Rooms with seperate bedroom?

[BigredNole]

We drive, so DME is of no use. We have AP, so parking is free. Charging on my credit card lets me keep track of what I spend instead of sticker shock at the end of the vacation. I have never had any issue with ADRs at the 180 mark. I prefer a 15 minute drive than a 45-60 minute wait for buses. Even staying onsite we never use the buses except for DS and we sometimes just drive to SSR to walk over.

 

[Hopefully]

There is only a small few things you give up: morning EMH and 60-day FP window vs 30-day.

Magical Express, the dining plan, the ability to charge back to your room. The ability to book all your ARDs at 180 days out from the start of your vacation. The luxury of not having to drive on vacation. Free parking.

Packages delivered to your resort, free Magic Bands, incredible themes. The immersion of being at Disney is hard to quantify but real.

 

[Hopefully]

We drive, so DME is of no use. We have AP, so parking is free. Charging on my credit card lets me keep track of what I spend instead of sticker shock at the end of the vacation. I have never had any issue with ADRs at the 180 mark. I prefer a 15 minute drive than a 45-60 minute wait for buses. Even staying onsite we never use the buses except for DS and we sometimes just drive to SSR to walk over.

Clearly off site works for you and that is great.
We are just trying to out line the facts for the OP. 45 - 60 minute wait for a Disney bus is simply an inaccurate exaggeration. During normal circumstances Something extraordinary could always occur, but that is not the norm.

 

[Suzanne74]

We drive, so DME is of no use. We have AP, so parking is free. Charging on my credit card lets me keep track of what I spend instead of sticker shock at the end of the vacation. I have never had any issue with ADRs at the 180 mark. I prefer a 15 minute drive than a 45-60 minute wait for buses. Even staying onsite we never use the buses except for DS and we sometimes just drive to SSR to walk over.

But the OP doesn't have AP's and does not mention driving.

And I have been to Disney many times. I did rent a car when we were at OKW but otherwise have used the busses and have never waited 45-60min. Not even 30min. And not sure where you are getting 15 minutes to a park from outside Disney. MK is a haul and you still have to pay to park, park in the lot, wait for a tram car, wait for the monorail or ferry, etc... Busses skip all of that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would stay offsite in much larger accommodations at a huge fraction of the cost...almost 7 nights for the price of 1 night. If you fly, you can rent a car and upgrade one pass to an AP for parking, free Memory Maker, and other discounts. The savings will still be huge.

If the OP is trying to keep a 7pm bedtime for the little one that might be a bit harder to accomplish if staying off-site at least in my mind.

 

[BigredNole]

But the OP doesn't have AP's and does not mention driving.

And I have been to Disney many times. I did rent a car when we were at OKW but otherwise have used the busses and have never waited 45-60min. Not even 30min. And not sure where you are getting 15 minutes to a park from outside Disney. MK is a haul and you still have to pay to park, park in the lot, wait for a tram car, wait for the monorail or ferry, etc... Busses skip all of that.

I guarantee that if we left at the same time from our room (you on site and me off site), that I would arrive at the entrance before you 90% of the time. You have to walk from your room to the bus stop, wait for the bus, wait for the stops, drive to the bus dropoff. I leave my room, hop in my car right there, take the fastest route, scan my pass for free parking, park, and walk to the entrance. Epcot, DHS, and AK are extremely fast. MK is a little longer, but still faster than the bus system.

 

[BigredNole]

Clearly off site works for you and that is great.
We are just trying to out line the facts for the OP. 45 - 60 minute wait for a Disney bus is simply an inaccurate exaggeration. During normal circumstances Something extraordinary could always occur, but that is not the norm.

It most definitely is the norm. Time when you leave your room to the time you arrive at a park. I will bet you it is much closer to 45-60 minutes from the time you leave your room to the time you arrive at a park. I will bet you it is the same when leaving the park as well. Time it when you walk through the exit to the time you get back to your room.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I guarantee that if we left at the same time from our room (you on site and me off site), that I would arrive at the entrance before you 90% of the time. You have to walk from your room to the bus stop, wait for the bus, wait for the stops, drive to the bus dropoff. I leave my room, hop in my car right there, take the fastest route, scan my pass for free parking, park, and walk to the entrance. Epcot, DHS, and AK are extremely fast. MK is a little longer, but still faster than the bus system.

If staying off-site you would also have to consider how much in parking fees you would incur if renting a car and upgrading to an AP is a solution you see for those parking fees but not necessarily one that all would want to have to do just to get free parking. It sounds like you've got the process down pat which likely helps you know the faster routes and be ready for them too (such as being in the correct lane, etc).

It's the same for anyone really who has been to a place enough times. For example I know to go to the next stop light on a particular street if going to the movie theater because there is less traffic that way (and that stop light also now has a flashing yellow light which has helped more cars get through the light) and it is usually easier to find a parking spot, often closer to the entrance too, on that side of the movie theater. However, if one was unfamiliar with the traffic patterns and the area in general you would probably go to the stop light that seems the closest to the movie theater and then you would be stuck behind a gadzillion other cars trying to go to the restaurants near the movie theater, the other businesses and the busiest part of the movie theater parking lot.

I'm not really saying on-site is better than off-site but one does have to consider one's own personal situation with pros and cons.

 

[maxiesmom]

It most definitely is the norm. Time when you leave your room to the time you arrive at a park. I will bet you it is much closer to 45-60 minutes from the time you leave your room to the time you arrive at a park. I will bet you it is the same when leaving the park as well. Time it when you walk through the exit to the time you get back to your room.

The trip is not magically shorter when you drive. Rather, you get to skip part of the hassle when you take the bus. You may have to wait for the bus, but the ride is shorter if anything.

PS your post states that you prefer a car over a 45-60 minute wait for the bus. No where did you mention drive or ride time.

 

[Suzanne74]

I guarantee that if we left at the same time from our room (you on site and me off site), that I would arrive at the entrance before you 90% of the time. You have to walk from your room to the bus stop, wait for the bus, wait for the stops, drive to the bus dropoff. I leave my room, hop in my car right there, take the fastest route, scan my pass for free parking, park, and walk to the entrance. Epcot, DHS, and AK are extremely fast. MK is a little longer, but still faster than the bus system.

That is your opinion. I have done both and have waited in a line to park, waited in line for a tram, waited in line for a monorail, etc... I don't wait 45 minutes for a bus. I never had. Not sure what you mean about other stops. Pop Century takes me right to the park every time and it is the same distance to the bus stop as it is to walking to my car. I may have to wait 10-15min for a bus but it drops me right off.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It's never taken me 45-60 minutes between park and room, even at Saratoga.

 

[Jadeey]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will have a look at renting points since that is something I've considered in the past too. Then I guess I have to make a decision about whether the extra money for a family suite or dvc resort is worth it for us!

Off-site isn't something we are interested in, we are from New Zealand and neither myself or my husband are keen on the idea of driving because of the whole other side of the road from what we are used to. Our last trip to the US we did rent a car and my husband hated every minute of it because he found driving so stressful.

 

[maxiesmom]

How about something like this?https://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-Toddler-Airbed-Tan/22899906

Could you maybe block it with luggage or something to keep you from her view?

I know they make bed tents too.

 

[Jadeey]

How about something like this?https://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-Toddler-Airbed-Tan/22899906

Could you maybe block it with luggage or something to keep you from her view?

I know they make bed tents too.

That is a brilliant idea!

 

[ScubaCat]

I will have a look at renting points since that is something I've considered in the past too.

When is your trip? If it's less than 7 months away, you'd better check pretty quickly. Most DVC resorts start filling up to near-capacity at the 7 month mark, especially the ones adjacent to a theme park or the monorail.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/

 

[_auroraborealis_]

When is your trip? If it's less than 7 months away, you'd better check pretty quickly. Most DVC resorts start filling up to near-capacity at the 7 month mark, especially the ones adjacent to a theme park or the monorail.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/

And, if it's MORE than 7 months away but between late September and marathon (which is 12 months!), many of those dates will fill up in advance of 7 months at many room types (cough cough Boardwalk).

 

[buzznina]

We drive, so DME is of no use. We have AP, so parking is free. Charging on my credit card lets me keep track of what I spend instead of sticker shock at the end of the vacation. I have never had any issue with ADRs at the 180 mark. I prefer a 15 minute drive than a 45-60 minute wait for buses. Even staying onsite we never use the buses except for DS and we sometimes just drive to SSR to walk over.

Such an exaggerated statement. We have 30+ trips to WDW and I can tell you that rarely have we waited more then 15-20 minutes. We drive to WDW and the first few trips we mainly drove to the parks and only took the bus a couple of times. We noticed that it did not save us very much time when we drove compared to taking the bus. Plus, I can spend more time with my family, DD sitting on my lap, discussing the day without having to keep an eye out for tourist not knowing how to drive. After the first few trips we have been using Disney transportation ever since. Yes, there has been the occasional longer then normal wait, but we have had so many more trips where we never waited more then 5-10 minutes. I will say that it feels shorter when you drive because you are constantly moving and not just standing in a line, standing and waiting just makes it feel longer.
You say you have never used the buses to the parks, yet you are stating that it's "the norm" to wait 30-45 minutes for a bus??

OP - Here is DIS DVC point calculator site to give you an idea. http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm
Points on Davids site is going for $15 per, you may get a little bit cheaper $14 renting from an owner. But definitely look at all the caveats in renting and as a couple of posters mentioned a lot of the dates are gone between the 11 to 7 month window.

 

[amberpi]

I guarantee that if we left at the same time from our room (you on site and me off site), that I would arrive at the entrance before you 90% of the time. You have to walk from your room to the bus stop, wait for the bus, wait for the stops, drive to the bus dropoff. I leave my room, hop in my car right there, take the fastest route, scan my pass for free parking, park, and walk to the entrance. Epcot, DHS, and AK are extremely fast. MK is a little longer, but still faster than the bus system.

I always stay Epcot resorts, and it never takes me more than 15 minutes to Epcot or DHS, now I happen to be a pretty fast walker, especially after my WDW morning espresso, but I dare say you can't beat the actual door to door on those 2 parks for the Swolphin/YC.

 

[starry_solo]

OP: One bedroom at DVC is fairly expensive, even when renting from owners or David's.

Cheapest is 139 points (AKV, low season) for one week. Multiply by $15/point that's $2085. Most DVC reservations are non refundable and cannot be changed.

Assuming you want to stay at a resort that is closest to a specific park. You can find out points cost online.

 

[Cee]

DVC one BR will also give you a kitchen and W/D.