Staying off-site

[LuckyBelle81]

I posted this on another board but wanted to get input from here also. I'm sure most everyone will side with my DH on this one but I wanted to see what you had to say nonetheless:

Maybe I feel an unreasonable amount of loyalty to Disney but the thought of going to WDW and NOT stating on property makes my heart hurt a little. I'm not sure when our next trip will be (2017 at the earliest) but recently DH has really started pushing the idea of not staying at a Disney resort for our next trip. I think he's a little bent out of shape at the recent litany of price increases and that's coloring his perception a bit, but there is also the reality that the next time we go we will have a 10yo that we will be paying adult prices for and 3yo that we have not had to pay for to this point (and just so I don't leave him out, our DS that we will still be able to pay kids rates for) so we're looking at double the price of our last trip just bc of changes in our fam. I've looked and OF COURSE we can go and stay off-site and pay less but I just hate the idea of not staying on thr resort property. Anyone else been in this predicament and have insight?

 

[Shanti]

We've always stayed onsite so far, but I'm leaning toward offsite for trips in future years. It is getting really expensive, and I'm not always favorably impressed with the condition of the rooms. I love the Disney charm & style, though, so they've hooked me for a while, but if they keep renovating their previously themed resort rooms into beige wanna-be Hiltons, then I'm eventually going to stop overpaying Disney and just stay at a Hilton.

Literally. The Bonnet Creek Hilton looks great, and it is on property. The rooms look bigger & more comfortable (though less charming) than Disney's deluxe rooms, it's got a nice shuttle to the parks, and a great pool complex. The prices are so much more reasonable. It seems likely that we'll eventually stay either there or at the Waldorf Astoria next door. I definitely wouldn't feel sad or like I was missing out if staying at the Waldorf!

It's a personal decision, though, that has no right or wrong answer. If you just need your Disney resort fix, I support you in that. If your DH is willing to compromise & stay onsite, then you should also compromise and pick one of the more reasonably-priced resorts. If you tend to stay deluxe, then stay at one of the less expensive deluxes, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view) or Saratoga Springs. Don't push the Poly if he's worried about the budget.

If you tend to stay moderate or value, then I recommend staying offsite, as you can get a nice hotel for those prices, rather than a cute motel. Either way you'll have a blast at Disney World.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I've stayed off site in really nice timeshare condos, and I've stayed onsite with the dining plan. It really didn't make that much of a difference to my children or me. As a matter of fact we now know that we HATE riding the WDW busses. They take forever, and we don't like to stand after a long day in the parks.

We will always go with the best deal - off site or on site - because we just like being in WDW. We get to go more often if we make it budget friendly.

My feelings may be influenced by the fact that I grew up in SoCal and went to Disneyland often where there is no Disney bubble. So the bubble doesn't matter much to me.

 

[Alesia]

Anyone else been in this predicament and have insight?

I used to feel that way, too. Then I tried it. Now it will be a very long time before I'm willing to stay onsite again.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom/3 bath house for about $50 dollars a night. It was fantastic! Everyone had room to have their own space, and being able to do laundry while we were sleeping was worth it's weight in gold. It's just so much better!

 

[TeamSy]

We stay both onsite and offsite, most of the time in the same trip. I find unless you're staying at a resort where you can WALK to MK or Epcot, or walk out of your hotel room door and take the monorail, or see animals from your very own balcony, it really makes NO difference. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying at MK and Epcot resorts (AKL was a little far for my liking), but mostly for the easy access. It's not as much as being in the "Disney bubble" for us as the fact that we don't have to rent a car and can rely on Disney transportation. Because we're lazy like that. Honestly, I'm not sure what the "Disney bubble" is or means. Friendly staff? You get that at most hotels. Nice pools? Newsflash, most pools offsite are just as nice if not nicer than onsite. It being all about Mickey? You're in Orlando. It IS all about Mickey no matter where you are. We've stayed offsite and got to watch Epcot fireworks from our balcony, we get to dine at the same Disney restaurants, and our days in the parks are just as magical. In fact, sometimes we PREFER offsite because if we had a super crappy or crowded day at the parks it's nice to GET AWAY.

 

[Chelley00]

We stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. You can rent timeshare points for such a cheap rate and get anywhere from 1-4 bedrooms, tons of pools (one pirate themed) and lazy rivers and splash pads, activity center, outdoor movies, mini golf, ping pong and so much more. It's between Disney Springs and Caribbean Beach so you are right inside the gate. Last year we went basically to spend the week there and didn't go to the parks except for MNSSHP. We end up paying less for a 3 bedroom/2bath unit than we would for one room at Pop.

 

[pens4821]

I've looked into some of the hotels/condos off site, but honestly, it doesn't seem to save us much money. We've gone twice, and the first time it would've because we stayed CR. This time, we got 2 rooms (there are 5 of us) at Sports, and it was combined only a little over 200/night. While that is quite a bit, and you could get a nicer room, I just don't mind it. By the time we rent a car, which would have to be something big as once again there are 5 and 4 of us are big, we just wouldn't come out too far ahead. Yeah, we'd be in a nicer place, but I'd rather have the convenience. Even looking at some of the suite hotels in the area, they were about 150/night. Add the price of the rental car, and now we are paying more (albeit for a nicer place).

 

[QueenIsabella]

I would try to remain open-minded about staying off-site. I can't speak personally for Bonnet Creek, although everything I've heard has been uniformly positive. We have stayed off-site for a few trips, as well as on-site, and I must say, we love the space of off-site. You can find condos or houses with private pools, game rooms, and some have themed bedrooms (Princesses, Mickey, Pooh,--pretty much, you can find any theme you could want). We like having a full kitchen--even if you don't plan to cook a lot, it's great to have the option of something quick at a house, or even for quickie breakfasts and snacks. I found my teen DD really loved having her own bedroom with a private bath, while one son loved the (included) gaming system, and the other son loved the private pool.

It also depends a lot on what type of vacationer your family members are. If you're "rope drop to fireworks" types, who only use the room as a place to sleep and shower, the cost of being on property might be worth it. OTOH, if you like to relax, take a mid-day break, have a down day or two, you might have a greater appreciation of the space and amenities that a rental condo would offer. I don't mind cooking a few simple (emphasis on SIMPLE!) meals on vacation--like grilled steaks. Some people don't want to glance in the direction of a stove on vacation, and that's okay.

I guess the bottom line for me is, you don't know if you'll like off-site unless you try. I would try it, attempting to be open-minded and give it a fair shot. If it truly doesn't fit your family's needs, well--now you know. You can then go back to DH and give specific reasons and instances why an off-site trip didn't make you "feel the magic". Although I maintain, a bad day at Disney is still better than a good day, just about anywhere else.

 

[Alesia]

I've looked into some of the hotels/condos off site, but honestly, it doesn't seem to save us much money. We've gone twice, and the first time it would've because we stayed CR. This time, we got 2 rooms (there are 5 of us) at Sports, and it was combined only a little over 200/night. While that is quite a bit, and you could get a nicer room, I just don't mind it. By the time we rent a car, which would have to be something big as once again there are 5 and 4 of us are big, we just wouldn't come out too far ahead. Yeah, we'd be in a nicer place, but I'd rather have the convenience. Even looking at some of the suite hotels in the area, they were about 150/night. Add the price of the rental car, and now we are paying more (albeit for a nicer place).

Offsite hotels are rarely a good deal, but private houses and condos are a different story. You can easily find a 3 or 4 bedroom house for under $100 a night.

 

[MommaBerd]

I highly recommend WBC because even though it isn't technically DISNEY property, you are still in the Disney "bubble." If you are a family of four or more, it is so nice to spread out!

Now, having said that, we are doing a split on-site/off-site stay for our November trip. Since oldest DS will be at college, we'll actually be able to fit in a Disney room. I wanted to stay on-site so that we could have the FP+ booking advantage, and just to see what it's like to stay on-site. Mid-week, we'll be moving to WBC. In all honesty, DH would rather have the space the whole time, but he's indulging me.

If you must stay off-site, start at WBC. I think you'll find it's not SO different from being on-site, just without the theming.

 

[chglass]

We had previously only stayed on site for years and swore we would never stay off site. However, this past year, we got annual passes and decided to go down for lots of trips, mainly because of very cheap airfare ($140 per person round trip). We also had a huge pile of Hilton points from credit card sign up bonuses, so the rooms would be free. We took a total of 5 trips, with only one being on site.

I have to say, we didn't miss being on site. The rooms at the places we stayed (Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn) were the same size, give or take, as the Wilderness Lodge rooms we were used to staying at. They were definitely cheaper (free for us, but maybe ~$100 a night otherwise). One of the trips was the week between Christmas and New Years, so imagine the price Disney charged for on property rooms during that time. The rooms were definitely more comfortable vs a value resort room (queen beds vs double beds, coffee makers in room, fridge in room). We got free breakfast every morning. We didn't use any of the hotel amenities (since they really didn't have any) and just stayed in the parks all day and into the night.

Having the 30 day window (with the annual passes) vs the 60 day window for FP+ was a bit challenging at times (we had to do SDMT at rope drop), but nothing that really impacted us. We always avoid extra magic hours anyway (we feel they cause more crowding at those parks once the park opens for everyone), so that didn't impact us either. We didn't pay for parking with the annual passes.

I would probably try to stay on site if I traveled down there every few years, but it isn't a requirement for us anymore.

 

[Bete]

We've done both and I still prefer onsite. We have over 40 trips to DW and we've done about 10 of them off site. We have stayed a few times Deluxe and Moderate, but we rather save the money; so, we stay Value. I would stay value if costs are factor. Go when the rates are better like stay away from weekend rates or peak times. Go when there is a promotion. Especially good is the free dining plan. Even staying at a value on the free dining plan you can upgrade to get the regular dining plan or pay OOP for a few character meals.

You get to make FP+ reservations 60 days ahead when onsite as oppose to 30 if you are offsite. This is even more important if you are going during a peak time. You get extra magic hours staying onsite. You don't pay for parking onsite. That's worth $15/day now. Shuttle service from offsite resorts generally suck. You don't get the choices like onsite. Also, some shuttles drop you off at Epcot no matter which park you are doing. It's up to you to get to the other parks using Disney transportation.

If you are doing other parks like SeaWorld and Universal on the same trip then I actually prefer being offsite and centered between the different parks. That's the one exception.

Find ways to save, now. Get a part-time job. Do a garage sale. Cut back on dining out. Buy cheaper brands. Conserve on utilities. Get a cheaper cell phone plan.

 

[kathy884]

My favorite thing to do from a value standpoint is to rent an offsite two bedroom condo from a Timeshare owner for a week. Depending upon time of year figure $800 - $1100 for seven nights. I usually find these rentals on TUG2.net and Redweek.com. The two places I've stayed the most often are the Sheraton Vistana Resort and Cypress Pointe, as these both tend to have lots of rentals for a very favorable price. I love these. You have your LR/DR area, your kitchen, laundry facilities, two or thee bedrooms (Cypress Pointe has lots of three bedrooms and we sometime get these rather than the two), and a wonderful balcony or patio to sit out on. Pools and tennis courts are great. // I like this sooo much better than staying at a Disney Moderate. I would not do this option without a car FYI. And you can get good rental car deals in Orlando. And I have no problem at all with Orlando driving and actually even like a car onsite for the extra flexibility it gives me and kinds of places I like to go. // Note: A house or condo at a close by community is even less expensive, but I splurge on these timeshare resort rentals as I prefer the resort feel of these places to the perfectly nice home/condo communities.

OK my favorite trip ever was a high tower view room at the Contemporary, but DH's company was paying, as he was attending a seminar. Cost wise two nights is about the price of a week offsite or a little more, and with a vacation budget of about $10,000 a year that's just way too rich for my blood. I like to do at least two trips on that budget if I can.

Really and truly unless it's deluxe, I don't find I'm missing anything at all offsite and prefer it. To me that Disney magic thing on being onsite is just great marketing. I believe plenty of people would disagree, though, or there is no way they could fill up those 30,000 plus hotel rooms and get almost 40% of all guest staying onsite. // I have a bit of a bean counter personality and just cannot pay the premium for being onsite. It just really and truly is too much of a premium for me, and I don't see the value.

 

[teller80]

With your kids being that far apart in age, I would recommend staying onsite to make it easier to split up (one of you takes the 3 year old back to the room to go to bed while the other one can stay later with the 10 year old). Unless of course you don't see yourselves splitting up.

 

[Shanti]

I've looked into some of the hotels/condos off site, but honestly, it doesn't seem to save us much money. We've gone twice, and the first time it would've because we stayed CR. This time, we got 2 rooms (there are 5 of us) at Sports, and it was combined only a little over 200/night. While that is quite a bit, and you could get a nicer room, I just don't mind it. By the time we rent a car, which would have to be something big as once again there are 5 and 4 of us are big, we just wouldn't come out too far ahead. Yeah, we'd be in a nicer place, but I'd rather have the convenience. Even looking at some of the suite hotels in the area, they were about 150/night. Add the price of the rental car, and now we are paying more (albeit for a nicer place).

I've noticed this kind of thing, as well. I'm willing to stay offsite to save money, but am picky about lodging, there are usually only 2 or 3 of us traveling, and I want to stay on Disney property. No need for a house or villa for just 2 or 3 people (& I hate housework on vacation, so I'm not going to spend my spare time cooking and cleaning to save money.) That leaves me with the handful of offsite hotels on property, only a few of which (Hilton Bonnet Creek, Waldorf Astoria or Four Seasons) I actually would like to stay at. Four Seasons is more expensive than many deluxes, so nix that, which leaves Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria, which both have resort and parking fees, and resort buses with limited hours & routes, and of course you've got to pay for transportation to and from the airport...At that point, one of the lower-priced deluxes is a better deal for us than offsite. It depends on time of year, though. In summer, deluxes are more affordable. Around Christmastime, offsite is by far the cheaper option. But the Disney resorts are so charming at Christmas, so...

 

[2neverland]

We can use timeshare points and less than $200/for a week stay. So we are staying off property. First visit or two can be overwhelming and would be worth staying on property. We are not going to disney for the whole week maybe one day or a party day. With all the new construction going on we don't need to see all the parks. We are going to check out universal studios and sea world. Ran numbers and even if disney has free dining offered we will still save $ at the timeshare.

 

[cassie58]

I would look at DVC pts. to see if it is comparable to staying offsite in a timeshare/rental like Wyndham Bonnet Creek. ( We have stayed there with my in-laws and it is very close to Epcot and HS, and right next to CBR as PP mentioned, so you are right there, and does have the lazy river and nice amenities, so I t might be worth a try, although I am right there with you about not staying on property! ). We have been able to spend a few nts. at AKL by renting DVC pts. from a friend at a good rate, which we never would have been able to do normally. We did it combined with the rest of our stay at CSR with FD promo, and Disney Visa rewards used toward the dining off the promo for the 2 nts. There is a DVC rental thread on here, and you could also check out David's which is good company(can get info. on Mousesavers.). If you do DVC or room only, you could get tickets through Undercover Tourist for a cheaper rate(also check out on Mousesavers). I am sure you know already, but if you can go at a nonpeak time, and look at what promos are available like FD, room discount, or Stay and Play, etc. that could make a difference.

You may have done this already, but you could compare costs for staying offsite like adding in rental car and daily parking, as well benefits of EMH time and making FP at 60 days, and being able to jump on the bus back to the resort and split up as needed as PP mentioned, to see how it all shakes out. You could also consider the Swan/Dolphin, which offer a lot of discounts, and spacious rooms that I believe can sleep 5, and have some of the perks of being on property(like use of transportation), and you are right there next to Epcot.

 

[PlainJane]

I've done both on and off many times.

We've almost always had APs and we normally drive to Disney, so this adds a lot to our savings when we stay offsite. If you fly and have normal tickets it will get eaten into some with the car rental, Disney parking fees, and resort parking fees at some of the offsite hotels. Almost everywhere we've stayed offsite there has been no fee to park, but we're almost always in a timeshare when staying offsite, I think it's more common at the hotels.

For someone staying offsite for the first time I would recommend the Swan (I don't think the standard rooms at the Dolphin sleep five, but I'm not sure) or Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

At the Swan you can literally walk to three Disney resorts and two of the parks, so it barely counts as offsite to me. You miss the perk of Magical Express so you would need to factor in the cost for the airport shuttle. Besides that you would have the resort fee. If you drive to Disney there is a resort parking fee. It's always cost about the same as a moderate for us, so we've chosen to stay at CSR (which does not sleep five, CBR and POR do though) instead because we really like it there, but if you like staying at the Deluxe level (especially at the deluxes that sleep five) only it's almost always a big savings. You still have the 60 day FP+ booking window, Disney park transportation, and EMHs.

I really like Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We've never done a cash reservation, so I guess it could be different, but we've never paid a resort or parking fee. You will need to factor in a rental car (there's a shuttle, but it's expensive and doesn't sound convenient) and Theme park parking fees. You also lose EMHs and the 60 day booking window. The rooms are huge, really nicely decorated, and are maintained well. There is a full size kitchen. We do not cook a lot, but it's really nice for breakfast, snacks, having a couple low key meals in the room, and also for heating up leftovers from some of the meals outside of the parks. The pools are great. You have two lazy rivers to choose from. The resort is also beautiful. It's located right next to CBR, so you're close to Epcot and DHS. We often go over to the BW resort area for meals because we are so close, and you're pretty close to Disney Springs in the other direction as well.

 

[DawnM]

Well, you aren't talking to the right person because we love off-site. We want SPACE and rooms to spread out and a kitchen, and somewhere to relax.

We have even opted to stay in Davenport to get a 4 bedroom townhouse several times. The drive is an extra 15 min. or so, but many times it is worth it for us.

Staying in a small hotel room with teens makes me twitchy.

We pay between $250-$300 for the entire week, including taxes.

 

[HappyHappy]

I used to feel that way, too. Then I tried it. Now it will be a very long time before I'm willing to stay onsite again.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom/3 bath house for about $50 dollars a night. It was fantastic! Everyone had room to have their own space, and being able to do laundry while we were sleeping was worth it's weight in gold. It's just so much better!

Okay, you got my attention. Where can you stay for $50/night?