Staying offsite question

[wishesuponastar]

I was wondering if those of you who stay offsite, do you leave the parks to go back to your rental to eat dinner there? And then do you go back to the parks?

Is it real hard to leave the parks...I mean is it hard for the kids to leave?

Do you use a crockpot for every dinner?

I've only gone to WDW for day trips and one time we stayed at POP for a week so I'm curious about staying offsite.

 

[sritter78]

We went back to our house most afternoons. We usually didn't eat in the parks for dinner. We either ate at the house or off-site at a resteraunt.

We love on property , but the price difference and space is worth staying off-site.

 

[crazelion]

It depends on which park we is in. WDW water parks yes we eating offisite for dinner and bring cooler for lunch.

Now if go back to hotel or eat offsite than it becuase the kids has got tired and cranky. I don't really like having to make ADR months in advance to eat either. So we left counter service or offsite restaurants. If up to the kids it would be Golden Corral for dinner every night because of the chocolate fountain and cotton candy only after they meat and veggies first. LOL

 

[Planogirl]

When we stayed in a condo, we rarely made food in the kitchen. The only exception would be something simple like a frozen pizza or sandwiches if no one was that hungry.

We often left the parks in the heat of the afternoon and returned that night. I have no problem with driving though.

 

[torinsmom]

We always take a break mid-day for lunch, swimming, rest, etc. I never did it with little kids, but if you plan to take a break, I would prepare them for that in the morning. Then, I would remind them again before you ride your last ride of the morning. Taking a break is a nice way to not wear yourself or your kids out. I can get back to my rental house as quickly as I have gotten back to Pop Century after waiting for a bus.

 

[eliza61]

I was wondering if those of you who stay offsite, do you leave the parks to go back to your rental to eat dinner there? And then do you go back to the parks?

Is it real hard to leave the parks...I mean is it hard for the kids to leave?

Do you use a crockpot for every dinner?

I've only gone to WDW for day trips and one time we stayed at POP for a week so I'm curious about staying offsite.

It wasn't hard at all for us. We've done Bonnet Creek and the waldorf (couples only trip) and both are very close.


My kids are pretty flexible and agreeable. Also we bribe them alot. LOL. Generally we go during the last week in August so it's still brutually hot, so saying we were going back to the room to swim was always a favorite thing to do.
Also since we go in the late summer the parks close very late. No way would I have wanted to keep my kids in any of the parks for 12-14 hours straight. so no matter if we were on site or off, we were taking a break.

We generally don't cook dinners in our villas, even when we stay at our DVC. we love having a fridge and stove for breakfast but that's about it.

 

[HM]

We've had two different experiences staying offsite. One trip, my DD had to come back to the place to use the wifi to do homework for her online class she was taking. We always said we'd go back to the parks in the evening, but ended up staying in once we got comfortable. Don't fall into that trap. Our other trip, we didn't have homework to worry about, but we left in the afternoon to spend time at the pool. We did go back at night for dinner and touring again.

 

[okeydokey]

If the park closed early, we would get some take out on the way home. IF the park was open late, we stayed and ate at the park. We are not ones to leave and re-enter the park twice in a day. Too much time wasted, IMO.

We also went during off peak times so we could get lots done in a day.

 

[ICF]

We usually leave the park around 2pm or so and head back to the Condo (usually Windsor Hills, but once Silver Lake) to cool off, rest and perhaps swim (when at WH and we have our own pool).

We usually eat dinner in the condo, but have never had a crockpot. We might each lunch meat or pick - up something for dinner....or if we ate a bigger lunch in the parks might just have a snack before going back that evening around 5:30 or 6.

Neither the kids or us have really had a hard time leaving. Usually we're starting to get very hot and cranky by then, so it's a welcome break.

 

[bigmochick]

I don't know how far off "offsite" you are talking but it does take a long time to get back and forth. Especially when you are going to and from the MK. We stayed at a townhouse in Kissimmee (*only 6 miles) last year and my husband & kids all agree that the money saved staying offsite wasn't worth the time we wasted going back & forth. I'm having a hard time convincing them on Bonnet Creek but hoping to do it eventually. Never going to try another place that involves a mile or more though, that's just our preference though.

 

[mrsklamc]

I don't know how far off "offsite" you are talking but it does take a long time to get back and forth.

We stay at Windsor Hills and it is faster to get there in your own car than to take Disney transportation to an onsite resort.

 

[RitaE]

We didn't take a break when we rented the house - but my kids are all older and we rarely took breaks when we were on property. We hardly ever spend mega-marathons in the park though. Six or Seven hours is about maximum for any of us. We are more the type to hang around the pool or whatever until early afternoon, and then we head to the parks for the evening.

Dinners we used the outdoor grill at the house a couple of times, we ate a Disney Restaurants a couple of times, and offsite restaurants for the rest. Disney food has gone so downhill that there just aren't many "we have to eat there" places left for my family.

 

[ICF]

We stay at Windsor Hills and it is faster to get there in your own car than to take Disney transportation to an onsite resort.

agreed

 

[Mickeypooh99]

We stay at Windsor Hills and it is faster to get there in your own car than to take Disney transportation to an onsite resort.

I agree with this too! We have stayed at Windsor Hills 3 times. We can get to the parks really fast.

It depends on when the parks close as to where we eat dinner. We usually don't go back to the townhouse for dinner, but if the parks are closing early then we will. Since we go off season, usually the parks close pretty early at least some nights.

 

[furb & dez]

We are the "once we're in the park, we're not leaving until we're going for the day" type.

The price difference in staying offsite meant that we didn't even blink at the price of eating in the parks, it was still cheaper than staying onsite.

If I couldn't afford to eat in the parks (i.e., if I *had* to cook on vacation), I wouldn't go.

 

[leight]

When we stayed at bonnet creek we ate breakfast at the unit and lunch & dinner depended on which park we were going to. At Animal Kingdom its easy to plan to eat dinner at the resort because of the time the park closes. That's a no brainer.

For HS, we went a little later in the morning and had a late 'lunch' at the Prime Time Cafe-lunch prices are a little cheaper, and felt fine leaving around 7-8 for a late dinner at the resort. MK we went real early and dh & I brought sandwiches but bought the kids meals at a counter service so we could take a break in the A/C and feel energized for the rest of the afternoon. Since we've been to WDW many times, we don't feel it necessary to see the fireworks each and every time, so we left the park around 5 and went to Giordano's for a pizza dinner (had a restaurant.com gift cert) and then enjoyed the pool and watched the MK fireworks in the distance from the jacuzzi.

Epcot is my favorite park- so we went early and did soaring a few times, and I enjoyed people watching while dh & the kids did mission space. We went to the world showcase and ate lunch that we brought on the lawn then snacked around the world before heading back to soaring & mission space before leaving in the early afternoon. The intent was to come back in the evening to watch Illuminations which I adore, but the kids got involved with kids activities at BC and I wound up giving up illuminations to allow them to hang with 'friends' they'd made at the pool. I regret that because I haven't been back and need my illumination fix! But this was a cheap getaway- we used the giveaday promotion for 4-day passes which cost a total of $80 for 4 of us, $400 for 5 days at Bonnet Creek in a 2 bedroom awesome unit, and I brought a lot of food from home since we're just over an hour away-so the intent was to only eat one meal a day in the parks-only two of which could be sitdown. We did that successfully and the two sit down meals were Prime Time and T-Rex- both of which were pretty much paid for by the $100 amex gift card we got when we wasted 3 hrs the first day doing the timeshare presentation. Wouldn't do that again. While we couldn't see the Epcot fireworks we could see the tops of the MK show- and the extra space and comfort spoiled us for staying on site again.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Good idea to go swimming in the afternoons. We might get the waterpark tickets so I'm sure we will want to go back to our room or condo (not sure yet if we are staying offsite) to freshen up after that. I will look into the Bonnet Creek rentals, thank you.

 

[torinsmom]

It's not that I can't afford to eat in the parks, but rather I don't like to waste the time on TS meals and I can get much better tasting food offsite for a lot less money. Even if I made 10x what I make now, I still wouldn't waste time or money. Besides, when you go in the summer, a midday break can prevent sun poisoning, not to mention meltdowns. With the long hours, we get plenty done between 9am and 12:30pm and 6pm and 11pm. 8 hours in the parks is more than enough, especially when you go every year.

 

[ShortStuff]

We always take a break. Sometimes we go back, sometimes we are having so much fun, we don't want to!

Whether in a motel room or a condo, we normally bring stuff for breakfast. It's easier then bringing the kids out to eat before going to the parks, as we are rope drop lovers. Love me some fast passes!

We normally eat lunch in the parks, and honestly some of the counter service meals, are better than what I got in some of the restaurants.

Dinner, as we have young boys, is either in the room, simple stuff, or occasionally a sit down restaurant or off site. We have had good luck getting same day dining reservations, including Boma and Le Cellier, as we don't mind eating at odd times.

 

[wishesuponastar]

It's not that I can't afford to eat in the parks, but rather I don't like to waste the time on TS meals and I can get much better tasting food offsite for a lot less money. Even if I made 10x what I make now, I still wouldn't waste time or money. Besides, when you go in the summer, a midday break can prevent sun poisoning, not to mention meltdowns. With the long hours, we get plenty done between 9am and 12:30pm and 6pm and 11pm. 8 hours in the parks is more than enough, especially when you go every year.

I like your park hours

I'm not so sure about getting a kitchen on vacation. I like to get a break from cooking so we'll probably save up to eat out.