off site or on site!

[myhusbandnofanofdis]

I know this topic probably has great passion around it... but I want to hear others opinions...

I am a die hard disney girl. I want to enjoy every single minute of it. But, my husband wants to stay off site where you get more for your money.

We are looking at Pop Century vs. Buena Vista Suites. We would have to get 2 rooms at POP to get all 5 of us in there, so it would cost about twice as much We can't do POR b/c it is full. We might try all star music suites.. I am not sure of the cost.

Anyway, please let me know your opinions about staying off site vs. on site. I would just like to hear others opinions!

thanks
Mary Anne

 

[tazdeb]

You think you're going to miss out on the Disney "magic" by staying offsite until you realize all the money you're saving can be applied to cool stuff in the parks... like sitting in your private boat, drinking wine and watching the fireworks over Cindys castle.....Taking an early morning ballon ride over the parks....going on an early morning fishing trip in the backwaters of the world...etc...The list goes on and on.....most of these activities I just mentioned are in the $100-200 range, but by staying off site you may save that in 2 nights, or in 2 meals at Disney resort resturants.....Have fun ...TAZ

 

[FayeW]

I cannot even conceive of a time when I would stay onsite. I cannot fathom paying the price they ask to put all 4 of us in 1 room, when I can pay 1/3-1/2of that price and have mimimum 2bdrm condo with full kitchen and washer/dryer through skyauction. If I want to pay roughly the same price as a room at the All Stars (or much less, depending on what "season" it is) I can book up to a year or more in advance and reserve a 2 or 3 bdrm condo, with free internet and long distance included, at many of the area resorts such as Windsor Hills, Emerald Isle, etc.

You have to understand that for me and my family, the magic is in space and amenities. Not only do we not mind renting a car and driving, we prefer it! The WDW busses, with no seatbelts for anyone (especially infants and young children) and some people with no seat at all, seem very dangerous to me, and I prefer to have my family seated and belted in. I am delighted that I don't have to join the thousands of people standing in line for busses when I exit the park at the end of the night. If we are hungry when we leave, we can stop and grab a snack, or go back to our full kitchen and make something to eat . Most importantly, I can relax leisurely in my pyjamas and have my coffee in the morning. I don't have to get showered and dressed, and stumble to a food court. I don't have to spend outrageous amounts of money to feed my family eating out for every meal.

Last time we went, I packed cereal, microwave popcorn, peanut butter, margarine, Pringles, etc in our bags. At the grocery store I spent $100 or so and got some fresh fruit, bread, bacon and eggs, etc. We didn't eat "big" meals, but we had all breakfasts, a lunch or two, and some snacks. What we save on not having to buy all our meals more than pays for the condo and parking! We save a ton of money on the meals we do pay for by eating some of them offsite. We absolutely LOVE Golden Corral, and always have at least two meals there during our 9 day stays. Love Cici's Pizza, too. It is not gourmet pizza by any stretch but we enjoy it, and feeding a family of 4 for under $20. is a definite bargain. It takes very little time as it is a buffet, so no waiting for your meal to be prepared, and everyone can have as much as they like.

Huge convenience having your own washer and dryer. Don't have to worry about bringing home dirty laundry and don't have to pack as much, either.

We also recognize that there is much more to Orlando than just the WDW parks, (as a matter of fact, we prefer US/IOA!). We spend more time at other parks than we do WDW and offsite is more convenient to US/IOA/SW so it just makes sense for us.

I have never stayed onsite so I can't give you a comparison, all I can tell you is why we enjoy offsite!

 

[Keacc]

My first question to you is what are the ages of your children. If you have little ones that may need to go back to a room while the others keep going, I would stay on site. If your children are old enough where you stay together all day long and then go back to a hotel or condo, stay off site. Waiting for busses is a real pain. You can get a 3 bedroom condo for less than staying at a so called Disney Value. (the words Disney and Value do not belong together) You can also get groceries for breakfast and snacks in a condo. All of the extra room (extra bedrooms) with children is wonderful.

 

[spiceycat]

do both alot.

offsite - definitely miss EMH - but if there is some night when it is a must (like MK) then I just stay one night on site.

like to drive my car, although if you don't then Disney transportation is great.
remember that parking is $11 a day so add that to your costs.

if I am flying always stay at Disney so DME works well for me.

make a list of what you would miss staying offsite. also make a list of the benefits of offsite.
like
more room for your money.
generally quiet rooms or villa
timeshares - most stuff to do at the resort

 

[Brian Noble]

To me, the advantages of onsite are the sense of immersion, and the transportation convenience. We always rent a car, but if folks want to split up, it's just easier on than off. I don't go to EMHs, and none of the other perks matter that much to me.

To me, the advantages of offsite are much MUCH better value---you can get something that looks a lot like a 2BR DVC unit (or better) for the price of a Value room. As noted above, that money can be put to other good uses during your vacation. Want to go to a Party in MK? Book a fireworks cruise? Go ahead! You've saved enough money on your lodging to splurge elsewhere.

Our family of four requires separate sleeping spaces for adults and children. That can't be done onsite for less than about $1,450 for the week when I travel, and that's the AP discount rate. A 1BR in OKW, which has the kitchen that we really get a lot of use out of, would be over $3,250. A Ft Wilderness cabin also has a kitchen, and would be $2,200+. That's too rich for my blood for immersion and the ability to not pay a cab fare here or there.

We do stay onsite, but only when we can exchange into DVC with our timeshare. Then the cost is comparable to our other offsite options, and a 1BR is just barely big enough---especially at OKW where the rooms are pretty good sized.

I just can't see spending an extra $700 to spend a week in less well-equipped lodging just to have Stacy and her Top 7 on the TV.

 

[hlbrink]

Mary Anne,

I understand your apprehension - this is our first visit to WDW with the kids and our first time staying off-site (to clarify, we did stay off-site on our first trip when I was a kid, but don't remember much about it).

We chose to rent an off-site townhome to give us all separate bedrooms, which will help us all get more rest. The kitchen, washer / dryer and splash pool are also huge pluses.

I won't even go into the price, because that advantage is very obvious.

We rent a car even when staying in Disney, because I don't think the buses are convenient, so this is a fixed cost for us.

I think staying on-site does have an extra pinch of magic that you may not get staying off, but I am certain that once you "take the plunge" you will be just fine. I am afraid that I won't want to go back to staying on-site after our upcoming vacation.

 

[crusoe2]

OP, I've always been alot like you - I wanted total immersion on my Disney trips. But our last trip with all 4 of us in one room just did me in. My son isn't even going on our next trip but we're staying in a condo offsite anyway. I love the Disney resorts but I don't think even having 2 rooms would entice me to stay at one again. The lack of space in the rooms and the lack of furniture or counterspace for all of our stuff just proved to be too big a hassle. I was constantly having to re-pack stuff to keep the room from being a total mess. Of course, I pack everything but the kitchen sink so this might not be as big an issue for you as it was for me. But I'm looking forward to being able to really unpack and leave things where I need them. Oh, and the money we're saving is huge - we've got a 2 br at Cypress Point in June for $562. This is about a third of what we paid for the room at CBR at the same time last year. I intend to save even more by taking full advantage of the kitchen. I would much rather spend some time shopping and cooking on our arrival day and be able to munch on home-cooked leftovers all week than spend alot of time and money going out to eat. We've always eaten in for several of our meals no matter where we stayed cause we get tired of dealing with our kids in restaurants. It will be so nice to actually eat sitting at a dining table this time instead of sitting on the bed balancing a plate on my lap.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Once again, a shameless plug for my Off-Site VS. On-site Trip Report.

I cover all the bases (I think) with pictures.....you can PM me, or post here, any questions you may have of me


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1611826

 

[iluvflorida]

FayeW says it all. I can't add a thing other than to say I agree 110% I guess some will say we just don't get the "disney experience". Sorry but I perfer other experience when in Florida as well as a small dose of disney. There is just so much else.

 

[Lisa P.]

Mary Anne, Michelle's Trip Report is a must-read for anyone wondering about this. We stayed exclusively onsite for years. Now, rarely - just a night to tag onto an offsite vacation unless we exchange into a DVC timeshare. Anyway, I do understand your hesitation because I used to feel it too.

That said, 2 rooms at Pop or an All Star suite will cost the same amount... which is a lot... too much, IMHO, for what you get. Select an offsite place wisely and you'll be amazed at how much fun you can have with it. Plan to bring along some Disney music, Disney toiletries, Disney stuffed animals, and make your offsite "home base" as Disney-like as you want. We're a family of 5 and we really enjoy having a full 2-3BR condo with a real kitchen, a full-sized living room and dining table, inroom washer/dryer, 3-4 TVs, jacuzzi in the master bath, etc. With the money we save, we're able to afford more frequent vacations, for more days, and we do more stuff (try new restaurants and attractions, etc.).

Buena Vista Suites and other suite hotels do offer daily housekeeping service but they don't have the nice resort feel, extra amenities and family-friendly activities that you'll find at a quality offsite timeshare resort or vacation condo complex. And often, the suite hotels cost the same or more than a resort, especially if you plan to stay for a week or more. So to really "get more for your money," you may want to look at those.

There are plenty of excellent offsites from which to choose and you'll quickly discover some of the most popular ones by browsing this forum. If your family stays at a nice place but you really miss the 24/7 Disney marketing machine, you can always return to an onsite vacation next time. So take a chance. HTH!

 

[dioxide45]

You do need to be careful where you post this question. I think you may get a biased push here towards offsite, though I think it would be more balanced and more opinions of both sides. Many people here have stayed both on and offsite. Responses in the Disney resorts boards would definitly be more biased towards onsite. The true diehards have never stayed offsite and really can't compare. You did pick the right place to post your question.

I have done both, and we now definitly prefer offsite for all the same reasons others here do.

 

[IDoDis]

I am in the same boat as you -- couldn't decide between on-site Pop Century vs Buena Vista Suites. After weighing the pros and cons, we opted for the Buena Vista Suites this end-of-May/early June. We booked the room for $88 per night for the first 8 nights and $149 for the last 2 nights. We may go stay at the Comfort Inn Suites for the last 2 nights and save $100 bucks.

Here are the reasons we chose Buena Vista vs Pop Century:
1) We could rent a car with the extra savings ($12 per day for mid-sized on Priceline)
2) We'd save on food because we get free breakfast and have the option to eat just as well off-site, if we so desire. Of course we'll eat at least two TS meals at Disney and CS meals for lunch. We can also stop at the grocery store and stock up on snacks and maybe a few lunches (and will buy a $5 styrofoam cooler).
3) We'll get our park tickets from AAA and which includes the Diamond Parking Pass, so we won't have to pay parking fees at Disney.
4) We really want to go to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure this year and with the price of $88 for a 7 day multi-park Universal park pass, we'll have the flexibility to head over to Universal whenever we want.
5) DH is an early riser. At Buena Vista there's a separate room with a couch and a 2nd TV. When he wakes up at 5am, he can go in there, make his coffee, and watch some TV while we sleep for a couple more hours.
6) Buena Vista guests are allowed to use the pool at their sister hotel across the street. That pool has a cool slide so the kids can swim there sometimes.


While we loved Pop Century, we were cramped in our room. The thought of spreading out in a 2 room suite for less money was just too good to pass up.

 

[powellrj]

we decided to take a trip to see DS perform at WDW and make it a 30th anniversary get away. I priced values and it was going to be $129 for a standard and $149 for a preferred room A NIGHT!

I am paying $79 for a nicer room with a microwave and fridge at Cypress Point which is only a few blocks from DTD.

The money we are saving will go to nicer meals than we would be able to afford with the value.

We love on-site, but I will not pay almost $150 a night for a value when I can get a nicer room at almost 1/2 the cost.

 

[scotlass]

Ive done both.

And i will never stay off site again.so be careful,cos once you have done it you mite never go back.

 

[Brian Noble]

the Diamond Parking Pass, so we won't have to pay parking fees at Disney.

Unfortunately this is not correct. The Diamond pass only gives you the ability to park in a section of the lot closer to the gates---you still have to pay for parking unless you have an AP holder in the vehicle, or are staying on site.

 

[Darcy03231]

I've done both and I have to say I will never stay on-site again. The first time I stayed off-site I was very leery. I thought I really wouldn't "feel the magic". Was I wrong! I think I felt the magic so much more as it was a much more relaxing vacation.

I love having all the space, being able to have coffee and breakfast in my pjs and having a private pool. The last time we stayed on-site the pool was so crowded the kids couldn't even swim in it. Driving around in Orlando is very easy. I found everything to be well marked and easy to get to. We were in the parking lots, parked and at the front gates much faster than it was to wait in line for the bus (and maybe not even get a seat on it). Leaving the parks was also much faster. We were "home", showered, had a snack and ready for bed long before we were back to our on-site hotel (we stayed in the All Star Resorts) in prior years.

There's also the cost savings. I found we saved a lot on the room fees by staying off-site. By having our own full kitchen we also saved a lot on food. We ate breakfast at the house every day, snacked a bit in the park, came home for a late lunch/early dinner and snacked at the parks again in the evenings. We only ended up eating a few meals in the parks.

 

[davinakb]

Another vote for off-site. Could not imagine paying the $$ for Disney resorts. A few years ago, our room at Coronado was $150, and all I kept thinking was what kind of deal I could have at the Omni or someplace off-site; for conference the Yacht club was $250--think about how fab a room you could have elsewhere. (Only time I recommend on property is: if you are flying, no car, need DME and buses, only doing WDW and it's a short trip and you need EMH/DDP to make trip worth it; even then I say do Value resort as you won't be in room anyway.)

I think I felt the magic so much more as it was a much more relaxing vacation.

Darcy, agree with your whole post. Cannot imagine cramming into a small room with 4 people, when you can have more room for less money, relaxed breakfast at "home," and all that good stuff. We've have great deals at timeshare places and private condo/villa rentals for years now. For $70-$100/night (price of a Value resort, which is not a short bus ride anywhere on property IMO), we get 2/3 bedrooms, 2 baths, more TVs, kitchen, washer/dryer, free internet, etc. And the car/parking is break-even as you get around faster (to parks, DTD, to resorts for dinner), can shop easier, visit other places like SW.

Like tazdeb, we parlay the savings into more Disney. We go more often and stay longer; we have the DDE card, so we enjoy lots of signature dinners with wine, lots of extra events at F&W festival, always do a MK party if the right time of year, plenty of souvenirs, shop the outlets. FWIW.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Someone posted on this thread that at BVS you could use their sister resort's pool- Caribe Royal. I had looked into BVS, and I thought I read somewhere that Mary from Mousesavers said this wasn't allowed? Have things changed?

 

[summersalt]

We just returned from a week at Pop. We had a wonderful vacation and Pop was ok. However, I don't think I would return. The bus wait was terrible! I felt as if I wasted a third of my vacation waiting in line. The ME express was really nice when we arrived but it was a HUGE pain in the rear when we had to return back to the airport. We flew Delta and waited in line over an hour to have our bags checked and boarding passes issued. Then when the bus finally arrived, we waited another hour while all the other guests that didn't use airline check in to load their bags on the bus. The room is small with no frig or coffee maker. The food court is very crowded and loud. The coffee was TERRIBLE!!

I would prefer a nice quiet two bedroom suite with my own coffee maker. The opportunity to make my own breakfast in peace and quiet. I'd rather drive and pay to park then waste my time waiting for buses. Just my humble opinion.