Staying off-site??

[shellybaxter]

I can't answer for anyone but myself, but I tried staying offsite, just for one night when our plane came in late, and I HATED it. We arrived at what we lovingly call the "pineapple hotel" about ten at night. I went in to check in, no disney feel, no pleasentness at all (not that all disney employees are pleasant, but this check in was "all about the money" - how are you going to pay, you have to be out by 11:00, etc). We were dirrected to the back parking lot which was dark and poorly lit. We walked into the hotel and it felt cold and stark. We went up to the room and it was just a regular room. It just felt so UNDISNEY. I started to cry. My husband is smart, he said, "lets go to Downtown Disney." We went downtown, bought our annual passes and bought ice cream. I felt so much better. We got back to the pineapple about midnight. We slept and check out early the next morning; headed to the Boardwalk, and check in to Disney. As we drove up to the Boardwalk all became right with the world. I will never stay offsite again. Too me, Disney does have a magic that I need on my Disney vacation. I really don't care what it costs; for me the saving of money doesn't make a lack of magic okay

 

[Grog]

Just my opinion, but I feel the magic is whatever you decide it will be. The magic is in your head and your heart, not in a picture of Mickey hanging on the wall in your room. If you set out to make the most of your vacation and have a positive outlook, you will have a great time. Personally, I think that when it comes to the magic, too many people look back at their previous trips while wearing Disney colored glasses, remembering the good times, and forgetting the things that made them want to cuss out loud.

I can leave the parks and head to an offsite house or hotel and not lose the magic if I don't want to. I can just as easily lose the magic while in the parks when some idiot cuts in front of me in line and then calls his twenty member family forward to join him.

I can keep the magic going after a day at the parks by relaxing by my own pool listening to the steaks sizzling on the grill, or I can lose the magic onsite when I'm kept up half the night by kids running and yelling around the resorts.

I've done onsite, offsite hotels, and on my last trip an offsite house. The latter is the way I'm going for my next trip.

 

[obxshark]

We've had great luck renting a home and staying offsite. You just can't beat having all that space, private pool, etc. If you rent a car, you can be in the parks as quick, or even quicker than staying "onsite" and riding a Disney bus. The cost of renting a "Florida Pool Home" is about the same as getting two Value priced Disney resort rooms - it's really a great deal in my opinion.

 

[Tammydc30]

Thanks everyone for all your replies!! I think we will try to stay off-site for our next trip. Heck, we still feel the magic from our last trip and we've been home for a month.

If we don't like it, will just have to start planning our next trip.

Now - What is your favorite place to stay off-site? Any advice there?

 

[aribelle]

I can't answer for anyone but myself, but I tried staying offsite, just for one night when our plane came in late, and I HATED it. We arrived at what we lovingly call the "pineapple hotel" about ten at night. I went in to check in, no disney feel, no pleasentness at all (not that all disney employees are pleasant, but this check in was "all about the money" - how are you going to pay, you have to be out by 11:00, etc). We were dirrected to the back parking lot which was dark and poorly lit. We walked into the hotel and it felt cold and stark. We went up to the room and it was just a regular room. It just felt so UNDISNEY. I started to cry. My husband is smart, he said, "lets go to Downtown Disney." We went downtown, bought our annual passes and bought ice cream. I felt so much better. We got back to the pineapple about midnight. We slept and check out early the next morning; headed to the Boardwalk, and check in to Disney. As we drove up to the Boardwalk all became right with the world. I will never stay offsite again. Too me, Disney does have a magic that I need on my Disney vacation. I really don't care what it costs; for me the saving of money doesn't make a lack of magic okay

Well, I think the difference there is that you picked a hotel...and apparently a not so nice hotel. I think most of us preferring offsite stay at condos or houses not hotels. If my only choice was a hotel, I'd stay onsite....why trade one tiny room for another. But condos and houses you either pick up the key at the management office....although the houses we've stayed at had a lock box at the house, so you just dial the number and retrieve the key. So while it's still not Disney feel....it's not nearly as awful as your pineapple place. I personally hate hotels, but they're a necessary evil most places we travel, so it's really wonderful to not stay in hotels while on vacation. I didn't even know this was possible (except for the rich or well connected) before I lurked on DIS. Now when we travel elsewhere I have looked to see if there is condo/houses available....not everywhere, but we've rented houses in two other trips this year. We travel a lot with my husband on business...unfortunately much of his business trips are to small poe-dunk towns, not touristy vacation getaways which is where most house/condo rentals are located.

 

[shellybaxter]

Well, I think the difference there is that you picked a hotel...and apparently a not so nice hotel. I think most of us preferring offsite stay at condos or houses not hotels. If my only choice was a hotel, I'd stay onsite....why trade one tiny room for another. But condos and houses you either pick up the key at the management office....although the houses we've stayed at had a lock box at the house, so you just dial the number and retrieve the key. So while it's still not Disney feel....it's not nearly as awful as your pineapple place. I personally hate hotels, but they're a necessary evil most places we travel, so it's really wonderful to not stay in hotels while on vacation. I didn't even know this was possible (except for the rich or well connected) before I lurked on DIS. Now when we travel elsewhere I have looked to see if there is condo/houses available....not everywhere, but we've rented houses in two other trips this year. We travel a lot with my husband on business...unfortunately much of his business trips are to small poe-dunk towns, not touristy vacation getaways which is where most house/condo rentals are located.

I honestly don't think it would have mattered for me. It ws the feeling of the place, not the place itself. We are now DVC, so I understand about not staying in a hotel room. I love the villa, but I would still choose POP onsite over a private home offsite. I need the Disney feel for my vacation to be "right"

 

[turning40withMickey]

Well, the difference is that you have 2 children whom Disney considers adults for the pricing on the dining plan. Paying $10 a day for your child to eat 2 meals and a snack is a bargain in the outside world. But...paying $38 for your 12 year old to pick at their plates like they do at home, is not a bargain. Especially when you add in the extra cost of the room(s) over what you'd be paying offsite.

I figure that I'm saving about $70 a day by staying offsite (not including all the other things like more space, private pool, kitchen, laundry). So I add that $70 into our food budget (the dining plan for us would be $114 a day). There is no way that the three of us could eat $184 of food every day.....we'll be hard pressed to do the $114 more than a couple of times. My girls aren't big eaters....the three of us tend to share 2 CS meals, and often we'll get an appetizer and 2 Ts meals to share. We rarely eat desserts at home, so while we'd probably eat them on the dining plan, it's not a must or even a want....if there is a particularly good dessert we'll just get one to share. Snacks we usually bring with us, again because we don't eat much sweets and other snacks are either hard to find, or boring....I can make popcorn at home. Though I do plan to try the stuffed pretzel's this time around, didn't know about them last time.

So it really comes down to having to do the math...and knowing your family and their eating habits. We have no trouble sharing food, we've always done that. But I know there are a lot of people who simply can't see sharing food, even if it means that food will be thrown away because the person ordering didn't finish. It's a matter of personal preferences. I prefer to not see food wasted, so it makes sharing more sensible to me. Others see sharing as somehow wrong or unappealing so they don't.

I wish there was a Junior dining plan for those that are over 10 but under 18.....most kids this age don't have the palate to want to eat the fancy meals that the adult TS price is based on. I also wish there were more middle age choices....my kids don't want to eat mac&cheese or hot dogs or chicken fingers every day either. But they aren't quite ready for some of the adult choices. That's where the CS comes in...we can enjoy something different from at home and yet not have too much to eat or cost to much.

You are definitely my birth sister. I feel EXACTLY the same way!

 

[tink76]

I think you will have a great time either way. For me personally Disney is more than the parks. It is the resorts, the buses, the dining. So for me I like to stay onsite. But either way you will be going to Disney!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Have you thought about getting two "connecting" rooms rooms at one of the values or moderates? This way you get four double beds and two bathrooms. By connecting you can get directly from one room to the other without going outside or into a corridor.

It's worth thinking about if you note that a party with more than one adult can only request connecting rooms, they can't be "guaranteed." Disney will do whatever they can to meet your request, but they won't guarantee.

I think you make your own magic. Stay where you need to stay, and arrange your travel to the parks. You would get to pass that purple gate EVERY day instead of just once...

 

[mejkjj97]

I stayed offsite for the first time in years this past fall. I was always very big on staying on property but it really wasn't that bad at all. We stayed in a resort close to Disney and we had a blast.
I was with my friend and 3 little kids. Staying in "timeshare" property turned out to be the best choice in this case. We were able to feed the kids in the morning, we left each afternoon to take a break, eat a early dinner and then went back at night for a couple of hours. We were able to save a ton of money and actually give the kids some heathly choices for food.
I think every situtation is different and would easily consider staying off the park; Espeically in the late fall or winter when the parks hours are as long we found we had more options staying on International drive.

 

[maxiesmom]

I've stayed both on and off-site many times, and I DO think some of the magic is missing when I am off-site. I like knowing that I won't get kicked out of the parks, while other people get to stay and have fun. I like to be able to hop on a bus and be at the parks in a few short minutes. I like waking up to Mickey and Stitch. If I had a choice between staying off-site and not going, I would definately stay off-site. But if the choice is between off and on, definately on!