off- vs. on-site with a toddler

[NYEmomma]

I cross-posted this question in the Disney Resorts forum... I hope that's ok. I'm sure I'll get different opinions/suggestions in both forums!

I'm planning an October DW trip with my husband, DD, parents, brother & brother's g/f. The original plan was to stay in a mod with adjoining (or close) rooms. That way we could go to another room to talk/watch TV while DD slept in our room & it would be convenient to go back to the hotel mid-day for a nap, if needed.

My parents just went & bought a membership to a vacation club this weekend. Now they & my brother/gf will be staying at the Grand Beach Resort. DH & I have to decide whether to stay on-site or go off-site with them.

If it was just DH & I, we'd stay on-site, hands down. We love the all-inclusive Disney experience. But we've never traveled with a toddler before & I don't know what to expect & what would be the better option for us.

I'd love to hear your opinions! Moderate resort or 3b/2b condo? The cost savings is significant, but we have decided that the Disney experience is worth the extra money for us.

What I'm unsure about is a) the space and b) transportation.

I'm not sure how well being confined to one hotel room will work for us. My parents have no problems coming & babysitting in our hotel room so DH & I can go out in the evening, but on evenings in, I'm afraid we'll be cramped and we'll have to ALL have an 8pm bedtime in order to get DD to sleep (she's a very light, picky sleeper).

I'm also not sure what the best option would be for transportation. I've stayed on-site before and am familiar with the bus system & wait times. But I've never stayed off-site so I don't know what the drive into WDW will be like as far as time, parking & traffic. If we were to leave in the middle of the day for a nap, which would be easier & quicker -- taking our car to the condo or riding the bus to the resort??

Thanks for reading through my entire book, lol. Sorry it's so long -- just trying to sort everything out in my head!

 

[Main Street Matilda]

I stayed off-site with my childen who were ages 6, 4 and 11 months at the time. For that particular trip, we wanted to see what some of the off-site villas were like and the price was amazing, especially given the quality of the resort. (I'm sure your parent's new time share is also very lovely.) Here's the thing, although I prefer staying on-site ... I did not find that much harder to stay off-site with a toddler. Either place you stay, you still have to pack up the stroller, gather baby supplies, get onto some form of transportation and make your way to the parks. As a matter of fact, I think it would be tons easier for you to stay close to your other family members so they can help you get things together in the morning. I also think that given your toddler won't know the difference between a Disney themed hotel and a non-Disney hotel at this point, it's a good time to take advantage of the off-site pricing.

I won't lie, I prefer staying on-site for the theming, restaurant proximity, dining plan, etc. We also like being able to grab a bus/boat and not have to drive to the parks. That being said, no matter where we've stayed, we just loved being on vacation with our family and I'm sure you will, too.

 

[leanne11]

your not alone..ive always stayed on-site except 1 horrible off site nick hotel. stay..eeewww..we have a 26 month old(next nov) and trying to decide the same.. easier on site or alot more room and maybe a splash pool off-site..we love being submerged in disney and sprang for beach club villa last time but for $400/night hubby still slept in a cramped pull-out couch...so we leaning toward windsor hills....the full kitchen 3 bedrooms and 3 baths plus pool and amazing disney hand painted rooms for kids for about $100/night seems to be winning ... they seem to be pretty equipped with a stroller pack and play and high chair.. pool safety gate and alot of space..
here is my favs...but look at the posts below and you'll see the transportation to and back(rental car) is easier than the busses..these are townhouses i've found them to be the same price as the windsor hills condo's
http://www.themagicorlandorental.com/ourresort?page_id=123

http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/index.html

good luck..

 

[Brian Noble]

The transportation hassle factor is comparable either way. When the buses are not crowded, they are easier than driving/the trams. When the buses *are* crowded, and the three of you get to stand on the way home (with a folded stroller and a tired toddler), the car starts to look mighty nice.

However, I would not share a single hotel room with my kids---even now that they are older---if it were free. With a toddler, I wouldn't do it if you paid me. My wife and I enjoy our privacy on vacation and I actively resent having to sit in a dark room pretending to be asleep until my kids nod off.

So, I would compare something onsite that provided for separate sleeping spaces (like the Family Value Suites) to the offsite location, and decide whether or not the onsite experience is worth the extra money when you have more of an apples-to-apples situation. Usually, when I make the comparison, staying offsite saves us enough money to pay for the park tickets. That's hard to say no to, for us, because we don't personally find the onsite and offsite experiences to be all that different. YMMV.

 

[lsulindy]

I've never stayed on-site, so I can't make an active comparison. But, I did a lot of research, and we really enjoyed our off-site stay. I just can't imagine that on-site would have been better. We stayed off-site last time with an almost 3 year old and a 15 month old. And, will stay off-site again this time with a 5 year old, a 4 year old and a 4 month old. My neighbor just stayed off-site with her two kids after staying on-site last time. She said they'll be staying off-site again in the future. Hubby's best friend stayed on-site last time, and will stay off-site for his upcoming trip. He said if he ever stayed on-site again, he'd take his own car rather than Disney transportation to the parks. (These are all people with small children.)

Reasons:
Transportation - heard a lot of stories of long wait times for on-site transportation. When we wanted to go to the park or leave the park, we could get in the car and go. Most nights the kids fell asleep in the car on the way back in their carseats and not in our arms standing on a bus. I also heard an awful story from hubby's best friend about a kid throwing up in the aisle of a crowded bus. It was bad! We stayed very close to the parks (Buena Vista Suites) and from what I've heard the travel time wasn't much different than staying on property (of course this depends where you stay on and off). The travel time was quicker than I'd thought.

Cost & Space - It was cheaper than a Value and much, much larger. We had a one bedroom suite, so there was a bedroom plus a separate living room with sofa, chair, table, fridge and microwave. Even with a pack n play, we still had lots of room in the bedroom, plus the full living room. And if the kids (or one kid) were sleeping in one room, we could be up in the other room.

Food - The Buena Vista Suites had a free full breakfast. We'd fill up on breakfast, and then get either a snack for lunch then an early dinner. Or eat a late lunch and then just snack for dinner. Spent way less on food than I expected, for us, the dining plan would have been a waste unless we could have gotten it for free.

This time we're staying at a 3 bedroom condo with full kitchen at the Windsor Palms. The bonus is that it's Disney decorated. We won't have the free breakfast, but can fix one ourselves before we leave in the morning.

It really depends on your priorities, your situation, how much you have to spend (we were on more of a budget), and how you like to travel, but for us, off-site just makes more sense.

 

[juliebean]

When our youngest was 2 we stayed at a huge Sun Lake Condo and it was totally the best choice. She napped and slept so much better than if we'd been in one room. We all know that a happy toddler equals happy parents!

Unless this is your only trip to DW, I'd save staying on property til she is older and can stay up later. Our youngest is now 5 and we are going to stay on property because she is more flexible than she was as a toddler about sleep.

We loved the condo, but if you are looking for something in between, there are several suite hotels - Embassy, Lake Buena Vista, Doubletree - where you'd be close to DTD, have shuttles, and breakfast, plus you could still have a room for her to sleep in while you and hubby relax in the livingroom.

Have a great trip!

 

[dougsmom98]

We have never stayed on site but we have stayed in hotel rooms with our children/toddlers and it is a drag when the kids are sleeping because you have to tip toe around, turn off the lights and TV, and be quiet. I like off site because if you look around many villas have free baby gear so you don't have to lug a high chair or booster seat, pack and play... I think the walls are insulated better in off site condos and then I don't feel like I have to keep the kids as quiet.

 

[Pembo]

We stayed at POR when DD was 2 and ds's were 6 & 8. She was in a crib. It was cramped and we all did go to bed early that trip.

FF to Last year, dd is now 7 and we stayed offsite for the first time in a 3b/2b condo at WH. It was amazing. I was very worried about the driving and found it much easier and more convenient than the buses. I only wish we had done this when the kids were younger.

 

[*disgal*]

I've done both. My opinon? If you're not staying at a monorail resort then it doesn't really matter.

It was a hassle for us with the stoller on the buses and we hated the standing up in the bus at night thing. So we usually just drove our van. That is what got us started with pretty much driving to the parks all the time even if we stayed on site. (I've never stayed at a monorail resort though)

As the kids got a little older we would rent strollers from WDW. Of course then my DH had to carry the youngest to the car at night. I can see why parents prefer to bring their own strollers.

I was SO glad when they got old enough to not need a stroller anymore!!

 

[*disgal*]

why was I thinking this was just about staying offsite and strollers. I think I need some brain pills.

anyway, we love either way, offsite or on. I have found out from staying at a pool home that I kind of missed that "resort" feel. It wasn't Disney magic that I missed (I loved having all that room) but it was the resort feel.

As you can see from my sig., we've stayed at all kinds of accommodations and we REALLY enjoy some space. We love the WDW resorts too and like to do split stays but we would prefer not to do the little hotel rooms anymore.

Have fun whatever you decide.

 

[kathy884]

I'd stay with your extended family offsite. It's great to have many hands with little ones. I much prefer a condo to a hotel room, especially with a youngster who takes naps. And boy do I like a kitchen and laundry facilities too. Having your own kitchen with kids and not having to eat every meal out is just sooo nice.

I agree with the PP that unless it's a monerail resort, I didn't find onsite any more convienent that offsite.

I think it was a good idea for you to post multiple places, as you will hear from others about what they like about staying onsite.

Unless it's a short stay at a deluxe monerail resort that someone else is paying (I can go for that), I'm a big offsite fan.

 

[vfb2girls]

This has been our dilemma also except we have older grandkids. We are planning a trip to Orlando and there will be a total of 7 of us. Now my husband and myself have stayed on site a couple of times and the experience was great but now that there are so many more of us we have pretty much decided to rent a house close to DW. The thought of having to be cooped up with three small kids cramped in a couple of value resort rooms just doesn't appeal to us. I like the idea of having the room so that all of us can spread out. As far as the bus system, it is great until late at night and you are crammed into the buses it just isn't that appealing. We also plan on visiting some other attractions in Orlando so having a car is a must. But what ever you decide to do just have fun!