Staying on property; doesn't seem worth it?

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Bay Lake is perfect if you want easy access to Magic Kingdom. It is a simple walk across the parking lot! Of course you could always take the monorail loop if you don't feel like walking. The studios at BLT are tiny. However the one bedrooms are quite large (definitely bigger than my first NYC apartment. There is a full kitchen, eating area, living room, bedroom with king bed and two full baths one with a jacuzzi tub. It's a perfect location if you want to take an afternoon break.

Boardwalk and Beach Club are all within walking distance to Epcot. The amenities are basically the same except that the one bedrooms only have one bath instead of two.

 

[cmwade77]

Been to Disney 3 times and have always stayed off-property. I have always been happy with that.

Hubby suggested next summer we try and stay in a Disney resort just to have the experience. However, I've researched it pretty heavily, and while the properties have great amenities,

1)They are super-expensive in peak season, even the "value" ones.

2)The rooms seem tiny in the value resorts, and anything else is likely out of the question. When we travel, we like to stay somewhere with a 1-bedroom suite so daughter can sleep on her own in living room and we can have our own space.

3)The bus service to the parks, which is supposed to be a good perk, from my research is unpredictable. We like to be on hand about an hour before rope drop and I'm not sure I would trust the buses.

4)We like to have a fridge and microwave, and the value resorts require a nightly fee to rent one.

So, I don't honestly see a single perk to staying "on property". I'm interested in hearing both sides of the debate (on property vs. off property), especially from those of you who have stayed in both.

Thanks!

Ok, so here are my thoughts about staying on property:

1. Offsite hotels have been increasing in price lately at a faster rate than Disney's increases, at least for when we go. In addition, we are now DVC Members which actually removes the cost factor completely. It would take a bit for you to determine if it would be worth it for your, but you should at least consider going to a DVC presentation, they are truly no pressure and will let you know if it's not right for you. In addition, don't forget to factor in that you will save on a rental car. Without DVC, if you go during free dining, you can save A LOT of money over staying offsite. You also avoid the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel and back.
   
2. The rooms in value resorts are the size of a room at say a Marriott or Hyatt, not a suite (unless you get a family suite), but a regular room there.
   
3. The bus service has always worked very well for us, you might need to leave a little earlier than you would with a car, but I love leaving the driving to someone else for 10 days.
   
4. Some of the value resorts (I think Art of Animation) now have a fridge and microwave, there are also fridge and Microwave swap threads on the disboards as I recall.
   
5. Another major perk are extra magic hours, especially if you have park hoopers, you can go to a park without EMH during non EMH hours and one with EMH during EMH hours to avoid the extra crowds during the non EMH hours.

Overall, you need to do what you feel is best for you and your family, but you might want to try it at least once. And there is something to be siad for never needing to leave Disney property while on vacation.

 

[eliza61]

Ok, so here are my thoughts about staying on property:

1. Offsite hotels have been increasing in price lately at a faster rate than Disney's increases, at least for when we go. In addition, we are now DVC Members which actually removes the cost factor completely. It would take a bit for you to determine if it would be worth it for your, but you should at least consider going to a DVC presentation, they are truly no pressure and will let you know if it's not right for you. In addition, don't forget to factor in that you will save on a rental car. Without DVC, if you go during free dining, you can save A LOT of money over staying offsite. You also avoid the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel and back.
   
   
2. Another major perk are extra magic hours, especially if you have park hoopers, you can go to a park without EMH during non EMH hours and one with EMH during EMH hours to avoid the extra crowds during the non EMH hours.

Overall, you need to do what you feel is best for you and your family, but you might want to try it at least once. And there is something to be siad for never needing to leave Disney property while on vacation.

The only one I take issue with is number 1. The rate of increase may have caught up but disney is so much more expensive that it some times would take a 50% increase for a offsite hote to be as much. Not gonna happen.

Case in point. the third week in february we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for 129 bucks a night. For disney that is peak season, we checked out the Yacht club, Beach club and the Broadwalk which supposedly are comparable (although we all know they are not). The cheapest rate we could get and this was for supposedly the rooftop room (lowest category) and including a 30% room rate was 335.00 per night!!
Now we are thinking of a quick getaway for the week of Thanksgiving. I went to allears.net and got their discount on the Doubletree. Right across from DTD, 2 room suite with king bed, poolview, pullout sofa in living room. Daily rate $139 bucks a night. Not only is that cheaper than Art of Animation but I'll probably get to most parks a heck of a lot quicker!!


Now I did not add in the other "variables" because those are really personal. stuff like EMH and transportation depends on each family but if we compare only prices and amenitites (dollars to dollars). I simply can't see where any off site hotel in the Disney area is ever going to approach what disney wants to charge.

Now we are dvc members also but we tend to save our points when the kids are home and we can get a 2 bedroom suite

Now free dining imo is a clever marketing trick because you pay rack rates. So in order for me to take advantage of "free dining" I would have to pay 550 bucks a night. Once again, unfortunately for my family we can't do values. just simply too small and we don't like outside entrances.

Remember the op, said they go during Peak season. not sure if they offer free dining during peak season but no way has offsite even at the premium hotels like the Waldorf and the new four season which is slatted to open soon any where near disney peak prices.

 

[eliza61]

I can't comment on DVC but I would strongly urge you to continue to use a car. You won't need it for MK but it can be invaluable for any other parks or shopping or whatever. It's hard to switch to relying on buses or at least it was for us!

I'm totally with you on that one. Disney transportation is ok if all you do is go to the parks but God forbid you want to go resort to resort. It was a hassle for us especially since the resorts have way better food and all our favorite restaurants are in resorts. Have you ever tried to get to Jiko, in AKL from your resort on Disney transportation? 1 hour bare minimum. We had dinner in the contemporary one year and ended up taking the monorail to MK then switch to the monorail to Epcot and then walking through Epcot to get back to our resort. Seriously, this is what some folks consider "convenient?" It took almost the same amount of time as our flight from NJ!!! (it took us 75 mins our flight from NJ is 2 hours)

Now I'll going to fess up and say my dh and kids probably have more patience than me. I'm ADHD personified, taking the bus to ttC to switch to another bus was enough to make me manic.
Lastly, the end of the night bus swarm. One time was enough to make me say, never again.
I've never once been stuck in traffic in disney and the only way you can get lost if you drive with your eyes closed, it's one big circle with tons of signage.

 

[puertorican00676]

Been to Disney 3 times and have always stayed off-property. I have always been happy with that.

Hubby suggested next summer we try and stay in a Disney resort just to have the experience. However, I've researched it pretty heavily, and while the properties have great amenities,

1)They are super-expensive in peak season, even the "value" ones.

2)The rooms seem tiny in the value resorts, and anything else is likely out of the question. When we travel, we like to stay somewhere with a 1-bedroom suite so daughter can sleep on her own in living room and we can have our own space.

3)The bus service to the parks, which is supposed to be a good perk, from my research is unpredictable. We like to be on hand about an hour before rope drop and I'm not sure I would trust the buses.

4)We like to have a fridge and microwave, and the value resorts require a nightly fee to rent one.


So, I don't honestly see a single perk to staying "on property". I'm interested in hearing both sides of the debate (on property vs. off property), especially from those of you who have stayed in both.

Thanks!

To me, I stay off property if disney is not the only plan for us. I mean if we plan on going to Universal or Sea World then, theres nice places we have found and it works for us. If we are going to disney, we absolutely stay on property. We get our vacations taken care of since we reserve. No need for rental car or holding on my credit card. No need to worry about how to get anywhere. Or pay 14 bucks for parking everyday.
About the buses, we have had no trouble with them, you just need to understand it's a system and is not perfect. Sometimes parks are opening or closing, sometimes they have a lot of electrical wheelchairs they have to load and unload. Sometimes drivers needs to give directions to a lost family. Its really not perfect, however it works just fine. We have never missed a rope down when we have wanted to or even worse missed a dinning reservation. We have moved from hotel to hotel (that is difficult in itself) andhave time to soak in the feel of the resorts we have visited before and after dinner. You just have to allow yourself time if you want to be there at certain time to accomodate for the transportation system imperfections. You can't expect to move from one hotel to another in 15 minutes unless you call a taxi or use your own car.
As for the price, they always have offers you can use in order to make it more affordable. Never have I paid full price for a hotel in disney. Of course I have the benefit of being flexible with my dates and always look for low season at the parks. Also we budget the trip, so we spend six months saving for the trip that has given us the chance to stay in deluxe resorts that are just amazing! Where else can you see african animals from the balcony of your room? Its just awesome. To reserve in disney, just need to 200 dollars to hold te room and pay in full 45 days before your trip.
The other reason we like staying on property is the service, deluxe or moderate, we have had never a bad experience. Service is top and they will bend backwards for you and your family.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

As far as renting DVC points goes -

I would take a look at the points chart for DVC - how many points are required for a one bedroom for the time of year you would be going - that way you will know exactly how many points you want to rent. David's points rentals are highly recommended on the DIS - at least a place to start researching the possibility. Just in browsing it looks like a one bedroom is something around 30 points per night - at David's prices $13/point would be $390/night - a good price for a one bedroom but may be not what you are thinking what you want to do - a studio - can be much less.

Since you are interested in the Magic Kingdom area - start with Bay Lake Tower and the Wilderness Lodge Villas - both in the MK area. WLV has fewer units than BLT - so the availability might be different - also WLV has boat transportation to MK and with BLT you could walk back and forth. You might check the DVC boards for more information about renting points and what that might mean for you.

Good luck!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Disclaimer: We have never stayed off-property at Disney but we would never even consider it.

Now, on any other vacation, we are the family that likes more space. We always stay in at least an Embassy Suites for the space and sometimes rent a 2 BR condo. BUT....at Disney(or Universal for that matter), staying on property is all part of the vacation. At home we have plenty of house to have our own space so we enjoy the closeness that a hotel room offers us on vacation. It is the biggest reason for the vacation....close personal time with the family outside of everyday distractions.

Our whole family loves that we start our vacation the minute we hand over our luggage to the skycap at the airport. We are now free of the everyday hassles of driving, cooking, cleaning, etc. AND we don't have to worry about our luggage again until it is delivered to our room. When the plane lands in Orlando, everyone is excited to find the Mickey Hands pointing the way to ME. Getting on the ME bus is like boarding our chariot to the promised land of fun. We like that the hotels are themed giving us a vacation within a vacation. Poly is our favorite as it has larger rooms, feels so tropical and relaxed, has great transportation to MK and Epcot--our two most visited parks, and wonderful dining options. The theme adds to the whole vacation experience.

We too like a fridge and microwave in our room. Although they are not provided in every room, all Disney resorts have a limited supply of microwaves available for in-room use on a first-come-first-served basis. We have requested one every trip and mousekeeping brings it to our room and sets it up, No charge.

As far as bus transportation, we have had VERY few problems over the years and it really is no biggie for us. As someone else noted....I am on vacation and not in any rush. That being said, we do prefer staying in the MK resort area as it offers more transportation options (boat, monorail, walking, and buses) between our 2 fav parks and between resorts for eating and shopping.

In the end, it all comes down to your family's vacation style and what you personally feel is "worth it" to you given your budget. For us, we would rather go less often and stay on property because it means we spent our money the way we found "worth it" for the vacation experience we desire.

 

[difry]

I agree that the decision to stay on property is at least partially emotional..but not completely.

My family's first visit to Disney was in the early 70s, I was 8 or 9. We stayed for a long weekend and I still remember pulling up to the second security gate and the person knowing exactly who we were and how "magical" the entire check in process/OMG the monorail is in the hotel/this is sooo cool - experience was.

Now when my husband and I go with our grown children, we stay at the cabins and would never consider staying off property. We could do it cheaper...but then we wouldn't be able to:

- have our purchases shipped back to our resort.
- use the dinning plan (we LOVE the dining plan and because we don't have to adhere to school schedules we usually get it free!)
- can have a few drinks at the Rose and Crown and then take the mono-rail to the boat dock and have a nice boat ride on our way back to the campground.
- We are suckers for that "Disney Magic" : )

Maybe if we had to go during "prime" season it would be different...but for now we LOVE staying on property. We even bookend our trip with nights at the Best Western at Downtown Disney.

We only go to Disney every-other-year (and got off a year because my daughter got married during a "disney" year and went to Disney for her honeymoon while my husband and I paid for a wedding instead of a vacation). But we already have our reservations set for next year!

 

[dawnhaze]

I stayed on property (AllStar Sports) on my recent trip and I loved the entire experience. I did NOT want to drive on vacation - I have a super long commute to work, so vacation for me does not include driving. ME was great, the baggage transportation and RAC made my life a lot easier. The buses were excellent (a couple long waits but it happens), and being around Disney stuff all the time kept me immersed in the "world" which was excellent for me as a solo traveler. Hanging out at my resort, sitting in the food court or pin trading or swimming (which I never do!) were some of my favorite parts of the trip. EMHs were also a great benefit since I had hoppers, and I took advantage of having purchases sent back to my resort quite often. My new bucket list goal is to stay at every Disney resort!

I wouldn't want to stay off property. I'd have to save a lot, and I mean a lot, of money to do it. The only reason I might consider it would be if I wanted to spend a lot of time at Universal Studios and Seaworld... But at that point I'd probably do a split stay between on-site at Disney and on-site at Universal. For my day at Universal on my January trip, I'm just going to use one of the ticket/shuttle packages that are available.

 

[stargazertechie]

I haven't read all 5 pages of this thread, so forgive me if I am redundant

Been to Disney 3 times and have always stayed off-property. I have always been happy with that.

Hubby suggested next summer we try and stay in a Disney resort just to have the experience. However, I've researched it pretty heavily, and while the properties have great amenities,

1)They are super-expensive in peak season, even the "value" ones. You're not just paying for the room. You're paying for the immersion, the amenities, and the experience.

2)The rooms seem tiny in the value resorts, and anything else is likely out of the question. When we travel, we like to stay somewhere with a 1-bedroom suite so daughter can sleep on her own in living room and we can have our own space. The value rooms really aren't tiny- actually, I'd say they're on par with anything you'd find at a Choice Hotels branded hotel (Quality suites, comfort inn and suites, etc)
Have you considered renting DVC points? I looked up points for THE most expensive week of the year (Christmas Week) and you're looking at around $3,000 for a one bedroom vacation home at SSR. In the middle of August, the same room at SSR on a point rental is roughly $2300. I'm sure it's more than you're paying off-site, but depending upon the time of year, it's a great deal for the accommodations.

3)The bus service to the parks, which is supposed to be a good perk, from my research is unpredictable. We like to be on hand about an hour before rope drop and I'm not sure I would trust the buses. We rely on the buses when we stay on-property. In the past 3 years we've spent close to 80 days at Disney. We've only been late twice- normally we're at the parks roughly 2 hours before rope drop USING WDW transportation. The earlier you get to the bus stop, the better chances you have of getting where you need to be super early.

4)We like to have a fridge and microwave, and the value resorts require a nightly fee to rent one. Renting DVC points will provide you with a full kitchen!

So, I don't honestly see a single perk to staying "on property". I'm interested in hearing both sides of the debate (on property vs. off property), especially from those of you who have stayed in both.

Thanks!

We have done both in the past few years. On-site in regular rooms (POP, Wilderness Lodge) On-site in a DVC rental (AKL both times) and off-site at a budget-motel.

The on-site trips are hands down more relaxing than our off-site stays. Get off the airplane and not worry about driving for a week. On our honeymoon we drove from MI to FL, and stayed at AKL. Even though we had our car, we did not drive the entire week- left it all to Disney.

Yes, it's more expensive. I think the "value" is worth it when it comes to a relaxing vacation

 

[LONES]

We haven't stayed off-site since 1998. Honestly, for our situation at the time, it was a pretty good deal. My dad rented a huge condo. Mom and Dad had a bedroom/Master Bath that was about the size of our house. My sister and BIL and 3 year old niece had a Bedroom with 2Q beds and a bathroom right outside. My boyfriend and I basically had a lock-off 1BR connected to the bigger condo. We all had privacy, and it worked out great. We all drove into the parks together and stayed all day. Our niece was a very easy-going kid, and had 6 adults to cater to her all day. We really didn't have to worry about rests or nap breaks.

Fast forward 10 years. Grandma and Grandpa don't get around quite like they used to. My sisters kids are 14 and 9. Boyfriend and I are now married with a 3 1/2 year old and 15 month old (one of which is not easy-going at all!!). We all go back to disney, and Grandpa pays for it all ! He does his research, and decides on a disney moderate, POFQ. We've joked many times that Dad hooked us on Disney crack! Especially when traveling with a group... it's so nice to be able to come and go as you please. My parents can't go commando all day. Let's just say, they move at quite a leisurely pace! My sister, BIL and kids are full bore commando til the bitter end of EMH every day. With young kids, my family is more in line pace-wise with Grandma and Grandpa. We can split up... hook up later, go back to the resorts, and do our own thing when staying on site. It's just so much easier than coordinating the ride back to the condo/hotel.

I will also say.... we've all succumbed to the Disney magic. I love being in the middle of everything for the whole week.

One more thing that kind of put the costs in perspective for me....
This summer, we did a driving trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. When we traveled to Disney in January, I think our nightly rate for Port Orleans with free dining was in the $160's per night. We literally stopped to sleep at a very average hotel (pool, continental breakfast) in the middle of South Dakota and paid $130.00. Disney doesn't even seem remotely unreasonable to me.

 

[labattblue]

Just my 2 cents...

I enjoy staying onsite at values or mods(during non peak times), but there is NO WAY I would ever pay the ridiculous deluxe prices. I can understand there is a premium to be payed at the monorail resorts, but $300+ a night when most of the vacation time is spent at the parks and not the resorts?

I've never stayed offsite at the nicer resorts in the Orlando area, but if I had $300+ a night to spend at a resort, I would go to WDW for a week(staying at a value or mod), and then move to an offsite "deluxe" resort for another 3 or 4 days of R&R. I would guess that for $300+ a night, you are getting much more bang for your buck off-site versus on.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

The rooms in value resorts are the size of a room at say a Marriott or Hyatt, not a suite (unless you get a family suite), but a regular room there.


.

I disagree.

I have stayed at Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Marriott's, Fairfield Inn's, Courtyard Inn's, Hampton Inn's, Hilton's, etc many times and only once have I ever had a room as small as the value resort room (and that was in Timmins Ontario at a tiny little hotel).

Even the room at the Marriott in Times Square was bigger than my value resort room (and hotel rooms in NYC are renouned for their tiny size).

Compared to a chain hotel, I find the value resort rooms small.

 

[shoney]

We stayed onsite for the first time last February. Our other trips with the kids have been in timeshare resorts.

We weren't sold on the whole "magic" of staying onsite.

The buses were crowded and to us a royal PITA. The drivers drove soooo slow, I wanted to get behind the wheel myself!

We stayed at POR. The resort itself was nice. It wasn't any nicer than the timeshares we have stayed at. The room was refurbished. While everything was new, the linens and towels were very poor quality. The room itself was very small. We prefer to have more space. I have stayed in Holiday inn expresses and Hampton Inns that were much nicer it terms of quality in the room, than POR.

Magical Express was fine, but not a time saver. Driving yourself is much quicker!
I don't mind getting my own luggage, since that is what is done for all other vacations.

We did have the free dining plan and that was great. I did like not having to worry about driving, so we could have a few adult beverages!!!

There were pluses and minuses for us. I'm not sure that we would stay onsite again, if we go back.

Our next trip to Orlando, will be onsite at Universal. We did that for my 30th b-day, 10 years ago and it was great!!!! The Portofino hotel was beautiful and their onsite perks of front of the line access is worth it!

We liked the piano guy "bob"....lots of fun!
We also liked being able to take the boat ride to downtown disney.

After this trip, DH says he isn't going back until he has grandkids...LOL...my boys are only 11 and 12, so that will be a long, long time!

 

[MedicGoofy]

There isn't a right or wrong answer to this debate.

For some families, off property is the better choice. You can get more space for your money, have more dining options available, and it's easier to visit the other Orlando attractions if you want to.

For some families, on property is the better choice. If they are flying, they don't have to worry about how to get to their resort, and they don't have to go to the expense of renting a vehicle either. They like going to the parks for Extra Magic Hours, and having the ability to have any souvenirs sent back to their resort so they don't have to carry them. Some people like not leaving the Disney bubble, and they don't have an interest in going to the
other Orlando parks.

For me personally, since I live here, staying off property is the same as staying home and doing day trips. I don't do a lot of day trips. But I do stay on property for 3 or 4 ten day trips every year, and have a great time. I'm a Disney bubble person, and that's what works for me. I haven't had any issues with the bus system at WDW, and although I always have a car with me, the only place I even think about driving is DTD (those buses do tend to take longer than the park buses).

Depending on how long your trip is, perhaps you should start with a split stay - half on, half off. See which way works better for you. It's hard to compare if you haven't tried on property yet. You will have a vehicle with you (at least I assume so, if you were going to spend half your time off property) so if you find the buses don't work for you, you would be able to drive to the parks and park for free.

This is it exactly for me. When I come down to Disney, Im going to Disney. I get picked up by this wonderful bus, that takes me away to Disney. I don't have to worry about getting a car, and driving myself there. At Disney, I am using their transportation. While I know it is not always perfect, I find it to be unbelievably user friendly, and fairly reliable. I have never had to wait a long time, OR had a problem getting to a park on time.
I don't have to carry purchases around with me, nor do I need to go find a locker to store them in for the day. The 'magically' appear at my resort for me It's wonderful.
I also immensely enjoy EMH, especially at night. I would not get that if I stayed off property. The extra couple of hours at night, when the crowds start to taper off, is a great bonus of staying at a Disney property.
And while Im sure there are TONS of other restaurants in Orlando, there are more than plenty of restaurants on Disney property that I am more than happy to eat at. I don't find they are any more expensive (for me) than where I live.
I do tend to get a room discount when I stay at Disney, which makes the price lower. But, for all the 'perks' I do seem to enjoy, I do find it worth it. Not financially, but logistically. And ease of mind.

I do get that extra space is sometimes needed. But, when not spending much time in your room, other than to sleep, and get ready for a great day in the parks, in the greater scheme of things, it just isn't that important.

Jenn

 

[TheRatPack]

Wow!! how do you guys do it. My sons and my husband are all over 6 ft tall. My sons were tall from age 10. We tried a value 1 time and seriously after 3 days we either had to move or some one was going to get killed just to have the extra space. I still have nightmares of trying to get ready in the morning.
That's exactly how we ended up "offsite". we couldn't afford the deluxe at the time and no way could we stand 1 more day in a tiny room and tiny beds.

Most of the time large families are so used to being in close quarters with each other that hotels are no different LOL. We have 5 children and a 3 bedroom/2 bath house. So a value resort is not really that different

I'm totally with you on that one. Disney transportation is ok if all you do is go to the parks but God forbid you want to go resort to resort. Seriously, this is what some folks consider "convenient?" I'm ADHD personified, taking the bus to ttC to switch to another bus was enough to make me manic.

We've done the magical bus game before....traveling from one resort to another or to the TTC, take a boat to Trails End...etc. It's not quick, but when you drive all week for your job (my DH) it's so nice to sit back and let someone else take the wheel for once. I don't think it's really a time savers but I do think it's convenient. As convenient as any public transportation we've rode anyway.

Just my 2 cents...

I enjoy staying onsite at values or mods(during non peak times), but there is NO WAY I would ever pay the ridiculous deluxe prices. if I had $300+ a night to spend at a resort, I would go to WDW for a week(staying at a value or mod), and then move to an offsite "deluxe" resort for another 3 or 4 days of R&R.

I don't know that we could pay rack rate deluxe prices either....even if we had it. We just take longer vacations at a value resort and then mix in trips elsewhere throughout the year.

There were pluses and minuses for us. I'm not sure that we would stay onsite again, if we go back.

Our next trip to Orlando, will be onsite at Universal. We did that for my 30th b-day, 10 years ago and it was great!!!! The Portofino hotel was beautiful and their onsite perks of front of the line access is worth it!

After this trip, DH says he isn't going back until he has grandkids...LOL...my boys are only 11 and 12, so that will be a long, long time!

And this is why it's great that everyone has choices. Disney didn't really design the onsite hotels and resorts for people who don't really care too much about repeat trips and the 'magic'. I've met some families that are content to go to Disney once in their lifetime and then back to the beach, or the mountains....etc for vacation. It's great that we all have options that fit our family and our idea of what a vacation should be

 

[Masonmj84]

Here's my take:

As a kid, we always drove in (lived in GA at the time) and stayed off-site in a cheap motel.

As an adult, we stay on site (fly in from NY) and for us, there's no comparision. Staying on-site is just so much more fun and magical.

We love the following perks:

1. Not having to rent a car, drive, park, return the rental, etc.
2. Not having to fuss with car seats.
3. Not having to drag luggage around and deal with baggage claim (at least while in Orlando), including being able to check bags at your resort.
4. The theming and amenities of our favorite on-site resorts (which include most of the moderates and deluxes).
5. Being close to the parks and feeling immersed in the magic.
6. The feeling of being on an all-inclusive vacation (although, unless you have free dining, the dining plans are an ever increasingly bad deal).

We don't care much about EMH (in fact, we usually try to avoid parks having EMH).

As far as the resorts themselves, while not meaning to sound snobbish, we don't care much for the value resorts (theming is too garish, plus we insist on queen beds and don't care about CS food courts as we like to eat TS).

We think the moderate resorts are the best bang for the buck on proprty (particularly POR, POFQ, and CSR), as we find the theming and amenities to be very attractive for the price. In fact, coming from NY, rack rate at these during non-peak seasons doesn't seem at all overpriced to us.

In contrast, we find rack rate at the deluxes to be outrageous, even during off-season times. At these, we believe you're mostly paying a huge location premium, as the quality and attractiveness of the resorts alone does not justify the substantial price increase over the moderates.

All that being said, I'm not sure staying on-site is worth it during peak seasons, because I believe during those times, all resort classes are overpriced (plus, no discounts are generally available). However, we always try to go during the off-season, which tips the scales toward staying on-site. Especially, if we can get a good discount.

Generally, we're of the opinion that a moderate resort during an off-season with free dining is, by far, the best deal for staying on property. However, we can be tempted to stay deluxe if room discounts are available that are substantially greater than free dining (free dining never temps us to book deluxe because we won't pay rack rate for deluxe under any circumstance, even under value season rates). But we view this as a definite splurge as, in our view, even a 40% discount at a deluxe is not as good a deal (practically speaking) as free dining at a moderate.

Granted, we realize that even when going in the off-season with discounts, we're still paying a premium to stay on-site. But we believe that under such circumstances, staying on-site is totally worth it.

 

[shoney]

And this is why it's great that everyone has choices. Disney didn't really design the onsite hotels and resorts for people who don't really care too much about repeat trips and the 'magic'. I've met some families that are content to go to Disney once in their lifetime and then back to the beach, or the mountains....etc for vacation. It's great that we all have options that fit our family and our idea of what a vacation should be [/QUOTE]


I do love Disney, but I find the MAGIC to be in the parks themselves. I didn't get "the feeling" at POR.

For DH and DS's, they need more thrill rides. We did have a great vacation, but I don't think, for us, staying on site made that much of a difference.

We do like to go different places and it nice to have soooo many choices!

 

[mejo]

I have stayed on site and off and to me there really is no comparison. I love the magic, the magic starts when you get to the Orlando airport and get in line for the magical Express, from then until you get back to the airport you are at Disneyworld. I don't want to go stay at some hotel and visit some parks, I want to go to DISNEYWORLD.

 

[dlhvac]

We always stay at deluxe resorts being DVC members (paid off) it is now free except for maintenance fees and we really would not want to stay anywhere else having done that before being DVC members