Our 1st Offsite Trip

[Our 2 Princesses]

We just got back yesterday from our first offsite trip. Usually we plan our WDW vacations a year in advance but this one was more spur of the moment. 33 days before to be exact. We were on a pretty tight budget. We went to MK, Epcot, BG and Cocoa Beach. We also spent a day visiting DTD and the Monorail resorts. We drove down this time so we had the freedom to go where we wanted.

I reserved an un-named hotel through Hotwire. It was $40 a night plus $5 a night for resort fees. We ended up getting Baymont Inn and Suites on Black Lake Rd, right off Sherberth road which led us right to the backside of WDW property. It took us 10 minutes to drive to Epcot and 12 minutes to drive to the T&TC for Magic Kingdom. The lobby and room were very nice. The pool and courtyard area were well kept up also. The hotel included free breakfast. It was okay but it was included with the hotel price which helped the budget. We also used restaurant.com gift certificates and brought a packed lunch into MK and Epcot. BG doesn't allow outside food to be brought in.

We had an awesome vacation and liked our hotel but decided we still prefer to be onsite. If the budget doesn't allow us to stay in WDW next year, we would definitely pick this hotel again.

 

[TamaraQT]

Glad to hear you had a GREAT time !!!! My budget doesn't allow for an onsite stay in the accomodations I prefer either. The new Art of Animation Resorts looks like it may have some potential for me to consider in the future, but that's about it. I am glad you found acceptable accomodations for you and your family. I think you did very well for a last minute trip at $45 a nite. Based on your post, you were pretty busy and active. Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself and in the end, that's all that matters.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Glad to hear you had a GREAT time !!!! My budget doesn't allow for an onsite stay in the accomodations I prefer either. The new Art of Animation Resorts looks like it may have some potential for me to consider in the future, but that's about it. I am glad you found acceptable accomodations for you and your family. I think you did very well for a last minute trip at $45 a nite. Based on your post, you were pretty busy and active. Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself and in the end, that's all that matters.

Yes, we did have a wonderful time! We really enjoyed the weather since we usually go when it's much hotter. Where do you usually stay?

 

[TamaraQT]

Yes, we did have a wonderful time! We really enjoyed the weather since we usually go when it's much hotter. Where do you usually stay?

I am an off-site person. We have a timeshare at Westgate Lakes Resort. We always rent a car and we enjoy alot of what the Orlando area has to offer, so we do more than Disney on our vacations. We usually stay at least10 days. Our timeshare is a 7 day stay, so we have spent the additional nights trying out other places. I stayed at Econo Lodge on I-drive and that was decent. I found the Seralago to be ok, but I wasnt crazy about it. I was glad to check-out and check-in to my timeshare. We enjoy the space that timeshare/condos offer. I also stayed at Blue tree resort, Vacation Village at Parkway, Westgate Town Center and Westgate Vacation Villas. One year I am determined to stay onsite and as I said, the Art of Animation Resort looks like it may work for my family for a 3 night stay. However, we are not Disney Comandos and we really look forward to having "spread out" space at night. In the end it comes down to what works for you and your family. And my budget would only allow me to stay onsite for 3 to 5 days, while offsite I can stay for 10 days. So I choose offsite in the end. The more time in Orlando, the better !!!!!