Off site and cost ??'s

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

We rarely if ever stay off-site in Orlando for our WDW vacations.

I just wanted to know what is one of the best places to stay off site and what is the cost.

We are trying to put a cost comparison between staying at one of the value resorts at Disney or staying off-site and renting a car.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Lisa

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by RIDISNEYLOVERS
I just wanted to know what is one of the best places to stay off site and what is the cost.

Lisa, you've asked an impossibly open-ended question. There are literally hundreds of quality hotels/motels/condos/villas offsite. Can you give us some more info?

How many in your party - adults and kids?
How long of a stay?
What is your price range?
What amenities are important to you? Kitchen, pool, washer/dryer, tv/vcr/dvd player, etc.

Offsite accomodations range from super budget motels for under $30/nite to ultra luxury resorts like JW Marriott for hundreds per nite.

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers when you narrow down the field a bit.

Steve

 

[swilshire]

The time of year makes a huge difference as well. There are deep price cuts in the off seasons.

Sheila

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

Yeah - I should have given a little more detail to my questions!!

We are going April 30, 2004 thru May 8, 2004

We are a party of 4 - 2 adults 2 children (a 4 yo DD and a 1yo DD - going to be ONE May 8, 2004!!)

We are looking for a hotel that is very nice, but not too expensive (less expensive than the value resorts at Disney). We really don't want to stay in say a Days Inn.

The POOL is a very important thing for my 4 year old DD - if she could she would spend her whole day at the pool or the jacuzzi that she calls the "cooze"!!

Hey thanks for all your help - I hope you can point me in the right direction.

Thanks again,
Lisa

 

[QuickGold]

I'd recommend the Holiday Inn at Downtown Disney(formerly Courtyard by Marriott) especially if you can get a good deal off Priceline/Hotwire...lately its been going for $35/night

 

[disneysteve]

I'm a Marriott fan myself.

Marriott Village has a Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites. For your dates, they start between $54 and $99 per nite.

Residence Inn LBV starts at $76/nite.

Another thing that you should definitely consider is renting a condo or house. You can get a 2-bedroom condo at Windsor Palms starting around $500/week. You'd have a spacious condo with 2 seperate bedrooms, a full kitchen, washer and dryer, multiple tv's, 2 bathrooms and more. They have a nice community pool and other amenities. We stayed there in November and were very pleased.

Steve

 

[ChairborneRangr]

CHeck out Holiday Inn Maingate. It has some great rooms including one they call a "Kids Suite"

The kids have their own little bedroom with bunkbeds. It's great if you don't want them disturbed. I think they are a DIS advertiser

 

[mariessas_mom]

Just remember that by the time you rent a car and pay for daily parking at the parks, you might not be saving much. This is what I had figured on our first trip. I compared all costs between off-site (it was a stinky Days Inn on top of that) and all stars. It only ended up being like a $150 difference. That much more money was worth not sitting in traffic just to get inside WDW. Good luck. You will have a good time whatever you choose.

 

[dizagain]

We (me, DH, DD's 6 and 8) stayed at the Marriott Village mentioned above at the Springhill Suites last year at the first of May. I have a Marriott Rewards card and for some reason on Sundays only online I found a nece deal of $64 a night. The room was great because the girls could go to bed and my DH could watch tv in the sitting room. We had a fridge and microwave and free breakfast. The pool was great! It was sort of tropical and had an area with 0-entry like the beach. There was a hair wrap guy and an outdoor bar area too. It's located about a block or two from Downtown Disney to give you an idea. We hopped on the interstate and got off a few exits later to get to the parks. We really like having a car!!! We plan on going again in late May '05 and we'll consider this hotel again for sure! Have a great time!

 

[jaross]

What price are you thinking you'll get at all stars? I just used the discount codes off of mousesavers and got $79 a night at all stars. That's awfully close to offsite prices. Adding a car might put make it just as expensive as staying on site. And, don't forget that it will take longer to get into parks when driving in. Will you have to pay any parking?

Just some thoughts to consider. I know there are alot of people who love staying off site and strongly recommend it. However, I'm one of those onsite people. I can't seem to save enough offsite to make it worth giving up "the disney magic"

Just my opinion.

Chris

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by jaross
I just used the discount codes off of mousesavers and got $79 a night at all stars. That's awfully close to offsite prices.

That depends on what offsite hotels you are comparing to. We've stayed offsite many times at many different places. The only times we have spent anywhere near $79 was when we rented houses or a condo. Anytime we stayed in a hotel or suite, we paid well under that and had perfectly nice places.

And, don't forget that it will take longer to get into parks when driving in.

Of course this depends on where you stay. Personally, I think there are plenty of offsite hotels that are as close or closer than some onsite hotels. Plus, it is often quicker to drive from offsite than to wait for and take a bus from onsite.

Steve

 

[mbb]

Country Inn and Suites LBV...no more than a5min drive toDTD pool, jac, great bfast, fridge, coffemaker, 2queen beds...internet (Ithink travelzoo or Hotel Kingdom) 39.00/night.

New hotel...they do have a coupon rate of 49.00/night...gotta have the coupon though.

HTH