Onsite vs offsite. We're stayin onsite but I'm curious...

[Stacy's a freak]

For those who have done both and prefer offsite, why?

I know the savings can be considerable so that's obvious. But what about the lack of convenience?

Since I have only stayed onsite for the last 20 ish years, I have never rented a car or had my own. So I'm used to the convenience of coming and going on Disney transport. I don't love the time commitment since it can be an hour or more to get from your room to the MK, for instance. For those who stay offsite but close, how long does it take from room to theme park entrance (knowing that you have to drive, park, take a tram to th TTC, then monorail or boat in?

It also seems like a bigger hassle if you want to leave mid-day for a break.

And what if you want to park hop? Do you drive from MK parking lot to AK? Or do you take Disney transport to the other park knowing that you need to make it back to your car later In the MK parking lot?

Just curious.

 

[rwdavis2]

We have done both. The driving in from offsite did not really bother us because we always had a car at WDW and drove to each park anyway. You could park hop by using the express park hopping service. Otherwise you bite the bullet and drive between parks.

We mostly stay onsite given all that. But the one time we stayed offsite, Windsor, Hills, we loved the extra space, laundry, and kitchen.

 

[ldo]

we did offsite for 10 years when our kids were younger, staying in a 2 BF condo with grandparents. It was fine. We drove to the park in the AM and stayed until dinnertime. A midday break would have taken a long time, IMHO. My kids napped in the stroller at the park.
Now, we like onsite A LOT better. Our kids are teens. They can come and go when they want. Not everyone has to get up and out the door at the same time. We just stayed offsite this spring, with each kids bringing a friend, staying in a 3BR condo. DG felt like a shuttle bus driver, dropping off, picking up, different schedules, etc.

 

[megs1313]

we did a split stay, partly off site last year because we were gifted a one week stay at the sheraton vistana. For me, the part that really drove me crazy was being "outside the bubble." I hated having to go in and out of the maingate every day. for me, that's the signal of the start and end to the vacation. So maybe it's just because i'm spoiled, but it bugged me a lot. we also didn't even attempt to do any mid-day breaks when staying off site. if we left, we left for the day.

Personally, I wouldn't pay to stay off site, with the possible exception of bonnet creek (because it doesn't really feel off site,) in the future. If it were free? Maybe. Though, if it were free, I'd combo it with a paid onsite stay just like I did last time.

 

[pjhootch]

It has been a while since we stayed offsite, but we like it for many things. If we are doing a trip where Disney is just a few days of a trip instead of the main focus, off site is just fine. More space, less cost. I agree with the person who prefers onsite with teens. When our youngest hit the age they could visit the parks without us, I loved the convenience of being onsite and heading back to the hotel when I was tired of walking and letting the kids meet us back at the hotel when THEY wore out. Offsite without a car is a pain. We've done it- but I wouldn't recommend it. Many years ago when our children were small and our budget was super tight- we really had to stay offsite because we were a family of 5. There were times when it was really a relief to not be in the bubble. We liked to stay at Embassy Suites and it was always calm and relatively quiet.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've done offsite and we had a good time. But once we stayed onsite and didn't have to drive anymore we were sold. I do not like to drive while on vacation. I drive all of the time in my regular life with a FT job and two kids in activities. I also hate driving in places I'm not familiar with. I'll do it but it can stress me out at times. Honestly all of our non Disney vacations are non driving also. We do all inclusives or do Uber if we do NYC/Maryland, etc.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I did stay sorta offsite in 2003 and I wish I hadn't. The ex and I were pinching pennies and we thought if we stayed at a non-Disney hotel on Hotel Blvd. near Pleasure Island/The Marketplace (now Disney Springs), it would be just as good. The trip was poorly planned in general but we thought that we would have a nice enough hotel and would be close enough to walk to PI/M to get the buses to the parks. I think it was the Courtyard by Marriott which might be the Best Western now(?) and it was not close enough after all of the walking you do when in WDW. We had to use the Hotel Blvd. bus system which stunk. It was slow, irregular and I felt like a second class citizen being dropped off at the parks at the non-Disney bus stops which are farther away.

After we booked the hotel, I realized that our price per night was about the same that we could have paid for a MOD! Knowing what I know now, I would have changed it before we went. But hindsight ...

Ever since then, I vowed to never stay offsite. I love being in the bubble and I commute 1.5 hours each day so being OUT of the car is my goal too