On A Budget - Best Value?

[doris1976]

Hi,

Like most of you, I assume, I am looking to maximize my vacation budget.

I am going to Disney this year with my son and perhaps a few others and I'm checking out various options. One is a Disney cruise, and the other is WDW. I am inquiring now about WDW.

Was wondering if it would be better to get a room(s) outside of WDW or at one of their resorts? What are the advantages or disadvantages via convenience, price, quality?

I know there are a lot of motels around WDW, and various resorts on WDW property. What is the best valued resort and any recommendations for hotels off property?

Thank you!

 

[kermit116]

Hi,


Was wondering if it would be better to get a room(s) outside of WDW or at one of their resorts? What are the advantages or disadvantages via convenience, price, quality?

I think the answer here depends on whether you are going with a group and planning to all stay together, or if in the end it'll just be you and your son.

First, as a side note, I must say that I've tried to plan trips with large groups in the past, and sometimes it becomes more stressful to try to coordinate everyone's plans and get people to actually commit. So, it may be beneficial for you to just plan the trip for you and your son, and then let the others know where and when you'll be there and they can make their own plans for hotel & travel and join you for all or part of the trip.

Okay, so, if you are going to be a party of two (you and your son), I'd say the best bet would be to stay at one of the WDW Value resorts (All Star Music, All Star Movies, All Star Sports, or Pop Century). I've stayed at the All Star Music resort. It was basically a nice, Disney version of a La Quinta Inn. It was clean, had a cafeteria and pool, and had access to the Disney transport. Definitely not the most glamorous hotel ever, but since we were spending all our time in the parks and basically just showering and sleeping when in our room, it wasn't an issue. For me, the biggest advantage of staying on WDW property is access to the WDW transportation. If you don't want to, you really don't have to rent a car, which can save you $$ on your trip. You can get the free Magical Express bus to & from the airport, and then just use Disney transportation to get to the parks. Also, it's great to be on property when you are tired in the middle of the day and want a nap - you can just take a bus back to your resort and rest and then go back out to the parks in the evening.

Now, if you are going to be with a group of people, it may be a better option to try to rent a small house off property. That way you can cook meals, which can save money. However, if you stay off property with a group in a house, you will have to rent a car to get to/from the parks. Plus, you will have to factor in the cost of parking at WDW (which I think is $14/day). You'll also have to consider if you want to take a break in the middle of the day, you'll have to walk out to the parking lot, drive back to your off-site house, and then come all the way back again in the evening.

If you are going with a group of family or friends who would be willing to split a room, it may be worthwhile to get a family suite at All Star Music or Art of Animation (when it's open). Then you'll have a small kitchen to make small meals like breakfast to save some money. You may also want to consider a cabin at Fort Wilderness. It costs a bit more but has a bed room with a double bed and bunk beds, and then a murphy bed in the living room. It also has a kitchen, and you have easy access to the Magic Kingdom via boat or bus.

Those are just some of my thoughts. Hope your trip goes well!

 

[Raenstoirm]

How old is your son? Do you like to get up early? Stay out late? What time of year are you considering?

These are all important when deciding value. EMHs (extra magic hours) are 1 hour in the morning or 3 hours extra at night every day. (DHS, EP & MK have 1 morning and 1 evening a week with extra hours and AK has 2 mornings each week). If you like being in the parks late at night you really have to stay on property. If you are a morning person and going during peak times, you really need to stay on property to get to EMH rope drop.
If you are going during slower times and only plan on being in the parks during the middle of the day, off-site will be fine.

Personally we have stayed off-site once and will NEVER do it again. The driving and parking was such a pain especially at MK and honestly rental cars are expensive, so I dont think you save much going that route.

 

[kaligal]

This isn't the best section of the DIS to ask about hotel/motel choices.

You'll find a lot of people pushing Disney hotels.

You will always get more room for your money in a non-Disney hotel. You'll get a better room for less money. You'll get an entire apartment (stocked) for the cost of a moderate Disney room...and it will likely have a better Disney theme than the Disney rooms do.

I'm not saying you shouldn't stay in a Disney hotel. I'm just saying that you can do better. And it will often add only 5-10 minutes to your drive. Seriously.

Check out the Orlando Hotels and Attractions section of the DIS.

The Disney Value motels are all pretty much the same. They're all very colorful - some would say garish. The rooms are all the same (small) size. They all have pools and food courts. I think I prefer the food court at Pop Century. Me, myself, if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose a Disney Value, I'd go with Pop Century, followed by All Star Movies.

I don't like the Disney Value motels and wouldn't be "happy" with any of them. If I were going there, I'd let whatever kid I was with make the decision. It just wouldn't matter to me and kids love to be the decision makers once in a while.

Good luck with your decision.

Have a great trip!

 

[dawnn12]

all but once.. we have gone to disney with a group(usally 10 of us total) we have found its better with a house we had three/four cars with us. so if one group(sil/bil)wanted to do epcot and we wanted to do animal we could. we didnt have to go the same places but usally we did. we liked the house also so we can eat there if we wanted to(it had a full kitchen) and the one time i drove i actually brang my crockpot(we knew it was going to be a kinda early return) so i made a big roast it was great "coming home" to a cooked meal and not having to worry about making something after being at the parks all day. we liked the fact that the house had a pool the kids could swim while we just sat on the deck unwinding from the day. you didnt say how many people in total. we have only been down there once with just the four of us one time with 6 and the other 4 times with 10 of us. we like going with a group. we love this house its clean, great location(close to the parks), owners are great to work with. hth and have a great time

http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/...lorida-vacation-rental-villa-proID-61533.html

 

[Brian Noble]

If you are worried about total bottom-line price, and you are flying in, it is often hard to beat a the cost of a single Disney Value room, using Disney transportation. You can save a few extra dollars, but once you have to pay for a rental car and theme park parking, there is so little left over that you're staying at a place that, frankly, I would not want to stay. If you will have your own car, you can easily find a place that has 2-3 bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen, washer/dryer, and pay for that plus theme park parking for about the cost of that single value room, or maybe even a bit less.

So, Flying: go Value. Driving: offsite.

If bottom-line price isn't your only concern, the condo option will be between the cost of a single Value room and a single Moderate room once you add in the cost of the rental car, but it will be much more functional and comfortable. Unless you find the thought of driving to be terror-inducing, I think the value proposition offsite is just better. True, you do not have access to EMH, the dining plan, etc., but I find that I rarely use those even when staying onsite. EMH parks tend to be more crowded outside the very beginning of morning EMH or end of EMH, and the dining plan tends to not be a great value for the way I eat.

That's not to say that it isn't worth staying onsite from time to time. I do, and I enjoy it. But, it's not really a "good value" by most definitions.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Each situation is different, so you really cannot adequately answer this question because your patterns, habits and comfort level will be unique from others. People perceive value differently than others.

So here's what I would do: I would look at both options and weigh whether it is worth the price. For instance: I can probably go to Priceline or some other travel website and find a cheaper hotel than the value resorts. It may be cheaper. But you also must factor in the transportation to and from the hotel and the theme parks- including parking. Does the hotel have a shuttle?

Next, you must look at dining: Going off-site is going to be cheaper than eating inside the parks. But will you be driving to the offsite restaurants? How much time will you take going to and from the offsite restaurants and will that make it more or less convenient?

And lastly, take a look at EMHs. If you are going at a time where the crowds are anticipated to be large, there will be less EMHs than when the crowds are expected to be great. Is that worth going onsite vs. offsite? And by how much?

Taking this, along with other patterns and expectations that may be unique to you should guide you to the correct decisions regarding your trip. The onsite experience, along with EMH, Dining Plan, etc. is about convenience and the values that people associate with them. Then, you should subtract those conveniences that you can live without while not damaging your overall experience. That will give you your mix.

For instance, I value convenience highly, but not necessarily comfort. So we normally stay onsite, but only at value resorts. We like the convenience of the dining plan, but there are some days when the plan may only be a net-net proposition. But we do it because of convenience, only and we only do the regular.

Oh, and we mostly do evening EMHs because we like to sleep in. And we eat fresh fruit, breakfast bars and juice boxes that we buy at the Walmart on the drive in because we want the Dining plan to be used to lunch and dinner only.

That's OUR plan. It's unique to us. Research crowds, dates and times, EMH and menu prices in order to see what to would be good for you and your family.

 

[shannonstar]

Some of the DTD resorts are very reasonable. You might try looking at those. You can't use EMH at some of them, but the price is right. They are within walking distance of DTD and then you can easily use either their shuttles or the DTD busses to parks.

We have stayed that way before, and while we prefer to stay on-site, it is a viable option when we can't afford to go otherwise.

Another tip... if you are planning to go during certain times, consider signing up for a YES program individual enrollment. You can save about 600 on tickets and attend a small educational class for about 2 1/2 hours.

 

[disneykittin]

This isn't the best section of the DIS to ask about hotel/motel choices.

You'll find a lot of people pushing Disney hotels.

You will always get more room for your money in a non-Disney hotel. You'll get a better room for less money. You'll get an entire apartment (stocked) for the cost of a moderate Disney room...and it will likely have a better Disney theme than the Disney rooms do.

I'm not saying you shouldn't stay in a Disney hotel. I'm just saying that you can do better. And it will often add only 5-10 minutes to your drive. Seriously.

Check out the Orlando Hotels and Attractions section of the DIS.

The Disney Value motels are all pretty much the same. They're all very colorful - some would say garish. The rooms are all the same (small) size. They all have pools and food courts. I think I prefer the food court at Pop Century. Me, myself, if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose a Disney Value, I'd go with Pop Century, followed by All Star Movies.

I don't like the Disney Value motels and wouldn't be "happy" with any of them. If I were going there, I'd let whatever kid I was with make the decision. It just wouldn't matter to me and kids love to be the decision makers once in a while.

Good luck with your decision.

Have a great trip!

I've always wondered why everyone always pushes the Disney hotels here. I can't really understand it, but to each their own. We save a TON of $ staying offsite. Personally I'd never be able to push myself to pay all of that extra $ for a room which I'll only use to sleep, just to be a little closer or have the "extra magic hours".

We don't rent a car when we're there either, or pay for parking. We just stay at a close hotel and it only costs us $14/day ($7 each way) for our cab ride, which is less that it would cost to park. We also have the option to take the free shuttles to and from Disney for free at those hotels (a LOT of the off-site hotels have this) but we like to be there right when the rope drops, and stay until closing time and the shuttles tend to arrive about a half hour after opening and before closing.

If I were you, I'd check hotels.com for hotels in Kissimmee. That's where we stay. I personally think the Maingate Lakeside is a great choice for the value, that's where we stay. Have fun with whatever you decide!

 

[amzking]

Some of the DTD resorts are very reasonable. You might try looking at those. You can't use EMH at some of them, but the price is right. They are within walking distance of DTD and then you can easily use either their shuttles or the DTD busses to parks.

Disney no longer offers busses directly from DTD to the parks, because of the people that would park for free at DTD and then bus to the parks. It was causing too much of a strain on the parking at DTD.

If you stay offsite and try to depend on their shuttles to the parks, you may be disappointed, from what I understand the offsite shuttles often run for only limited hours and not as frequently as the onsite resorts.

If you do stay offsite and therefore pay to park, you can park hop to another park during the same day and not have to pay again, just show your receipt to the parking plaza attendant at your second park.

 

[shannonstar]

Disney no longer offers busses directly from DTD to the parks, because of the people that would park for free at DTD and then bus to the parks. It was causing too much of a strain on the parking at DTD.

If you stay offsite and try to depend on their shuttles to the parks, you may be disappointed, from what I understand the offsite shuttles often run for only limited hours and not as frequently as the onsite resorts.

If you do stay offsite and therefore pay to park, you can park hop to another park during the same day and not have to pay again, just show your receipt to the parking plaza attendant at your second park.

This is true. I guess I was just under the idea that she might not have a car. I have found that it is quite easy to take the DTD bus to AKL for an easy change over to AK, GF for a monorail to MK, BC for a boat to HS or EP. While it may not be the fastest, it will save money.

 

[amyr1]

I haven't really found a cheaper option than staying at a WDW Value for our trips.

Yeah, I might a cheaper room but we would have to rent a car, possibly pay for parking at the cheaper off-site place and if we drove to the parks (most off site places have scheduled transportation to the parks...not always conveient) we'd have to pay for parking at the parks (probably $15.day??)

I keep crunching numbers and just can't get too excited about staying offsite.

Then if you throw in a FD promotion... no contest.

Amy

 

[waterboy92]

I read many requests about what is the best way to get the best value when visiting WDW.

We have made many trips and friends ask our advise, just like you have. About 6 months ago, we completely planned a trip for a group of 4, 2 adults and 2 teenagers. One adult is in a wheelchair. We gave them the price for a value resort. Well to make a long story short, they totally turned our plans down and stayed offsite. They saw the price of a motel and thought it would be better. They didn't take into consideration of getting from the airport and returning. Also the shuttle at the motel didn't have provisions for the wheelchair so they had to pay for their trips to and from the parks. The cost from and to the airport was $80.00 each way. They also had to cut each day at the parks short because of transportation issues. When they returned they were very sorry they stayed offsite in an attempt to save money. For us, staying on site is part of the magic and would never stay anywhere else. That is just us, others enjoy a break from the Disney madness, we love it.

 

[MolonLabe]

I've always wondered why everyone always pushes the Disney hotels here. I can't really understand it, but to each their own. We save a TON of $ staying offsite. Personally I'd never be able to push myself to pay all of that extra $ for a room which I'll only use to sleep, just to be a little closer or have the "extra magic hours".

Having always stayed offsite until our last trip (Mat 2011) I would have agreed with you....

However the convince of it cannot be overstated. I've stayed offsite at hotels only 10 minutes away... that 10 min is more like 30 minutes best case, because you have to get a tram to your car (or monorail/boat, then tram). That's an extra hour a day you spend traveling.

Next is ease with children. As an adult it's much easier to continuously transition from park to tram to car to driving to hotel to room. Being able to walk out of a park hop on a shuttle (usually with minimal wait time, similar to the tram) and bam, you are at your hotel.

Nothing is worse than having a child fall asleep and then jostled awake 3 times in a row, by the time you get to your offsite hotel, the child is in a horrible mood... or maybe not.

Next is the 35% discount on the DDP.

On our may trip we stayed at Pop Century, off season and with the discounts paid $1,806 for 5 days and 4 nights with DDP and tickets for 4. We ate $1,700~ of food in those 5 days. yes, we ate all table service and ordered dinners for lunch, lol.

Yes the values are small. We didn't spend any time in the room aside from sleeping, so it really didn't matter. The rooms were nice and clean. That's really all we cared about.

When we return in December we'll have to go Moderate or above because we will have 5ppl. I'd still do value if we could, but the only values are suites that are higher or the same as the moderates.

In the moderates it's going to cost us... even with the savings of the DDP, more than staying off site. You are right, we'd get more staying off site. For me the ease is worth it. Including saving an hour a day in travel related hassles to and from the park.

When I look at pricing like that I ask myself "How much is my time worth when I'm working?" In the case of the moderate resorts we're talking about an extra $100~ a day over staying off site. If the answer is close I then ask myself "How much is my time worth when I'm on vacation?"

Another nice thing about staying on site is easily being able to go back to the hotel during the day for a nap or dip in the pool.

I understand being on a budget, when my wife and I went to MK for our honey moon we were in a red roof inn and we were sharing pizza at Sunrise Terrace, lol.

I do think that you can save money at a value resort if you are smart about it. Especially when you consider parking taking $15 a day off your stay is a big amount when compared with the cost of the values.

 

[BebopBaloo]

If it's going to be you and your son, or a not large group , then I would definitely go with a Disney Value Resort (any of the All Stars esp.) The rooms at a Value resort are a great value. You do not have to pay a parking fee. I found out last year that a lot of hotels/motels off site charge a parking fee. If you fly into Orlando you can use the free transportation from the airport to your resort via Magical Express. You won't have to pay to park at any of the Disney theme parks, or you can just use their transportation. The buses run at least every twenty minutes (usually not that far apart) to all four theme parks, the water parks, and Downtown Disney.

The rooms at the All Stars have all been recently refurbished and thus should be in good/great shape. We've tried all three and we have enjoyed them all. They have nice pools, games for kids, and outdoor family movies every night. The price of an All Star room is near what you would pay elsewhere off site and again if you factor in the cost of parking at the off site places, plus the cost to park at the parks...and any other resort fees that offsite places may charge you - you really can't beat a Disney Value resort.