Pros & Cons of Staying on or off resort?

[amylevan]

Just be warned that capacity closures at MK started at like 9:30 over Christmas and Easter can be just as bad. Staying on-site is a step in combating that.

 

[MrInfinity]

And I get where you are coming from but the implication that not staying at a Disney owned resort means you're not doing a "Disney vacation" or are doing a "Florida" vacation with "day trips to Disney" is what stands out as a bit unfair to me when it has been agreed upon by many that Disney owned resorts don't always meet the needs or preferences of all Disney guests; and I've seen this implication made quite a bit more on the Disboards than other Disney fan message board I've participated in. You can stay offsite and do ten days in the Disney parks, do multiple table service meals, character meals, dessert parties, BBB, Pirates League,etc. and stay onsite and only do one park day and no dining reservations or special events. I don't think I would describe that offsite trip as not being a "Disney" vacation.

I didn't say you'd be "not doing a Disney vacation"... I said if you're doing the trip to experience Disney World (and Disney World does include resorts) then I'd recommend staying in a Disney World resort. It is a totally different experience that you don't get in regular hotels. You might know that you prefer offsite, but if someone doesn't know, I'd say try it, because the biggest benefits are very intangible -- As Tonka's Skipper said... The Disney magic just surrounds you. It is not replicated at the nearby hotels and condos, which feel more like leaving Disney World at the end of the day. Think of it this way. Since you can get a regular Sheraton / Hilton / condo anywhere, when visiting Disney World, is it not reasonable to at least try the Disney Resorts, to see? Then you know what's different. People may think they're just another hotel and so direct price comparison might lead you to stay offsite... but it's so different. Try it.

 

[scdak]

This post pretty much sums up all my thoughts on my reasons for staying off site instead of on site! Well, except for the private pool LOL. We stayed at a condo for 14 days in late September/early and loved it, driving to the parks (we were near Sea World) and parking took less time than I have waited for buses at Disney! We dined on and off property and made some simple meals in our condo . Even with the parking fees and gas we spent MUCH less than we would have at POFQ .

 

[scdak]

For $1700, there is no convenience that on site offers that is worth it, IMO. The main conveniences of on-site are:

- not having to drive to parks (I'd rather have my own wheels and be on my own schedule anyways)
- being able to get free MBs (not worth it financially)
- Magical Express service (which is moot if you have your own car, or are renting a car)
- advance fast pass booking (there are ways around this, look up the Throwaway room thread)
- free parking (again, not worth it financially, and a throwaway room will get you 2 days of free parking anyways)
- EMH (this is the one that you'll lose, but again, for $1700... But again, Throwaway room if planned well will get you 1-2 days worth of EMH)

Another perk to off-site: you save a huge amount of money on food if you make your own. You can make your own breakfasts, lunches and suppers, pack snacks for the parks etc... We saved a huge amount of money this way. Also, while I get the idea of being immersed in the magic, as I've said on here before, to me there is nothing magical about sharing a single hotel room with my family for 7+ days. We rented a 4 bedroom house that had a private 24' pool for a fraction of the cost of a Disney value hotel room. We loved it - no having to lug ourselves and towels etc... down to a busy, noisy, public resort pool, instead we could just open our sliding door and jump in whenever we wanted - before breakfast, afternoon, in the evening, when the kids were in bed, you name it. It was great to even just be able to lay out on the lounge chairs and relax. Kids got to have their own bedroom, which offered us privacy in the evening, we were able to stay up, watch tv, go play a game of pool or air hockey (the house also had a games room), it was soooo nice to unwind and relax and leave that "park" feeling behind. And in the mornings when we wanted to go - we went, no waiting for a bus or monorail. Thanks to the HUGE amount of money we saved on lodging and dining by staying off-site, we were able to spend some of that money on extra experiences that we otherwise would not have been able to afford - like BBB, CRT, HDDR etc...

Oops, forgot to hit the quote button on my previous post!

 

[jsmla]

I do both and usually multiple times a year. They each have their pros and cons for me. I listed them in order of importance to us.

On Site

Pros
-Magical Express (If we fly we usually stay onsite.)
-Disney transportation to the parks-we like an adult beverage (or two)
-FP+ booking at 60 days out
-ADRs at 180 + 10 days out

Cons
-Price, I go multiple times a year so price is important.
-Space, DH is a night owl and snores like a freight train. I'm an early bird and an extremely light sleeper. A hotel room, even a Disney-themed one, gets old fast.
-Food, I really don't enjoy eating out at WDW all that much and don't want to eat out every meal (especially breakfast) anywhere. Sometimes I just want to have a shower, make a nice salad and eat dinner in my jammies.




Off Site

Pros
-I can get a two bedroom condo near WDW for less than $300/week in the off season. Pop Century runs around $90/night ($100 w/tax). This is huge deal when you go multiple times a year.
-Control over what I eat. I really, really like having the option to eat exactly what I'd like and in the quantities I prefer. I brown bag it in the parks quite often. I get the meals I want at a price that averages 1/4 of what a meal costs in the WDW QS/TS venues.
-The places we stay tend to be much quieter and more laid back than you find on site. We often have the pool to ourselves. We are an all adult party and don't need poolside games or Taylor Swift at full volume on the audio system. Been there, done that. I love the theming at the Disney Deluxe and Moderate pools but a quieter pool wins out every time with me.
-Washer/dryer in the unit. Whether on or off site I will be washing clothes. A laundry in the unit makes it soooooo much easier.

Cons
-Transportation, I only stay off site if I drive to WDW. We enjoy the adult beverages at WDW so driving can be problematic.
-FP + booking 60 days out (Must say that I've never really had a problem at 30 days. We have no need to see Anna and Elsa and everything else has always been available. We do only travel at slower times which helps.



ADRs and parking fees aren't much of an issue for us. I have an AP (free parking) and as I mentioned above we're not crazy mad for Disney dining. It's okay but I find it very expensive for what you get.

I have a love/hate relationship with Disney transportation to the parks. I love that we don't have to worry about a designated driver to, say, Epcot during Food and Wine or that DH can head back to the room when he hits the Disney wall. The thing is I have very, very bad bus mojo. It's not uncommon for it to take us two hours to get back to our Disney resort at park close. Using a our car we can be back at our off site condo in well under an hour, under 1/2 an hour everywhere but the MK.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

We stayed off site for one night and my wife did a solo trip off site. For us and her, there were pros and cons to both. We like staying on site better for the simple fact it is easy on us. We've never had any issues with bus transportation. After being in the parks for 12-15 hours, the last thing either of us want to do is drive. We never need to go off property for any reason so we don't need a car. We get one room and with the discounts we have had staying off site would only save us a few dollars when you factor in the rental car. Some of the hotels we like off property have shuttle service but they only run at certain times and my wife relied on public transportation bus service and that turned out to be a nightmare. We also like the Disney feel of staying on property. MDE is very convenient and not having to hassle with car rental service is a plus. Even though we go in the summer or Christmas break the FP window isn't that big of a deal. Still plenty of times available even 30 days out from our experience.

If I was in your shoes and could save $1700, I'd stay off site. That money could be used for a second trip or something nice for the house.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We've done a number of trips both ways.

You mention a condo. For us, a condo was NOT a good fit. On that particular trip, with extended family grocery shopping was a nightmare! Every part of my extended family insisted on getting ONLY the brands/flavors THEY liked. It was just stupid. We even had every flavor/style of bread (white bread, bagels, diet bread, health bread, frozen waffles, and English muffins), etc. Most of it ended up in the trash.

Getting everyone out the door in the morning was a big issue. Onsite, everyone knows to be ready or be left behind. Offsite- some family got sucked into watching tv, cooking, cleaning, and doing LAUNDRY! Onsite everyone survives somehow without doing laundry. Condos typically don't come with daily maid service, so that was a problem. Transportation was also an issue.

All that said, with no extended family we prefer a mix of onsite and offsite. The short answer for us, is that our offsite nights often = non park days. If we arrive late/leave early we spend the night at the MCO Hyatt. (no car needed) We also like the Universal onsite hotels (esp if going to Universal), and many offsite hotels have lovely amenities. Offsite dining is also often a much better deal

By all measn though a condo can work if everyone is on the same page when it comes to itming,sleeping etc.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I didn't say you'd be "not doing a Disney vacation"... I said if you're doing the trip to experience Disney World (and Disney World does include resorts) then I'd recommend staying in a Disney World resort. It is a totally different experience that you don't get in regular hotels. You might know that you prefer offsite, but if someone doesn't know, I'd say try it, because the biggest benefits are very intangible -- As Tonka's Skipper said... The Disney magic just surrounds you. It is not replicated at the nearby hotels and condos, which feel more like leaving Disney World at the end of the day. Think of it this way. Since you can get a regular Sheraton / Hilton / condo anywhere, when visiting Disney World, is it not reasonable to at least try the Disney Resorts, to see? Then you know what's different. People may think they're just another hotel and so direct price comparison might lead you to stay offsite... but it's so different. Try it.

I certainly understand the point you are trying to make which was along the lines of the initial point I was trying to make when I first posted in this thread . One really can't be completely sure something isn't for them unless they've actually experienced it fully for themselves; and I say that as someone who has actually experienced staying both onsite and offsite. I enjoy both for different reasons and I understand the pros and cons of both since I've done both. A magical "Disney" vacation can be had either way ...but this onsite/offsite thing is as old as Disney World I suppose. I'm over it.

 

[UberGoofy]

I appreciate all the responses but we have decided to just stay off site since there are so many of us going. But definitely when just me, my wife, and kids are going we will definitely stay on site. Thanks again!