The cost of staying off-site for 30 nites?

[Purrrrfecta]

Just figured this out. 30 nites for a 3* hotel. Bid on Priceline for $35 a night (which rounds out to about $40 with tax and PL fees)

multiply that by 30 and it equals $1200

What can you get for that price elsewhere?

6 nites at a deluxe resort at Disney using a code
21 nites at one of the all star resorts using a code

Just thought about that after my son said he wanted to stay for a whole month next year.
I am a teacher so would be off for the summer.
Bid on Priceline for a 3* and got the Renassiance for 6 nites. Just got back. Never realized I left the magic because I never left the gate. Went out the back road where I passed by the Disney merchandise office, which is off of 192. Stayed at OKW for 5 nites after that. I love Disney, but the best thing about staying on-site in my honest opinion is the bus transportation.
But here is my rationale. If I stay off-site for a month. I will purchase annual passes, which will allow me to park at the parks for free!!!

Ok I know you do not have your choice at picking the hotel where you would like to stay, and you would also have to bid twice because PL only accepts bids for up to 14 nights, but I still think that would be cool.

 

[rcomputer]

I did 28 nights one March when I lived in England. I was on roughly the same budget ($30/n). I used a hotel (now closed) on 192 near 535.

It was better than being a local as they has to work during the week I bought many meals in Publix to intersperse the Disney meals with friends.

One feature of the Priceline approach may be experiencing different hotels during you stay. I think I preferred the "home-base" method - I would have been very confused about which hotel to go back to otherwise. I remember having to stop and think whether this was the second or third week

Have a great time!

 

[Robinrs]

Sounds Purrrrfecta me!!

The plusses of Priceline outweigh the minuses in my opinion, and as long as you are an educated consumer, you can work it like a champ!

 

[Lisa P.]

If you are serious about spending a month... look into options for weekly rentals of timeshare villas. There are owners who will rent directly for a modest price, just to cover their annual maint fees. Try the classified ads at Timeshare Users Group or TUG. And there are other online sources, such as SkyAuction.com, which will book at a variety of resorts.

When considering a resort, ask questions here or at the TUG bulletin boards, to make sure it's a nice place and close to the parks. By choosing a timeshare villa, you will get at least one separate bedroom, a full kitchen (which would save you tons over a month's time!), and at least 2 TVs. If you get a 2BR, it'll have 2 full baths. It may have a nicer pool area and more resort amenities than a typical nice hotel too, which you would likely appreciate during an extended stay.

Another possibility is to ask about a monthly rate or discount at one of the vacation home rental businesses. You may be pleasantly surprised. Either way, have fun!!!

 

[eeyore0062]

If I were staying for a whole month, I think I would definitely HAVE to look into the vactation rental homes. There are some in Davenport, Fl, which about 20 minutes to the west of WDW, so the traffic is no problem.

I couldn't imagine staying in one room with my family for a month. I would want the option of separate rooms, more bathrooms, and some room to spread out.

Check it out, you may be very pleasantly surprised... besides you would have a full kitchen, laundry facilities, and possibly even in enclosed inground pool right at your disposal!

 

[Jane E.]

THat sounds fun! Just plan on being versatile. Are you going to split up your bids? I've used PL about 7 or 8 times. We love it! The only problem we now run into is that we have teens that can't share a bed. The last time I used PL I had to book two rooms. Its now become more cost effective for us to book a condo if we're staying a week or longer. I know that summer rates are more expensive, but you may want to check into booking a 1bdr condo for a week or two. Have fun & enjoy those APs!

 

[iLovDisney]

I would second the timeshare/condo idea.

You would have a full kitchen which would save on meals. 30 days of restaurant food is expensive, not to mention sometimes unhealthy.

You would have 2 TV's, 1 maybe 2 VCR's for a little downtime.

Washer and dryer in unit.

Many of the timeshares have such great activities/pools that you can still have fun when your feet are tired.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Hey,
Thanks for everyone's suggestions! I will check out the condo thing. I have thought about doing that before, but I thought it would be too expensive. I will take a look at skyauction.com

 

[Robinrs]

Another alternative, if you don't want to spend alot or don't mind no housekeeping is the ExtendedStay America or Suburban Lodge lines. They're like little apartments and do rent by the week and the month. I stayed in a studio one week for less than 200 dollars back in 2000.

 

[bobcat]

30 days would be great! As I am also a teacher I was thinking of doing a long stay next summer since we will get annual passes this year. We plan on buying a camper, with air, so I thought about camping for part of that time at FW.

Let us know what you come up with!

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Bobcat, I will let you know what I come up with. I am going to go again for Christmas Holiday. We are booked to go before Xmas day. I am wondering if I should stay past Christmas, but I have family members who may complain. Don't know. What I should do is open the invitation to all.

Anyway, I will check into this more.

Robinrs. I will check into those properties as well.
Oh yeah Robinrs you and Mr. Jones have a thing going on? Now, would that be someone with the first initials being T. L. or did you just turn that song around to meet your own needs? Did that too many years ago. Maybe it is just a N. Y. thing we've got going on (originally from manhattan now in Kentucky lol.)

 

[Robinrs]

Oh yeah Robinrs you and Mr. Jones have a thing going on? Now, would that be someone with the first initials being T. L. or did you just turn that song around to meet your own needs?

LOL, Purrrrfecta!!

I'm a BIG fan of Tommy Lee Jones and his most recent one at that! My sister has been a fan for years and she made me sit down one weekend and watch several of his films. Well the rest is history....

Maybe there's something about his attitude that does it for us NYers!