Results of my cost comparison - LONG!!

[njsweetP]

We always stay offsite, having that extra space after a long day at the parks is sooo worth it for us. We are 2 adults with 2 teenage daughters, you get the idea. Here's our breakdown for what it's worth:
Air: 916.80
Cypress Grand Villas 2 bdrm condo/7 nights -561.89
Car Rental -132.79
4 days parking - 56
Gas - 35
Leftover Non expiring tickets from 3 years ago.
Food - no limit here, we just eat where we want, have a couple of ADR's and offsite ressies, but that's it.
I'll even throw in the dog kennel fee we have to pay to board the dog - 400.

So for us (and I know it has no value for OP) it is sooo cost effective for us
to stay offsite. We are at the parks for opening time. We grab breakfast in the condo and we are on our way. The condo worked out well one year when oldest DD got sick and we had to cook her plain noodles for the day. I never cook a meal, but the kitchen is great for leftovers and the washer/dryer is great for when we get stuck in the rain. Just some things to think about, I don't think I could stay in a one room hotel for any length of time with 4 people. I need room to relax and have my own space. But that's just me.

 

[skhermsmeyer]

We're staying at the Rolling Hills subdivision (didn't know about Windsor Hills until after we booked ). How much further is it to the parks? Is it a big difference or are we going to be okay getting to the parks at a decent time? Gotta love when the DH wants to help "plan".

 

[Acklander]

We're staying at the Rolling Hills subdivision (didn't know about Windsor Hills until after we booked ). How much further is it to the parks? Is it a big difference or are we going to be okay getting to the parks at a decent time? Gotta love when the DH wants to help "plan".

rolling hills is about 2 minutes further away than Windsor Hills

 

[skhermsmeyer]

rolling hills is about 2 minutes further away than Windsor Hills

thanks for the quick response!!!

 

[Tinkerbell58]

We are driving so no rental car.

Do you figure in the price of gas vs. using free Disney transportation?

Lost park time driving to the park vs. staying onsite?

 

[mrsklamc]

It actually takes less time to drive yourself from WH than to take the buses.

 

[surfgirl]

you forgot this:

wireless access ... condo - free; on-site - ??

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offsite - having space for the 3 kids to go to bed while parents can relax .... priceless!

offsite - having two bathrooms .... priceless!

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Again, I think it depends on individual circumstances - we will always rent a car on-site or off (I hate depending on buses!), so is not a variable.

We have 3 kids, so on-site gets miserable after, oh, about 2 days. It so isn't worth it. Once I figure out where to put all the 'stuff' so we have room to walk, the idea of bedtime isn't fun - do I sit in the bathroom ? if I lay down, I will fall asleep and then wake up at 3am.

How do you quantify those things ?

 

[powellrj]

It really boils down to what is important to you. Even when we stay on-site, we always rent a car. I just can't give up the control of going where I want to go when I want to! I bought a brand new car last month and already have 3300 on it and it had less than 100 when I bought it. A car is part of me I can't give up control of!!!! So the idea of a trip using disney transportation is a nightmare for me where other people can't imagine a vacation where they have to drive!

We enjoy TV, I admit it, we are a family that likes to start the day and end the day with TV. How many times can you watch the Disney top 10??? I like my morning news and my late night talk shows and since you don't get expanded cable at disney, we miss it! Other people love disney tv 24 hours a day, to me it would be torture!

I also like a cold drink and a toasted bagel to start the day and I like walking into my own kitchen in my jammies to fix it. The idea of walking down to the food court or fixing my breakfast in the bathroom area just aren't my thing, so I really appreciate the kitchen. I know other people think its work to toast a bagel and want to leave the cooking to others.

I also value my alone time. I love my kids, but I also need time away from them! It fine for all of us to share a room when we are driving and only spending one night is, but the idea of all of us sharing a 500 sq foot area for a week is scary! My boys and DH are all over 6ft tall and DD is taller than I am, so thats alot of bodies in a small area!

I avoid EMH and didn't like having to make and keep ADRs with the dining plan, so both of those things really don't interest us. We did the old dining plan when app, desserts and tips were included, but I don't really see a cost saving for us now. We can eat much cheaper off-site when you are feeding hungry teens! Off-site is really a no brain er for us not even considering the cost factor.

For other families, those things are important to them and they don't mind the added cost of on-site!

 

[lucigo]

The prices are close enough that you really have to consider what you want for your vacation. We have stayed on-site for up to 8 days, and we have also had 7 night weekly condo rentals. Both have their benefits.

On a side note...
We have driven and brought a small microwave to Pop Century, which even with free dining is nice if you want a snack at night or in the morning.

 

[maleficentmom]

Guess I'm the weirdo here,but if we are doing a week or several days at Disney,we prefer onsite w/ dining/magical express/the busues,etc....just to get off the plane and have it all taken care of for X amount is great, BUT..we usually do LOTS of planning ,dining/parks/etc...all planned out in advance and we avoid summer/holidays when the buses would be packed.We do Universal at their hotels because front of line is awesome to us.Now I have to say we stayed at downtown dis. and Buena Vista Suites(great breakfast and nice suites cheap),and as they have bus service it was almost as good as staying at Disney,and we got the rate really cheap,and if you like to do shopping,etc...i can see the advantage of offsite,especially if you go with grandparents,grown kids,etc...we are going with the grandparents(who live out of the US) in Oct. and unless can get free dining,we may do a condo a few days and then one night at Universal,but if it's just hubby/me and kids we always do Disney/Universal hotels

 

[lucigo]

Guess I'm the weirdo here,but if we are doing a week or several days at Disney,we prefer onsite w/ dining/magical express/the busues,etc....just to get off the plane and have it all taken care of for X amount is great, BUT..we usually do LOTS of planning ,dining/parks/etc...all planned out in advance and we avoid summer/holidays when the buses would be packed.We do Universal at their hotels because front of line is awesome to us.Now I have to say we stayed at downtown dis. and Buena Vista Suites(great breakfast and nice suites cheap),and as they have bus service it was almost as good as staying at Disney,and we got the rate really cheap,and if you like to do shopping,etc...i can see the advantage of offsite,especially if you go with grandparents,grown kids,etc...we are going with the grandparents(who live out of the US) in Oct. and unless can get free dining,we may do a condo a few days and then one night at Universal,but if it's just hubby/me and kids we always do Disney/Universal hotels

That doesn't make you the "weirdo" or at least if you are than so am I? LOL I love staying onsite and not having to cook, clean, do extra work that makes it a vacation for everyone but me!

We just spent a week in Kissimmee in a 2 bedroom condo and I admit it was nice, having laundry, kitchen, etc. However we weren't on vacation we were house hunting. When we do stay onsite I prefer 2 rooms at Pop so we can spread out.

 

[LadySiren]

For us, off-site is way cheaper, given the size of our family. Plus, we like to sprawl out a bit. As a TS owner, it's obviously much cheaper for us; our 5-day / 6-night stay at a Hilton resort cost me $49. Even if we weren't TS owners, we'd still consider something like WH. The benefits outweigh the costs for us when it comes to on-site / off-site. Everyone is different though so it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for you, your family, and budget.