On-site vs Off-site

[chrismb22]

My take is a little different - I'd rather stay onsite in a regular room that stay off site in a bigger room/suite/condo, whatever. Disney just isn't the kid of trip we need that much for. The kids crash at nap and bedtime so sharing the room isn't a big deal. We usually rent DVC so we save money that way and we get a balcony which is great to hang out on for the adults. I love not having to drive, do carseats, park, etc. We walk or do disney transport everywhere and not having to worry about a car is part of the vacation for me. I find it very easy to go back for a rest when staying onsite. But again, renting DVC and staying closer to the parks is part of that. I also wouldn't waste a day in the middle like that for a break day on a 3 day trip. Maybe do 2 days in a row so you can enjoy the whole entire day in the parks and then make the last day a pool day and/or downtown Disney, etc.

Are you me lol?

I like to be on site and I. The "bubble" so to speak. My husband and I hate having to drive on vacation and the idea of no map/no gps etc is very appealing. I refuse to cook on vacation (even when my son was a toddler) so we don't need a kitchen. That's one do the main reasons we do the dining plan, even if it might not be saving us all that much. I want it easy and with the plan, I know I don't have to junk about how much money I need each day etc (other than tips). To me, it's like being at a all inclusive resort on an island -- only with Mickey. .

 

[Luv WDisneyW]

I have to agree with tourguide81.
We have been going to Disney with our kids since 2002. We have stayed in off site, on site, value and deluxe resorts, it is more than worth it to stay on site. Our kids were good stroller nappers, but even with that we still would go back to the resort, nap, snack and head back around 5 - 6pm. Everybody seemed renewed, not sure if we would have done that if we had stayed off site. Also, driving to the park staying ON site is WAY closer than staying OFF site when you have sleepy kids that are restless in snug car seats!!

 

[dcsnoopy]

So, after reading all the comments, and a bunch of other threads (especially in the Disability forum) here and some other Disney web-sites, we finally decided...

Option C: We booked a garden wing room in the Contemporary. Yes, we tripled the cost, but I remembered that I had an uncashed check from my parents for my birthday and decided that we haven't splurged on ourselves in several years, so we bit the bullet. We know that there are many issues, but the overwhelming bonuses for us:

- we are still slaves to the nap, our kids don't fall asleep easily unless we cut off the stimuli and we want to waste as little time as possible on the naps. We figure the next time we splurge on Disney (next year will probably be just one day to the park and back to my parents), they kids will be past needing naps and we'll have more options

- my wife pointed out that being in the Contemporary gives her more options since she can't drive and this way she can walk to the park or back to the hotel, or take the monorail as needed if we need to split up for any reason

- we felt that this gave us more flexibility on the three day stay if we wanted a day off, or decided to do parks all three days (all depending on how well the kids handle it all), but being on-site and monorail accessible made the option of two shorter days in MK and one day in EP or other plans more practical. Hence we had some flexibility to change the schedule as whim and the children's ability to cope dictated.

Thank you everyone. We read every comment and appreciated all of the viewpoints and we felt all of the comments were helpful in making our final choice.

 

[mm1971]

So, after reading all the comments, and a bunch of other threads (especially in the Disability forum) here and some other Disney web-sites, we finally decided...

Option C: We booked a garden wing room in the Contemporary. Yes, we tripled the cost, but I remembered that I had an uncashed check from my parents for my birthday and decided that we haven't splurged on ourselves in several years, so we bit the bullet. We know that there are many issues, but the overwhelming bonuses for us:

- we are still slaves to the nap, our kids don't fall asleep easily unless we cut off the stimuli and we want to waste as little time as possible on the naps. We figure the next time we splurge on Disney (next year will probably be just one day to the park and back to my parents), they kids will be past needing naps and we'll have more options

- my wife pointed out that being in the Contemporary gives her more options since she can't drive and this way she can walk to the park or back to the hotel, or take the monorail as needed if we need to split up for any reason

- we felt that this gave us more flexibility on the three day stay if we wanted a day off, or decided to do parks all three days (all depending on how well the kids handle it all), but being on-site and monorail accessible made the option of two shorter days in MK and one day in EP or other plans more practical. Hence we had some flexibility to change the schedule as whim and the children's ability to cope dictated.

Thank you everyone. We read every comment and appreciated all of the viewpoints and we felt all of the comments were helpful in making our final choice.

A little late to the party, I guess. CR was going to be my suggestion since you can walk to MK where you will get the most of your time with little ones. The monorail will be like an extra ride as well. Our kids always loved the monorail ride.

We usually stay at either POR or POFQ now as the kids love the resorts and they are not as expensive, but for a few days with little ones, we would have made a similar choice.

Have a great trip!