Offsite makes sense! Or am I missing out on something?!

[Chax]

Hi Wise-ones,

I'm (still just) planning my trip for October 2018.
I had my heart set on a stay at POFQ or CBR, but started to doubt my choices.

Me, my husband and 2 kids (6 and 4 by then) will be joined by my parents and my parents in law.
Since we don't want to cramp the grandparents in one room, we'll need to book 3 rooms.
In the UK (we are from the EU and can therefor book through the UK website) they offer free dining-plan every year for October so we'd use that, but my kids are small eaters as are 2 of our adults.
So I'm starting to think this may not be our best bet.

I looked for some villa's and the prices combined with 14 day park tickets, paying for food out of the pocket and the daily parking fee is way, way cheaper.

I know there is some comfort in the ease of a prepaid dinner, and we'd miss out on the EMH's but with 2 young kids and a grandparent with Parkinsons, I don't see us getting up before 7 or staying up till midnight anyway. We already decided to rent a car for our entire stay since we are bringing a Senior Scooter, so a Villa sound like the way to go.

But is it?! Or am I missing out on things I can't foresee yet?

Thanks again!
Chax

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

Hi Wise-ones,

I'm (still just) planning my trip for October 2018.
I had my heart set on a stay at POFQ or CBR, but started to doubt my choices.

Me, my husband and 2 kids (6 and 4 by then) will be joined by my parents and my parents in law.
Since we don't want to cramp the grandparents in one room, we'll need to book 3 rooms.
In the UK (we are from the EU and can therefor book through the UK website) they offer free dining-plan every year for October so we'd use that, but my kids are small eaters as are 2 of our adults.
So I'm starting to think this may not be our best bet.

I looked for some villa's and the prices combined with 14 day park tickets, paying for food out of the pocket and the daily parking fee is way, way cheaper.

I know there is some comfort in the ease of a prepaid dinner, and we'd miss out on the EMH's but with 2 young kids and a grandparent with Parkinsons, I don't see us getting up before 7 or staying up till midnight anyway. We already decided to rent a car for our entire stay since we are bringing a Senior Scooter, so a Villa sound like the way to go.

But is it?! Or am I missing out on things I can't foresee yet?
And do you guys have good tips on a 3 or 4 bedroom villa or area to stay?

Thanks again!
Chax

There is another thread that has tons of info on off-site places (Orlando Attractions or something like that). For us, onsite is just easier. We love using Disney buses, especially when we're in a large group and some want to stay late while others leave early -- no problem, anyone can come and go as they please. You'll probably need to rent 2 vehicles, so that's double for parking (unless all 8 of you and a scooter can fit in a mini van or full size SUV that seats 8, and you'll need car seats for both kiddos), gas, and any tolls.

There's also the whole booking FPs at 60 day vs 30, but you'll be in the parks long enough that you should hit everything you want without worrying about that.

Off site is MUCH cheaper, and sometimes you can even have your own private pool and hot tub, but you have to decide what matter most to you on a Disney vacation, and for us it's being immersed in Disney.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Hmmm
Staying on property..Total Disney Immersion...renting points DVC, renting ecv here delivered to ur room, no car needed.. free transport to/from airport, of course transport within Disney as well... length is ur stay unknown, but I'd Not plan parks for every day... take some down days ( resort pool, seeing other resorts n grabbing a snack or lunch there, Disney springs day... if it's raining.. catch a daytime movie.. possibilities are endless)
So many great choices but one I wouldn't do... offsite..
The traffic, unknown traffic patterns, dragging everyone around after parks, parking fees, gas, so much added time
Just IMHO..
Whatever you choose, have a wonderful time making memories with family that Will sure last a lifetime!
Good luck n enjoy!

 

[littledebbie335]

Are you going to be visiting places other than WDW? I would honestly suggest not renting a car (let the buses take the scooter! they do it all the time and are used to it), and use the Disney transportation. Others have pointed out the flexibility of Disney transportation when part of your group wants to split off from the other, which seems to like it might apply to you with small children and older adults. Honestly, we find our vacation to be much more relaxing when we literally don't have to drive anywhere. Plus you get to stay in the Disney bubble!

For what it's worth, we stayed at CBR in January 2016 and LOVED it. I've previously stayed at POFQ when I was a child (back when it was Port Orleans and Dixie Landings), and I have a lot of memories of the beautiful landscaping and architecture.

If you can make it work financially, I would skip the car rental and stay on-site in either a villa or an 3 moderate rooms.

 

[Monykalyn]

Well I am going to chime in for offsite. The traffic is NOT that bad nor are the parking lots 22.5 miles away from the parks. As long as someone is designated driver if some of the group wants to leave while others want to stay you can make it work. Much better food options for offsite too! Sheesh the surrounding area outside the Disney "bubble" isn't some gang infested, wall to wall cars with terrible roads that take hours to get any where area

And guess what-if some do decide to leave and driver goes with there is Uber that can get you back pretty cheap. YES there is a cost ,but cheaper and better food options, lots lots more space for way less $$ even with renting a car and paying for parking (or upgrading one ticket to AP for the memory maker and parking and discounts onsite if that is possible with the UK tickets) you can still come out way ahead $ wise. And there is the option of calling for takeout, pick up on way back to villa (Chili's is a favorite of ours-order ahead) and then stretch out on private balcony or patio and everyone relaxes!

Look closely at where the villas are located and you can find lots of them within 10-15 minutes of Disney. Our Marriott Sabal Palms condo was 12 minutes parking lot to front gate of Disney studios (timed as I was very anxious to get there one year for the Storm trooper show at Star wars weekends LOL)

 

[jolene63]

Another perk for staying onsite is the fact that people in your party can come and go as they like. If you drive from offsite, you have to all come and go at the same time. If you are onsite, you have the buses and if someone is not feeling well and wants to go back to the room early they can. We could stay offsite free using my parents time share points but choose not to for this very reason. There are many times during our trips that my husband and youngest want to go back to the room while my oldest and I want to stay in the parks. We love the flexibility staying onsite gives us.

 

[bryanb]

I enjoy staying both onsite and offsite. You absolutely do pay a premium for enjoying the onsite Disney bubble. I've found that the best compromise between the two is staying at the Swan/Dolphin. It is typically priced on-par with the Disney moderates but has a location and amenities on par with the Disney deluxes. It's not for everyone though: whether you like the theming of this hotel is a matter of individual taste. You don't get all of the Disney on-site benefits, but it does have Disney transportation, early FP+ window, and EMH.

 

[jaycns]

I had booked off-site for the first time in a very long time for my upcoming trip. We are a family of 8 and I was excited to think I was saving a large chunk of money to book a four bedroom stunningly decorated suite with a hot tub and grill. And then I started to really plan our days out...

Reasons I switched back to staying on-site:

1. Disney buses for my older boys to be able to stay in the parks later than some of the rest of us may have the energy for without having to worry about my teenagers being responsible enough to remember not to spend the money they'd need to grab an uber ride back to our off-site suite. In addition, we would have had to carry enough cash in to the parks each day to ensure they would have money to eat dinner, grab a drink, or whatever else they might need. I would prefer not to have to worry about cash getting lost while we are getting on and off rides. Surely, this one is not a big issue, plenty of people carry wallets with them every day and nothing goes missing. I just realized I would really prefer wearing a bracelet than having to keep up with cash.

2. Fast passes, tickets, Disney photos, charging privileges, room key all stored in a bracelet...yes, please! Again, it seems picky, but as the mom of six kids, I would be the one trying to keep up with numerous tickets, photo passes, room keys, car keys, etc. I simply didn't want to deal with that extra hassle.

3. Being able to shop without having to carry our packages with us or without having to stop and collect them as we leave the park with tired kids in tow was a great bonus as well.

4. Although our suite would have been large and comfortable and our resort would have been beautiful...it just wouldn't have been Disney. Days spent at the resort wouldn't have presented near as many options for our family to enjoy. Nor would the vibe have been nearly as magical. This reason was an important one to me. The overall resort theme, pool theme, even the music in the food court, none of that would have been around at our very beautiful off-site resort.

5. The second important reason for me was that I couldn't book fast passes or meals out as far in advance as I could if I were staying on-site. For a planner like me that was a real bummer.

So, some of those 'free perks' turned out to be ones I valued more than I even realized until I got down to planning a vacation without them. I ended up canceling the large off-site suite and booking two royal rooms at POR. 90% of our trips find us staying in club level rooms at a deluxe Disney resort, but this time...I just couldn't pass up the chance to let my princess stay in a royal chamber one more time before she outgrows the stage where she wants to be a princess and the magic is still very much real for her. Staying in two rooms at a moderate was still about $600 more (even after factoring in the parking and uber expenses if we left at different times) than it would have been to stay off-site, so this was obviously not the smart choice to make on paper....but it was also still less expensive than rooms/suites we usually book. I've shared this to say that even though I love being pampered on vacation and often choose deluxes, our last mother/daughter trip to enjoy staying in a royal room at the POR was so magical and the cast members so wonderful that we are heading back there for a second stay.

In the end it came down to us paying a premium for the magical feeling we get by not having to deal with the above hassles and even more than that...to be able to stay immersed in the Disney magic for our entire vacation. If the cash part of the equation causes you increased stress, I would think most of the above benefits would not exist as you would be exchanging one form of stress for another. If the price difference between staying on-site vs. staying off-site doesn't push your budget to the limit then I'd suggest you think about how much the intangibles would add to your enjoyment and make your decision based on that. There really isn't one answer that is true for every family. And, no matter which choice you make, you'll be on vacation with your loved ones...and the rest of it is all just icing on the cake!

 

[mgsquared]

In your scenario I would look into onsite for sure simply for the sake of everyone coming and going freely with the buses, magical express, but more importantly- the free dining plan! Disney dining is super expensive and it's fun to do the character meals with the kiddos (that are often about $50/person!). I know with my in laws it would be a CONSTANT fight about who pays and the bills are humongous at these meals and we would be uncomfortable. So everyone having a dining plan and their meals being paid and no discussions would honestly be worth whatever extra cost. Also the not having to wait on others to leave because a car is being shared. You know your family best! This might not be an issue for you.

 

[BigredNole]

I am cheap and not afraid to admit it. I am all for staying offsite when you compare what you get to what you lose. However, with a party and makeup as yours, staying offsite may be difficult. You have an EVV requirement and I am not sure how many rentals have the ability to transport one. Everyone is tied to the same schedule for arrival and departure from parks. That is something that has to be considered.

In this situation, I would argue strongly against staying offsite. Yes it will cost more but the requirements of the party makeup outweigh the cost savings.

 

[disnut8]

Add in $20/day to your offsite price for each vehicle you want to park. So, if you are getting X room offsite for $Y, add $20 to it.

 

[Chax]

Thanks for all the pro's and cons.
The financials I had figured out. And even with 2 cars, 2 times the gas and parking, off site still won by a mile (in price).
We are not expecting to separate the group since the kids are only a year apart (so no teens and toddlers or so) and we have two sets of grand parents who don't want to miss a thing (and are Englishly-challenged and not to fond of looking into things such as the Disney Transportationsystem...)
If one of the Grandparents does decides to take a break, they are the "we're down for a day" type of people and then a Villa seems more relaxing than a Hotelroom.

We are planning on going to Kennedy Space Center for 2 days, which we will then divide in it 2 separate days somewhere in our 2 week stay. And if we'd stay onsite we'd start with 2 days at KSC and a local hotel.

So recap what we would be missing out on is the Bubble, the 60 vs 30 days FP, the (180 or 90) + 10 days for dining and the ease of the Magicband?
Hmmm, we'll reconsider this reconsidering...

 

[Monykalyn]

So recap what we would be missing out on is the Bubble, the 60 vs 30 days FP, the (180 or 90) + 10 days for dining and the ease of the Magicband?
Hmmm, we'll reconsider this reconsidering...

Or book a couple rooms onsite (there is a whole thread on "throwaway rooms") for a night to get-free parking for a day, magic bands, and a 60 fast pass window (will be rolling vs doing all at once) Unless you are going for very hard to get ADR's I've not found getting the few TS places we want to be very difficult.

You have a larger group, but I love split stays-start onsite (get the advantages), then offsite to enjoy the space!