OnSite or OffSite?

[mrsglw]

I keep going back and forth. I cannot decide which way to go. Any thoughts? If you stay close to Disney, is it just as easy to go back to your room offsite, as it is onsite?

 

[swillis]

I have stayed onsite and offsite. When I stayed offsite 2 years ago we chose to stay at the Marriot Grande Vista which is a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo with 3 pools, restaurants...the whole resort experience. It was about 15-20 mins away from the gates of Disney.

We did leave the parks every day around noon to go back to the hotel for a swim and a nap. The returned to the parks for dinner. It was easy to do, and I especially like having a car so that I can avoid having to wait in lines for Disney transportation.

Last year we wanted to see if taking advantage of the dining plan was a good value for us, so we stayed onsite. We stayed in the Fort Wilderness Cabins as this is the only onsite accomodation that was big enough, and around the same price as the Marriott Grande Vista. We still rented a car, and had to rent a golf cart at the campground as well.

For my family which is myself, DD13 and DS12 and usually my best friend travels with us, staying offsite is more economical. We get more space, and since I prefer to rent a car anyway, having the free use of Disney transporation as an onsite perk isn't of value to me. I found the dining plan to be too much food for us, and felt "pressured" to eat a big meal everyday in order to get our moneys worth.

So...the next visit we will stay offsite.

 

[myhusbandnofanofdis]

I asked this same question before our trip last week... Here is what I found:

We stayed at POR last year, and in Windsor HIlls this year. We stayed in a house with 4 BR, 4 Baths and a pool in the backyard. The house was the same price as 1 bedroom in POR...

Pro's of staying on-site

1) You are part of the Disney experience 24/7. When you stay off-site and leave the park, I think it is much harder to go back. When we were off-site, I didn't feel as though I was a part of Disney all the time. Some people like being able to separate at night... I personally didn't like it.
2) If you don't know what time a park opens, or when parades are... you can just go to the lobby and ask!
3) You get the "gaurantee" of the cleaniness and comfort of a disney property. Not that you can't find it off-site, but it is more of a risk...
4) You get cool souvenir shops in the hotels
5) The pools and such are done with such nice theming!
6) You don't have to look at all the very cheesy souvenir shops, like the ones with a big mermaid head or magician's head sticking out of the top. I really don't like that atmosphere. It just seems a little less classy!
7) DDP, and EMH!!

Here are the pro's of staying off-site (in my humble opinion)
1) Much more room for your money. Room to sit down and eat breakfast, more room in the pools (our resort pools have been so crowded at times that you cannot find your kids... no kidding). Separate rooms for kids and parents.
2) You have a few more dining options readily available to you.
3) Refrigerators, kitchens (in our case)
4) Money free'd up to do other fun things...



If you can't tell, I think I would prefer to be on-site, but I tried to think about the fact that I was saving our family $100.00 a night by staying in the house (we shared it with another family), and we could put this money toward other fun things at the parks.

There, you have it! I hope this helps you in some way!!

 

[dixipixi]

We have stayed both onsite and offsite. We enjoyed both experiences. If we are planning a trip where we are only doing Disney, then it's onsite all the way. If we have plans to visit other things around Orlando, then we stay offsite for at least that part of the trip.

We have never had an issue with cleaniness offsite. I will admit we have never had the "atmosphere" you get onsite, but every hotel we have stayed at in Orlando has been just as clean and nice as anything onsite.

We found it just as easy to get to the parks from our offsite hotel (we always stay in the Lake Buena Vista area) EXCEPT for the Magic Kingdom. We also enjoy using Disney transportation. We live in an area of the country where public transportation is nonexistant, so it's a nice change for us to not have to drive everywhere.

I did like the offsite condo because we took a family trip and brought along my stepkids who were teens at the time and since we didn't always live together, it was nice to have the privacy. They also enjoyed it because we did a lot more offsite and mall shopping that trip!!!

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

Here is where I think that staying on site is worth it. The disney dining plan.

I tend to stress about the money when on vacation, so this one thing helps me remain relaxed, because I am not shelling out wads of cash on food. Mind you, I already sent Disney a wad of cash for food, but now I don't have to think about what and where I am going to eat every day. I already stressed about it before hand. So, then I can truly enjoy my stay.

Somewhere on these boards, I think someone did a comparison of the food cost if you are not on the disney plan and they actually spent more. (It was awhile back, so the cost difference might have changed.)

Other than that, I have gone a couple of times where we stayed in the motel 6 and did Disney commando style over 4 days. While that is exhausting, the cost of lodging is minimal and the rooms are fairly clean. I am not necessarilly recommending this as an option, but when you are broke and you need your mouse-fix, then this is the way to go.

Hope this helps.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

No contest in my eyes - the only way to do Disney is to stay on-site!!

 

[letthewookiewin]

We stayed off site once without the kids, and I will never do it again. Especially if we have our DS's with us.

You get the benefit of EMH, DDP, and my favorite DME. Also, it's just so much easier to get back to your room, if you need to take a mid day rest.

 

[Artoo]

Every time I went with my parents, we stayed offsite. Mostly it was because of money (although I secretly think my dad just wanted to "get away" for the evening after being Disney-ed out).
For our honeymoon, we stayed at POFQ and I seriously don't think I will ever stay offsite again. It's so convenient to have the buses and monorails chaeufer you around (if you aren't renting a car), and you can't beat the Extra Magic Hours that resort guests get to take advantage of!
Plus, the resorts are so much fun. I love the different themes and the extra touches of magic. I definitely think staying onsite is worth the extra money.

 

[cart-mom]

DH and I have stayed off-site before and yes, it was to save money. The problem with that was that you get what you pay for. We stayed at a well known chain as well as a Mom & Pop kind of place and just didn't feel as safe & clean as when we stayed on-site. We'll never stay off-site again. No matter what the cost - we feel it is worth our peace of mind to stay on Disney property (especially with 4 kids now!)

We don't do the dining plan because it just doesn't fit our budget.

 

[mickeynut1]

Our first year (2001) we stayed offsite but have stayed onsite ever since (with the exception of 2 "everybody in the family is going" vacations) We went to Orlando for spring break (2006 & 2007) for 2 big family vacations (13 of us) and rented a vacation home each time. Although the vacation homes are VERY NICE, it's just not the same as being on property Staying at a Disney resort not only gives you the benefit of EMH, DDP (if you choose), transportation, and many other perks, but you have that Disney magic 24/7 There is money to be saved when staying offsite, but we feel it's also money well spent to stay onsite for the Disney perks Every family is different and vacations in different ways. That's what is so great about Disney.....there's something for every taste and every budget

 

[Lovetherodent]

This time around, we're spending some nights offsite.

I was considering parking myself and the fam at Disney and then taking a couple of day trips, but when I ran the numbers, the price of the Disney resort just wasn't worth the extra money for those days I wouldn't be doing parks. So, we're going to spend 3 nights in a beach hotel, do our offsite stuff, and then move to Disney.

However, once at Disney, I want to be surrounded by Disney, which means a Disney resort. It's not that other places aren't nice (and considerably cheaper), but they just don't have the magic.

If moving once during your vacation doesn't bother you, have you ever considered a few days off followed by a few days onsite?