On site, off site, or both? Crunching the numbers

[minerva78]

So...I originally thought we were going to be taking trip with my husband's family next June, and I was stressing about paying for a rental house when I wasn't sure if they would even be able to come. I just found out my SIL got engaged and now that my MIL is helping with her wedding, they won't be able to do Disney. Which means it's just going to be me, my DH and our two girls, and I must admit I'm a bit relieved!

I had recently decided to do a split stay - 4 days onsite renting DVC points to stay at Boardwalk Villas and 4 days offsite in a rental house with family - because I wanted to have some time with just us and not the extended family. But now that this entire trip is going to be just us, I'm rethinking everything.

Although I was completely against onsite at first, there is a part of me that really wants to stay onsite, but I'm not sure if I want to stay in one room with all of us for a week, even though we are a family of 4 with young children (will be 5 and 6) and not limited by where to stay. If we stay offsite it would be in a 3 BR condo or townhome at Windsor Hills, because many people seem to like it and it's close to Disney. We're driving down so we're able to drive to and from the parks. I definitely could stay a week with separate bedrooms in a condo/TH, but I also decided that I want to eat quite a bit onsite, including a few character meals, some TS meals, and mostly CS lunches in the parks. I "could" pack all of my meals and cook in a condo, but I realistically decided I don't want to do that, although I would use the condo for breakfast and an occasional dinner. So I developed a realistic food budget based on all of the onsite eating we will probably do. Being the obsessive person I am, I made some estimates for a variety of options I am considering.

My cheapest option (1) would be a 7 night stay in a Windsor Hills condo + 6 day tickets + OOP food.

Then I list the next options and how much more it would cost than option 1:

2) 6 nights AoA LM room + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $100 more*
3) 7 nights in a WH townhome + 6 day tickets + OOP food = $150 more
4) 6 nights DVC rental + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $200 more
5) 8 nights: 4 DVC rental with dining plan/4 WH townhome + OOP food + 6 day tickets = $400 more
6) 7 nights AoA LM room + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $500 more*
7) 7 nights DVC rental + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $600 more
8) 6 nights POR Royal room + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $650 more*
9) 7 nights POR Royal room + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $1100 more*

I put an * next to the onsite Disney packages, because those are estimates based on 2013 prices for the same week we'd go next year, with the understanding the prices will increase quite a bit, I'm sure. I'd guess at least $150 - $250, so those numbers are a little skewed. To be quite honest, I'm not all that thrilled about the AoA Little Mermaid rooms. I know my girls would LOVE the decorations, but I don't know if I could handle that small of a room for a week, and so far from the main building. But I could be convinced if others really think it's worth it.

As insane as this is, it is really helpful to have all of this written down to make some comparisons across length of stay, onsite/offsite, and how much more it would cost than my cheapest option. So now I can think, is it worth an extra $150 to have a townhome versus a condo, or is it worth an extra $650 to stay in POR but for one less night? It makes for a very interesting cost analysis. I also listed a bunch of pros and cons for each place to stay, but if I wrote all of that you'd really think I was insane.

Has this helped me decide which option is best? Um, no. But that's why I posted up here to get other people's opinions. Thank goodness I have plenty of time to decide. I do think the 7 night stay at POR is going to be a bit out of our budget though, so I might have to go ahead an eliminate it. But other than that one, I think the rest is financially feasible since we have a while to save up for our trip.

So give me your thoughts, what options do you like? What would be financially worth it to you?

 

[skw444]

We are having this same kind of decision. We're going in September and trying to decide between onsite in a little room, or offsite in a 2 br condo at Bonnet Creek. For us, staying onsite is about $350 more, so not a huge difference in price, but I really like the idea of having some more space to spread out at Bonnet Creek. We are going for 8 nights and it's hard being couped up together in a small hotel room even at Disney. Good luck with your decision!

 

[cmh314]

Personally I love staying onsite and being surrounded in the Disney bubble 24/7 while I'm there. Our kids are 4 and 7. I don't find it a problem to share a room with them on property for the week. But in a few years might be more likely to stay off-site so we could spread out and have more privacy etc.

I think a big factor is - how much time do you think you'll be spending in your room? We spend the majority of our days in the parks and when we're not in the parks we're at the pool, so we don't find it hard at all to have the 4 of us in one room for the week. If you're planning on lots of time hanging around your resort though, you may want to have more room and stay off site.

Some days we like to take a mid-day pool break and staying onsite is very convenient for that too. We use the buses and its been easy to leave the parks for a swim and then head back for the evening.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I think option #4 is your best option. You'll be onsite and have all of your meals taken care of.

We've been to WDW several times over the last 20 years and have stayed offsite (at many different places, one of which was a WH 3bed. condo) and onsite several times. I narrow things down this way: if the difference between offsite and onsite is less than $500, we stay onsite. Sure, the rooms are small, but we very rarely spend any time in the rooms. We truly do just sleep and shower there when we stay onsite because we spend so much more time at the parks than when we're offsite. Good luck deciding!

 

[Priscilla]

Don't forget to add in $14.00 a day for parking if you stay offsite. Not a huge amount, but it add up just the same!

 

[Marionnette]

So...I originally thought we were going to be taking trip with my husband's family next June, and I was stressing about paying for a rental house when I wasn't sure if they would even be able to come. I just found out my SIL got engaged and now that my MIL is helping with her wedding, they won't be able to do Disney. Which means it's just going to be me, my DH and our two girls, and I must admit I'm a bit relieved!

I had recently decided to do a split stay - 4 days onsite renting DVC points to stay at Boardwalk Villas and 4 days offsite in a rental house with family - because I wanted to have some time with just us and not the extended family. But now that this entire trip is going to be just us, I'm rethinking everything.

Although I was completely against onsite at first, there is a part of me that really wants to stay onsite, but I'm not sure if I want to stay in one room with all of us for a week, even though we are a family of 4 with young children (will be 5 and 6) and not limited by where to stay. If we stay offsite it would be in a 3 BR condo or townhome at Windsor Hills, because many people seem to like it and it's close to Disney. We're driving down so we're able to drive to and from the parks. I definitely could stay a week with separate bedrooms in a condo/TH, but I also decided that I want to eat quite a bit onsite, including a few character meals, some TS meals, and mostly CS lunches in the parks. I "could" pack all of my meals and cook in a condo, but I realistically decided I don't want to do that, although I would use the condo for breakfast and an occasional dinner. So I developed a realistic food budget based on all of the onsite eating we will probably do. Being the obsessive person I am, I made some estimates for a variety of options I am considering.

My cheapest option (1) would be a 7 night stay in a Windsor Hills condo + 6 day tickets + OOP food.

Then I list the next options and how much more it would cost than option 1:

2) 6 nights AoA LM room + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $100 more*
3) 7 nights in a WH townhome + 6 day tickets + OOP food = $150 more
4) 6 nights DVC rental + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $200 more
5) 8 nights: 4 DVC rental with dining plan/4 WH townhome + OOP food + 6 day tickets = $400 more
6) 7 nights AoA LM room + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $500 more*
7) 7 nights DVC rental + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $600 more
8) 6 nights POR Royal room + 5 day tickets + dining plan = $650 more*
9) 7 nights POR Royal room + 6 day tickets + dining plan = $1100 more*

I put an * next to the onsite Disney packages, because those are estimates based on 2013 prices for the same week we'd go next year, with the understanding the prices will increase quite a bit, I'm sure. I'd guess at least $150 - $250, so those numbers are a little skewed. To be quite honest, I'm not all that thrilled about the AoA Little Mermaid rooms. I know my girls would LOVE the decorations, but I don't know if I could handle that small of a room for a week, and so far from the main building. But I could be convinced if others really think it's worth it.

As insane as this is, it is really helpful to have all of this written down to make some comparisons across length of stay, onsite/offsite, and how much more it would cost than my cheapest option. So now I can think, is it worth an extra $150 to have a townhome versus a condo, or is it worth an extra $650 to stay in POR but for one less night? It makes for a very interesting cost analysis. I also listed a bunch of pros and cons for each place to stay, but if I wrote all of that you'd really think I was insane.

Has this helped me decide which option is best? Um, no. But that's why I posted up here to get other people's opinions. Thank goodness I have plenty of time to decide. I do think the 7 night stay at POR is going to be a bit out of our budget though, so I might have to go ahead an eliminate it. But other than that one, I think the rest is financially feasible since we have a while to save up for our trip.

So give me your thoughts, what options do you like? What would be financially worth it to you?

Are your DVC rental prices based on a 1- or 2-bedroom villa or are these studio prices? The numbers (by comparison) appear to be low for anything but a studio, which means you would all be in one room.

BWV studios have one queen bed and a full-size pullout sofa. There's a kitchenette with a coffeemaker, microwave and toaster. I would imagine that you would be putting the kids on the pullout sofa. The sofa pretty much blocks access to the balcony when it is open. So you won't be able to go out on the balcony while the kids are falling asleep because you may wake them up trying to climb over them to get back into the room.

I love staying onsite, but if being together in one room for the length of your vacation has you concerned, then I think that you will be better off staying offsite at either the condo or townhouse.

 

[mikehn]

Someone should develop a onsite/offsite app, if it doesnt already exist.

 

[Marionnette]

Someone should develop a onsite/offsite app, if it doesnt already exist.

Too many variable to make a comparison. If you're just looking at the dollar signs, offsite almost always wins. Where the Disney resorts win is when you take the intangibles into consideration. There is no dollar value for "being inside the magic 24/7". Not everyone finds value in that and even those that do have a tipping point where it isn't worth it.

 

[njmom47]

I'm no expert but my feelings are that when we went, we were so busy all day that at night we were so tired, we all went to bed early! We can sleep with the TV on so if dh was watching tv for awhile before he went to sleep, it didn't other any of us. And all we did in the room was sleep, shower, and eat breakfast.
Would your dkids nap? Would you want to take a break in the afternoon? Would you be ok driving back to your townhouse at the end of the day when you're all hot and tired and possibly your dkids might be cranky? How about looking for your car in the parking lot? Or dragging/holding tired little ones on the busride back to the resort?
Are your kids "troopers" or a bit "faint at heart?" What if one was "done" and you all had to leave? If you stay onsite, you could always take one back to the room and chill.

There are a lot of variants to consider!


I am all for onsite for our next trip, even though there will be 5 adults and 1 child.

ETA Yes I'm a Libra!!!

 

[eliza61]

So the thing with me is that unless it's a really big savings in price, I try to take money out of the equation. (lol, well as much as possible).

So my general advice is price out how you would really love to travel and start from there.

For example, we tried the values one time and by the 2nd day I really thought about smothering my dh in his sleep just to get some space, so no matter how much I would save by staying at a value, I would be miserable. how is that a good vacation.

Are there things that are non negotiable? could you forgo the dining plan for the dvc villa? sorry I know it's actually throwing more considerations into the mix which is not helping.

Start with listing the things that are important to you.

 

[minerva78]

Are your DVC rental prices based on a 1- or 2-bedroom villa or are these studio prices? The numbers (by comparison) appear to be low for anything but a studio, which means you would all be in one room.

BWV studios have one queen bed and a full-size pullout sofa. There's a kitchenette with a coffeemaker, microwave and toaster. I would imagine that you would be putting the kids on the pullout sofa. The sofa pretty much blocks access to the balcony when it is open. So you won't be able to go out on the balcony while the kids are falling asleep because you may wake them up trying to climb over them to get back into the room.

I love staying onsite, but if being together in one room for the length of your vacation has you concerned, then I think that you will be better off staying offsite at either the condo or townhouse.

Yes, the prices are for a standard BWV studio, a one or two bedroom was definitely out of price range. I didn't realize the pullout sofa would take up that much room though, I assumed we'd be able to go to the balcony okay while they slept. I'll definitely have to take that into consideration.

 

[msmama]

I agree with a PP that said unless it's a HUGE savings, don't let $$ make the decision. So, for me personally, the only think that I would definitely kick out is the last one.

You said you're going in June. It's HOT and STICKY in June. I'd want the option to go back to swim in the resort during the day.

I've gone with many people over the years, from friends to family and we've always shared rooms (and often beds). Frankly, I'd be willing to stay in quite a small room if it means I get to go to Disney World. You have to decide what is important for you in this vacation.

I'm an on-site girl all the way!! I don't think you realize just how magical the whole Disney thing is until you leave disney property! I like to do that at the end of my trip, and that's it, lol!

 

[minerva78]

I'm no expert but my feelings are that when we went, we were so busy all day that at night we were so tired, we all went to bed early! We can sleep with the TV on so if dh was watching tv for awhile before he went to sleep, it didn't other any of us. And all we did in the room was sleep, shower, and eat breakfast.
Would your dkids nap? Would you want to take a break in the afternoon? Would you be ok driving back to your townhouse at the end of the day when you're all hot and tired and possibly your dkids might be cranky? How about looking for your car in the parking lot? Or dragging/holding tired little ones on the busride back to the resort?
Are your kids "troopers" or a bit "faint at heart?" What if one was "done" and you all had to leave? If you stay onsite, you could always take one back to the room and chill.

There are a lot of variants to consider!


I am all for onsite for our next trip, even though there will be 5 adults and 1 child.

ETA Yes I'm a Libra!!!

All of the stuff you are saying is what makes it so hard to figure out what to do! I really don't know how my kids would be. I would plan to get to the parks by rope drop, do as much as we can until lunchtime, then come back to the resort to relax or swim. Possibly go back out later that evening, but possibly not. I don't see my girls taking a nap by then, my oldest doesn't nap now. But they are a bit prissy now. it's hard for me to imagine my girls tolerating all of that heat for so long, lol. It will be our first trip, so a lot I just have the guess.

 

[Marionnette]

Yes, the prices are for a standard BWV studio, a one or two bedroom was definitely out of price range. I didn't realize the pullout sofa would take up that much room though, I assumed we'd be able to go to the balcony okay while they slept. I'll definitely have to take that into consideration.

Another thing that you may not know about BWV villas: All studios are part of a 2-bedroom lockoff. What this means is that every studio in BWV connects with a 1-bedroom villa to make a 2-bedroom unit. When two different parties are using those rooms, the doors that connect the rooms can be locked on each side. Some people feel that you can hear through those doors better than you can hear through solid walls. Not all DVC studios are like this but at BWV, they are all like that.

 

[minerva78]

Someone should develop a onsite/offsite app, if it doesnt already exist.

Maybe not an app, but some sort of flow chart or questionnaire in which you answer a bunch of questions about your family, habits, vacation styles, attitudes, etc, and then it spits out the best vacation to suit your needs. Like a career aptitude test does. Then again, I suppose someone could make that into an app. After I get one vacation under my belt, maybe I'll put together a survey, do some research and develop something like that. I'm unbalanced enough to find that fun!

 

[damiel]

I too say option #4 sounds like the best bet. By the time you add in parking and gas plus your time driving to and from the parks the savings seems like it is not worth it.

 

[melifeld]

Are those the only options you considered? Not that I am saying there are not enough, there are plenty. But specifically, did you consider a different room at POR? I only ask because the room you are using in your comparison is the most expensive room at POR. And while they are really cool looking, they are the same size as the other rooms at POR. So you could, conceivably, stay in another room at POR for a lower price. Also, I've never looked into this, but did you see how much the family suites at the values would be? It may end up being more, I'm not sure, but it's worth a look. In those you would have 2 bathrooms, too.

I completely understand your dilemma. I am having a similar one for our July trip. I actually booked an offsite place because I got this great deal. But we have never stayed offsite before and we really like being in WDW 24/7. We will probably end up canceling and booking something onsite.

Whatever you decide, have a great vacation!!!!

 

[mafibisha]

Too many variable to make a comparison. If you're just looking at the dollar signs, offsite almost always wins. Where the Disney resorts win is when you take the intangibles into consideration. There is no dollar value for "being inside the magic 24/7". Not everyone finds value in that and even those that do have a tipping point where it isn't worth it.

Well said. It's priceless.

I asked our kids again the other day what they preferred, since we've done both onsite and offsite. All 4 said onsite, without a doubt, even if it meant less money to spend on souviners etc. We've traveled many other places staying in very nice places with great pools and such. And not that we didn't all love those, also. But there is only one magical WDW.

I agree with a PP that said unless it's a HUGE savings, don't let $$ make the decision. So, for me personally, the only think that I would definitely kick out is the last one.

You said you're going in June. It's HOT and STICKY in June. I'd want the option to go back to swim in the resort during the day.

I've gone with many people over the years, from friends to family and we've always shared rooms (and often beds). Frankly, I'd be willing to stay in quite a small room if it means I get to go to Disney World. You have to decide what is important for you in this vacation.

I'm an on-site girl all the way!! I don't think you realize just how magical the whole Disney thing is until you leave disney property! I like to do that at the end of my trip, and that's it, lol!

THIS. You cannot know how magical it is until you stay there, and then not stay there the next time.

Regardless, you'll have a great time wherever you stay!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You said you're going in June. It's HOT and STICKY in June. I'd want the option to go back to swim in the resort during the day.

That's why it's important to choose the right location if staying offsite. Depending on which park we were at, drive time was 8-15 minutes. On site folks would be hard pressed to near that using Disney transportation. Not to mention $589 for 8 nights stay with a full kitchen and a private bedroom for DW and I

 

[minerva78]

Are those the only options you considered? Not that I am saying there are not enough, there are plenty. But specifically, did you consider a different room at POR? I only ask because the room you are using in your comparison is the most expensive room at POR. And while they are really cool looking, they are the same size as the other rooms at POR. So you could, conceivably, stay in another room at POR for a lower price. Also, I've never looked into this, but did you see how much the family suites at the values would be? It may end up being more, I'm not sure, but it's worth a look. In those you would have 2 bathrooms, too.

I just looked up the cost of a family suite at AS Music and six nights in that was going to be more than seven nights at POR, which is out of my budget. I think part of the reason I wanted the Royal room, other than the theme, was that I believe they are only in certain buildings, and I think I liked the location of those rooms and the fact they had elevators - not sure if I'm remembering that correctly. I did look at prices for POFQ, and those rooms were a little cheaper, and I prefer the size of that resort. I really don't know much about the other moderates.

One pro I must admit in staying in a non-DVC room onsite is the ability to just put down a deposit on a package and pay one thing over time rather than having to pay for renting points all at once. I would get trip insurance regardless of what we do, but I am starting to wonder if the convenience of a package is worth it?