until it was done. Everyone needing a shower at night after the parks, no problem since there were three bathrooms/showers.

We saved hundreds by renting off site. Since it seems that you only have 4 people and will not have access to a car I think that you will have a harder time finding a hotel that meets your needs that is cheaper than Disney - maybe a hotel that is nicer/larger since the budget hotels on property are small, but probably not cheaper.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Do you know anyone who owns a timeshare and is a member of RCI? RCI has Extra Vacations and Last Call Vacations the member can purchase without losing their timeshare week. You would have to pay an additional $59 for a guest certificate since you are the owner's guest. Last Call is cheaper as RCI discounts the properties 2 months before travel dates.

One example:
Vacation Village at Parkway, 1 bedroom sleeps 4 (5 minutes outside the WDW gates)
Last Call price for April and early May is now on sale for $279 a week.
Extra Vacation price for June, July, early August is $519 a week.

 

[new]

Thanks for all of your replies...I think we are going to stay on site again.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Thanks for all of your replies...I think we are going to stay on site again.

what hotel?