Onsite versus Offsite

[sjw4870]

I am a veteran of WDW but have never really 'vacationed' at DL (been to the parks a few years ago, but haven't stayed on property since the 1970's!). At WDW I wouldn't dream of staying anywhere except onsite - but when I was at DL in 2005, I felt like it wasn't as necessary here. I was in town working and was staying at the Marriott Suites and it was a short drive and I could even see the fireworks from my room. What are the thoughts as to onsite versus offsite? I originally wanted to stay at Grand Californian or Disneyland Hotel (where I stayed as a kid) but the prices are more than I want to spent ($380 for Grand Californian and $280 for Disneyland Hotel). The Marriott for the same nights was $160. Will I be missing out if I am not onsite? (To further articulate my mindset - If someone asked me about staying offsite at WDW I'd talk them out of it; I'd even stay at a lower quality hotel onsite just to be onsite). Sooooooo - will I be okay offsite or should I just pay the difference (money not that much of a concern....but, you know.....is it worth it?). Any and all opinions are appreciated!

 

[tholczer]

I suppose it depends on why you like to stay onsite at WDW. If it's just because of convenience, then there are other hotels conveniently located to DLR that are much cheaper and would do the trick. I've stayed at both the Marriot and the Hojo and they are not bad. But if you like to stay on property because of immersion and the convenience of sending packages to the room, charging things to the room, etc., then you'll want to stay at the DLH or the GCH. We are local, but every summer, we stay for a couple of nights on property and we love it. We feel the extra $ is worth it.

Tracy

 

[skiingfast]

I think it mostly depends on how nice a hotel you are looking for.

For me convinience is how quickly I can get to the gates, and across from the parks on Harbor are hotels that you can walk to the gates quickly from. They don't beat the GCH but they compete with the DLH and beat the PPH.

Are they out of the magic? I'm not so sure. The thing I notice mostly is no CM nametags when you cross harbor. Traffic is a issue for some, but I see plenty of cars when at WDW and don't mine them in Anaheim. Harbor is a pretty nice street, more so on the sidewalks on the west side of the street.

If you need a nice hotel, keep in mind the super low rates that the Sheratons, and Marriots offer when there isn't a convention, is due to the fact that they aren't convienient to the DLR.

 

[pigby]

We are also WDW vets and like you, always stay onsite (except when we stay onsite at US)

This summer we stayed at HoJo's as the cost of staying onsite for 14 nights was just too expensive and we still felt close to all the action.

I think it also highlightes the differences in DL and WDW - in that in DL we enjoy walking offsite to different restaurants - offsite restaurants too far away in WDW - we never hire a car (by choice) - we can take advantage of coupons etc in Anaheim restaurants.

 

[HydroGuy]

Probably one of the best indicators on this is that you will find many on this forum who will only stay at Disney hotels at WDW, but at DLR often prefer a non-Disney hotel.

So here are some kind of random thoughts on the issue...


1. Closer Proximity

When you stay at Disney hotels at WDW you get, among other things, closer proximity to the parks and much better access to the Disney transporation system. IMO this is a huge plus there.

At DLR you do not need to stay at a Disney hotel to be closer to the parks, and there are at least a dozen non-Disney hotels closer to the parks than the DLH and PPH. So at DLR Disney hotels does not necessarily get you closer.

Further, there are many walking distance hotels at DLR and transportation becomes a non-issue if you stay at one of these.


2. More Time Spent Inside The Parks - Less at Hotel

Not sure if everyone is like us in this regard - but I suspect many are - but when we visit DLR we spend a lot more time inside the parks than we do at WDW. Which means we spend less time at the hotel at DLR. So spending extra $$$ for a hotel which you use primarily for sleeping can be viewed as a wasted expense.

When I looked at my trip reports I estimated that at DLR we spend about 11-12 hours per day inside the parks. At WDW I estimated it was more like 7-8 hours.

There are many reasons for this including: many more things to do at WDW outside the parks but still inside WDW, more time wasted on transportation at WDW, DLR has longer park hours and easier parkhopping, better weather overall at DLR and especially in the summer.


3. Magic - DLR Does Not Feel as Immersive

Since DLR is smaller and right it the middle of metropolitan Southern California, the Disney hotels do not not have the same immersive feel as at WDW. It is there at DLR and real, just not as strong.


4. Price - DLR Hotels are Expensive

WDW has Value, Moderate and Deluxe hotels to address a wide range of customer demand and affordability. DLR has only three hotels and they are very pricey compared to the non-Disney hotels - and frankly the value proposition of the DLR hotels is much less convincing than at WDW.


Bottom line...

Most DLR vets are fine staying at non-Disney hotels. We do not feel a serious detraction of the Disney experience at such hotels.

Many are in my camp and are absolutely sold on walking distance hotels at DLR (see "HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862). Some are willing to trade-off the walking distance hotel advantage for a nicer hotel (still non-Disney) based on their priorities. Others feel more magic at the DLR Disney hotels are willing to pay for it. The many hotels around DLR offer all of this so folks can choose what suits them best.

HTH

 

[Sherry E]

I suppose it depends on why you like to stay onsite at WDW. If it's just because of convenience, then there are other hotels conveniently located to DLR that are much cheaper and would do the trick. I've stayed at both the Marriot and the Hojo and they are not bad. But if you like to stay on property because of immersion and the convenience of sending packages to the room, charging things to the room, etc., then you'll want to stay at the DLH or the GCH. We are local, but every summer, we stay for a couple of nights on property and we love it. We feel the extra $ is worth it.

Tracy

I agree with Tracy on all of her points.

For me, personally, staying onsite really enhances my overall experience. I like to feel as though I am immersed in all things Disney from the moment I get out of the car to the moment I go home. I like to go to sleep and wake up on Disney property, enjoy the little Mickey ears bath products in the rooms, collect the souvenir postcards from the desk drawer, receive the pink Welcome folder with Goofy on it at check-in, use the room key (Key to the Magic) with my name printed on it, etc. I like being able to have my purchases sent back to the hotel. I like having the Magic Morning option to hit those Fantasyland rides while the crowds are low. I like to look for hidden Mickeys in the hotel room decor. I like to walk downstairs in the morning and see Disney touches everywhere. I just like the feeling of being onsite.

I usually just get a standard room wherever I am, but on my recent stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel I was upgraded (for free) to a park view room, which had an awesome view of DCA. I loved being able to see the DCA Christmas tree and the Grand Californian Hotel from my window at night, or wake up at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. and look out over the Paradise Pier area of DCA while they tested World of Color. It added that extra bit of magic for me.

But staying onsite is certainly not something that is worth it for everyone. There is such a drastic price difference between the onsite and off-property hotels that is hard to ignore the monetary aspect of things. I think that more and more people are beginning to stay off-property. For many people, getting more days in the parks or having more money to spend on food and souvenirs is more important than staying onsite.

 

[darph nader]

Color me frugal,,,(ok,I'm cheap),unless I win the lottery,I just can't justify the extra expense of staying on-site. We like to get away from all the hub-bub for awhile sometimes.

 

[nana50]

I suppose it depends on why you like to stay onsite at WDW. If it's just because of convenience, then there are other hotels conveniently located to DLR that are much cheaper and would do the trick. I've stayed at both the Marriot and the Hojo and they are not bad. But if you like to stay on property because of immersion and the convenience of sending packages to the room, charging things to the room, etc., then you'll want to stay at the DLH or the GCH. We are local, but every summer, we stay for a couple of nights on property and we love it. We feel the extra $ is worth it.

Tracy

Me too, I love the little things that make it more of a magical time. Crossing at the stoplight doesn't do it for me.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We can spend less staying 3 *or more* nights on Harbor *the HoJo is very nice ~ $59 per night ent rate* then 1 night on site would cost us! We do stay onsite occasionally but just for one or 2 nights ~ we start or end our trip somewhere much less expensive. We chose to stay on site at WDW last year and that was a great choice but it's very different at DLR.

 

[rosiep]

I, too, am a WDW vet who stays on-site. I've taken three trips to DL staying once at the Paradise Pier Hotel and the other two stays were on Harbour Blvd.

I would love to stay onsite in DL again simply for the immersion factor but it is impossible for me to justify the cost. Staying onsite in WDW can be cheaper than staying even offsite at DL. Even though I live on the West Coast most of my trips are to Florida because dollar for dollar it can be a cheaper vacation (Magical Express alone saves me $100).

Having said that, my two stays off site at DL were very pleasant. I enjoyed being able to walk to the parks, I was thankful for the (relatively) cheaper food options, and I loved having a fridge AND a microwave.

I have a trip planned for this May for Disneyland and am staying at the Fairfield. I always hope that an amazing deal will arise tempting me to stay on site..but I doubt it