outside disney hotels?

[goofybabe2001]

We usually stay on property but was wondering which hotels nearby might be cheaper but somewhat still magical????

 

[Thejolleymama]

I guess this really depends on what experience you want. I'm just an "on site girl " myself! I love free parking, dining plan and FP+ options!There's soooo many awesome extras you get for staying onsite. We researched close hotels for our first night (getting there at dinner)and ended up going with AS sports because it was cheaper than the (reputable)off site hotels!! Having said that, the Nickelodeon resort looks fun!

 

[kiki02]

We usually stay on property but was wondering which hotels nearby might be cheaper but somewhat still magical????

I keep trying for this, sadly NONE (((((

 

[rf53]

We usually stay on property but was wondering which hotels nearby might be cheaper but somewhat still magical????

I agree that staying on-site is better for many reasons. As for local hotels that may be "cheaper and somewhat magical"... first you must answer the question, cheaper than what? Deluxe, Moderate, or Value resorts? There are few hotels nearby that are cheaper than the value resorts and still offer the Disney experience.

I have, however, stayed at a couple of places that for different reasons offer a nice ambiance for adults and kids.

Adults: The Gaylord Palms (especially during the Holidays)

Kids: The Nickelodeon Suites Resort

 

[Thejolleymama]

Disney does a fairly good job of making it worth staying on site, IMO. When you weigh the pros and cons.... Onsite wins everytime.

 

[wendybeth75]

Disney does a fairly good job of making it worth staying on site, IMO. When you weigh the pros and cons.... Onsite wins everytime.

That's the best way to look at it really. If you just look at the numbers then the off site is going to "seem" like a better value. You have to look at the amenities you get staying with Dis. Then you have to figure out if those are important to you and how important they are. I have done both and honestly I am an on site kind of girl. For us it is just not having the hassle of driving. While there are lot of Nay Sayers when it comes ot Disney transportation, I happen to love it. Mid-day nap time at the resort, and my favorite are the interesting resort themes. That being said there are some great off site places as well, but at the end of the day I just LOVE waking up on Disney Property!!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Disney does a fairly good job of making it worth staying on site, IMO. When you weigh the pros and cons.... Onsite wins everytime.

Absolutely this.

 

[Upatnoon]

We usually stay on property but was wondering which hotels nearby might be cheaper but somewhat still magical????

There are lots of great resorts in Orlando -- and a lot of them are more budget-friendly than the disney resorts. I suggest you look in the orlando hotels and attractions board for suggestions.

 

[Lynne M]

There are lots of great resorts in Orlando -- and a lot of them are more budget-friendly than the disney resorts. I suggest you look in the orlando hotels and attractions board for suggestions.

I'll move the thread there.

 

[DOOM1001]

At least for Christmas I found my stay at the Rosen Shingle Creek had more activities and events than any of the Disney hotels.I'm far from a Disney hater but it was just the truth.Better yet is I got it for $60 on Travelocity.Here's a video of some of the offerings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF4hFEvM2yo

 

[DanInMN]

We have done both on-site and off-site stays. Off-site you can get a large condo or house for far less than an equivalent unit at Disney. However, if you compare the total cost of a nice off-site condo with a Value or Moderate hotel room on-site, you may find they are nearly the same. Be sure to consider car rental/fuel/tolls/parking vs MDE, all taxes/resort fees/cleaning fees, food costs, and discounts like free dining or stay/play/dine. Off-season rates will differ too.

In September we had a wonderful stay at POR at a low-season rate with free dining, and the total cost was a little less than our usual off-site condo resort - considering we would have needed to rent a car, buy gas, pay tolls, parking, and buy food. The POR room was much smaller, yet we enjoyed being in the bubble. With MDE, off-season rates, and a discount, Disney pricing can get pretty attractive!

However, the WDW stay/play/dine offer for this winter was more expensive, so in February we will be at the off-site condo (Bahama Bay Resort) - and have a car ($160 for 8 days, including their crazy fees) so we can do other things.

We will not stay in an off-site standard hotel room again. I'm pretty cheap, but not so cheap as to ruin valuable vacation time in a dump. Of course not all Orlando hotels are dumps, but we have found a few too many.

 

[2girlsmom]

We have stayed on and offsite. I don't think you get the same "magic" offsite anywhere, which isn't to say I don't think the pros sometimes outweigh that. Now that 1)we are semilocal (less than 2 hours away), 2)passholders, and 3)my kids are teens (who do not want to share a bed ever), we tend to stay offsite because it allows us to stay in a larger accommodation for less than DVC or Deluxe (the only way my girls would NOT share a bed onsite would be deluxe or DVC 1 bedroom with the sleeper chair, or family suites, which are as expensive as DVC usually). We generally pay $200 or less a night for a 2 bedroom suite at Caribe Royale, which gives us a king bed, walk in shower and 2 person jacuzzi for the master bedroom/bath, plus a 2nd bedroom with 2 queen beds and their own full bathroom with tub/shower combo, as well as a full living room, kitchen, etc. They have a great pool with waterfalls, etc, decent restaurants onsite, transportation to the parks (though we drive so don't use), free parking, free wifi for their reward members, and they are within 10 minutes of any of the Disney parks. We have stayed at Nick Hotel, and thought it was OK but dated, we got a great deal there for a family suite for $80 and thought that was fine for that price, would not pay rack rate there for sure! But it was fun and colorful, for sure, with younger kids it would be fun, I would think.

 

[powellrj]

For my family there is nothing magic about staying in a small hotel room! We like the extra space we get off-site for less money. We always rent a car, even when we stay on-site because I don't want to have to depend on WDW transportation, so that cost will always be there for us.