Tell us about your off site stay

[Luv2Roam]

I would be interested to hear about off site stays.

Where did you stay?
When?
What rate did you get?
Would you return there?
Comments:

 

[MJames41]

On our trip in 2000, I was really worried about cost. So, I went to Priceline for 3 nights, hoping to get either Swan/Dolphin, or the Royal Plaze. We got the Marriott Orlando World Conference Center, 3 nights, $60 per night. Ok, I thought, not what we expected, but I did some research, even emailed the hotel. I was told that they had free transportation to Disney, and they had 1 indoor and a couple of outdoor pools.

The day arrives. My dad drives us there (we spent Thanksgiving with him). It is a long drive from the main road to the hotel (and only 1 entrance). The hotel is beautiful. Everyone was very friendly. But...(the dreaded but).

Transportation to Disney is no longer free, and had to purchase round trip tickets (changed 3 weeks before we got there) - used it once, and not round trip. Beds were extremely hard. There was no place around, nothing close. Because of only one entrance (to a one way road), getting to an off resort restaurant costs extra. People talk about how high prices are for Disney food, try staying there one time. They were charging us an additional "resort fee" above the $60. After 2 days, I had had enough. We got our things and left for the All Star Sports.

That is the last time we will stay off site for a Disney vacation. Some of the hotels do interest us, such as Caribe Royal, HIFS, etc., but will not stay without a car at one of these, and not for a Disney trip. Just my opinion.

 

[Lorix2]

1st trip:

Stayed at Sheraton's Vistana Villages
April 18-28, 2002 (2 adults, 2 kids ages 9 & 4)
$119. per night, 7th night free thru www.hotelkingdom.com
Had our own vehicle.
Would definitely return.

2BR/2 bath villa, private balcony, washer/dryer, full kitchen, living area w/tv, vcr, stereo, pull out sofa, 5 sinks total, amazing pool.

Excellent location, the drive to WDW was 10-15 minutes tops to the gates. SW was 5 minutes if that. US/IOA was about 20 minutes I think (we took a wrong turn). The attractions, shops, restaurants, etc. on Int'l drive was only minutes to get too.

 

[Disney Talker]

I have never stayed on site and have no intention of doing so. This was will be our 13th trip in November and we prefer offsite with discount rates and cheaper breakfasts before we head into Disney Property and Universal property.

Over the years I have paid rates anywhere from $29 to no more than $55 a night at various hotels along 1-92. We do not stay at flea bags either, but good hotels with excellent internet and coupon rates.

Contrary to popular opinion here often, the name hotels are no differnt in Kissimmee/Lake Buena Vista than they are other places in the country. Sure you find some are not good, but that is the same anywhere. However, they are not all run down seedy places you would be afraid to go inside.

You have to decide if you would rather stay right on Disney property and pay a lot more for a hotel room, or pay a lot less for a place to sleep and shower off property. What is good for one is not always good for another though, so decide what is best is my opinion.

My two cents is you can have a terrific time staying off site, if you find a good deal and a nice place. You do not need to stay on site to have a great vacation or a lot of fun.

 

[Robinrs]

Where did you stay? Radisson Universal
When? First trip July 1999
What rate did you get? Too much, package, Pre-DIS
Would you return there? Yes.
Comments: Wonderful 3 star that thinks its a 4 star. Right across the street from USF.

*****
Where did you stay? Marriott Orlando World Ctr
When? May 2000
What rate did you get? $60 a night Priceline
Would you return there? Yes!
Comments: Top of the line convention hotel. Treated like kings!

*****

Where did you stay? Holiday Inn Family Suites
When? January 2000
What rate did you get?$65 a night on the BOGO special
Would you return there? In a second
Comments: Loved the space and the three tvs. My sister and my son and I had our our spaces! I really loved the free breakfast buffet, also.

*****
Where did you stay? Hard Rock Hotel
When? Sept 2001, Jan 2002
What rate did you get? $139 a night Hoteldiscounts.com, $99 Ent
Would you return there? In a heartbeat
Comments: Nothing beats the Universal Express perk. It can spoil you to death, not having to wait on line.

*****
Where did you stay? Vacation home Florida Leisure
When? January 2002
What rate did you get? $89 a night
Would you return there? Yes!
Comments: Stayed in a 3BR 2Ba home with an enclosed pool. Made it hard to go back to a hotel room. Loved the convenience and the privacy!

*****

Where did you stay? Vacation home Elite homes
When? April 2002
What rate did you get?$600 for the week
Would you return there? Return? I want to LIVE there!
Comments: Stayed in a 4BR2BA home with a enclosed pool and jacuzzi. The home was BEAUTIFUL. I enjoyed being there more than the parks!

*****

Where did you stay? Hampton Inn Universal
When? June 2002
What rate did you get? $45 a night on Hotelkingdom.com
Would you return there? Probably not.
Comments: This was a last minute trip, a meet with some friends from the DIS. They were staying at the Royal Pacific which just opened that week and was sold out. I would've DIED to be there instead, but it was a really nice hotel nonetheless. Free continental breakfast and good location. The downside was there was no laundry facility and it rained every day we were there!

 

[Jailen's Gma]

We were there for the first time July, 2002 and stayed at the Vistana Resort. It was part of our package, so I don't know what the exact price for the resort alone. You know first time there and didn't know any better as to booking package or seperate. Anyway, the Vistana was great. It was 7 of us and we had a 2br/2bath unit. It was located in the Courts section. Some say the older units are not that great, but we found it very nice. We had a rental car so we did not use their transportation.

Yes, we would stay there again. Matter of fact, we will be there August 24 - Sept. 1.

I hope this info helps.

 

[debbie655]

Summer of '99, '00, '01 HIFS -- can u tell we love it there? Last summer was the highest rate we paid, I think $125 a night. The two years before I know it was less than $100, in fact I think the year before we only paid $79 (valuetrips.com). We are splitting our stay this year between HIFS and Royal Pacific Resort. I originally had booked RP for the whole week but my 8 y/o (hubby too...lol) literally got teary eyed when I told her we weren't staying at the Holiday Inn this year. We are paying $109 PLAYFLAUSA rate.

Summer of '00, one night at Vistana Villages -- all I can is Wow! what a beautiful place and a huge, gorgeous 2 bedroom suite. We did like the "atmosphere" of the HI better though. Booked thru Hotelkingdom for $109.00.

Summer of '94, '95 Howard Johnson Palm Parkway. It's now a Courtyard by Marriot I think. First trip to Orlando w/the kids. I have to say we really liked it here at the time but this was before I had internet access so I think I picked this hotel out of Birnbaums guide. Rate paid I think around $90-$100 a night. Would I return here? I'd have to say no, not with all the hotels, resorts available. We do pay a visit here though everytime we go to Orlando, strange I know.

 

[karin037]

Hotel Royal Plaza
November 2001
$46 Night
I would definitely return

The HRP was great. The transportation was fantastic. The shuttles ran every 1/2 hour, all day long. The location is terrific. Walking distance to both Downtown Disney and the Crossroads Shopping Plaza. The hotel is very nice. The rooms sleep 5, with the sofabed in each room. No need for a rollaway. Housekeeping and the rest of the staff were great. All the benefits of staying on Disney property. They even have Bath & Bodyworks soap, shampoo, body lotion, and shower gel. I believe our low rate was due to 9/11. We really enjoyed our stay there.

 

[Lisa P.]

You can see that we've stayed both onsite and offsite. Here are the offsites:

1985 & 1987/88 offsite motels - both gone now, they were clean, pretty and quite acceptable for sleep/shower/sightsee for very little money.

1996 Travelodge East Gate Orange ~$35 - never again. Dirty, with rude staff.

1998 HGVC at Sea World ~$150/3nts on a timeshare rental & sales pitch. Gorgeous luxury 1BR, wonderful amenities and a true resort feel to the entire place. Our whole family is really looking forward to a full week timeshare exchange into a 2BR here later this year. Lovely pools, plentiful activities, pretty landscaping & night-lighting.

1998 Westgate Vacation Villas ~$199/week on a timeshare RCI bonus week. Worth the cheap price paid for a large 2BR villa but not a first choice resort selection for me. Beautiful villa, loads of activities and nice pools, but pushy sales staff and limited landscaping. Probably would seek elsewhere first.

1999 Homewood Suites LBV ~$199/3nts on a timeshare rental & sales pitch for Cypress Pointe. Worth the price paid, clean, with pretty nice 1BR suite but much more limited than a standard timeshare condo. Decent cold breakfast but a small, unheated pool. Would only return for a one or two night stay, not for a "vacation."

1999 Sheraton Vistana Resort (timeshare exchange week). Wonderful resort with lots to do, pretty landscaping, nice 2BR villa in a great location for Disney and it offers attractive pools. Would definitely return.

2000 Marriott Grande Vista (timeshare exchange week). Fantastic resort... see comments on HGVC above - they apply to the 2BR villa we had here too, though we don't happen to have immediate plans to return. Very nice.

We really enjoyed our stays at HGVC, Vistana and MGV more than our onsite stays at Disney's FWC & Homes, All Stars and DxL (now called PO-R). Even with our stays at the Disney deluxe resorts, we missed the space and amenities that these offsite properties offered for the price. Disney's DVC resorts offer all this, plus theme, pool slides and transportation to the parks but we choose not to spend what those 2BR rentals would co$t us.

We also ALWAYS drive our vehicle to Orlando and would not recommend staying offsite without a car. With a car and a nice property located near the parks, you can reach the entry gates in the same amount of time it takes to wait for and ride Disney's buses. Do see the threads on "best/worst offsite" vacations.

 

[nwdisgal]

Wyndham Palace - Apr 2001, as I recall, we paid around $170 a night and I wouldn't stay there again for that price. We had a problem with our room, mold, etc.... I think if I am that close in proximity to Disney, I'll just stay on-site.

Vistana Resort - April 2001 - $150 for a two bedroom. I was very happy with the resort and would stay there again. They were completely booked April 2002, which is why we didn't return.

April 2002 - Hard Rock Hotel about $185 a night. I agree with Robin, the FOTL perk is nice. I would likely stay there again. What I didn't like was that it took all day to get maid service, but that could be easily remedied by requesting early service next time. I loved the decor and rooms there.

RI Seaworld - $105 for a 2 bdr. I would stay there again for that price, but would request a room with a poolview (away from I-4).

Next trip in August we will be staying on-site. I am doing it mostly for the convenience, as we will be spending a lot of time at the resort, vs. the parks. Also, if you are going to succumb to Disney prices, this is the best time for us to indulge (rate wise). I still have "to do" resorts off-site on my list that I'd like to try. Maybe next Spring?

 

[deena]

Past offsite stays include Quality Inn Maingate West and Howard Johnson Maingate West starting back in August of 1991 and most recent was August of 2000. I would return to these due to enjoying our stays immensly. Our rates have varied over the years from around $65-$52 a night. Our next anticipated trip to Disney will take place in August of 2004 and guess where we'll be staying---off-site yet like we have for many years again probably looking at either Comfort Suites Maingate Resort or Hampton Inn Maingate West as both of these are fairly new properties with both including fridges, microwaves, and complimentary breakfasts .

We have been staying off property for years now while actually loving every minute of it and will continue doing so in the future. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd rather have more money alloted for eating in a variety of restaurants, buying miscellaneous souvenirs, and retaining extra spending money whenever in town. When we go to Orlando since also having access to rental car, we like to have a really well-rounded vacation by seeing all of the different attractions and sights that the area has to offer and not just only WDW; figure if we're going to go through the trouble of just getting down there...might as well visit other places too.

Another reason why we personally love off-site better is because of the extra space to roam around while not feeling as tightly squeezed inside smaller onsite spots along with added amenities that make vacationing so much easier as well as comfortable. Also, with all the sheer number of properties that exist right outside of Disney that are popping up all the time there hasn't been really a great motivation to stay onsite for us because there are so many to pick/choose from outside that suit our many needs. Also, transportation has always been a breeze because we rely on ourselves in traveling and have learned to navigate pretty easily over the years with it being a breeze now; commute from walking out the offsite hotel door from pulling into the parks has averaged no more than 5 or so minutes tops and vice versa when coming back. So, I will always be an offsite fan and it has been magical for those reasons and many more.

 

[Tom'sdad]

We have stayed at various places on site and off.
Off site the worst.
Howard Johnson Maingate May 2002, would I return NO!!!! It was just awful 3 rooms at $49 per night.
Days Inn Sandlake Road March 92 It was not that nice then cannot say about now, we paid approx $35 per night.
Super 8 International Drive 1995 (I think) got a rate of $24 so cannot really complain!

Off Site best.
Our most recent trip to Emerald Island Resort we got a rate of $80 and it was superb, I agree with Ted in that this will be one of the premier resorts. We booked for next year already!
Benwww.orlando-rental-home.com

 

[jgates]

We spent a night at the Hampton Inn Maingate West 8/00. Nice, clean, comfy, fantastic breakfast. Small pool - small property - quiet even with road construction out on 192 at that time. Easy access to Disney I felt. Good rates. Fridge/microwave. I wouldn't hesitate to return there. If we get in late on Saturday I may see if they have any rooms available. (booked on a Sun nite at new Universal hotel & then 9 days at Swan)