Offsite resort question

[boscov]

I have a question. Has anybody ever been to an offsite resort that they liked better than a Disney resort? I was looking around at some offsite places like the Hilton and Holiday Inn and I don't see the value in staying offsite. Let's take the Hilton vs POR for example. It's around $130/night. POR starts at $164/night value season. With POR, I get free transportation to and from the airport, I can utilize the meal plan, its closer to everything and the inter-WDW transportation is better and faster. Am I missing something? It seems like if I want to save money, I need to give up a lot of amenities like at the Holiday Inn, or pay just as much as a WDW resort....seems to make sense to me to stay on property.

 

[Missytara]

I have a question. Has anybody ever been to an offsite resort that they liked better than a Disney resort? I was looking around at some offsite places like the Hilton and Holiday Inn and I don't see the value in staying offsite. Let's take the Hilton vs POR for example. It's around $130/night. POR starts at $164/night value season. With POR, I get free transportation to and from the airport, I can utilize the meal plan, its closer to everything and the inter-WDW transportation is better and faster. Am I missing something? It seems like if I want to save money, I need to give up a lot of amenities like at the Holiday Inn, or pay just as much as a WDW resort....seems to make sense to me to stay on property.

It is worth it to me to stay onsite. Everywhere from me going solo and paying double occupancy to four adults in one room at POR with free dining. Add ME, no car rental, no hassles with baggage, for me it is definately a no-brainer. I love, love, love being immersed in the experience.

 

[chalee94]

I have a question. Has anybody ever been to an offsite resort that they liked better than a Disney resort?...With POR, I get free transportation to and from the airport, I can utilize the meal plan, its closer to everything and the inter-WDW transportation is better and faster. Am I missing something?

depends on your individual situation.

i have access to timeshare rentals at good rates, so in may 2012, i stayed at the sheraton vistana resort for a week for less than $350 for the week, tax included. that's for a recently-renovated 1000+ sq ft 2BR/2bath villa with a full kitchen (granite countertops) and whirlpool tub.

i left the epcot parking lot one evening and timed it: 8 minutes from epcot to the parking space in front of my building at the resort.

i drive anyway so DME isn't a big factor for me.

i think the meal plan is a poor deal. i prefer having access to cheaper (and often better) food offsite. maybe when/if the dining plan goes away, disney will go back to offering more variety and higher quality...but for now i'll cherry-pick a few favorite restaurants and spend the rest of my money elsewhere.

i'm a DVC owner and enjoy staying onsite. the disney theming is fun and it's nice to park my car and ride the buses/boats. but even at the discounted rates i pay for onsite stays, i would only get 2-3 nights in a studio for the price i paid for a week in a 2BR villa offsite - paying $15 per day for parking isn't that big of a deal.

there are situations where offsite is much better than onsite (and vice-versa.)

 

[sarmat1]

I have a question. Has anybody ever been to an offsite resort that they liked better than a Disney resort? I was looking around at some offsite places like the Hilton and Holiday Inn and I don't see the value in staying offsite. Let's take the Hilton vs POR for example. It's around $130/night. POR starts at $164/night value season. With POR, I get free transportation to and from the airport, I can utilize the meal plan, its closer to everything and the inter-WDW transportation is better and faster. Am I missing something? It seems like if I want to save money, I need to give up a lot of amenities like at the Holiday Inn, or pay just as much as a WDW resort....seems to make sense to me to stay on property.

It really depends. Some people stay offsite because they see the hotels as being much nicer for the price. A couple examples would be the Waldorf Astoria ($169) or Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress ($129). Others stay offsite for the additional space for the money whether it be a condo or a chain hotel suite (Doubletree, Embassy, etc) which can typically be had for $100 or less per night and allows for separate rooms for kids. In some cases, the offsite chains might also include full breakfast and/or reception (free drinks) making them extremely good values.

In addition, I wouldn't necessarily say that WDW transportation is better and faster. In fact, other than going to MK (direct via resort bus), using a car from a close off-site hotel will likely get you places (whether parks or ADR's) faster than Disney transportation unless you happen to luck out and catch a bus right as it's pulling up.

I must see some value in onsite, though, because we're staying onsite at POFQ in a few weeks. But I got free dining which at least from a cost perspective evens things out while giving some extra amenities (EMH, free parking at them parks). Last year we stayed offsite at Embassy LBV and it worked out fine as well.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

We have have stayed off property twice and on property 4 times. For us, it makes more sense to stay on property. We fly in and love using ME instead of renting a car. We also enjoy staying at the Disney Resorts.

Sent from my GalaxyS II using DISBoards

 

[party-of-five]

For us, this year, staying on site (with free dining) is a better deal than staying off site (at least in comparison with the hotels we were looking at). Throw in not having to worry about a rental car and carseat and it's a no-brainer.

But I agree with PP's that "it depends". We have stayed offsite a few times because it made more sense financially and/or it worked out better for our plans. Either way, we always have a great time.

 

[disnut8]

And then you have us, who have no need for a offsite hotel that costs over $75/night. Yikes! We stay at a Ramada in a standard parking lot view at an AARP rate for about $50/night. When we are at Disney, we stay at a value so even then we do save money. And if money is tight, that's incentive. We get free parking with the annual pass. We don't do the dining plan and we drive down so those points are moot for us.

For us, if we do stay offsite, though, we feel the need to have dinner every night at an offsite table service restaurant. Stupid thinking but that's the way it's been going.

And we have to drive to Disney every day and parking with the day hordes which messes with my happy mood in the morning.

So that's why, even with the cheaper cost for staying offsite, we've been staying onsite for our past four trips in the last year.

 

[spiceycat]

depends - if II or RCI is having a sale and I want (or need) to go- they will generally win.

$224 to $375 (w/taxes) for anything from a studio to two-bedrooms for a week.

otherwise use my DVC points and stay onsite. or stay offsite in a cheap place.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If I didn't have DVC, I'd probably look at Bonnet Creek. It sounds very nice.

 

[TrentzMom]

I love staying on property but it's going to be out of our price range to stay on property when we go next summer. When my son and daughter were younger they were able to share a bed so staying at a value was no big deal. However, now they are both too big to do that any longer so we have to look at hotels that have suites or villas and it is a big help if there's a 2nd bathroom.

If we stay on property we are looking at $170-$190/night for POR with a Murphy. However, we can book a suite at the Doubletree in Downtown Disney for $89 (plus $10 parking) and get a free breakfast. We fly Allegiant so we come into the Sanford airport and have to rent a car anyway so there's no free ME for us.

The only way that a stay a POR would benefit us is if we are able to get FD...keeping our fingers crossed that it works out that way.