Please HElp!!!

[dizlover5]

Hi! This is my first time to post, so I really don't know what I am doing. I have a question.....why does everyone stay at the Disney Resorts when it is sooooo much cheaper to get a 4 bed room house just 3 miles from the gate? We are coming in October and have 3 children and we are used to staying in Condos. We like the kitchen and seperate bedrooms and to get something like that on Disney property it would cost more for one night than the entire time in a house 3 miles away. Please tell me what we would be missing. We are really spoiled to staying in nice places and would have to have plenty of space. I just don't see that much advantage of staying on site. Please help me. Also if anyone has been in October please tell us about the weather and if the parks will be crowded. We went last year the week before Christmas and froze to death. Thanks for the hlep. dizlover5

 

[disneefamily]

We have stayed offsite (hated it). Offsite is OK, if you live nearby or go every year.
But early entry is a dream come true!! We can do fantasyland in an hour,while it will take you three on a good day.
We are from California so every minute counts. Going to WDW is no time for a vacation, it's
a war!! If you want to spread out in your room(we love to, but not at WDW!), you will lose valuable trip time for every minute you lounge!
Don't get me wrong, I see your point, and we are a bunch of Disney freaks, but you will
not feel the magic when you get up or when you go to bed if you stay at Hobo Joes Condos.
If you can make frequent trips, by all means save some dough on accomadations, but if you want a special trip, you must stay onsite.
And even the cheapest rooms at the All Stars is far quieter than the other places.
Iwould suggest to try a couple of days at Port Orleans, and get a room with a trundle bed. You can fit five, but make make sure you take advantage of staying on site and you will
see the magic!

 

[disneefamily]

Oh, I forgot to say that the one time we left the park when we stayed off site, it took
us thirty minutes to get out of the park and go 2 miles to the hotel. Of courese we left
when everyone was leaving. The next day in the same situation, we were in our room in fifteen minutes and didn't have to battle traffic, because we stayed on site!

 

[disneefamily]

Sorry, but one last message. Don't go in the middle of October,
because there is a big golf tournament going on and the place
gets packed. First week of October is OK and the last week is OK,
but in the middle bring a good book to read while you're in line!!

 

[kimb4]

We are going for the first time in October.
We are staying in an executive vacation home. From what I've read, it really depends on the personal preference as far as onsite/offsite. There are those who feel like anyone staying offsite is a total loser and you just can't feel the magic if you aren't there 24 hours per day. Then there are those who say they would never stay onsite again, that to be able to get away at the end of the day gives them more relaxation. I have talked to people who stayed at the 'value' resorts and say they didn't sleep at all because there are constant people in the halls being loud, and the walls are paper thin. Note: this is heresay, as I've never stayed.
I would really like to stay onsite next time, but only in one of the more upscale resorts. I can see both points of view of onsite vs. offsite. If you search these boards, you will find posts about this from experienced people.
I am a poor miserable unexperienced disney world first timer!!! Ambitious to become a disvet one day!!!
As far as price goes, when I first booked our trip, I thought we would be saving so much money and getting so much more bang for our buck to stay offsite. Now, I know we could have stayed onsite for about the same price, maybe a little more, by using the codes at www.mousesavers.com. Do some investigating before you make your decision. And have fun with the planning! I've been planning for 9 months and it has been a blast.
31 days and counting!

 

[royhawkins]

There are a number of good reasons to stay in the Resorts. If you go through a travel agent you can get some really good deals on rooms. For example, staying in the Caribbean Beach Resort in October for three nights only cost $330 (tax included). It is the price of the park tickets, park hopper, or ultimate park hopper that drive the resort packages so high. Staying off resort you still end up having to buy tickets so you gain nothing there. To make a park hopper worth while you need to stay at least four NIGHTS. Plus, staying in the resort you get the early entry, transportation (which could be a plus or minus, but we always use it), and great drink refills (if you buy the mug, ha). Now that I have stayed in the resort, I can't imagine staying anywhere else.

Hope this helps.

 

[casmanuel]

I am fairly neutral about the on-site/off-site issue. We stayed on-site for the first time on our last trip, thanks to the Value resorts. For our family, we'd rather not pay "luxury" prices on a hotel room we rarely see. For more than $200 a night, I want Maui beneath my balcony.

The benefits of staying on-site for us were e-ticket nights, which we did twice and loved, early entry which we did once and loved (but not enough to get up that early for again), and the bus service, which gets very mixed reviews but which we found to be very efficient and not to croweded (off-season). As far as being "immersed in the magic" 24 hours a day, I am immersed in magic any time I have time off work to spend playing with the people I love most. That includes a Disney resort, off-site lodging, or my own back yard. Also, it's kind of nice to get away from all that magic and rest.

I stayed off-site for my last trip, because I combined it with a business trip. The hotel I was in was about 15 miles from WDW--light years to hear some describe it--but with a rental car I found it no less convenient or time consuming than being at the All Stars. Having DD with me to make it a girls-only trip made it very magical.

The most important thing about using these boards is not to let other people's sometimes very passionate opinions make you second guess something you are very excited about. If someone says "no matter what you do, don't do this," it's definitely worth considering. But you must weigh it against someone else who says "we did it and it was the best time we ever had."

If it were me, I'd stick with the condo. But don't take my word for it.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

We've stayed offsite 3 times, on 3 times. With kids, Disney is a TOTALLY different vacation than without, and I've come to the conclusion that I will NEVER stay off-site with the kids! There is so much *magic* about being on site. And early entry privleges can't be beat! Plus, you can get a length of stay pass, saving you money on your entry and giving you more flexibility as far as park hopping is concerned. There is so much to do and see at Disney...the parks are only 1 element of the whole experience.

If you are accustomed to condo-style vacationing, consider the Wilderness cabins. We stayed there twice with 3 kids....you have your own private home (basically a mobile home, but DISNEY STYLE! Nothing hokey about that!!!) You get a bedroom with a double bed and a set of bunks and a tv, bathroom, a full kitchen (including dishwasher, microwave) and another tv in the living room with a murphy bed (double) that pulls out of the wall. Maid service, of course, and they even run the dishwasher for you! Just because we had the kitchen, though, I didn't feel compelled to cook...only bagels and frozen waffles for breakfast. Afet all I was on vacation too! But it sure was great! And as far as price goes....we spent less on our cabin last December than we would have on 2 rooms at the All-star (there are 5 of us). If your idea of "camping" is Motel 6 (like mine is) BELIEVE me when I say, this is NOT camping! I'ts first class all the way.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

We've done both and prefer onsite for sure. I know people who wont pay to stay onsite and are happy that way. Here's why we prefer onsite:

*There are rooms to fit just about every need and budget (and since we joined DVC, we get to stay at a luxury hotel without that big impact, we just pay all year <very big grin>
*We don't have to pay parking everyday and wait in the car lines.
* My kids and I buy into that magic bit ~ LOVE it 24 hrs. (hubby is a little less enthusiastic about the magic bit but LOVE onsite)
* it's wonderful to stay to the very last minute at the park and then head back to the rooms so close (we usually close out the day at EPCOT and just walk over the bridge and stroll along the boardwalk back to our room)
*We're Disney fanatics ~ LOL.

Those are just a few of the reasons we prefer onsite. In fact I love being just on the Disney property so much that now we never venture off once we get there (we did once two years ago to check out celebration). We keep talking about going to Universal, but I just don't want to leave Disney .

But as others have said, you have to do what works best for your family.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Hi fellow Oklahoman!

Since I've only visited WDW once I don't feel qualified to debate the onsite versus offsite resorts. However, I, personally, can't imagine ever staying anywhere but on Disney property. We want to have Disney surrounding us 24 hours a day, and I don't think we'd get the same experience offsite. Early entry alone is worth it for us. It was also nice to be able to park hop or return to our hotel for an afternoon swim with messing with our own transportation.

Our trip last fall was from October 22nd-28th, and the weather was wonderful! We were in shorts and tees the entire time and never encountered any rain...with the exception of a 2 minute sprinkle on Thursday evening. We never waited in line longer than 15 minutes for anything. Our only problem with crowds was during MNSSHP on Friday night, and then it wasn't an issue until after the early parade.

Have a wonderful trip! A family vacation to WDW will be wonderful regardless of where you lay your heads to sleep at night.

 

[vicb]

When our family goes on vacation we believe the hotel you stay in can really set the mood for your trip, each destination has it's special magic (i.e. San Antonio's riverwalk or Charleston's historic district) and WDW is no exception. Each onsite resort offers a different Disney experience but allows you to still feel a part of the magic even out of the parks. We stayed at the Poly and it was worth every penny to fling open my curtins and see the MK each morning. One night my son and I went for a ride on the monorail before his bedtime! Maybe if you never stay onsite you don't realize what you're missing so it's ok, but once you do you'll understand what people are trying to explain!

 

[BethR]

Hi and WELCOME TO THE DIS Dizlover5!!!
In August we took 3rd family trip to WDW. (There is DH, my DD's - 20, 18, 11, and 8, and me.)DH and I were there once alone and I was there once with friends, so it was my 5th trip to WDW. Last month was the first time that we stayed off site - in a 2 bedroom condo that slept 8. It was located right beside Sea World - about 10 minutes from DownTown Disney.
I would have to say that I would not have ANY second thoughts about staying off site again. The price was better than ANYTHING that we could have gotten on-site. With the amenities that we had at this condo, we would have had to stay in a deluxe and there is no way that we could ever afford 2 rooms at a deluxe Disney Resort. We loved having full kitchen - if only to have breakfasts and snacks in our condo.
We could not do Early Entrance of course, but we did try to get to the Day Before's Early Entrance Park as close to opening as we could and found that this strategy worked very well for us.
Now my DH does not mind driving. That is definately something to consider. But for us, the driving was not a problem. AND we no longer have very young children. Something else to think about.
But as I said, for the money and for what we got FOR the money, I would stay off site again in a heart beat.
About going in October - we have gone twice the second week of October. Again, I would go back at that time in a heart beat. The weather was GREAT - still VERY warm. And we found the crowds to be very manageable. And that was before fast passes - which have cut time waiting in lines to a HUGE extent.
Good Luck! Do what is best for your family. You will have a great vacation!!!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad back for a few last words. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once in five years trip you must stay onsite!! The "paper thin walls" at all stars resorts as some have said must mean the walls are made of air at the closest Holiday Inn that we stayed at for 1 night.
I wouldn't stay there for free, and it's a supposed 3 diamond place. Now, if you can get the OMNI for $39, saw it last year but couldn't go, I would jump all over that!!!
If you can make frequent trips, stay off site, if not, every minute of your trip is spending money.
Just one early entry and I can hit all of fantasyland in an hour, offsite the very best time will be 3 hours or more. AND THAT IS IN SLOW TIMES, when we always go!!
I pinch pennies!! If I lived on the east coast I would stay off site, to save for more frequent trips!! But we live in California, so every minute at WDW is like a pinch of gold, and every minute saved is a pinch of gold saved!!!

 

[Planogirl]

As you can see dizlover5, you're going to get all kinds of viewpoints. And they're all correct IMO.

We have stayed both onsite and offsite and both have their advantages. Onsite is the best to us because it's so handy to be "right there" and it's fun to be surrounded by Disney all day long. My DH is not as enthused by this but I'm working on a more toned down resort for our next trip. We don't normally use Early Entry (even though it's wonderful at Magic Kingdom if you have any small kids) but e-night is a great favorite. It's also nice sometimes to just park the car and rely on Disney transportation for a while. Many offsite resorts have buses but I've heard mixed reports about them and you're thinking of a home anyway so you would need a car.

However, offsite also has its advantages and I will certainly stay offsite again. We have stayed in a few VERY nice offsite resorts and some that were just OK. I consider the Holiday Inn resorts as a few of those that are only OK. You can really get a good deal offsite though particularly if you want a kitchen and lots of space, and I've heard of people getting homes with pools and spas for less than what you'd spend at a Disney moderate during peak times! I don't think that the driving is THAT bad either unless there's construction or something. It's also handy to stay offsite if you want to do more than visit Disney.

Some people split offsite and onsite during their stay to get a taste for both. Maybe you could consider something like that? Port Orleans can accomodate 5 in most cases. The home away from home resorts are nice too but pricey usually.

Good luck with whichever you choose!