Newbie: Disney hotel vs other? Suites hotel?

merbearMI

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Messages
24
Newbie here!

My parents are taking us to Disney, making a total of four adults and four children (8,6,4,2).

My ideal accomodation scheme would be two suites-type rooms (like Embassy Suites). Any thoughts as to a good suites hotel near WDW?

Also, how important is is to stay at Disney resort? Is it worth the extra $$ for convenience? What do YOU think?

Thanks!
 
Hmm.. I've never gotten a suite before so I can't tell you which is best.

What I can tell you is that my family personally won't stay off-site. It's so incredibly worth it to stay at Disney, in our humble opinions. It takes away the need to rent a car and really completes the magic of your stay.

Best wishes!
 
I definitely think it is worth the money to stay on Disney. You get the extra hours at the parks and the free transportation to and from the parks is a nice perk also. I know one of the All Stars resorts does a suite...but I can't remember which one right now...I'm sure someone else knows...maybe!:rotfl:
 
For me the bottom line is do you want to drive your own car or do you want to be able to take Disney transportation? With the younger kids it would be nice for some of your group to be able to leave, take the kids back to the hotel, while others remain at the park. (If one of the children is sick, tired...)

We have stayed on site. Yes we loved it, and we enjoyed the extra magic hours, but for us it's not a good value.

For $100.00 a night we are staying in a home, with our own pool, about 15 minutes from Disney. I love not sharing our pool. My DH enjoys cooking and we plan to eat dinner most nights at the house. We will save so much money. We get our own bedroom, all to ourselves, and no sharing the bathroom. We won't all be on top of each other. I really crave that extra space when we travel.

To check out the other homes for rent go to vrbo.com. (Vacation rental by owner.) Allears.net has fantastic deals on off site hotel rooms/suites.
 

Our family personally would not stay off-site at Disney, the Disney hotels are part of the whole magical experience, and with discounts & special rates you can stay there economically. BUT - your group is large - you would need the suites at whichever All Stars offers it (AS Sports??) or a few connecting rooms. So this is a toss-up. Also like OP stated, what transportation will you need? We love the Disney transportation from the Disney hotels. My in-laws own a home 15 min. from WDW and we refuse to stay there - we are total Disney Resort snobs & have to stay onsite! If you get the chance to get connecting rooms or suites at a good rate definitely go for onsite. It truly adds another magical touch to your trip!
 
If you get the chance to get connecting rooms or suites at a good rate definitely go for onsite.

'Tis a problem. Being a newbie and all, my heart is a little faint after looking at the Disney resorts suites rates. Let's just say that I am going through sticker shock and wondering if a trip to Disney is worth it at all.

Even two regular rooms at a decent Disney resort (my mom would be unable to stay at a value resort) would be at least $600.

I need to get used to this, huh? And this is only the beginning. . .

Not sure what to do about transportation. Am doing everything I can to avoid renting a car because we have 8 people! Seems like renting a car would give us more flexibility, but. . .

Hmmm. . . it is just not coming together. HELP!
 
.... Being a newbie and all, my heart is a little faint after looking at the Disney resorts suites rates. Let's just say that I am going through sticker shock and wondering if a trip to Disney is worth it at all.

YES!!!...It is! Even if you only go this once, you will LOVE it and remember it for the rest of your life.

Not sure what to do about transportation. Am doing everything I can to avoid renting a car because we have 8 people! Seems like renting a car would give us more flexibility, but. . .

Hmmm. . . it is just not coming together. HELP!

Unless you ARE staying off-site OR plan/need to eat outside the Disney property, you really can get anywhere you need to go with Disney transportation. There are busses, boats or the monorail to get you pretty much anywhere.
 
Newbie here!

My parents are taking us to Disney, making a total of four adults and four children (8,6,4,2).

My ideal accomodation scheme would be two suites-type rooms (like Embassy Suites). Any thoughts as to a good suites hotel near WDW?

Also, how important is is to stay at Disney resort? Is it worth the extra $$ for convenience? What do YOU think?

Thanks!
We stayed at the Embassy suites last year. It was very nice (we had a party of 8 as well), but staying on Disney can't be beat. Driving around the Disney area can be a nightmare, especially on International Drive during the peak seasons, which is why we love Disney transportation. Just hop on, hop off, & people can go their own way. With the money you'd spend on a rental car, plus gas costs, I think Disney is actually the more economic choice, unless you decide to stay at one of the budget hotels on I-Drive. The Disney budget hotels offer connecting rooms or you can request rooms close together. The rooms aren't very big, but we never spend too much time in them anyhow, so that never bothered us. Staying on Disney is more convenient, and I think that more than makes up for the extra money you pay. But to get connecting rooms & such, you have to book early. Last year, we tried to get on Disney property 3 months before our trip, & couldn't get a room at any of the budget or moderate resorts. Staying off-site was fine, but I would never do it again.
 
Some folks wouldn't give up the on-site 'experience' for their left arm. Others think it's crazy to spend that much more money for less room. I've never stayed on site - but I'm still absolutely addicted to Disney and don't consider myself any less of a fan for making the decisions I have made. We're taking out 4th trip in 2 years coming up in October. I would never have been able to afford all of those without staying off site. Further - we spend enough time in the room (with two young kids who need naps) that we MUST have a separate room. Suites on-site are outrageous (no matter how you want to spin the on-site experience - you'll have to grant that fact). I'm staying at a 3 bedroom, 3 bath condo at Windsor Hills for $85 / night in October. That's still less than what one room at a value would cost - even chipping in the $10 daily for parking.

Bottom line - don't stay on-site if you'd be fretting over the amount it's costing. If you stay off site - it won't cheapen the experience whatsoever.
 
On our last trip to WDW we stayed offsite at a 2BR timeshare. I never really felt inconvenienced staying offsite. We were literally 10 minutes from Epcot, about 15 from TTC. When we vacation, we like to explore the areas around the main attractions, so we spent as much time away from Disney as at Disney. So for us, staying offsite did not diminish the fun-factor one bit.

I know plenty of people don't get rental cars if they're just coming to WDW, but I personally couldn't handle not having a car at my disposal. You never know when you might need to run out to the local drugstore at 2 AM. Good luck getting a Disney bus to take you! :) And I like being able to get into my car and leave when I want, drive where I want when I want, and not have to rely on Disney transportation. Disney transportation is great given the logisitics of the amount of people they move around, but when the day is over, I'd much rather get into my car and go instead of waiting in yet another line for a boat, bus, monorail, etc.

I'm not opposed to staying on property, in fact we're doing so this October for a few days before going to our timeshare, but I wouldn't say staying at a Disney resort is absolutely mandatory for having a great vacation at WDW. Heck, I slept in a tent for 4 days with no fan, no A/C and about 99% humidity when I went to WDW on a high school trip years ago - and still loved every minute of it!
 
Appreciate the comments. We are staying onsite at SSR at a 2 bedroom villa. I hope I like it! My parents are shelling out the big bucks.
 
Hey guys i have a quick question, what exactly goes on in the disney hotels... are charactars walking around ? what exactly makes it worth the money. I can't decided if i want to stay on site or off

and i know i will hear a ton of different things, i am not trying to start a fight.. i am just wondering.
 
Hey guys i have a quick question, what exactly goes on in the disney hotels... are charactars walking around ? what exactly makes it worth the money. I can't decided if i want to stay on site or off

some of the hotels do have character meals in their restaurants, but generally it's the theming and not having to leave "the magic" that makes on-site more appealing.

i always stayed off-site to save money till i rented a week at SSR last year. it was definitely nice to leave the car parked and just ride disney buses/boats/etc around. (i can't imagine how cool it would be to roll out of bed and practically straight onto the monorail at the GF...or just take a quick walk to world showcase at epcot from the boardwalk inn...) i thought that the rooms at SSR were pretty luxurious and i loved the landscaping. some folks swear that the disney cast members working on-site are friendlier/more service-oriented than most off-site hotel staff...

(and buying into the DVC makes weeknights at OKW a steal...i'm calculating that i'm paying less than $60 a night on sun-thurs stays in a studio during value season.)

different strokes and all, though...
 
some of the hotels do have character meals in their restaurants, but generally it's the theming and not having to leave "the magic" that makes on-site more appealing.

i always stayed off-site to save money till i rented a week at SSR last year. it was definitely nice to leave the car parked and just ride disney buses/boats/etc around. (i can't imagine how cool it would be to roll out of bed and practically straight onto the monorail at the GF...or just take a quick walk to world showcase at epcot from the boardwalk inn...) i thought that the rooms at SSR were pretty luxurious and i loved the landscaping. some folks swear that the disney cast members working on-site are friendlier/more service-oriented than most off-site hotel staff...

(and buying into the DVC makes weeknights at OKW a steal...i'm calculating that i'm paying less than $60 a night on sun-thurs stays in a studio during value season.)

different strokes and all, though...

aww thanks so much, i just didnt get it, i have never even been in a disney hotel... we are thinking about the wl
 
You know, I've been thinking lately about the trip we took in December and what we would do differently when we go back (probably not for a few years, but eventually).

The main thing we would do is stay off-site next time. We stayed for 10 nights at Pop. It was a fun place to stay. We liked the theming and it was fun knowing that we were staying on Disney property. We had a rental car so transportation wasn't an issue. We did take the bus to MK to avoid the TTC and monorail or ferry, but we drove everywhere else because we like the freedom.

What wasn't so magical was cramming our family of 4 into that tiny room (our boys are 11 & 8, not exactly little kids). The bathroom area was very small and there was no private area to change expect in the bathroom itself. The food at the food court was good, but it was seriously crowded at times and hard to even move around. We had to come up with a strategy before entering the food court just for our own survival (you go to the grill for the burgers, you get the pizza, you get the drinks, you find a table...OK team...break!). I won't even go into my nightmare in the laundry room.

Part of our trip was over holiday season rates so we paid $109 for several nights of our stay. I've been looking at condos and townhomes for roughly that same price. I love the thought of having an extra bedroom for the kids, a kitchen to cook some of our own meals and (now I'm drooling) a washer/dryer right in the unit! Since we're used to driving everywhere, we don't mind not having access to the buses. Even the extra $10 a day for parking would still make it worthwhile.

This may sound like Disney blasphemy, but you get hit with "the magic" all day long at the parks. Maybe it would be nice to have a respite at the end of the day? At least for us it would.

So, staying on-site is definitely the way to go for some people. For others, staying off-site might be more desirable. There's really no right or wrong answer. It all depends on the individual.:)
 
Newbie here!

My parents are taking us to Disney, making a total of four adults and four children (8,6,4,2).

My ideal accomodation scheme would be two suites-type rooms (like Embassy Suites). Any thoughts as to a good suites hotel near WDW?

Also, how important is is to stay at Disney resort? Is it worth the extra $$ for convenience? What do YOU think?

Thanks!

For our family it is important. My DH does not want to do any driving while at WDW. We also love the feel of being on Disney property. :love:
 
(my mom would be unable to stay at a value resort) .
Not sure what to do about transportation. Am doing everything I can to avoid renting a car because we have 8 people! Seems like renting a car would give us more flexibility, but.

Just out of curiousity....why would your mom be unable to stay at a value?:confused3

What about renting a larger mini van. Some of them hold 8 ppl easy.

Hey guys i have a quick question, what exactly goes on in the disney hotels... are charactars walking around ? what exactly makes it worth the money. I can't decided if i want to stay on site or off
and i know i will hear a ton of different things, i am not trying to start a fight.. i am just wondering.

For us it is the convience (close to everything) and the customer service.

. We had a rental car so transportation wasn't an issue. We did take the bus to MK to avoid the TTC and monorail or ferry, but we drove everywhere else because we like the freedom. .:)

We had our own car last time and drove a lot too for the non having to wait and drag a stroller on the bus issue. This time wont be as much of a problem since she is older.

If you get a chance to ride the ferry over on your first day to the MK, do so. It is a very nice ride (breezy and fun) and you get a great view of the castle as you come across the water.
 
Just out of curiousity....why would your mom be unable to stay at a value?:confused3

What about renting a larger mini van. Some of them hold 8 ppl easy.

My mom is accustomed to staying at luxury accomodations. She would not like a value resort.

I didn't really look into a van holding 8. I just assumed that many minivans only hold 7 and you don't always know what make of minivan you are going to get. Besides, renting a minivan for a week is pretty expensive. I just figured that you might as well use that money for accomodations on site.

Update: We are staying at a 2 bedroom villa at SSR. I'm getting excited about it. :)
 





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