Is there an advantage to stay onsite anymore?

[kwdw]

At the moment, the Magical Express is still operating and with the cost of rental cars through the roof at times right now - that's an onsite perk. Proximity is another - they are still closest.

But unless other perks return to on-site resort guests - I'm not seeing the advantage to on-site anymore. Loss of real EMH's that had true meaning, no FP or ADR benefits at the moment, upcoming loss of ME, loss of free parking, decrease in bus efficiency lately - those features added to the "cost and benefit analysis" that most folks did.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We're DVC but even if we weren't, we'd stay on site. I like just to park the car and forget about it. I like the proximity to everything. Have you've considered renting DVC points? I've put points up for rent with David's DVC Rental. I think they do a good job.

 

[gatorlisa]

For us, at this time, there was no advantage to staying on site. We were not interested in using Disney transportation, and would have used our car to get to the parks no matter where we stayed. As passholders, we got free parking at the theme parks and stayed at a hotel 10 minutes or less from all the parks, with free hotel parking. With no fastpasses, so no need for the 60 day advantage, and with no extra magic hours, there was just no advantage to staying on site for our recent trips. We were able to get much larger rooms for a much lower price offsite and didn't feel like it negatively impacted our trip in any way.

 

[sabrecmc]

I'm going to sound like a lush, but I really enjoy having dinner at a restaurant or just walking around the parks and being able to drink. I know I could get an Uber/Lyft back to an offiste place, but it is really nice to just be able to hop on a bus or whatever. Right now, admittedly, the perks are not great. I don't know if they are worth it. That being said, the "Disney bubble" is important to us, personally. I love being there. I love the gift shops and the food courts. I love the ridiculous theming. Other places have very similar things, of course, and I'm not knocking them. However, for us, when we did stay off-site, it just didn't quite feel right leaving Disney every night.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I turn 50 in October

I turn 50 in October too . As an adult I have never stayed off site so I can't really speak to that but it's the proximity and transportation that keeps us onsite. We had a large group (14) ages 3-69 and the transportation made it possible for everyone to come and go as they pleased. We ate dinner together every night but the days were made up of different mixed groups coming and going and it turned out to be a great trip.

 

[loves to dive]

It sounds like for your group and style, offsite really is the way to go. We tried it once and it just wasn't us. We like the bubble and more importantly, we don't like to drive. We always have a car with us, park it and don't get in it again. We are two adults (mother and son) and we like to occasionally have a refreshing adult beverage or two, we like not having to worry about driving or calling an Uber. I will say my son is like a Platinum or some such silly Uber member because he uses it a lot at home. We like being able to walk to two parks (we stay at Dolphin most of the time) or just hop on a bus and let them drive us. Even when the buses are so crowded you have to stand it's not a big deal for us, partly because standing is actually more comfortable for my son, back issues. Even when finances were tight, we stayed on site, just spread our trips out so I could save the money (and back then the deluxe hotels were the only ones on site). When we tried staying off site, the traffic was a pain for me, we actually even got to MK one day and it was at capacity and we couldn't get in and yes, we had tickets but this was a long time ago.

We rarely did the whole FP however many days in advance, heck we rarely even made FPs so that being gone is no big deal. We also didn't book ADRs in advance, just day of. We rarely used the EMHs and if we did, it was usually at night and by accident, we didn't check calendars to know when they were. It's all about the bubble for us and yes, it's expensive and if the Swan/Dolphin wasn't an option, I might would do a split stay with a few days off site at the beginning of the stay to save some money and drive to AK and MK but that is a huge maybe.

 

[Stratman50th]

For us, one of the perks is the restaurants that are onsite at Disney, which hasn’t been mentioned yet. We hate cooking on vacation! When we travel elsewhere we will sometimes rent an AirBnB, but we love the convenience of having access to the parks, food, restaurants, stores, (etc) all without having to drive anywhere or make anything. That said, we do usually stay at Disney resorts with good sit down restaurants because this is so important to us.

We don't go in the parks any longer but do enjoy some of the restaurants. Unfortunately all of the restaurants we like are still closed.

 

[srauseo]

I've done both and for a large, extended family, off site was pretty great. We were a group of 16 and renting a house was so much cheaper and we had way more space, especially bathrooms. But I will readily admit the logistics were a hassle sometimes. Some people were early risers wave2 and some were late sleepers and it was hard to get everyone on the same page. Getting out in the morning was always a struggle. For a rope-dropper like me it was endlessly frustrating but that depends on your group. We had two mini vans and had to make sure that we'd have enough room if some people were ready to leave and some weren't.

I like not having to drive. It means we can go out and have a few drinks and not worry about who is driving. I also like being in the bubble, especially in the EPCOT resort area. When I go with my sister this fall we are staying at Yacht Club so we can walk to two parks. It is abut we haven't gone anywhere in over a year so we've got some money saved.

I'm a fan of Magical Express and will be sad to see that go for sure. I'm intrigued by the new early access for on-site guests. I like the flexibility of it but I'm sad it's not the full hour. I am a confirmed morning person and have always been so successful in that first hour. I guess I'll see how well it goes on my next trip.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

For those thinking of moving offsite and needing rental cars, Costco Travel is your best option. You get a free driver when you book through them.

 

[gharter]

I would agree that currently, the draw to stay onsite is lacking.
We own DVC, so we have a reason to stay there. Without it, currently, not sure we would.
I expect as the parks and resort start to fill back up, WDW will bring back many of the onsite perks.

 

[limace]

We are also DVC but the perks definitely aren’t there right now. For our May trip we are staying at Bonnet Creek for the first half-four nights in a two bedroom physically located within WDW borders for $650. We will then switch to AKV. We have absolutely no problems using Lyft-in fact, stayed at Boardwalk two years ago and used Lyft more than buses to get to AKV and MK. On the scale of what these vacations cost it’s such a minor expense. This trip we will have three adults-my 24 year old daughter is coming and she has her own Uber account. She and her 15 year old sister can stay at the parks late and Uber back if they want. We tentatively are renting a car for the WDW portion of the trip-I have one booked through Costco-and we will see if we keep the rental or if Rideshare would be cheaper.

 

[iheartglaciers]

One possible downside to a large group staying off site, is that the group has to be rounded up and set off and leave together. Whereas, staying on site, individuals can come and go as they please.

With the big cost saving staying offsite, parts of the group could take Ubers to/from the parks if everyone didn't want to leave at once.

 

[Rusty2rules]

I've had this conversation several times other places. I've always stayed onsite. I'm going in September. I had reservations at Coronado Springs for 4 nights. Disney took away all the perks of staying on-site! I canceled my reservation and moved to a "good neighbor" hotel with a 2-bedroom suite. I saved so much money I was able to extend my trip by a day. I love the "the transportation" argument. For me, there's zero value in it. I either have my own car or rent a car (which they penalize me for with their resort parking fee). I'd always stayed on-site and used Disney transportation until my last stay, when I drove to all the parks. IT WAS AWESOME. Never again will I use Disney transportation unless I absolutely have to. No waiting in long lines for an empty bus to show up. No waiting for a bus to show up, period. Get in my car and go. And the 30 minute early entry? Please. That doesn't begin to make up for the shortened hours. If they think 30 minutes is going to encourage me to spend that kind of extra dollars to stay at their over-priced resort, they need to think again. Maybe that's just me.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

To answer a few questions. We're not really planning to do sit-down restaurants. We usually just do quick service and have only gotten the dining plan a couple of times. I honestly, didn't care for it as the whole day was scheduled around eating. I just want to eat quickly and have fun, not sit in a restaurant. It was fine for character meals when the kids were young, but that's not an issue anymore.

We generally rent a car for our onsite visits and drive to the parks. I find driving around Disney very easy. We stayed at Pop once using Magical Express and the buses and it wasn't my favorite. Used to get free parking so it was fine, now, not so much. Our favorite resorts have been Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and Beach Club for the close proximity to the parks, but with 7 "adults" that's will bankrupt me!

I have looked into David's rental for DVC points. I am waiting to hear back about how it works to book more than one room.

The thing holding me back is not being in the bubble. I love that feeling of passing those Disney property gates and being in the bubble for a week. That's the thing that's really holding me back! I do appreciate all the input and from reading everything it does seem a house would be the way to go.

 

[Blondie58]

I have always been a total staying onsite supporter. I couldn't imagine not staying onsite. We are not an early-open-the park-family, but we love to close it down and we love, love, loved the evening EMH. We also used to love coming back to the resorts and swimming late.

I turn 50 in October so I'd like to plan a trip to celebrate my 50th with WDW! Now my kids are older (21, 19, & 16). We will be bringing a girlfriend (20) and a boyfriend (19). So with a large group like this and 6 out of the 7 adults. The room prices are pricey even at the values. I love the theming and the nostalgia of staying on-site, but with no EMH, have to pay for parking, no FP to get to schedule earlier, pools closing early, etc at the resorts... I am really struggling to see why staying onsite would be better than booking an Airbnb with a private pool with tons of space close to the property at a fraction of the cost?

What am I missing? Would I be really missing out by not staying onsite this October? The idea of it seems almost disloyal! LOL!

Safety used to be an onsite reason for me when traveling to WDW alone. With everything closing so early - not an issue. Back to room before dark. No early registration for fast passes. Not good. LONG lines and times for Magic Express and then NO ME 1/1/2022. Not good. No concierge services. Boo/hiss. Oh my mind and times are a changin'. Never thought the bubble would burst.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Safety used to be an onsite reason for me when traveling to WDW alone. With everything closing so early - not an issue. Back to room before dark. No early registration for fast passes. Not good. LONG lines and times for Magic Express and then NO ME 1/1/2022. Not good. No concierge services. Boo/hiss. Oh my mind and times are a changin'. Never thought the bubble would burst.

You're so right, it does feel like the bubble is bursting with the loss of onsite perks but continued higher and higher prices!

 

[pwdebbie]

For us, at this time, there was no advantage to staying on site. We were not interested in using Disney transportation, and would have used our car to get to the parks no matter where we stayed. As passholders, we got free parking at the theme parks and stayed at a hotel 10 minutes or less from all the parks, with free hotel parking. With no fastpasses, so no need for the 60 day advantage, and with no extra magic hours, there was just no advantage to staying on site for our recent trips. We were able to get much larger rooms for a much lower price offsite and didn't feel like it negatively impacted our trip in any way.

I've always been curious as to how long your "ten minutes or less from all the parks" works out at closing. From the vantage point of the bus, it looks to me like it could take a good long time to just get out of the park parking lots.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I've always been curious as to how long your "ten minutes or less from all the parks" works out at closing. From the vantage point of the bus, it looks to me like it could take a good long time to just get out of the park parking lots.

We always close down the parks and take our time leaving. I have always walked out to a ghost town of a parking lot.

 

[twodogs]

A few other transportation thoughts:

1. as OP mentioned (but might have been lost in all the responses), rental cars are VERY expensive or non-existent on any kind of short-ish notice in many cities right now due to COVID reasons, so budget for this (agree with OP that Costco usually has the best rental car prices, but even they are outrageous or just sold out of every car type sometimes right now).
2. Uber/Lyft will often have surge pricing if demand is high, so make sure to budget for this.
3. This won't apply to OP with adult kids, but families with younger kids that need car seats or booster seats may struggle with ride shares.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

A few other transportation thoughts:

1. as OP mentioned (but might have been lost in all the responses), rental cars are VERY expensive or non-existent on any kind of short-ish notice in many cities right now due to COVID reasons, so budget for this (agree with OP that Costco usually has the best rental car prices, but even they are outrageous or just sold out of every car type sometimes right now).
2. Uber/Lyft will often have surge pricing if demand is high, so make sure to budget for this.
3. This won't apply to OP with adult kids, but families with younger kids that need car seats or booster seats may struggle with ride shares.

We would be planning to rent a car (using Costco), most likely a minivan to fit us all in. I have heard a little about the shortages. Do you think this will still be an issue come October? I haven't read enough to know what the cause/solution is. Something I absolutely need to look into before making a final decision!