On site vs Off site pros cons

[traceycc]

Hi all, we have been to Disney with our kids twice in the last couple of years, first time PO Riverside and loved it and AKL 2ys ago and loved it also. We go in Nov. It is teacher's convention week in NJ and that is when we go..since it is close to Christmas, we were considering staying off site close to MK like Doubletree or Embassy or something of the like. We would like more room there are only 4 of us but my kids are getting bigger and the sound of a suite sounds so appealing..Would some advise me as to the pros and cons besides the obvious as to which to do..we love staying on site, but the suites are so much money I love the Resorts but for less money we woudl have a bigger room and possibly get to Sea World or other places this time..

I am so perplexed as to what to do, I have the travel agent checking prices for me. We have friends who have a larger family and stay offsite and love it, they get bigger rooms free breakfast etc and say it is easier taking the car then waiting for the busses..

Any advice, or is there a forum as to weather on site vs off site is preferable??

 

[mbb]

I'm just going to pop your thread "downstairs" for some more opinions and advice...

(We like to do both on our vacations.. a little time onsite, and a little off...best of both "worlds" )

Have fun!!

 

[spiceycat]

stay most of your trip offsite - there are houses, condos, villas, timeshares - that are on the whole reasonable priced.

then decide which EMH night you just have to do - stay onsite that one night - Pop century is nice.... - then go back to your offsite resort.

yes i know this seems expensive - but believe me you will be saving enough money to stay one night onsite while still at your offsite place.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We have a condo outside of Disney that we stay at, but do stay onsite for a couple of days just because I am addicted to the Disney Magic that the different resorts give. When we go in June we are staying at POR for 3 nights to just use the resort as a resort and not do any of the parks. We are also doing things that we have always wanted to do but never had anytime for because we were always running around trying to park hop or get to some kind of dinner ressie. After our stay at POR we then are meeting up with my inlaws and staying at our condo and that is when we are hitting Epcot, US/IOA, and other various attractions. I know it can cost a lot more money doing it this way, but as one poster had said, staying on and offsite in one trip is the best of both worlds

 

[utahkennedys]

Pros: usually we get more space than on-site. Now that we own DVC, this has changed. But, for much less you can get a 2BR villa at Marriott or other places off site.

Cons: Driving, getting to parks, not being able to use Magical Express or internal Disney transportation. No EMH. For us, it kind of "loses" some magic to get in a car, park in a huge lot, take a parking tram, etc. We really enjoy our experience on site.

Have you considered renting points from a DVC member at say OKW? You will get a larger room than at All Stars for about the same price since the rental price includes all taxes and fees, plus you get a huge balcony, a kitchenette to make quick b'fasts, and a deluxe resort all on-site?

 

[Dis1978]

We have stayed at most of the disney hotels and have stayed off site a bit too. It is much better value off site and you do get a lot more space but it's just not the same as staying on site. The magical feeling is certainly a lot less for the kids. My kids just adore staying in the world. They especially love AKL.There is a special something, although the prices have gone kind of crazy in recent years.
We have gone for a split between Saratoga springs and 2 rooms at AKL. We got AKL at APH rate which brought the cost right down. Only problem is that Disney won't allow dining plan to be added on when rooms are discounted so much.
We also like the look of the new family suites at the all stars.

 

[5mins2disney]

You can always check into the offsite pool home type of resorts too:

www.vrbo.com

Windsor Hills:
www.windsorhillsrent.com

Other popular area resorts include:
Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, Indian Creek

Here's a map:
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

Cons: Having to drive to the parks, and getting there much faster than you would staying onsite because you're not waiting 20-30 minutes for a bus. Having to choose which of the multiple bathrooms and closets to store that pesky luggage in. Having to shower in separate bathrooms in the morning, missing out on that great "communal" feeling you get when all fighting for the 1 toilet in your hotel room! Having so much closet space that you end up shopping in the vain attempt to try and fill them, since you couldn't bring along enough clothing to adequately fill them. Having to not eat every meal out and waste lots of $$, after all, don't you want to go on vacation to eat out every single meal you can? I know I don't feel property "vacationed" if I don't come home with an empty checking account, no sir! LOL

Oh, one other huge negative...the most common thing heard in the offsite housing market from guests who have vacationed in this manner! "I never want to stay in a hotel ever again!"...which of course is a big negative for the hotel industry! Yes, vacationing in this manner might ruin your future prospects of ever staying in a hotel ever again, therefore should be avoided at all costs! (This is tongue in cheek obviously! hehe)

 

[Jill in Chicago]

We are staying in a rental home with its own pool this year. Our last trip we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. (Which we loved!) We are traveling with our 13 year old son. This was a very hard decision for all of us to make. We decided we really wanted to have our own bedrooms, more than one bathroom, a full kitchen (DH loves to cook), and our own private pool and hot tub. We do not want to spend the money to go out for dinner every night, so the kitchen is great for us. We have always rented a car, so we are used to driving. For us the bottom line was having more space. My promise to my DH was also that I would be in less of a park frenzy and more relaxed and I think staying off site will help with that.

 

[traceycc]

Thank you all for your advice, I really don't know what to do yet, I forgot we also stayed at Coronado Springs which was pretty nice also.. The problem I have is I don't sleep well especailly on vacation and having another room to go to to read or watch tv without disturbing anyone else is a plus! My DH will kill me, lol but he snores and sometimes very loudly now my kids can sleep thru it, but I can't and with being in one small room I just get crankier and crankier which I another reason to have the suite.. I will keep looking, now as to which suites to stay at? anyone have any experience with any of them. A friend stays at Marriott GV but they have the timeshare I really don't want to be bothered with a presentation and getting bothered..It looks like a really nice place..How about Doubletree Suites or Embassy??

 

[sunlver]

As much as I would love to stay onsite, we never do. We just cant justify the money. I hear the value hotels are the same size as regular old motel rooms
We are a one income family, and we do Disney on a budget. We stay off site(this yr Comfort INN LBV). We got a family suite room, where all 3 kids will all have their own beds . We get always get a hotel where there is a fridge/microwave in room free of charge, and free cont breakfast. That is always a must for us, because we save money with these things. We prefer to drive to the parks. To us, that is part of the magic parking at MK, and finding the right section and riding on the tram.We prefer having our own car so we can come and go as we please. We do not like to wait around for buses. If the kids are tired and cranky, the last thing we want to do is wait for an over crowded bus to take us back to our hotel.
We also like to stay off site because dining choices are plentiful.
If money werent in issue I would love to stay at the AKL...that is my dream place to stay..who knows maybe one of these yrs

 

[nezy]

We are DVC members an MVCI(Marriott) owners at Cypress Harbour. We love to stay on site because we are surrounded by the Disney Magic and conveniences of getting around. We do keep a car even when staying on prorperty and use Disney transportation sometimes but not always. As DVC members we stay in a 1 or 2 BR w/ a kitchen and laundry. We do not eat out and we do spend more time at the resort than if we were at a Hotel on property or off.

Lately we have been using our DVC points for other things like going to HHI or the member cruise. so for the last 3 yrs we have stayed at our Marriott Vacation Club-Cypress Harbour-(2BR) What I like about off sit is that I don't feel so caught up in everything Disney. There are other things to do. My kids love the activities right on the resort property and we tend to stay there. We have also been taking a few day trips to Tampa or to the beach.

In both situations we have a 1 or a 2 BR, Kitchen, laundry, great pools and great property and lots of room. It is much more relaxing when you have the space to stretch out and don't feel that you have to get out of your room or off of the resort property.

As far as on or off I love both-but I have the 1 - 2 Br-if I did not, it would be Off property for me- The prices for home rentals or condo rentals are very reasonable-also as was mentioned DVC'er are willing to rent points-check the DVC Rent/Trade boards

 

[MiaSRN62]

I agree with Nezy and others. I enjoy both on and off. We're DVC Members as well as Vistana owners, so we split our stays between both.

Onsite perks : immersed in disney magic (most resorts are beautifully themed and make you feel you're somewhere else), not having to park in the crowded lots (we always seem to be that one car that has to start the new row alllll the waaay down at the end ! lol) and wait for trams and monorails to get you into the parks (disney busses drop you right off at the gate); Extra Magic Hours (invaluable perk especially during busy times);package delivery to your resort (don't have to carry souveniers around from park to park); disney transportation is great for families with small kids when one becomes ill or tired, the one parent can go back to the hotel to rest while the rest of the family can stay in the park....and with teens the disney transportation allows them to go off and explore on their own.

Offsite perks: much larger rooms/kitchen/laundry facilities right in your room with timeshare---and of course disney has this too, but offsite is MUCH more affordable. You get extra space/rooms/balcony....lots of room to stretch out. I would only stay offsite again if it was a home or timeshare villa (I would not stay in a hotel room offsite). I, personally prefer a timeshare vs a home because I feel more like I'm at a resort with lots of amenities/activities. Though I do know some private homes offer similar too but you need to check it out. Homes are great if you can get one with a private pool---that's very nice. Also, some people actually prefer to get away from all the "disney'ness" and feel they can "escape" a bit from the hectic pace of wdw when staying offsite. I, personally, feel I can do this at many of wdw resorts as well, but there are varying opinions on this I'm sure.
Another perk to offsite : since it costs less to stay offsite this could mean more trip to wdw !


*I never felt the actual driving to the parks was bad when staying offsite, it's more the parking and catching of trams that can eat up some time. Particularily at the MK. It can take close to 45-60 min to actually get inside the MK gates from the time you enter the MK parking lot. If a member of your family feels ill or just plain tired....the whole family has to go through the process of leaving the park to go back to the hotel or the person leaving must come back to retrieve them. I feel disney busses/boats/monorails offers more flexibility in family vacationing styles.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

I tend to agree with the rest of the replies you have got.
We have stayed both on site, off site hotel and off site private villa rental and by far prefer the villa due to the major difference in space.
Our kids are getting bigger and just packing them off to a different room is so worth the 10 min or so drive to the parks each day.

We have enjoyed the villa experience so much we have just purchased our own rental townhome

If you are unsure you could just split your stay between on and off site - that way you will get the best of both worlds.

Good luck with the planning,

Tracey