Onsite Deluxe to Offsite—Will We Regret It?

[have2getaway]

That is kind of weird! Must be a supply/demand thing. PBH is usually the most expensive, but I've seen HRH and RPR be higher on occasion. Is there a difference in view?

There was only one club level room type listed for Royal Pacific for 1/12-1/16, and it came up $395 while PBH was $376, but if we were to go mid-week, which we don’t want to do, RPR is $310 and PBH is $371.00.

 

[have2getaway]

That is kind of weird! Must be a supply/demand thing. PBH is usually the most expensive, but I've seen HRH and RPR be higher on occasion. Is there a difference in view?

Could it be that the RPR Club Level is more sought after?

 

[klacey1]

Could it be that the RPR Club Level is more sought after?

That's what I meant by supply/demand. Could be RPR has more rooms booked that week or a big convention going on. Definitely suggest checking out the Universal boards for loads of information on the hotels. @schumigirl is the RPR Club Level expert!!

 

[gopherdame]

We switched to a house in Windsor Hills 10 years ago and have never regretted it. We go with my daughter's family and the houses are wonderful. I remember the year we got a 6 bedroom and the kids thought it was a mansion and they each had their own room. Having our own pool is the most wonderful part of it. We will NEVER go back to just having rooms at Disney, although we never stayed deluxe. We don't mind the driving though and of course know our way around by now. We also love having a car to get to other restaurants and the shopping malls. We've also done Universal and while it is a bit of a drive, we've never had any problems getting there. We were reluctant to do it, but unless you try it you will never know how nice it is. Most of the houses also have game rooms in the garage. Some of course are nicer than others but the grandkids love it. We are now retired and couldn't afford to stay at Disney anyway when we go for a month, lol.

 

[Shanti]

We have been to Disney 2 years ago and stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. This trip, we plan to also go to Universal and we wanted to try another resort to see areas of Disney we missed on our last trip. We currently have a 3 way split at Beach Club—3 nights, Portofino Bay—2 nights, and Polynesian for our last 3 nights. We were planning to do the DDP. Well, my DH was excited for our return trip, but now is feeling like we are spending too much money on Disney vacations. It will be me, DH, and 3 boys, all age 9. I don’t disagree. I started seriously considering staying off site to save money. But...DH doesn’t want to drive, likes ME, and doesn’t want me to change anything, but said he’s “good” after this trip. I would personally rather spend less money and feel as though it was a reasonable cost and return again in a couple years.

My question is, for those who have stayed onsite at a deluxe, or even a moderate, and then opted to stay offsite to save money, did you regret your decision? I don’t see us wanting to rent a car, but I honestly couldn’t get over the amount of money we would save staying off site, and, even if we don’t save money, the accommodations would be more spacious and could be more luxurious. I couldn’t help but notice that Portofino Bay for a week is more than 1/2 as much as the Polynesian. I also noticed that a Waldorf Astoria room is less as well, or that staying at Embassy Suites, we could get the free breakfast! If we really want a lot of space, a house rental at Windsor Hills is even cheaper. I looked, in particular, at Sapphire Falls Suites and Portofino Bay and found myself seriously rethinking our entire trip. That said, I know there are many cons to staying off site, including inconvenience of commuting, possible transportation cost (if we decide to rent a car) and a less magical experience.

Anyway I would just really love to hear everyone else’s experience and thoughts on this? Our boys were seven when we stayed at the Polynesian and will be almost 10 when we go back. I’m thinking they will still really want to be near the magic. That said, they are very excited to go to WWHP. maybe I’m just trying to plan too many splits at different resorts? but the thought occurred to me that the split stays may help us feel like we are getting our money’s worth?

What have others found? How much did you save? Or, Did you just have a better experience because you had better accommodations and felt like you got your moneys worth? Or, did you feel like you missed out and wish you had stayed on site?

Waldorf Astoria always looks great when I consider offsite. Never stayed there, though, as I'm an onsite junkie.

One thing to consider is if your husband's "I'm done" comment is really just about money, or if he's tired of the WDW experience. You might be in for an unpleasant surprise if you think it's the former & cut costs on this trip thinking that you'll ensure a later trip, and then later on, he still doesn't want to go back regardless.

So my advice is to very clearly communicate with him about exactly why he's reluctant to return. He might mention money at first, but also be tired of the lines, crowds & planning of the trips. I would explicitly verify with him that he'll be onboard with a later trip if you cut costs on this one, before doing so.

If this is going to be your last trip, regardless, it might as well be the trip you really want.

 

[have2getaway]

Waldorf Astoria always looks great when I consider offsite. Never stayed there, though, as I'm an onsite junkie.

One thing to consider is if your husband's "I'm done" comment is really just about money, or if he's tired of the WDW experience. You might be in for an unpleasant surprise if you think it's the former & cut costs on this trip thinking that you'll ensure a later trip, and then later on, he still doesn't want to go back regardless.

So my advice is to very clearly communicate with him about exactly why he's reluctant to return. He might mention money at first, but also be tired of the lines, crowds & planning of the trips. I would explicitly verify with him that he'll be onboard with a later trip if you cut costs on this one, before doing so.

If this is going to be your last trip, regardless, it might as well be the trip you really want.

He only wants to stay on. He finally did make that clear. He has only been the one time and thinks he has seen everything, which is why he doesn’t want to go back. I explained to him that there’s still a lot we didn’t see, like the Boardwalk area. We also barely saw Epcot on our last trip and both agreed we really want more time to explore the countries. There’s other places he wants to visit—Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Colorado, etc. and is concerned with the costs of the trips escalating, we won’t be able to do both. I think he is fearful of staying off site, but has agreed we will want to go back to see Star Wars, and admits we won’t need a week on site at Disney to do that. I think we are leaving this trip on site, and accepting we need to be open minded to other options for a return trip.

 

[have2getaway]

We switched to a house in Windsor Hills 10 years ago and have never regretted it. We go with my daughter's family and the houses are wonderful. I remember the year we got a 6 bedroom and the kids thought it was a mansion and they each had their own room. Having our own pool is the most wonderful part of it. We will NEVER go back to just having rooms at Disney, although we never stayed deluxe. We don't mind the driving though and of course know our way around by now. We also love having a car to get to other restaurants and the shopping malls. We've also done Universal and while it is a bit of a drive, we've never had any problems getting there. We were reluctant to do it, but unless you try it you will never know how nice it is. Most of the houses also have game rooms in the garage. Some of course are nicer than others but the grandkids love it. We are now retired and couldn't afford to stay at Disney anyway when we go for a month, lol.

I am so tempted to rent a house in Windsor Hills. My biggest concern was the deposit and clean up when we left. Dix you find this to be a big hassle. I just can’t convince DH that driving off site is manageable.

 

[KarenP64]

About 5-6 years ago we stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a 2 bedroom. He loved it; the space, the extra bathrooms, the kitchen, the balcony and the entire resort. He said if we stayed there every trip he'd go .... as long as there were days of just resort time, even if it was just him and DS1. So we did some split days and they stayed behind and did the activities, met a gator from Gatorland and he felt like he got the rest time in. We had a two bedroom for a total of about $700. I've stayed numerous time for that and less using SkyAuction.

Would you mind telling us more about Sky Auction? Any tips on how best to use it to book WBC? Thanks so much!

 

[gopherdame]

I am so tempted to rent a house in Windsor Hills. My biggest concern was the deposit and clean up when we left. Dix you find this to be a big hassle. I just can’t convince DH that driving off site is manageable.

No we never had a problem and our deposit has always been returned right away. The first year we did have a lot of garbage, but they told us where to drop it off. After that we made sure to get rid of stuff before the last day so we didn't have to. You don't have to do any cleaning but many places ask you to start a load of towels. Not a big deal as we have detergent and we bring less clothes because we have the washer and dryer. My husband was nervous about the driving the first year but the signs are great and it's really pretty quick to get to the parks. We have saved so much money over the years and we've been able to eat at so many different restaurants. We used to get so tired of Disney food by the end of the trip. Now we usually eat only 1 meal a day at the parks and usually eat breakfast at home. We also go to the parks less hours now and I can't imagine being cooped up in a room. I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you choose.

 

[sk8jdgca]

The universal premium hotels especially at club level are so so so much better than Disney. The express passes are so nice too. You may want to look at an annual pass at universal which gives you a room discount. It isn’t much more. Than the 4 day pass cost. I’ve done both Portofino and Royal pacific. I did like the club level room better at RP. Both have beautiful grounds. Why not just get an Uber back to the airport? Last trip, I booked the Hyatt at the airport for our last day.

 

[HopperFan]

Would you mind telling us more about Sky Auction? Any tips on how best to use it to book WBC? Thanks so much!

Sorry, just saw this.

Best bet is to go there, plunk in a place you know .... Wyndham Bonnet Creek or Sheraton Vistana Resort.

You'll likely get option to BID or to BUY IT NOW.

I used to bid but you end up right around Buy it Now, so I do that now. Old days you use it or lose your money, now they have a change insurance. I only used once (illness in family). Read TOP TO BOTTOM. They offer you check in dates, then scroll down to see if some dates have additional fees. Should only be additional $20 Admin fee at end.

Now if you do a bid situation, on most there is likely a $299 Base fee, which can push it way up there. I didn't mind when I won for $19. No turning back once you bid, if you win, they charge you immediately so be sure.

Hotels, I don't use it, the per night fee on top of the bid amount ... I can usually beat on my own without the commitment.

Lots of other options like $1 deal you use later like a Groupon but I don't see anywhere I want on those deals.

Best to read through all the fine print.

Only reason I haven't used them last couple years is that occupancy is so high in Orlando that I think less and less GREAT deals. I almost booked it for Sheraton Vistana Resort which would have been much less than POP Century but in the end since just two of us I'm just using points at a Hilton.

 

[KarenP64]

Sorry, just saw this.

Best bet is to go there, plunk in a place you know .... Wyndham Bonnet Creek or Sheraton Vistana Resort.

Best to read through all the fine print.

Only reason I haven't used them last couple years is that occupancy is so high in Orlando that I think less and less GREAT deals. I almost booked it for Sheraton Vistana Resort which would have been much less than POP Century but in the end since just two of us I'm just using points at a Hilton.

Thank you for the info! I checked them on ebay too; I've been using it for years & feel comfortable with their money back policy (if you have a bad transaction/seller). But, after doing a lot of research on WBC & being excited about trying it, I read reviews on trip advisor & was really put off by the "terrible" & "poor" reviews. I imagine a lot of people love the place with all the great reviews, but it's hard to ignore what some have experienced. Back to ground zero for us.... But, I appreciate you taking time to give us your tips!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Thank you for the info! I checked them on ebay too; I've been using it for years & feel comfortable with their money back policy (if you have a bad transaction/seller). But, after doing a lot of research on WBC & being excited about trying it, I read reviews on trip advisor & was really put off by the "terrible" & "poor" reviews. I imagine a lot of people love the place with all the great reviews, but it's hard to ignore what some have experienced. Back to ground zero for us.... But, I appreciate you taking time to give us your tips!

How do the negative reviews fit in with the overall trend? If enough people post reviews, there will be some negative ones, even at the nicest place. Also consider that people with bad experiences are more likely to write reviews than people with good experiences.

I can’t remember where I read it, but I recently read an article that said people have a tendency to give undue weight to bad reviews, even if the good reviews vastly outnumber them. It was talking about the one star reviews on Amazon, but the principle still applies. It’s like we’re hardwired to worry about the worst case scenario, even if it’s extremely unlikely to occur. In daily life, if ten people are nice to you, twenty are neutrally pleasant, and one says something nasty, it’s easy to carry the sting of the mean comment far beyond the attention we pay to all the other positive interactions, but that doesn’t make the nasty person more right or important.

Someone posted pictures of mildew on the shower curtain of a DVC room in another thread. Does it mean Disney has horrible cleaning standards on their deluxe units? Maybe, but I think it’s more likely that this was an outlier, and I’m most likely going to have clean accommodations if I stay there.

I’ve never stayed at WBC, so I don’t have a personal opinion about the place, but unless I see something crazy bad like bedbugs in the negative reviews, I’m going to focus on what the average guest has to say.

 

[zobow02]

We really regretted it during thanksgiving of 2016. We stayed in a condo that ended up being 20min away from disney, pretty small condo, no potholders, and rude staff. Never staying at Tuscana again!

It all depends on how you want to spend your time in the parks though, if you want to visit a lot of Orlando then staying offsite is a great option. This year we went twice and stayed off. But that was because we were in Orlando for family and for the just the wp's. But we are going back in late October and staying at Poly (and possibly another resort if we come a bit earlier) but we will be in the parks this time.

I prefer staying on though, It pretty fun staying in the middle of the magic

 

[have2getaway]

The universal premium hotels especially at club level are so so so much better than Disney. The express passes are so nice too. You may want to look at an annual pass at universal which gives you a room discount. It isn’t much more. Than the 4 day pass cost. I’ve done both Portofino and Royal pacific. I did like the club level room better at RP. Both have beautiful grounds. Why not just get an Uber back to the airport? Last trip, I booked the Hyatt at the airport for our last day.

I am actually looking into this, but I’m not sure when the APH rate will be available for January? I see that it isn’t available yet.

 

[Shellyred8]

One thing I would recommend would be to do just two splits instead of three. Having to pack up and move twice can put a bit of a damper on things, especially if you are trying to keep things as magical as your first trip.
We stayed at Universal's Cabana Bay resort a couple of years ago and were upgraded to a 1br suite. I was surprised how cramped just two of us felt in there. If you have 5 people, I would look into their deluxe resorts so you have a bit more room. The resort itself was a lot of fun and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. I just wanted to let you know that the room size might be a bit cramped for 5 people.

In regards to timeshare options, we recently stayed at Mariott's Cypress Harbour resort and it was FANTASTIC! All of the rooms are 2 bedrooms and two bathrooms. They were very spacious and would have lots of space for your entire family. The resort had pools and activities too, so if you want a down-day, there would be plenty to keep you busy there. I've also hear good reviews about Marriott's Harbour Lake which is just across the street from Cypress Harbour. Both are very close to Sea World. The drive to Disney was a little further than I would've liked, but for your Universal Studios days, it would be a great location.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[faeriesxist83]

Looove Bonnet Creek and Windsor Hills. Bonnet creek has a resort feel - we're staying there for our next week and are going to add a couple extra days to the trip just to hang out at the resort. We would never go back to staying onsite. The price is so much better offsite, that we can go twice as often when we combine the hotel and food savings from having a kitchen for breakfast. Not to mention being able to do laundry and hang out after the kiddo goes to bed.

 

[kathy884]

Just a comment about timeshare reviews. I belong to TUG2.net and the timeshare reviews there are really good (you have to be a member, though, to read reviews and there is a fee to join). The reviews are very meaningful though as they are from people who know what to expect in a timeshare and stay in lots of timeshares. Timeshare reviews on TripAdvisor are quite tricky for getting meaningful information. If someone made the foolish mistake (just my opinion) of going to a high pressure timeshare presentation instead of saying no, often although they loved the place the review will be super low, as the presentation time was so long, high pressure, and miserable for them. Also, some don't realize that a owner rental timeshare doesn't have daily maid service, room service, etc. and I have seen low ratings for that. And then others who stay in what I would consider to be a mediocre timeshare who have never stayed in one before give five stars, as they never had so much room before for such a great price, can't believe they have a washer/dryer, kitchen, and screened in balcony. I think getting a good list from this forum maybe a good bet vs. the reviews for these very reasons.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Glad you made a decision!

For future reference, there are more than a few of us who PREFER a rental car and parking at the parks to the (to us) hassle, crowds and inconvenience of Disney transportation. I have always been able to get a great (or at least good) deal on a car, bring my own GPS, and I'm good to go. Never a problem. It's not like driving in NYC or someplace truly urban, mostly regular suburban traffic.

 

[tobinsatdisney]

We haven't stayed at the WBC but the Hilton/Waldorf is our go to off site hotel. We love both properties and depending on the season even the Waldorf is often cheaper than many moderates if you have a AAA discount. We always have our own car since we're semi local but we do use the free shuttles often and they are very nice and you can get the schedule ahead of time online.

Sometimes my husband can get overwhelmed by the Disney "bubble" and staying there as opposed to off site helps : )