Please help me decide if offsite is worth it!

[O2H O2H]

I am booked at AoA 7d/6n right now mid-December with free dining. Starting to think that I might save more if we stay off-site, but I am having a hard time deciding if it would be worth it.

DH will not tolerate bringing in a bunch of food to save money (maybe a water bottle and granola bar, but not like I used to when we were PAP's at DLR and brought sandwiches, snacks, drinks, etc), so losing the free dining is losing a lot. He might concede to cereal for breakfast and then brunch and dinner on some days so we are only paying for 2 meals.

This is our first family trip to WDW.

Our crew will consist of 2 boys, 8 and 10, a 19yo girl, and DH and I. I think that it would be great if we could get a 3bd, so everyone can have their own room, plus have a kitchen, although truthfully it will not be used that much (see above).

I will have an ECV to transport, which means we will have to use the van and pay for parking each day, which adds another 120 bucks, plus requires coordinating the drop off/pick up with the ECV co (at AoA it sounds like they just leave it at the desk, and you can just return it to the desk, too)

I think that the boys would be excited about the Cars suite, and this is probably the last trip that we will have where they will not be too old to think that is cool.

We would only consider properties that are pretty darn close to the gate, so they don't add a ton of travel time.

What else do I need to consider when making that decision? Are there any properties that you would really consider, and think would save us $?

Thanks so much for any direction you could offer!

 

[got4boys]

I would take a good look at the Free Dining Cost - Value that is added to your room.

Depending on the room rate - Is the 5 people going to get the Value of free dining of Cars Suite? The Cars Suite is very nice and the theming is great. There are two bathrooms and the master bedroom is private. Note, you can visit the resort and not stay. You can eat at the resort and not stay there.

To do the math - You have 4 adults and 1 child rate on free dining. Unless you upgraded to the Disney Dining Plan, quick service is included in the package.

The quick service cost for $41.99 per day, per adult and $16.03 per day, per child. Your dining cost is $183.99 per day.

Off site during that time is pretty inexpensive for middle of December. I checked Bonnet Creek (closest one - next to Caribbean Beach Resort) - on site but not owned by Disney and there is no three bedrooms available, but two bedrooms are and the cost you could get for $100 a day from a owner if your reservation does not hit the days before the Christmas Weeks. You would still need to pay for parking.

Have you though about doing a partial stay on site and go off site for the rest of your stay?

 

[Bete]

You would have to check availability, but the Lake Buena Vista Residence Inn offers 4 queen beds in 2 bedrooms in some of their suites. Someone would have to be in your bedroom. There are some suites that have a king in one bedroom and 2 queens in the other bedroom. The boys would have to share a bed. You have an open concept kitchen and living room. I don't feel you would be too far different in cost compared to AOA, but these suites would be roomier. It's like being in an apartment and you would get some included meals.

The furniture is a little dated, but they have new TVs in each bedroom and living room. The breakfast there is to die for; there's a very good variety available. We ate enough for breakfast that we only had one more meal each day. They offer an evening reception three times a week which is like an all you can eat quick service. They include beer and wine at this reception free of charge. The hours are very limited for it. Their pool was all right.

Getting to AK was a time factor, but the other parks were not too bad.

Honestly, I don't feel you would be happy off site. From the way you wrote your post it didn't seem you would be happy offsite. I could just tell from your tone. You have to remember not only do you give up the free dining staying offsite, but you lose out on extra magic hours and early fastpass reservations. That's a lot to give up considering your family. You give up the theming of the resort and the Disney transportation.

Furthermore, you would perhaps have to consider making some meals yourself to save money and I feel you lose out having to cook on vacation.

 

[O2H O2H]

I would take a good look at the Free Dining Cost - Value that is added to your room.

Depending on the room rate - Is the 5 people going to get the Value of free dining of Cars Suite? The Cars Suite is very nice and the theming is great. There are two bathrooms and the master bedroom is private. Note, you can visit the resort and not stay. You can eat at the resort and not stay there.

To do the math - You have 4 adults and 1 child rate on free dining. Unless you upgraded to the Disney Dining Plan, quick service is included in the package.

The quick service cost for $41.99 per day, per adult and $16.03 per day, per child. Your dining cost is $183.99 per day.

Off site during that time is pretty inexpensive for middle of December. I checked Bonnet Creek (closest one - next to Caribbean Beach Resort) - on site but not owned by Disney and there is no three bedrooms available, but two bedrooms are and the cost you could get for $100 a day from a owner if your reservation does not hit the days before the Christmas Weeks. You would still need to pay for parking.

Have you though about doing a partial stay on site and go off site for the rest of your stay?

Can you help me understand doing a partial stay? I thought that to get the free dining you would need to stay for 6 nights, right? If I am not getting free dining, I am definitely not able to stay onsite.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Can you help me understand doing a partial stay? I thought that to get the free dining you would need to stay for 6 nights, right? If I am not getting free dining, I am definitely not able to stay onsite.

Free dining requires a 3 night minimum stay, not 6.

 

[Lynne G]

Not only do the math, but consider does every one want to travel together all the time? Do you mind driving and taking the mono or boat to MK? Do you mind riding the Disney buses?

Where you plan to eat, and does the dining plan meet your needs? Since you are going during free dining, add the cost of AOA versus staying off site, and the cost of food.

You will definitely get a cheaper place off site, like renting a condo or house near Disney. Many have 2 bedrooms or more, and will have a washer/dryer and kitchen. How many meals do you think you will eat off site? How much are you going to spend on housing and food? What is better for your budget?

There are pros and cons of staying on and off site.

For our family, we rent a car and stay onsite. We like to be close to everything and come and go as we please. We only use buses to MK, as I rather not have to park, then have to use the monorail or boat.

I wish we had free dining when we are going. My kids are teens and like to eat, and like to eat at a sit down. So, even paying rack rate for the room, it would be hard for me to save alot of money when I compare the cost of food and a discount rated room versus rack rate and free food. Although, it is almost always cheaper for me to do discounted room only and pay for food, than rack room rate with free dining. Many like the convenience that food is now already paid for when they get the dining plan.

We've done both, free dining plan and no dining plan. For us, although I did not spend as much on food as a the dining plan would have cost, free dining is some savings for us, as rack rate room including two of our meals and thus, has value for us too.

 

[O2H O2H]

To the PP who said that I didn't sound like I really wanted to go offsite, you are kind of right. This particular trip was supposed to have a budget about twice what it has become, so I had planned a LOT based on the original budget. I'm a bit disappointed that it can't be the way I wanted, but I would much rather go for a week in a lesser way than not go at all, for sure.

So that's where I am. If I can't get the budget down, might not be able to go at all. As for figuring in the cost of dining, I have read pretty much universally that the QS dining plan would not be worth it if you were paying for it. Since the QS plan for us for the trip would be 1100, I have to assume we would spend less than that paying OOP, right? I mean, we will definitely not need to have a dessert at every freaking meal, and I can see having ice water sometimes to cut down a bit without feeling like we are sacrificing too much.

Splitting the stay is an interesting idea. How would you suggest going about that? Staying offsite first, but getting the 7-day tickets through WDW? That way they would be connected to the magic bands. If we did that, then we could get the QS free, upgrade to the regular DDP, and have a couple of TS meals at the end there. Hmm...

ETA: we are not driving down instead of flying, so will have the vehicle handy. Planning to probably drive most times to the park (is your parking free with on-site on arrival AND departure day?)

 

[got4boys]

What I would do is stay on site first, then move off site.

The reason I would do on site first is that when you are there, you are ready to go and try to hit as much as you can.

Also, this gives you a chance to get your table service meals out of the way to plan the character meals.

If this is the first time, the best value for the free dining - upgraded to DDP (Disney Dining Plan) would be the character meals for dinner. You would have to pay for the tip (which is separate bill at the end).

How Disney works is that you can check in to your resort at 6:00 a.m. on day of checkin and to midnight of day of check out.

For example, if you are driving, to save on money is to stay off site, but close so you can go to resort first thing in the morning to check in (your room may not be ready) but you would have all day to use the meal plan. Eat breakfast before you get to the park and them use your meals for lunch or dinner.

If you buy spend three days (minimum stay) - and check in in the morning you would get four days to use your meals. You can park also to midnight of checkout date (even though check out is 11:00 a.m.)

After moving off site - take some time to relax and do the pools, go to Downtown Disney (parking is free - just go when it opens in the morning - due to construction) decide which parks you want to go to and then leisurely do the parks on what you missed and what you want to do. You can go in for 4 hours. By this time you will know your way around the parks. Also during this time you can visit the resorts (they are wonderfully decorated with Christmas). There is so much to Walt Disney World than just the parks during this time.

Note when you move off site, you can still reserve dining on site.

If you buy a 7 day pass with your 3 night stay - yes can book your fast passes for all 7 days even though you are staying 3.

 

[disney-akj]

We have stayed at AOA and it is nice. Staying on property for your first trip is also nice to get a feel of Disney. If you can afford the car suite, then go for it!! In my opinion free quick service dining alone is not worth staying on property for. If you can pay the difference to upgrade to include some table service meals, then it would be worth it to my family. We just get tired of the fast food type food that is offered with the quick service plan. No way would we every spend $1100 on one trip at quick service meals alone. I know you said your boys would enjoy the car suites, but for only $200-$300 more (plus cost of tips at TS restaurants) you could stay in the cabins at fort wilderness lodge. A little more space, but not much (one less bathroom though) Then you would have upgraded dining, a drive way to park in (should you decide to drive to parks and park for free, which our family typically does). It would actually be cheaper to pay to stay in the cabins than for the upgraded meal plan at AOA. Just something to ponder. Our trips we enjoyed the character dining and restaurants in Epcot so much, and I can not imagine not experiencing that magic at Disney. That is half the fun for us. Just advice for a first timer

Having said that, it looks like you are trying to save money on this trip. We have also stayed off property at Wyndham Bonnett Creek as mentioned above. We really enjoyed this resort too and it was so much more affordable. This place is so close, it is like it is on property. We rented through Ken Price at http://www.vacationupgrades.com/ Even paying for parking, it was a lot cheaper. ($120 a night plus parking at Disney Parks, so about $137 daily instead of almost $400 a night at AOA). The resort was nicer than AOA, but not Disney themed (there is a pirate pool, lazy rivers, water slides, free mini golf, etc.) Plus we had a full kitchen. We saved a lot of money eating breakfast in our room most mornings and then we would usually only pay to eat one meal in the park everyday OOP (sometimes two). We prefer table service meals though. Some evenings we had a meal/snacks in our room. If we would not eat at a Table Service meal though, our money saving would be a lot more! Even with eating a table service meal most days, our savings is still more than staying on site. I buy Disney gift cards at Target through out the year and use these to pay for our meals while at Disney. (We rarely get the dining plan whether staying off property or on property...never lucky enough to travel during free dining). Having a full kitchen gives you the flexibility to really cut your costs down on food. We stayed in a two bedroom. So the parents took the master, then two of our kids stayed in the other bedroom, and the other kiddo slept on the pull out couch (they each wanted their own bed). There was a lot more space than at AOA. I would think there would be plenty of room for the ECV in the unit, plus elevators that centrally located. Also typically we do not get park hopper which is a money saver (which I also recommend for first time trips).

ETA: You could even get a private home in Windsor Hills (close to Disney) with a private pool and separate bedrooms for probably about $120 a night. Some are even Disney themed (check out VRBO, flipkey, or homeaway) The condos at Windsor Hills will be even cheaper than a house. There are a lot of ways to do Disney affordable, rather than cancel your trip hopefully. Just look for positive reviews. Search "toystory home" at homeaway, cute one with good reviews.

Good luck with whatever you decide!! Disney is great no matter what your decision!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

IMO if you aren't going to upgrade to the regular DDP and do lots of character meals/buffets, then having the "free" DDP doesn't add much value. I would definitely look at offsite options.

We have a 2 bedroom booked at WBC for 7 nights for $559 in August. Parking for 7 days will be $119, for a total of $678.00. A Cars Suite at AoA for the same week would cost $1,924 with the Room Only Offer from Disney. That's a difference of $1,246 which will more than cover our meals for the entire week. We are driving down so we will have a van no matter what.

Plus, we'll have space to spread out, a full kitchen and a washer and dryer, not to mention all of the amenities that WBC offers over AoA. It really is a no brainer for us.

 

[dougsmom98]

You might want to consider renting a condo or townhouse. Here is an example of a few at Crestwynd Bay - which is very close to WDW and one of the less expensive rental communities. It is located right near Windsor Hills which is one of the most popular off site communities and off of 192 West Irlo Bronson Highway which has tons of shopping and eateries.

http://www.vrbo.com/334281

http://www.vrbo.com/393336

The first few times we rented a town house or villa, I did not cook any meals. I would go out each morning and get fresh donuts and muffins and coffees and juice, we would have snacks and drinks in the house to take with us to the parks, but we either ate lunch at the park, or we would go back to the villa and pick up take out on the way and do the same thing for dinner.

We have been renting homes this for 12+ years now, and now we do a lot more eating at the house - I make coffee in the coffee maker and keep a variety of drinks in the fridge. We buy bagels and frozen pancakes and waffles for park days, for the days that we sleep in or take off from the park, I make pancakes or eggs. We fill the fridge with deli ham and turkey and we stock up on rolls and chips etc... for lunch. We eat in the parks for dinner or we go out to eat at the countless restaurants off site.

You will not regret having tons of room to spread out if you get a condo or town house.

 

[katyjeka]

We liked AOA but was a little surprised at how small the room was. I guess I was thinking suite meant space. The pictures made it look so much bigger. The grounds were great but crowded anytime after 8 in the morning. We actually like POP better. We will never pay over 300.00 a night to stay there again. This being said, I think it's important everyone tries it as everyone will not feel as we did. We've been traveling to WDW for over twenty years. We've seen a lot of changes, some for the better some not. I believe the prices for onsite lodging has gotten out of hand and at times crazy. The bus transportation is good, but we find driving takes less time. Waiting for a bus can take awhile and you will wait longer than expected at times. We discovered Bonnet Creek 5 years ago and love the entire resort. We have 14 nights reserved for this Dec., total cost is1100.00. Yes, we don't get housekeeping but we do get 2 bedrooms, big balcony, nice tub, great pools and beautiful grounds. The same 1100.00 would have got us four nights at AOA if lucky. For us, its a no brainer. Have a great trip.

 

[2girlsmom]

I would say the LEAST expensive option is likely to rent a townhouse/home as mentioned by a pp. Another choice that we use a lot (townhouse for 3 days is not cheaper anymore due to the cleaning charges, etc for short trips) is Caribe Royale. It is very close, within 10 minutes or so of the parks on World Drive, and has 2 bedroom 2 bath "villas", 1200 sq ft with king bed in the master, 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom and a pull out couch in the living room, plus washer and dryer, full kitchen, dining table, etc. but with free parking, includes daily housekeeping, etc. Generally it is around $200 per night for the 2 bedroom villas, I have seen as high as $300 and as low as $100 depending on season.

 

[momof2n2]

I am sorry your budget had to change; that has to be disappointing.

That being said, if staying off-site you are constantly going to be wishing you were onsite, or LISTENING to people whine about being off-site, it is likely NOT worth it.

I have never stayed on-site. Before kids and when we only had one we always stayed in off property hotels. For the last 12 years we've always rented homes/townhomes/or condos and we LOVE it. I love everyone having their own rooms. I love having a kitchen. Our family gets really tired of quick service food items and table services takes way too much out of our day. (Whether WDW food or chain-type restaurants.)

OP - I think you have to WANT to be off-site. I think the amount of money you could potentially save will allow you to buy more meals out-of-pocket.

Just pulling up something quickly inside Windsor Hills (which is a really nice resort) this is an example of what you can find: http://www.mickeyscondo.com/photopages/photos_gallery.htm

Yes - I would plan on breakfast in my condo. We eat lunch and dinner in the parks on park days, and just eat in the house (we usually get houses) the days we are hanging out there.

We drive from NY and I have often brought food I have made and frozen (pulled pork, enchilada mix, etc.) but I get that not everyone likes to do that.

Easy breakfasts mean getting to tour faster in the park. We easily do scrambled eggs and toast, or frozen waffles and frozen sausage. I bring paper plates and plastic cups to minimize dishes, and just run the mugs and silverware, pans in the dishwasher after we leave for parks.

I don't know what AoA costs. But if you are serious about looking at the differences I would compare the entire price with the entire price, not piece it out.

For example - for our family of 8 to spend two weeks in FL:
$1500 two weeks 5-bedroom rental house (rounding up)
$2200 5 day MYW tickets for 5 "adults" and 2 "kids" (one baby)
$1000* 10 meals in parks (two per day per person not counting baby)
$100 parking

I couldn't stay on property two weeks for $4800.

*Now - we DO have a Disney Visa - and we usually have a TON built up that pays for our food.

 

[O2H O2H]

I really appreciate your feedback, everyone. It is looking like the budget is definitely tightening a lot. I would sure as heck rather stay offsite than not go, right? The children don't even know about the trip yet, so they are not an issue.

DH is worried that we are going to spend a lot of time driving back and forth to parks, but from what I can see, the drive from AoA is not a lot closer than Windsor Hills or that other place that was mentioned above. Am I right there? I am thinking we would actually save time not having to walk through the resort to and from the car.

I am a little bummed about it looking like we are not being able to pull off the full effect magical experience of being onsite. That being said, I just can't wait to be in the park. Can not wait. I miss the parks soooo much.

Here's another question that I have: people are mentioning VRBO, or other things like that. How do you know you are not going to get ripped off by something like this? Is there any way to be more safe or anything? It makes me very nervous to hinge our whole trip on an individual that I don't know or know anything about, and then what if we show up and the place is gross or is a scam to begin with, kwim?

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I am sorry your budget had to change; that has to be disappointing.

That being said, if staying off-site you are constantly going to be wishing you were onsite, or LISTENING to people whine about being off-site, it is likely NOT worth it.

...

OP - I think you have to WANT to be off-site. I think the amount of money you could potentially save will allow you to buy more meals out-of-pocket.

I agree with this 100%. If you're constantly going to feel like you're missing out on something by being offsite, no amount of savings, space or amenities will make up for it.

Most of our trips to WDW (about 25+ over the last 21 years) have been offsite. Room rates were always so much less offsite that we never even considered onsite. When FD was first announced, we decided to give onsite a try. Back then, FD included 1CS, 1TS (including appetizer) and 1 snack a day and included tips. It was still more than we would typically spend on our vacation, but we got to try many TS and CS restaurants at WDW that we hadn't tried before. Our only complaint was that we felt the TS meals EVERY day took away from park time. As Disney made changes to FD over the years (taking away the appetizer, adding tips, etc) we took a real look at the "value" that DDP added to our trip and decided that it wasn't worth it to us to pay Disney's inflated room prices in order to get "free dining".

We are much happier in a condo/townhouse with space to spread out. We are also much happier when we don't eat CS/TS for EVERY SINGLE meal. After a few days of eating out, our bodies revolt and we need some home cooked meals.

You have to decide if you'll constantly feel left out if you don't stay onsite. If so, you may want to postpone your trip for a bit so you can save up to stay onsite without any budget worries. For us, we'd rather take more trips, than to have to wait/save for one big extravaganza.

 

[momof2n2]

I really appreciate your feedback, everyone. It is looking like the budget is definitely tightening a lot. I would sure as heck rather stay offsite than not go, right? The children don't even know about the trip yet, so they are not an issue. DH is worried that we are going to spend a lot of time driving back and forth to parks, but from what I can see, the drive from AoA is not a lot closer than Windsor Hills or that other place that was mentioned above. Am I right there? I am thinking we would actually save time not having to walk through the resort to and from the car. I am a little bummed about it looking like we are not being able to pull off the full effect magical experience of being onsite. That being said, I just can't wait to be in the park. Can not wait. I miss the parks soooo much. Here's another question that I have: people are mentioning VRBO, or other things like that. How do you know you are not going to get ripped off by something like this? Is there any way to be more safe or anything? It makes me very nervous to hinge our whole trip on an individual that I don't know or know anything about, and then what if we show up and the place is gross or is a scam to begin with, kwim?

You just won't spend that much time driving.
Unofficial Guides printed drive times from resort hotels, off property hotels & nearby communities. The size of the resort hotels DOES add in doorway- to-turnstile time.

The one thing not mentioned in this thread is the effect of off-site and FP+. We actually did not go to Walt Disney World this year because we did not want to be offsiters when it was still such a new technology.

Recent posts on the themepark strategies board suggest the parks are still very doable for offsiters.

As far as your question as to how we can be sure we are not going to get ripped off…. I guess we can't be sure. But we have rented homes or townhouses in that area seven times in the last 12 years. Each experience has been a good one. We also rented properties in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. We have never had a problem. I know it can happen.

I have always needed to have a good feeling in my communications with the owners. I never just rent immediately. I usually send an email inquiry, and gauge how interested I am in dealing with them based on their response. If it just give me a rate and tell me how to submit my money, I am far less likely to do business with them than if their emails are friendly. If they do not tolerate my questions in a friendly manner, I move on. There are thousands upon thousands of rental properties in that area.

I do think the condos in Windsor Hills are slightly more comfortable than the town houses. The downstairs level of the town houses seems less warm than the living areas in the condos.

The time of year you're going you should be to get a place for about hundred dollars a night.

 

[erij11]

I haven't read all posts so forgive me if I repeat what some of the others have already said. I went on my first WDW trip from July 5 - July 12 with my family of 6. My daughter is turning 15 soon so we celebrated her birthday early. She is a really big Lion King fan so I booked 2 nights in a Lion King suite at AOA and we spent the rest of our time in a 3BR timeshare exchange at Cypress Pointe Resort that we did through RCI. Now, the 2 nights at AOA cost me almost 3 times the exchange fee for the condo. I knew this going in but wanted to do something special for DD so it was fine.

With all of that being said, I enjoyed staying at AOA. It is beautiful! I also did this because we were going during high summer crowds and I wanted to be able to book FP+ 60 days in advance. We loved the transportation to and from the parks. However, the AOA bus stop is really far away from the entrance at MK. I can't comment on the other parks because we stayed at AOA during our planned 2 days at MK. We drove to Epcot and HS and really didn't mind the trams from the parking lot. They came fast and put you off right at the entrance. We even took a few afternoon breaks and went back to our condo and it was fine. Cypress Pointe is very close to the parks and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

Onsite and off-site both have pros and cons but I don't think off-site was as bad as some make it out to be. It was my first trip and I'm already planning my next 2!!! We will probably stay at Shades of Green for on-site during Spring Break 2015 and Cypress Pointe for Summer 2015 if we can trade into that resort again. It was great except for the charge for Wifi. We will only be able to do our FP+ 30 days in advance but I'm hoping by the time we go again the rush for the mine train will have died down some.....I hope!!!

 

[Jedimom]

Here's another question that I have: people are mentioning VRBO, or other things like that. How do you know you are not going to get ripped off by something like this? Is there any way to be more safe or anything? It makes me very nervous to hinge our whole trip on an individual that I don't know or know anything about, and then what if we show up and the place is gross or is a scam to begin with, kwim?

There are several things you can do:
1) Read though this forum and see who gets recommended a lot, who gets good reviews. I can vouch for the mickeyscondo link mentioned a few posts above -- great place, great owners, highly recommend.
2) Check Florida property tax website to verify ownership and that taxes have been paid.
3) Book your condo through a travel agent or reputable property management company (again, read the forums here to find out who gets mentioned a lot).
4) Some of the condo websites (vrbo? homeaway?) offer trip insurance as well as some sort of certified assurance that the homeowner is real and you are protected if there would be any issues (for an extra fee, of course).

 

[Bete]

I wanted to add that the commute back and forth to the parks are time consuming whether you stay at a Disney resort or not.
I have not found that much difference staying onsite or offsite; unless, you stay at the monorail resorts which are all deluxe.

If you leave after fireworks or parades the traffic is the worse. I do like being in my own car rather than waiting for a bus standing.

I don't recommend using offsite shuttles, either. They limit your pick-up and drop-off times too much. Most shuttles go to multiple resorts before you are dropped off.

The Lake Buena Vista Residence Inn I mentioned before has two bathrooms in their bigger suites and you could sleep on the sofa in their bigger suites. You can have a scooter delivered to this resort and you can leave it there for pick-up.

Try to save more before December; so, maybe, you can swing onsite. Go to cheaper grocery stores like Aldi's, for example. Stay away from dining out back home. Cut back on entertainment like don't go to the movies. Eat more vegetarian and cut back on meat/fish costs. You get the idea.