On or Off Disney Property?

[MrsTeddy]

Hi! I am new to the boards. We are just starting to plan a trip for my son's
3rd Birthday in July 2012. We don't have exact dates yet as we are waiting for vacation and plant shut down dates.

I am debating between staying on or off property (the final decision will involve my in laws as they are helping pay for the trip and coming with us).
We will be travelling 4 adults, a 2 year old and 3 month old.

We will be driving from the North and have our own vehicle with us. SO I suppose parking can be worked into the decision making?

From a little exploring on the site it looks like we can stay at the OKW resort in a one or two bedroom villa, either would probably be fine (so again in laws can decide based on the price).

What are your opinions? I am sure as we continue planning I will have many more questions. Once we have exact dates I am going to price out each option. I am also debating between things like a hopper pass, dining plan, etc.

I think we will spend LESS park time if we stay off property but we would like at least see MK, AK, Epcot and I'm thinking Hollywood studios (I think that has things that would interest DS? cars etc)

 

[CamoMama]

I haven't yet visited WDW, but at Disneyland in Anaheim the Good Neighbor hotels were awesome, we stayed at the Embassy Suites just down the road from the park. However, in California you can still purchase the meal plan if you stay off site, not so at WDW. That persuaded me to stay onsite during our February trip to Orlando. The meal plan is really an important part of my trip planning, not just to save money, but to avoid hassle. With the meal plan I don't have to worry about the cost of each meal or carrying a lot of cash or other credit cards.

 

[budafam]

We've been there twice and both times, we stayed on property BUT we had 4 or less people. On our trip in May, we're bringing my mother in law which will make us a group of 5. To save money, we're staying at Bonnet Creek. We got a 2 bedroom condo for $693 for the entire week. There's a full kitchen, living area & patio area... there are also buses available and stuff to do at the resort. We still plan on being at the parks as much as possible (it's Disney after all) but being inside the Disney gates, I figure it can't be that bad.

Although if you were looking at dining, the free dining is awesome and might be worth getting 2 rooms at a value (unless the money is no object)... we got park hoppers on our first trip and used them once. We'll never get them again, waste of money IMO. Good luck!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Reasons to stay off property:
1. Less expensive
2. Easier to find a suite with multiple bedrooms and a kitchen, if you need those things.

There may be more, but I can't think of them.


Reasons to stay on-site:
1. Free parking.
2. Ability to get the dining plan.
3. Ability to go between your resort and theme park using Disney transportation.
4. Ability to charge merchandise to your room and/or have to dropped off there for you.
5. Shorter distance between the theme parks and resort.

We stay on site.

 

[bookgirl]

most hotels charge parking as does WDW

Off site add

$14 a day WDW parking for every day you plan to visit (keep you receipt as you only pay once a day to park at all the hotels and parks at WDW)

$10-$15 a day hotel parking fee (some also have a resort fee so check that out)

I figure if the price is within 20-50 bucks it may be worth it to just stay onsite

More than $50 then off site may be a consideration

 

[amym2]

We've stayed both onsite and offsite and with extended family, we prefer offsite. We've rented a house in Windsor Hills twice (they also have townhomes) and it has been perfect. That way we can put the kids to bed and have space to relax with the rest of the family. You can get a 5 bedroom house for way less than a villa at OKW, and honestly the transportation is just as easy. It doesn't take any longer to drive from Windsor Hills than it does to take Disney buses, with the exception of course of the monorail resorts. If the in-laws want to splurge for a monorail resort, by all means, go for it, but if not you will be perfectly fine staying offsite.

 

[Malibelle]

We always stayed offsite as a kid but my whole view of WDW changed the 1st time I stayed on site. I really fell in love with WDW much so that I got married there and mow i plan Disney vacations for a living now. There is that Disney Magic you just don't get with staying off site. Plus you don't have to rent a car or drive in traffic and you can take advantage if the dining plan. (especially if you can go when free dining is offered, you really save). Age 3 is a great age to take children, thier faces will be priceless. Get that camera ready!

 

[twinboysmom]

A one bedroom villa at OKW for all 5 of you plus a baby, not a chance. I am a dvc girl and love onsite but if you can't swing a 2 bedroom unit (and they are pricey) I would stay offsite in a house or condo. We stay onsite (we have done off) and always drive to the parks. It's really not that big of a deal and in our opinion, beats the bus system any day. 2 rooms anywhere on property would also work. Connecting isn't guaranteed but happens more than it doesn't.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hi! I am new to the boards. We are just starting to plan a trip for my son's
3rd Birthday in July 2012. We don't have exact dates yet as we are waiting for vacation and plant shut down dates.

I am debating between staying on or off property (the final decision will involve my in laws as they are helping pay for the trip and coming with us).
We will be travelling 4 adults, a 2 year old and 3 month old.

We will be driving from the North and have our own vehicle with us. SO I suppose parking can be worked into the decision making?

From a little exploring on the site it looks like we can stay at the OKW resort in a one or two bedroom villa, either would probably be fine (so again in laws can decide based on the price).

What are your opinions? I am sure as we continue planning I will have many more questions. Once we have exact dates I am going to price out each option. I am also debating between things like a hopper pass, dining plan, etc.

I think we will spend LESS park time if we stay off property but we would like at least see MK, AK, Epcot and I'm thinking Hollywood studios (I think that has things that would interest DS? cars etc)

On property. Always on WDW property.

Anyway, I know you said that you wanted to go in July for your son's birthday, but really, with this being your first trip, I would never recommend July. It's the hottest and one of the most busy and expensive times to visit WDW. If possible, I would pick another slower, cooler timeframe - it really makes a big difference. If you must go in July, make sure you have a good touring plan and prepare yourself for the heat. Also, with a 3 year old I highly recommend the All-Star Movies Resort. It is by far my kids favorite resort. You can get 2 connecting rooms for you and your in-laws. We are a family of 6 and we always get 2 connecting rooms at a value resort.

We love, love, love the Disney Dining Plan, the basic plan with 1 Table Service/Character Meal, 1 Counter Service/Fast Food Meal and 1 Snack per person per day. I find the Quick Service Plan a wash and the one time we did the Deluxe Plan my kids and husband hated it - big waste of time and money and certainly would recommend it for someone new to Disney. It's hard enough to navigate everything in WDW the first time you go without spending 6 or more hours per day getting to an from restaurants and eating. We have been touring Disney annually sincer our kids were 2, 3, 4 and 7 and we now try to rotate all of our trips around the Free Dining Promo dates. There's usually a free dining discount in mid/late August - September and select slow weeks in October, November, December, January, February and March.

I never recommend the hopper ticket option to people who are new to touring Disney, you don't need it. I would recommend 5 to 6 park days for a first visit - 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day Ak and 1 day DHS. If you are staying on-site, you don't really need your car, the Disney transporation is good, especially with it being your first time and not being familiar with Disney property.

Pick up a copy of The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World and check out their companion website, www.touringplans.com. I use their crowd/best days calendar to plan all our park days and then once I know which park we will be in on which days I can make my Advance Dining Reservations around those parks or in resorts close to those parks. I highly recommend the Basic Disney Dining Plan if your party is going to eat at least one sit down/table service/character meal per day.

There are tips I give to anyone new to touring WDW:

1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations as a lot of table service restaurants do not take walk-ups or busy crowd seasons, and July is one of the busiest, and most expensive, of the entire year.

2. Get to the parks at opening. You really can get a lot done in the morning because so many other people sleep in.

3. Eat lunch around 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. before the fast food places get busy. Then when while everyone else is eating lunch, you will have lower crowds.

4. I buy a ton of the two for a dollar ponchos at the dollar store and keep them in the backpack. That way you can throw them a way after use and not worry about keeping up with a wet bulky poncho the rest of the day. Bring throw away ponchos to wear on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, if not you WILL get soaked.

5. Other things I put in the backpack each morning are Tylenol/Motrin, small first aid kit, camera with extra batteries, small hand towel, hand sanitizer, wipes and a bottle of water.

6. Most single service items under $4.00 are considered a snack credit on the dining plan. A Turkey Leg is NOT a snack credit.

7. At Magic Kingdom always head to Fantasyland first, if you are not doing Fantasyland on a particular day then head to Splash Mountain first, then Big Thunder Mountain; at Epcot always ride Soarin' first and get a Fastpass for later after you get off of the ride; at Disney Hollywood Studios always ride Toy Story Mania first, then head over to Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror; and at Animal Kingdom ride Expedition Everest First then head to the Safari.

8. Favorite fast food restaurants at MK are Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays; favorite fast food at Animal Kingdom is Flame Tree Grill and Pizzafari. If you are there while it very hot, go to Pizzafari.

9. If there are two lines going into an attraction, always take the line that goes to the left.

10. My best tip would have to be USE THE FASTPASS SYSTEM. Our rule of thumb is if the wait is 25 minutes or less, we wait in line. If the wait is 30 minutes or more, use a Fastpass. It is not highly publicized, but your Fastpass does not expire until the end of the day. You can never use it before the return time stamp on the pass, but you can always use it after. We try to collect Fastpasses during the early part of the day and then use them later in the afternoon when the parks become more crowded.

Click on this link and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass. It is from Doconeil here on the Disboards and super helpful:

http://www.oinc.net/disney/fastpass.php

If you still don't understand, just let me know your specific questions.

11. I like the Photopass. You can pre-buy it before your trip for $99.00. When you enter the parks you will see the staff photographers, they will take your pictures and give you a Photopass and you can use that for the rest of your trip. Each time you see a photographer have them take your picture and they will scan your picture. Then when you get home you can pull up the pictures, with the code they email you after purchase, and pick the photos you want on a CD. They will then mail you the CD and the copyrights to the CD and you can take them to Walmart or Walgreens or wherever and get them developed. They also have a lot of cool software that you can use to edit your photos before you have them put on the CD.

My favorite Disney planning sites are:

www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com
www.wdwinfo.com
www.intercot.com

 

[kkandaj]

I think this all depends on what kind of money you are willing to spend and the needs of your family. I haven't stayed on site, other than at the campground when I was much younger. On site rates for as big of a room as we need cannot even TOUCH what renting a house or Wyndham Bonnet Creek is. We are going in May and staying at Bonnet Creek (which is ON Disney property, but not affiliated with Disney) for $795 for 7 nights. That is a 3 bdrm/2 bath condo with a full kitchen, living room, laundry, mini golf, pools, lazy rivers, etc. They also have free shuttles to and from the parks. A value resort for the week we will be there in May is coming in at over $1000, and we would need two rooms. I'd rather spend that money on tickets, character dining, etc.

We have also rented a home in Davenport, which was great! It was a 4 bdrm/3 ba with a pool in the backyard for $650 for 7 nights. It took about 20 minutes to get to MK. I see reports on the DIS all the time about people waiting longer than that at the bus stop.

There are also people that love the dining, but DS has food allergies, so I still need a kitchen to make his food. I'd LOVE to not have to cook for a week, but it just isn't realistic for his food allergies, even though Disney is great for allergies.

One day I would like to stay on site, and if money was no object I would. I am just not into a room the size of a motel 6 for a week. Now if I was going with my girlfriends for a weekend away, that would be a different story!

It all just really depends on what fits your family best. Being able to spread out--and me not being stressed about how much we spent--makes our vacation go much smoother. Good luck with your decision.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I think this all depends on what kind of money you are willing to spend and the needs of your family. I haven't stayed on site, other than at the campground when I was much younger. On site rates for as big of a room as we need cannot even TOUCH what renting a house or Wyndham Bonnet Creek is. We are going in May and staying at Bonnet Creek (which is ON Disney property, but not affiliated with Disney) for $795 for 7 nights. That is a 3 bdrm/2 bath condo with a full kitchen, living room, laundry, mini golf, pools, lazy rivers, etc. They also have free shuttles to and from the parks. A value resort for the week we will be there in May is coming in at over $1000, and we would need two rooms. I'd rather spend that money on tickets, character dining, etc.

We have also rented a home in Davenport, which was great! It was a 4 bdrm/3 ba with a pool in the backyard for $650 for 7 nights. It took about 20 minutes to get to MK. I see reports on the DIS all the time about people waiting longer than that at the bus stop.

There are also people that love the dining, but DS has food allergies, so I still need a kitchen to make his food. I'd LOVE to not have to cook for a week, but it just isn't realistic for his food allergies, even though Disney is great for allergies.

One day I would like to stay on site, and if money was no object I would. I am just not into a room the size of a motel 6 for a week. Now if I was going with my girlfriends for a weekend away, that would be a different story!

It all just really depends on what fits your family best. Being able to spread out--and me not being stressed about how much we spent--makes our vacation go much smoother. Good luck with your decision.

We are a family of 6 and, with the right planning, I have found ways to stay on-site cheaper than staying off-site. We always travel in value season, we get 2 connecting rooms at a value and we now rotate all of our trips around the annual free dining promos. We can do 8 nights on-site with resort, tickets and all of our food (character meals included!), plus all the Disney perks for about $3,500.00.

As for food allergies, when you bood an ADR, you can let them know of your child's allergies and when you arrive at the restaurant, before you order, the Chef will come out to your table and inquire about the allergies and will specailly prepare a meal for your child. We have some friends who's daughter has severe food allergies and they were totally blown away by this.

Anyway, I know on-site isn't for everyone, but I think it can be cheaper than people think.

 

[kkandaj]

As for food allergies, when you book an ADR, you can let them know of your child's allergies and when you arrive at the restaurant, before you order, the Chef will come out to your table and inquire about the allergies and will specailly prepare a meal for your child. We have some friends who's daughter has severe food allergies and they were totally blown away by this.

We do this with ADR's (this can also be done at counter service). The issue with this is when your child can't eat any soy, egg, nuts or dairy, that really cuts out what Disney can prepare for him. It is like rotating steamed veggies, baked chicken, a plain potato and fresh fruit for 8 days. Throw in a waffle (if they have the right ingredients at that restaurant) and hot dog (with no bun). We do a couple of meals where he eats at WDW, but with his allergy set, it just doesn't work for a week long vacation. For a child with one--or even two allergies--it might work. Multiple allergies is not so easy. There is one dessert he can have--prepackaged cookies--that's it--and they don't even carry them at all the restaurants.

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE that WDW takes such pride in their allergy process. It is the ONLY time DS eats restaurant food. But we could not go on the dining plan and him get full off the same 5 items for 8 days.

ETA: It really is amazing having the Chef literally come out and take care of your child. Your friends would love it. DS was 18 months the first time he EVER had food from a restaurant--Chef Mickey's.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Another vote for offsite. You can do it much cheaper, and have much more space. I have heard great things about Bonnet Creek, but never stayed there. We rent a 4BR/4BA house.

My gang absolutely loves Windsor Hills, where we get a place with a private pool and private hot tub. However, with the group you have, a condo or villa might be more appropriate, so you can limit pool access for the kids (since yours are so young). It would be nice to put the kids to bed in their room, then have the adults be able to watch TV, have an adult beverage, play canasta, whatever floats your boat.

A condo-type place has the advantage of being able to prepare simple meals. I know it's vacation, some people don't cook at all, but you may have issues with your 3yo preferring different things--this depends ont eh child, I don' tknow yours. I do know thaat my 5yo would have PB&J every day of the week, maybe alternated with mac and cheese--on vacation, it would be so much easier to have the Easy Mac. sandwich stuff in the house, and make it myself, than shell out for an $8 burger that he'd barely touch.

In addition, a condo or villa (on or offsite) will have laundry facilities. Again, probably not something you want to spend a ton of time on during your vacation, but...it's nto that big a deal. You can pack less clothing. Also, it seemed like I always had to do at least one "emergency" load due to a young child. So, having those options available is nice.

Obviously, how much you use the kitchen and laundry is your call.

Yes, you will have to pay for parking if you stay offsite, and you should figure that in your calculations. Also consider buying one person an annual pass, especilly if they have more trips int he year--this didn't work out to save us anything, but it's worth running the numbers.

We go in July--it IS very hot, and there are crowds. however, we foudn it very manageable. The most important thing is, get there at rope drop and do the popular stuff first. Also, taking an afternoon break is essential, even if your older child doesn't typically nap at home.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Hi! I am new to the boards. We are just starting to plan a trip for my son's
3rd Birthday in July 2012. We don't have exact dates yet as we are waiting for vacation and plant shut down dates.

I am debating between staying on or off property (the final decision will involve my in laws as they are helping pay for the trip and coming with us).
We will be travelling 4 adults, a 2 year old and 3 month old.

We will be driving from the North and have our own vehicle with us. SO I suppose parking can be worked into the decision making?

From a little exploring on the site it looks like we can stay at the OKW resort in a one or two bedroom villa, either would probably be fine (so again in laws can decide based on the price).

What are your opinions? I am sure as we continue planning I will have many more questions. Once we have exact dates I am going to price out each option. I am also debating between things like a hopper pass, dining plan, etc.

I think we will spend LESS park time if we stay off property but we would like at least see MK, AK, Epcot and I'm thinking Hollywood studios (I think that has things that would interest DS? cars etc)

There are definitely pros and cons to both and there are so many options (two rooms at a value resort, value resort family suite, DVC villas, offsite hotel suite, offsite condo or vacation house rental, etc.), but in your case what I would first do is have all the adults on the same page in terms of what accommodations everyone is interested in and what everyone's comfort level is with the different types of accommodations available before you start planning, especially since you said that your in laws are helping to pay for the trip. Happy planning

 

[squirrel]

I always stay on property. I fly in and ME picks us up and takes us to the resort. I enjoy sending purchases to our resort, charging privlages, EMH and the whole Disney experience.

I think two connecting rooms at a value resort will be the cheapest. You might like the family suites if you want to do some cooking.

 

[englishteacha]

Transportation wise, staying offsite really isn't a big deal. We've stayed offsite for all our vacations and have spent tons of time in the theme parks. We've even gone back to our condo/resort midday for a rest/lunch/swim, and gone back to the parks. Just because you're staying offsite doesn't mean you have to spend less time at the parks. We used some of the buses on our 2010 trip and we waited about 20 minutes for a bus to arrive once...we could have been in our rental car driving away in that 20 minutes. It certainly wasn't any faster! If you have your own car, you don't have the rental car expense, either. None of the resorts we've stayed at have ever charged us for parking. (of course, they didn't offer shuttle service, so charging for parking would have been dumb...how else is someone going to get to their hotel?!) There are only 2 of us, and it's always been cheaper to stay offsite, because we have to travel during school vacation weeks because I'm a teacher. Perhaps if we could travel "off season" onsite would be the same price, but that's not a luxury we have right now.

 

[kvnchapman]

Check out Wyndham Bonnet Creek. They offer a free shuttle to all of the parks. It runs consistently to the parks untill 12:00-12:30 ( the shuttle takes a break during many visitor's nap/break/pool time), then resumes service around 3pm until after park closing.
A 3 bedroom/2 bath dlx will probably run in the 115-135 per night range. They have wonderful amenities (pool complex with slides and lazy river, grills, minigolf, gym, planned daily activities, etc) and each unit is equipped with a washer and dryer, full kitchen and patio/balcony.
There is no parking charge at the resort.
If you look at a map of WDW, Bonnet creek is next door the WDW's Caribbean Beach Resort, so it is right in the middle of everything.
How do you feel about cooking on vacation? You can save a ton of money by having breakfast in the room. If your kids are small, the afternoon break is wonderful for everyone involved, and a perfect place to have an inexpensive and healthy lunch. When you do a park like AK, which usually closes early, an easy crockpot dinner thats cooked all day fits the bill nicely. I don't prepare anything extravagent (in fact, i never spent more than 10-15 minutes a day prepping and cooking), but the full kitchen saved us tons of money, allowed for some healthy foods, kept our bottles of water icy cold for the park, allowed us to store and heat leftovers and gave us lots of freedom regarding dining. Aside from a few treats and some character dining, we ended up snacking/eating in the room.
Having the quiet, individualized bedrooms was fabulous. The adults could sit on the balcony and watch the Epcot fireworks or veg in front of the TV without and worries of waking a sleeping/napping child.
Driving to the parks was a cinch and we actually spent less time in transit than we did when we stayed at AKL onsite. In fact, other than for MK, we spent more time in on WDW's transporatation when we stayed at the Poly.
As an added perk, DTD is a 1 mile drive from Bonnet Creek. TRex was a huge hit for my boys and making your own treat at Goofy's Candy Co. is a fun activity. Don't miss the water play areas there, either!
Definitely follow touringplans.com, carefully choose your park days and follow the plan. Hit the parks for rope drop. Every single one is less crowded in the morning, as long as it is not an Extra Morning Hour. (Avoid EMHs!)
Make your ADRs 180 days out. With little ones, my rec is to enter the park early with an ADR that occurs BEFORE park opening (Crystal Palace in MK, H&V in DHS or Tusker House in AK), go until noon or so, head home and swim, rest or whatever, go ahead and bathe the kids, around 5pm eat an early supper in your room, and head back out to the parks. Do this on the nights you would like to stay later (to see Wishes or F!, etc).
Probably no need for the extra expense of hoppers.
Oh, and don't worry with standing in long character meet and greet lines. Get your photos and sigs at during character dining and/or World Showcase in Epcot. Less lines, less hassle.
Have fun!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Forgot to add... check out the "Orlando Hotels" section of these boards, you'll find a lot more people who are real familiar with the ins and outs of offsite.

I also wanted to mention that ME wouldn't apply to this poster, as she's driving. So, no airport, no rental car. Also, since there are 4 adults in her party, there's no guarantee of connecting or adjoining rooms.

At this stage, you couldn't pay me to cram 6 people into two value hotel rooms (a TOTAL of 520 square feet!), when it's cheaper to rent a 2000 square foot house.

And thanks to the PP for giving such a great description of Bonnet Creek--I would love to try it someday, I've heard nothing but fabulous things. But, my gang wouldn't hear of staying someplace without the private pool--I just can't sell a nice resort!

 

[tripletmommiesrock]

We are in a similar situation that we are traveling with in-laws and we are going in June 2012. As I am paying for this trip I found that it was cheaper to stay off sight even with parking fees and such. We are staying in a condo that we've stayed at several times and for me the keys were:

1. The laundry facilities: I can pack a lot less clothes and just throw clothes in before we leave in the morning and then throw them in the dryer at night. Which with 4 children is a plus for me.
2. A full kitchen: This means that we don't have to eat every meal out. I'm planning on coving breakfast at the condo each morning, which will save money as well as being healthier. When i compare feeding 4 adults, my tween nephew and 3 5 year olds that would be at least $50-100 each morning. Instead I can get some cereal, toast, pancake mix etc. cheaper than that.

The deal is this puts cooking and laundry duties on me, which may not be something you want to do, however, for me this is a small price to pay for saving money.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Forgot to add... check out the "Orlando Hotels" section of these boards, you'll find a lot more people who are real familiar with the ins and outs of offsite.

I also wanted to mention that ME wouldn't apply to this poster, as she's driving. So, no airport, no rental car. Also, since there are 4 adults in her party, there's no guarantee of connecting or adjoining rooms.

At this stage, you couldn't pay me to cram 6 people into two value hotel rooms (a TOTAL of 520 square feet!), when it's cheaper to rent a 2000 square foot house.

And thanks to the PP for giving such a great description of Bonnet Creek--I would love to try it someday, I've heard nothing but fabulous things. But, my gang wouldn't hear of staying someplace without the private pool--I just can't sell a nice resort!

The six of us stay in 2 connecting rooms at a value resort pretty much every time we go and we have never "crammed" ourselves in. And really, it comes down to what your needs are. We pretty much sleep and shower in our room - the rest of the time we are in the parks. We always go for Free Dining and I would never do laundry or cook on vacation, so a kitchen and laundry facilities would be a total waste of money.