Thinking about a trip, planning questions1

[DryCreek]

OK, it has been a loooong time since we've been to WDW. Our last visit there was (I think) 2012. We stayed at the POR. In the past we always took our RV and stayed at Fort Wilderness. Well, we live in Texas now instead of North Carolina, and instead of driving the motor home all that distance, I think we should fly. I loved the convenience of staying onsite. The perks made it almost silly to plan otherwise.

Now I'm reading that they no longer have the DME, and the Dining Plan seems to have been discontinued also. Is this true? How about Extra Magic Hours? I don't see any mention of that either. If none of those are available as part of a Disney Package, why should I bother to book a WDW resort? I have coworkers who swear that the best deals are at Bonnet's Creek and other non-Disney branded hotels in the Downtown Disney area (see how long it's been?). In fact, they even recommend not flying into MCO and some say Sanford is a better deal, even though the transportation costs to get on site might be a little higher.

If all of those incentives are no longer available, I may just look at Disneyworld instead. That was our last Disney adventure, and we stayed at a nice hotel just across the street from the plaza entrance. It was a shorter walk to either of the main gates than from our room to the bus stop while at POR. No DME, no dining plan, no frills - but still right at the magic.

 

[rwdavis2]

Yes, o more DME or dining plan. EMH has morphed into something not as good. There are fewer perks to staying on site. Some folks will chime in here with more info, I’m sure.

We haven’t been in a while but when we go again we’ll probably stay offsite. The cost of WDW hotels has gotten crazy.

 

[Tonberry]

Benefits of staying on Disney property are free transportation from your resort to the parks and Disney Springs, 30 minutes of early entry to the parks (yeah, big deal), and you get to book your dining at 60 days out plus the length of your stay up to 10 days.
You can pay extra at MCO for Mears or the Sunshine Flyer to take you to your Disney resort and/or back to MCO when your trip is over.

Benefits of staying on off property are that it costs a lot less (sometimes even half the price) and some of the hotel amenities (such as bigger rooms, more room choices, pools etc.) are as good and most times, even better that Disney. Our favorite off site hotel is the Wyndham. It's pretty awesome.
Downside of course is that you will need to rent a car to get pretty much anywhere.

 

[Marthasor]

I would price out both options, but, I would lean toward going to Disneyland if that is an option and you aren't interested in Animal Kingdom and some of the other attractions that are only in WDW. We live on the east coast and go to WDW often, but went to DL last summer and really prefer that park - it's so compact, so I feel you spend more time actually enjoying the parks and attractions and less time taking transportation all over the place just to get to where you want to go. The only real perk to staying on property at WDW at this point, IMHO, is proximity and free transportation to the parks (which you wouldn't need if staying in a hotel near Disneyland) - you still get the 60+10 perk, but I'm finding many restaurants are loaded late into the system (looking at you Topolinos and fireworks packages) and it completely negates the perk

 

[mickeyluv'r]

1. Now I'm reading that they no longer have the DME, and the Dining Plan seems to have been discontinued also. Is this true? 2. How about Extra Magic Hours? I don't see any mention of that either. 3. If none of those are available as part of a Disney Package, why should I bother to book a WDW resort? I have coworkers who swear that the best deals are at Bonnet's Creek and other non-Disney branded hotels in the Downtown Disney area (see how long it's been?). 4. In fact, they even recommend not flying into MCO and some say Sanford is a better deal, even though the transportation costs to get on site might be a little higher.

If all of those incentives are no longer available, I may just look at Disneyworld instead. That was our last Disney adventure, and we stayed at a nice hotel just across the street from the plaza entrance. It was a shorter walk to either of the main gates than from our room to the bus stop while at POR. No DME, no dining plan, no frills - but still right at the magic.

1. True
2. WDW no longer offers the same EMH as before. It is now 30minutes, every day in all four parks for onsite guests.
Two days each week there is also a kind of PM EMH but it is only for people staying at the DVC resorts and the Deluxe resorts. For people who stay at a DVC or deluxe, the extra PM hours are on Mondays and Wednesdays. The 2 parks are typically Epcot and MK.
3. Entirely personal choice.
4. I think you have to look at specific flight options to see what deals are available to you. In addition to Sanford, you can also look at other Florida airports, flights prices, and the amount of time it takes to drive to WDW/see if that is something you are willing to do. Tampa and Daytona are both potential options.

If you stay offsite, and drive to WDW, you will have to pay the daily parking fee to park at the parks.

I further suggest looking at Genie plus and Individual Lightning Lanes. Even if you decide not to buy them, it is helpful to understand how they work and the impact they have on WDW park touring. more or less, Genie plus and ILL's have replaced Fast Pass.

I also suggest reading up about Boarding Groups and how to get them if you are interested in riding Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron when it opens.

 

[DryCreek]

Thanks to everyone that has replied so far.
By "offsite", I wasn't referring to Kissimmee area or such, I was referring to the Disney Springs area "Partner Hotels". They offer transportation to each of the parks and back, but not as frequently as WDW Transportation runs. That's why the hotels I am looking at are the closest to DS. I can take a WDW Transportation bus to the DS area Disney hotels (SS, POR-FQ) and then either walk the rest of the way to the hotel, or just catch transportation to a Disney Reesort property close to the park we are at and then jump on the bus from the resort to DS and stroll to the partner hotel. Both Hiltons and the Wyndham look pretty close.
I guess that I will check out Mear's or other shuttle operators for transportation from the airport to the hotel. I will price out legs from MCO and SFB. My wife has grown to dislike MCO after our last trip thrugh there.

 

[DryCreek]

We live on the east coast and go to WDW often, but went to DL last summer and really prefer that park - it's so compact, so I feel you spend more time actually enjoying the parks and attractions and less time taking transportation all over the place just to get to where you want to go.

When you were strolling around DL, did you get lost? I would confidently start strolling towards a destination, only to find out that it wasn't where I left it. The layout is familiar, yet just different enough to pique your sense of adventure. I really do like the cozy layout of the theme parks there. The Best Western Park Place Inn was only a five-minute walk to the plaza, and that includes waiting for the light to cross busy Harbor Avenue. When we were there last they were just finishing up Cars Land and the new entrance to CA. On the other hand, I really do like EPCOT, and they have added on so much since we were at the "World" last.

Decisions, decisions.

When I was explaining how the vacation packages have been gutted, my wife - who's not a Disneyphile like I am - said the heck with them, let's book a cove balcony room on an Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Galveston instead. I see her point, it would be half the cost and just as immersive. Of course she was talking about on Carnival, not DCL when they sail from there during the winter months. About four years ago during our vacation in Branson she injured back (really just aggravated an existing condition) on the Outlaw Run roller coaster. Since then she's been told not to ride those sorts of thrill rides any more. That could also influence her desire to skip theme parks. Life gets harder after 60, or so it seems.

 

[Marthasor]

When you were strolling around DL, did you get lost? I would confidently start strolling towards a destination, only to find out that it wasn't where I left it. The layout is familiar, yet just different enough to pique your sense of adventure. I really do like the cozy layout of the theme parks there. The Best Western Park Place Inn was only a five-minute walk to the plaza, and that includes waiting for the light to cross busy Harbor Avenue. When we were there last they were just finishing up Cars Land and the new entrance to CA. On the other hand, I really do like EPCOT, and they have added on so much since we were at the "World" last.

Decisions, decisions.

When I was explaining how the vacation packages have been gutted, my wife - who's not a Disneyphile like I am - said the heck with them, let's book a cove balcony room on an Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Galveston instead. I see her point, it would be half the cost and just as immersive. Of course she was talking about on Carnival, not DCL when they sail from there during the winter months. About four years ago during our vacation in Branson she injured back (really just aggravated an existing condition) on the Outlaw Run roller coaster. Since then she's been told not to ride those sorts of thrill rides any more. That could also influence her desire to skip theme parks. Life gets harder after 60, or so it seems.

I did not get lost in DL. I will admit, being a frequent WDW visitor, it did take me about a day to get my bearings there, but once I knew the lay of the land, I was good to go. My DH doesn't really like Disney parks, but he enjoyed the fact that we could walk wherever we wanted to go and never had to get on a bus, boat, etc. One day we went shopping and traversed both parks and Downtown Disney looking for everything. It was just easy peasy.

I see your wife's point. If I couldn't ride thrill rides and wasn't really into Disney, I would be looking at a relaxing, easy to plan cruise, too!

 

[_19disnA]

If you price out flights to cities other then Orlando, make sure to also look into the cost of ground transportation. You can find several older threads where people THOUGHT they were saving a few dollars to fly into a different city only to find the added time/distance and cost of ground transportation exceeded the savings on flights.

Over the years we have stayed both at Disney and also off-site and liked both. There are also many homes available to rent in the area since Orlando is a big tourist destination. Disney hotels are pricey but part of the cost is the proximity to the parks and on-site transportation. How much that is worth to your family depends on your budget and what other things you might want to do while on vacation.

Frankly, we were last there in 2019 after not going to Disney for a number of years. We have no current plans to return. The costs have increased much faster then any number of other places we enjoy just as much. The huge crowds at the parks mean you will spend a LOT more time waiting in ride lines then the past. Some areas were wall-to-wall people making the simple task of walking around a challenge. What that means is you won't be able to accomplish as much in a day compared to prior visits. To us the value is no longer there to make it on our vacation priority list.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I can take a WDW Transportation bus to the DS area Disney hotels (SS, POR-FQ) and then either walk the rest of the way to the hotel, or just catch transportation to a Disney Reesort property close to the park we are at and then jump on the bus from the resort to DS and stroll to the partner hotel. Both Hiltons and the Wyndham look pretty close.

Take a Disney bus to SSR, POR or POFQ and then walk to your DS hotel? No. That is not a good idea, I don’t even know if it’s possible honestly but even if it is that would be a miserable walk.

By the time you bus to a hotel to bus to DS and then walk to your hotel you will have wasted a lot of your vacay time as well. You should plan on taking your hotel’s shuttle, your own car or a rideshare.

 

[DryCreek]

Take a Disney bus to SSR, POR or POFQ and then walk to your DS hotel? No. That is not a good idea, I don’t even know if it’s possible honestly but even if it is that would be a miserable walk.

By the time you bus to a hotel to bus to DS and then walk to your hotel you will have wasted a lot of your vacay time as well. You should plan on taking your hotel’s shuttle, your own car or a rideshare.

Well, maybe I should have been more specific. SSR is right there at DS, so that's not too bad a walk. POR or POFQ and then to DS via the river boat is a nice little respite, and would actually put us closer to the two hotels right at DS.

The hotel shuttle is probably a good choice, but they don't run as often as the Disney Transportation System buses do.

It's starting to look like the absolute best choice is to take the motor home and stay at Fort Wilderness again. My main issue is the two or three day drive each direction to get there. We always spend at least seven days "in the world", so that would be pushing our vacation to two weeks. Neither of us can spare that much time away from our main jobs, and heavens knows how we would arrange for caretaking of the ranch duties while we are gone.

 

[alte]

I guess it depends on the ages and experiences of those traveling with you also. I've stayed offsite twice (as a tween, and as an adult) and never had an issue with using the hotel's shuttle (although limited time offerings). You just plan your days around it a bit, just like you would any other set plan in your schedule (adr's, park opening/closing) you can still have a great time and experience all the magic and some fireworks! With kids however staying on site is definitely preferable as it is much harder for Littles to adhere to a strict schedule and can lead to a lot of stress in both your days (being forced into long days at the park by a shuttle schedule can be exhausting for them and make it not fun for you either! And shorter days you're missing out on so much!). It really depends on the type of trip you want! Do you all like to fit "everything" in; do you find full, long days at the park to be energizing and fun; or do you need down time during the day, and flexibility to leave and come back when you please. We love camping and are planning a big road trip with our trailer at some point - but we would definitely view that as a "camping trip with a couple days of Disney thrown in" rather than a "disney only focused" trip. To experience different places/campgrounds on the way to a destination is half the fun and we go out of our way to do this (literally, will not take the most direct route). We would plan this trip around fun stops along and view this as a camping trip that, amazingly, includes a few days at Disney (rather than trying to make it a full 7 day disney trip and eating into extra ! It's hard to have it all on a budget, but you can still definitely make the most of whatever option works best for you! Picking out

 

[alte]

Oops sorry, got cut off there... picking out the most important aspects of what you want your trip to look like and planning around that will give you the most out of your time! Hope you have an amazing time whatever you decide!!

 

[bchbetha]

I never did Disney before all the things you are sad about missing were already gone. We have done DL instead. But, I have done 2 Disney trips this year and can't imagine staying offsite.
I loved our stay at the Dolphin. The price was in our budget (and a fraction of the cost, at the time, of the adjacent properties). Being able to walk to 2 parks is amazing. Dolphin, Swan and Swan Reserve all qualify as deluxe hotels for the extra deluxe hours which is another awesome perk.
We recently stayed at Art of Animation and the Skyliner was a huge plus.
I took a day to resort hop and the bus situation at the various hotels would drive me crazy. I waited 20+ minutes each time (bad luck). The bus to HS from Polynesian kept having the ETA adjusted farther and farther into the future so I gave up and paid $10 for a Lyft.
If you stay offsite, even in Disney Springs, I would budget for Uber and Lyft. You pay a small fortune for tickets...wasting park time in line for buses is a frustration for me.
Flying into Sanford? Not a choice I would make unless you are talking $100s less for the flights because transportation options aren't great. Your best bet will be a 1 way car rental.

 

[DryCreek]

Maybe I'm thinking a little different than most, but I really don't consider staying at a Disney Partner hotel as "staying offsite". Am I wrong with that line of thinking? I've stayed offsite at hotels that advertised as being "at the main gate". Boy howdy, those were not fun days. It took a full hour to get from the room to any park. That's on a good day too. It looks like there are two hotels almost right across the street from DS.
Maybe I should explain that we're park commandos. A little walking is not a problem for us.