Is there an off-site faq type thread?

[rere101399]

Hi y'all! I might not be posting in the right place. I'm looking for information, tips etc on deciding to stay off-site.

The short version of my story:
I have had a Nov 2016 trip planned for a year and was lucky enough to snag FD at CR. Suddenly an off-site house has presented itself as an option to us and have no idea how to decide whether or not to keep our original FD package or make the change. The house is on hold for me through today so I have to make my decision quickly.

I don't know where to start with planning an off-site trip. Tickets, magic bands, getting around (we will have our own car), it will all be different than the trip I was originally planning.

The pros to canceling our CR ressie and booking the house are:
-private heated pool
-extra 2 days over our current pkg
-the house + tickets + parking will be $1500 savings over our CR pkg (minus the cost of food since we had FD, so I estimate it will be more like $600-700 savings once we pay for some meals and some food at house)
-private bedroom for each kid meaning better sleep for all of us (one of my kids is a very disruptive sleeper)

The cons:
-losing the Disney feel of being on property
-losing the walk to MK
-we probably won't do as many character meals without FD, so probably will do 2 or 3 instead of 5 (kids are 3 and 5)
-the drive and parking situation

I feel so torn. I'm leaning towards the house because the private pool and the ability to put the kids to bed in their own rooms and have some time to relax in the evenings sounds really nice. Plus, 2 extra days. But ive been planning for so long, to suddenly change the entire feel of the trip seems radical and I don't want to have regrets. Any thoughts on deciding and any additional thoughts on staying off-site that I haven't thought of?

 

[ParkHopperFan]

We have been staying off site for years and after doing so there is no way we would consider staying on property again! We stayed on site once for the same reasons you have cited but after cramming our family in a small hotel room for a week and sharing a bathroom, we were ready to kill each other! We also realized that once the kids are in bed we were stuck in the room for the night. At the end of the week we were all pretty grumpy.

We love going to Disney so a few years back we decided to try something different. We rented a house with a pool where everyone could have their own room. It was a game changer for us. Everyone was so much happier and well rested and we didn't miss any of the Disney magic. The magic for us comes when visiting the parks, the rest is just the Disney bubble that cannot be escaped and ends up costing a small fortune. Since then we have tried a few different places and have settled on Windsor Hills as our favorite. The drive (about 10 min to MK) and parking is very easy. In fact, it takes less time and hassle driving yourself than taking the Disney buses especially if you have strollers, bags, balloons, etc. and are carrying sleeping kids.

The other upside that we have found is how we spend our down time. The house we usually stay at has a beautiful heated pool and hot tub which is great. No packing everybody up and trucking off to the pool and back, looking for chairs, searching for the nearest restroom, etc. It's all right there and you don't have to share. The place we rent also has a games room with video games and toys. The kids love it and can play for hours and we know exactly where they are. We don't need to hover over them with a watchful eye.

Another bonus for us is night time. When the kids are in bed, we aren't stuck in a hotel room. We enjoy the pool and hot tub, sit outside, watch a movie, shoot some pool or darts, etc. The house really has something for all of us. It's not just lodging..

The house we usually stay at also has a full washer and dryer which is huge! We now only pack about 1/2 of what we used to pack and run a few loads of laundry while we are swimming or out to dinner.

I could go on and on about off site benefits; the savings when buying your own groceries, the hundreds of restaurant options, fantastic attractions other than Disney(gasp!) but I think you have already considered these which is what brought you to the Disboards.

All in all it's been a great experience for us and we leave refreshed and happy and when we discuss next year's vacation destination, the kids always ask "Can we go back to Disney and stay in that house again?"

Good luck with your decision an please let us know what you decide and don't fret about planning. That's part of the fun!

 

[mjhtvchick]

I would ditto just about everything ParkHopperFan said - as you can see by my signature, we started out in hotels and have been moving more and more off-site as our trips have gone on.

That said, after my last "totally off-site" trip, I did have a sense of missing out on some of that "connection" and the driving and parking got real old! I think, ultimately, I prefer a balance and I think in the future, we will probably do more "split stays" - 3-5 days "on-site" doing the parks and 7-10 days doing all the other stuff - Space Centre, Sea World, swimming, minigolf, shopping - that we like to do when we are in Florida.

Also, staying in a house doesn't mean you have to cook every night!! We had a couple of BBQs but I made it quite clear to my family that I was on vacation too and we ate out most dinners.

 

[bankr63]

I don't thing there is a single FAQ thread, this whole OHA board is a giant FAQ.

Things you asked about:
Tickets - Undercover Tourist is the most often touted here, although you can pay more and order directly from Disney.
MagicBands - setup everything with the tickets that you get from UT, then buy them first day in the park. MB's aren't a necessity; your hard ticket works the same way. But if you purchase MB's they can just transfer all your bookings over.
Getting Around - there is a transportation board here that might help, but it is mostly about rentals, taxis, special situations. If you have your own car, a GPS is recommended IMO - Orlando has yet to discover the straight street as they loop around about a billion little lakes. Last trip we switched to Google Maps on my smartphone; it was actually better than TomTom app which was better than my previous Garmin.

Your pros list seems much stronger than your cons list if you think about it, and @ParkHopperFan has added even more good reasons. We are solidly in the offsite camp (timeshare resorts - more like a hotel with amenities and housekeeping, but much larger 2BR accommodations), and do not miss the Disney bubble one bit. Orlando is one of the most fun places to visit in the US. You could take Disney away completely, and we would still be vacationing there. Get to know the rest that Orlando offers if you have a chance.

BTW - I would also struggle to spend $800-900 on meals in a week eating offsite. Yes, you can hit that figure easily enough eating at only Disney, but offsite is a whole different story. And a good advantage for no FD; the rides are almost always quieter over meal times because the restaurants are packed with all the folks who made ressies. We just pack/buy quick snacks and keep riding, saving the meals for offsite. We often then go back to the resort for an early dinner and swim, and then pop back over to park for the evening entertainment.

 

[rere101399]

Thanks for all the input. We waffled a bit throughout the day but finally ended up drawing out a grid of what we thought our days would look like on each of the trips (5 nights at CR or 7 nights at the house). We also realized that with the extra time at the house we could do 6 day basic tickets and didn't need the PH that I was originally calculating, meaning even more savings (around $275). So we'll have 3 days at MK, and 1 day each for HS, AK and E.

When we mapped out our days the 2 more nights made a big difference, even with only 1 park a day. It seemed like for a lot less money we'll end up with both more park time and more down time too, so I think the decision is pretty much made in favor of the house. One thing we're trying to think about is if we will want to try to go back to the house for a break and come back or if we'll just try to push the kids as long as possible and when they're done we go back to the house for good?

 

[NH-to-FL]

It seemed like for a lot less money we'll end up with both more park time and more down time too, so I think the decision is pretty much made in favor of the house.

Yes! This is the story of staying in an off site house. Find a place with a nice pool (and a hot tub for the adults) and you'll have very enjoyable "down time".

Of your cons the only one that I suspect you will miss is the walk to MK from the CR. It will take a bit longer to drive, park, tram to the TTC, then boat or monorail to the MK. Adjust you schedule accordingly and you will be fine.

-the drive and parking situation

I have not found the driving around Disney to be a problem. Near Disney the signage is very good. Once you select your house, take a few minutes before you travel to study Google maps for the routes you need to take and you will be fine. If you also turn on Google traffic during your projected travel times you can also get a sense for the traffic you will face.

Yes, you will pay for parking (unless someone in your party has an AP). Disney does a fine job managing the parking and keeping the trams running. Yes, it can a few extra minutes than being dropped off near the gate by Disney transportation.

I predict a wonderful trip!