off site vs on site $79 moderate

[giwaters]

Am I crazy looking at staying off site in a suite if I can get a $79 moderate (with a post card)? I have kids 6 and 10 - never been to Florida before. Just hoping we don't go crazy without a suite. I was happy to read we could get a refrigerator.

Now to decide which moderate?? - really want to be able to spend the day at the pool - my kids love water slides and swimming suggestions??

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Originally posted by giwaters
Am I crazy looking at staying off site in a suite if I can get a $79 moderate (with a post card)? I have kids 6 and 10 - never been to Florida before. Just hoping we don't go crazy without a suite. I was happy to read we could get a refrigerator.

Now to decide which moderate?? - really want to be able to spend the day at the pool - my kids love water slides and swimming suggestions??

That is an awesome rate.

Personally--for that good of rate--I would go for it! There are ways to economize the meals--and if you are on site, you won't need a rental car.

Port Orleans French Quarter has a dragon water slide that looked fun.

 

[Missy1961]

Stay on site whenever you can! There are many reasons.
1. You won't need a rental car. And if you decide to get one anyway, if you drive to the parks, you don't have to pay to park.
2. It's easier to go back to your room and take a break.
3. The theming is wonderful, and adds to your fun.
4. Early entry to a different park each day.

And that's what I can come up with quickly!

 

[raysnkaysmom]

THat is a great rate! The only moderate I've stayed was Coronado Springs..but the waterslide with the spitting jaquar is great...nice volleyball, playsite area.
Stay ONSITE..you won't miss a thing!

 

[micks]

ABSOLUTELY stay on-site!! You won't regret it - you and your kids will love it!

 

[disneysteve]

Ok, I'll throw in an opposing view.

For $79 (or less), you can get a 2 or 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo offsite. Mom and Dad can have a master bedroom with private bathroom. Kids can either share a room or even each have their own room and share a bathroom. You can have a full kitchen, living room, dining area, 2 or 3 TV's, patio, etc.

Compare that to an onsite room where you have 2 beds side by side. Kids either need to share a bed or one sleep on a cot. You all share 1 bathroom. No kitchen - just a little cube refrigerator. One TV. No private space for anyone. When the 6-yo goes to sleep before the rest of the family, you end up sitting outside or sitting in the dark.

I'll take offsite over onsite any day at any price. We're staying in a 2-bed condo in November booked through Skyauction for $261 for the week. Onsite can't begin to compare to that for us.

 

[frannn]

It is 8/day at the parks. I believe once you pay at one park, you can use the receipt at the others. Also, onsite Disney bus/monorail service is much more convenient (if you don't have a stroller) than driving, especially to MK.

 

[deltachi8]

Although the idea of the "extra magic" o staying on site is appealing, I have always opted for off-site and do not feel cheated at all. The decision is mostly based on finances, but when it came right down to it, the amount of time spent in the room was just not worth extra cost. Additionally, I like to explore eating off site, etc and if I stayed on I know I probably wouldnt do that.

I use Priceline for almost all my hotel stays. In Orlando, we stayed at the Doubletree Villas this year at $39/night and last year had the Best Western on Hotel Plaza for $25/night.

Bottom line is everyone is different and there is no right or wrong answer. Read what other think and then make the best decision based on how you feel.

 

[BonnieA]

I'm also an off site person. I don't need the extra magic associated with the themed rooms, I need a good night's sleep in a quiet location. I get that off site with bedrooms for everyone, space to stretch out, relax, and the choice to fix a meal or not. Sure you may pay for parking, but only once a day and you can then hop to any park possibly quicker and easier with your own car than taking onsite transportation. But that's only my opinion.

 

[hookedup]

I love staying onsite. That $79 rate for the moderate is only if you get the offer from Disney though - so it may not be something that you are able to book.

If I had the $79 offer I would choose a mod because:
1. Disney transpo onsite (no need to rent a car)
2. Early admission to the parks for extra magic hour
3. Staying onsite (at least once) is worth the experience.

The mod resorts at WDW all have themed pools with waterslides.

No doubt staying offsite has some pluses (like more value for the money in a lot of cases) and if you need to rent a car anyway (or are driving to WDW and will have a car with you) then you can do other stuff too.

We will never rent a car again (for a WDW only trip) because the last time we did it sat for a week in the parking lot and we never used it - not to mention the stress and hassle in renting and returning it.

 

[linda_pizzuro]

Hard to make this decission. First time we down we did 3 nights on site CB (in 1997) and one week in a time share. I do love on site but this was the only time we did this. We own a time share in the Bahamas but have transferred 4 time to sites in Orlando. One year we were able to get a 3 bedroom 3 bath unit right down from the entrance to WDW. On site is great but that year we were able to bring my boyfriends sister and her husband, another couple (friends of our) and my boyfriends 9 year old (at that time) son. My boyfriends father now lives in Orlando so we usually spend some time with him and then a week in a timeshare. I have having all the room, and the kitchen, dining room extra bedrooms and laundry facilities. By now my boyfriends son is 16 and we definately feel more comfortable with two separate bedrooms.

We always visit the many Disney hotels. We always have dinner at 'Ohanas and watch Wishes and the Electric Water Pagent from there. We always spend some time on the Boardwalk - just walking around, eating and renting bikes. We usually eat at AKL and walk around and check out the animals and we visit the WL. There is pin trading Friday nights at the Contemporay so we try to do this also and if we are there we try to eat in Chef Mickeys. This year we are going for Thanksgiving and doing MVMCP and will be visiting all the hotels to check out their decorations.

If you do decide to stay offsite, try to plans some trips to the many Disney hotels. Unfortunately you cannot use there pools but you can just visit them and walk around. If you are trying to save money and not do a big eating at the hotels you can always just check out their food courts. If your kids really love pools, check out Disney's water parks.
Linda

 

[jcemom]

Onsite. I will never stay offsite again. Actually, I don't even think I'll ever rent a car again. February was our first trip with the kids and my first time onsite and I loved having the transportation available and the feeling of total relaxation. We had a rental and barely used it. The one time we did go offsite to eat was one too many for me. Somehow I got stressed out just driving off Disney property...the traffic, streetlights, signs everywhere, neon lights, more traffic, more signs, and an "insert any word here" World on every corner (you know...shell world, hat world, stupid souvenir world, you name it-they have it world).

I can live with my kids in one room for a week no problem. For the most part we all went to bed at the same time anyway as we were all tired. We spent most of our time in the parks, pool, Downtown Disney, whatever...not in the room.

My vote goes for the Disney Moderate...I'd choose POFQ.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by frannn
onsite Disney bus/monorail service is much more convenient (if you don't have a stroller) than driving

Again, this is a matter of personal preference. I think Disney does a phenomenal job of moving people around the property, but we find the transportation system (except for the monorail) too inconvenient. We like to be able to come and go as we please, not wait for buses and be limited to the routes they offer.

For example, we love to spend at least part of one day hotel hopping between the various Disney hotels. This is nearly impossible without a car. Or we might be at one park in the morning, go offsite for lunch or shopping, go to a different park in the evening, etc. You can't do stuff like that without a car. We like to go to Belz, Premium Outlets, Old Town, Sweet Tomatoes, etc.

So you really need to think about what you plan to do and what type of person you are. Personally, I would never consider doing Disney (even onsite) without my own car. I'm too much of a control freak .

 

[HopperFan]

Everytime we stay off-site we swear we will never do it again!!! That is a great rate and I say run, not walk to 24/7 Disney magic.

My first pick would be CSR, great hotel, newest of moderates (each time I think they do it better), awesome pool and amenities, great water slide. Our kids love it there.

Second pick would be POR/PORFQ. Now my kids have never been interested in FQ pool/slide but the hotel is newly refurbished. The advantage here is you can use the amenties at either one. So you have two theme pools, two food courts etc. Also has boat to DTD. Just lots of perks here.

CBR is our least favorite and probably will not return there.

ps There is so much to do that your room will be used mostly for showers and sleep. Even on our "down" time we are walking or sitting on benches at the resort. When our kids were your age, they were having such a great time, they never wanted to be in the room.

 

[linda_pizzuro]

I think part of the thinking of on site vs. off site has to do with where you stay. If you are looking at a place on International Drive that is really inexpensive (cheep) - this might not be the best place to stay. I had friends that stayed in a 39.99 hotel on I Drive and they hated it. Small, dank, kind of dirty and a small pool. If you compare this with the wonderful timeshare places I have stayed I believe you would pick the timeshare.

We are staying at a Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Seaworld in November. Following is a description of this location. Distinctive amenities to be found at the HGVC Club at SeaWorld include spectacular swimming pools, the Bermuda Provisions Gift Shop and Deli, the poolside Coral Reef Bar & Grill, a small movie theater, shuffleboard court, a manicured croquet lawn and extensive recreation programs for children and adults alike. 2 Bedroom Suite with 1 King Bed and 1 Queen Bed - Max Occ: 6

The two bedroom / two bath unit has a large master suite featuring a king bed, cable television and a whirlpool jet tub. The second bedroom is furnished with a queen bed and cable television. Highlights of the generous living room are a television with cable, a VHS player and a queen-size sleeper sofa. The spacious living area includes a full kitchen with microwave oven, full size refrigerator, dishwasher and a separate dining area.

We have friends that stayed there this past summer and just loved it.

Linda


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[disneysteve]

Originally posted by linda_pizzuro
I think part of the thinking of on site vs. off site has to do with where you stay. If you compare this with the wonderful timeshare places I have stayed I believe you would pick the timeshare.

I totally agree. Last trip, we had a 3-bed condo at Windsor Palms. This place was nicer than my house LOL. There were ceiling fans in every room, 3 TVs, a stereo system, DVD player, screened-in patio, very nice and comfy living room furniture (I napped on the sofa one afternoon), a beautiful dining room set, very comfortable beds, spacious bathrooms, extremely well-equipped kitchen and more. For that, we paid $90/nite. We hated to leave.

 

[jcemom]

Yes, that is a good point. You need to think hard about what YOU want to do!

I wouldn't spend enough time in that condo (which sounds great btw) to ever turn on 3 tv's, LOL. But, if you do plan to spend more time away from the parks maybe a timeshare would be better for you.

 

[CheapMom]

I would go for the 79 mod. They all have great pools and fun theming. I have stayed at CS and POFQ. They are beautiful, fun resorts. I liked PO because you can swim at POFQ or POR and I liked taking the boatride to Downtown Disney.

 

[kenziesmamaw]

For years I laughed at the people who swore that staying onsite at Disney was better than offsite. They were paying more than I was and I didn't think the amenities were worth it.

Well....consider me convinced! Stayed at POFQ Labor Day week and even with vegetation down because of the hurricane, it was wonderful. It was great to park the car for the week and take the WDW transportation. It was also nice to have the food right there at the hotel....and it was good! The prices weren't bad at all and there was a good selection.

Bottom line is that it is all about personal preferences, but for us, there is nothing like staying onsite. We were so convined in fact, that we bought into the Disney Vacation Club when we got home! Now we have 50 years of onsite stays ahead of us.

 

[disneycrazed139]

Wow. This is a tough one. I've never really considered the off-site, but then again, I only have 1 kid. With two, I would very well be tempted to stay in larger accomodations within a good budget and take the off-site. It just depends on your kids really and if you want the extra space.

Something also to consider in the future might be buying into the Disney Vacation Club--perhaps a resale which would be significantly lower in cost than buying directly from Disney. If you end up deciding you will go back to Disney often, it might be worth it to look into this as a way of vacationing on-site while still enjoying large accomodations.

Alternatively, you could look into renting points during an off season for perhaps a 1 bedroom unit. A 1 bedroom unit at Old Key West Sun-Thurs nights would cost you about $800 for five nights in January if you were renting. That's just an example as rental prices and other resorts/seasons vary, but might be something to consider. In essence, there are ways to stay on-site and have the larger accomodations. Not for everyone, but....

That said, the moderates are all really nice and so much fun. I would prefer being on-site anywhere, but that is just me!