Just can't justify it... staying onsite

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Is PPH the cheapest on property? We are going to have 2 couples (no kids) for our 2015 and we are just really tempted to go on property since we aren't mixing it with a Disney cruise this time.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Plus we're just kind of low maintenance people. And frugal. And choosy with how we spend our money. I think it's one reason why our financial situation is much better than lots of Americans these days. Because we are picky with how we spend money.

While this is absolutely something to be proud of, I think the insinuation is a little unfair. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that many Americans spend beyond their means, but for plenty of us staying onsite doesn't equate to that. We are actually pretty frugal in our day to day life; vacation is the one place we splurge. It still allows us to be in a good financial position.

But it sounds like our touring styles are very different, so our needs in a hotel are going to be different.

And if I took what you were saying the wrong way, I apologize in advance.

 

[mirage0306]

Is PPH the cheapest on property? We are going to have 2 couples (no kids) for our 2015 and we are just really tempted to go on property since we aren't mixing it with a Disney cruise this time.

Pretty much, yes.

 

[ddwlms]

Plus we're just kind of low maintenance people. And frugal. And choosy with how we spend our money. I think it's one reason why our financial situation is much better than lots of Americans these days. Because we are picky with how we spend money.

This is a bit unfair. I could claim all that you claim above and still stay on site.

My husband says, "We live BELOW our means, so that we can play ABOVE our means."

 

[AustinTink]

This is a bit unfair. I could claim all that you claim above and still stay on site.

My husband says, "We live BELOW our means, so that we can play ABOVE our means."

I like that quote. Especially since I'm on a mission to make it back to the GCH someday.

We have been home for about a week from our trip to the GCH and it's back to normal around here. We are slowly making our way through the $100 of groceries I bought last Sunday with lots of healthy options and leftovers. It makes the everyday mundane a whole lot most palatable when you know you are working toward a cause.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

This is how I feel about it.

I agree with you OP, there's no way our family could justify spending that kind of money for accommodations, especially when you're not getting that much more in return. EMH? Lots of people say they didn't get much out of that ONE extra hour. Proximity? There are lots of hotels/motels offsite RIGHT there outside the gates or just down the street. Pool? Other hotels have pools, and besides my family doesn't use the pool because we are park people, we are at the parks from open to close. We don't take afternoon breaks, it's just not our style. So the room just has to be fairly decent. No gross dirt, no bad neighborhood, and no bed bugs.

Plus we're just kind of low maintenance people. And frugal. And choosy with how we spend our money. I think it's one reason why our financial situation is much better than lots of Americans these days. Because we are picky with how we spend money.

I'm somewhat similar. I graduated college without debt. I don't plan on vastly underestimating my retirement, so I make smart decisions and save a lot today. I fully recognize though that "smart decisions" mean different things to different people so I try not to draw comparisons to others in an effort to make myself feel better about the decisions I make.

I have no problem with other people spending money on nice things. I don't mind that people have a higher estimation on what is "nice" than I do. My wife's aunt is well-off. She has quite a bit of money. I can imagine her saying the words "slumming it" when referring to a hotel room she did not spend $400 on. I tend to approach the situation the same way I do when my parents accidentally say something racist. Even though I silently cringe on the inside, I make sure I put on a wide smile and say nothing.

 

[Spassvogel]

We stayed at DLH the first time we came with the kids, so they could have the experience, but since they took the monorail out of the hotel, you don't really save much walking time anymore, which would be my main motivation.

We'd rather save the $1200-ish and stay across the street.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I'm somewhat similar. I graduated college without debt. I don't plan on vastly underestimating my retirement, so I make smart decisions and save a lot today. I fully recognize though that "smart decisions" mean different things to different people so I try not to draw comparisons to others in an effort to make myself feel better about the decisions I make. I have no problem with other people spending money on nice things. I don't mind that people have a higher estimation on what is "nice" than I do. My wife's aunt is well-off. She has quite a bit of money. I can imagine her saying the words "slumming it" when referring to a hotel room she did not spend $400 on. I tend to approach the situation the same way I do when my parents accidentally say something racist. Even though I silently cringe on the inside, I make sure I put on a wide smile and say nothing.

Again, the insinuation is that those who stay onsite do not do these things and that just isn't true of all of us. All of the things you mention are true for me as well and yet we still choose to stay onsite when we can. And since you put smart decision in quotes, one can imply that you are saying those who chose to spend their money that way are not making smart decisions.

I don't care where people stay. Stay onsite if you wish, stay offsite if that's what you like. Just like I would never say somebody staying offsite is slumming it or cheap, it gets a little old to see the insinuation that people who stay onsite are irresponsible with their money or priorities.

 

[SweetAlex]

Hi from a fellow Disney lover in BC!
We are going to be in DL at the exact same time as you – our dates are Dec 4 to Dec 9 for our third time in 2014, for us we are staying at the Tropicana!

We have stayed several times as a family at various hotels on harbor and haven’t stayed anywhere we wouldn’t stay at again!
We splurged in May 2012 and stayed at the DL hotel but like a previous poster said other than the magical headboard there was nothing really magical about our stay – no towel animal, no special signed mickey photo at check-in, etc (at that time there was no hotel guest EE) – I understand those “perks” are random and weren’t expected but I was still slightly disappointed more for my 3 year old!

I did like the pool area though and we got to use it several times although poolside service was lacking…..
If you were going in summertime where you could make sure of the pool area, I would stay splurge but in December I’d rather save the $$$ and stay off-property!

Wow! That's a lot of similarities . We just moved from Langley in March to the the Kootenays and will be flying out of Spokane this time (we've always flown out of Seattle in the past). Maybe we'll bump into you. We're staying at the Fairfield this time, which is a first. Have a fantastic trip!

 

[thatgrljme]

I took my first trip there since 1998 this past May. Growing up in SoCal I didn't ever have to stay at a hotel when we visited, also, there was only one park and one hotel at the time lol

This time my father and my son (first trip) and I stayed at the PPH. We LOVED it. My son is 2 so being able to go back and take mid day breaks was nice. We also stayed concierge level which was a nice treat, which was also paid for by a retention bonus I got at work, so I don't see concierge level in our future anytime soon.

We're already starting to plan our next trip and I'm looking at February. While I would like to try every onsite resort once, right now the PPH seems to work best for us because my son needs his own bed and that daybed is perfect for him. My dad is also in the camp of "you get what you pay for" and I think he'd rather stay onsite then risk staying offsite even though there are some that are indeed closer than PPH, although the walk wasn't really that bad.

I also prefer to stay in the Disney bubble as long as I possibly can. In fact, I wish I could still be in it lol I am a single mom so taking trips like these require me to save, and since I'm already saving I might as well save a little bit more to stay at a hotel we really want to stay at.

 

[SweetAlex]

Just a harmless observation but I find it interesting how many feel that anything offsite is "terrible". I haven't stayed onsite, as mentioned, but I've stayed at several offsite hotels and every single one was just fine. When you book the Motel 8, or another hotel that is cheap... you're going to get "cheap", no surprise, but many are fine with that. As long as they have a bed to lay down on after a long day, that's all they need. A few were implying that there's either GCH or Motel 8. But there are dozens of hotels almost as close to Disney as onsite that are WAY better than a Motel 8. There is a "happy medium"

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Of course we all have our own preferences for whatever reasons. I myself would much prefer to have $1,000 more in my savings because we've been down that "debt" road and it totally sucks so we are very careful not to go down there again. For others, that's not an issue, which is great! Maybe one day we'll get there too

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

I don't care where people stay. Stay onsite if you wish, stay offsite if that's what you like. Just like I would never say somebody staying offsite is slumming it or cheap, it gets a little old to see the insinuation that people who stay onsite are irresponsible with their money or priorities.

I'm afraid you infer too much. Smart decisions could mean that you splurge at times too, which you've indicated you do. I try to be very careful to indicate that these are decisions for me and for no one else and that my decisions are in no way indicative of what others should do. In this case, the intent was nowhere close to the inference. Sometimes I try to be crystal clear with my word choice, but as evidence by this misunderstanding, I come up short far more often than I like to think I do.

To be clearer...if I made those types of decisions regularly, I would severely compromise my own financial situation in the present and the future. I fully recognize other people can afford way more than I can without being irresponsible.

 

[DizMe]

Just a harmless observation but I find it interesting how many feel that anything offsite is "terrible". I haven't stayed onsite, as mentioned, but I've stayed at several offsite hotels and every single one was just fine. When you book the Motel 8, or another hotel that is cheap... you're going to get "cheap", no surprise, but many are fine with that. As long as they have a bed to lay down on after a long day, that's all they need. A few were implying that there's either GCH or Motel 8. But there are dozens of hotels almost as close to Disney as onsite that are WAY better than a Motel 8. There is a "happy medium"

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Of course we all have our own preferences for whatever reasons. I myself would much prefer to have $1,000 more in my savings because we've been down that "debt" road and it totally sucks so we are very careful not to go down there again. For others, that's not an issue, which is great! Maybe one day we'll get there too

There are many fine motels, it's true! The only other hotel that's across the street that I can think of would be Hojo, and while it's fine and we've stayed there many times, I can now stay onsite for close to the same price if I choose my dates well. And for me, Hojo is a nice budget hotel but not a resort by any means. I love the Anaheim Marriott, but I prefer to be closer to the parks.

I don't remember very many people saying the offsite properties were terrible. For me and many others, one of the primary objections is the disconnect when you leave the resort and cross the street. While the motels may be fine, I don't like the area. There are many things that come with a resort hotel that you don't have across the street, which don't matter to some and do matter to others. I wish people would stop trying to make a one-size-fits-all judgment here; I don't care if you stay offsite and save money, and no one should try and make people who stay onsite out to be snobs and money wasters.

I have lots of friends who drink beer and soda. I drink water. The money they spend on those things alone would pay my extra costs to stay onsite. So what? We all need to choose what is important to us and not worry about anybody else's decision.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

So what? We all need to choose what is important to us and not worry about anybody else's decision.

Of course. You should not feel snooty or irresponsible for choosing onsite. The idea is rather absurd, actually. I think some people (not me) take exception to the condescension, intentional or otherwise, that seem to be portrayed by some individuals (not you) regarding offsite locations. I think everyone is preparing a defense for a charge that hasn't really been filed. No one is saying that all offsite locations are slummy and no one is saying that everyone who stays onsite is irresponsible.

Those few posters that may have placed a pinky toe over the line, I usually don't address directly or simply smile politely at, then ignore.

 

[waltonmkb]

I stay onsite because it gives me the feeling of an all-encompassing vacation. A vacation to me is about escaping my everyday reality. I want to stay in the Disney bubble and walk through DTD with the good smells and piped-in music and colorful window displays and not think about the outside world. We spend plenty of time at the resort pools, eating in the restaurants, sitting in the lobbies, walking around the grounds, and just absorbing the atmosphere. We don't just do parks from opening to close.

Disneyland is our big family vacation and we only go once every 2-3 years. We've never been to Hawaii or Mexico or any other foreign country so we save up to splurge at Disneyland. I know a lot of people would rather go every year or even multiple times a year, but I would rather take the time to save up to stay onsite.

 

[mikana876]

My husband says, "We live BELOW our means, so that we can play ABOVE our means."

I like that quote

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I'm afraid you infer too much. Smart decisions could mean that you splurge at times too, which you've indicated you do. I try to be very careful to indicate that these are decisions for me and for no one else and that my decisions are in no way indicative of what others should do. In this case, the intent was nowhere close to the inference. Sometimes I try to be crystal clear with my word choice, but as evidence by this misunderstanding, I come up short far more often than I like to think I do. To be clearer...if I made those types of decisions regularly, I would severely compromise my own financial situation in the present and the future. I fully recognize other people can afford way more than I can without being irresponsible.

Understood and sorry for the misunderstanding

 

[mikana876]

While this is absolutely something to be proud of, I think the insinuation is a little unfair. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that many Americans spend beyond their means, but for plenty of us staying onsite doesn't equate to that. We are actually pretty frugal in our day to day life; vacation is the one place we splurge. It still allows us to be in a good financial position.

But it sounds like our touring styles are very different, so our needs in a hotel are going to be different.

And if I took what you were saying the wrong way, I apologize in advance.

Not to say that absolutely everyone who stays onsite is overspending, but I'm sure a lot of people who are staying there are doing exactly that. And not to say that everyone, or even anyone, on this thread is overspending to stay onsite, but statistically speaking there are probably a lot who are. For those that save diligently, save in other ways so that they can "splurge" in this way, great! But for those who can't stay there without putting it on a credit card should realize they can still have an amazing vacation visiting DLR staying offsite.

Different strokes for different folks!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Not to say that absolutely everyone who stays onsite is overspending, but I'm sure a lot of people who are staying there are doing exactly that. And not to say that everyone, or even anyone, on this thread is overspending to stay onsite, but statistically speaking there are probably a lot who are. For those that save diligently, save in other ways so that they can "splurge" in this way, great! But for those who can't stay there without putting it on a credit card should realize they can still have an amazing vacation visiting DLR staying offsite. Different strokes for different folks!

Statistically speaking there are probably a lot of people who go to Disney in general who are overspending regardless of where they stay. That is not exclusive to being onsite.

Since we all have certain criteria that are important to us, we'll all chose differently. Neither offsite or onsite makes one more superior, financially or otherwise.

 

[Chrisfilm]

I'm not adding anything new to this, but wanted to emphasize:

If you like to go-go-go on vacation and maximum park time is what you enjoy, off-site is a great idea. No need to spend a lot of extra dough on something you aren't using.

If you move at a slower pace on vacation and spend a lot of downtime where you are staying, on-site make perfect sense. The on-site hotels are more atmospheric than even the nicest of the off-site hotels. That's something that just can't be created outside of the Disney bubble. But, again, if you won't spend more than just sleep time at the hotel, that probably doesn't matter.