Off site even with FD...Am I nuts?

[ldhr2005]

Backstory- we are Disney snobs. We always do on property, all the time. Whether it be kid free trip (kids are 3 & 6), or our annual family trip, we are quite happy to stay @ POP ( we have done others as well, this is the kid's favorite and honestly we are an "in the park family"). Well...we used to be anyway, lol.

The kids are getting bigger, and Disney beds & rooms are not. I cannot bring myself to pay the Disney $$ for a suite, so I starting looking else where to see what there is. We can stay off site in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse for about $1000 cheaper than POP. I factored in parking fee's, park passes, ect. We will be renting a care regardless as DH hates Disney transportation (oh, and I like the outlets, lol) I know we would be losing EMH and that is something that I am still pondering, but the big questions is FREE DINING. We have it now (and upgraded to regular plan). Do you think that that we will still be saving $$ when you factor in losing that? Help please!!

 

[Sparkly]

For $1000 I would go for it. Room wise, that's a big jump from a tiny hotel room to a lovely big townhouse with plenty of space and proper bedrooms, so the kids can go to sleep and you can still watch TV without waking them. Often they'll either have a splash pool or a communal pool too so you can still get plenty of pool time in.

Honestly, compared to POP, I would choose offsite. It'll also be quieter, as values tend to be pretty loud and basic. I've seen lots of places that have Disney themed rooms for the kids, so it's no less Disney feeling then a onsite room. You can still often reach Disney parks within 15-20 minutes in the car, the only park where it takes more time by car is MK due to having to get the monorail over. But I like the ferry and that first view of Cinderella Castle over the lake- magical start to the day!

As for food, hmm, that's a difficult one. But the amount you save could cover quite a bit of your OOP food costs, and it might be better as you can order what you want for breakfast/lunch/dinner without feeling like you have to order tons of food. And in that regard it may even save you money. A quick stop to Walmart/Target/Publix will buy plenty of breakfast foods for pretty cheap. You could also bring something back to the townhouse for dinner, like pizza. Disney came up with the DDP to lure people into eating and spending their whole holiday exclusively onsite.

 

[lauradis]

I would add up all the onsite dinning you plan to do, because that is the real price difference.
Are you willing to cook in condo?
Maybe stay in townhouse and buy one adult AP for free parking, because you said yearly trip.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I guess it depends on how long your trip is and what meals you are wanting to do while there.

If it's just a week, I don't think you would lose $$ staying offsite. I'm sure you can eat for $1000 for 7 nights. Probably less as you would have breakfasts in the condo and maybe a couple of dinners too.

Did you factor in tips when you added the cost onsite with the FD? If not, that gives you a bit more room to play with.

If it's 14 nights and you are doing all character meals and buffets, then no, you probably wouldn't save money.

 

[ldhr2005]

I think that we would still do Chef Mickey's and maybe one other character meal and pay OOP. I would totally be doing a Super Target run! Easy breakfast's are a must, and my kids do much better with the occasion treat in the park (and a bag with better snack options packed). I just wonder if when it is all said and done if the savings will really be all that significant.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I think that we would still do Chef Mickey's and maybe one other character meal and pay OOP. I would totally be doing a Super Target run! Easy breakfast's are a must, and my kids do much better with the occasion treat in the park (and a bag with better snack options packed). I just wonder if when it is all said and done if the savings will really be all that significant.

Have you priced out what it would be without upgrading to the regular plan and adding these two meals OOP?

When all's said and done it's probably not a huge savings staying offsite, but I think you would save some money. With the ages of your kids I doubt they would eat much paying OOP anyways, and sometimes it might be nice to pop a frozen pizza or lasagna in the oven and hang by the pool while you wait for dinner. If you like to have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, this is where it will save you tons as well.

 

[hsmamato2]

IDK, you'd probably save some $$$ calculate what you think you'll spend on ALL food oop,groceries and all- then side by side compare.
Also a thought if you like TS with your kids, have you run the numbers on a mod room,with straight DDP? that might break even, but only you would know for sure- If you plan to have a car anyway I don't think it matters so much, but you won't be in that 'bubble'..so factor that in.(My fam always hates to leave the bubble)
I honestly don't care about EMH personally,and FWIW, your kids are still tiny- I can't imagine why one room isn't enough right now Just decide the price diff,and see if it's worth it to your family- just reading the hype about 'free dining' got me worked up too, but I have a better alternative deal that works better for my family.

 

[HeatherC]

With your kids being so little, I would think you would still save a lot unless you and your dh are huge eaters. A 3 and 6 year old certainly can't eat what teens or adults will and can be fed pretty cheaply.

When our three kids were that age, they also didn't want to always have to sit in a restaurant...especially when they were worn out. Having the flexibility to feed them a snack instead, could be nice.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

You can think about renting DVC points from either from an owner or broker. I've used David's, Animal Kingdom Villas are usually a good deal. This would keep you on site and keep your snobbery record unblemished.
I did a quick look on the points calculator to give you an idea, a stay at a AKV studio that sleeps 4 from Sept 1-Sept 8 is $966.99

 

[HockeyMomNH]

Don't forget to factor in the parking cost too. It's free if you stay onsite, and I think about $15 a day if you are offsite. That's about $100 difference over a week.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We are a family of five, but even with four of us going this next time it was still a better value for us st stay onside at Riverside with free dining than to stay off site and pay out of pocket for all of our meals. Eating at Chef Mickeys and other places adds up in a hurry!! I paid out of pocket for it once and that hurt to see a couple of hundred dollars per meal ( tips included) leave my wallet. Plus, on average it's $60 plus for lunch each day and then snacks. Free dining has saved us $1500. On our next trip.

 

[ceecee]

try a moderate resort, they have queen beds nd are larger, or see about renting vc points. I would do that before staying offsite, especially with free dining.

 

[mrsarbogast]

You can think about renting DVC points from either from an owner or broker. I've used David's, Animal Kingdom Villas are usually a good deal. This would keep you on site and keep your snobbery record unblemished.
I did a quick look on the points calculator to give you an idea, a stay at a AKV studio that sleeps 4 from Sept 1-Sept 8 is $966.99

I'm new to DVC planning; if I rent points can I still get free dining?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

No, "free" dining only comes with room full purchase price and park tickets.
But keep in mind that Villas (1 bed and above) have full kitchens.

 

[luvsJack]

It may depend on you and your family and the way you like to tour the parks and how you eat.

I just went through this whole thing with our trip in November--free dining at POP. I saw some great prices for some great resorts. So, I thought I can fix breakfast and some suppers and we will only eat lunch or snacks in the parks. Save money and have more space.

But, once I really talked to the family about it, we decided its not for us.

Dh HATES driving and wants to use the buses (crazy, I know), but his job is driving so I guess I understand. So that was one negative already.

DD reminded me that we are always in the parks at RD. So factoring in driving and all, that would make fixing breakfast quite early. Do I REALLY want to do that, or more importantly WILL I? We can have quick breakfasts that don't need cooking but we take those things anyway, and truthfully, they are eaten the first two days and after that not touched.

We stay in the parks until fairly late. Again, getting back to the car and driving back to the resort will make supper quite late. Not something that will work for us every night, so budgeting for a few CS in park would be necessary.

So when all of this was factored in and added up; we decided to cut our ddp back to the free QSP and pay out of pocket for the three TS meals we really want.

If I were you, I would really think about the way your family likes to "do Disney" and how will staying off site change that, what would you need to do to keep this off site trip as close to that as possible and then add everything up.

 

[DocWes]

If I were you, I would really think about the way your family likes to "do Disney" and how will staying off site change that, what would you need to do to keep this off site trip as close to that as possible and then add everything up.

+1

For our family having the QS dining plan is part of the fun. Our kids get to choose how to use their credits and we don't have to worry about price (as long as it is covered).

 

[dpswift]

We usually have FD or buy the dining plan. When we went in February for 2 nights 2 1/2 days we did not get it. I regreted it. Our one sit down meal was Boma. That alone cost $200 for four. Quick service meals are $10 a piece and that can add up quickly.

For the most part I do not like shopping or cooking on vacation. That needs to be factored in as well.

 

[stayhomemom77]

So, if I understand you correctly...you are worried you are going to spend more than $1000 on food?

Dining at Disney doesn't have to break the bank...and you don't have to live on burgers and fries either!

You may be interested in the links in my signature...they give an idea of how to dine on a budget on Disney property.

Having said that...I'm not sure I could ever be pursuaded to stay off site again despite the small rooms. Too much of a Disney snob for that!

Good luck!

 

[kirstenb1]

Our kids are older, but it has been eons since we all shared a hotel room. Seriously, I'd rather eat peanut butter and saltines for a week, and have my own bedroom, than share with kids.

Get the townhouse---does it come with 2 bathrooms too? Again, that alone would make up my mind. With room to spread out, the kids can watch kids' TV in the mornings while they're getting ready, and you can watch what you like to. Think about evenings/bedtime---again having your own room =priceless.

 

[sweetdana]

Off site is really different, but going more than once in a yr, you could try it. I have friends that sweat by it, but I don't think we'd do it again.

Factor in a rental car, unless you drive anyway.

I stayed off site in a 2 bd time share in July. Highly rec one, but we didn't love it. The 2 baths n space were great. The not heated pool, the missing mickey stuff, the no mugs, the no bus/ or 5 min walk to the resort after fireworks (fighting traffic instead), the not getting to the park until 10 everyday (or later), all not so much. (We seemed to leave at a similar time, but end up stopping for breakfast, or gas, or getting lost, or waiting for a tram it just added a lot of time.)
If you are going only 1 time for the yr, I'd upgrade to a moderate giving 2 qn instead of 2 fills and take that route. If you are doing 2 trips, try it for 1.