Offsite = Less Magic?

[mikkiwikki]

I will wholeheartedly agree .

For our August trip, we are getting a two bedroom, two bathroom villa with a screened patio, full kitchen and three flat screen TV's at a resort that offers 7 pools, multiple hot tubs, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and mini golf for the same price as a Disney value.

In my opinion, that's "magic".

Totally agree. We are shopping for condos now for our august trip.
We used to be die hard onsite fanatics. However as our family has grown...values/mods dont cut it...AND the deluxes are just ridiculously priced.
SO...Unless you can get some fabulous price on a deluxe...(did once at contemp but the fact is you are still in a single room with your entire family...that one point is decidely not magic for us - )
The bennies from onsite dont work for us....EMH...we usually avoid parks that have EMHs...not more magic...usually more crowded - at *least* that has been our consistent experience.
And the 5 dollar coupon for planet hollywood and golf we never use.

 

[shoney]

I have begun to feel a LOT less magical on site. When I look at the room quailty, features etc it's not magical to realize "I AM BEING RIPPED OFF"
Once you get past the theme you may start to realize these rooms are not that nice for the price I paid. Some people seem to be able to accept the "it's Disney, pay more and receive less" model and feel "magic" but... I feel disillusionment LOL!

We did our first onsite trip last February. We stayed at POR and I was expecting the room to be on par with a Hampton or Holiday Inn express and it was not. It was very small and had very cheap sheets and towels.

The bus system was very slow! Driving can be faster!

It had some good points as well, especially because we had the free dining.

But we weren't sold on the "onsite" or nothing!

 

[Lewisc]

Of course it will be less "magical". Onsite resorts can be walkable to parks (CR, BC/YC BWV, BWI). They can offer "special" transportation to parks (WL, POLY, GF). They offer special wake up calls and special toiletries. Souvenirs can be sent to your resort.

The question is if the fact that offsite places generally offer more for your money is enough to offset that. Post in this forum and the consensus will probably be yes. Post in the resorts forum and the consensus will probably be no.

PP already discussed the pros and cons. Onsite is the only option, JMO, if you're unable (or unwilling) to drive.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We did our first onsite trip last February. We stayed at POR and I was expecting the room to be on par with a Hampton or Holiday Inn express and it was not. It was very small and had very cheap sheets and towels.

The bus system was very slow! Driving can be faster!

It had some good points as well, especially because we had the free dining.

But we weren't sold on the "onsite" or nothing!

The room quality was very disappointing to me in all three of the onsite resorts we stayed in. The value was on par with a motel 6 the moderate was still on par with a cheaper room perhaps a Days Inn and the deluxe was similar to a best Western but not as nice as a comfort suite we recently stayed at and of course the POLY was significantly more expensive. In the real world the moderate and value resorts are motels and only the delux qualify as hotels because they do have the indoor corridors.

We are staying off site for our next trip and so we will be able to see if there really is any "magic" missing.

Fwiw we always believed a hotel was just a place to lay our heads until the stay at ASMU. Changed our minds quick.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[mikkiwikki]

I love missing the the Disney Magic!
1 The magic of how they put the Disney name on a Days Inn room and call it a value resort, but it costs more than a cheap off site room.
2 The magic of WDW transportation, when after waiting an eternity for a bus, how they can pack 50 people into a bus for 30.
3 The magic of Disney making your money disappear fast for run of the mill food. Paying $8 for a burger that is equivalent to McDonalds.
I'll pass on the magic. We either rent a house or condo offsite and have more fun.

agree.
after many unmagical bus rides...im done with onsite.
I have every confidence if Walt were around things would change.
He painted the walkways red because we were supposed to be guests.
Hard to feel like a guest when Im forced to sit my child on a dirty bus floor.

 

[mikkiwikki]

Of course it will be less "magical".

Respectfully disagree.
We always find a condo that is themed with Disney memorabilia throughout.
Most are loaded with Disney movies...and when everyone SLEEPS well because you are not ontop of one another all the time.

That - my friend - is PRICELESS magic...anyway you slice it.
We enjoy our vacation ...our time that is supposed to be 'recharging our batteries' - Infinitely more off site.

Take this from a Poly "kid" who went to the poly more times than ARE listed in my siggie

Went back recently and was sorely dissapointed. EVen the POLY! They have added longhouses since the 80s and it no longer feels intimate - and you no longer get the special attention I enjoyed as a child. And I SO wanted to feel the magic there....I had so many special memories...

 

[rackerlee92]

Just wanted to post a quick comment about our stay at WH vs onsite....

Our kids (DD12, DD14) LOVED our WH townhouse. They loved it so much that going to the parks was hard to do. Each girl had their own bedroom and DH and I had a wonderful king size bed in the master bedroom. Even though the townhouse only has a smallish splashpool, my DD12 loved swimming there. We offered to go down to the clubhouse pool, but she declined.

This was our 5th visit to WDW, and perhaps our last for a few years...but we will likely return to WH or a similar offsite community in the near future. Maybe have a more relaxing vacation that way.

The townhouse was rented through vacation central florida and was beautiful. We did have some loudish neighbors, but nothing more than we would have if we would stay in a hotel.

The condo that DH and I stayed in last fall I found on vrbo. That condo was very nice as well.

When staying onsite, we stayed at AKL, POR and POFQ. With the four of us, we often had difficulty sleeping in the same room, often got on each others nerves because we were ALWAYS together, had to eat all of our meals at either CS or TS and relied on the busses.

I was very unsure about making the off-site decision, which is why DH and I did a quick trip in the fall to check out WH before taking the girls there. I am so glad we tried this.

Again, good luck on your decision

 

[aleksandr]

I have begun to feel a LOT less magical on site. When I look at the room quailty, features etc it's not magical to realize "I AM BEING RIPPED OFF"
Once you get past the theme you may start to realize these rooms are not that nice for the price I paid. Some people seem to be able to accept the "it's Disney, pay more and receive less" model and feel "magic" but... I feel disillusionment LOL!

Couldn't agree more! I've only ever stayed on-site once, at an All-Stars Value resort for a couple of days until our timeshare was ready. Granted it's a value, but the rooms are cramped and the value is just not there for me. You get what is essentially a motel 8 room for the price of a night in a Courtyard or Hampton Inn.

I'll take my 2BR condo off-site any day of the week.

As for food, aside from a couple of character meals for the kid to enjoy we mostly eat off-site as well. There are some interesting Disney restaurants, but a lot of it is not much higher quality than your standard sit-down chain places except 2-3x as much money. And unfortunately, long since gone are the days when you could call same-day for a reservation to a place like Le Cellier and get it. We are very much spur of the moment people, so planning meals 6 months in advance is not our cup of tea.

You can't beat Disney Restaurants for the superior theming and ambiance though, but I'm not sure its worth paying twice as much for the meal just to enjoy the atmosphere...

 

[Hasil72]

OP, we've done the grandparents, extended family trip before when the kids were 1 and 5. There were pros and cons to the fabulous villa we rented. Def more pros than cons though. Everyone had their own space, own bathrooms, it had a nursery for my daughter and playroom for my son. We all enjoyed the pool and screened lanai to kick back after the parks. The only con was we were the only ones with transportation so if one of us wanted/needed to go back to the villa, everyone had to either come with or take a taxi. On the flip side, had we stayed onsite, transportation wouldn't have been a concern.

That being said, if transportation isn't an issue, there are some great 4BR/4BA houses within a few miles of WDW. All single story and most will have at least 1 BR with a Disney theme. Depending on your brother's disability, some are handicapped accessible if you need it. DS is on the Autism spectrum and we find offsite much more relaxing for him.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[pmpdchef]

Sounds like I'm one for the dissenting vote. If all family members were non-handicapped, I'd stay off site in an instant.

However, like the last poster, I too have a child with a disability. Her disability is physical and that alone is what dictates to me that we "need" to stay onsite. We've considered off-site for the price factor. Man, that sure would be nice. We could have a long stay at Holiday Inn or Mariott on points and not pay much at all for lodging. But, location and mainly transportation is the big deciding factor for us.

Getting our dd's wheelchair and/or walker on the Magic Express, monorail, boats, and buses is so easy and fast. I can't even imagine the headache of staying off-site and trying to get to and from parks in a timely manner. I've heard too many horror stories from guest with handicapped and non-handicapped guests staying off-site. Not to mention, renting cars, driving and having a handicapped sticker to only find out that all the handicapped parking spots are already taken in the parks. I've heard that too much unfortunately. Sounds real fun to me.

We fly in. And, renting a car or van for a wheelchair and 6 people's luggage would be next to impossible. We'd need 2. That is not a family vacation to us at all.

We aren't there for the pools necessarily or to relax in a "big" room. We can do that at any Holiday Inn or Mariott we choose back home. We are there for the fun, excitement, rides, food and the parks.

So, I would suggest think of your brother. What are his needs and what would make it easier on him and those people getting him from point A to B. If his is a physical hadicap, on-site is the only way to go IMHO.

 

[angelbear425]

Keep in mind when staying off site, room prices might seem cheaper, but most hotels down there charge insane daily resort fees along with parking fees. You will also have to pay the $14 daily rate to park in any of the parks.

 

[Hasil72]

Sounds like I'm one for the dissenting vote. If all family members were non-handicapped, I'd stay off site in an instant.

However, like the last poster, I too have a child with a disability. Her disability is physical and that alone is what dictates to me that we "need" to stay onsite. We've considered off-site for the price factor. Man, that sure would be nice. We could have a long stay at Holiday Inn or Mariott on points and not pay much at all for lodging. But, location and mainly transportation is the big deciding factor for us.

Getting our dd's wheelchair and/or walker on the Magic Express, monorail, boats, and buses is so easy and fast. I can't even imagine the headache of staying off-site and trying to get to and from parks in a timely manner. I've heard too many horror stories from guest with handicapped and non-handicapped guests staying off-site. Not to mention, renting cars, driving and having a handicapped sticker to only find out that all the handicapped parking spots are already taken in the parks. I've heard that too much unfortunately. Sounds real fun to me.

We fly in. And, renting a car or van for a wheelchair and 6 people's luggage would be next to impossible. We'd need 2. That is not a family vacation to us at all.

We aren't there for the pools necessarily or to relax in a "big" room. We can do that at any Holiday Inn or Mariott we choose back home. We are there for the fun, excitement, rides, food and the parks.

So, I would suggest think of your brother. What are his needs and what would make it easier on him and those people getting him from point A to B. If his is a physical hadicap, on-site is the only way to go IMHO.

Sorry, I was typing with my phone and had too much to say with those tiny little buttons. I absolutely agree with pmpdchef. If you're traveling with anyone that has any kind of mobility issue then onsite would be better in most cases. If you're looking strictly at hotels rather than condos or villas, I'd definitely stay onsite. Might as well get the WDW magic in that case. We have to travel over Easter break this year and we're staying onsite for the days we're doing WDW. Hoping it makes the crowds a tiny bit more manageable. While the commute doesn't take long during the off season, spring break is a whole other story.

Also, take a look at the DISabilities thread. They have great tips for navigating the World with a disability. It will also explain the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) so you can decide if that might benefit your brother and make life a little easier while you're there.

 

[Lewisc]

Respectfully disagree.
We always find a condo that is themed with Disney memorabilia throughout.
Most are loaded with Disney movies...and when everyone SLEEPS well because you are not ontop of one another all the time.

That - my friend - is PRICELESS magic...anyway you slice it.
We enjoy our vacation ...our time that is supposed to be 'recharging our batteries' - Infinitely more off site.

Take this from a Poly "kid" who went to the poly more times than ARE listed in my siggie

Went back recently and was sorely dissapointed. EVen the POLY! They have added longhouses since the 80s and it no longer feels intimate - and you no longer get the special attention I enjoyed as a child. And I SO wanted to feel the magic there....I had so many special memories...

I don't think my post reads the way I intended. I think many people will have a more enjoyable vacation if they say offsite. That's particularly true for people who would put a family of 4 (or more) in Disney room. Particularly true if you're willing to forgo hotel amenities such as daily maid service, room service, bell services etc. Occasionally I'll read budget suggestions. Four (sometimes sneak 5 or even 6) in a value. Ice in the tub as an alternative to a fridge. Bring a crock pot to cook. Maybe even a camp stove or burner. Those people should rent accommodations suitable for their plans.

People who define "magic" as the ability to walk from the CR to the MK. Walk (or boat) from EPCOT resorts to two different parks. See the MK from you balcony at the CR. Charge back to your room. Magically have your transportation taken care of from the time you land at MCO to the time DME takes you back to MCO. Magically have their purchases sent back to their resort.

"Magic has a price $$$". People can certainly get better value staying offsite vacation homes and timeshare/condo resorts.

Lower priced offsite hotels aren't the bargain they were a few years ago. Disney parking is up to $14 per day. Rental cars are up. Offsite hotels now charge resort fees and/or parking fees.

 

[bakie21]

Offsite less magic Yes.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Keep in mind when staying off site, room prices might seem cheaper, but most hotels down there charge insane daily resort fees along with parking fees. You will also have to pay the $14 daily rate to park in any of the parks.

OK

My last stay.

Fairfield Inn. $75 a night
No other fees or charges


Disney "value" for the same weekend $120

Hmm... Add in parking and I would still be saving $31 a night. Plus I had a King bed without paying extra, free breakfast, interior corridors and a hotel company that rewards me for staying.


Sort but I don't get much "magic" when I do the comparison

 

[shoney]

I don't think my post reads the way I intended. I think many people will have a more enjoyable vacation if they say offsite. That's particularly true for people who would put a family of 4 (or more) in Disney room. Particularly true if you're willing to forgo hotel amenities such as daily maid service, room service, bell services etc. Occasionally I'll read budget suggestions. Four (sometimes sneak 5 or even 6) in a value. Ice in the tub as an alternative to a fridge. Bring a crock pot to cook. Maybe even a camp stove or burner. Those people should rent accommodations suitable for their plans.

People who define "magic" as the ability to walk from the CR to the MK. Walk (or boat) from EPCOT resorts to two different parks. See the MK from you balcony at the CR. Charge back to your room. Magically have your transportation taken care of from the time you land at MCO to the time DME takes you back to MCO. Magically have their purchases sent back to their resort.
"Magic has a price $$$". People can certainly get better value staying offsite vacation homes and timeshare/condo resorts.

Lower priced offsite hotels aren't the bargain they were a few years ago. Disney parking is up to $14 per day. Rental cars are up. Offsite hotels now charge resort fees and/or parking fees.

Maybe there is "magic" at a deluxe hotel. I didn't feel the "magic" at POR.
I slept in an uncomfortable cheap bed. showered in a tiny shower and dried off with scratchy little towels.

I walked to the crowded food court for my morning coffee and breakfast.

I waited on long lines to pack into a crowded buses that drove about 2 miles an hour. Driving, even if to an offsite resort, can be much quicker!

The "magic" for me is in the parks. Walking down main street, watching the fireworks, riding the rides, etc. It didn't find POR magical at all.

We don't shop, so no purchases to send back to the room.

We use our credit card for points, so I didn't need to charge things back to the room.

We did love Bob in the lounge, carriage ride, taking the boat to DTD. It was nice to have a few drinks because we didn't have to drive!

 

[Brian Noble]

Charge back to your room.

Slightly OT, but I've never understood why this one is a big deal. I can give the hotel my credit card, use my KTTW as if it were a credit card, and sweep charges at the end (or, if I'm a big spender, each time I hit the charging limit). Or, I can use the credit card directly.

 

[hsmamato2]

Of course it will be less "magical". Onsite resorts can be walkable to parks (CR, BC/YC BWV, BWI). They can offer "special" transportation to parks (WL, POLY, GF). They offer special wake up calls and special toiletries. Souvenirs can be sent to your resort.

The question is if the fact that offsite places generally offer more for your money is enough to offset that. Post in this forum and the consensus will probably be yes. Post in the resorts forum and the consensus will probably be no.

PP already discussed the pros and cons. Onsite is the only option, JMO, if you're unable (or unwilling) to drive.

agreed.

 

[Lewisc]

Slightly OT, but I've never understood why this one is a big deal. I can give the hotel my credit card, use my KTTW as if it were a credit card, and sweep charges at the end (or, if I'm a big spender, each time I hit the charging limit). Or, I can use the credit card directly.

It's not a BIG deal. It does mean you have one less card to carry. It lets you give your kids charging privileges without giving them a credit card. It will be a slightly bigger deal when the wrist band is introduced. Not only won't you need to carry a wallet, you won't need to carry any cards.

No it's not a big deal. EMH and transportation (including DME) are probably the biggest DEAL with an on site stay. Perks like charging and package delivery are much much lower on any list.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Keep in mind when staying off site, room prices might seem cheaper, but most hotels down there charge insane daily resort fees along with parking fees. You will also have to pay the $14 daily rate to park in any of the parks.

I disagree with your statement that "most hotels charge insane daily resort fees along with parking fees."

This is incorrect. I would say the minority of resorts (25%???) charge parking or resort fees. They do seem to be getting slightly more common (take the beloved Wyndham Bonnett Creek and their daily $12 transportation fee), but most of the non-DTD resorts do not charge extra fees. And those that do, it usually still makes the resort cheaper than staying in site even when you add in parking and rental car vs paying Disney rates and having to pay to eat Disney food for each meal.