Reassure me Off-site is going to be great!

[momonthemove]

Please reassure me that we will be great and enjoy ourselves offsite. We are a family of 5 (dh, myself, and kids will be 10, 7, and 3 1/2) when we go in Sept. 2010. So, as you probably know that limits us greatly in terms of resorts.

When we first decided to start planning a month ago, I had it in my mind that we would stay on Disney. (Stayed offsite with 2 younger ones once before at Windsor Palms and had a nice stay. Didn't enjoy the site ammenities as we were at Disney WOrld and visiting family in Orlando too.) So, as I started looking and found out about the room options, I am very disappointed in our limited choices. Plus, I reaaaaaally wanted Disney All-Star Movies as it just SCREAMS Disney to me. I think the kids would love it.

We got lots of feedback that it will be really crowded especially with the free dining and that turned DH off tons and me some as well.

Fastforward and now DH wants to look offsite. I agree that we want to be very financially responsible with the gifts God has given us. That said, we refuse to pay Deluxe prices and would end up paying that by reserving 2 moderates. SIGH

I truly think I would be okay with off-site. I just need to change my mindset.

We are looking at townhomes in Windsor Hills. SO, please reassure me!

Thanks.

 

[ccgirl]

We usually stay off site and enjoy it immensely! You can look into renting timeshares as well. A lot of people don't realize that you can pay cash there as well. I enjoy the extra room. If you have "AAA" you can purchase your park tickets there and they give you a preferred parking pass. It doesn't entitle you to free parking, rather the parking is right up front and you don't even have to catch the tram. A Godsend when pushing that sleeping child out of the park. My AAA in MA has them, not sure if others do. In any case, you will absolutely love it. If you go the timeshare route you can save a lot of money by grocery shopping and bringing water/snacks or even lunch into the parks. We also found that we could return to our timeshare quicker than taking a bus to a resort. We are on our own timetable rather than waiting in the cattlecall lines for transportation. That said, I also enjoy staying on property once in a while. Either way, you will have a GREAT time!

 

[DisneyDad1964]

Please reassure me that we will be great and enjoy ourselves offsite. We are a family of 5 (dh, myself, and kids will be 10, 7, and 3 1/2) when we go in Sept. 2010. So, as you probably know that limits us greatly in terms of resorts.

When we first decided to start planning a month ago, I had it in my mind that we would stay on Disney. (Stayed offsite with 2 younger ones once before at Windsor Palms and had a nice stay. Didn't enjoy the site ammenities as we were at Disney WOrld and visiting family in Orlando too.) So, as I started looking and found out about the room options, I am very disappointed in our limited choices. Plus, I reaaaaaally wanted Disney All-Star Movies as it just SCREAMS Disney to me. I think the kids would love it.

We got lots of feedback that it will be really crowded especially with the free dining and that turned DH off tons and me some as well.

Fastforward and now DH wants to look offsite. I agree that we want to be very financially responsible with the gifts God has given us. That said, we refuse to pay Deluxe prices and would end up paying that by reserving 2 moderates. SIGH

I truly think I would be okay with off-site. I just need to change my mindset.

We are looking at townhomes in Windsor Hills. SO, please reassure me!

Thanks.

We've stayed offsite at Floridays Resort the last two years and we've loved it! It was mostly out of necessity- as w/you we have 3 kids, but we love the extra space, and the full kitchen to have some home cooked meals. Being able to do laundry has let us pack lighter and save on luggage fees too! (One checked bag for 5 of us.)

Here's some information on Floridays Resort, and some pros and cons of staying offsite that may reassure you.

 

[acc82]

If you have "AAA" you can purchase your park tickets there and they give you a preferred parking pass.

AGREED! i have never stayed onsite. if i had the funds for a moderate to deluxe, i would. but here's the thing: you can get a nice room at a hilton resort for the price of their value resorts (which, to me don't seem half as nice as an upscale chain hotel). You could get a suite in a hotel for the price of the value resorts and definately for the price of the moderate ones. I enjoyed staying at downtown disney in the marriott- it's on the property (close) but, you still get the perks of a marriott and very well priced.

I ALWAYS buy my tickets from AAA and get the rate discounts on hotels. It's great! it'll be okay

We're doing the condo thing for the first time this trip and I'm excited. i get a washing machine - that will come in handy. your clothes get so dirty from sweating and doing theme parks all day. plus, you get tons of space. we drive from georgia, so transportation isn't an issue. we're used to driving from our hotel to disney and universal. HAVE FUN!

 

[Fabinva]

We've stayed onsite twice with our two kids, both in a deluxe resort and the last trip we opted for a TH at Windsor Hill. The kids loved it and so did husband, I'm torned as I do miss the Disney resort but do like the convenient of having all that extra space and extra bathrooms. The splash pool was a big hit with the kids and so was having their own room with cable TV. We are renting a house next visit in WH again.

 

[spiceycat]

5 guests can stay in one room at POR - AB section - trundle bed

this is not a big room and it would drive me crazy - but some people like it.

you can rent points from a DVC member and stay onsite in a timeshare - both AKV and BLT sleep 5 in their one bedroom (BLT is expensive, standard view at AKV is your best price - you can't stay in value only 4)


you can also rent another timeshare - Bonnett Creek has lots of fans here - and it does provide transportation to WDW - which is something the other timeshare don't or they charge you a fee (in the long run better to rent a car)

you can cook at any timeshare so that will save you some money.

with your age of children you and your husband will be split up alot - so go prepared for that. Disney makes this easy to do.

also who goes back to the room if someone gets sick.

the others I like in the area
Sheraton Vistana Resort
Cypress Pointe
Marriotts

 

[torinsmom]

Staying offsite will be great for your size family!

You will have so much more room! That includes more than one bathroom, a kitchen, and separate bedrooms, so you can stay up after the kids go to bed. You will probably have more than one tv, so you don't have to watch kiddie shows, LOL. You could even have a pool!

You won't have to pay for coffee and drinks when you aren't at the parks. You could bring breakfast and other food to cook to save even more money. You could wash clothes if you need to during the trip, or wash everything before you go home, so you don't have to do loads of laundry when you get home.

If you drive to the parks, you can come and go as you please in comfort of your own car, and not have to wait or the loud, crowded buses. It can be a lot quicker to get to parks and get out when you drive.

You can visit all the resorts to get more magic.

Cons I see would be that you would need a car, no EMHs, and breaks in the Disney magic(this could be a plus as well)

Seems like a no-brainer for me, especially with 3 kids.

Marsha

 

[soulmates]

The last time I went, we too were a family of 5, stayed off site. NEVER again. To me, just not worth ALL the hassles. I strongly recommend looking into DVC rentals. That's how we're going next weekend. We are staying at a luxury resort, CHEAPER than a moderate! Yes, cheaper. It really can be done, you just have to research. You've got the time! That way you don't have to worry about transportation, and Sept usually has FREE DINING which will make a HUGE difference for a family of 5! For us, it was SO dissapointing leaving Disney everyday, to go somewhere that had NO magic. The traffic, the parking lots, trams, all of it, just not worth it. Just take a peek over on the DVC thread, you may be surprised. The economy has hit people hard, and alot of DVC owners, just can't afford to go as often as they hoped they could. Now, they NEED to rent their points and are willing to strike deals. Good luck!

 

[dtauer]

Thousands stay offsite every year and love it. In fact, for many years, I was proud of myself for saving so much money by staying offsite.

Spiceycat makes some good comments regarding pros and cons. Also, in addition to POR, there are suites at the All Star Music that will hold your family size. You mention a 3 1/2 year old, not sure if the cutoff for the 5th person is 3 and under, or under 3. If it's 3 and under you could "legally" stay in any of the value or moderate rooms with 2 beds.

Our personal experience is that we stayed at a beautiful condo at a place that used to be called Wyndham Palms. We had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, living room with big screen TV, and a full size porch with deck furniture. All for a great price.

After our stay, I asked my kids their opinion. Both of them commented that they liked having their own room, loved the extra space, but would rather stay in a regular room at POR or CBR. Their comment was that every day we left the parks, and went under the purple sign back to the condo, they felt like vacation was ending for the day.

I recently read a book called MouseJunkies that may help you feel comfortable with your decision. You may want to stop at a bookstore or library, and read the introduction. If after that you think, "yeah, that's me, I can relate to what he's saying", you may want to reconsider your decision and stay onsite. If you think that he isn't describing your family, you are probably fine staying offsite.

Many, many people love staying offsite, for us, and others, it feels like part of the vacation is missing.

By the way, for anyone who reads the introduction and feels that describes them, I would highly recommend the book. It's a way of thinking and vacationing at Disney that I think a lot of people who post on DIS can relate to.

As far as being responsible with the gifts you have been given, I have had trouble with that as well. I consider the tens of thousands of dollars we have spent at Disney over the past 15 years. I have always come back to spending the money on my family will always be more a important use of these gifts than jet skis, new SUVs, or a fancy new tv for dad.

 

[ftballfan7]

I am sure you will have a great time no matter where you stay (within reason of course). That being said, I recomend that you check out the possibility of renting from a DVC member. There are deals to be had. Look on the DVC rent/trade board and then do an internet search and look elsewhere as well. Read the "stickys" on the disboard so you know how these rentals work. One thing to be aware of is that free dining isn't available in conjunction with DVC reservations (I only point this out because a previous poster mentioned it). The DVC suites (1 bdr or bigger), in my opinion, are the best of both worlds. You get a deluxe resort, your own bedroom, a full kitchen, a balcony and all of the onsite perks and ammenities. As stated before AKV and BLT have 1 bdr suites which sleep 5, 2bdrs at all dvc resorts sleep 8. For me staying on-site is important, but this certainately is not true for everyone. Good luck and enjoy the planning process. When the time comes, if you go with the flow you will have a great vacation.

 

[read_it_chris]

Please recommend an off-site community. We've stayed at Lake Berkley a couple of times. Would like to be closer, somewhere really nice. Need a private pool for the kiddies. Drive time is the biggest factor.Thanks and help!

 

[TinkerbellNYC]

Someone on here a while back (Symptico I think) posted a map that had all the community sites on it, it was great. You could see which were closest to Disney and then further out as you go. Maybe someone has that link handy. Back to the laundry.

 

[erinch]

We have a very nice unit at the Vistana rented for 2 weeks in August -- it comes out to $100 per night, including all fees and taxes. We've stayed at Grand floridian, AKL several times, WL and POR, and I love them. But with DS21, DD13 and a friend, having 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, a full kitchen, a screened balcony with table and chairs, and 3 tvs -- the space and the value are unbeatable. We don't do well heaped up on top of each other.

 

[Planogirl]

I've stayed both onsite and offsite many times and to me the most important thing is that everyone is happy. There are well-located offsite hotels with incredible amenities and they often cost WAY less than the Disney hotels. True, you don't get that 24 hour Disney immersion but personally I enjoy getting away from that.

We have found so much to do in and around Orlando and never would have discovered these great things if we stayed onsite. During our last trip I got the biggest kick out of playing mini-golf one night at one of the Pirates mini-golf places for example. That's not to say that Disney's mini-golf places aren't nice but it's just more restful for me to go somewhere else.

If you are well-located you might even discover that you can get to the parks faster than via Disney buses. I also found the days long enough during regular hours and never missed extras such as EMH.

But to each their own of course. I just think that you can't beat the space and extra money for whatever you want! You can always go back to a Disney resort on your next trip or even split your stay.

 

[isla bonita]

There are many options in the area not all are for all families. Unless you try it yourself you will not know.

Personally I thought when my DM brought the whole family down to Disney and we stayed in a 6 bed room home it would be insane. I told my DH to bring a fresh CC because when I had enough we were leaving.

Turned out it was the best holiday we ever had. We now own ourselves. Who would have known that being all together would have been so much fun.

We also all had our own rest rooms and bedrooms. Lots of private area and common area.

Unless you try it you will not know. I am sure it will still be a lovely holiday you are going to the happiest place on earth, and you never have to do it again if it does not suit you.

 

[disneysteve]

There are only 3 of us and we would never stay onsite. It just isn't worth it at all to us. Offsite is WAY cheaper and far nicer with lots more amenities for the money. We are going next month and renting a 3-bedroom, 2-bath pool home in Kissimmee. We will have a beautifully furnished home with a large screen LCD TV, DVD player, stereo system, TVs in each bedroom, our own private screened-in pool, a full kitchen, washer /dryer and more. For that, we're paying less than $89/night. That's about what a Disney value would cost which would have us crammed into one tiny room, sleeping side by side, sharing a bathroom and not much else. Plus, people on either side of us and above and/or below us. Not to mention a community pool filled with unruly kids. No thanks. Nothing magic about that.

You'll love it offsite.

 

[cey]

We have done the on site and the off site thing as well. Now we prefer the off site route for the space, privacy and the choice of having our own pool. Nothing beats BBQing by the pool while everyone has a nice cool swim. We have also found that over the years, the novelty of disney food has worn off and we feel it becomes very expensive eating in the Parks. Even with the free dining, you waste a lot of time standing in line for faster? counter service. We love having the option of packing our own lunch and getting to decide where in the park we would like to stop and have lunch and people watch! That saying, you may have to decide if staying on site is worth it because of your little one. If they will have a nap in a stroller, this can be a definite plus. Our youngest was 4 when we first went and still fit in a stroller. After his nap, he was re-energized and happy to return to the parks!

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

I am definately happy with staying off site if that works out for the best. We traveled with our family (4 kids) for many years and couldn't manage to stay on-property with our size family. We also took the entire family when there were 13 of us and stayed in a really great private house with a pool. There are advantages to off site (cheaper usually, more room, ability to cook meals in a condo) but there are a couple of big disadvantages (transportation to/from WDW, difficulty in sending some members home from the parks before others are ready to go, parking prices). Keep one thing in mind. September is normally free dining month. If you choose to stay on-property you might save more by getting the free dining. Of course this is not guaranteed for next September, but it has happened for the past few years. Reserve a room for 5 at POR and get free dining. Since you have plenty of planning time and normally all of the places in and around WDW won't book up at that time of year, keep your options open and look for what works best for your family. My first choice is on-property...especially with kids the ages of yours, but I would stay off-property if that is what worked the best. Either way you can have a fantastic time.

One footnote here...I am a Disney LOVER. When I am in Disney World I prefer to spend most every minute I can IN DISNEY WORLD. I don't want to relax watching TV or things I can do at home. That may be one reason I really prefer being on-site. Less time wasted traveling, more time at Disney World. If I'm spending the $$ to be there...I want to BE THERE! But different strokes if you prefer different choices.

 

[disneysteve]

Less time wasted traveling, more time at Disney World.

A travel time advantage to staying onsite is a myth, IMO. Yes, if you are at the Magic Kingdom and staying at the Contemporary, the monorail will take you there pretty quickly. But other than that, if you need to wait for a bus to get to your destination, you could probably hop in a car and drive to your offsite place just as fast if not faster. We've rented in Orbit One vacation villas 3 times in the past 5 years. I've timed the trip from Animal Kingdom to our unit, door to door, at under 5 minutes. From MGM to the unit was under 8 minutes. I don't care where you are staying onsite, you wouldn't get there any quicker than that.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

A travel time advantage to staying onsite is a myth, IMO. Yes, if you are at the Magic Kingdom and staying at the Contemporary, the monorail will take you there pretty quickly. But other than that, if you need to wait for a bus to get to your destination, you could probably hop in a car and drive to your offsite place just as fast if not faster. We've rented in Orbit One vacation villas 3 times in the past 5 years. I've timed the trip from Animal Kingdom to our unit, door to door, at under 5 minutes. From MGM to the unit was under 8 minutes. I don't care where you are staying onsite, you wouldn't get there any quicker than that.

Of course everyone has different experiences, but in the numerous times we have stayed off-site it has taken much longer to get to the parks than the times we were on-site. Many things go in to your experience though. Location of the off-site lodging, time of year that you visit, even the time of day that you usually head to/from the parks. The one park that I truly find takes much longer is the Magic Kingdom. Just the fact that you drive to the TTC, tranfer to the monorail or boat, and then get to the MK it just takes longer. IMO!

One other thing to keep in mind. Are you the type of person that likes WDW but does not care to be immersed in Disney magic 24/7? Or are you the type of person that wants Magic and Disney themes for your entire trip? If you get tired of the themes and magic don't stay at a value resort! When we take our grandkids we WANT that magic all of the time. THEY love it. There is no right or wrong answer to your questions, it is all a matter of preference and planning.