Off property differences?

[stormer]

We do not have any points left and are thinking about staying off site for the first time. We are thinking of trying Bonnet Creek or Caribe Royale. I am trying to think of what the major differences I should know about are if we stay at one of these instead of staying at a moderate. I know we will have a lot more room at the other places, but what will we miss out on?
No dining plan
No extra magic hours
We have APs so we wouldn't have to pay to park
Anything else?

 

[aaarcher86]

I think those are the biggies for most people. If none of that bothers you, go for it! You'll definitely find more room for less of the cost.

 

[bcrook]

Magical express?

 

[ready2vacation]

I agree - those are the biggies. We stayed at Windsor Hills in September and even though we really liked it and had a great stay, we missed being on property where we could just "be" there without having to drive. But, for the right price, we'd probably consider staying offsite again.

 

[stormer]

Thanks. We are still thinking about what to do, but I wanted to make sure I was overlooking anything that would help us decide.

 

[Upatnoon]

We do not have any points left and are thinking about staying off site for the first time. We are thinking of trying Bonnet Creek or Caribe Royale. I am trying to think of what the major differences I should know about are if we stay at one of these instead of staying at a moderate. I know we will have a lot more room at the other places, but what will we miss out on?
No dining plan
No extra magic hours
We have APs so we wouldn't have to pay to park
Anything else?

There are several posters in the "we looooove bonnet creek" thread who are also DVC owners and have said the enjoy staying at Bonnet Creek.

I would say from my own experience (We drive, don't care about dining plan and avoid magic hours parks) that staying at Bonnet Creek wasn't that much different that staying at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, but not quite the same as staying at the Beach Club.

The fact you can rent Bonnet Creek for $700 a week, and can afford to stay longer and go more often, is a big factor in our decision making.

 

[fla4fun]

Package delivery to your resort, if you use it, would be another missed perk.

The ability to charge items back to your room, if you use it, would be another.

I'm not really in a position to compare, because if I stay off property, I stay home and do a day trip to the parks, so for me a WDW vacation definitely means staying on property. I like having the option of NOT driving back and forth to the parks, especially at the end of the day when it seems like everyone is trying to leave the parking lot at the same time. Pretty much the only place I drive to is DTD, because it takes FOREVER to get a DTD bus. I like being able to charge items to the room so I minimize the number of people handling my credit card (in fact, I do online check in for this reason as well) and I like being able to send large or fragile purchases back to the resort instead of trying to juggle them on rides or transportation (even if you drive, you have to be able to handle them on the parking lot trams). So my answer would be that I would stay in a moderate before I would stay in an off property resort - but each family has to make that decision on their own.

You can have a great trip staying off property. You just need to decide which amenities are worth giving up for the price, and what amenities (such as space) you might gain.

 

[married2mm]

We do not have any points left and are thinking about staying off site for the first time. We are thinking of trying Bonnet Creek or Caribe Royale. I am trying to think of what the major differences I should know about are if we stay at one of these instead of staying at a moderate. I know we will have a lot more room at the other places, but what will we miss out on?
No dining plan
No extra magic hours
We have APs so we wouldn't have to pay to park
Anything else?

i would agree with you and pp's- me, package deliveries,the whole 'disney bubble'.
the advantages of offsite to me are-
personal space,beds,tvs,kitchen,laundry,bathrooms,parking outside accommodation.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

I'm a big souvenir person, so package delivery is huge for us. I would never want to do without that. Also, having to leave the magic would affect me. Staying at a WDW resort keeps the magic going 24/7.

 

[Sue M]

We do not have any points left and are thinking about staying off site for the first time. We are thinking of trying Bonnet Creek or Caribe Royale. I am trying to think of what the major differences I should know about are if we stay at one of these instead of staying at a moderate. I know we will have a lot more room at the other places, but what will we miss out on?
No dining plan
No extra magic hours
We have APs so we wouldn't have to pay to park
Anything else?

Yes,
No DDP
No EMH
No DME
No package delivery, charging to room or wdw transportation.

I prefer not to drive, and have the added expense of a car rental, so to me DME and wdw transportation are huge factors

I also love the theming of the WDW resorts, being transported to a different time and place.

However if I had to choose between those 2, I'd pick Bonnet Creek. Even though its not a wdw resort, it is on Disney Property, and does get good reviews. I think it's near CBR? While on the Disney busses I have noticed the Bonnet Creek sign.