Staying at a Disney Resort

[JNBDream]

This is our family 1st trip to Disney World and was wondering if you recommend really staying at a resort or just a hotel out of the resort. We are on a budget but want to have a wonderful time for our 3 small boys. Does it really pay to stay in the resort with a bunch of extras or is just as nice out of the resort?

 

[cheesehead7]

It will be magical either way because you are going to Disney World!! That being said staying on site is a magical experience. Check out all of the information here on these boards to help you decide. If you can swing it with your budget you will not regret it.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

First I would definitely recommend staying on site. What ages are your children? If one is under three you can stay at any of the mods or values. If they are all three and above POR is the only moderate that can accomodate 5. They have a great pool and a boat to DTD. They also have an entertainer in the lounge that puts on a great show at night for kids and adults. This would be your least expensive on-site option for a family of 5. Its also a very pretty resort.

 

[lovemy3girls]

We used to stay off site. Once we did our first on site trip, there was no going back. It just isn't the same to have to leave the magic everyday to go back to your hotel. We are a family of 5 also, and love CR, but this next trip is a budget trip and we booked 2 rooms at Pop Century. I am really excited about it; so are my 3 girls. IMHO, stay onsite. You won't regret it!

 

[CleveRocks]

Price out the cost of an off-site hotel PLUS the cost of a rental car, which you will need, plus the daily parking fee at the parks.

Compare that with the cost of a WDW resort. When staying at a WDW resort, you won't need to rent a car (a good number of people do it, but they don't need to do it if they are staying on Disney property). You can use the free Disney's Magical Express to get to and from the airport, and the free Disney Transport buses, monorail and boats to travel among sites within WDW.

I've never stayed off-site, and one of the main reasons is that I love NOT driving during my WDW vacations.

 

[KimWDW]

Are you flying or driving? What's nice about the Disney resorts if you're flying in is that you save tons of money by not having to rent a car. Disney transportation is great. They bring you from the airport to the hotel (and back at the end of the trip). Free transportation to all the parks, downtown Disney, other hotels, etc. It saves us money by not renting a car. And the value resorts are great! And they start at $79 per night. Can't beat it!

 

[xraydave]

I agree with DisneymomX7, it really depends on your kids' ages, the time of year and how much "DISNEY" you want. I'm pretty sure everyone here will agree that if you can afford it, stay onsite. The "Disney" never stops. If it's between staying offsite and NOT going, by all means stay where you need to stay.
Once you're there, you'll understand what the "DISNEY" is all about. It just seems they never miss a thing. They put a lot of effort into every little detail. It can't be beat.
Also, because this is your first trip, do your research. You've already taken the first step by reading and asking questions here. Don't quit. Read everything you can, understand how disney works and listen to the advice you will undoubtedly hear over and over again.
Good luck!

 

[dblr]

We use to stay outside of Disney but after we stayed there the 1st time we can't think of staying anywhere else so much that we bought into Disney Vacation Club we also atay @ Fort Wilderness with our camper which is also great.

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

On our first trip we stayed off site and we had a wonderful trip, but since then we have stayed onsite and we will never stay offsite again. It's hard to describe the difference, but there is one for us, maybe not for everyone but for us staying onsite is now a must. I don't know the ages of your boys, but I have 3 kiddos and we always stay at POR and we love it there If you decide to stay offsite, I think the Lake Buena Vista area is a really great choice. If you exit the park at the Downtown Disney exit, as soon as you exit you are in the LBV area. Good luck with your planning

 

[Wendy1953]

Okay, there are lots of benefits to staying on site:

1. Magical Express bus takes you and your luggage to and from your Disney Hotel and Orlando Airport.

2. You can add the meal plan to your visit, which allows you to eat at any of the disney restaurants (1 Table Service Meal, 1 Counter Service Meal, and 1 Snack per person for every night of your stay).

3. No parking, no driving...take Disney transportation (buses, boats, monorails) to and from the parks and hotel!

4. Extra Magic Hours - guests staying in Disney Hotels get into the parks 1 hour earlier on certain days, and as much as 3 hours later on other days.

But what you need to do is check out the hotel prices off-property, then add in meals, and car rentals, and parking fees. Then go to the Disney site, and check out the total cost of a room, with / without meal plan, and weight the difference in the price and see which one fits into your budget. There is a lot of information here on these boards that can help you out, and also go to Allearsnet.com and check out what information they have. It will be up to you to decide what is best for your family, but no matter if you stay on or off site, you will have a very Magical Vacation! Enjoy!

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Onsite, tranportation included, Extra Magic Hours, Dining Plan.

It truly is not a vacation unless you can say when it was time to leave you couldn't find the car.

 

[dancin Disney style]

If you have a AAA member ship you can get as much as a 20% discount on a value resort. So, in low season it could cost you about $69 per night. You might be hard pressed to find an off site hotel of equal quality for that much money.

I stayed last week at ASMo with the AAA rate in a preffered room and it was $75.20 per night.

 

[catbertdave99]

For me, I love the Disney atmosphere at the resorts, plus I love NOT driving -- makes it a vacation for me too! There's one other thing I like... even if I have to wait a few minutes for a bus to pick me up at the resort and take me to the park, I just have to smile as the bus whisks past the entrance gates to the parks and the lonnnnnnnng lines of cars waiting to get in!

 

[snomofinn]

I never stayed off property, so I can't tell you where to stay there. We always stay at the Caribbean Beach resort, and I feel that we always get our money's worth. Personally for us, onsite is the only way to go. Especially if you have 3 little ones. The transportation is worth it, rather then driving and parking, paying for parking, it's just too much of a bother for us. We seem to get good packages through Disney Travel, we've never been disappointed yet! This March will be our 14th trip to Disney! Woo Hoo! Good Luck!

 

[Disneyolic]

Onsite is really the way to go. We are a family of five - ages 7, 5 & 2. We stayed offsite recently on a 1-day trip to save money. For a 1 nighter, that was fine, but for a weeklong vacation, I highly recommend staying onsite for the convenience alone. I know that for me personally, just being on property gives me that "heart rush" good feeling like no other. It is truly a personal opinion for each family but that is my recommendation!

 

[Wafflestoo]

My husband LOVED not having a car and having to drive everywhere when we first stayed on-site. He said, "now, that is really a vacation". We have two boys and they love staying on-site as well. There is less time wasted traveling, the transportation in Disney everywhere is great and you get the whole Disney feeling which is quite wonderful. We used to stay off site and now would even consider it.

Meg

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

We used to stay off site. Once we did our first on site trip, there was no going back. It just isn't the same to have to leave the magic everyday to go back to your hotel. We are a family of 5 also, and love CR, but this next trip is a budget trip and we booked 2 rooms at Pop Century. I am really excited about it; so are my 3 girls. IMHO, stay onsite. You won't regret it!

I totally agree. We stayed off site on our first trip, and now prefer the magical vacation experience of the on site resorts.

 

[JNBDream]

My family is planning on taking a Disney vacation in March of 2008, when should I think about booking all of our reservations. And should we do all the planning by ourselves or with a travel agent. I want to make sure we get the full Disney experience. Thanks

 

[dzone1]

It's a tough call, if it means staying at a value verse off-site, I would stay off site. I love having a 2 bedroom villa with better pools than all but 2 disney resorts. I also can get to MK just as quick if not quicker off-site

 

[snomofinn]

My family is planning on taking a Disney vacation in March of 2008, when should I think about booking all of our reservations. And should we do all the planning by ourselves or with a travel agent. I want to make sure we get the full Disney experience. Thanks

Good for you! We always go in March every year. I always book through Disney travel online. You could also call the number as well and actually talk to a reservationist. If it's your first time I would probably call to talk to someone at Disney Travel. I would stay on the properties for sure. Where you stay depends on what your willing to pay. We always stay at the Caribbean Beach resort. We have however stayed at the Wilderness Lodge twice before. We like the Caribbean because it has a food court, we like to be able to run and get a quick bite before heading to the parks without having to sit down to breakfast. The deluxe resorts are pretty much sit down for every meal. We like the tropical theme as well. The buses run pretty close together there as well. I also recommend going online and checking out every Disney forum there are. It's so helpful to see all the things other people say. I've been to Disney 13 times so far and I've learned things that I have not known before by reading all the forums and looking up different web sites. Send away for your free dvd as well to help planning. Good luck with your planning!


24 MORE DAYS UNTIL OUR 14TH DISNEY TRIP