Off property or AS Value Resorts

[powellrj]

If the prices are equal there are other things to consider. Will you rent a car only if stating off property? What will parking cost you over the course of your stay? Would you eat more meals off property to save money if you stayed off? Do you need a "break" from driving (DH drives all over for work so he enjoys a week without having to get behind the wheel)?

The thing is, the prices won't be equal. For what you pay at a value, you could be getting an off-site condo, house with a private pool or a suite hotel.

We always use a car. Even when we use to fly in and stay on-site, we always have a car. DH and I also drive many miles for our jobs. Before I retired, it was nothing to drive 1,000 miles a week and DH usually drives 500-800 miles a week. Ours cars are part of us and its hard to be without having a car available! To answer your question, yes we always drive to the parks and parking is only $15 a day, so if we are paying $100 a night for a house, $115 is still a great price!

We have been so often that we have several "must do" off-site places we must eat at on every trip. Texas de Brazil is one of them. We are not huge fan of WDW dining anymore. Our kids are past the character meal age and we can get better quality food for cheaper prices off-site, so yes, many meals are now eaten off-site.

There are many, many people who love staying on WDW property and will never stay off-site and I understand that. But there are also many people who don't use the extras that WDW provides like package delivery, buses and ENH, so it doesn't make sense to pay the extra for things you won't use.

Its like saying apples are better than oranges. No, they are both fruits, it just depends on what kind of fruit you want to eat!

 

[amg35]

I'm sitting in a lovely Windsor Hills townhouse right now. We're getting ready to head to AK for the day. Everyone is making their own breakfast - which is easier on the budget and the stomach. The car is parked right in front of the door. No walking to a bus stop and waiting for a bus. We've been here for 8 days and all of our clothes are clean, thanks to the washer/dryer upstairs. It's so easy to toss stuff in whenever we get a full load. We're watching the news on our big screen TV. We have 3 bathrooms for the 5 of us - no waiting or fighting for bathroom time. Everyone retreats to their own room at night. If someone wants to watch TV late, they can either stay downstairs or watch their own in their room without bothering anyone else. This is, by far, the most relaxing time we've ever had on vacation. I can't imagine going back to a little hotel room again!

See to me that sounds like just a vacation visiting family or something. Not my cup of tea.

I like staying in a hotel, not a condo, it's part of the vacation! And I would stay in a hotel over a condo anywhere, not just Disney. I'll also pick a hotel versus staying with family.

For Disney, the whole resort area is the destination for my trip - parks, hotels, restaurants. I'm not going to Florida, I'm going to WDW, so I will stay in a WDW resort. If I couldn't stay onsite, then we would go somewhere else, because then to me it's just a Florida vacation, not a WDW vacation. We also don't go very often, once every few years, if that.

 

[navywifetill2002]

The thing is, the prices won't be equal. For what you pay at a value, you could be getting an off-site condo, house with a private pool or a suite hotel.

We always use a car. Even when we use to fly in and stay on-site, we always have a car. DH and I also drive many miles for our jobs. Before I retired, it was nothing to drive 1,000 miles a week and DH usually drives 500-800 miles a week. Ours cars are part of us and its hard to be without having a car available! To answer your question, yes we always drive to the parks and parking is only $15 a day, so if we are paying $100 a night for a house, $115 is still a great price!

We have been so often that we have several "must do" off-site places we must eat at on every trip. Texas de Brazil is one of them. We are not huge fan of WDW dining anymore. Our kids are past the character meal age and we can get better quality food for cheaper prices off-site, so yes, many meals are now eaten off-site.

There are many, many people who love staying on WDW property and will never stay off-site and I understand that. But there are also many people who don't use the extras that WDW provides like package delivery, buses and ENH, so it doesn't make sense to pay the extra for things you won't use.

Its like saying apples are better than oranges. No, they are both fruits, it just depends on what kind of fruit you want to eat!

The OP said if cost was equal so I was going with that thought. The "value" for that cost is what is debatable.

Last year was our first time staying on property and it was a value. We could have stayed in a suite just off site for free on DH's points but he liked the idea of not renting a car this time or having to drive anywhere so there was a huge "value" in that Disney service for him. He can drive 500 miles a day with his job and likes to have a break. Disney is not a vacation he likes he much rather be on a non-Disney cruise (another place he doesn't have to drive) so we really don't live in a Disney bubble.

Since we love to cruise the small value room didn't bother us at all. And since no matter where we vacation we don't spend time in the room except to sleep or change the condo extras aren't as important to us either.

Since DH isn't a Disney fan our last trip was 11 years ago at a Condo and we did other parks too that time. Last year with a 3 year old Disney Nut we knew we'd be focusing on Disney the whole week (we had just spent 3 weeks traveling Fl for DH's work and done lots of other Fl things).

We had a quick breakfast in the room each morning but being offsite and having a kitchen would have made me feel like I should cook and I really didn't want to do that since as a SAHM I cook all our meals everyday. I wanted a "vacation" too. Some people also like coming home with clean clothes so a washer is great for them but I'd rather pack enough and have a week off from that chore as well.

While I'll agree the food in Disney isn't top notch we wouldn't leave to eat even if we had a car available. We tent to get someplace, Disney or otherwise, and stay there all day so we just eat where we are.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Last year was our first time staying on property and it was a value. We could have stayed in a suite just off site for free on DH's points but he liked the idea of not renting a car this time or having to drive anywhere so there was a huge "value" in that Disney service for him. He can drive 500 miles a day with his job and likes to have a break. Disney is not a vacation he likes he much rather be on a non-Disney cruise (another place he doesn't have to drive) so we really don't live in a Disney bubble.

.....being offsite and having a kitchen would have made me feel like I should cook and I really didn't want to do that

I was reading some of the replies to my DH over lunch today and he made a great point about the "free" transportation provided at the Disney resorts. With our villa at the Sheraton Vistana, we're saving $4600 over a similar onsite room for the same dates. DH grabbed the calculator, and promptly announced "Geez Gina, that's a difference of $575 per night over our 8-night stay. We could hire limo transportation to and from the parks and the airport for that kind of cash!!!". Sure would beat riding the buses!

I have also never understood why having a full kitchen makes people feel obligated to cook. At POR, I did not feel obligated to have a bath just because there was a bathtub in the room (a shower was perfectly fine). I didn't feel compelled to order an in-room movie just because the TV allowed for us to do that. Not everyone is going to need (or want) to use every room amenity, regardless of whether you are in a Motel 6 or an offsite pool home.

 

[mm1971]

We have done both and we we prefer on site, but in a moderate or above. My children are too big to fit 4 of us in the beds at a value resort. So my answer to the OP question is that if I had to decide between offsite or value, I would go offsite.

Given offsite vs. moderate or deluxe, we would choose on site as we love the service we get and being on property (EMH are a must for us). We always rent a car regardless so that is not a factor in the decision. Our next trip is a royal room at POR. DD insisted she is a princess and should be treated like one.

 

[rosiep]

has anyone stayed at the non-disney DTD hotels? What are their shuttle schedules like?

I have stayed twice at the DTD hotels. The bus service ran every half hour in the mornings and every hour later in the day but there was a cut off time when no buses ran. This was several years ago so things may have changed. Be advised that the bus stops for these buses can be far out in the parking lot. One park's stop ( I forget which) the bus stop was smack dab in the middle of the parking lot!

I had thought that the DTD hotels would be a great compromise; the rooms were cheaper and bigger than if I had stayed on-site and I could get my beloved room service without having to spend a fortune. However, in the long run, I found the on-site hotels to be worth every penny. The "free" shuttle service alone nearly made up for the price difference between an on-site Moderate and the DTD hotels and if I stayed during free dining that made a difference as well.

 

[AntFarm]

See to me that sounds like just a vacation visiting family or something. Not my cup of tea.

I like staying in a hotel, not a condo, it's part of the vacation! And I would stay in a hotel over a condo anywhere, not just Disney. I'll also pick a hotel versus staying with family.

For Disney, the whole resort area is the destination for my trip - parks, hotels, restaurants. I'm not going to Florida, I'm going to WDW, so I will stay in a WDW resort. If I couldn't stay onsite, then we would go somewhere else, because then to me it's just a Florida vacation, not a WDW vacation. We also don't go very often, once every few years, if that.

But that PP is not on vacation visiting family, they are staying in a townhouse to visit the Disney parks, restaurants, etc. just like you and many other people whose vacation itineraries are planned around WDW. Sorry, but not staying at a WDW resort doesn't make someone's trip a "Florida vacation" when they may very well be spending as much or more time in the Disney parks and restaurants than someone who might be staying onsite.
The OP asked if staying at an All Star resorts or a similarly priced offsite would be better. Considering that a similarly priced offsite option (depending on time of year and what deal they can get) could be a four star hotel, condo, or vacation house, which is better for the OP is going to really depend on what they consider the best value for their dollar and needs and if having WDW resort perks such as magical express, bus transportation, EMH, etc. outweighs the space and amenities of offsite options. I like how the PP described this whole debate in saying it's like comparing apples and oranges and that they are both fruit but it depends on what you want to eat! We all have our preferences and that's great, but as I said before many people like and do both options (onsite and offsite) for different reasons and it doesn't always have to be one way or the other for it to be a great Disney vacation.

 

[Angie789]

OP, I hope you've seen from this thread that there are no right or wrong answers to this question. It boils down to what your priorities are.

For me, I have no interest in staying in a value again ever. Someone upthread called them a glorified Motel 6 and I think that description is apt. Small rooms, double beds, not much space to store your stuff, and thin walls - just not worth the prices they charge.

If it was just DH & I, I might consider staying at a Moderate or Deluxe. The prices are still ridiculously inflated, but we like to enjoy some drinks and it would be nice to leave the driving to someone else.

But if we are with the kids, off-site is a no brainer for us. We looooove all the extra space and amenities that are available off site - the kids can have their own room while DH & I stay up and chill out. For less than the price of a value, we get private bedrooms, extra bathrooms, a living room, a full balcony or patio, and access to either a private pool or better public pools/slides/lazy rivers. (The kitchen is nice for storing leftovers or drinks, but I never cook. And the only time I've used the washer/dryer was for swimming suits.) Also, contrary to what has been posted on here, every off-site place I have ever stayed has quick & easy access to the parks - a much faster trip to every park but MK.

So... you have to weigh out what matters to you. You'll have a great trip either way!

 

[amg35]

But that PP is not on vacation visiting family, they are staying in a townhouse to visit the Disney parks, restaurants, etc. just like you and many other people whose vacation itineraries are planned around WDW. Sorry, but not staying at a WDW resort doesn't make someone's trip a "Florida vacation" when they may very well be spending as much or more time in the Disney parks and restaurants than someone who might be staying onsite.
The OP asked if staying at an All Star resorts or a similarly priced offsite would be better. Considering that a similarly priced offsite option (depending on time of year and what deal they can get) could be a four star hotel, condo, or vacation house, which is better for the OP is going to really depend on what they consider the best value for their dollar and needs and if having WDW resort perks such as magical express, bus transportation, EMH, etc. outweighs the space and amenities of offsite options. I like how the PP described this whole debate in saying it's like comparing apples and oranges and that they are both fruit but it depends on what you want to eat! We all have our preferences and that's great, but as I said before many people like and do both options (onsite and offsite) for different reasons and it doesn't always have to be one way or the other for it to be a great Disney vacation.

Yes, that's the reason I said "to me"...as in my opinion, and I think the rest of my post explained my own personal difference between a Florida vacation and a WDW vacation. And my preference for hotels.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We stayed offsite, but would probably take a chance on onsite for the same price.

That said, the "values" were all WAY more than what we paid offsite when we went.

 

[lauradis]

I was reading some of the replies to my DH over lunch today and he made a great point about the "free" transportation provided at the Disney resorts. With our villa at the Sheraton Vistana, we're saving $4600 over a similar onsite room for the same dates. DH grabbed the calculator, and promptly announced "Geez Gina, that's a difference of $575 per night over our 8-night stay. We could hire limo transportation to and from the parks and the airport for that kind of cash!!!". Sure would beat riding the buses!

I have also never understood why having a full kitchen makes people feel obligated to cook. At POR, I did not feel obligated to have a bath just because there was a bathtub in the room (a shower was perfectly fine). I didn't feel compelled to order an in-room movie just because the TV allowed for us to do that. Not everyone is going to need (or want) to use every room amenity, regardless of whether you are in a Motel 6 or an offsite pool home.

I love that he grabbed a calculator.. lol Completely agree with the whole kitchen bathtub thing...

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

See to me that sounds like just a vacation visiting family or something. Not my cup of tea.

I like staying in a hotel, not a condo, it's part of the vacation! And I would stay in a hotel over a condo anywhere, not just Disney. I'll also pick a hotel versus staying with family.

For Disney, the whole resort area is the destination for my trip - parks, hotels, restaurants. I'm not going to Florida, I'm going to WDW, so I will stay in a WDW resort. If I couldn't stay onsite, then we would go somewhere else, because then to me it's just a Florida vacation, not a WDW vacation. We also don't go very often, once every few years, if that.

Sounds like a lot of these folks would go to Hawaii and stay inland somewhere.....too expensive to stay by the ocean !

 

[lauradis]

As for Op question...

If it was $20-30 difference night we would chose on site, even if the room was little smaller just for package delivery, no driving, extra hours in park, disney customer service.

We have done tons of off site because the hotels where free.

This year I have to opition thru work to get vaule style hotel for 25.00 night, but we choose to stay at cs 181 night because its a vacation and we have never stayed there, plus we only go to disney about every 3 years. (cannt think of anymore reasons lol )

Sometimes its not about money.

 

[maxiesmom]

OP, I hope you've seen from this thread that there are no right or wrong answers to this question. It boils down to what your priorities are.

 

[AntFarm]

Sounds like a lot of these folks would go to Hawaii and stay inland somewhere.....too expensive to stay by the ocean !

I am curious if you really are on this thread to provide the OP with relevant feedback or are just on here to ruffle some feathers? The OP is asking about an All Star value resort compared to similarly priced offsite options not offsite vs. a monorail resort or Epcot area resort where they are actually by the parks, so I am not sure where the Hawaii reference fits in as relevant to the OP's options

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sounds like a lot of these folks would go to Hawaii and stay inland somewhere.....too expensive to stay by the ocean !

Nope . But I can assure you "a lot of these folks" wouldn't be convinced to pay 3-5 times as much for a smaller room with less amenities just because the corporate conglomerate that owns it has marketed it as being "more magical". We'll be the ones in the enormous Oceanside villas with a superior views from our large balcony, sleeping soundly in king sized beds with fluffy duvets, taking a bubble bath in our Jacuzzi tub, and enjoying the extra excursions available on the island with all the money we save! Even though the other "magical" hotel will tell their guests that there's nothing worth leaving their fantastic property for .

Wilderness Fan, you never did answer my question. Which offsite properties have you stayed at for your Disney trips that have disappointed you? Or is my assumption correct that you've never given offsite a try?

 

[goofyredraider]

I say onsite, even if it is in a value (personally, I've never stayed in one, though).
We opted for Shades of Green for our next trip because it is within our price range for the holidays, but mainly for it's location on property. We were going to do POR, but even with the military discount, it was almost double our cost of staying at SOG for a much smaller room.

 

[amg35]

Nope . But I can assure you "a lot of these folks" wouldn't be convinced to pay 3-5 times as much for a smaller room with less amenities just because the corporate conglomerate that owns it has marketed it as being "more magical". We'll be the ones in the enormous Oceanside villas with a superior views from our large balcony, sleeping soundly in king sized beds with fluffy duvets, taking a bubble bath in our Jacuzzi tub, and enjoying the extra excursions available on the island with all the money we save! Even though the other "magical" hotel will tell their guests that there's nothing worth leaving their fantastic property for .

Wilderness Fan, you never did answer my question. Which offsite properties have you stayed at for your Disney trips that have disappointed you? Or is my assumption correct that you've never given offsite a try?

Hmm, I'm not a drone without a mind of my own that is told when something is magical or not. If someone looks at the resort as a whole (including hotels) as their vacation destination, I don't understand why that's so hard to understand? You're being just as dramatic as Wilderness55 is being. (though I suspect they are just trying to push your buttons)

Man, I like on-site, you don't, who cares!!

Don't even get me started on my thoughts about chain Italian restaurants....

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

See to me that sounds like just a vacation visiting family or something. Not my cup of tea.

I like staying in a hotel, not a condo, it's part of the vacation! And I would stay in a hotel over a condo anywhere, not just Disney. I'll also pick a hotel versus staying with family.

For Disney, the whole resort area is the destination for my trip - parks, hotels, restaurants. I'm not going to Florida, I'm going to WDW, so I will stay in a WDW resort. If I couldn't stay onsite, then we would go somewhere else, because then to me it's just a Florida vacation, not a WDW vacation. We also don't go very often, once every few years, if that.

Nope . But I can assure you "a lot of these folks" wouldn't be convinced to pay 3-5 times as much for a smaller room with less amenities just because the corporate conglomerate that owns it has marketed it as being "more magical". We'll be the ones in the enormous Oceanside villas with a superior views from our large balcony, sleeping soundly in king sized beds with fluffy duvets, taking a bubble bath in our Jacuzzi tub, and enjoying the extra excursions available on the island with all the money we save! Even though the other "magical" hotel will tell their guests that there's nothing worth leaving their fantastic property for .

Wilderness Fan, you never did answer my question. Which offsite properties have you stayed at for your Disney trips that have disappointed you? Or is my assumption correct that you've never given offsite a try?

Look at my ticker...gave up off site long ago !!! I get saving some money, I do. If that's what you like go for it ! Not a real Disney vacation however.

Hmm, I'm not a drone without a mind of my own that is told when something is magical or not. If someone looks at the resort as a whole (including hotels) as their vacation destination, I don't understand why that's so hard to understand? You're being just as dramatic as Wilderness55 is being. (though I suspect they are just trying to push your buttons)

Man, I like on-site, you don't, who cares!!

Don't even get me started on my thoughts about chain Italian restaurants....

I am dramatic........it's fun !! Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill ??

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Sounds like a lot of these folks would go to Hawaii and stay inland somewhere.....too expensive to stay by the ocean !

Kind of an apples and oranges comparison. It's not like you can get up in the middle of the night and walk down to the lobby to ride Splash Mountain just because you're onsite.

No, I'd say its more like BOTH groups staying inland with one riding the bus to the beach, and the other driving there with the bus getting there a bit earlier some of the time