Our offsite stay cost breakdown

[sammielynn]

Did the Onion Rings and Shakes really make a $37 difference? Wow!

Day 4: Lunch @ Sci Fi: $43 (2 adult meals, 2 kids meals)
Day 2: Lunch @ Sci Fi: $80 (2 adult meals, 2 kids meals, onion rings, 2 shakes)

 

[At World's End]

Bamadisddreamer: I did pay a $200 deposit via PayPal, and I received it back in less than a week.

sammielynn: I pulled out my receipts. Good catch. I hadn't added the tip onto the receipt for the 2nd meal. Also, I ordered a drink at the first visit, and the 2nd time I ordered a kids meal instead of an adult meal. I will adjust my figures accordingly!

 

[indigoxtreme]

Don't forget that the price is just one factor in this analysis. The living space gained from this condo to even the moderate room at Disney I would calculate at much greater than $40 a day. And some off site resorts also have excellent shuttle systems in place.

Edit to add: As soon as your spouse/child wants a snack at 3:30pm and you used their snack voucher at 11am that cost needs to be added in to the on-site total. Also in order to maximize the dining plan you will need to sacrifice flexibility in what you do each day. "It's 82 degrees and I'd like to hang out by the pool today. Can't do it honey, I made dining reservations 180 days ago, we need to at restaurant XXX at 12:30 sharp"

I guess that everyone can and will have their own way of thinking or looking at something. We always drive down so no car rental and or plane fare. Short trip to hotel onsite, no driving, use bus system (We have never had any transport problems with the bus, boats etc. Fortunately). When I make our DP reservations, it is based on where we will be and I have found at many times I am able to change them without any problems as long as it is not a major holiday. We are in our rooms so little and we never have to wash clothes as we bring them with us. In regards to extra space. I want the family around, at home they have space to get away. So the one time we are all together it is nice to be near each other regardless of ages.

So, I guess your situation would be good for people who do not drive down. The ones who fly and rent cars. But for our family it is not worth the little savings and loss of time driving back and forth. Also with snacks in the dining plan etc. We never use all of ours. So no added cost. To each their own and that is why people are so much fun, we are all different.

 

[WendyDarling]

Good information. Thanks for posting. This time we're staying onsite, but as the kids get older, we've thought about a trip where we split up some of our activities and don't do Disney the entire time. It's nice to hear the positives of being offsite!

 

[I'd rather be diving]

I really really really wanted to stay onsite when we go this year in May. But I could not justify spending the money. I own a timeshare and did a trade and ended up with two 2 bedroom/2bathroom condos at Sheraton Vistana Resort for $189 per unit for the week. We also will be able to save money on buying groceries and eating at least breakfast and dinner in. My husband will not be able to take the mid day heat so we'll be at the parks with the grandkids prior to rope drop - hit it hard - and then go back to relax for a late lunch. We can have an easy dinner and then head back to the parks when it is a little cooler. Husband and I will be away from home for 3 weeks total so the ease of a washer and dryer is an added bonus.

To someone who posted about restaturant.com. I was able to get a $25 certificate to Todd English's Blue Zoo for $2!!!!! They run the 80% off special a lot on the website. I know that we will clearly spend more than $25 there but it's an additional discount....then I'll feel like I can drink for free!!!!

 

[threeblessings]

. We rented a fullsize car through Alamo for $149 incl. tax and ended up with a minivan.

Can you share more about how you got this price, seems like a great deal!!!

Thanks for all the info and taking the time to share all of this!

 

[At World's End]

I used a 20% off ID code for Florida rentals combined with a $40 off coupon (both found on mousesavers.com). I booked directly through Alamo. My rate was $115/wk plus $49.32 (for 3 extra days) less $32.88 (20%) less $40 = $91.50. Taxes and fees added $57.57 for a total of $149.07.

I had made many, many reservations as I found better prices. Each time the price dropped (I checked weekly and followed the January car rental thread on the Transportation board), I would make another reservation at the cheaper price, then cancel the original reservation. I ended up getting this final price the day before our pickup date. I started at $365 about 6 months ago, so I was pretty happy with $149!

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I have to tell you you have a lot of detail (which is great!) my current only question is about the youth program thing..I have seen a few people talk about that will have to look into that a little more...but thanks so much for your info...I get a car when we go down too...just easier will have to talk to DH and see if he is ok with eating "store bought" food. I do like free dining but money is the main issue....thanks again

 

[stacy347]

I'm not against staying on-site (we've done both and each has certain perks ), but I just wanted to comment on this statement:

But for our family it is not worth the little savings and loss of time driving back and forth.

On our last trip we stayed off-site on 192, and everyday we were on property and at our destination in half the time of what it took when we used the WDW buses on previous on-site trips. I just don't want people to think that it takes any longer to drive, when that is not the case.

That being said, obviously this would not hold true if for MK and Epcot if you are on the monorail line or if you stayed more than a few miles from WDW property, but from what I see on the Dis, most off-site guests try to stay as close to property as possible.

Honestly, once I realized how easy it was to drive back and forth to the parks, the thought of using the buses again does not sound the least bit appealing to me.

In any case, thank you so much to the OP ~ you gave a really informative breakdown of your trip that I think could really help people weighing their options!

 

[loveysbydesign]

I'm not against staying on-site (we've done both and each has certain perks ), but I just wanted to comment on this statement:



On our last trip we stayed off-site on 192, and everyday we were on property and at our destination in half the time of what it took when we used the WDW buses on previous on-site trips. I just don't want people to think that it takes any longer to drive, when that is not the case.

That being said, obviously this would not hold true if for MK and Epcot if you are on the monorail line or if you stayed more than a few miles from WDW property, but from what I see on the Dis, most off-site guests try to stay as close to property as possible.

Honestly, once I realized how easy it was to drive back and forth to the parks, the thought of using the buses again does not sound the least bit appealing to me.

In any case, thank you so much to the OP ~ you gave a really informative breakdown of your trip that I think could really help people weighing their options!

I so agree! We have stayed onsite and offsite and my family was ready to shoot me after we used the busses from SSR to MK and had to wait FOREVER! My dh said we could have driven back and forth 2 times in the time we had to wait for a bus to take us back to the resort and he was right!

 

[angelmav]

OP, thanks for the post and workup. I was looking at booking onsight with the military discount (half off on deluxe) which is a great deal but when I did the math again its a difference of $3500 (with the discount for two rooms at AKL) versus $750 for a 4 bdr house with private pool and hot tub for 8 nights. Made me do the math again and realize why we are still staying off site!

I dont understand posters like indigo though. Why comment on a thread defending staying onsight that you prefer less room? O....K....

This isnt some suddenly great deal as someone mentioned earlier either due to the economy, 2 years ago we had a 3 bdrm house ten minutes from Disney for $550 for the week with a private pool and it was wonderful! Tons of similar offers

 

[*disgal*]

I'm not against staying on-site (we've done both and each has certain perks ), but I just wanted to comment on this statement:

On our last trip we stayed off-site on 192, and everyday we were on property and at our destination in half the time of what it took when we used the WDW buses on previous on-site trips. I just don't want people to think that it takes any longer to drive, when that is not the case.

That being said, obviously this would not hold true if for MK and Epcot if you are on the monorail line or if you stayed more than a few miles from WDW property, but from what I see on the Dis, most off-site guests try to stay as close to property as possible.

Honestly, once I realized how easy it was to drive back and forth to the parks, the thought of using the buses again does not sound the least bit appealing to me.

Having had lots of trips on-site and lots of trips off-site, I can tell you that the statement above was 100% true for us too. In fact, I think it wasn't till we stayed off-site that we realized just how easy it was so we decided that even when we stay on-site now we drive our van. We might use the bus for the morning MK run, go back to the hotel for the afternoon and then we drive our van over in the evening. I'm sorry, I've had enough of the "stand and wait 15 minutes for the bus after the fireworks, then only have standing room left for my family while I try not to cry because my feet hurt so badly ....." , you get the picture.

The only exception is staying at the monorail resorts. I would love to stay at one of those. That's why they're the big bucks. But I've stayed in all three levels of resorts and bus-wise they were all the same.

 

[sammielynn]

Love off-site! Love having a condo! Love having a kitchen, with two teen boys! Just love going to Disney! Don't mind the drive at all. Once we were at Disney at the same time as my Brother and his wife, we were in an of-site condo and he was on-site. We were able to drive to the parks and be waiting at the gate for them every morning. They never got there first. We are off-site people.

 

[threeblessings]

I used a 20% off ID code for Florida rentals combined with a $40 off coupon (both found on mousesavers.com). I booked directly through Alamo. My rate was $115/wk plus $49.32 (for 3 extra days) less $32.88 (20%) less $40 = $91.50. Taxes and fees added $57.57 for a total of $149.07.

I had made many, many reservations as I found better prices. Each time the price dropped (I checked weekly and followed the January car rental thread on the Transportation board), I would make another reservation at the cheaper price, then cancel the original reservation. I ended up getting this final price the day before our pickup date. I started at $365 about 6 months ago, so I was pretty happy with $149!

Wow! That is great! Did you do the reservations online and use the codes, or did you have to call?

 

[ToddyLu]

Cool post and I enjoy reading everyone's responses. I am always afraid that when I read about cheaper off site villas, I may regret DVC. I am glad that works for many people. Just not for us. DH and I love AKV-K, the buses, do not mind the "remote" feel---blah blah blah. There is no transit or bus system where we live--people drive everywhere. The buses to us are part of the experience. So this post really helped me feel better about the way we choose to do Disney.

 

[shalom]

There is no transit or bus system where we live--people drive everywhere. The buses to us are part of the experience. So this post really helped me feel better about the way we choose to do Disney.

There is no one right way to do Disney. It's about what works best for you and your family. Glad you're seeing more precisely why your way works, both so you can be more comfortable in it, and so you can find the best adjustment should it stop working for you.

 

[At World's End]

Wow! That is great! Did you do the reservations online and use the codes, or did you have to call?

I booked online at Alamo's website. There is a website called carrentalsavers.com that plugs in discount codes for you, and lots of peole have booked at great rates with them, but I just plugged in the codes myself. I wasn't sure how to combine a discount code with the coupon on that site.

 

[LeeJad]

Could you please tell me a little more about Crestwynd Bay. I am considering renting a townhouse in that area also. My kids are 7 and 9. Will they have enough to keep them occupied, entertained on the days we don't have anything planned and we just want to relax by the pool? We will be in Orlando for 15 days, 4 days at Disney, 2 days at SeaWorld and whatever else we might fancy.
Thanks

 

[IllinoisMommy]

Wow- that is a great price for your vacation!! I wish I could travel during the lower cost seasons, but I work in a school and can only travel when rates are the highest.

 

[cwid510]

Thank you for sharing...