Never Stayed Onsite, Need Opinions!

[FayeW]

We are staying offsite for most of our trip through skyauction, but we need to book and additional night. The cost at the resort we are staying at for the extra night seems to be about the same cost as a Disney Moderate. With that in mind, I think that if I am going to have to spend that money anyway, now is a good time to experience onsite.

We will arrive at Sanford airport at 10:15 a.m. Our plan is to spend the day at MGM, and do the FDP. I understand that CSR has it's own bus to the resort, and does not share with the other resorts, which means that we should be able to get there relatively quickly after Fantasmic ( although I have heard that nothing goes "quickly" once Fantasmic is over). We will be there during MNSSHP, and there is a Party scheduled for the night we arrive. Can I expect MGM to be less crowded because of people going to MK later, or should I plan MK for that day instead? Is there a better choice for me for an onsite stay? Thanks for your help, we have never been to MGM, Epcot or AK before and want to make sure we choose the right days to visit.

 

[sue1013]

JMO but I don't think for one night you are going to get the "onsite experience". I wouldn't bother to pack up and move for one night.

 

[tubachick]

I agree with sue1013, a min of 2 nights (at the least) otherwise all you will do is sleep at the resort and that's not a real experience. However I would recomend extra time whenever leaving fantasmic as the crowds are usually large and getting out of the park can take a bit of time, let alone getting on a bus at closing time.

 

[allshookup]

I agree that it takes more than one night to really get a "feel" for on-site. You need time to walk around & take in the atmosphere. Plus the moderate pools all have a nice theme with a pool slide. However....if all you can manage is one night this trip then I say go for it, but don't judge your experience by that one night. I like all the moderates, but POFQ is our favorite. We just love all the quaint little "streets" that are just big enough for a golf cart. It is beautiful, shady, and peaceful. It might be better for one night too, because it is small enough that everything is relatively close to your room & you don't have to spend a lot of time walking. Just another opinion, but I'm sure you'll get many.

I can't tell you anything about MNSSHP...sorry!

Good Luck!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I can't tell you for certain, but generally, if something special is going on, you can bet that the crowds at that park will be greater. The EMH is often the real justification for staying onsite, and I don't know offhand what they will be. The other thing that you might want to consider, is that if you are only spending one night on property...I'd consider a non-park day. One day to soak in the non-park part of Disney would be great fun and less expensive. Each of the resorts has something special to offer. Each of them is worthy of exploration! You could enjoy a fun breakfast at your hotel (if it's early enough), then explore the pool at your resort (not to be missed, IMHO), then head over to DD - or even another resort - be certain to take advantage of Disney's special modes of transportation...take the monorail around the monrail resorts (watch the electric light water parade, while eating dinner there...or have a cocktail at the contemporary..Chef Mickey's is also a lot of fun!)...take a boat from DD to Port Orleans, or even the new resort (have a snack at the pizza place there). The guys, and even the girls, might enjoy Disney Quest too! ButI warn you....you'll likely get the onsite bug - and HAVE to return!

 

[FayeW]

We have too much planned to have the luxury of having a non-park day, so maybe I will just book the extra night at Bryan's Spanish Cove, where we will be for the rest of the week. I guess it doesn't make much sense to spend the money on a moderate, go through the hassle of changing resorts, and not really have time to enjoy it. The kids would just be irritated if they saw the beautiful resort and didn't get much time at the pool or the dig site. I just saw this as an opportunity to try out an onsite hotel, and CSR looks like something we would enjoy. We are planning on US/IOA/AK/MK/MGM/TL/DQ & Epcot. I am also trying to squeeze MNSSHP in there somewhere as well. We have 9 days to visit parks including arrival day (arrive at 10;15 a.m) and departure day ( leave at 8:30 pm) I may schedule DQ for the evening we are doing AK, and the Halloween party after US. That way TL could kind of be considered more of a relaxation day. We cannot change our plans to exclude some of the activities so I may need a vacation from my vacation!