Is the Magic lost...???

[mickey2minnie1]

While offsite will be more economical and spacious and even luxurious depending, we want the bubble of Disney. It just makes ant the same for us.

 

[Scifidiner]

We always stay on site whether it's WDW or Universal it's just easier, for the transportation if nothing else. However in 2013 we went to the Eukanuba dog show in Orlando & stayed at a hotel that allowed dogs (the Hyatt by SW I think) we went to WDW & US it was not the same. The hotel was excellent & it was nice to have our dog with us, but it was a pain to get to the parks & back.

 

[HatboxHaint]

Just got back from staying off site. Previous 2 trips were on site, Pop and Fort Wilderness The magic wasn't the same, not gonna lie ... BUT ... we are a family of 6 and we stayed in a rented townhouse in Crestwynd Bay, right next to Windsor Hills, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, full kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. We drove down, so we had our car. Parking spot right outside our front door. Really close to World Drive. It took us far less time to get to AK (super close!), Epcot and HS than it did from Pop and FW. We were in the parking lots within 15 mins of leaving the house. MK took the same or longer than the bus from Pop and the boat from FW.

So, while we would love to stay in the bubble, a rental makes more sense for our family in terms of space as well as cost and location.

Yeah we've always done two rooms but had MIL with us every trip and she covered the other room.

 

[WDWOswald]

I've found "off-site" to be quite magical and wonderful on many occasions. Just stay at bonnet creek in a 2 bedroom and rent a car. You'll pay less than $150 a night (usually around $120 a night) from a reputable eBay reseller. The resort is closer to the parks than some Disney resorts are. It has amazing pools- including a pretty great pirate themed pool area. The rooms are phenomenal. Nothing is less magical to me than going to universal studios. Yuck.

Let me do a cost breakdown. 7 nights at bonnet creek- $1,050 total. Renting a full size car- $120 for the week. Parking for 6 days at disney theme parks $120. Total $1,300.

7 nights in a 2 bedroom DVC unit at saratoga springs. Usually 38 vacation club points per night- at $16 per point it's $608 a night for 7 nights your cost is $4,256.

So, honestly why not just rent the car and stay at bonnet creek which is ON Disney property? It's equal or better than the quality of many Disney deluxe resorts and about $3,000 less for a weeklong stay. AND renting a car is WAY better than using the Disney bus system! You can get to any resort you want directly with no waiting for a bus or transferring to try and get to a resort.

 

[DanInMN]

Bonnet Creek is nice, and right next to Disney property. A great option for larger families.

We have also stayed in Reunion Resort twice, and Bahama Bay Resort about 5 times.

All of the above are large, nice, condos that you could live in. And prices are very low... $80-130/night if you shop around.

Renting a car also allows you to try some great restaurants outside of WDW, at less cost. Car rental is cheap in Orlando, if you shop around.

Magic? Depends on the quality of the resort. Bahama Bay and Bonnet Creek have been great experiences for us.

Staying in WDW is great, but at a price!

 

[mousegear]

My parents own timeshare at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and we've stayed over their a few times in courtesy of my parents. It's nice to have rooms to spread out with full kitchen and two bathrooms and we are only a family of 3. And since it is technically within the gates of the WDW, it takes no time to get to the parks and other resorts. Bonnet Creek have awesome pools with lazy river and pirate themes. We don't rely on Disney transportation, so we always rent a car either staying on-property or off-property. It's really cheap to rent a car in Orlando and we prefer the convenience of having the car. However, we usually stay on-property when we travel during busy seasons for EMH. We could get a lot done during EMH and we are morning birds. We promptly leave the park around 12~1pm and enjoy the resort time. We are AP holders so the parking fees don't apply to us when we stay off property. However, I guess that parking fee could add up pretty quickly when you are staying off property for a long time. Yes, we like staying with the bubble of Disney but when we stay off property, it is not whole not bad and we actually enjoy staying there as well.