Onsite help

[Wills Mom]

Having just stayed onsite once in the past for 2 nights and booking it through a TA I am completely clueless how it works so I'm hoping you kind people can help me! We are going to Florida with extended family next June for 2 weeks sometime after the 20th depending on flights. Tentative plans are to stay offsite with the extended family and our two boys who will be 3.5 and 1.5 in a villa. We would like to spend a few days as just a family of 4 so we are hoping to do either 5 or 6 nights onsite with free DDP.
My first question is if we book now with the current offer but then get a better deal on flights for different dates once the flights are released do we pay a penalty to change the dates or are we tied to the booked dates?
Secondly, since we have just stayed onsite once (at POP in 2008 or 2009 I think) we have never really done the onsite thing, we just used it as a base as we got a good deal through the TA but this time we want to use everything to our advantage. What would the best resort be for our family of 4 - studio at OKW or SSR with free ddp or a standard room at POR/POFQ and pay to upgrade to ddp? Both are similarly priced. Buses are not really an issue for us as we will have a car hired so really just kind of looking for pros and cons for these places. I have never been on property in any of them so am utterly clueless!
Now if we book our tickets through WDTC to get free dining but only stay onsite for the first couple of nights of our trip and then move to offsite I'm presuming the Ultimate ticket is still valid for the remainder of our days? But as onsite guests we would be using Magic bands so are they gone when we move offsite? Ideally we would like to end our trip onsite but I presume we can only use our tickets from the date our onsite stay is booked from, is that right?
As an onsite guest would we still have to pay for parking at the parks? When we stayed at POP we didn't do WDW (yes, mad I know!) so I have no idea.
We plan on doing several character meals and I am 99% sure at least some of the extended family want to join us for one or two meals but as they will be offsite guests how would I book those adrs? I am clueless about ADRs and the DDP since we haven't ever done the DDP and only a handful of ADRs in the past.
Lastly my DH is not 100% convinced we should do onsite, he agrees we should have a few days to a week of just our small family but despite a breakdown of the costs the DDP would save us (as we would be doing several character meals and probably a QS most days in the park) he isn't quite as convinced as me that its the rìght way to go. The idea of EMHs has definitely swayed him a lot, he likes the idea of being able to use those to our advantage. He likes the proximity to the parks for the kids to rest away from the heat of the day. Are there any other "selling points" I can mention to him to tip the scales?
Sorry for all the silly questions. I have been to Florida a good few times but am a complete novice at this! TIA x

 

[Cinderella2006]

We have just come back from SSR and it is a stunning resort, never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus and parking for disney guests is free in all disney parks. It was really nice to come home from the parks and relax by the pool without feeling your at disney, it was very tranquil which was welcomed after a busy day. The boys loved the resort, especially the pools.
On a budget we also love pop, has everything you need, good food court and buses are very good.

 

[Elise79]

Firstly, I would pick the resort with the the wing that appeals to you most - everyone will have a different option OKW is one of our favourites but I know it's not everybody's cup of tea. POfQ gets consistently good reviews

Parking is free for onsite guests.

Magic bands are reusable so will continue to work once you check out the only things that stop are your room access, charging and D DP credits.

You are correct you need to do the onsite stay first to get tickets which work until they expire

ADRs you just book the number of people eating - method of payment doesn't matter until you reach the restaurant.

I think I answered all your questions

 

[Wills Mom]

Thanks so much for your replies Thats helped a lot, thanks.

Actually theres one thing I'm not sure on. If we book now but our dates change by a few days when flights are released how can we change the dates to match the better priced flights or are we tied to the dates we book now?

Now just to decide which place we want to stay and get booking! I must do a bit more research, I have read a lot of reviews etc so I suppose at this stage it does just depend on what we want ourselves. Both of the PO resorts are praised for their themes and according to many have more of a Disney 'feel' but OKW and SSR both have kitchenettes which would probably come in handy with the kids. Decisions decisions! I am just so excited for our first proper onsite stay, not that its obvious in the slightest I'm sure I will annoy the heck out of everyone asking questions between now and then so apologies in advance

 

[Elise79]

Disney will let you move dates if there is availablity - if the booking stays the same or increases they will usually waive the amendment fees. If it decreases in price there will be an admin fee.

Be warned both POFQ and OKW do get booked up which can make shifting dates more difficult

 

[Sencybil]

Hi there

Parking is only free for the days when you are an on-site guests - its related to your hotel stay, not your tickets - not sure if that was completely clear.

Also, the kitchenettes at SSR (I'm assuming you're looking at a studio if its comparable in price to POFQ with DP upgrade?) are fairly minimal. Really you're just getting a microwave and a coffee maker. Not that that's a reason to avoid, just want to be sure you make your decision with the right info.

We stayed in an SSR studio and my 6yo slept on the sofa in sofa form, ie not pulled out into a double bed, which left a bit more space - as presumably you'd want a cot for the younger one. However the studios aren't huge. OKW are bigger, but have the second bed.

I thought there was quite a bit of variability across the resort at SSR, and there's very little you can do to be sure you get what you want. Our first room was really close to the access road and had a lot of traffic noise (despite us requesting a quiet location), so we asked to be moved. However the resort was apparently full so our request could not be immediately accommodated. We then moved to a room that suited us OK, but it was quite a way from everything - and there were other blocks that were even further. Just think about whether it will be OK if you need to get in the car to go to the QS, or have a 10+min walk with little kids. Of course, you might get lucky and be really centrally located, I just want you to be aware as I was initially a bit disappointed with SSR because my expectations weren't quite right.

You can link your tickets to your Magic band regardless of where your stay falls in the ticket range, however the issue is getting your bands. If you were in the US you'd receive them about 2 weeks before your hotel stay, so it would be no problem to use them while offsite if offsite came first. When we went in October, they were not posted to international guests but could be collected at your hotel. Hopefully someone will update if that is still the case. I don't know when they arrive at the hotel, whether you might be able to pick them up early? I'm only wondering because if it was me I'd probably prefer the onsite time at the end rather than the beginning, but whether its worth the risk that they won't be available when you want them and the extra hassle of going to get them is something to think about.....

I'm pretty sure booking your FP+ is again related to your actual hotel nights, so you'll be able to book them sooner for your on-site portion than for your offsite portion.

Remember to factor in the gift card to your persuasion of dh, you can use that to pay for anything on site - drinks, tips, food - as well as merchandise. And its not restricted in validity, so you can pay for meals during your offsite stay for instance.

Happy planning, and be sure to let us know what you decide to do!

Sencybil xxx

 

[Elise79]

You can link your tickets to your Magic band regardless of where your stay falls in the ticket range, however the issue is getting your bands. If you were in the US you'd receive them about 2 weeks before your hotel stay, so it would be no problem to use them while offsite if offsite came first. When we went in October, they were not posted to international guests but could be collected at your hotel. Hopefully someone will update if that is still the case. I don't know when they arrive at the hotel, whether you might be able to pick them up early? I'm only wondering because if it was me I'd probably prefer the onsite time at the end rather than the beginning, but whether its worth the risk that they won't be available when you want them and the extra hassle of going to get them is something to think about.....

I'm pretty sure booking your FP+ is again related to your actual hotel nights, so you'll be able to book them sooner for your on-site portion than for your offsite portion.

The issue is if you book free dining you have to book tickets at the same time and these can not be collected or used prior to your check in date at the onsite hotel.

FP+ booking is 60 days for any days you are considered onsite