Offsite mid-day nap

[DocMcs]

Planning a hopefully low key offsite stay next year. We have little ones and would likely need to do a mid-day break for naps. Our expectation would be to leave around 1 and come back around 5 or 6.

Just wondering if there are general offsite areas that are better for driving back and forth for mid day breaks? Like, is there less traffic around Windsor Hills vs International Drive. Is staying at Bonnet Creek much better than say, Sheraton Vistana when it comes to driving etc?

For MK once you get to the TTC and decide to take the monorail, are you any different from someone staying at GF or Polynesian and taking the monorail (not sure how to word this, I know they have their own stops, but is there like an express Polynesian to MK monorail car or something?) Are there different security lines for offsite vs onsite guests? Does paying for preferred parking help in a significant way?

Just trying to wrap my head around all of this and set expectations

 

[pigletto]

There was no discernible difference between Sheraton Vistana Resort and Bonnet Creek distance wise. They were both close enough to go back for a nap and come back in the evening, which we did several times.
We didn’t find it more or less convenient than our onsite stays with one notable exception... Magic Kingdom. That park takes more time and effort to get back to your car, so we factored in an extra half hour travel time for the ferry/monorail and parking lot trams. If you are an offsite guest you clear security at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Those staying at the monorail resorts are clearing security at the hotel before boarding the monorail.
We’ve never done preferred parking, so I can’t give any advice there.

 

[Lurker Geoff]

I'm interested in this as well. My family of 7 is coming down in October for the first time since I sold my DVC points. We've got a 3-year-old and this is the first time we're staying offsite.

We'll be driving back and forth to the parks (gotta have our naptime). Currently, I have reservations at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and Caribe Royale (both of which seem pretty close to the property) but I'm leaning toward keeping the WBC reservations (there are some very positive threads about Bonnet Creek around here). It looks like a pretty short drive to most parks.

If you take a monorail from the TTC, grab the express... it only stops at Magic Kingdom and TTC. The other one stops at Poly, GF, Magic Kingdom, Contemporary and TTC. Not too sure about any differences in security protocol.

 

[danielocha30]

Preferred parking at $45 it is not worth it, you will still need to take a monorail or ferry boat to the park entrance. Regular parking will maybe add 5 min to your plan. Security checkpoints are not that bad if you are prepared, for example I take all the bags in our group while everyone else goes on the no bags line. I have all the bags opens to the last zipper and we pack as much as possible on clear ziplock bags so is easy for security personel to see.

 

[HopperFan]

You really can't beat the location of WBC, although technically not on property it's drive is .. and it sits next to Caribbean Beach Resort. It would always be my first choice, I'd rather stay there than a Disney hotel. Once you move to others, even the closer ones you "leave the bubble", you deal with more traffic and street lights and you might have more time on the road. Terribly inconvenient and un-doable ... no. I have stayed at Sheraton Vistana Resort and have no issues ... but I shop offsite, eat offsite, do other things and travel to WDW often. Other than those two resorts, I have stayed at Marriott timeshare up International and then lots of different hotels. Trying a new one this week.

Preferred parking is only a plus at MK as you can avoid the tram train (which we hate) and walk to TTC. You will do your security check at TTC, while the monorail resorts do it at their resorts and Disney guests via boats or buses do it as soon as they exit their mode of transportation. You can take the ferry boat or the monorail direct to MK. I would say there is no difference in how anyone is treated.

If you arrive early enough you can still park and walk to Epcot, DHS and AK. If you arrive late you might need to do tram. This might impact you in the afternoons when you return. In that case doing preferred might be nice to have. Note once you pay to park that day it provides you parking all day on that one payment, even if you go to a different park.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We stayed offsite for the first time in June, and we took a break almost every day. We stayed at Windsor Palms, which was maybe a mile or so from Windsor Hills. We didn't think it took any longer to get back and forth than when we stayed onsite, mostly because we just went to our car and left, we didn't have to wait for a bus to come or anything. We used Sherberth Road every time, which put us on property within 5 minutes, but it was very close to AK, so further(ish) from the other parks.

We don't mess with the trams at all in the morning or going back to the car, and only twice in 9 days when we came back in the afternoon. We didn't think the walk from the parking lot to the gate was an issue, maybe 5 minutes each time? We felt it was faster to just walk than wait for a tram. Granted, we did arrive before park opening in the mornings.

According to the notes on my phone, it took us 12-15 minutes from our parking lot at the condo to Hollywood Studios; the second time, we saw the alternate entrance and it was even closer. It took 23 minutes from our parking lot to the TTC/MK parking lot each time, and then there was the added time for monorail or ferry, which wasn't bad except we had to wait once for the ferry to fill up before it left (in the early morning). We arrived early enough in the mornings to park in either the second or third row of cars. It took 15 minutes to drive to Epcot from the condo, and both days we went there, we parked in the second row of cars. AK only took 8 minutes, but we never got there early enough to be in the first couple of rows in the parking lot.

 

[Klayfish]

Planning a hopefully low key offsite stay next year. We have little ones and would likely need to do a mid-day break for naps. Our expectation would be to leave around 1 and come back around 5 or 6.

Just wondering if there are general offsite areas that are better for driving back and forth for mid day breaks? Like, is there less traffic around Windsor Hills vs International Drive. Is staying at Bonnet Creek much better than say, Sheraton Vistana when it comes to driving etc?

For MK once you get to the TTC and decide to take the monorail, are you any different from someone staying at GF or Polynesian and taking the monorail (not sure how to word this, I know they have their own stops, but is there like an express Polynesian to MK monorail car or something?) Are there different security lines for offsite vs onsite guests? Does paying for preferred parking help in a significant way?

Just trying to wrap my head around all of this and set expectations

Answering if there is traffic around the parks is very much dependent on your definition of "traffic". To me, there's never a ton of traffic around. We're hard core dedicated off site people and have stayed all over the place...from places on Rt. 27 which is about 10 miles outside WDW to places on the east side along Rt. 192. Sure, there's cars out and traffic lights can back up some. However, it's nothing like major city rush hour gridlock. We've never done Bonnet Creek, we actually avoid it. It's too expensive and too inconvenient to grocery stores, etc... From the places we stay at, we can get from our front door and actually step foot in MK in about 45 minutes (that includes parking the car, taking the tram, going through security, taking the monorail). Other parks will be 20-30 depending on what park and where we're staying.

MK has two monorails. One is the Express. It goes from the TTC to MK only and back. No hotel stops. The other goes to the GF, Poly, Contemporary and the TTC. There's also the ferry boat, which is fun. They have 3 boats, so even if the crowd seems big, it moves fast because the boats can carry a ton of people.

 

[maxiesmom]

Traffic will also depend on time of year as well as time of day. You couldn't pay me to stay off site and drive around the 4th of July or over Christmas.

As far as location, I would go with Bonnet Creek. It has the best location for an off site resort, and is right next to Disney property.

How old are your little ones? Many people find that a break in a stroller works out well.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We've stayed at Vacation Village at Parkway many times. We've never hot any traffic coming or going, even over Easter Week and prime summer (late July). We've also stayed at WBC, but we almost always choose VV@P because for a much lower cost we get similar accommodations that are just as close.

 

[jennilouwho]

We stayed at Windsor Hills recently and took mid day breaks. The MK wasn't that bad for leaving or coming back at break time. It was the end of the night that was so rough. Park closed at 11 and we got back to the condo at 12:30. So just be prepared for that, or don't leave right at closing. Leaving the park in the afternoon wasn't too bad because there weren't crazy lines for the transportation.

 

[DocMcs]

This is all very helpful, thank you!

 

[Magical2017]

We plan to rope drop at least DHS next month, the park is open past 10PM. I think we will definitely leave the heat and go back to our room. In the past, it has always perked us up and made us feel refreshed to shower, nap, read, or swim. We do this whether we stay on or off site. I absolutely LOVE the Disney parks in the evening, but with the heat I don't think I could make it all day. That means we will see/ride less, but we still have fun.

On days where we sleep in and arrive late, we just stay as late as we reasonably can.