Renting house Offsite...Pros/Cons???

[OFF2NVRLAND]

Me too just planned a May trip last week. Had my choice of BOG times for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ditto. Our trip is May 27th-June 3rd. I got the BOG reservation I wanted for 10 people.

 

[pmdeve]

Its VERY close to the entrance to WDW propery. Each park is a bit different, but we typically allow 30 minutes to get to our drop spot. It ranges from 15-30 typically, depending on time of day, and traffic flow, and which park. So, we have the shuttle show up about 40 minutes in advance of when we want to be there, we load up, and we're off.

What shuttle service do you use?

 

[starjazz]

What shuttle service do you use?

Golden Transportation

 

[mrsabbott]

We are a family of 6 and I have priced every sort of onsite option including any discounts I could find. If we were a family of 3 or even 4, we would consider an onsite stay in a regular room. But we would either need a suite or two connecting rooms and the price is just too much for our budget!

Of course, we always drive (Hubs isn't a fan of flying, plus it is cheaper for us all to drive) so we don't have to worry about transportation or car rental. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo in Davenport (Bahama Bay). It was clean and spacious. Loved having the washer and dryer right there. The kitchen was nice to have but we didn't cook a whole lot while there. The full sized fridge was nice to have, as was the dining room table that seated our entire family. We had two full bathrooms, which was so nice when getting ready in the mornings. It was also nice for Hubs and I to have OUR OWN ROOM! The kids had plenty of space, the resort had numerous pools, a splash park, walking trails, a beach area, and a fishing pier.

Plenty of stores and restaurant choices nearby and the parks were maybe 15 minutes away at most. Universal was 30 minutes. The drive wasn't a big deal for us at all. If I could afford the insane prices to stay onsite, perhaps I would.. just to have the experience. But I didn't feel like our vacation was diminished because we were off site. We are planning our next trip and would love to stay at Bahama Bay again, but we are considering bringing our dogs with us next time. Looking into a house off post that allows dogs.. not a resort, but still in the same general location and with its own private pool.

There are so many amazing off site options out there and many of the places I have looked at have some great theming so that you still get that "magical" feel!

 

[edolee]

To quote an unknown poster from many years ago... "There is VERY LITTLE magic in a 350 sq ft 1 bathroom hotel room for a family of 4 for a week". I don't remember who said it, but the words are SO true.

We will NEVER go back to staying onsite... Space! Private pool! Game room! Laundry when I want it! Full kitchen! If you go to the right place, fishing right out your back door! Or in other resorts, golf!

Save money? SURE, LOTS, if you do it right... but after doing it for years I would frankly PAY MORE!

What about 60 day fp+, disney transport, parking, emh?

These are valid for sure, but here is our take on each.

1) emh... most guidebooks strongly suggest avoiding emh even if you are onsite... I think if you did it right, they could be helpful if you want to rise that early, or get back that late... but we dont miss them.

2) disney transport and parking... love my rental car. they are usually damn cheap in orlando too. also encourages doing other things like universal or a dinner show like medieval times. if you have the skill to drive in an unfamiliar place, it can really enhance your trip.

3) 60 day fp+... For us, this is a big one... On our last trip I will admit we tried the throw away room reservation at Ft Wilderness. (note that some find this morally questionable.) For 1 $75 night reservation I got... 60 day fp+, 8 free magic bands, and 2 days of free parking. It worked beautifully. I find no moral dilemma, since I paid, and got the perks that go along with that payment... I guess you will have to let your conscience be your guide.

Bottom line? Go for it... I will NEVER forget the fun we had in that private pool with the kids when they were little. Or the foosball tournaments, or the fishing pictures (last year a small alligator cruised by an eyed us while we were fishing). You simply cannot replace those kinds of memories.

Ed

 

[Megsmachine]

To quote an unknown poster from many years ago... "There is VERY LITTLE magic in a 350 sq ft 1 bathroom hotel room for a family of 4 for a week". I don't remember who said it, but the words are SO true.

We will NEVER go back to staying onsite... Space! Private pool! Game room! Laundry when I want it! Full kitchen! If you go to the right place, fishing right out your back door! Or in other resorts, golf!

Save money? SURE, LOTS, if you do it right... but after doing it for years I would frankly PAY MORE!

What about 60 day fp+, disney transport, parking, emh?

These are valid for sure, but here is our take on each.

1) emh... most guidebooks strongly suggest avoiding emh even if you are onsite... I think if you did it right, they could be helpful if you want to rise that early, or get back that late... but we dont miss them.

2) disney transport and parking... love my rental car. they are usually damn cheap in orlando too. also encourages doing other things like universal or a dinner show like medieval times. if you have the skill to drive in an unfamiliar place, it can really enhance your trip.

3) 60 day fp+... For us, this is a big one... On our last trip I will admit we tried the throw away room reservation at Ft Wilderness. (note that some find this morally questionable.) For 1 $75 night reservation I got... 60 day fp+, 8 free magic bands, and 2 days of free parking. It worked beautifully. I find no moral dilemma, since I paid, and got the perks that go along with that payment... I guess you will have to let your conscience be your guide.

Bottom line? Go for it... I will NEVER forget the fun we had in that private pool with the kids when they were little. Or the foosball tournaments, or the fishing pictures (last year a small alligator cruised by an eyed us while we were fishing). You simply cannot replace those kinds of memories.

Ed

How does the throwaway night even work? What did you book at $75 at FW to do that?

 

[edolee]

How does the throwaway night even work? What did you book at $75 at FW to do that?

I booked 1 night at ft. wilderness campsite with no intention of camping there. As I said, it is frowned on by some, but it worked great.

Ed

 

[Ametista]

Quite honestly we stayed onsite once and, even with a rented car so we could avoid the buses, we still hated it. Tiny, cramped places with one bathroom and payed a small fortune. We always get a house or townhome with a private pool. We go to all the Orlando parks (Uni, Disney, and Seaworld family) and we always have a blast.