Our offsite stay cost breakdown

[mlnbabies]

I'm planning a trip for sometime between mid Nov and first part of Dec. I can't book anything right now but I'm leaning toward staying off site. I would like some of the on site perks but I can't see spending close to $200 a night for a room on site. We need a room with 2 queens beds which limits the on site places.

We have been 3 times and only stayed on site once for one night. We weren't in our room except to sleep so we didn't use the pools. The bus system was ok.

When I was talking to my dh about staying on or off he said why spend all that money on a room? And he is right. So now I'm looking for off site places.

 

[LeeJad]

Pros for on site:
You get to enjoy the extra magical hours, which only guest staying on site do
Free transportation, so no need to worry about having a car
the ambiance and energy from being at disney
eating out every meal
House cleaning daily
freebies in the room ( ususally off site you need to bring everything down to toilet paper, the initial is there but that is it)!!
(I am sure that there are a ton more, but I am not a Disney veteran, so I do not know all of them)

Pros for staying off site:
Space, space, space, space, space
more than one bathroom
more than one bedroom
more than one TV
washer and dryer
full kitchen with all appliances and utensils
you can eat in or eat out
I believe you save more money and get more for the money you spend.
Kids can rip


We are going for our third time 9-23 June 11 and we are staying off site. There are sooo many condo's, town homes and freestanding homes to chose from. You can find something that fits your needs and your budget by shopping around. I have had so many amazing offers made to me on 3 bedroom places prices ranging from $840- $1400 for the 15 days we will be there. The last time we were at disney March 2007 we stayed at SOG for 7 nights @ $125 a night=$875
Our family requirements when chosing a place of site:
gym
pool
washer and dryer in the unit
two TV's in the unit
The only two websites I have really been researching on are:
www.VRBO.com and www.homeaway.com
These are all private individuals renting their vacation homes, you can see pictures and read reviews from past guest, and email the owner with questions.
We are seasoned travelers, we have been stationed in Germany for 6 years and have traveled all over and the comfort and money you save from renting an apt/condo/townhouse/house cannot be compared, in my opinion anyways.

We are not Disney finatics, so staying off post doesn't bother us, all my kids care about is GOING to disney and having a pool to swim in when they are done with disney. I like the two TV's so that they can both watch whatever they like and everyone is happy

 

[dtum]

OP here, back to answer some of your questions:

If you go to the Disney Yes program website, under Education, then Individual Enrollment, then Programs, you will see dates through December 2011. Just choose a class that works for your child. With Ind. Enrollment, everyone in your group gets discounted tickets. My 7yo loved the Synergy in Science class at Epcot. There is a thread titled "Disney YES program open to non-groups" that has tons of info on the program.

I booked the townhouse about 3 months ahead, and I received many, many similar quotes. I chose the owner that I felt most comfortable with.

This comparison is just based on food and basic room costs. For a true comparison, you should factor in ME tips, housekeeping tips, and laundry costs for an onsite stay. For on offsite stay with a rental car, you would need to add the cost of rental car, parking and gas.

Is there a cost for the YES program? Was that factored into your ticket price?

 

[KimbaLovesDisney]

How did you get the great rate on the rental car? I am going May 19 to May 22 and the best rate I could get was about 237 for a compact car, and thats before they hit you with the insurance. (Although I have full coverage I know if I dont get the one that covers my deductible if something happens, something will happen!)...

 

[indigoxtreme]

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

Angelmav per your remark above, you didn't understand my meaning. ( No offense is taken by me.)

We have stayed both on site and offsite and the drive was terrible. We stayed offsite many times in the differnt areas of Orlando. Once we started staying on site I pray we never have to go back offsite. Who knows with prices the way they are, we might.

Anyway, like I said everyone is different. When our family has the chance to be together for a vacation then we all want to be together. (all ages from 50's to 6) Not in a 4 bedroom 2 living room etc etc house, like we have at home. We like the onsite ambience and extras. I have some friends who stay offsite and love it. I was just pointing out that when I calculated the cost for us to stay offiste, it was no more than $40. a day savings including meals, tips etc. So it was not worth what we consider the hassle of staying offsite.

 

[Leajess99]

The only two websites I have really been researching on are:
www.VRBO.com and www.homeaway.com
These are all private individuals renting their vacation homes, you can see pictures and read reviews from past guest, and email the owner with questions.
We are seasoned travelers, we have been stationed in Germany for 6 years and have traveled all over and the comfort and money you save from renting an apt/condo/townhouse/house cannot be compared, in my opinion anyways.

We are not Disney finatics, so staying off post doesn't bother us, all my kids care about is GOING to disney and having a pool to swim in when they are done with disney. I like the two TV's so that they can both watch whatever they like and everyone is happy

You may also want to check out http://www.afvclub.com/ which is the Armed Forces Vacation Club website. Great prices for pretty good rooms. We have a week stay in a condo for 8 people for $394 with taxes included the first week of June. This will be our second trip staying through AFVC and the first one was great.

We have stayed both onsite and off and while I do like staying onsite, I like the room and extra amenities that off site offers. I like being able to wach clothes especially after being rained on and I hate taking dirty clothes home. Being able to watch something other than a Disney station is also a plus at times as well as letting the kids watch a kid show while I can go in another room and watch a grown up show.

Transportation wise, both experiences we have had with Disney transportation have left me not wanting to use it again. The first time the driver "forgot" where he was going and that was AFTER he ran a stop sign in front of a CM that had the right of way coming out of their parking lot. He went to MK instead of our resort and while the rest of the family took the car back and was comfortable in our cabin, we were trying to figure out what he was doing. The other time we used Disney transportation was on an EMH night that was very crowded and we had a very long wait for the busses. We aways ended up getting back to our resort faster than the 2 bus experiences and we drive anyway.

I have priced out this trip both ways and cost wise staying off site is still so much cheaper plus I just cannot be in a room with 4 other people (ex, 18 year old DS, 13 year old DD, and 8 year old DD). From all reviews of where we are staying it is really about 5 minutes to AK.

 

[kathy884]

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

IMHO since 1971 Orlando has been overbuilt. I've been going since 1971 when I was 10 when Disney first opened, and for the past 40 years have found outstanding deals whether camping offsite, offsite hotel, offsite condo resort, or offsite home rental. Please note too that very often to save more $ we have done owner rentals. There are some pretty good retail deals out there too, though. Side Note: We've stayed onsite six times too (four of those our room was covered for four nights by DH's company as he was at the Contemporary for a convention).

Well OK as a kid my parents found great offisite deals, and as an adult I have found great deals. Our favorite are owner rentals at offsite condo resorts for the space -- ammenities -- resort feel. Offsite accomodations in Orlando for value (price / quality / ammenities) offer one of the best vacation values around. I consistently pay considerably less for high quality accomodations in Orlando than I do in other places where I vacation. Note too that we usually travel high season (spring break is our favorite, but FYI we have done numerous Christmas trips over the years too and there are deals even at that time of year.)

 

[lotus14]

We are weighing the on site vs off site thing now too. We have 5 with us now and unless there's free dining, it doesn't pay to stay on site even if we rent a car. We never use EMH and we'd be staying at values so the bus isn't even great. We booked a townhouse through vacationcentralflorida.com and couldn't be happier with what we're getting for the money especially with 3 adults and 2 kids. Our own pool even!