Okay, now I get it.

[mickeystoontown]

We stayed off site for many many years, off of 192 and never thought anything of it but in 2004 we had our first onsite stay at a value resort and lets just say we were hooked, the dining at the resorts, the transportation and just the feel of staying onsite is something that we need to do from now on.

You're scenario is the same as our's. I guess it was one those things that we just didn't know what we were missing until we actually experienced it.

 

[Brian Noble]

Once you go DVC....you NEVER will stay off site again.

I've done both DVC and offsite. To me, onsite is not worth the prices most people pay. Of course, that's always in the eye of the beholder, but from my perspective, that's the bottom line.

I used to stay exclusively offsite. I absolutely require separate sleeping spaces for kids and adults, and prefer to have the use of a full kitchen. When we stay offsite, this costs about what a single Value Room would run---when you add in the costs of rental car and theme park parking, our loging+transportation costs a bit less than what a Moderate Room does, but gives us significantly more and better equipped space. This extra space is very important to our comfort, as we simply can't get by on a single hotel room for a week. To get equivalent space onsite would cost us at least as much as our theme park tickets do---that's a lot of money.

A couple years ago, I purchased a (very inexpensive) timeshare that was able to exchange into DVC units. Since then, we've stayed onsite exclusively. If you add up all the costs (II membership, exchange fee, resort services fee, annual maintenance on my week, etc.) it costs only a little more to stay onsite in a 1BR or 2BR DVC unit than it would to stay offsite in a 2BR condo.

And, it's really nice. I like it. But, DVC announced a few weeks ago that they are switching exchange companies. That might mean that I can no longer use my timeshare to stay at DVC. And, while I'll miss it a little, there's just no way I'm paying market rates to stay on property. Yes, I could afford it, but there are other things I would rather do with my money. My wife feels the same way.

So, for me, having done both, the value of an onsite stay just doesn't measure up to the price Disney charges for the privilege. However, this is necessarily a subjective opinion, and others can and do find the value justifies the price. That's why Baskin Robins has 31 flavors.

 

[Cindy F]

I've done both DVC and offsite. To me, onsite is not worth the prices most people pay. Of course, that's always in the eye of the beholder, but from my perspective, that's the bottom line.

I used to stay exclusively offsite. I absolutely require separate sleeping spaces for kids and adults, and prefer to have the use of a full kitchen. When we stay offsite, this costs about what a single Value Room would run---when you add in the costs of rental car and theme park parking, our loging+transportation costs a bit less than what a Moderate Room does, but gives us significantly more and better equipped space. This extra space is very important to our comfort, as we simply can't get by on a single hotel room for a week. To get equivalent space onsite would cost us at least as much as our theme park tickets do---that's a lot of money.

A couple years ago, I purchased a (very inexpensive) timeshare that was able to exchange into DVC units. Since then, we've stayed onsite exclusively. If you add up all the costs (II membership, exchange fee, resort services fee, annual maintenance on my week, etc.) it costs only a little more to stay onsite in a 1BR or 2BR DVC unit than it would to stay offsite in a 2BR condo.

And, it's really nice. I like it. But, DVC announced a few weeks ago that they are switching exchange companies. That might mean that I can no longer use my timeshare to stay at DVC. And, while I'll miss it a little, there's just no way I'm paying market rates to stay on property. Yes, I could afford it, but there are other things I would rather do with my money. My wife feels the same way.

So, for me, having done both, the value of an onsite stay just doesn't measure up to the price Disney charges for the privilege. However, this is necessarily a subjective opinion, and others can and do find the value justifies the price. That's why Baskin Robins has 31 flavors.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have done both on and off site stays, and I will admit to being a huge advocate of staying on-site. I love being surrounded by everything Disney 24/7. But, for a trip I'm planning for next November I am looking at off-site once again.

Why? Because it will be me, my dad, my sis, and her then 9yr old daughter. We need to have at least 3 beds, and want the convenience of 2 bathrooms. As we will most likely fly into Orlando/Sanford to save a huge amount on airfare, we will have a rental car. Plus, my niece has requested that we stay at a resort that has a pool slide. To get that on-site at Disney would cost us around $360 a night. That would be 2 rooms at a moderate resort. We can find many places just outside of Disney in Lake Buena Vista for around $120 a night. Even adding in the cost of a rental car and parking, we will be saving a good amount of money over being on-site. I will miss being on-site, but I just can't say no to saving that much money.

 

[bopper]

An idea of saving $$ on crib rentals:

Go to the local thrift/consignment store and buy cribs. Then sell or take them back.

 

[mandi5379]

Sounds just like us! We've had numerous off-site stays in lovely pool homes, and always had a wonderful time. My SIL and her family are DVC owners and have always stayed on-site. I thought we knew something they didn't. My thought was... why stay in a hotel room, when you can have a private pool all to yourself!

That was then. This past September we decided to book a short on-site stay at WDW to see what all the hype was about. We spent 4 nights in a 1BR at OKW w/ DDP. Now I can honestly say I don't think we will ever stay off-site again. We really didn't know what we were missing.

The truth is... it's just two totally different vacations. We always had a great time in the pool homes, but we had a "magical" time staying at OKW!

I will add this... we are a small family of three. We could never afford several rooms to accomodate a larger family. If we had a big family, off-site would be our only real option without feeling cramped, I need my space.

 

[Enchanted_Mama]

we just took our first trip to the World in October. Stayed onsite, and I'm sure, if we go back, we'll always stay onsite. For all of the reasons you mentioned!

Oh, and for the record, my dd (35 months, and 37 inches, in fact) is happily still in her crib and will be until her birthday next month when she gets her big girl bed.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Forcing guests to pay for a deluxe just to get a decent size bed is a bit annoying...

I just wanted to mention that there is a possibility of getting a queen sized bed at a value. DH and I got a free upgrade to a preferred room at AS-S. It was a handicapped accessible room with just one bed and it was queen-sized.

I never thought of Disney World as a deluxe vacation destination, we just thought of it as a great place to take the kids ( not that we don't love it because we do) When I think deluxe vacation destination I think of Europe, a cruise through the bahamas, an all inclusive resort in the Dominican or something like that.

A trip to WDW is usually much more expensive than a cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean. You can get those types of vacations for dirt cheap. Our trips to WDW are no cheaper than our trips to Eurpoe and we stay in the values at WDW and only stay for 7 days. I can't think of anything much more deluxe than that in terms of costs of vacation destinations.

 

[dqpowell]

I just wanted to mention that there is a possibility of getting a queen sized bed at a value. DH and I got a free upgrade to a preferred room at AS-S. It was a handicapped accessible room with just one bed and it was queen-sized.

I have heard rumors that some handicap-accessible rooms at value resorts have queen beds... but the Disney reservation folks I have spoken with have always denied that queen beds exist at the value resorts. They all say the same thing... that the least expensive rooms on property with queen beds are at AKL.

Truth be told, if they have any queen beds at Pop Century, I'd be willing to pay for the preferred room upgrade just to get one.

David

 

[brockash]

There were six of us, so we needed a minivan or two cars. Renting two cars is actually more economical than renting a minivan.

Something tells me that all those peditricians at the APA actually don't spend too much time around children outside of their offices. While if probably is a good idea to transition from a crib to a bed after they can climb, it's not something most parents do at 22 months. I know my twins would simply not understand the concept of a bed vs a crib at this age. Besides, if I didn't use a crib, what kind of bed would I have put them in? A full-size bed? I don't think so.

ITA. Our 21 month old is still in a crib, and there's no way she'd stay in a bed (not to mention that she'd fall off of the bed many times- seems more dangerous to me .) She's never really tried to climb out of her crib yet, and I feel her being free to roam her room would cause more danger at this point.

 

[brockash]

We started staying on site in 2002 and have never even considered staying off property again. My husband has a demanding job where he is on call and gone quite a lot. There are days where the beeper does not stop and several times where it had been days where he did not see our son. When we get to Disney we don't watch the news or read the paper, our biggest concern is where we are going to eat lunch that day. We love not dealing with traffic, news and stress. We get plenty of that at home. For us a Disney vacation helps us relax and re-connect with each other.

Yes, ITA. It's my break from the "real world." I don't even watch the news in the hotel when we're at Disney. No traffic, no cooking, cleaning, driving, no real radio ect. It's my "Disney World" for that week, which is sooo much easier/happier than the "real world." My DH thinks I'm nuts, but I'll live in my fantasy for a week if I want to

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I have heard rumors that some handicap-accessible rooms at value resorts have queen beds... but the Disney reservation folks I have spoken with have always denied that queen beds exist at the value resorts. They all say the same thing... that the least expensive rooms on property with queen beds are at AKL.

Truth be told, if they have any queen beds at Pop Century, I'd be willing to pay for the preferred room upgrade just to get one.

David

Well, they are definitely there. We slept in one. However, I think all you could do is request it, pay for a preferred, and if there are no handicapped people who need those rooms, you might get placed there.

 

[Cindy F]

I just wanted to mention that there is a possibility of getting a queen sized bed at a value. DH and I got a free upgrade to a preferred room at AS-S. It was a handicapped accessible room with just one bed and it was queen-sized.

I could just kiss your face for that info!! Both of my girls' birthdays are in September and we wanted to try out one of the resorts for the free dining plan but the campsites are excluded. I really don't understand that, since the premium campsites are more expensive than a value resort

A trip to WDW is usually much more expensive than a cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean. You can get those types of vacations for dirt cheap. Our trips to WDW are no cheaper than our trips to Eurpoe and we stay in the values at WDW and only stay for 7 days. I can't think of anything much more deluxe than that in terms of costs of vacation destinations.

No, I don't mean "deluxe vacation" in terms of price, I mean deluxe in terms of more adult/laid back type vacation. Like I said, I always think of Disney as a kids place (and kids at heart ) . People who go to Disney and then complain that it's noisy or too many kids (what did they expect?) always tick me off. So when I want a more laid back, quiet vacation Disney isn't what I think of-but to each his own!

So is All Stars Sports the only value with the queen bed option? I will definitely be calling tomorrow!

 

[Baltazar]

I thought the beds at the value resorts were either two full size or one king.

Coronado Springs is putting in two queen size beds when they refurbish the rooms, I read it somewhere on this forum.

[edit] Family suites at ASMu have one queen bed and a sofa bed.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

We did 2 (separate) offsite day visits this past September, our first ever and last ever. We were spending week at the beach and drove up from Daytona, traffic wasn't a total nightmare but the inconvenience of having to park, not being able to hop back to the hotel and rest, and package delivery to the resorts was more than enough to make me say never again. Add in that it seemed more like 'work' than a vacation day bc of the hassle's and the magic was totally spoiled for me. I have decided from here on out that we will either do our week at the beach or WDW, we will not be trying to fit in a little WDW w/ the beach week.

 

[rentayenta]

Having grown up near Disneyland in Anaheim and never needing to stay anywhere but in my own bed that was 10 minutes away, it was a trip to visit for the first time after moving to Utah that changed my mind. For years we stayed with family or friends but in 2005 we stayed on site and from then on we were hooked. Staying onsite whether it's WDW or Disneyland totally enhances the magic. This trip we'll be at the OKW, AKV, and Pop Century.

 

[famy27]

We have stayed off-site and on, and it generally didn't make that much difference to us before we had a child. Now, I am all about on-site stays, especially with Magical Express. The thought of not having to lug a carseat with us on vacation fills me with joy. No hauling it though the airport, no coaxing a toddler into the seat whenever we want to go back to the unit or to park hop, and my daughter's happiness at riding the bus and not having to be in her carseat are all very valuable to me, even though they doesn't actually save us any money.

We are staying in a one-bedroom unit at OKW (four weeks from tomorrow!!!)for a very reasonable price, as we used a timeshare to exchange into DVC. We will have the benefit of the kitchen (for breakfasts, as I don't cook on vacation, either) and the extra space of the private bedroom. I haven't stayed at DVC before, so I am definitely looking forward to the experience. However, even if I couldn't have a DVC unit, I'd still prefer a moderate room to an off-site condo with two bedrooms. We spend so much time in the parks that it just isn't that important to me to have the extra space. It's the same reason I get the smallest, cheapest cabin on a cruise. Who wants to be in your room when there is so much else to do? For those who say relaxation, I never go to Disney to relax. You can relax anywhere, but you can only ride Tower of Terror at Disney!

My DD (who will be 3 in April) absolutely loves to be in the parks all the time, so we really love Extra Magic Hours. We didn't even make it to the pool during our visit last December, as she couldn't get enough of "the castle" and "the big silver ball." If she wanted to spend more time in our room, I would probably feel differently about this topic, so I certainly understand those who want/need space to spread out. For us, the "Disney experience" and transportation system make the on-site stay the way to go, and our timeshare trade makes it affordable.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

So is All Stars Sports the only value with the queen bed option? I will definitely be calling tomorrow!

I really don't know. AS-S is the only one that we have experience with.

I thought the beds at the value resorts were either two full size or one king.

You could be right. It may have been a king sized bed and not a queen. Either way, it was a large bed.

 

[Cindy F]

Well, after checking everything out last night and this morning, I remain convinced that Disney properties just can not compare with off site properties for us. Looking at cost/amenities, there is no comparison-off site offers more for us. Like I said before though, it depends on what you are looking for in a vacation, and your specific family's wants/needs.

There is one exception-Fort Wilderness Campground, yes it is twice as expensive than the campground up the road (depending on site and season it can be 6 times more expensive) but it truly is worth it with everything you get.

I guess part of the satisfaction is that the accommodations can't be anything other than exactly what you want because it's YOUR RV! LOL

 

[portocall]

Well, after checking everything out last night and this morning, I remain convinced that Disney properties just can not compare with off site properties for us. Looking at cost/amenities, there is no comparison-off site offers more for us. Like I said before though, it depends on what you are looking for in a vacation, and your specific family's wants/needs.

There is one exception-Fort Wilderness Campground, yes it is twice as expensive than the campground up the road (depending on site and season it can be 6 times more expensive) but it truly is worth it with everything you get.

I guess part of the satisfaction is that the accommodations can't be anything other than exactly what you want because it's YOUR RV! LOL

This is so true, it really depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. For me, there is a time to stay on-site (when we are ONLY doing Disney for example) and times to stay off-site. The off-site hotels are just fine, and thank goodness for the options. I really enjoyed running through all of them, and very seriously considered a two-bedroom at the Sheraton Vistana, but I wasn't really happy until I booked POR. I think that comes from all the years of looking at all the happy people going back to their Disney rooms when I knew I was going home that night (how boring is that). So we are crammed in a room and will pay more for meals, that is the price I am willing to pay. Some people aren't and I am glad that there are so many options for people to enjoy Disney and Orlando.