Onsite or Offsite...my story

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Here goes. We were originally going to WDW in August. We were staying at POP. We changed to October and decided it would be more"cost effecective" to rent a house. We haven't done the deposit yet b/c I'm starting to get a little sad. Part of me really wants to be onsite. We haven't ever stayed off site b4. I don't wanna feel like we're missing something. My main reason for not wanting to stay on site is the bus situation. I hate standing in line for the bus after say...FANTASMIC...when the kids are tired and wanna be picked up etc. We thought of renting a car for the whole time(We're going to Universal and Sea World so we were doing it for that part of the trip). I'm torn. HELP

 

[Grumpy92]

Hate to tell you you are still going to have to wait for transportation. When you leave if you brought a car you will have to wait for the parking lot tram then you will be stuck in a line in your car, to get out. So no matter what you do you will have to wait for transportation.

My suggestion give the family a midday break. Go early in the morning then do whatever have lunch and then return to your hotel. You will leave behind lines and the hottest temps. You can have lunch there, take a nap or a swim, then return to the parks for dinner and the show. Believe me everyone will be in a much better mood. Being on property makes this a little easier to do and it is more of a vacation instead of a marathon.

You also might consider just hanging around a little longer after the show and the crowds will thin out. On the up side Oct tends to be one of the least crowded months.

 

[cobbler]

Honestly I would stay onsite. Its just so much more fun. And while waiting for transportation can be boring its also nice because you don't have to do the driving and can sit and relax! And if you are going to rent a car anyway, you could stay onsite and drive there.

I think its much more fun onsite. Thats just me though. Either way you will have a good time!

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

I was thinking of waiting in a car line too, but I figured the kids will probably be asleep b4 we even get out of the parking lot. ya know, we've never gone back to the hotel b4. we just leave in the morning and don't return until late, late night. Since we have a 3 and 1 yr old this time though, I was thinking of taking a mid day break. Do you know if I have to pay for parking 2x or is a parking pass good for the day?

 

[califred]

Once you pay for the day's parking you won't have to pay again. If you are staying a disney resort i believe the parking is free anyway.

I have only stayed offsite and we had a great time, there were however 20 of us, so renting two houses was a million times more cost effective than getting 6 hotel rooms.

We're doing our first onsite trip this fall!

 

[brettb]

Also, keep in mind that weekly car rental rates are often a a better deal than daily rates. A week might be less than or only nominally more than a 5 or 6 day rental. And remember to keep checking the rates for any given rental as your travel date approaches! For my last two Dollar rentals, the price just kept going down, and down, and down. I think it bumped back up at the very end, though.

For example, when I first reserved a Full Size car from Dollar for 1 week in June (16th-23rd) of 2004, in April with no discount codes, the total was $201.54. On June 11th, with a BJ's code, it was down to $141.28. For our shorter December trip, it was less substantial--a Premium for 4 days (maybe because it wasn't for a week!) went from $158.04 on 11/1 with the MAG code to $132.97 with same code on 11/20. (The trip was for the first weekend in December.)

Also, getting the car at the airport when you arrive and returning it there when you depart may have a lower PITA factor.

Finally, the only time we *don't* use the rental car to get around WDW is when we're staying at the GF or the Polynesian and going to the MK. Then we take the monorail or the boat. The only place I really don't like driving to is Downtown Disney. Parking is always a pain there and I always end up not going in where I want to or not making the right turn into that end-most lot.... We often eat at other resorts on-property, too, and the car is a big bonus for that.

Brett

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Also, keep in mind that weekly car rental rates are often a a better deal than daily rates. A week might be less than or only nominally more than a 5 or 6 day rental. And remember to keep checking the rates for any given rental as your travel date approaches! For my last two Dollar rentals, the price just kept going down, and down, and down. I think it bumped back up at the very end, though.

For example, when I first reserved a Full Size car from Dollar for 1 week in June (16th-23rd) of 2004, in April with no discount codes, the total was $201.54. On June 11th, with a BJ's code, it was down to $141.28. For our shorter December trip, it was less substantial--a Premium for 4 days (maybe because it wasn't for a week!) went from $158.04 on 11/1 with the MAG code to $132.97 with same code on 11/20. (The trip was for the first weekend in December.)

Also, getting the car at the airport when you arrive and returning it there when you depart may have a lower PITA factor.

Finally, the only time we *don't* use the rental car to get around WDW is when we're staying at the GF or the Polynesian and going to the MK. Then we take the monorail or the boat. The only place I really don't like driving to is Downtown Disney. Parking is always a pain there and I always end up not going in where I want to or not making the right turn into that end-most lot.... We often eat at other resorts on-property, too, and the car is a big bonus for that.

Brett

Thanks for the info.

 

[mareed]

I was thinking of waiting in a car line too, but I figured the kids will probably be asleep b4 we even get out of the parking lot. ya know, we've never gone back to the hotel b4. we just leave in the morning and don't return until late, late night. Since we have a 3 and 1 yr old this time though, I was thinking of taking a mid day break. Do you know if I have to pay for parking 2x or is a parking pass good for the day?

In all of our WDW trips staying off-site & driving, I think we've only waited in a line in our car once at MGM for 1-2 minutes after Fantasmic. We're almost always arriving at or prior to opening, and thus we're parked close enough to walk to the park skipping the trams. This includes travelling at XMAS! I, too, would hate to wait in line for a bus, and then possibly end up standing! I definitely want to sit at the end of a day at the parks. We are staying on-site on an upcoming trip, but will still probably drive ourselves much of the time.

You only pay for parking once and it's good for all day.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

On site on off---drive to MGM...and get there bright and early to park up close. Are the kids too big for a stroller. Ours are (almost) 5 and 2....so we take the double b/c the 5yo will still want a stroller to go to sleep in. We've even walked to our car at Magic Kingdom and skipped the tram. Breaking everything down is just much more hassle than walking to the car.

If you stay on-site--parking at the theme parks is free btw.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Thanks All. We've decided to just stay off site like we planned.