Staying On Disney Property VS Staying Off Property?

[Maggie Lizer]

For us right now, because our boys are little and we only go to WDW, onsite makes the most sense from a convenience standpoint. And we usually choose moderates because my older son loves the slides and pool features (we spent three or 4 afternoons at the pools at POFQ and POR earlier this month) and my DH likes the idea of having a TS restaurant at the hotel. But I know when our vacations change, and we spend a day at Legoland or Kennedy Space Center, or at a beach, and fewer days at Disney, it will make more sense to get a condo and a rental car. My thoughts have less to do with the "Disney bubble" than they do with what works best for me. While I love Disney touches, my DH is less enamored by the extreme theming in most of the Disney resorts (and if we had more money for accommodations, he'd probably pick the new Waldorf Astoria over anything Disney has to offer, TBT).

The comment about carseats - AMEN, sister! The stroller is enough of a pain, but if I had to deal with carseats too, oy vey!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes, but those rates are the exception. You're obviously getting great deals since when I check those dates I see $1078 for the villa and $405 for the rental car. So it's really all about what personally works best for you and what deals you're able to get. I always stay on property and love it but if I could get those rates I'd be all over it.

I don't think they are an exception at all. You are comparing full price rates for the Vistana versus DVC points rental rates for a Disney resort. The Vistana can be secured for much, much less than Sheraton's rates....renting from an owner, Skyauction (which is where my rate came from) etc. My comparison is apples to apples. If you want to compare Vistana's regular rates directly from Sheraton, then they should be compared to securing a DVC 1 bedroom villa direct from Disney.

We have rented a vehicle for every trip but our onsite resort stay, and the max we have paid for a vehicle rental is $250 for the week.....and that was for a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Town & Country van. Securing a good price on a rental is an easy process....definitely less stressful than many other parts of a Disney vacation. Certainly much easier than booking Fastpasses and dining reservations!!!

 

[Turk February]

I don't think they are an exception at all. You are comparing full price rates for the Vistana versus DVC points rental rates for a Disney resort. The Vistana can be secured for much, much less than Sheraton's rates....renting from an owner, Skyauction (which is where my rate came from) etc. My comparison is apples to apples. If you want to compare Vistana's regular rates directly from Sheraton, then they should be compared to securing a DVC 1 bedroom villa direct from Disney.

We have rented a vehicle for every trip but our onsite resort stay, and the max we have paid for a vehicle rental is $250 for the week.....and that was for a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Town & Country van. Securing a good price on a rental is an easy process....definitely less stressful than many other parts of a Disney vacation. Certainly much easier than booking Fastpasses and dining reservations!!!

In all fairness you were comparing your discounted rates to a DVC reseller's rates, which are not the lowest they go.

I don't think they are an exception at all. You are comparing full price rates for the Vistana versus DVC points rental rates for a Disney resort. The Vistana can be secured for much, much less than Sheraton's rates....renting from an owner, Skyauction (which is where my rate came from) etc. My comparison is apples to apples. If you want to compare Vistana's regular rates directly from Sheraton, then they should be compared to securing a DVC 1 bedroom villa direct from Disney.

We have rented a vehicle for every trip but our onsite resort stay, and the max we have paid for a vehicle rental is $250 for the week.....and that was for a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Town & Country van. Securing a good price on a rental is an easy process....definitely less stressful than many other parts of a Disney vacation. Certainly much easier than booking Fastpasses and dining reservations!!!

I'm sorry but your comparison is not apples to apples. You're comparing your very well researched deals and auction winnings with a DVC reseller's rates, which is not as low as it can go. Just as you have done a great job finding rock bottom prices for your needs, buying right from David's DVC website is not rock bottom and can be secured for less. Regardless, I think we can all agree that the best deal is what works best for you and your family personally, whether that means staying on site or off.

 

[ValpoCory]

I don't think they are an exception at all. You are comparing full price rates for the Vistana versus DVC points rental rates for a Disney resort. The Vistana can be secured for much, much less than Sheraton's rates....renting from an owner, Skyauction (which is where my rate came from) etc. My comparison is apples to apples. If you want to compare Vistana's regular rates directly from Sheraton, then they should be compared to securing a DVC 1 bedroom villa direct from Disney.

We have rented a vehicle for every trip but our onsite resort stay, and the max we have paid for a vehicle rental is $250 for the week.....and that was for a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Town & Country van. Securing a good price on a rental is an easy process....definitely less stressful than many other parts of a Disney vacation. Certainly much easier than booking Fastpasses and dining reservations!!!

Great point GGBB. There are On-site savings veterans and off-site savings veterans. Both groups get smarter from each trip, so it's important to keep an open mind if you are not a veteran of both groups.

 

[ValpoCory]

Regardless, I think we can all agree that the best deal is what works best for you and your family personally, whether that means staying on site or off.

+1. Can we lock this thread now?

 

[ValpoCory]

This argument rarely seems to calculate out for me.

For our dates (May 1st to 8th),... Our offsite comparison:

One bedroom villa at Sheraton Vistana Resort = $419
Car rental (fullsize) with Dollar = $165 (this one could, and probably will, go lower)
Parking at $20/day x 7 days = $140
Gas = $50 (probably won't spend that much there, either)

Total: $774

With the appropriate planning time, I could get a room that sleeps 4 at the Animal Kingdom Villas for $760 for that week (76 points @ $10 per point using my listed of DVC owners I've rented from -- $108.57 per night), which would be less than your total. It's all about maximizing savings for each method, and weighing that against what's important for your family.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

With the appropriate planning time, I could get a room that sleeps 4 at the Animal Kingdom Villas for $760 for that week (76 points @ $10 per point using my listed of DVC owners I've rented from -- $108.57 per night), which would be less than your total. It's all about maximizing savings for each method, and weighing that against what's important for your family.

The bolded is absolutely true. The DVC resorts don't offer the same amount of onsite amenities (important for my family) that our offsite resort does, so even if price were equal (and I'm guessing AKL will be the only DVC resort to match my offsite price + car rental + parking + gas if David's points rental is a good judge of the pricing range) the resorts don't compare. That said, we have no desire to ever use the Disney transportations system nor the dining plan again, so those benefits of onsite have no value for us.

Different strokes for different folks . One of the (many, many) reasons I adore Orlando. There really is something to suit every family.

 

[ValpoCory]

The bolded is absolutely true. The DVC resorts don't offer the same amount of onsite amenities (important for my family) that our offsite resort does, so even if price were equal (and I'm guessing AKL will be the only DVC resort to match my offsite price + car rental + parking + gas if David's points rental is a good judge of the pricing range) the resorts don't compare. That said, we have no desire to ever use the Disney transportations system nor the dining plan again, so those benefits of onsite have no value for us.

Different strokes for different folks . One of the (many, many) reasons I adore Orlando. There really is something to suit every family.

Agreed. And we Budget Boarders know the Disney Dining Plan is almost always not a "benefit". It carries a negative value for most. It's a break even for some, and money savings for a very small number.

And while the Animal Kingdom Villas are the lowest for the "Dream Season" in May, if your travel dates are flexible (travel between September 1st and February 1st, outside of holiday weeks), other DVC resorts have some similar rates.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I have stayed off site a couple of times-- and each time I have regretted it and wished I was onsite. I want the magic 24/7. I don't want to have to deal with driving and parking on my vacation. I like EMH, magic bands and all the other little perks. It is worth it to my family to stay onsite.

 

[leebee]

I don't think staying onsite or offsite will make or break a vacation. We have done both and I'd just as soon be offsite for less money with more space and amenities, even factoring in the parking fee (because we ALWAYS rent a vehicle- I truly HATE the Disney bus system). However, there have been times we've stayed onsite for different reasons. One onsite to which I would NOT return is OKW. The "theme" of OKW is "Florida" and staying there felt like staying at every offsite condo/villa stay we've ever visited! If I were you, I'd skip OKW/increase my offsite nights and then go to AKL/savannah view as originally planned.

 

[MichelleVW]

Yes, but those rates are the exception. You're obviously getting great deals since when I check those dates I see $1078 for the villa and $405 for the rental car. So it's really all about what personally works best for you and what deals you're able to get. I always stay on property and love it but if I could get those rates I'd be all over it.

I paid $500 for 5 nights for a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhouse in December the week before Christmas. I have been pricing places for this summer average cost is $1500 for a 4 bedroom with a private pool for a week in August. We are DVC and stay onsite when we can...but we go too often and I'm not paying Disney prices. vrbo.com is amazing and has a ton of beautiful and close rentals.

 

[lauradis]

I need to make a decision in roughly a week. My husband and I have gone to Disney World before, but we have only stayed off of Disney property because their hotel's are so expensive. Recently I discovered the idea of renting DVC points which has made it much more affordable. So, is staying on Disney property worth the extra money?

For reference, it is almost double the cost of staying at an off site hotel that includes a kitchen. The hotel we are looking at for 7-nights is roughly $500.

What we would be doing if we stayed at a Disney property is:
Two Nights off-site
Two nights at Old Key West
Three nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View
This would cost us about a $1,000. So, I am wondering if staying at Disney would be worth the price increase in your opinion? We will be driving, so we will have a car.

We could also split the vacation down the middle splitting the days between two places (one off-site and one on-site). That would cost about $800.

That's way to much moving around for me. I would rather have a value for 7 days. Which I can get most of the time for under 1k.

When Im on vacation I want to get there unpack stay in one hotel or location and enjoy.

 

[sheetz]

Orlando is so overrun with hotels, condos, timeshares, and vacation homes that you practically have to be an idiot to not be able to find a decent place to stay for under $100/night. If you don't have a lot of time to research just go thru Hotwire and pick a 3 star with decent ratings. I just checked Hotwire for May 1-8 and found a 3 star Disney Maingate West area, 75% recommended, free breakfast, parking, and internet for $31/night.

 

[kidneymomma]

We stayed off property at Binner creek. We had a 2 bedroom condo. The resort had transportation to the parks but it wasn't as easy as disneys. The buses were very scheduled. You couldn't come & go as you please with disney transportation. We flew and didn't rent a car, the resort buses also let you out in weird places and you had to walk twice as much. For me I liked staying on Property better. We are going again in Feb so maybe my answer will change. We are driving this trip.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Another vote for onsite! We stayed offsite on our first trip, and then onsite for the next three. Our upcoming trip is also onsite. We didn't dislike off site, but find that being onsite is much more magical. We like to take advantage of the free dining offer when possible and book DVC when it isn't. I know we could pay less elsewhere, but we like being onsite, don't find the room size a tight squeeze (yet!!), and really work the perks. As the kids get older we may gravitate towards something larger off site but then again...we might not! We have stayed at Pop Century, CBR, SSR, AKL (a favourite) and our upcoming trip is at YC. I'd also like to try the Boardwalk and WL in the future. I don't see us moving to offsite before trying these two resorts but we may pony up for a one bedroom instead of the studios we've booked in the past.

I hope you have a great trip, regardless of which accommodation route you choose!

 

[crisi]

Personally, I'm on onsite snob. There are some great deals offsite, but we LIKE Disney transportation and don't enjoy driving - we have almost never rented a car. We like being able to meet our kids later in the parks (they are teens) or send them back to the resorts - the flexibility on site of being able to divide up is great.

But we are DVC members and its never been a financial stretch for us to be able to put four people in a two bedroom villa. If it were ANY sort of a stretch, I'd stay offsite, where you can get nicer rooms for less money.

 

[mrsabbott]

I would love to stay onsite.. but we are a family of six and, even staying at a value or looking into renting DVC points AND going in the off season, staying onsite would be at minimum $2000 for a week! That is for a family suite at Music. When I can find a 3br 3ba condo with a full kitchen, washer/dryer and heated pools for $800 a week, I can't help but think that the money saved could buy us a character meal and some extra souvenirs or something.

Of course, there are things to consider. We drive down, so we have no need to rent a car. We also have no problems with the idea of driving a reasonable distance to the parks. We stayed offsite the last time and was about 10 minutes from Disney parks. Ours was a Universal trip, so the drive was roughly 30 minutes one way for us and we were there for Spring Break. It wasn't so bad. The worst part was that we got stuck in traffic on the way home one evening due to construction. It happened once the whole time we were there.

That said, I am considering a Disney trip for our family the next time and it may be our last one. My girls are getting more into thrill rides than princesses. although my 3 year old loves Mickey more than anything.. I'm tempted to splurge on staying onsite but if I do, we may have to wait another year before going just to save up enough in our vacation fund to cover it. Choices, choices..

 

[LovesTimone]

It depends on how you vacation, and what you want from your vacation.

There are pro's and con's to both options.

You have to decide, the traffic alone is a problem for me at the end of a long, hot, tiring day and with I-4 being under construction it's not pretty at all. Is this something that you don't have a problem dealing with?

If you have kids what about naptime? I always liked heading back to the resort, for some swim time and then they would basically fall asleep on the walk back to the room. Getting some down time is good for everyone, then your ready for more magic, or if you forget something, a bus ride back is a lot easier than having to get the car and go out and come all the way back. My DD's were not really stroller sleepers.

I would do one or the other in where you are going to stay, Moving around for me would waste valuable vacation time. Which is the most important reason, I want to enjoy every minute, and sitting in the car is wasting time.. for us.

Have you really done you homework on the budget? Checking out all your options and running the numbers and running then again. Looking at special offer at Disney, that include tickets and possibly dinning plans.

Is a kitchen necessary? Do you normally cook a lot while on vacation? You can have breakfast in a regular hotel room, not a full hot breakfast, but you can get by.

Are you going to other things while here, Universal, Sea World, head over to Cocoa Beach, water parks? All this needs to be considered when making your plans.

Make a informed decision, talked about it, find out what everyone wants to do, or not do... How much pool time, maybe just a pool day, and DTD for dinner, maybe a movie or bowling, mini golf, there are lots of other things to do and enjoy.

No matter what have a Magical time

 

[MARDUN]

We like the immersion feeling of being onsite and not having to drive. We are DVC members and rent points from other members when needed. There have been vacations were we never entered the parks just resort hopped and did other WDW activities (golf, fishing, ie.) We generally go in October/November when prices are less when using/renting points makes our costs for a deluxe villa resort studio averages around 150 dollars a night. Since there are only two of us, Magic Express and Disney transportation make our airfares less than a 1000 mile car trip each way. I would also recommend POP Century if you pay cash for only about 100/night.

 

[LSchrow]

I don't think staying onsite or offsite will make or break a vacation..

we've stay both off & on-site, & now would absolutely cancel or reschedule rather than stay off-site (btw, we do rent a car - for grocery shopping, etc - but WDW transport has repeatedly proven much, much less time-consuming from room to park entrance).
simply, the biggest draw for off-site is lower cost. thankfully there are such options or we might not have been able to go the first few times.
biggest draw for on-site is more time to spend enjoying all that WDW parks & resorts have to offer - & relaxation & ease come at a cost (tho the price differential is not always as high as often presumed). while we enjoy the on-site "perks" of DME, free parking, EMH, 60+ day FPs, sending packages to resort, etc , they are just the icings that make our relaxing vacations even more amazing each time

for families with 4+ children, and/or those on a tight budget, and/or those who won't be spending much time in WDW parks or resorts, offsite is a fantastic choice!
however, for many others, onsite is a vital part of our WDW vacations.