Onsite vs. Offsite for December 9-11

[disney-super-mom]

Okay, I'm going to you, the experts, to advise me on this.

We are staying at SSR for a week (7 nights) beginning on December 11th. We decided to fly to Orlando a couple days earlier so we could spend a couple of days at Universal. So, we'll be arriving on the evening of December 9th and then moving to SSR sometime in the late afternoon/early evening on December 11th.

I was crunching some numbers for our first two nights, comparing onsite vs offsite, and here is what I came up with.

Onsite:
2 nights at RPR with tax = $493
Tickets (3 adult, 1 child) with tax = $567
TOTAL = $1060

Offsite: (within walking distance)
2 nights at the Doubletree Hotel at Entrance to Universal with tax = $142
Tickets (3 adult, 1 child) with tax = $567
Express pass for 2 days (4 passes each day, $20 each) = $160
Total = $869
or
Total = $709 (If crowds were low enough that we didn't need to buy Express passes)

So, here's the thing. I realize that when staying onsite you get UNLIMITED FOTL access, and the express pass only gets you one FOTL access per participating attraction/per day/per person. However, we're going at what is usually a slower time, correct? So FOTL may not even be needed. But even if FOTL is needed (and since I added the Express Pass costs into my comparison), is there any other great reasons to stay onsite that would justify spending a minimum of $200 or more? What would you do?

(I should say that IF early entry to WWOHP was exclusively for onsite guests ONLY, I probably wouldn't hesitate to spend the extra and stay at RPR, but since offsite package guests get early access too, I don't think it's worth the extra cost to stay onsite for the time of year we're going.)

 

[mjohnson96]

Here is another option for you, what if you stayed the 2nd night at RPR or another onsite hotel? That would give you 2 days of the unlimted express acess plus the 1 hour early entry. The price for the 10th would be 219 at RPH with no discounts and once you add the the cost of the express passes + the nights room at double tree you are pretty much coming out at a wash (parking eats up the rest).

I don't know if you have AAA but the AP discounted rate is $159 that night.

We prefer to stay onsite for the atmosphere and the proximity to the parks, as well as the unlimited express pass. We love the RPR and since staying there a couple years ago we don't stay anywhere else unless we have no choice

Also your express passes are for a single park each day where both parks would cost you an extra $40 and with the hotel you get unlimited express for both parks. And with kids I love the express pass

 

[Purseval]

December 9-11 you won't need express passes. That is one of the slowest times of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if even everything in WWOHP was a walkon. The fact that the PP found a $159 rate for that day shows how dead they expect it to be.

You could also try Priceline for a hotel in the Universal area and get it for a lot less than $71/nt. We are here in peak season and got the Wyndham for $28/nt, that is about a mile further away than the Doubletree.