Opinions about on v. off site.

[kevin75]

my gf and i are planning a 8 day trip from may 14-22 and are trying to figure out whether or not to stay on or off site. the general price for that period is either around $1650 to stay at Pop Century resort or around $2250 with dining . SO FAR, (and i am new at this) in researching off site options, when i look at airfare, rental car, etc. it seems that there isn't much of a difference in price. for only two people, is it significantly cheaper to stay offsite? we would like to stay relatively close but i guess if we have a car we aren't limited to the immediate area around disney.

thanks.

 

[sympatico]

It all depends on what you're looking for. If all you're doing is Disney and you don't have a car rental then stay on site. If you're planning other things and do have a car rental you can stay in a nice 2 or 3 bedroom condo at a resort off site for approx. 800 for the 8 nights or maybe even less than that. Go to the VRBO site and look at the properties in Windsor Hills. This is the newest resort and only about 10 min or less from Disney parks. We have a 3 bedroom townhouse with it's own splash pool and unlimited free long distance calls and internet for 10 nights for a thousand and there's only the two of us. We would much rather stay in something like this than to be stuck in one room for a week or so. But to each his own. Good luck.

 

[BrerMama]

Trust me, I've ran the number every which way. I think that you have to figure that staying offsite, you'll save a bit on food over the dining plan. One thing I have to take into account is that if we aren't on the dining plan, we wouldn't be eating a table service meal onsite for every meal. We would also be more likely to split our counter service meals rather than ordering each person their own meal, as would would probably do on the dining plan.

Right now, I'm having a hard time pricing everything out because it seems that car rental prices go down closer to your vacation dates, so the $700/2 week price I'm getting for a vehicle big enough to carry the family is not saving us much. I've read that rental rates are usually about half that, so that will help.

In the end, we're still saving about $1000 staying offsite when you factor in everything -- lodging, food, tickets, rental car/shuttle service, and parking. However, if we decide to stay offsite, it will be for more reasons than just budget. If we stay offsite it's because I actually enjoy getting away from Disney during our trip, because we enjoy the space we can get when we stay offsite, and because we want to see more than just the Disney parks during our almost 2 week trip. It's the whole Disney vacation vs. Orlando vacation question to me, and this trip, I'm leaning towards an Orlando vacation.

 

[QT Pooh]

my gf and i are planning a 8 day trip from may 14-22 and are trying to figure out whether or not to stay on or off site. the general price for that period is either around $1650 to stay at Pop Century resort or around $2250 with dining . SO FAR, (and i am new at this) in researching off site options, when i look at airfare, rental car, etc. it seems that there isn't much of a difference in price. for only two people, is it significantly cheaper to stay offsite? we would like to stay relatively close but i guess if we have a car we aren't limited to the immediate area around disney.

thanks.

Just as a comparison, this is what we paid for our 11 day trip in January last year:

Windsor Hills 3 BR condo - $1180.85
Mid-size Car rental (Thrifty) 11 days - $ 192.00
Parking ($9/7days) - $ 63.00
Gas (1 tank) - $ 28.80
Total $1464.65

This would leave you almost $200 in food just to get up to the price of the Pop lodging only option and give you a whole lot more room. There is other off-site lodging that's cheaper than this but Windsor Hills was very close (5 minutes to AK, no more than 15 minutes to MK). Certainly check out the vrbo.com website (Kissimmee rentals) to see all your different options - there are thousands.

 

[FayeW]

We always stay for 8 or 9 nights, and stay offsite. We win an auction for 7 days from skyauction, and then either add the exta night or 2 that we need directly with the resort, or take advantage of the great internet deals and stay elsewhere for the first couple of days, and move to the resort for the remaining 7.

The first time we won an auction, we chose Cypress Pointe Grande Vista (excellent resort and location, but doesn't come up on skyauction anymore). We paid $262. for the week, and added one extra night through hotelkingdom for about $89 or so. Total for 8 nights was less than $400. You can book a 2 bdrm at this resort pretty much anytime for $93. per night, through hotelkingdom.com

The next time, we stayed at Bryan's Spanish Cove ( okay, but not great). Again, we paid $262 for the week, but that time I got a great deal through travelzoo for the Sheraton Safari, so the first 2 nights we stayed there for $59. and then over to BSC for the next 7. Total for 9 nights was less than $400.

This trip, we are staying at Orbit One, cost was slightly higher at $265, and I have added on the 2 additional days directly through the resort, for $100. each night. Total for 9 nights will be less than $500. ( We may switch the first 2 nights, but only if we got a killer deal again. We've decided that it is worth the extra $80 or so to just check in once, and be able to get a few groceries right away.

You will probably be able to get a 2 bdrm condo at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms, through vrbo, for about $500 or $600 for your time frame. I had offers for 3bdrm condos/townhouses for $650 + tax for 9 nights, but then we were able to get Orbit One so we did that instead.

 

[Gillian]

If it were just the two of us I'd go for a king bed room onsite.

I'd book now through AAA with a decent agent (check the resorts board or codes and rates board or I can PM you the person I used) who will rebook you if a special comes out for that time. Make sure you are getting the discounted rate, even if you have to join AAA it's usually worth it.

The reason I'd choose onsite in your case is that you don't really need extra space, and waiting for the busses shouldn't be a problem for 2 adults on a long trip. You can take advantage of the extra magic hours at night, something that a lot of people with young children really can't (like us!). You can also get into the water parks 1 hour before offsite people, a great perk that is rarely mentioned.

I just think that onsite is a lot of fun if you don't have a big family and are planning a relaxing trip. I personally get stressed out waiting for disney transportation when we're in a hurry to be somewhere at a certain time. With a car you have more control. But in May, with no little kids, and lots of time, you can relax and take it as it comes.

Just my background. We've stayed offsite as a couple many times (due to budget), and onsite and offsite as a family several times. I've also stayed onsite & offsite on my own. We don't visit as frequently as some, but I feel like I can compare onsite/offsite accurately.

The meal plan is great, and a good value if you normally eat one sit down meal per day, but if you aren't big eaters and often split meals, it may not be necessary.

Also, you may not need park passes for every day you'll be there. For example you could do 6 park days with hopping and the water parks . The only thing that has to be the same # of nights as your stay is the meal plan.

 

[Gillian]

I still vote for onsite, but one reason to stay offsite rather than at a value resort is if you don't really like kids much! Pop and the all stars will have a lot of kids, and if you want some time away from them, an offsite condo or timeshare resort will let you get that.

We liked Cypress Pointe (grande villas but the other section looks good too), Windsor Palms condo and windsor palms townhouse (and would be willing to try Windsor Hills).

The 3 BR/3 BA townhomes in windsor palms/windsor hills are really nice. Most have a small splash pool or a hot tub. I know that's too big for 2 people, but they aren't expensive. You can see them on vrbo.com. I know there is another site where owners will email you with offers, but I can't remember it, sorry!

 

[solar]

I've also stayed at Cypress Pointe. We went in June and loved the space to stretch out in a 3 bedroom place complete with washer/dryer and kitchen...3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms mind you! We loved it here and will happily return in the future.

I will be staying on site because of my son's request this November. I'm excited to see the difference, but this time it will just be a room, not a large space...but I don't intend to be in the room often. At the end of the day in June, it was nice to each have our own quiet space for down time. (there were three of us in June, only two in November)

I'll be doing suites/Double Tree with Hilton Points in Feb. with hubby.

As for staying offsite, Cypress Pointe was about 2-3 blocks away from the main gate, but because we took the Auto Train, I did have my car.