Onsite (PBH/HRH) or off (Hyatt House, Home2 Suites)?

KalamityJane

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 10, 2012
Family of 5, we will have APs and have stayed onsite at RPR for an extended stay in Nov 2018. Planning a last minute trip in January and debating if onsite is worth it or not. I was looking at Hyatt House across the street (~160/nt for a suite), Home2 Suites (~115/nt), possibly Homewood Suites (~175/nt), or onsite at PBH/HRH with/without club level (245-345/nt). We have stayed in a Home2 Suites for a longer period before (not this one) and know they work out okay for us.

The price difference is compelling, and having a kitchen is really nice because we have a highly gluten sensitive kid.

My main thing for this trip is the least stress, and I think transportation might be stressful. If we stayed off site, I'd rent a car.

So - are EPs necessary at the end of Jan/beg of Feb?
Is club level worth it for pickyish/food allergy kids?
How bad is the walk from the parking garage to the parks?
 
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Last time I went to UO during the time period you have planned, was January/February 2017

I had zero crowds

No idea if crowds have increased since then for same dates but assume it still is an ideal time to go

I’m not one to want a kitchen and cook while on vacation in Orlando
I find it more convenient for me to stay onsite and have food and drink items ordered (Amazon, etc) and have in my room

Since you have a family member with food restrictions, do what works best for you

I prefer to stay onsite and not have to deal going offsite for my hotel room
I like being able to walk or use the water taxi from hotel to park frequently during the day
 
If you won't rent a car if you stay on-site, but will off-site, add in car rental and parking fees to the off-site pricing so that you are comparing 'all in' prices.

Either way, staying at PBH/HRH will probably still be more expensive, but the convenience, EP and Early Entry might make it worth it to you.

I guess the car.parking prices could also be offset by cooking your own meals if you have an off-site kitchen.
 
The crowds around Martin Luther King day are higher than just before and just after. It really is a personal decision. Some people prefer offsite and some prefer on.
 


Is there any reason that you are not looking at Cabana Bay or Endless Summer suites? While you would still have to walk to the parking garage to get the bus, you could save on the rental car.
 
If you don’t need a stove (microwave will do) then as the pp suggested I would look at the family suites at the value resorts.
 
So I did the math. Using the $245 price for the onsite hotel, if you stay 7 days, you are looking at a savings of about $250 if you go with home2 suites factoring in car rental and parking at UO. I did not factor in potential food savings as that would depend on what kind of eaters you are (share meals, buy pop tarts to eat breakfast in the room, fancy sit down restaurants, etc vs cooking in your suite). Factor in the value of the express passes and your savings is negative. Thing is the home2 website also states that extra daily per person charges may apply so it sounds like they might charge a resort fee. If they do it could get pricey and truly obliterate any savings. You may want to call and check to see if that is the case.
 


I consider EP to be necessary.
But I've been spoiled by always staying at one of the 3 Universal Hotels that include EP's
and wouldn't do it any other way!
 
$245 per night sounds like a good price for both EE and EP. Even if the crowd levels are low, both are very nice to have. It seems like a family suite at CB would be much cheaper than your offsite options if you think you can get away without EP, but at least it has EE and transportation to the park.
 

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