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.
One of the biggest reasons for staying onsite is just as you yourself mentioned -- you don't need to drive offsite to go back to your hotel. Not only is this so much more convenient with small children who need to go back to the room for naps but if you are flying down to WDW -- no need to rent a car if you'll be staying in WDW the entire trip. You can take a shuttle to and from the airport for less money and use WDW transportation for free your entire stay if staying at a WDW resort. It's not only more convenient for kids and naps but for taking a break during the day to go back to the resort for a swim in the middle of the day when it gets hot. With Many of the WDW resorts such as Y&B club or the CR, you can even walk to the parks. This is much quicker than taking a half hour or more just to drive out of the park to an offsite hotel. And the hotels you cannot walk to the parks are for the most part very short distances by either monorail,boat or bus. Beyond the convenience factor, you get elaborately themed resorts in every budget catagory from value to deluxe and home away from home with elaborately themed pools to match And you get special Disney touches when staying with Disney such as wake up calls from a Disney character (little kids love this), Mickey mouse soaps in the bathrooms, and mousekeeping even shapes the towels like animals. You just don't get these things staying offsite. Plus you have the convenience of being able to charge things back to your room and have souveniers you buy while in the park able to be delivered back to the room at no charge. There are more reasons I could come up with but these are just the ones straight off the top of my head. So while it may be cheaper to stay offsite, as they say "you get what you pay for". It just isn't the same to me. Try it once -- you'll see for yourself the difference.
I can't say enough about staying onsite compared to staying off site. DF and I have done both, the last time making the mistake of staying off site AFTER staying onsite.(Been there, done that, WON'T do that again.....ever!) I can't explain what it is, but there is a 'feeling' you get when you stay onsite that you can not get when you stay offsite. Staying onsite gives your vacation an entirely different feeling. You hear people talking about the "Disney magic" (no, not the boat) well, staying onsite allows you to feel the "magic". You just cannot compare the onsite experience with the offsite experience. The least expensive Disney hotels are so much nicer that any of the offsites. The staff cannot be compared. The convenience of staying onsite would for me, be the deciding factor for staying onsite. The busses, boats or monorails are the best. I could go on and on... DF and I will never stay offsite again!!!!!!!! Lol in making your decision.
Another case for staying on site: Not only do you get that Extra Magic Hour in the morning, but now there are trying EXTRA MAGIC HOURS IN THE EVENING!!!! YIPEE (Source: the main page , wdwinfo.com)
........because there just is NO comparison to waking up IN the magic.................None whatsoever.......... Just print off this who thread and drop it in DH's morning coffee....
As you can see, we stayed onsite the second time, and never looked back! The first trip is still one of my favorites, and the hotel was just fine, but there is something about waking up and seeing Spaceship Earth or Cinderella Castle out of your window...it really is magic. One thing I regret is staying at All Star after DL on the same visit. Three of the four people on our trip have sworn never to stay at All Star again, just because we were backwards and stayed at DL first. Work your way up to get a real perspective. If price isn't a real consideration, try to at least go with the moderates. If you are thinking about going with All Star, think twice, because you can get more value offsite at bigger, much nicer places. That is always a consideration for my family because we need for our accomodations to be comfortable and quiet. All Star is a little garish for our liking. We try to book at PO, or CS if we aren't using points. Try a moderate one time. You won't be able to stay offsite after that. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- '95- Offsite- Comfort Inn, LBV '96- Dixie Landings, All Star Sports '97- Coronado Springs - Grad Trip '99- BoardWalk Villas '00- BWV (May), Disney Institute (Oct) '01- BWV '02- BWV '03- Polynesian (May), BWV (Sept) '04 - Port Orleans Riverside (May), Saratoga Springs (Sept)
You MUST do this! That is what my dear bride said to me 10 years ago after she found a great rate at the Yacht Club. We have not stayed offsite since (except perhaps for one night if arriving very late by car). I recommend starting with a moderate and visit some other resorts while there. In March we tried the Poly and AKL. The AKL is now our favorite when with the kids (11 & 7) due to their great programs - we stayed at the resort all day! But if we are doing more of the parks with some time in the resort, our favorite is PO French Quarter or Riverside. As just a couple, it is Wilderness Lodge. TRY IT! A Real no-brainer especially if you can qualify for one of the discounts! Artemus
All I can say is yes yes yes - anyone who wants can ask my wife to confirm this, but I have a personality where I usually take a week to even start to relax after getting away from work, yet somehow just walking in the door on-site makes everything seem just perfect. Not sure how better to explaine it than 24/7 Disney Magic
I second that "Magic" feeling while staying on site.... Also all the Disney transport from resorts drops you closer to the entrance to the parks than staying off site.... in fact almost the front gate... In case you are no aware, the DTD hotels are considerd off site... stayed there once for part of the trip, never again...
I agree, if you're not staying in Disney then you're really not getting a true WDW vacation. I have stayed offsite numerous times to save money and can tell you it's not worth it. If you stay onsite you will have the convenience of transportation, which is wonderful. Some offsite hotels offer free shuttles to the parks, but only a couple times a day. I remember I had stayed at a Best Western and it offered these free shuttles. Well, it really stinks if you want to go earlier or later, or have any freedom at all in the decision. One time I actually missed my shuttle back and had to pay $50 for a taxi!!! Other than the transportation, you have the great feeling of being on-site. The rooms are great and very disney. The resorts are awesome and all have something special about them. The service is wonderful and everyone is more than friendly (in my experiences). The pools are great adn the food courts and restaurants offered are reasonable and again, convenient. I vowed after staying on-site for the first time in 1999 that I would never stay off-site again. I have kept to that word and enjoyed 4 different Disney resorts and am returning this July! Staying on Disney property really adds to your vacation and the only way you'll understand is if you try it. Good luck with the convincing
YES YES YES: You should absolutely stay onsite. Even at a value resort. We stayed at All Star Sports and loved it. The rooms were small, but very very clean and the theming just made our stay so magical. My son was in heaven. He was immersed (as were we all) in the magic from the second we arrived until the second we left.
Its about the "magic" as my DS reminds me each time we plan our next trip. Of course, if he had to pay the credit card bill, he might think differently.................................
There is NOTHING in the world like Disney service. You should definately try to stay on site. I would suggest purchasing an a/p so you can get the best room rates. That might help to persuade your DH. We've stayed on and off site. Off site was at a vacation home with multi bedrooms and our own pool. It was nice but not Disney. We will never stay off site again. I agree with the other disers, try it once and you'll be hooked. All of the disney hotels are wonderful. If you decide to give it a try, post another question for first timer resort selection You;ll get plenty of advice
STAY ONSITE! YOU WILL BE SO HAPPY! IT IS SOOO NICE ! WARNING: YOU WILL BE SO SPOILED YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO STAY OFF SITE AGAIN!!!!!
Once you stay onsite you will probably never want to stay offsite again. We've done value, moderate, and deluxe. One trip funds were really tight and I thought about staying offsite. The kids said they would much rather stay at a value than stay offsite. One thing I didn't see mentioned above is security. Maybe it's a false sense of security but traveling as a single mother I feel mucher safer staying on property and it would be hard to beat the atmosphere and convenience.
