Onsite vs offsite?

[lennyd]

you also dont have to pay for parking if you are on site,

 

[married2mm]

OP, you asked this question on the Disney Resorts board.

If you try the Orlando Hotels board you'll get the opposite response

Me? Pretty big onsite guy, but I'm trying Wyndham Bonnet Creek next time because it's 2 bedrooms and a kitchen for $100 a night during Easter.

Do you mind sharing where/how you got such a great price?
Thanks.

 

[JasonMouse]

Don't limit yourself to Beach Club. There are technically 4 studio level hotels at EPCOT, 2 of them being the DVC villas, but they are booked the same as hotel rooms. The resorts are basically the same. Then there is Swan & Dolphin, but those always end up being $250 / night anyway. You can get BC for that price sometimes.

 

[msb578]

Do you mind sharing where/how you got such a great price?
Thanks.

Vacation Strategy. $103 per night to be precise

Also got a good quote (a bit higher) from Ken Price at Vacation Upgrades. At the time we spoke, I didn't think our schedule would work out. And I'm still not sure. But he can book Bonnet Creek at 13 months out because he owns there (vs 10 months).

 

[newestkg06]

We had been looking at staying offsite for our next trip. (WBC, Hilton Bonnet Creek, Marriot, etc.) But, when we factored in resort fee (which everyone charged but WBC if you are renting someone's points), parking fee at resort and parking fee at the parks....plus the 60 day fastpass and 180+ ADR's......We are hoping to get free dining at a moderate. So...Hilton was around $160/night + $25 resort fee + $25 parking +$19 parking at Disney per day. VS...CSR for $192/night with no fees and free dining. (savings on dining plan alone for family of 4 for 8 nights, $1600) No brainer.
I'm still torn a bit, because I was excited to try some offsite restaurants, but it's just not going to happen. Now, if I was going in the summer without free dining, those calculations may be different.

 

[Mousetopia]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The reason I don't want to rent DVC points is because I get the free dining and a few other things included in the package which works out to be a good deal

I am not sure what you mean by a few other things but you may want to look hard at the numbers. Often the free dining instead of a discount barely evens out to a good deal. At the 30% (usually the top discount you can find) discount rate it depends. (when I've crunched numbers) In my may it has been a wash or the better discount was the best deal. The renting of points can be significantly cheaper than that. Depending on where you stay, how many in your party I would really wonder if free dining is the best deal. For example, last November a deluxe villa at Old Key West with a lot of space, kitchen, etc. was $167 a night! for up to 5 people I believe.

 

[cheryllarsen]

On site!

 

[act1980]

I am not sure what you mean by a few other things but you may want to look hard at the numbers. Often the free dining instead of a discount barely evens out to a good deal. At the 30% (usually the top discount you can find) discount rate it depends. (when I've crunched numbers) In my may it has been a wash or the better discount was the best deal. The renting of points can be significantly cheaper than that. Depending on where you stay, how many in your party I would really wonder if free dining is the best deal. For example, last November a deluxe villa at Old Key West with a lot of space, kitchen, etc. was $167 a night! for up to 5 people I believe.

Hi! In the UK we get some pretty good deals. I got 2 14 day adult Disney tickets which include hopping and water parks for $850 in the package, plus the free memory maker which is worth $169. I did look at renting points but booking through Disney direct and only having to pay £100 until next August 2017 was too good a deal to pass up!

 

[loves to dive]

Op, I think it depends on what you want out of your vacation. Do you want the extra space, the kitchen and the ability to do laundry right in your room? Other than renting points (which by the way is not always less expensive then staying in a room, it's according to where you are staying and what kind of room, and you will have to pay it up front and book way in advance) or paying the price for booking DVC through Disney, then off site is going to be better for you. I've only stayed off site once in over 30 years of going and that was back in the late 80s and I'll never do it again.

My reasons are mostly convenience of getting around. I drive down so I have a car but never use it, I rely strictly on WDW transportation and have no problems with it. When I'm on vacation I don't cook, sorry I just don't. I don't do laundry, again I just don't. So those two factors are off the table with me. I've rented points once and while it was fine, it was a last minute trip and I ended up doing a split stay because I couldn't get anything for the entire length of stay I needed. I was solo so all I needed was a studio, I ended up splitting with POR and OKW. I've stayed in a 1 bedroom at AKV with my son and DIL but we went through Disney and I actually got a better rate than I would have had it been available and I had been renting. We didn't use the kitchen not once except to make coffee, which you can do in any moderate or deluxe. I've stayed in a studio at BWV but again through WDW and not renting, again got a good rate with my AP discount. I've stayed at the Swan and will be doing so again in Sept. I love the Epcot resorts and actually could have gotten a room at BW for the same rate once you factor in the silly resort fee and parking fee at Swan but I'm not fond of BW. Swan/Dolphin often run specials so I'm hoping between now and my stay I'll knock at least $10 to $20 a night off the rate I'm paying. My last stay after changing my reservations 4 times (they kept coming up with better discount) I ended up not only saving the resort fee and parking fee but an additional $20 more per night.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Hi! In the UK we get some pretty good deals. I got 2 14 day adult Disney tickets which include hopping and water parks for $850 in the package, plus the free memory maker which is worth $169. I did look at renting points but booking through Disney direct and only having to pay £100 until next August 2017 was too good a deal to pass up!

Platinum plus annual passes that are good for an entire year are only $829, and include all that, plus discounts on dining and merchandise.

 

[act1980]

Platinum plus annual passes that are good for an entire year are only $829, and include all that, plus discounts on dining and merchandise.

When I say $850, thats for 2 adults tickets

 

[act1980]

Op, I think it depends on what you want out of your vacation. Do you want the extra space, the kitchen and the ability to do laundry right in your room? Other than renting points (which by the way is not always less expensive then staying in a room, it's according to where you are staying and what kind of room, and you will have to pay it up front and book way in advance) or paying the price for booking DVC through Disney, then off site is going to be better for you. I've only stayed off site once in over 30 years of going and that was back in the late 80s and I'll never do it again.

My reasons are mostly convenience of getting around. I drive down so I have a car but never use it, I rely strictly on WDW transportation and have no problems with it. When I'm on vacation I don't cook, sorry I just don't. I don't do laundry, again I just don't. So those two factors are off the table with me. I've rented points once and while it was fine, it was a last minute trip and I ended up doing a split stay because I couldn't get anything for the entire length of stay I needed. I was solo so all I needed was a studio, I ended up splitting with POR and OKW. I've stayed in a 1 bedroom at AKV with my son and DIL but we went through Disney and I actually got a better rate than I would have had it been available and I had been renting. We didn't use the kitchen not once except to make coffee, which you can do in any moderate or deluxe. I've stayed in a studio at BWV but again through WDW and not renting, again got a good rate with my AP discount. I've stayed at the Swan and will be doing so again in Sept. I love the Epcot resorts and actually could have gotten a room at BW for the same rate once you factor in the silly resort fee and parking fee at Swan but I'm not fond of BW. Swan/Dolphin often run specials so I'm hoping between now and my stay I'll knock at least $10 to $20 a night off the rate I'm paying. My last stay after changing my reservations 4 times (they kept coming up with better discount) I ended up not only saving the resort fee and parking fee but an additional $20 more per night.

Thanks for the info, very helpful! I think Disney direct are offering a good deal so I will book directly with them. As I'm in the UK, we don't pay resort fee's so thats one less thing I have to worry about too.

 

[DisBuckMan]

When I say $850, thats for 2 adults tickets

Ah...apologies. I missed where you said "2" in your original post.

 

[act1980]

Ah...apologies. I missed where you said "2" in your original post.

No worries!