off site or on site!

[momlady]

I can't say one is better than the other because I have never stayed onsite, and I have only been with my family once before (we've done 2 trips to Disneyland though). I have longingly looked at the resort slideshows and thought YES, I want to stay onsite -- in fact I do *that* all the time. The cold shock of the quote, though, always puts me off.

We stayed off-site for a week at Christmas 2004 with DS (then 9) and DS 6 (Comfort Suites Maingate East). We never had a problem with traffic and viewed the tram/monorail travel into the parks as part of that magic! We got 5 day parkhopper w/waterpark option, after making the conscious decision NOT to go to any park on Christmas day! Unfortunately it was too cold to use the waterparks although we did take a cool-ish day at the beach midweek. As for the "immersion in the magic" by staying onsite -- by that midweek day trip to Daytona Beach I have to say I was ready for a break from all things mouse-related (sacreligious, I know!) If someone had wished me a magical day at that point, well...you know!

The hotel had breakfast included. There was always plenty to eat there and we grabbed yogurt/applesauce cups/fresh fruit for snacks. We had a fridge and microwave in our room as well as a table to eat at, so I bought breakfast stuff, lunch stuff, and a couple of frozen type dinners (like frozen lasagna); snacks and drinks galore as well.

We had planned on all breakfasts at the hotel, one snack per day bought in the parks, and one "restaurant meal" per day. On days where it was supper, I made sandwiches and we packed a picnic lunch to the parks. On days that it was lunch, we ate it in the parks and had supper in our room -- heated in the microwave or purchased takeout (I know, that's restaurant food -- but the microwave was too small for frozen pizza! )

On Christmas Day we went to Mass and then had a huge late lunch at a buffet place that had waaaaaay more food than one could ever dream about (the quality was so-so but the kids raved about it!). Our decision to not go to the parks ended up being a joke because it just torrentially POURED, all day!!!! We would not have gone anyway, it was like a monsoon! LOL

This worked out really well for our family -- no one complained about homemade lunches when they knew they could have a Mickey bar later! The one thing I would say is that once we left the parks, most of the time even with the best intentions of returning after a rest, we ended up being too tired to venture back out once we were :home". That was partly a function of the kids (the 6 year old did not have much staying power back then) and partly a function of a DH with the ability to conk out on a horizontal surface in about 10 seconds flat! One night I left 3 "boys" sleeping and went for a quickie shopping trip to the outlet mall and DTD. I was happy! LOL

This time (Dec 08) with my 2 "take up alot of space" boys (both literally and figuratively) there is no way we would do well in one hotel room, so for peace of mind I am looking at condos or suite hotels. I just can't justify to myself the cost of staying and eating 100% onsite during a holiday rate season... although my good friend the Disney fanatic insists it is THE only way to go!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I too, have been debating the on/off site and my trip is 33 days away! I have reservations at both POP and BVS. I will be cancelling BVS soon, although I got a heck of a deal by booking early! Here are my reasons for POP:
1. My kids begged to go back to POP
2. We are taking my mom and need 2 bathrooms, so we booked 2 rooms
3. The buses will work better for us if someone wants to go back to the resort early. My mom has foot problems and really wants this option.
4. The pool at POP is better
5. We are arriving at 9:30 PM at the airport and don't want to be driving around late looking for our hotel. Let Disney do the driving.
6. We stayed offsite once(at HIFS which is now Nick), and although it was OK, I admit that I missed being immersed in the magic.
7. The food court is available whenever, we don't have to drive to eat somewhere ( I don't cook on vacations)

We did think about WH, but it's probably too late now to book. I think for our next trip we will try it and do some other things in Orlando and just a few days at Disney. It just seems easier to stay at POP this time for our family. You just have to determine what is best for your family and your budget.

 

[Mainebound]

Here are my reasons for POP:

3. The buses will work better for us if someone wants to go back to the resort early. My mom has foot problems and really wants this option.

We are converts to the offsite stay, but this is a really significant concern for us as my mother, who always accompanies us, ages (she is now 72). This year, she has some mobility issues, and cannot even drive her own rented car. Whenever she would like to return to WH, we will need to drive her. I am more than happy to do it for her, of course, but it presents some new logistical problems for us.

 

[sazcjg]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9. I have looked into offsite prices and here is what I have found. To stay in a room that will accomodate all of us the room rate will be approx $100.00 + tax per night plus an additional $8.00 per day resort fee at a Downtown Disney resort. That equals $964.00 including tax and resort fee. Then you have to factor in the transportation from and to the airport for $125.00 R/T plus the tip....$20.00 for an additional $145.00 expense. Now we have $1425.00 for POR in WDW or $1109.00 for Royal Plaza in DTD. The added expense equals $316.00.... So now I have to ask my family and myself if saving $316.00 over 8 days is worth it? The bus service cannot compare with WDW's bus service and if I rent a car the price difference then would only be $150.00 est So I can save $39.00 a day and not get EMH's, have less than convenient transportation to and from the parks. Hmmmmm................. We are staying at WDW!

 

[Mainebound]

I agree: I would never stay in a DD hotel again (I did once about 10 years ago) over a WDW hotel.

Personally, when I refer to offsite, I mean a condominuium, townhome, or private home. Our family chooses three or more bedrooms, 2 baths, and plenty of space over a 400 square foot hotel room with one bathroom, and saves money. But we don't do this for cost reasons: I would actually pay MORE to stay offsite for lovely large accommodations and a lovely resort like Windsor Hills.

 

[dioxide45]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9. I have looked into offsite prices and here is what I have found. To stay in a room that will accomodate all of us the room rate will be approx $100.00 + tax per night plus an additional $8.00 per day resort fee at a Downtown Disney resort. That equals $964.00 including tax and resort fee. Then you have to factor in the transportation from and to the airport for $125.00 R/T plus the tip....$20.00 for an additional $145.00 expense. Now we have $1425.00 for POR in WDW or $1109.00 for Royal Plaza in DTD. The added expense equals $316.00.... So now I have to ask my family and myself if saving $316.00 over 8 days is worth it? The bus service cannot compare with WDW's bus service and if I rent a car the price difference then would only be $150.00 est So I can save $39.00 a day and not get EMH's, have less than convenient transportation to and from the parks. Hmmmmm................. We are staying at WDW

I wouldn't consider the DTD hotels really offsite (even though they are considered to be). You are still paying a premium for where they are. Depending on what time of year you visit, you could get a rental car very cheap. Orlando has some of the lowest rental car rates in the nation. In many cases you could rent a car for a week for what you are paying for your transportation to and from the airport. If you rent a car you won't have the transportation expense of $145 to and from the airport. So your extra of $150 is no longer accurate. You need to re-analyze your scenario. Don't forget to consider savings on food purchased outside WDW.

 

[kty]

sazcig,

I want to know how your family of 5 stays in one hotel room? are they suites for the price of 100.00 per night we are a family of 5 with children 13,8,7 and now need two rooms with a connecting door if we stay in a hotel- either that or a large efficiency with a pull out sofa. gone are the one room days we just stayed off site at a WH townhome and had plenty of room for not a lot of money.

 

[sazcjg]

The $100.00 a night room I was refering to was Royal Plaza in DTD. It will sleep 5. Our family is one that starts to the parks in the early morning and may come back to the room for a break in the afternoon and then right back to the parks until closing time. As far as renting a car, I guess that would offset the shuttle fee from the airport but would also add parking fees at the parks. I believe they are 11-12 dollars a day. So there is another $80.00 plus $3.00 a gallon gasoline etc etc. So as I said before if it is only a difference of a few hundred dollars over a weeks time then we prefer onsite all the way.

 

[Brian Noble]

I currently have the POR booked for arriving on June 9th and departing June 17th 2008. Our room only resv amount is 1425.00 approx. We have a party of 5 ages 42,42,14,10&9.

Yikes. Five people in one hotel room? With one person on a trundle bed? One bathroom? I suppose if that works for you, that's fine, but I'd much rather have a couple of rooms, minimum. For $1000, you can get a 2BR at Cypress Pointe for the exact same dates via hotelkingdom. Add the car and parking, you're up to $1300. Yes, you don't have EMH, but in June I'd just as soon skip it anyway---the non-EMH parks tend to be much less crowded, and the hours are already longer than I can make use of.

But, hey, if you want to stay in POR, I get that. I would never do it, but I see why someone else might. I may not be the right person to ask though, because we always rent a car, and almost always skip EMH, even when we are onsite. Though, even then, we absolutely need two separate sleeping spaces, with a door in between, for kids and adults. That means either two rooms, a Ft. Wilderness cabin, or a 1BR or larger DVC.

 

[MikeKV]

Might I add that my DW, DD5 and I are getting an $800 townhome in Windsor Hills. In case you aren't familiar with WH this community is only 2 years old and the closest offsite community that you can get. The townhome includes 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a large full kitchen, 3 large flat screens, and a gameroom basement. Oh, did I mention a PRIVATE pool attached to the townhome along with the large community pool that includes 2 large slides? We love the Poly (onsite) but for the amount of room that a townhome gives us and the convenience of cooking our own meals, if we want, pools and lower cost I'm staying offsite.

 

[myhusbandnofanofdis]

Thank you all so much for all of your input. I think it has been a very good discussion (except maybe the beef/feces discussion ), but everyone has presented their point of view from a very balanced factual perspective. Thanks!

We have decided to stay off-site for this trip. Specifically at Windsor Hills in a house. There were many factors we took into consideration. Although I will greatly miss being on property, I think I am one of those who thinks the magic is worth the money, but I understand that my husband and our friends prefer the space, and having a kitchen more than the magic. So, I am giving it a try this year!

We live in Georgia and can drive, so we save on airfare and associated travel costs. Last year, we stayed at POR for about 190 a night. This year, our Windsor Hills 4 bedroom home is going to cost us about about $100 a night (it is really $200 a night, but we are splitting it with another family). You have to add on about $4.00 a day for a cleaning fee, and $11.00 a day to park at the parks, but I think that is about all the additional costs we would have. Last year we ended up driving to the park from POR because the busses were so slow and crowded... so that isn't really an extra expense.

I know it might not be as perfect for me, but I think my friends and family will be happier. I will let you all know how it goes!