Re-thinking an on-site reservation....looking for thoughts

[Herding_Cats]

SIL and I were booked with a TA for Princess Half Marathon Weekend (a 2-night resort stay is a requirement to get your race registration secured before "open registration" day) for 3 nights at CBR. As of last week, all of those races are now virtual. We are still planning on going on our trip, doing one of the "races" while we are there, and maybe doing an Epcot day, but mostly it's a girls' weekend. The whole purpose of staying on-site was the ability to pre-register for the race, expo and race-day transportation (disney busses), and not having to rent a car (utilizing DME.) All of those "benefits" are gone now, with the exception of DME from the airport, and I'm mentally having a hard time justifying paying the "Disney premium" when so many of the "non-covid-year" benefits are gone. There are no EMH. There are no FP+. There is not an extended ADR window.

I looked at maybe switching to a reservation at Swolphin, but once the resort fee and a rental car are added, the price difference is less than $100. Switching to a Little Mermaid room at AoA? $140. That's TOTAL, not per-person.

But at the same time, I really WANT to stay on-site (SIL has never stayed on-site) because DANG IT, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DISNEY TRIP.

Am I missing something here?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

That's always such a hard question to answer since it's so personal and we all value different things.

For us, I would absolutely want to be 'in the bubble' for a short special weekend like a friend's trip. With 3 nights... time is short, so you sort of want to be in a location which allows for maximum use of that time (at least from my perspective).

You didn't ask, but I vote Swolphin over CBR or AOA for a short weekend/adults trip. Better dining and walkability options. Not sure what your plan is to get in your 'race" that weekend but the Swolphin is a great spot to easily do a 5k or 10k.

DW and I have done the last two PHM weekends as a date/getaway weekend - definitely going to miss it this year, so I understand where you are coming from, to some extent.

 

[buzznina]

I agree with GADisneyDad14 especially since it is a short trip, onsite would be better. We have always been in the bubble and up to a couple of years ago, we had never thought about staying anywhere else. But over these last 5 years or so, with resort prices sky rocketing and benefits being less, we will seriously consider offsite now. Have a great time and stay safe.

 

[Carol_]

Swolphin!
We just got back from a split stay at WL and SSR. If I were you, I’d go Swolphin, eat near there, play mini golf at Fantasia gardens, and get massages at the spa. We have DVC booked for marathon weekend, too. I’m still chewing on canceling.

 

[CarolynFH]

PP have offered valid points. But OTOH, your weekend isn’t until February, right? I think I’d stand pat, since so much can change between now and then, and it’s possible that some of the missing benefits will be restored by then. But that’s me!

 

[iheartglaciers]

I would go with Swolphin. Being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios makes it worth it!

 

[PortieOwner]

I always rent a car (Disney time is too valuable to rely on other forms of travel). But I'd keep your CBR reservation. CBR is the hub of the Skyliner, which gets you to Riviera, the Studios and EPCOT. It is a very quick, easy to use system. From the Studios you can be back to your room in 15 minutes.