Staying Offsite - Pros vs Cons

[kfeuer]

I think I trust the guy on the condo because he works at the same MAJOR OIL COMPANY that I do.... Condo is four bedroom, three bath fully furnished with tvs/dvds/washer/dryer, etc - its about 15 minutes from the MK. Its very nice - hubby knows the area because its across from a golf resort - photos of the place are very tempting - it has a water slide and lagoon type pool that wraps around the resort - one where you get in an inter-tube and float around...

Hmmm...it does look very nice, but looking at the map I'd say 15 minutes to MK is VERY optimistic. The last place we stayed was much closer in then this place, and we were about 15 minutes from MK. 192 can have heavy traffic at certain times of the year, too. Any other offsiters concur (the place she's looking at is a couple miles up 27 off of 192)?

This is just my .02, but I wouldn't stay that far out. Once you get above 15-20 minutes one way, it DOES get really difficult to leave and come back, and we want that flexibility.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I agree with those who say it's 2 different vacations. We've been numerous times, because we only live an hour & 15 min. away. We stayed offsite once in a condo. That was by far the most relaxing WDW trip we've taken. IMHO, it doesn't provide the same Disney magic that staying onsite does though. We've stayed in a variety of resorts. If you don't go very often, & a relaxing vacation isn't what you're looking for, I'd save money by staying at a cheaper resort, rather than staying offsite. I think there's a bigger difference in staying offsite vs. on, than the difference in staying in one resort vs. another. For a relaxing vacation w/ Disney magic, Fort Wilderness offers the best of both worlds. If you go often & have seen it all numerous times, staying offsite will allow you to enjoy more of Orlando & make you feel like you've actually been on vacation. I hope you're happy with whatever decision you make.

 

[disneysteve]

Here's a thought. If you are willing to stay offsite, why not rent a place on your own. You can get much closer and pay a lot less than $850. In November, we went through Skyauction and paid $260 for the week and we were less than 5 minutes away.

 

[deltachi8]

I second skyauction.

Last May we stayed at Vacation Village, all of 5 mins from DW for $215 for the week.

 

[sammielynn]

We always stay off-site and love it. We were in a two bedroom condo last spring and it was the best. Loved having a kitchen and with two teen's it saved a bunch on meals. One year we stayed off-site and my brother stayed on-site and we would get to the parks before them every morning. They would still be waiting on a bus when we were in the park.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Hmmm...it does look very nice, but looking at the map I'd say 15 minutes to MK is VERY optimistic. The last place we stayed was much closer in then this place, and we were about 15 minutes from MK. 192 can have heavy traffic at certain times of the year, too. Any other offsiters concur (the place she's looking at is a couple miles up 27 off of 192)?

This is just my .02, but I wouldn't stay that far out. Once you get above 15-20 minutes one way, it DOES get really difficult to leave and come back, and we want that flexibility.

Mmmmmmm.... I would have to agree that with traffic, while it is obviously a lovely, lovely resort, 15 minutes isn't something you can plan on... well, if you are the only one on the road and don't hit any lights, maybe

I would agree that from that distance leaving and returning from the parks the same day may not be practical. For $850, though, if you would want off-site, as others have pointed out, you can certainly get something as nice much closer to the action.

 

[RCBlackburn]

Here's a thought. If you are willing to stay offsite, why not rent a place on your own. You can get much closer and pay a lot less than $850. In November, we went through Skyauction and paid $260 for the week and we were less than 5 minutes away.

DisneySteve - are you allowed to name the place where you stayed?

 

[jjohnson]

We'll since you've been handed the tickets you do not need the package anymore so you need to cancel the package whether you stay on site or not.
Do you have AAA? A room only tower at Contemporary in June would be about $350 per night with the discount.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

This is a very touchy subject for a lot of people! But not for my family...I have been to WDW 14 times since 1997 (my first trip!) and I have ONLY stayed onsite twice. We own timeshare minutes from the gates of WDW and DTD. It is on 535, 2 traffic lights away from Hotel Row on the way to DTD. We are VERY close and it is AWESOME! I absolutely LOVE having the room. HOWEVER, the two times I have stayed onsite, I loved it, as well. This year, we are renting DVC points to stay in a studio at BCV. We are paying about $100 a night, which is a steal. The reason we are doing this, is because I am using my timeshare to go to Atlantis in the Bahamas in May...4 villas for 9 days each. So PERFECT excuse to stay onsite this year!

It is totally up to you...I personally think your vacation is what you make of it. Funny, my resort is closer to WDW parks than some onsite hotels are! (according to the Unofficial Guide to WDW)

I know, I didn't make your decision easier! If you really want to save money, STAY OFFSITE! (boy, you will be saving A LOT of money!!!!!)

 

[MayMom]

I am watching this thread very closely because I am in this boat as well. We are planning a trip in June and are trying to decide where to stay. We have a 2 year old and a 6 year old, so I am leaning more towards an off-site for the 2 year old (sleeping, milk storage), but I worry because my 6 year old LOVES Toy Story - so he would love to stay at a "toy story" hotel (ASMo). I am just afraid my 2 year old would keep everyone in the hotel awake because she wouldn't go to sleep. UGH! I have been thinking about this for 3-4 months and can't make a decision!!!!

 

[disneysteve]

DisneySteve - are you allowed to name the place where you stayed?

Sure. We stayed at Orbit One Vacation Villas on Entry Point Blvd. Entry Pt. becomes Sherberth when you cross 192 and Sherberth takes you right onto Disney property by Animal Kingdom. It took us a whopping 4 minutes to get from the parking lot at AK to our condo. This was our 2nd time staying there and I plan to keep staying there on future trips.

 

[Kay1]

Is there a tutorial somewhere for SkyAuction, as there is for Priceline. I was just telling my neighbor that I'm so over staying in hotel rooms. My kids are getting older and bigger and I'd like a little space and a kitchen if I could find that for a reasonable price.

As far as OP's question goes, I think I'd go for the condo. I live in the Tampa Bay area and we go for day trips which means 1 1/2 hours each way, so anywhere in the area sounds fine to me. I agree with every poing Steve made except that I wouldn't mind a little cooking. For some reason, I like to cook in strange kitchens - it feels like play to me. Also, I find it stressful to have to eat out so much. (I can't believe I said that.)

 

[solgent]

We used to stay offsite and enjoyed it thoroughly. With young children it's wonderful to get away and to have more space.

However, we are now switching to onsite because the children are older and onsite makes it easier to split up.

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with every point Steve made except that I wouldn't mind a little cooking. For some reason, I like to cook in strange kitchens - it feels like play to me. Also, I find it stressful to have to eat out so much. (I can't believe I said that.)

I don't disagree with you at all. We do occasionally cook in the condo. We just aren't into really simple meals and it isn't practical to buy multiple ingredients for one meal because too much would go to waste.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have driven past there. I think under best conditions you are at least 20 minutes away from the edge of WDW. Also it is an area with a lot of construction.

 

[MEK]

When I go to Disney I like to stay on-site. I think it is much more magical. We are never in the room, so I don't care about the size of the accomodations. I always rent a car so it's easy to get around and get to the grocery store, ect.

If I was to rent a condo in the general area I would use this web site - VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner). There are hundreds of properties in the Orlando / Disney area. What I like is that you can see realistic pictures of the property and you rent directly from the owner. I use this website when I rent properties for ski trips. I have always been satisfied.

____________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[dizcrazy]

Why not take two trips - take advantage of the cost savings on this trip and then plan another? The Contempor will be there, and your children will still savor the magic whether they are on site or off.

 

[polkadotladybug]

Now I checked both skyauctions and the orbit one website for the rates for the Orbit One Villas and it's coming to 100 - 110 per night - I am checking for June/July - Disneysteve - do you vacation in the offseason? How did I get such a high rate? I'm sure I'm not looking in the right place.

Sky auctions was pretty confusing - I saw tons where you had a $175 service charge added, etc etc.

Carol

 

[disneysteve]

Now I checked both skyauctions and the orbit one website for the rates for the Orbit One Villas and it's coming to 100 - 110 per night - I am checking for June/July - Disneysteve - do you vacation in the offseason? How did I get such a high rate? I'm sure I'm not looking in the right place.

You need to search for the Ready, Set, Go auctions. They generally go for $50 or less plus fees bringing the total to $260 or less.

 

[polkadotladybug]

I looked (it was hard to find - I had to search for "ready") - I could not find anythign between May 29 and end of July for that resort. Maybe I'm missing something - LOL!

Carol