On or Offsite, need help choosing!

[wdw4fun]

We are visiting WDW for the 1st time and I'm trying to find the resort/hotel that will best suit our likes and budget. We were planning on visiting in September but had to push it back because our $$ wasn't ready. I'm disappointed too because I was in on the free dining. Oh well...here's the problem.... DH, DD10 and DS4 and I are all visiting for the first time and don't care so much about swimming pools (because we don't swim), don't care about sit down meals so much because we can eat fast food or anything and be happy. We don't care so much about renting boats or any of that. What is important to us is spacious rooms, not having to wait in long bus lines and preferably close to downtown disney so we can shop. With this in mind, do you think an offsite hotel is better or a disney resort. I've looked at the resorts online and just seem turned off by its size. I'm not sure how much time we'll spend at the parks so I can't say that just having a room to sleep in is important. By the way, we're now going in late November or early Dec.

 

[billwendy]

hi!!!

You are going to have a great time!!!!! Im sure you will hear both sides of the story with this thread, so you are still going to have to pick. The rooms in the moderates, In my opinion, are a pretty fair size, but they are not suites or anything. We do love to swim, and really only sleep in the room, so lately, we have been staying at the budget resorts (all stars, pop) and absolutely love them!!!

Just this past weekend we were in orlando staying on international drive near sea world. The hotel was the beautiful Roesen Center, room was spacious and it was near the I trolley that you can ride up and down international drive for shopping. Are you renting a car? If you are staying off property, I think its handy to have a car to drive to the parks and stuff so you dont have to rely on a shuttle,,,,every one has both good and bad experiences with shuttles. its just nice to be on your own time schedule. international drive was VERY crowded, and it took way over an hour just to get from where we were staying to the Belz outlets cause we were just sitting still from like wet and wild on. It was frustrating!!!! Also, some of the hotels closer to seaworld and stuff looked pretty tired if you know what i mean.

The thing that we missed was the magic. There is just something about staying on property that is magical. Its really neat to be surrounded by that, I cant explain it, but its definately there!! Anyway, just have a ball, which ever you do!!!!

Wendy

 

[lovinpoohbear]

Hi! We Stayed Offsite This Past June And Were Very Happy Staying At The Faifield Inn In Marriott Village By Little Lake Bryan. In Lake Buena Vista - It Was Only A 10 Minute Drive To Downtown Disney,very, Very Clean And Offers A Free Breakfast Buffet. They Describe It As A Continental Breakfast But We Found It Was Much More Than That Because It Had Huge Belgium Waffles, Fresh Fruit, Assorted Pastry And Much More...we Really Enjoyed Our Stay...and We Got It Cheap! Don;t Book Directly Through Marriott-book Through A Travel Agent...or Stay Onsite At One Of The All Star Resorts-they Look Really Nice For Kids!

 

[pbharris4]

How about renting points from a DVC member and stay in a 1 bdrm? It's on property and the rom has a seperate bedroom (w/ a king bed) and a living room w/ a queen sleeper and you have a full kitchen and a huge bathroom which is seperate (toilet in 1 room, shower/sink in another and jacuzzi and sink in another). Most points rent for $10.00 a point. You can stay at a resort close to DTD or the other DVC resorts and ride buses. I've never had long bus lines at BC or BW. If that too high for your budget..how about Homewood Suites? My sister stayed there before buying DVC and they liked it and said it was roomy. She also stayed at Embassy Suites and said it was OK, but she prefers to stay on property and I have never stayed off property so I can't give my own opinion. Since you like to shop..I heard the Mall at Millenia is nice. I didn't make it there this year, but will defintely go in the future. Whatever you decide I hope you all have a wonderful vacation!

 

[minijeanie]

In my opinion being first timers you really should stay inside.
but you are right, the rooms are very small if you are on a budget
the only decent size rooms are deluxe

with that in mind, I might recommend the wyndham hotel which is directly across the street from DTD..
had friends stay there last year and just loved it.
they got on busses at DTD and did what they wanted
the other half of their family was at poly and most of the time, the poly people went to wyndham.


now if you want to stay onsite,I would suggest a moderate.
The all stars resorts are not for you
very small rooms

 

[baileybelle]

WDW4Fun: check out this link at allearsnet.com

http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm Lots of specials during the time you plan on going including the Sheraton Vistana resorts, about 2 miles from DTD.

They are offering a 2 bedroom villas for $109. a night. There's lots of other info on that link about other accomodations too. Good luck!!

 

[HopperFan]

You should look at www.mousesavers.com. I think she gives good information and suggestions on some of the offsite hotels including some at Downtown Disney. If you are not planning on using many of the amenities at the hotels, then I see no reason to pay Disney rates.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

My two pennies being one who thought onsite was the ONLY way to go.

Well, in Jan for the first time we stayed offsite. There are so many super great deals out there for offsite hotels and even condos. They are very large, often have a themed swimming area, and many will offer some sort of free breakfast food in the morning. Do an internet search for budget disney vacation and order the Orlando Magiccard. They have a booklet that they send with it with some really great deals. PM me if you want any of the info from my booklet.

I don't think though that it would have been as nice had we not rented a car, but even with the car rental (super discount code from mousesavers), it was still cheaper than had we stayed onsite at All Stars.

We did a timeshare presentation one morning for free tickets and our hotel room (suite) for $99. Not bad, but wouldn't want to do it everytime.

Anyway, onsite, offsite, you are still in Disney. We had always stayed onsite before and never rented a car. Sometimes we did have to wait a bit for busses. Even though we are onsite this time as well, we will have a rental car.

May be there the same time as you! At least now you won't have free dining, but you will get to see all the great holiday decorations!

Enjoy whatever you decide!!

 

[Lynn4Mel]

We have stayed inside and outside of WDW. When we stayed outside we had to rent a car and worry about parking and that fee. Staying inside , you don't need a car, can use all the buses and they drop you off right up front.

During that time of year crowds are supposed to be at a min.

If you stay outside and have the time when you are "in" try to get some information on some resorts that might peek your interest and check them out. Then you'll know what you'd prefer for next time .

Just rememer... there is SOOOOO much to do down there inside and outside "The World", that whatever happens you will have a great adventure!

 

[Lisa P.]

Wdw4fun, given your particular description, I would stay offsite in a 2BR condo or timeshare nearby, rented by the week for under $350-$600. You'd have 2BRs so your children could fall asleep while you and DH are up. You'd all have privacy, space, 2 bathrooms and a full kitchen to save on breakfasts and snacks. At most of them you can park your car right outside your door. Traffic is minimal so long as you are not going to be there Thanksgiving Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat.

Look for a cheap rental from an owner in the classifieds at www.tug2.net or bid for a weekly stay on www.SkyAuction.com These are generally non-refundable but you'll be surprised at the deals you can get. To be very near DTD and shopping, try:

Fairfield Bonnet Creek
Sunterra Cypress Pointe
Sheraton Vistana Resort

Add 10 min to your drive and try:
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Hilton Grand Vacations at International Drive (not Sea World, which is further)
Fairfield Cypress Palms
(There are more too.)

 

[Quaktastic]

Another perk to onsite that has just happened is only on-site can make priority seating (now called Advanced Dining Reservations)

For the Money, I'd go either Port Orleans

 

[kaytieeldr]

Hi! We Stayed Offsite This Past June And Were Very Happy Staying At The Faifield Inn In Marriott Village By Little Lake Bryan. In Lake Buena Vista - It Was Only A 10 Minute Drive To Downtown Disney,very, Very Clean And Offers A Free Breakfast Buffet. They Describe It As A Continental Breakfast But We Found It Was Much More Than That Because It Had Huge Belgium Waffles, Fresh Fruit, Assorted Pastry And Much More...we Really Enjoyed Our Stay...and We Got It Cheap! Don;t Book Directly Through Marriott-book Through A Travel Agent...or Stay Onsite At One Of The All Star Resorts-they Look Really Nice For Kids!

Hey, no fair! They didn't offer all that when I stayed there... so soon after they opened that nobody had stayed in my room yet

I agree, that's a good place to stay - and if you're an AAA member, you can get the room for $60 per night total, including taxes (and I think any resort fee) from the AAA website.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

With our many trip to WDW we always stayed onsite. This past January, we stayed offsite for the first time. We had a very nice 1 bedroom condo at the Marriott. We did a timeshare deal to get free WDW tickets also. We rented a car and we were able to go to the mall and visit places we never did before. That being said, DH and I both agreed, never again. The driving to us was a hassle. Lots of traffic, loads of headaches, since we really didn't know the area. Our kids were 6 and 15 months at the time and the extra time of getting them in the car, driving over, taking the tram and all , to us was a hassle. We couldn't go back to the room for a rest if we wanted to, it was just too much time wasted. I think to park hop was a pain too, because your car is in one parking lot and then you go to another park, then have to go back to get your car. We are going in September and staying at the CR tower. No hassle! For us, even with the larger rooms and more freedom we will definetly stay onsite from now on.

 

[Gillian]

If you'll have a car, it's fine to stay offsite. I wouldn't like to depend on shuttles, haven't heard any good reports except for the downtown disney hotels.

I've never stayed at the all stars, but I think AKL and WL have small rooms, so I'm sure the values would seem small to me as well.

We haven't stayed in a DVC 1 BR but found the studio at BCV to be very nice, as well as affordable (rented points). A 1 BR, while very large, is also quite a lot of $$ (even with points).

I bet the Old Key West Studio would meet your needs. 2 Queen beds, larger than the value resorts, and close to shopping. I haven't heard about long bus lines there, I think because a lot of people drive around, because it's so convenient to park.

We have stayed offsite a bunch of times and got the best info from the Orlando hotels forum here on the DIS. I really liked renting a townhouse at Windsor Palms, and the condo there was nice as well. We've also stayed at Cypress Pointe and found the location to be ideal. It's close to downtown disney and the crossroads shopping center. We had 3 bedrooms, but they also have 2 BR and studios.

 

[Huntermom]

I've stayed both onsite and off and both have advantages and disadvantages. But if space is important, stay off site. Some of the deluxes-WL and AKL- have very small rooms.

We have actually split stays becuase my sons and husband really prefer space to theming and all of the villas we have stayed at have been very nice. You can also save a bundle with a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Even if you just make breakfasts, have a alarge lunch and than sandwiches or burgers for dinner, you will cut you food costs significantly.

If you don't want to stay at a villa, think about Homewood Suites or REsidence Inns. They offer a good amount of space at rates similar to the All Stars. Both have hotels at the entrances to Disney and both off free breakfasts.


Diane

 

[RescueRanger]

I agree with roliepolie... stay onsite. We stayed offsite one time. NEVER AGAIN. It is way too much hassle especially with kids. We have stayed in every level of accomodations: value, mod, deluxe, and villas. Although the larger rooms were nice, my kids favorite was POP. I know you said you wanted spacious rooms but in my opinion, I would rather stay in a cardboard box than offsite. The convenience of being able to come and go is too much of a plus not to mention being able to attend EMHs. You should be able to get a pretty good rate for that time of the year. Remember this is your first trip to WDW. It is hard enough planning your time staying onsite. I would not want the extra headache of trying to make plans while being offsite. Just my 2 cents.

 

[wdw4fun]

I have had such a hard time planning everything that I really needed to get someone else's opinion and I appreciate all of your tips and suggestions. I think I agree with those of you who emphasized the hassles of being offsite. We won't have a rental car and my DH would find it a major hassle to deal with unfamiliar roads and traffic and etc. THANK YOU, I think I will go back tot he drawing board of looking at mods and deluxes to see what we can save. Originally we had planned on staying at the Swan/Dolphin and then we changed it to POFQ once the dining plan came about and now since we're going later in the year, we may look at the Swan/Dolphin again. I really liked the idea of having a restaurant indoors onsite. I am definitely going to check out all of the resorts though when we get there so that next year we can plan better for it.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

I think that since you are not renting a car, onsite is the way to go! When we were onsite we never rented a car. Transport is very reliable. We had a few waits for the POFQ bus only during busy times after parks closed. If you run ahead of the crowd (which doens't sound like fun to me) or just sit on a bench and wait for the crowd to pass, you should be fine.

Happy planning!!!

 

[Lisa P.]

Another perk to onsite that has just happened is only on-site can make priority seating (now called Advanced Dining Reservations)

Onsite guests may make ADRs for all dates of their stay (up to 10 days) as of 90 days before check-in. They get 1-10 days (the length of their stay) earlier chance to reserve dining than offsite guests.

Offsite guests may make ADRs as of 90 days before the dining reservation requested. This has not changed.

So onsite guests who stay the longest get the first chance to make the most-difficult-to-secure reservations, such as Cindy's Royal Table (princesses) character breakfast in the castle. Onsite guests who stay for shorter stays are next. Offsite guests may find those very toughest reservations all booked and have to keep trying for cancellations. I believe this includes guests staying at Swan/Dolphin and DTD Hotels. However, if you are not trying for the absolutely most difficult reservations, offsite will not affect your dining plans.

 

[HopperFan]

Now knowing that you do not have a car - I change my vote to onsite. I would gladly give up space for Disney transportation. If you don't want the amenities but space, have you looked at the Wilderness Cabins. They really are very nice cabins.