To stay or not to stay "In" Disney?

[MastroK75]

That is the question. I have been to Disney about 5 times growing up and never stayed in Disney. I have always wanted to. My DH and I are planning a trip for next spring to take our DS who will be about 28 months old at that time. My mother has a timeshare in Orlando that we can use but I have been trying to see which will be better. I know each has their pros and cons but i wanted to see what others who have done both have said. If we stay in Disney we won't need a rental car so that is a savings but if we stay at the timeshare we have a kitchen and will be able to save on eating out all the time. Please share your thoughts. TIA!

 

[dsnymomof4]

We've done both and honestly, I don't ever plan on staying off-site again. It is just so wonderful to stay at a Disney Resort. You feel the "magic" everywhere. Yes, not having to rent a car is a plus, but just being so close to the parks, makes a big difference. When we stayed offsite, we would go to the park for the day, then go all the way back to our timeshare (not far, but still took about a while to get there) and by the time we got done swimming and eating, it was just too much of an effort to go all the way back to the parks for a few hours. When we stayed onsite, however, we could get back and forth very easily. We would go back to our hotel every day for a break (from the heat) and would usually pick a different park to go to at night. Even hanging out at the pool or food court was still a "disney" experience. Plus, there is the EMH benefit. It really made a difference for us. Each time we've stayed on-site, we've had a truly magical experience.

 

[Twingle]

I've been to WDW six times, and twice I've stayed on site, twice at area hotels, and twice at time shares. There's nothing like staying on site, and now that we're DVC members, that's what we'll always do.

The two times my husband and I went with extended family members, we stayed at time shares. Both times we spent a small fortune on a rental car, and we had to do the little time share tour where they try to sell to you. I really just wanted to be in Disney enjoying my vacation!

Don't know how much help I've been, but my votes to stay on site!

Have a great trip!

 

[gianna2006]

I've gone many times and always stayed at a timeshare off-site, usually only 5-10 minutes from the park gate. My husband and I have gotten very used to having a kitchen and a separate bedroom for my kids to sleep in as well as a full balcony (very spoiled). We would, however, drive down (we're in New York) to avoid airfare and renting a car. On our last trip, we joined DVC, and can now get the benefits of timeshare, but be on Disney property which is something we've always wanted to do!

7/90 off-site
9/96 off-site
7/99 off-site
7/2000 off-site
4/01 off-site
5/04 off-site
5/06 finally going DIS all the way at Saratoga Springs!!

 

[bellebud]

if you can afford it, stay on-site! what about renting a villa? you can either pay like a regular hotel room to disney, or rent points from a dvc member. there's a rent/trade board here (i think). you'd have kitchen facilities then. OR a ft. wilderness cabin... full kitchen, livingroom, bedroom, porch, grill & picnic table. and remember, even in a regular room, you can have a small fridge in your room ($10 a day in value resorts), and i believe free in mods and deluxe. you could then have breakfast every morning in your room (milk/cereal, bagels/cream cheese, yogurts and fruit). i've heard of people running just water in the coffee maker to have hot oatmeal, soups, etc, too. you can't "cook" but can definitely make due for breakfast, snacks & sandwiches to save money.

i stayed off site once, and we did other orlando things too, but it was just like disney was a side trip. that trip cannot compare to the feeling of staying on site (which we've done 5 times in the past 3 years). oh, and for our off site trip we stayed in a beautiful, huge 2 bedroom condo (and we didn't have kids yet) with lovely grounds, close to disney, etc. But we weren't "at" disney, and it made a big difference. we've had the opportunity to stay at a hotel off site for each trip where a family member works for practically free for a great suite, but i don't want to. if i could afford nothing else, then i would, but not otherwise.

hth!

 

[HappyLawyer]

i stayed onsite once, and offisite the rest of the time, i love offsite because we do so much more then just disney, but, i still want to experience the poly so we go this year, but when we go back in 08 i will do the poly for a few days so do both if you like

 

[crisi]

With a two year old, have realistic expectations of YOUR kid.

Will he eat in restaurants? Will he need to go back for a nap? Will he handle being in one room with you? Do you really want to cook on vacation?

The other factor is how far the timeshare is. If your two year old will want to go back for a nap - and the timeshare is 20 minutes outside WDW, you are looking at LONG nap times. (Then again, if you are staying at Pop and taking Disney transportation, it could be longer on the bus).

Think about how you travel, what your kid is like, what is important to you, and what your budget is. I love onsite, but I can't make a blanket recommendation to everyone - offsite IS easier on the budget.

 

[belle&beast]

We went in January with DD4 and DS2 and stayed at POR. My parents rented a condo just 2-3 miles away and so we visited them as well. I was so glad we were onsite! It was really a lot more time consuming getting to the TTC and back to the vehicle to leave at night. We also liked that we could easily get to our reservations at the Grand Floridian for breakfast and tea pary. If it is in your budget, I would highly recommend staying on Disney property. Until our kids are older, that is the only way we will do Disney --even if it means we have to wait longer to save between trips. Good luck!

 

[rt2dz]

I've been between 12-18 times staying offsite. Always had a great time. The last 2 times, we stayed onsite. I will never stay offsite again. We do always have a car, so we would never be forced to do Disney the whole time even if staying onsite. I just prefer the atmosphere and many of the conviences.

 

[all4fun]

And since we've bought into DVC nothing really compares to staying on site, IMO. But we love immersing ourselves in the magic and never leaving Disney property once we're there. I know, Disney loves us...

 

[In Luv with Disney]

I own timeshare in Orlando off-site (*gasp*) so every time we go, we stay there. HOWEVER, if I had a choice, I would stay IN Disney in a heart beat. However, we would have to stay in a Deluxe or at DVC resort, since we are so used to the space. We have stayed on-site a couple of times (All Star Music, All Star Sports, The Poly and OKW). The trip when we stayed at The Poly was the best to date. You can't beat being on the Monorail line! We are renting points in December and are staying at BCV or BWV...I can't wait to be able to walk to Epcot and MGM!!!!

If the timeshare is given to you for free since it's your mom's, then that's a whole new ballgame. I would stay there...you would definitely save a lot of $$!!

Whatever you choose, GOOD LUCK!!!! You'll have a great time no matter what you decide!

 

[themudd4]

DISNEY!

I have stayed both and never again plan to be off site.
Like another post consider a villa...you will still have your kitchen! Also, look into Renting points from DVC memebers...may be cheaper than most hotels that way!

 

[rowan]

I honestly dont think I would go if I could not stay on site. I mean I would go but I would wait another year to afford to stay on-site if I had to. We would rather go less often and have a truely magical trip then go once or twice every year saving by staying off property and cooking in the room.
My parents had a RV when I was younger and it never seemed like vacation to me, packing food, pans and plates, cooking. So I have no desire to ever cook on vacation again.
I realize everyone vacations differently but once you go onsite you never go back.

 

[tink4ever]

My vote is definately onsite. Nothing beats having a wake up call from Mickey to get you started in the morning. The perks of staying onsite truly make your vacation very magical. Even when swimming in your resort pool there is something so different when its on Disney property. I know that might sound strange to some but we just love every aspect of staying in Disney vs outside of Disney. Good luck!

 

[runner26.2]

I'll take the middle ground. We do both. We have a t/s in Orlando which is either Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun. We'll tack an extra day on at the beginning or end and stay a couple of nights on site.

As a family of 5 I love the extra space a 2 bedroon condo gives us. 7 days in a hotel room with 3 young children (9,6,3) is a little to cozy and stressful for me. A couple nights at WDW gives the kids a feel for the resorts.

The fact the t/s is cheaper also allows us to do more while we are at WDW and stay at a deluxe for a couple of nights.

 

[cinmell]

Once we stayed on Disney property we never turned back! It's so much more convenient being on site.