Tell me why staying at a disney resort is worth the extra cost

[reiella]

For us personally, it's not really a case of being worth the extra cost, as we aren't likely to go at all without staying onsite. The transportation network itself is why we go to Disney.

And if we started to pay for a Taxi To/From the parks for a comparable level of convenience, any cost advantage of staying offsite goes away very quickly .

 

[spacemountainmom]

I remember going to WDW as a teen in the 80's and just being in awe of The Contemporary and The Polynsian. We were staying offsite and I thought the people staying at Disney were the luckiest in the world.

We did a big family trip when my dd was 3 and stayed in an offsite condo. We had one vehicle for the 7 of us so everyone had to go to the same park and be on the same schedule.

Our next big family trip we had grown to 10 people and two were toddlers. We stayed onsite and it was wonderful. Everyone could come and go as they pleased. No worrying about parking. No dealing with driving. No dealing with luggage. Sometimes we did meals altogether, but sometimes we did our own thing. We wanted the kids to see the ocean so we rented a van and went to the coast. The rental agency picked us up at the resort and took us to get the vehicle. It was so nice to have pretty much everything taken care of.

We did two more trips with the whole family and stayed onsite as well. We then took a trip with just the four of us and I thought we should try staying offsite to get a bigger room and 2nd bathroom. DH said absolutely not. He drives for a living and just loves to get picked up at the airport and not have to touch a steering wheel for a whole week. We also are big fans of EMH so that is a big plus as well.

There are downsides, I agree. You do pay considerably more for a room. You are trapped on property. No deciding to run anywhere for a meal or shopping. You are at the mercy of the WDW bus system.

For us, the pros outweigh the cons. I think each family has to weigh that decision for themselves.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I always stayed off-site growing up. I loved Disney alot and usually Disney was just a place to stop for a day on the way to whatever beach we were going to. March of this year we had the opportunity to take a vacation just DH and I. No kiddos. I felt it was the perfect time to try an on-site hotel since we weren't going to have to pay for all of our kids too.

Cheapest at the time was PoR. We stayed 4 nights and we had a BLAST!! I had never been immersed in Disney before and I totally felt it!!! I loved the busses. It was the first time I had gone back to the hotel for a nap and come back refreshed and ready for the evening. I felt like I was in the park all day, everyday. It was amazing. Warm fuzzies the WHOLE TIME!!!

Like many have said I can't explain it. It's a feeling. If you don't get that feeling it may never be worth it to you. I will say for myself the thought of staying off-site now makes me sad. In fact the thought of Disney just being a stop over for a night doesn't seem so great anymore. That one vacation was all it took to convince me. I'm a believer!!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I always wonder why someone has to ask others to convince them to do something. If you haven't convinced yourself already, nothing anyone else can say will do it. And, evidently, cost is important to you. You won't save money staying on Disney property vs an offsite location.

Such as "Tell me why I'll love..." Really I have no idea why you'll love whatever you are asking about. You have to make that decision yourself.

 

[ttintagel]

I haven't driven in years, and I don't plan on starting up again in a rental car on unfamiliar Florida highways full of harried tourists.

Not driving on vacation is absolutely wonderful. I can't imagine being tied down to a car and navigating traffic and parking lots instead of just jumping on a bus or train. Also, it gives your party the freedom to split up if someone wants to sleep late or go back to the hotel early.

 

[runnergirl97]

I think it's up to your personal preference. If you would like to save a few bucks, go for staying offsite. If you would rather have the onsite benefits such as EMH, the magical express, and buses to the parks, definitely go for staying at the resorts. Plus I think they just have a more magical Disney feel but maybe that's just me. Good luck with your decision!

 

[*Fantasia*]

For me.. Four things..
DME
EMH
Free continuous transportations
Resort theme/Landscaping

 

[michelleiada]

We love being in the Disney bubble, 24 /7 immersion in the magic! We have stayed off before and once we stayed on site...there was no turning back. There is absolutely no comparison in the two experiences, IMHO. For us, being at Disney isn't just being at the parks, it's also being at the resort..and for us that's the Beach Club Villas. We love the EPCOT resort area. Walking distance to two parks is wonderful and there is fun entertainment on the Boardwalk at night. The Disney resorts are beautiful and themed..you can't get that anywhere. We recently stayed at Bonnet Creek for AAU Basketball Nationals held at Disney. Bonnet Creek is basically on Disney property but not owned or operated by Disney. It is a beautiful resort and very close to everything...but there is absolutely no magic! We went to the parks but had to get in the car...drive...not magical. We love everything about Disney and find its worth it to spend the extra money to stay on site at a deluxe resort.

 

[tcufrog]

We recently struggled with where go for our toddler's first family vacation and my dh finally convinced me that WDW was the way to go because of the onsite conveniences. I'm a fairly adventurous traveler who traveled overseas with my parents a lot growing up and I can't wait to do the same. None of us are into Disney and my sons could care less about meeting Mickey or the other characters.

What swayed me were the thoughts of not having to deal with gate checking a booster seat and convertible car seat, avoiding chasing the toddler through luggage claim in Orlando, prepaying meals but still having a wide variety of food to choose from (dining plan), not spending a lot of time during the vacation driving and parking, and sending packages back to the room instead of lugging them around. I've also found that my boys are usually too tired to sightsee after dinner so I liked the options available for entertainment at WL if they weren't up to returning to the park after dinner.

 

[nansmama]

I agree with what others have said. Putting aside the obvious perks like EMH and ME, you are left with the intangible feeling of being in the "Disney bubble." Either you experience that feeling or you don't. If you don't, it's not worth the extra $$ for staying onsite.

 

[chimommy]

For our family, staying onsite means not having to drive a car for at least a week! I commute 80 miles round trip every day and my husband drives up and down the east coast, sometimes 8 hours of his day for his job. Not having to drive while on vacation for us is worth any cost.

we soon will be taking our 4th trip to disney. My first two trips we stayed at swan and dolphin (once when I was a kid and once when i was in college). This past trip we stayed at my parents timeshare half the time and swan the other half. This trip we are staying off site at my parents timeshare again. I have always wanted to stay onsite (on our last trip it did seem more like we had arrived at the world when we got the the swan and dolphin) so I understand what people mean out the magic. I was just wondering what people thought about the cost difference. I mean it would also be nice to have a separate room to put our kiddies to sleep so we can still stay up. They will be 2 and 4 for the trip i am thinking about staying onsite. Thanks for everyone's input. I think if we can get free dinning we will be staying on site. I do love swan and dolphin... but we want to try one of the disney deluxe resorts too.

 

[Suelala]

Our first Disney trip was offsite and while we had a great time being at Disney and exploring the parks for the first time, we haven't stayed offsite since. As the pp said, you can get more space for a cheaper price offsite, but for us, it's not worth the extra savings. One perk (among many) that we love is that Disney takes care of transportation and we don't have to do any driving on property. We usually take a car service to/from the resort and then use Disney transportation to get around to the parks, water parks, and DTD. Everyone's definition of worth is different and only you can decide whether or not the extra cost to stay onsite is worth it for your family, but for us, nothing beats being immersed in Disney magic 24/7. Good luck.

I second this! Have never minded using the Disney transportation, and it's great to leave the driving to someone else. Even if you drive yourself, you will have driving time, waiting in line time to enter the park's parking lot, and parking and walking to the entry. I dont see how that is much faster! Dont forget the cost of gas, and parking fees. Also love the Magical Express which picks us up at the airport , handles our luggage, and takes us right to check in at our resort.
Great theming at on-site property,too, even at value resorts.
I feel that staying on site is much easier, and keeps me "at Disney" 24 hrs a day!