Off-site hotel would Save us $1400. WWYD?

[fairytinkerbell]

We can stay at Hawthorn Suites for $750ish or POR for $1350 or WL for $2150.
This is only for 6 nites. We are hoping to drive to WDW so we'd stay at hotels 2x on the ride there and back.

Tickets $700 (univ and 5 day)
Rental car: $800 or $600 if not suv

I am getting un-enthused over my trip.
Was excited, but after realizing it's $3000k min. after food etc. Not that excited over blowing money for one week.

I hope I will even want to take the long drive down and be in the mood for that drive. Will not fly this trip.

 

[disney1990]

Do you have 5 people going? We have stayed at Hawthorne and it's not too bad, but I missed being at Disney every single day we were there. The trip just didn't seem quite right.

 

[disneynut11]

I agree, when we stayed offsite, we missed Disney every day too.

 

[tosha27]

I assume the Value resorts are not an option??

 

[momfeez]

We can stay at Hawthorn Suites for $750ish or POR for $1350 or WL for $2150.
This is only for 6 nites. We are hoping to drive to WDW so we'd stay at hotels 2x on the ride there and back.

Tickets $700 (univ and 5 day)
Rental car: $800 or $600 if not suv

I am getting un-enthused over my trip.
Was excited, but after realizing it's $3000k min. after food etc. Not that excited over blowing money for one week.

I hope I will even want to take the long drive down and be in the mood for that drive. Will not fly this trip.

Take a deep breath. Disney is expensive...vacations are expensive. Now that you know how much it is going to cost, you can plan accordingly and mentally prepare. You have to look at this as quality family time, time you will never have again, so enjoy it.

We only stayed on property once...10 years ago when DS2 was 6 months old. We stayed at Coronado Springs and it was nice. We took the bus to the parks. However, by the time we got back to the hotel after a long day I didn't feel like going anywhere off property to eat and we ended up eating at resort, which was not cheap and limited in menu. Since then, we stay off property, eat breakfast in the room to save money and if we leave the park before dinner, pick up something or stop somewhere along to way to the hotel to eat.

I always think that maybe the next trip we will stay on property but then I remember feeling "stuck" at the resort even though we had our own car, I just needed to not be in "the World" 24/7. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney, I just need to get out at the end of the day.

 

[descovy]

Do you have 5 people going? We have stayed at Hawthorne and it's not too bad, but I missed being at Disney every single day we were there. The trip just didn't seem quite right.

Think real hard, is $1400 worth being onsite? Yes, onsite is more fun, but is it $1400 more fun?

Another way to think about it... is there something else on your wish list? Something else you could spend $1400 on (furniture, electronics, maybe even another trip) For example, I want a new iPad. So I would ask myself, is staying onsite worth 3 iPads?

If staying onsite is worth more than a new _____ (some frivolous wish list item worth $1400) then you have your answer.

But man, $1400 is a lot of money. If I had an extra $1400 laying around to blow on being onsite, I could think of lots of fun things I could do with the money... and still have a nice Disney vacation (albeit offsite)

 

[ScottOKW2K]

I am going to assume that based on the ticket prices listed that there are only two of you. If this is true, then I have a few questions.

1. How much would it cost your party to fly ? You list $600 to $800 for a rental car, plus two hotel stays each way in your travel plan. If flying is less than that you eliminate the following costs -

A. Rental car expense and gas/lodging/food while you travel.
B. If you stay at a Disney resort you would have Magical Express for free.
C. If you choose to drive your theme park parking ($14/day) would be avoided.

2. You could always do a Mears shuttle from Disney to Universal or rent a car for a single day while at Disney to get to the Universal Parks.

3. Have you looked into any discounts or promotions that may be offered during your travel dates ? It looks like you are paying rack rate for the Disney resort - unless you are traveling at a high demand time you should be able to do better than that.

 

[disney1990]

So if there are only 2 of you, why don't you stay at a Value Resort -- it will save a lot. I too love moderate and deluxe resorts.

 

[gillenkl]

I'd check out some of the discounts staying onsite at a Value.

 

[Southernswthrt]

I faced a similar problem in 2007. I had booked SS condo and switched to Wyndham bonnet creek to save money. At first I was sick about it, BUT WE ENDED UP LOVING THE PLACE! I have never stayed onsite again! WBC is literally right next door to Carribbean Beach Resort. I really enjoy the freedom of driving my own car. I found that to be much faster than DT. PM me if u are interested in BC.

Value resorts are just not an option for me...I don't care for tiny hotel rooms because I spend time each day in my room.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[shortbun]

I've stayed onsite many times and off site as well. I was totally fine with off site. I find the on site properties sometimes crowded and noisy but that's just me. We always have a car and rarely use the buses even when we are on site because when I want to leave-I want to leave immediately; same thing with going to the parks, I want to go there right away and not wait for some over crowded bus. Personally, I'd pick the Hawthorn Suites. Make sure about the location though, some chains have several locations and might be a long distance from the parks.

OH, and it seems like you're just not that into this vacation. Maybe you should go somewhere else or save your money another year and live it up next year. Just a thought.

 

[StuckInKS]

Think real hard, is $1400 worth being onsite? Yes, onsite is more fun, but is it $1400 more fun?

Another way to think about it... is there something else on your wish list? Something else you could spend $1400 on (furniture, electronics, maybe even another trip) For example, I want a new iPad. So I would ask myself, is staying onsite worth 3 iPads?

If staying onsite is worth more than a new _____ (some frivolous wish list item worth $1400) then you have your answer.

But man, $1400 is a lot of money. If I had an extra $1400 laying around to blow on being onsite, I could think of lots of fun things I could do with the money... and still have a nice Disney vacation (albeit offsite)

That made me laugh because this is how I think of expenses in everyday life. Do I really want that (fill in the blank)? It would buy (fill in the blank) at Disney

OP, if it were MY family, I would spend extra to stay onsite, but it would be at a value. We have done offsite twice and after staying onsite last year, I don't want to do another offsite vacation (unless it is a few extra days added onto the end of an onsite vacation). We have a week in Sept with 2 value rooms, 8-day tix and DDP priced at $3,127 and I honestly don't think we could do better offsite. Heck, our tix alone are probably half that. We might save a few hundred $$$, but not enough to sway me offsite.

Yes, Disney is expensive. If this your first trip? I know I had sticker shock during planing and throughout my trip the first time, but after three trips I now say "$3K for a week at WDW for ALL of us?!?! What a deal!!"

 

[eduk8r26]

I've only been to WDW twice. The first time 20 years ago and then again last summer. I stayed offsite both times and didn't feel like I missed a thing. It was only myself and my then 12-year-old nephew and we had a great time. We took the hotel's transportation over, then Disney transportation. While it would have been nice to stay onsite, the hotel was less than $700 for 7 days. I'm cheap, and am always looking for ways to save money. So definitely, to save $1400 I'd stay offsite.

 

[jennyjinx3]

That made me laugh because this is how I think of expenses in everyday life. Do I really want that (fill in the blank)? It would buy (fill in the blank) at Disney

OP, if it were MY family, I would spend extra to stay onsite, but it would be at a value. We have done offsite twice and after staying onsite last year, I don't want to do another offsite vacation (unless it is a few extra days added onto the end of an onsite vacation). We have a week in Sept with 2 value rooms, 8-day tix and DDP priced at $3,127 and I honestly don't think we could do better offsite. Heck, our tix alone are probably half that. We might save a few hundred $$$, but not enough to sway me offsite.

Yes, Disney is expensive. If this your first trip? I know I had sticker shock during planing and throughout my trip the first time, but after three trips I now say "$3K for a week at WDW for ALL of us?!?! What a deal!!"

OMG this is totally me...I will forego just about anything when I remember that those $$$ can go to our trip! We stayed offsite our first trip and never again. Just too many inconveniences to list here. Next up was Polynesian...no comparison! And to us, it is worth every penny!

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Thanks u guys. Keep responses / ideas coming. Reading them all twice.

To clear up some stuff, yes we've paid thousands for one week @ WDW, but we used to not care as much. Now we're paying down mortgage and focusing on that, plus taking vacation $2k+ in summer. If we just went on 1 vacation a year, we'd stay at the GF!!!

I don't know if the time will come and it's not the summer so I won't be as adventurous to take a long drive so far away from home.

It also kind of annoys me that Disney charge for every little thing - they can't offer a free breakfast? even donuts for crying out loud??? gimme a break!
And the prices are so high - it's ridiculous. The rooms look small and door to outside, DH doesn't want, so there goes moderates and value resorts.

I have a PIN # and they supposedly applied it, along w/ AAA, but that's the price. They don't care about saving people money.

 

[Planogirl]

I like offsite just fine myself but a rental car is normally a given for us. I would NOT pay that much more to stay onsite (however I don't like the budget resorts).

You could keep trying for better discounts for the Disney hotels. I had about given up but managed to get a pin. Otherwise we'd be offsite.

 

[alexensmom]

I know how you feel about going on a Disney vacation and being different from being on site. My DH has a conference in Orlando. We are staying at POP for two nights and then to a hotel near the conference for five more nights. Since DH has classes, DD, DS and I will be headed to WDW on our own during the day. We are also keeping to a REALLY tight budget since we have had some unexpected expenses in the last couple weeks. Not exactly my ideal Disney magic. Like you, I bounce back and forth from being excited to being bummed that we wont be at WL, the only resort we have stayed at.

We drive also and I prefer it to flying. I like flying, but not the hassles at the airport. I can pack whatever I want that will fit in the car when we drive and we like the fun of experiencing the different states as we drive through.

This trip will give us a chance to see a different resort and go to IoA for a day. Both of which we wouldn't have done if we spent the extra money. I try to keep in mind that any day (on or off site) at Disney beats not going at all. So it's a little different, but like the previous posters said, we may end up liking it. And if we dont, no big deal. I got to have some "live" Disney time instead of living vicariously though others lurking on here.

 

[deva]

Where are you getting your car from? We are going in June and got a minivan for $230 ish for 12 days thru costco. Amazing deal. Dh got a small car from them for 3 days this past wknd from MCO for under $30 (had coupon in addition to Costco discount. These prices include all the taxes.

 

[dvcmbr94]

I'm another one who loves onsite, but would stay offsite to save $1400. I also love going to Universal, but if I was looking to save money, you could add a couple of additional days at Disney for just a few dollars and save the price of the Universal tickets.

 

[CowboyCO]

We can stay at Hawthorn Suites for $750ish or POR for $1350 or WL for $2150.
This is only for 6 nites. We are hoping to drive to WDW so we'd stay at hotels 2x on the ride there and back.

Tickets $700 (univ and 5 day)
Rental car: $800 or $600 if not suv

I am getting un-enthused over my trip.
Was excited, but after realizing it's $3000k min. after food etc. Not that excited over blowing money for one week.

I hope I will even want to take the long drive down and be in the mood for that drive. Will not fly this trip.

Do a DVC rental. We're doing AKL for 8 mights for $1,320. - avg of about $155 a night for July - cheaper than the 20% off room-only discount at CBR.