Off Site?

[GeminiAngel]

I think I might try this for my 2016 trip. Anybody care to list their favorites? I would need a good shuttle system, no driving for us.

 

[kmb584]

A good shuttle system at an offsite resort is going to be difficult to find. Most run on very weird schedules and some only drop off and pick up at certain parks (MK or Epcot, for example, and you'll have to transfer to buses there for DHS and AK). With that said, I love the Sheraton Vistana Resort and Wyndham Bonnet Creek, though will fully acknowledge that their shuttle schedules aren't the best. We drive so that's not a factor for us.

 

[ModernArtist]

There's a forum here for Off site hotel discussions. Good Luck!

http://www.disboards.com/forums/orlando-hotels-and-attractions.15/

 

[Lynne M]

Moving this to the Orlando Hotels board....

 

[spiceycat]

first price the value resorts - then compare their prices to the DD resorts - you can find them sometimes on travelzoo, expedia and others that I don't remember
there are 7 hotels.

http://www.downtowndisneyhotels.com/

I like very much the Best western

have seem some like reviews on tripadvisor this Holiday Inn

 

[spiceycat]

forgot - at BW and all the DD hotels buses were pretty good - problem was with the MK and AK bus - it went to MK first (great) but coming back the AK part make the bus ride very long. Now since AK closes most of the time long before MK - this is not a problem at night

the Epcot/Studio wll not have this problem because they are close together.

the Mk and AK are much further part than any other parts of WDW.

 

[Brian Noble]

I think I might try this for my 2016 trip. Anybody care to list their favorites? I would need a good shuttle system, no driving for us.

Then you should probably stay with a Disney resort. You *might* find the Downtown Disney hotels okay, but those buses are not as convenient as the Disney ones.

I've spent about half my stays offsite, and you can get a lot more for your money there. But, you have to be willing to drive.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Then you should probably stay with a Disney resort. You *might* find the Downtown Disney hotels okay, but those buses are not as convenient as the Disney ones.

I've spent about half my stays offsite, and you can get a lot more for your money there. But, you have to be willing to drive.

I agree with this. I didn't particularly like being at the mercy of Disney's own bus system when we stayed onsite so I can't imagine having to rely on an offsite place's shuttle that may run even more infrequently. Also, a lot of offsite places that offer a shuttle service only drop off/pick up at the TTC and expect you to use the monorail/ferry/buses from there to get to the parks. Having your own vehicle will make your offsite experience so much more pleasant and depending on where you stay you can be a very quick and easy drive to the parks. If you don't drive or really don't want to rent a car, then I agree that staying onsite might be the better option. Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[artemis4]

Then you should probably stay with a Disney resort. You *might* find the Downtown Disney hotels okay, but those buses are not as convenient as the Disney ones.

I've spent about half my stays offsite, and you can get a lot more for your money there. But, you have to be willing to drive.

The way that offsite hotels and resorts run shuttles, I agree that one needs to be willing to drive to really get the benefit if staying offsite. At Disney, time equals money. With the schedules of offsite shuttles, one loses valuable park time and rope drop time.

 

[TheKatie]

The way that offsite hotels and resorts run shuttles, I agree that one needs to be willing to drive to really get the benefit if staying offsite. At Disney, time equals money. With the schedules of offsite shuttles, one loses valuable park time and rope drop time.

I've stayed off site my last three trips (Vistana Twice and WBC this last time) and even if I stayed on sit again I think I'd drive. We were giggling at the lines of folks waiting for busses after Fantasmic when we walked to our car and were back at WBC in about 7 minutes.. those people were probably still waiting.

 

[artemis4]

I've stayed off site my last three trips (Vistana Twice and WBC this last time) and even if I stayed on sit again I think I'd drive. We were giggling at the lines of folks waiting for busses after Fantasmic when we walked to our car and were back at WBC in about 7 minutes.. those people were probably still waiting.

I really don't understand the obsession with not driving on a Disney vacation. Is it because people don't want the expense of a rental car if they are flying but don't want to say that, so Disney buses are given Major Benefit status? Driving (or cooking for that matter) doesn't mean I'm not having a vacation to me. I drive and cook on all of our vacations, and it has yet to make any of them feel less relaxing.

Buses are not a plus for me at all, and I fail to see how they are quicker than using my own vehicle. Due to what you describe. When we stayed at WBC, it was under 15 minutes door to door every single time. I'm normally all for public transportation, but not at Disney.

 

[klledoux]

I am in the driving category! Even if driving versus getting on a shuttle and getting to your stop was equal, we still love being in control! I suggested trying onsite again to my husband and the top two reasons why he wouldn't consider? More room and bang for your buck with the resort and driving, he hates the bus system: ( But each person is different! If not driving is important, consider supplementing offsite transportation with taxis or else it's back to onsite!

 

[candleonwater]

As a big fan of the Deluxe resorts, I'm hesitant to look at offsite hotels, but am doing just that for my upcoming spring break trip.

The Hilton at Downtown Disney - does this get me the "extra" hours at the parks? I noticed the hours for Magic Kingdom on the day we will be there are 7am - 1am... will we be able to be there for the whole thing? And is this hotel close enough for us to just walk over to DD and catch a Disney bus?

 

[Upatnoon]

I really don't understand the obsession with not driving on a Disney vacation. Is it because people don't want the expense of a rental car if they are flying but don't want to say that, so Disney buses are given Major Benefit status? Driving (or cooking for that matter) doesn't mean I'm not having a vacation to me. I drive and cook on all of our vacations, and it has yet to make any of them feel less relaxing.

Buses are not a plus for me at all, and I fail to see how they are quicker than using my own vehicle. Due to what you describe. When we stayed at WBC, it was under 15 minutes door to door every single time. I'm normally all for public transportation, but not at Disney.

Not everyone knows how to drive, they may live in a big city. Or maybe they can't for legal reasons. Unfortunately, you really need a car to get around offsite unless you are willing to pay for some cab fares or put up with shuttle limitations.

 

[GeminiAngel]

Thank you all for your replies. After considering the transportation situation you are all right, pretty much need a car to get around. This was nice though, I explored some of the off site options which is something I've never done before. Maybe someday if and when I'm fried out on WDW we will stay off site and do a WDW trip/other area attractions.