This is killing meeeeeee!!!

[goofyernmost]

this was your first mistake

And last as far as staying on site is concerned.

 

[shaffercrs]

I have stayed at both. The room and bathroom at the Royal Plaza were larger. The shuttle service was poor to say the least--not so bad getting to the parks but returning in the evening was horrible. Long walks to bus parking and very slow. One night we ended up taking a cab because the bus line was so long. Personally I did not find the Royal Plaza as relaxing as POFQ. You are within walking distance of Downtown Disney -- but the boat from POFQ to Downtown Disney is so pleasant. Also no EMH if you're not staying on-site.

I would go with POFQ. Far better bus service, boat to Downtown Disney, beautiful grounds and Magical Express service is free.

 

[Disney_Jill]

I thought about staying off-site once but then added up the daily WDW parking ($14) and the hotel parking fees (from $8-12 a day). This is, of course, if you drove to Orlando. If you fly, then you have to either get a rental car or a shuttle to/from the airport.
When I factored in those costs, it really did work out cheaper to stay on-site. Now, we usually rent points, so we avoid all the taxes and resort fees too. I usually end up paying about $100 a night total and get to stay at a DVC resort (studio). Except the one time last thanksgiving when we got the deal of the century and stayed 3 nights at SSR and 2 at AKV for $305 total. That was just a trip that was meant to be.
So, I would stay onsite for sure. If you aren't comfortable renting points then it still is about the same as staying off site.

 

[dougsmom98]

I am an off site fanatic, but if your two choices are between on site at POFQ and an off site hotel, then go for on site. If you were considering renting a pool home with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, private pool and spa then I would do that.

 

[lynnebla]

I think it's just such a personal decision. Some people are thrilled to stay offsite in a much bigger place and the conveniences of eating, kitchens, etc for a much lower price. Others won't stay anywhere but onsite. We stayed offsite for the first time this year at a house in Windsor Hills with friends. It was no more than a 15 minute drive to any resort. We all had our own rooms, a big kitchen, living room, game room & our own pool. We cooked in several nights and ate out in town a few times. Our friends loved it & will never stay onsite again. My husband (who is not a huge Disney fan) and I looked at each other going back to the house on our first day there and said "Never offsite again". I felt like the trip missed something & we had to go out into the real world everyday. While it was nice to eat in some, it was also more work & we had no housekeeping so we had to do laundry regularly to keep up with towels, etc. 2 families staying in the exact same place at the same time & 2 totally different reactions!

 

[joshsmom]

First let me say it is a very personal choice, but here's my experience:

We've never stayed at anything but Value Resorts when staying on property so I haven't have the experience of a Mod or Deluxe resort. We've also stayed off property. I compare staying off property to being in college and going to a school that is primarily a residential school but you have to commute from home every day. You don't get to "join in" as much that's happening on site, because you aren't there the whole time. It seems you miss out on some experiences that had you stayed on site, you would have been able to participate in. Its very true that you can find bigger, cheaper rooms off-site, but for us, its just not worth it.

Best of luck making your decision!! And have a wonderful vacation!!!

 

[dolphindan1]

I recommend Bonnet Creek Resort. We stay there every year in a 2 bedroom 2 bath full kitchen and Balcony over looking Illuminations about the same as an All Star. Its not Disney owned and Technically not on Disney Property but you have to go through the Disney welcome signs to get to it...its right next to the Caribbean Resort. We love it. Its a beautiful place....

We book through Ken Price. He is a wonderful person and will go out of his way to help you...here is his site

http://www.vacationupgrades.com/about.htm

 

[k10vodka]

i have never stayed in a value resort but have stayed in mods and deluxe multiple times. We have also stayed off site at my aunts house which is on the border of Windermere and Orlando. I personally much prefer staying on site. We also drive from NJ so we have our own car and factoring in the expense of a rent a car is never a concern for us. DH also has the same opinion as i do with staying on property. It was really nice staying for free at my aunts house but we really missed the experience we had a Disney resort. For us it is more than worth it to park our car for free in the hotel parking lot and not have to worry about driving anywhere the entire trip. POFQ is also our moderate resort of choice and we all love it! it is nice and small so the walks to the food court, bus stop and pool are very short and if you have a car, the parking lots are all very close to the rooms. We much prefer the close deluxe resorts like The Contemporary because we like the walk to the Magic Kingdom and this year we are staying at The Beach Club and we will be able to walk to Epcot. Nothing compares to the feel of being able to completely indulge yourself in the Disney feel night and day. It is a very personal choice though and a lot of people have different opinions. Look at what your family consists of (how many people, children's ages, etc.) and then what staying on site would offer you versus staying off site and see which has more positives. We also love the dining plan and really missed that when we weren't on property. having food prepayed for was another perk for us.

 

[Planogirl]

Onsite has its advantages but there is nothing wrong with offsite either. You don't get the immersion if you stay offsite but you may not want that either (we don't particularly). Everyone is different.

If I were you I would lean towards onsite. Unless you've already stayed onsite then you might want somewhere roomier.

 

[shyjade]

No brainer for our family---on site is the way to go! We want to be immersed in the Disney feeling the whole time .

Us too! In fact, I'd rather stay onsite at a Value than offsite at a nice hotel. But that's only because there is SO much to do onsite and I love being able to bounce without getting behind the wheel of a rental car.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

We will never stay off site again so the choice would be easy for me. If I'm going to go that far and spend big $$ on my vacation I want total immerion in the magic 24/7, being offsite doesn't allow for that.

We also use WDW transportation the whole trip and love it, love the restraunts and don't want to shop anywhere but DTD and the parks so no need to go offsite at all.

 

[dizcraze1]

If you stay onsite you can take advantage of EMH. And most people aren't even in their hotels except to sleep and shower, and wouldn't it be nice to be closer to your hotel at the end of the day? Unless you go to stay at the hotel, stay at a value resort and save yourself some money! They are just as nice without all the frills that most people do not even need or take advantage of.

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Are you considering getting the dining plan?

Would you take advantage of Extra Magic Hours?

Do you need transportation to/from the airport?

Do you need transportation to/from the parks?

If you said yes to 2 or more of these questions, I would go with staying onsite. You can't do dining plan offsite or do the EMH's. Also the Magical Express service is free and very convenient and the bus transportation in and around the parks is free.

We usually stay onsite due to the dining plan. And the rates don't really seem higher than non-disney hotels b/c we always seem to find a discount code or rate.

 

[Goldilocks07]

Definitely ON-SITE:

Reason 1:
Magical Express- so easy, SO convenient. And it just adds to my excitement for the beginning of our trip!

Reason 2:
Disney Buses take you almost anywhere

Reason 3:
Extra Magic Hours - these are a MUST for our trips

Reason 4:
FAST PASSES!!!!!!!!

Reason 5:
To experience the Disney 'Magic'

Need I say more???

 

[nicki.momof3]

I finally broke down and stayed on site at a value resort. This was your first huge mistake. You can not compair value resorts to off site. In my book value resorts are very budget travel that equates to dorm living.

I hate to be imprisoned anyplace. Really IMPRISIONED that seems a bit overstated. I personally love WDW transportation and would hate to rent a car at WDW. What a pain to have to park at the MK, take a tram to the TTC, then take the monarail or boat to the gate. With the WDW busses you get dropped off at the gates.

We would never go WDW if we did not stay on site. If we could not afford on site than we would jsut save until we could.

We love on site for the following reasons:

1. Magically express
2. WDW Transportation
3. 24/7 love it
4. Amazing customer service
5. Ease of going back to the room everyday at mid day for a break
6. EMH
7. Amazing resorts - we almost always stay at POR - lovely

 

[BarbieGal457]

I have stayed on-site and off (not my choice), and I am all for on-site. To me it is just much easier and has many more perks that are important to me, such as EMH, free transportation, free parking, etc.

 

[kleigh1969]

I vote for onsite.

We had a car last time (which I liked having) and went offsite the first night we arrived to eat dinner and get some snacks. It felt so weird being out of the bubble!

In the past we had used Magical Express (and Mears before they had that, even though I think ME is still Mears) and stayed in the bubble.

I do think I would do a car again, I liked being able to get snacks that I wanted, and I liked the feeling that if I forgot something important I could just go buy it, and it was really quick to drive to the parks (except Magic Kingdom, that took a long time with the boat/monorail and all). We stayed at OKW and parked right in front of our room. But I digress....

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Definitely ON-SITE:

Reason 4:
FAST PASSES!!!!!!!!

You get FP's with any park ticket, don't have to be an onsite visitor.

 

[kjs1976]

Have done off site 3 times...the latest was last year. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

So much easier to stay on site with transportation and that Disney Magic. Even though we were physically only 3 miles away from Disney property, it took us 20 min. to get to DTD alone with all the traffic and stop lights. Took so much time away from park time and parking at the Disney lots took even more time.

 

[sam_gordon]

Just a note for those considering off site at locations that promote "Disney Shuttles". Make sure before you commit, you find out what exactly they mean. The last time we stayed off site, the suites we stayed at had TWO bus times in the morning going TO the parks, and TWO in the evenings coming back. If you weren't in the parking lot at the right time, you'd have to wait for the second bus (IIRC, an hour?), and if you missed the second bus...

Just blah!