Should I stay onsite? What is so Great

[tcycmc]

I will be in Orlando from July 11th thru July 18. I have never stayed onsite. Last year my family stayed at Vistana and had a great time. I know that staying offsite is less expensive but I need to convince my DH that staying onsite may be worth the extra money. What is it about onsite that keeps you from staying offsite. One reason for me is not having to drive from offsite and being able to leave the park when my children need to nap without dealing with the parking lot.

I really need help because our trip is in a few months and I haven't planned anything. I can't seem to make up my mind.

 

[Mercy]

The convenience factor is a big plus. You mentioned wanting to be able to go back to your resort to take a nap, etc. Staying onsite would definitely make that easier.

But the main reason to stay on site for me is just the feeling you get being surrounded by Disney 24/7. I know this is an intangible thing, but you really can't put a price on it, so for me... if I'm going to WDW I'm staying at WDW.

 

[Stitch Inside]

Mercy...me too.

 

[Geoff_M]

For us it's:

1) The "Disney all the time" feeling. Very few off-site hotels offer the "look-n-feel" of Disney's resort.

2) Disney transportation. If our 4 YO has a meltdown, my wife or I can hop a bus/boat/monorail with Jr. and the rest can still proceed as planned. Likewise, if we all decide we need a break and want to head back to the parks later, it's a LOT easier to do "on-site".

3) Extra Magic Hour - If you have a spouse who's trip to WDW isn't complete without a ride on Dumbo, this is a God send. When we get there at the start of EMH, we've been able to "blitz" Fantasyland in nothing flat!

4) E-Ride Night... If they bring them back, or if they add expand EMH to after the parks close.

5) Package delivery. We've reached the point where we don't buy much "big stuff" in the parks anymore. But it's really, really nice not have to schlep a shopping bag around with you all day or try and hope you remember/have the energy/are in the right park to go back and buy something at the end of the day that you saw earlier but didn't want to carry around.


Will staying on-site make or break your vacation? No. But it has a lot of benefits for us. We've stayed off-site when holiday rates are in effect on-site, and we still had a great time. But you do notice a difference.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

The convenience and the "magic." Once you stay on property you never want to stay offsite again.

 

[MamaTink]

Stay onsite. The magic and the convenience of the buses and proximity are worth it! We just got back and spent the last 4 nights at AKL (GREAT), but spent the first night at the Hotel Royal Plaza, near Downtown Disney-convenient, but we walked there because the bus route was NOT convenient. The room wa very nice, with a garden tub and room for all 5 of us, but even my husband (who usually goes for the cheaper places) was unhappy--said it didn't have the right "feel". The second night (we had added on the first 2 nights at the last minute) we stayed at SOG. It was our first time there. They are still remodelling and working things out, but again, it was very nice, with large rooms, and very pretty. HOWEVER, the buese weren't as convenient and it did not have the Disney feel. My husband is a Colonel. so we pay the highest rate, $110. If you are a lower rank, it is well worth it because the rate is cheaper. For us, we'd rather stay in a smaller room in a Disney property. It is hard to explain, but the magic is there. You just never feel like you have left the parks. You have magic 24/7. And most importantly, I don['t have to read a map in a moving car in the dark with my DH driving!!!

 

[disneyatl]

EVERYTHING!

Seriously, as everyone else has stated, it's a lot of things.

- The convenience of the bus transportation is a big plus for us.
- The experience of Disney 24/7 - the extra cost for that alone is worth it for me.
- Package delivery to your hotel.

Gosh there is so much to consider. We stayed on property our first visit and can't imagine ever staying off site. It's definitely something you get used to!

 

[oogieboogie]

1. Experiencing Disney "magic" 24/7
2. Ease of transportation
3. The ability to resort hop if we feel like it without the 3hr time limit
4. EMH
5. The level of service and attentiveness at a Disney resort is always a plus for us. It's seems Disney puts more effort in pleasing their guests
6. No timeshare marketers!!!!
7. No ticket sellers/buyers at the front desk! Ugh!
8. Refillable mugs!
9. Being able to stroll from Epcot to your resort
10. It really feels like you're finally home!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

We've always stayed onsite, and can't imagine staying offsite. The pluses everybody mentioned are our reasons, too. DD(14) and I have been going on a "girls-only" trip for the last 3 trips, and it's so great to just hop on the Disney transportation, no rental car needed. I don't know of any other destination where there is so much to do, so many things to see, but after the plane touches down, you get in your towncar and head to the resort, and everything is taken care of. No worries!! You don't have to get in your car, try to find where you're going. You let Mickey take care of it!!

As a vacation destination, WDW is the whole pkg., I can't imagine eliminating that convenience by staying offsite!

 

[Eeyore2003]

Ditto everything that's been said---

When I drive through the Disney gates I drop off all my problems and don't pick them back up until I drive out those gates. In the middle of our vacation in December, I all of a sudden remembered all the problems we had sitting at home. I mentioned this to my husband and we were both surprised that we hadn't thought about it all in several days and even then it seemed a distant memory. You can't put a price on that, even if it's only for a few days.

 

[OhMickey]

I agree - stay onsite. We've stayed both on-site and off-site. The on-site is always our first choice (even value resorts).
Posters mentioned the convenient bus transportation, and I agree. But to elaborate, it is so nice to get into a bus and not have to fight traffic after a long day at the parks.

I also want to stress the EMH. I'm the one who has to ride Dumbo, Peter Pan, and IASW. I do this without much moaning and groaning from others in my family during EMH.

E-night was also great. We rode many rides repeatedly and basically had the park to ourselves during our last trip (May 2003). As a matter of fact, my family rode TMtn so many times, that I had to forgo the last two rides - my stomach couldn't handle it. It was a rainy night and DH was able to go back to our hotel, get rain jackets and rejoin us in a relatively short amount of time (again bus convenience).

 

[rykdad]

As you can see by my "signature", I started out as an off-site guy. Once we stayed onsite for the first time, there was no going back! We're early risers, so we take advantage of the EMH in the mornings. If the evening EMHs are in place during our next visit, we will get more use of the CBR pool and naps.

 

[grimgrinnin]

Think of the last time you stayed off-site. Did you watch Illuminations at Epcot? How long did it take you to get back to the hotel - fighting the hordes of people all making their way to the front of the park? 30 minutes? An hour?

If you had stayed at the Beach Club (or any of the other Epcot Resorts), you would have been in your room in less time than it took you to get to your car! Or you could take a stroll around the Boardwalk, get an ice cream sundae, watch the jugglers and musicians, etc... all while the 'off-siters' are sitting in traffic.

Ahhhhh, I love the Beach Club.



grim

 

[lissawynn]

I have to agree with everyone else who said to stay onsite. The transportation, the theming of the resorts, the ability to come and go as you please just beats staying off property.

 

[jennymouse]

To me it's the difference between "visiting" Disney and "A Disney Vacation." When you stay offsite, you visit Disney and when staying onsite you truly have a Walt Disney World Vacation. And there's a difference.

You get more out of your admission media when staying onsite too. At least we do. I used to have relatives that lived in Orlando. My uncle is an engineer with a company that helped build, Epcot, MGM, CBR, WL and some other stuff I can't remember. We used to go down and stay with them at thier house and go to MK, Epcot, etc. We would get up and have a leisurely breakfast then make it to MK by 11:00 or so, then by 4 or 5 o'clock we were tired and wanting a break. We'd go back to the relatives house with full intentions of returning that night, but we never once did. The thought of driving in all that traffic, the parking lots, etc. and then having to deal with all of that going back home was too much. Staying onsite, we always go back out to the parks because it's so easy. So we get more out of our park tickets.

All the other things listed above is nice too!

 

[KevinFSU]

How can this question even be asked???????????

There will NEVER be an off-site stay for us.

 

[Pig Pen]

unless you want to be hooked forever.

Once onsite, nothing else compares.

aaahhhh.

 

[Alexandra]

i just found out via this web site that there are childcare "Kids Clubs that you can use, at a price of course but many of the resorts have them. They are $10 an hour I believe. My dh and I will be using these 2 nights, 1 to go back and enjoy the thrill rides together at a park and another to have a nice dinner together. They have come highly recommended by the users of this site. I find this a definite plus.
Alexandra