Staying offsite Disney Questions

[bkc0508]

We are thinking about coming in first of Dec to Disney. We stayed on-site last time but now we are thinking about staying offsite. We will be driving down so we will have a car. We are not going to do Disney dinning but just a few select times.. Princess and maybe the animal kingdom breakfast.

I had a couple of questions. We are going to MK mostly so what is a nice place to stay there.
If you drive in how much is parking? Can you buy a parking pass for the week. Can you come in and go with out paying in the same day and other parks?
Is traffic crazy coming in to the parks.
I have read that some people say park at downtown disney and take the buses is that the best thing to do?

 

[MamaJessie]

I had a couple of questions. We are going to MK mostly so what is a nice place to stay there.


If you drive in how much is parking? Can you buy a parking pass for the week. Can you come in and go with out paying in the same day and other parks?
Is traffic crazy coming in to the parks.
I have read that some people say park at downtown disney and take the buses is that the best thing to do?

No weekly parking passes, it is 14 a day. Yes you can use your day's pay to go back and forth to any parking lot that day.

As far as the Downtown Disney option, you would have to take a bus to a resort and then switch over to the resorts transportation to the park. I am a cheap skate for a lot of things but that is just too much hassle and I would much rather pay parking.
HTH

 

[spiceycat]

dd buses to do even start until 9 or 10 am - depends upon the season.

so it does take time away from the parks. you have to decide what means more to you - time in the parks or saving $14 a day.

there is no parking pass for a week - you have to get it daily.

now if someone in your party has an annual pass - then you get free parking - but unless you are going at least twice a year - the annual pass is generally not worth it.

as far as traffic - when in Dec are you going - the worst is close to Xmas.

early dec is not to bad.

 

[bkc0508]

Thanks
I think we will look more in to staying off-site.

Do most do resorts or vrbo site.

 

[spiceycat]

what are you looking for?

resorts - then\
Wyndham Bonnet Creek - it is a timeshare
sites recommended for it are
vacationstrategy and another one - go look on its fan thread here

hotels - they vary so much in price and amenities - what are you looking for?

now houses definitely vrbo

 

[bkc0508]

Its to be me and the wife and 2 kids. I would 3 bedroom.

Would like to be as close MK

 

[spiceycat]

Would like to be as close MK

nothing offsite is close to MK - but if Epcot and studios will do - go with Wyndham Bonnet Creek

vacation strategies
vacation upgrades
farrells vacations

 

[shalom]

Heh. Not ignoring the other answers; my internet was out and hubby helpfully shot this out after he fixed it.

I think Wyndham Bonnet Creek sounds like a good fit for you. Like some offsite resorts, it's as close to the MK as some of the non-monorail Disney resorts.

If you drive in how much is parking?

Fourteen bucks a day.

Can you buy a parking pass for the week.

Not that I know of.

Can you come in and go with out paying in the same day and other parks?

Yes, just show your parking pass and you can return to the same park or change to another one.

Is traffic crazy coming in to the parks.

That depends on when you go (both time of year and hour of the day), where you stay, and what you're used to at home. For instance, January is a slower time in the parks but we think there's more local traffic on International Drive then when we were here in May, likely because of the snow birds. People staying at Wyndham's Bonnet Creek (which is essentially onsite) will deal with a lot less traffic than someone staying at International Drive near Kirkman (I think it is). If you're used to Chicago traffic, Orlando traffic will be less intimidating than if you live in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. And so on.

I have read that some people say park at downtown disney and take the buses is that the best thing to do?

I would say No. There are no buses directly from downtown Disney to the parks, meaning you will add to your travel time enormously. As a driver, I will often go out to I-4 and then back into WDW rather than taking the shorter drive through the Downtown Disney area, because the traffic there is dreadful, which is likely one reason why the DTD buses are notoriously slow (they also stop multiple times within the complex). Considering the price of Disney tickets, trying to get free parking at such a time cost is a false economy, IMHO.

 

[bkc0508]

Thanks for all the replies. That gets me started.