Need to be encouraged that off-site is OK!

[NJtoATL]

We stay off-site 90 % of the time. I like it because I am not limited to just Disney. I been so many times, I stopped counting. I like to go to Sea World, Universal, and Disney. I also do a lot of Outlet Shopping. So staying off -site is better for us. Next week, we will do 2 days off-site so I can attend a conference . Then we will spend 2 days on site. It just depends on your needs. Both have their pros and cons. You have nothing to fear if you are staying off-site.

 

[Tink1971]

This will be our second trip and last trip we stayed at FW Cabins. We liked it pretty well (except for the internal bus system) but had decided to shoot for Beach Club this trip. We are a family of 5 so I was getting worried that we may feel cramped, plus dh and I love to get up early and have alone time before the kiddos get up. So....after MUCH HARD deliberation we have decided to stay at Sheraton Vistana Resort. We save over $1500 dollars (we got a great deal with II) plus we have a huge 2 BR Villa. We also have a rental car, so I'm trying to convince myself that it will be GREAT and no big deal that we aren't ON-SITE. I have got to get over this and just get excited about our vacation. For those staying off-site, let's share in the excitement....

We have stayed at Sheraton Vistana Resort and rented a car a few years back, it's soooo close to the parks and the 2 bdrm villa is very spacious. Ask to be as close to the main pool as possible as those villas tend to be a little more kept than the further bldgs. I believe there are 7 pools on the property. We visited 4 of them and liked them all. You're sure to like it. We normally stay offsite and have not had any problems.

 

[MiaSRN62]

ansadler....
Hi...I agree with Tink1971's post !
I think you will really like Vistana. Considering you are trading via II and not RCI, I'd bet you will get a newly remodeled villa.

Just to be safe though, try putting your requests in via the online Diamond Lane form (this not only allows you to make special requests, but gives you the option to check-in at the Diamond Lane line which is normally shorter than the regular line) : https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01&IM=SVO_RC_DIA_SVR

Request either Cascades (not yet remodeled but in good shape), Lakes, Fountains I or Fountains II. These are the sections that are totally complete. You could just request Cascades or "newly remodeled villa".

I'm one who feels there are pros and cons to both on and offsite.
Onsite : disney themeing, disney "magic" (just a different feel to the vacation), onsite perks such as package delivery to hotel, Extra Magic Hour, ability to walk to major theme parks depending on which resort, wdw transportation (for us, it's allowed us to split up as a family for various reasons such as naps, illness, teens wanting to explore on their own, members of family choosing to sleep-in and join up later at park etc).

Offsite : extra space, monetary savings, non-disney themed (for some this is a plus).

I do both on and offsite as we own DVC as well as Vistana.

Overall, I think Vistana offers alot for families for the money. Very close to DD/Marketplace. I can drive to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios in under 10 min.

The biggest downfall is getting to the MK with offsite accomodations. When I stay onsite and use busses/monorails/boats, I can be inside the MK and at the ticket turnstile within 20-30 min (bus or boat times average this).

When we drive, it's more like a 15 min drive to the MK (more from some offsite resorts) parking lot, another 10-15 min to park and walk to the tram, another 3-5 min for the tram to get you to the monorail/ferry boarding, and then another 10-15 min to wait for and ride either the monorail or ferry. So if you add all this up, you're looking at 45 min at least and quite easily 1 hour to get both in and out of the MK park. One year we tried to get into the MK (drove from Vistana) and from our villa to inside the MK park at the ticket turnstile was just at 70 min. We left around 7:30 pm. Seemed disney was more interested in getting people OUT of the park vs bringing more IN to the park from the TTC.

Anyway, getting in and out of the MK is the one snafu we have when staying offsite vs onsite.

Vistana has alot to offer in way of resort activities and entertainment. They often have a DJ or kareoke by the main pool (or I've seen it by the Cascades pool too), children's pool activities, family movie night etc. They offer room service to your villa from a select menu.

I'm sure you'll have a very nice time ansadler

 

[Brian Noble]

Usually, I prefer onsite to get to/from MK too. But, last week from Old Key West, we had very poor bus service both nights we returned to that park.

Very unusual, but very annoying. In both cases I could have easily driven in less time.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Very unusual, but very annoying. In both cases I could have easily driven in less time.

I can totally understand your frustration Brian....but as you stated, it is on the unusual side. Pretty much a fact you will get into the MK via onsite busses/boats quicker than driving from an offsite location. There are always exceptions to every rule (I've experienced it too Brian. One time we were trying to get INTO the MK from the BWV. It was EMH at the MK. Took like 25-30 min for the bus to arrive to pick us up........we almost ended up driving ourselves. But that was an isolated incident.

 

[Brian Noble]

This trip, actually, driving would have taken the same time on average---and been more predictable. It was enough to get me to consider skipping the bus system entirely next time, except for "margarita night" at Epcot.

 

[ansadler]

I'm so convinced this is the best choice for our family this year, especially after all of your comments.

Group hug!!!!

 

[dizluvah]

We always stay off site for a week in May at Vistana. We absolutely love it. I confess, I did not read everyone's reply but if you have any questions, etc I will be happy to try to help. We love having a rental car for freedom to eat at offsite restaurants which can be budget friendly as well.

You will have a wonderful vacation. Vistana is a great location, close to Disney property, Walmart right down the street, several nearby restaurants. Close to DTD - you will love it. Vistana also has great pools (7 or 8),
mini-golf, pizza hut onsite for delivery, a few restaurants on property, and small grocery/gift shop onsite.

Have fun!

 

[Lisa P.]

...trying off site... this December... for 10 days and hope to explore Univeral to.

I would highly recommend staying at one of Universal's onsite hotels. They are awesome... Check out the Universal boards here on the Dis for more info.

Good advice and necessary if your December visit to Universal's parks will be over the Christmas/New Year's school break. However, when we've visited in mid-December, before most kids are out of school, the parks were wonderfully quiet with minimal waits for anything. Paying Universal's high nightly onsite rates for a crowded hotel room during this time so you can get unneeded room key passes doesn't make much sense to me, when you'll already have comfortable offsite lodging.

Even though we stayed at a nice offsite timeshare, we really enjoyed riding the free boat from CityWalk to visit all of the themed Universal hotels in the evenings, just to walk around, get something to eat, soak up the atmosphere. We strolled back to CityWalk afterward on nicely lit walkpaths between their resorts too - quite lovely at night. Do look at the Universal boards here. One-week tickets are a great deal!!!

 

[ansadler]

We're thinking of adding a day to the beginning of our trip and staying one night on-site at Universal. Right now I can't find any promo codes for a cheaper rate. I'll keep looking. Since we're saving so much by being off-site I think I've convinced dh that we can afford Universal. Will the FOTL pass it be worth it at the end of April (after all spring and easter breaks)? If not, then we wouldn't stay on-site. Need to decide that.

 

[ansadler]

The biggest downfall is getting to the MK with offsite accomodations. QUOTE]

I wonder if it's easier to go to Epcot and ride the Monorail over, or drive to WL (can you pay to park there?) and ride the Ferry?

 

[MiaSRN62]

Brian Noble : This trip, actually, driving would have taken the same time on average---and been more predictable. It was enough to get me to consider skipping the bus system entirely next time, except for "margarita night" at Epcot.

Well Brian.....respect your position on this based on your experiences. Obviously everyone comes to their own deductions based on their individual experiences. Mine, based on over 14 years of vacationing both at Vistana as well as on disney property, has led me to believe that approximately 85% of the time, using disney transportation is gonna get us into and out of the MK faster. On average 30-40 min faster each way. In fact, getting OUT of the MK at park closing is WAAAY quicker when staying onsite. And I am specifically talking about 30 min both before and after the final fireworks show. Nothing worse than getting on the monorail back to the TTC at park closing. If we're staying at Vistana, and are forced with leaving with the offsite mobs, we prefer to linger for up to 1 hour or more on Main Street until the monorails become less like cattle calls. So if we're staying at Vistana, we either leave 1 hour before park closing and miss fireworks, or wait until 1 hour after park closing to get on monorails.

But if you're on property, while the busses might be crowded, they do come very frequently. Disney manages very well in this department.

PS Brian : what is margarita night at Epcot ???? Sounds fun !

pizza hut onsite for delivery, a few restaurants on property, and small grocery/gift shop onsite.

Yep....unfortunately Vistana closed their Flamingo Cafe restaurant. I wrote to the food and beverage manager about this decision and got a "form" response. According to him, this is what the Vistana owners wanted ? I can tell you , noone ever asked my opinion on this. As an owner since 1994, we never got a survey or anything. So they replaced a really nice sit down restaurant with a KFC and A&W ? Yuck. But Pizza Hut is still there---in fact, it's now in the place the Flamingo Cafe used to be (gonna miss those grouper sandwiches.....buy hey, got KFC chicken now ?). But you can get pizza, rottisserie chicken and a few other items from Zimmies as delivery to your villa.

Zimmies is a smaller sit down restaurant that I find gets crowded now---most likely because it's now the only sit down dining option with Flamingo Cafe gone. It's over by the big Super pool. Also, a pool side eatery by Cascades called the Cascades Bar & Grill. You can see specifics of dining options on the Vistana resort here :
http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/sheraton_vistana_resort/dining.jsp


Maria

 

[MiaSRN62]

or drive to WL (can you pay to park there?) and ride the Ferry?

This is definitely the preferable. We book stays at the WL just for this reason ! SOooooooo convenient.
You are not supposed to park at the WL with intentions of going to the MK though. I don't believe it's enforced though especially if you have dining reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe or Artist Point restaurant.

we have tried the parking at Epcot to get in and out of the MK though. No time saver there because the monorail to Epcot from the MK (and reverse), must divert through the TTC anyway....you must get off one monorail, walk around the platform , and board another one. So can be just as maddening.

Maria

 

[Brian Noble]

what is margarita night at Epcot

The margaritas at the little stand across from the Mexico CS location are surprisingly good---and surprisingly potent. Much better than the Grey Goose slushies in France. I'd have to wander around WS for a bit after one before thinking about driving home. If I have a second one, the bus is mandatory.

 

[Mama to Three]

I think you will have a great itme staying off-site. Of course, I'm a total rookie at this.

I agonized over the decision of where to stay. I felt like the only way to go was to stay ON-site. We are also a family of five. We found a 3 bedroom condo that will be soooo nice to stay in. The pool is right next door. That way we will have plenty of room for everyone to spread out (there is no way dh could stay in one room with all of us for a week! ).

I love the idea of having a kitchen and laundry room in the unit too so that we can have everything we need right there.

 

[MiaSRN62]

The margaritas at the little stand across from the Mexico CS location are surprisingly good---and surprisingly potent. Much better than the Grey Goose slushies in France. I'd have to wander around WS for a bit after one before thinking about driving home. If I have a second one, the bus is mandatory.

Thanks for the head's up on this one Brian !

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I think you will have a great itme staying off-site. Of course, I'm a total rookie at this.

I agonized over the decision of where to stay. I felt like the only way to go was to stay ON-site. We are also a family of five. We found a 3 bedroom condo that will be soooo nice to stay in. The pool is right next door. That way we will have plenty of room for everyone to spread out (there is no way dh could stay in one room with all of us for a week! ).

I love the idea of having a kitchen and laundry room in the unit too so that we can have everything we need right there.

I must admit, while I am very pro "offsite" I think for a first visit or at some point, trying onsite. We did when our kids were very young and then again in Jan. I still like offsite w/lots of space better. I think everyone should try both before saying one way is better than another.

 

[jlp879]

For our first trip last fall we could not decide on-site or off. So we did both. We stayed 5 days in Marriott Harbour Lake timeshare and 5 days at Disney's Yacht Club hotel. We are a family of five.

No question, the off-site accomodation won with our family. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, washer/dryer, 3 TVs versus 5 people crammed into a 300 sq ft hotel room. Of course, we were at the parks all day anyway, but it was sure nice to have a bit of extra space to relax in. And, the price of the Marriott was exactly half of our Disney accomodation!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

After reading all your posts, I am even more excited about our decision to stay offsite in WH next June! Our dds just cannot sleep in the same bed anymore. No one gets any sleep!! Plus I love the fact that we will have our own washer/dryer. Thanks everyone!

 

[isla bonita]

I must admit, while I am very pro "offsite" I think for a first visit or at some point, trying onsite. We did when our kids were very young and then again in Jan. I still like offsite w/lots of space better. I think everyone should try both before saying one way is better than another.

I think in order to make any decision you have to do both. Off site is not for every one.

We are an off sight family for all those reasons and more. I enjoy visiting the hotels for the decor and restaurants. (O'Hana's is my fav.) Would I want to stay no thank you? Maybe if it was just me and DH that would be fine I think?

We are a family of 5 with now all pretty big kidos 19, 13, and 8. My kids would miss the pool time they enjoy after the parks. We also do not do commando style the parks. We spend a lot of time at the rental home. When we go home we are not in need of a vacation to chill out we are already there.