Offsite - Tell me I won't be sorry!

[rileyroosmom]

I was very firm in our decision to stay off site this trip, and was pleased with the pool home we rented (we are sharing the house w/my bil's family and our share is $644 for 7 nights)
Last night we were watching the planning video and I found myself getting upset we aren't staying onsite. I've stayed onsite before and it was lovely. I don't really need the mickey soap, mickey wake up call, the spotty bus service, the toilets flushing all around me, the noisey neighbors running up and down the hall, the EMH.....or do I?
For anyone who has stayed onsite and then moved to offsite, did you like it? Were you sorry?
I know the price is great, the home looks great, the extra space will be great. There is something about watching those videos and being on these boards that is making me second guess myself.
Any postive and encouraging thoughts welcomed!

 

[Kellydelly]

We have done both and I don't think there is anything attractive about being squished into a hotel room with several people, no room to spread out, too close to the bathroom for comfort! Private pool homes are wonderful !

 

[NJBlackBerry]

It's a tradeoff. Disney Transportation from your hotel is the only benefit we miss when we stay offsite. So we drive to a park and start our day there. I don't need the animal towels and soap and shampoo, but I DO need the space. We stayed at the Doubletree Suites at DTD over New Year's and it was great. Lots of room. Plenty of sleeping space. And a microwave, fridge and coffee maker.

It all depends on your needs.

 

[MossMan]

I adored being onsite. I loved the easy feeling of luxury and I loved having everything taken care of for me. I loved being on the “inside” and I loved being someone who got all the onsite perks – whether I took advantage of them or not. I felt special onsite and was sure I wouldn’t get the same feeling offsite.

So once I made the jump to offsite, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I found myself looking longingly out the monorail window as we made our way through the Contemporary. With my face pressed up against the glass, I looked down with pangs of discernable jealously as onsite guests gathered below to take their rightful place in the upper echelons of the Disney select. Oh how I wished I was one of them. I felt like an outsider, nothing but a day-tripping interloper if you will.

The only thing I had to console myself with was the $2000 we saved staying offsite. I buried my sorrows in a mountain of food. Now that we could finally afford it, we ate at every upscale Disney eatery we could find. When spending money on food and souvenirs got boring, we would reluctantly make our way back to our offsite resort and soak in our very private two person Jacuzzi tub. That also seemed to help a bit.

Sure, we still stay offsite now. But that’s only because it’s a habit. One of these days I’m going to get the gumption to spend 3 times as much for twice as less.

 

[kilee]

I've done both too. I don't honestly see too much of a difference other than the final bill. No matter which way we cut it-- it's always higher onsite. Even if we get a great room rate-- it costs more to eat- we tend to pay more for incidentals at the gift shops- because it's easier than going offsite for every little thing we forgot.

I think you'll need to ask yourself what it is you'll miss the most. I know many say the "magic". I don't fit in that category. I think WDW IS the most magical place on Earth. I guess I just felt the magic at the character meals and in the parks. Not really at the resorts. The only thing I like about being onsite is EMH-- and if I were going for a peak time (specifically around the holiday's) -- this would be essential. However, any other time of the year--I'd be okay w/o it.

I guess maybe I'm lucky because I can honestly say staying offsite won't ever "ruin" my vacation.

As for the pool home, if you've never done one before you better watch out. Seems 99% of the people that try them get addicted to them and don't want to stay anywhere else after trying one. We've done them a few times in the WDW area and really love the space, washer/dryer, private full sized pool, and extra bathrooms.

 

[robinb]

I have stayed onsite (at all levels, All Stars to DVC Grand Villas) and I have stayed offsite. I prefer to stay onsite but I have never stayed in a pool home. I wish we could since my DD would love, love, love having her own private pool to jump and splash around. She would probably pick that over any Disney resort. Then again, I think she is part fish, LOL!

I think you'll have a great time! And if you don't ... then you'll know that you will want to stay onsite next time .

 

[Gillian]

Since you are staying with another family you will be very, very happy that you rented the pool home! Travelling with a group can be stressful, and the more space you have, the better your trip will be.

It's great to have a gathering space and separate rooms for the kids.

I know it's hard to stay offsite when you read the Resorts board and everyone says you'll miss the magic. And then they say they had a terrible experience the one night they stayed off site 8 years ago in a run-down motel a million miles away from disney world with terrible transportation.

If you do it right, offsite can be magical too!

 

[Thinktinknpixiedust]

oh, that's a toughy! We used to ONLY stay offsite and last summer we splurged and did the onsite thing. I am hooked! However my wallet could not afford my addiction, so we comprimised and are camping at the Ft. Wilderness, in a tent, in August, in Florida ... for the same amount your paying for a pool home. Um, maybe I should rethink this

 

[melomouse]

RRM -
First off - stop watching the planning video - which is marketed to do exactly what it has done to you - make you feel as if you will be "missing" something by not staying on Disney property.

I've done onsite several times but this past fall visit - 9 nights -we rented a pool home for the first time at an incredible rate. That "magic" just wasn't going to happen at a price difference of $2200!!! DD(9)wanted her WL - but nope, not this time.

We did the monorail loop several times. We dined at resort and theme park restaurants. It was magical!

Our pool and jacuzzi were ours alone. The kids spread out and mellowed out, without sharing a bathroom or a bed. No one dressing in the bathroom. Ten minutes away from the parks.

I'm a widowed mom. As I got to know the parks and resorts and my way around DTD and Orlando - it felt "safer" to be on property.Now I can find my way fine, kids are 14 and 9, I work hard and pay hard ( in full, no CC except for car rental) for these trips - and that money saved meant 9 nights, not 3 - I LOVED being offsite in a pool villa. Til that rich guy comes along on the horse, or I hit lotto... I think offsite we will be if we keep up our WDW tradition!

AND... you can bring ALL your refillable mugs from home and fill them up from your own full-sized fridge!!!

Put away that video and ENJOY!!!
melomouse

 

[minnie29uk]

No,you wont be sorry.You will save money if there are 4 or more of you.You will have a great vacation villa with all the added private extras.
Th only thing I miss when I stay in my villa is the Disney transportation as I dont drive in the US....shuttles and taxis take a chunk of my savings.But I keep going back for more,youll love it - have a great holiday,
Lynn

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We are from the UK and have stayed in villas the past few years.

They are just great, the extra freedom, cooking facilities, private pool - just cannot be beat for when you want to relax away from the parks.
Would never go back to hotels again.

Only 1 drawback, you have to drive everywhere. However, there are so many plus points.

 

[jenks0718]

We always stay off site so I guess I have nothing to compare it to, BUT we love the pool homes. We are big drivers where we live in NJ, so driving 10 minutes to WDW is no big problem. My family would rather get up and go when we feel like it anyway without waiting for a bus or something.

The kids love the space too. With the game room and the pool they say it is "our mansion"

I always feel the magic when we go and I never felt lesser then an onsite guest. I could never really tell who was staying or not, unless I saw people getting on at different monorail stops and sometimes those people were us when we were eating at a restaurant there.

My Dad saw a commercial recently where a family of 5 (I think) could go to Disney for 1600.00 and he said, "Maybe we could try onsite." Once I showed him the real numbers for the 7 of us and told him that the villas were WAY over our budget, he changed his mind REAL quick.

 

[rileyroosmom]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I know the "magic" is in watching my children's faces as they react to something and having us all be together. When we stay onsite we found driving our own car really worked better for us anyway. I know we will have a great time.

As someone else said, I need to put away those planning videos. I didn't realize what a hard sell they were!!!

Thanks again, now I have to work on my 3 kids, trying to convince them our private pool won't be like the Polys! My 4 year old isn't really getting the concept

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I know the "magic" is in watching my children's faces as they react to something and having us all be together. When we stay onsite we found driving our own car really worked better for us anyway. I know we will have a great time.

As someone else said, I need to put away those planning videos. I didn't realize what a hard sell they were!!!

Thanks again, now I have to work on my 3 kids, trying to convince them our private pool won't be like the Polys! My 4 year old isn't really getting the concept

I do not see staying offsite in a villa as a negative, I am sure you will enjoy the rental home and the private pool too.

 

[Del]

We love eating where we want and not feeling bound to disney restaurants that are so-so. We love the extra space! 2 bed and 2 bath.....wonderful....activities by the pool in the clubhouse.....and a 5 min, drive into Disney. What could be wrong with that.

Del

 

[Mainebound]

I was very firm in our decision to stay off site this trip, and was pleased with the pool home we rented (we are sharing the house w/my bil's family and our share is $644 for 7 nights)
Last night we were watching the planning video and I found myself getting upset we aren't staying onsite. I've stayed onsite before and it was lovely. I don't really need the mickey soap, mickey wake up call, the spotty bus service, the toilets flushing all around me, the noisey neighbors running up and down the hall, the EMH.....or do I?
For anyone who has stayed onsite and then moved to offsite, did you like it? Were you sorry?
I know the price is great, the home looks great, the extra space will be great. There is something about watching those videos and being on these boards that is making me second guess myself.
Any postive and encouraging thoughts welcomed!

We always stayed in two deluxe rooms, connecting. We found it too crowded and expensive. We went from all onsite, to partial onsite, to all offsite. You might consider staying a couple nights onsite at the end just in case you think you really will be sorry. That's what we did last year. Well, we ended up regretting it, wishing we were back in our lovely pool home, LOL!

Look, you will have a great time no matter what because you are ON VACATION in ORLANDO. If you find it is not for you, then next trip you can go back to onsite.

 

[TravelinGal]

Thanks for this post! It's just what I needed right now. I was bemoaning the off site pool home (dreaming of being onsite) but I know it's the right decision. The money we can save will allow us to not worry about food costs at the parks - and the kitchen will allow us to start the day with a decent and cheap meal!