Off-site AND on-site on same trip -- anyone done this???

[chobie]

We once did 4 nights off site at a HI and then 3 at the Dolphin with the teacher rate. We were a bit parked out by the time we got to the Dolphin so spent most of the time at the wonderful pool there. I think if you can save some money staying offsite that you can then put to staying on site go for it, espeically since you have a car to get you from one place to the other.

 

[Disney Ella]

Last time, we stayed four nights at AKL and four nights at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas. CPGV was so close to Disney that it was easy to get around and it was very close to Downtown Disney and Typhoon Lagoon. It was nice to spread out and have our own rooms after four nights of togetherness. On the way to the parks from CPGV one day, I told my husband that some people preferred to stay only on Disney property because they didn't feel the "magic" off property. He said "I think they're right." It really surprised me because I thought he'd be all for saving money and having more room.

 

[keith-atl]

A possibility we're considering is staying off-site for the first three nights, and then moving to an on-site resort for the last 4 (possibly 5) nights. We'll go to Sea World and Cape Canaveral those first couple of days, and then do all Disney once we are on-site. Anyone ever done this before? Are we crazy for even considering this? I figure we can get a really good deal at a middle-of-the-road place for our offsite stay (I'm getting quotes as low as $175, including taxes, for 3 nights in a 3-star hotel), and then take those savings and upgrade to a deluxe resort onsite. Our other option would be to just stay onsite the entire time, in a moderate resort. But I thought maybe the off-site option may work, since we are doing non-Disney things anyway on this trip, and I figure we can do that while we are off-site, and we can then enjoy posher accomodations while onsite. What do you think of this plan???

Linda

Did this our 2nd trip stayed off site for 2 nights and I hate to say it, but I will never do it again, it is night and day the service you get from Disney and the other Hotel Vendors. I just feel that its worthe extra money to stay on property the whole time even if we dont go to the parks. Personally I would rather stay at a value and get more days then less at a Deluxe, I have done 2 Deluxe resorts so far and while they are nice I dont think they are that much better than the other resorts.

 

[BevS97]

we have mixed our hotels on/off site on most of our trips. I love staying onsite and experiencing the Disney Hotels, but by spending some time offsite we can have a much longer vacation.
On our first trip we did all the non-Disney things the first week (while we were staying offsite) and then only Disney the 2nd week (while we were on), but since then we have mixed it up - I am just as happy to drive into Disney as I am to drive into Seaworld or Universal, and we like Disney so much that we want to visit throughout our entire vacation not just when we are onsite.

Other than the MK, I think driving to the parks is just as convenient as using Disney Transport - for the MK then the bus is definitely better, but it's not impossible to drive.

One thign I will suggest, is stay offsite first, and finish your vacation on a high note at Disney, rather than the other way around, I think it would be disappointing to check out of Disney and into an offsite hotel at the end of your trip.