off site or on site!

[bdink921]

We loved our short stay at CSR--only 3 nights before our cruise--pretty resort and not too bad bus service. It was great for the short stay. Our first trip we stayed at POP--cute resort and huge so lots of people. We were at POP for 1 week and felt that was too long to be in one tiny room. Food court was ok for breakfast and lunar cheesecake was great but the rest of the food was gross. The coffee was sludge--I switched to tea! Buses were ok but crowded with long waits. I vowed next long trip to have a rental car and a place with more room to spread out. This time we're staying in a 3br townhouse with its own splash pool at Windsor Hills. Price is about the same as POP but we are getting much more than just a room. Kids room is cute with some Disney touches and bunk beds. We'll have a rental car too--and good coffee! We are sooo excited for this trip.

One good thing we found about on site though is that if you want to split up or if someone wants to go back to the room with the buses it's easy. Good luck with your decision

 

[mari360]

I vote for onsite.... the experience is magical.... i stayed there in may of 07 in the CBR i never waited any more then 10 min for a bus and it was never crowded.... maybe it was the timing....i'm going again this may staying onsite at CSR... it's based on preference.... i didn't mind paying the money to stay onsite....

 

[jimmiej]

We always stay on-site. I will gladly pay the extra $$$. As Pete says on the podcasts, when Disney does something right, they really do it right. I've stayed in nine different Disney hotels, & I've always been impressed with the quality & the CMs.

Like others have said, it's all about immersion. I like being free from the real world & it's "issues." I also am "directionally challenged." I prefer to let Disney do the driving.

 

[disneymom06]

We have always stayed on site and now are going to try Buena Vista Suites as well. We need two rooms and 2 values for the holidays were 260 and BVS are 125. I am optimistic but for 7 days that is alot of money. IMO it is worth a try.

 

[scjo68]

I am definitely in favor of staying on-site. When I have stayed off-site, I didn't enjoy it as much, even though the hotel was fine.

We have a 3 yo and a 10 yo, so DH and I split up most evenings, with the younger one going back to the room with one of us, and the older one staying later for illuminations, etc. This was quite easy with the busses. I don't know how we could do this off site. We just got back from a week at POFQ, and used the busses exclusively, except for a trip to DTD. And we never waited more than a few minutes for a bus, and I never once had to stand. We stay moderate, so we have a fridge and coffeemaker, so it's easy to have a quick breakfast in the room.

I love never leaving Disney world. When we were off site a few years ago, I hated the traffic of driving in town. This is hard to quantify, especially to a husband, I am sure. It is either something that is important to you or it is not.

Having said that, I am certainly not of the opinion that "Onsite for me=Onsite for all". I have many friends who always stay off-site and love it. My sister is asking me for help planning her first trip, and since she has three kids, I did suggest that she at least consider off-site. But I think she will probably be staying on-site.

I think this "Orlando Hotels" forum will give you lots of "pros" for staying off-site, which is good. If you would like the other point of view for reference, you may want to post in the Disney resorts forum, and get some of the "pros" for on-site. I think a lot of people there love Pop Centery, if you are still interested in it.

 

[Brian Noble]

One thing to ask yourself as you sift through responses: if someone has only done one or the other, it's not clear that they can meaningfully compare the two. They may certainly enjoy their "usual" choice, and can explain why, but I can't see how they can say it is better than the "other way." That's true for both the "only offsite" crowd as well as the "only onsite" crowd.

 

[LAH LAH]

Brian,

I agree you can't compare the two if you haven't done both.

We have only stayed offsite...I tried for our upcoming trip to book at the value resorts and just couldn't get past the tiny rooms with no ammenities. Plus I found a house to rent for $400 cheaper than the value resorts. I now have to figure in parking and a rental car...but the house has a kitchen and laundry station...

I think those trying to do this as cheap as possible just can't afford to stay onsite.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Our first three trips were offsite. I was a stay-at-home Mom and money was tight so it was the only way we could go. Since then, we have stayed on site four times and loved it! I felt like we were always "connected" to the magic on site.
However, our next trip will be with DD#1 (single) and DD#2 with her DH and DS. No way could I afford two or even three rooms, even at a value (which both DD's hate!). We will get a three bedroom offsite and probably two rental cars.
You just have to go with whatever works at the time.

 

[FayeW]

We have always stayed on site and now are going to try Buena Vista Suites as well. We need two rooms and 2 values for the holidays were 260 and BVS are 125. I am optimistic but for 7 days that is alot of money. IMO it is worth a try.

I know you didn't ask for an opinion on your choice, but I have to tell you that for $125. per night, you can do a lot better than Buena Vista Suites. You could have a 2bdrm at Bonnet Creek for that money (if you rent from an owner thru www.redweek.com, for example). You could have a 2 or 3bdrm condo at Windsor Hills for $75-$100 per night. You could rent a townhouse with it's own pool for less than BVS also. Cypress Point Grand Villas is around $100 per night through HotelKingdom.

All of these choices are true 2bdrm condos, minimum. I think Buena Vista Suites is just "2 rooms", so one bedroom area for everybody, and then a separate living room area. Way better than just a single hotel room, to be sure, but not great value, comparatively, for $125 per night.

Just throwing that out there. Hope I didn't offend.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

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.

I agree. There is a definite bias on this board. You can go over to the resort board and a poster has asked "What would you NEVER give up to save money on your Disney vacation?" I would say 90% of the posters on that board said they would NEVER give up staying on-site. We would fall into that 90%. We always stay on-site and love it. We have 4 children and we always get two rooms at either ASMo or POP - plenty of room. Plus you get EMH, free transporation from the airport with Magical Express, free transportaion to parks and between parks, and we qualify for the dining plan. We love, love, love the dining plan. Having 4 kids, it saves us a lot of money and it's so convenient to use. Also, a lot of people talk about all of the amenities at off-site places, like, multiple bedrooms, plasma t.v.s, video games, etc. None of that would appeal to us at all. We are at Disney to be in the parks. All we do in our room is shower and sleep, nothing else. So, that's why we are on-site people.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have done 3 stays off-site, and 6 stays on. Both options do have their good points. Staying off-site you usually get lots more room for your money. And you can save money on food. There are tons of great restaurants, and most of them are much cheaper than what you can find for a sit down meal on site. Plus the hotel we stay at off-site includes a continental breakfast. I'm sure many of the hotels do.

The good points of being on-site are numerous too. Starting with Magical Express. Get off the plane, hop on the bus, and be at your resort in a flash. No messing around with picking up your luggage, Disney will do that for you! When we stay on-site we tend to rely on Disney transportation. It makes it seem more of a vacation, not having to drive anywhere! Driving from an off-site resort to a theme park does take a while. From our resort outside of Downtown Disney to MK was about an hour. You have to drive to the TTC, then shuttle to the front. Then monorail/boat to the MK entrance. Kind of time consuming.

Then there is the total immersion in everything Disney. Staying on-site you can truly forget there is an outside world, for a little while. From Mickey and Stitch waking you up in the morning, to the resort gift shops, you are surrounded by everything Disney. And I love that!

Staying on-site it is much easier to break your day up, and to not worry about seeing everything that instant, that day. If you want to take a break for a couple of hours, just hop on the bus/boat/monorail and you are back at your resort. Or if one person has had enough, they can go back to the resort by themselves, someone does not have to drive them and miss out on the fun. We are big on the mid afternoon short break. It really does recharge you. Espcially if you take advantage on the EMHs. Get up early, get to the parks before the big mobs, do what you want and head back to the resort for a quick snooze or swim. Or stay late and sleep in the next day.

If it came down to either staying off-site or not going, I wouldn't hesitate to stay off-site. But if I can choose, I stay on-site. To me the perks it offers way outweigh the perks of staying off-site.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Driving from an off-site resort to a theme park does take a while. From our resort outside of Downtown Disney to MK was about an hour. You have to drive to the TTC, then shuttle to the front. Then monorail/boat to the MK entrance. Kind of time consuming.

Unless you stay at Windsor Hills, or a similar community, then you can be there in no time flat. Faster than waiting in line for a bus and getting there even.

We found it easier to go back for an afternoon break staying at Windsor Hills than at Pop. And, at the end of the day, we got home atleast an hour earlier, every time, than we did the year before when staying at Pop.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

We always stay on-site. I will gladly pay the extra $$$. As Pete says on the podcasts, when Disney does something right, they really do it right. I've stayed in nine different Disney hotels, & I've always been impressed with the quality & the CMs.

Like others have said, it's all about immersion. I like being free from the real world & it's "issues." I also am "directionally challenged." I prefer to let Disney do the driving.

I'm sorry, I'm not being mean....I just find it funny that you think you don't deal with real world issues by staying on-site. When staying at Pop, I found myself "immersed" in parents yelling at their kids for ruining the family vacation, and all the "issues" involving bad parenting and a bad sense of entitlement. We had to walk through clouds of "issues" everyday going to and from the food court and while waiting in line for the bus. As a matter of fact, I recall witnessing multiple "issues" that I have yet to see in the real world...like grown adults mowing children over to get on the bus first, or people wishing death upon a handicapped person for holding up the bus line. The "immersion" at Pop kept me up at all hours of the night b/c I could hear everything going on outside my room. And that Nescrape that they call coffee, was really magical.

I'm sorry, really, I'm not being mean...... but when people have different points of view, I imagine we all think the other guy is funny.

I do think that it is only fair though that the OP hear all the views. I almost didn't stay off-site b/c my family tried to pressure me into staying on-site, like we always do....you know what the biggest reason was??? Back when I was 5 yrs. old, we stayed at a cheapo motel on a Disney trip and someone came into our room while we were sleeping and robbed us..... So, they think that staying anywhere off-site will have the same results.

They are singing a different tune now, having seen how our off-site trip was, b/c we all went together, but they stayed on-site.

It really isn't as black & white as On-site or Off-site. If you stay at some cheapo-crap-tacular hotel 20 miles from WDW, then yes, your trip will be way worse than staying anywhere on-site. If you can only have a family of 3 or 4 and can afford to stay at the Polynesian every time you go, then yeah, your on-site trip will be awesome. IMHO, just as awesome as the trip you could take staying in a 7 bedroom house with it's own pool and jacuzzi, that costs less.

 

[maxiesmom]

Unless you stay at Windsor Hills, or a similar community, then you can be there in no time flat. Faster than waiting in line for a bus and getting there even.

We found it easier to go back for an afternoon break staying at Windsor Hills than at Pop. And, at the end of the day, we got home atleast an hour earlier, every time, than we did the year before when staying at Pop.

Where is Windsor Hills located? We stay at the Staybridge Suites which is literally right at the entrace to DTD, and I have found that it is much faster to get to the theme parks via the on-site resort busses. But, if I am on-site, I really don't mind waiting for the busses. I like the opportunity to chat with my fellow travelers, so that might be part of the reason the wait seems so short.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Windsor Hills is literally 3 miles from the front gate of Animal Kingdom. It took us all of 5 minutes to get there. Door to Gate. EPCOT and MGM take about 10 minutes, and MK is only 20 min. if you get there early and about 30 min. if you have yo park far away from the gate.

I'd say we generally added an extra 1 to 2 hours on our day that we didn't spend waiting/riding on the buses. (That's going back for midday breaks)

 

[maxiesmom]

Windsor Hills is literally 3 miles from the front gate of Animal Kingdom. It took us all of 5 minutes to get there. Door to Gate. EPCOT and MGM take about 10 minutes, and MK is only 20 min. if you get there early and about 30 min. if you have yo park far away from the gate.

I'd say we generally added an extra 1 to 2 hours on our day that we didn't spend waiting/riding on the buses. (That's going back for midday breaks)

You have brought up a good point. The off-site Disney area is enormous! You really need to look on a map and see where the resort you are interested in is located. It can have a huge impact on your off-site experience.

 

[D&DDisney]

We have stayed at both POP and Buena Vista Suites and would go w/ BVS any day!!!!
For a much smaller price you get 2 rooms, fridge, micro, wet bar sink, counter space, pull-out couch, 2 queen beds and FREE FULL breakfast. The money you save is worth it.
Also, it is a straight shot to the parks from the hotel. Five minutes tops from the hotel to Disney grounds.

 

[jimmiej]

I'm sorry, I'm not being mean....I just find it funny that you think you don't deal with real world issues by staying on-site. When staying at Pop, I found myself "immersed" in parents yelling at their kids for ruining the family vacation, and all the "issues" involving bad parenting and a bad sense of entitlement. We had to walk through clouds of "issues" everyday going to and from the food court and while waiting in line for the bus. As a matter of fact, I recall witnessing multiple "issues" that I have yet to see in the real world...like grown adults mowing children over to get on the bus first, or people wishing death upon a handicapped person for holding up the bus line. The "immersion" at Pop kept me up at all hours of the night b/c I could hear everything going on outside my room. And that Nescrape that they call coffee, was really magical.

I'm sorry, really, I'm not being mean...... but when people have different points of view, I imagine we all think the other guy is funny.

Since we have stayed mostly in deluxes, maybe my perspective is different.

"Issues" was probably not the best word I could have chosen. I guess one of the main things I was talking about is traffic. As I said in my last post, I like letting Disney do the driving.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Since we have stayed mostly in deluxes, maybe my perspective is different.

"Issues" was probably not the best word I could have chosen. I guess one of the main things I was talking about is traffic. As I said in my last post, I like letting Disney do the driving.

Exactly, staying in Deluxes is totally different. And I understand about the driving Of course, I never sat in traffic once during my 10 day trip, but really, it doesn't matter, b/c if the way you do it makes ya' happy, then that's what you should do.

 

[IDoDis]

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.

Oh, bummer! Well, so that adds $11 a day. Oh well. Is the daily pass still good if you leave the parks (to go back to the hotel for a break) and then come back later in the day? Also, are there any toll roads from Disney to the Buena Vista Suites?