transitioning to off property resort

[firemanx]

Always stayed on property, but as fl ap holders we could go more often if we stayed off property, but with WDW reducing on property benefits. help me convince myself off properrtty is the better option

 

[Schneewittchen37]

My parents have all the timeshares. About two years ago, they stayed at Polynesian Isles (Diamond Resorts) in Kissimmee while we (me, DH, DS, DD) stayed at CBR. So they were about 10 minutes away from us. It seems like a really great option. We spent Easter Sunday with them at their resort and Nana made us the full spread with the ham and everything. That was pretty awesome. Full kitchen, nice dining area, full living room, big bathrooms. I've stayed at a couple other Diamond Resorts and I've always been so pleased with them (Boardwalk Resort at Virginia Beach and Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg). Sometimes having a nice big 1 or 2 bedroom condo makes all the difference, you can get so much more comfortable.

Also, I tend to travel to FL for business a lot. The Gaylord Palms is the best. Awesome pool, fabulous rooms, tons of dining options, amazing atrium. And yes, I did a solo visit to MK while I stayed there.

Rosen Shingle Creek is pretty darn wonderful too. Great dining. Beautiful pool. Pretty grounds. Comfy rooms. Yes, I did an MK day from there too.

I should be staying at Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate in a few months for about a week. The pictures look very wonderful. I'm having trouble deciding on MK or Epcot for that solo day......

Of course you can stay at all of these wonderful places for about the same price as All Star Movies..... hmmmm. Makes me wonder why I stay on property sometimes too.

Edit: I forgot to mention that Diamond Resorts have the best beds. That's all.

 

[CarolynFH]

We have access to other timeshares besides DVC, so we stay offsite when we're out of points - which is more often than onsite! Currently, the only thing we miss is having Disney transportation directly from our resort to the parks or DS - so a car is essential. We have stayed at Pop and CSR when we were out of points in the past and enjoyed them, but we're so accustomed to having a full kitchen and in-room laundry that we really miss those amenities and prefer offsite timeshares to onsite non-DVC resorts. Another aspect to staying offsite is that it's easier to consider eating offsite as well. There are many enjoyable restaurants not very far from WDW! I think when we stay offsite in November we'll be sorry we can't take advantage of the extra evening hours for deluxe hotel guests, but we'll make up for it in January when we're onsite.

 

[Marthasor]

Honestly, if I lived in FL and had my own car to drive to WDW, I wouldn't hesitate to stay offsite.

 

[HopperFan]

Always stayed on property, but as fl ap holders we could go more often if we stayed off property, but with WDW reducing on property benefits. help me convince myself off properrtty is the better option

Have about 150 on property stays and now I only stay off property. I was an out of state AP for about 7 years, then FL AP .... and I go about 4-6 weeks a year. Disney prices are insane and paying those would cut back on my number of days/visits.

I can get a bigger space, often with breakfast and/or evening receptions, mostly free parking, hotel points, easy access to outside dining. Very often we are staying in a suite for MUCH less than I'd pay for a Disney value, even a condo with full kitchen and washer/dryer (which I love having).

Perks of on property (at least pre-COVID):

- Disney transportation - which takes MUCH longer to get anywhere than driving. I can be offsite and in bed before a Disney bus even arrives at the park for us. Now with COVID I wouldn't use Disney transportation anyway. BUT the transportation is open to anyone if you want to hop.

- Free parking at the Parks for Disney hotel guests. You have an AP so you get free parking.

- Booking ADRs with a plus 10 days. Even when I stayed onsite I didn't use that. I often didn't book dining until a couple weeks in advance.

- Booking FP+ at 60 days. Only a handful of rides does that matter, and even those I've gotten by just checking the app off and on. I don't find getting what I want difficult.

- Charging back to room. So instead of whipping out my magicband, I whip out my credit card. The plus is I think twice about spending when I'm not using my magicband.

- Shipping purchases to room. I have them sent to front of park and just get them on my way to the car. SO much easier than having to get to the gift shop and pick them up. And I can still send to front the last couple days which you can't do to hotel.

- Dining Plan for hotel guests only. Making the DDP work for me with value is WAY too much work, I eat WAY too much food, and I eat food I would never order. I much rather use my AP or TIW discount to eat how I want. I save tons of money.

- Extra Magic Hours. I don't get up early so that is no perk for me, and now the evening ones are gone unless you are deluxe. I have enjoyed my deluxe stays but no way I'm paying that anymore. I'd rather pay much less for an offsite deluxe.

- MagicBands. No longer free.

- Magical Express was a great perk for those who fly and don't want a car. No more.

I have AP, I have a car, I enjoy going to the other parks (have Universal AP too) ... there is simply no perk to a Disney stay that can justify the cost for what we get. I spend all that money I save to go more often and to do special events & upsells. I'd much rather do dessert parties, Club Villain, Highway in the Sky, Discovery Cove etc than pay for staying in the bubble.

 

[Gehrig1B]

It all depends on how you like to experience the parks.

We have stayed off property and it totally changed our routine. We like to rope drop and on property we can get up and easily walk or boat/Skyliner to the parks every morning excepting Animal Kingdom. We rarely stay in the parks when the lines get long in the afternoon, again an easy hop back to our resort. We can nap, swim, enjoy the hotel lounge... then back out for dinner and fireworks.

When off-site we found it more difficult...We had to make our way to our car, or call a rideshare, and it was almost impossible to get a shuttle mid-afternoon so we generally stayed until we got tired and left, not returning.

The perks of on-site for us were never a big deal compared to proximity. DME (we often skip it for a rideshare or private car), EMH (evening yes, morning rarely), never charge to the room using MBs. We were very good at planning using the ADR +10 and loved the FP+ advantage...

Can't see changing to off-site as long as we can afford on-site.

 

[Brian Noble]

help me convince myself off properrtty is the better option

We've had lots and lots of WDW vacations, either in a DVC villa, an offsite timeshare, or an offsite pool home/townhome rental. These vacations all have much more in common with each other than they have differences.

There are some things we really like about staying offsite. There are more diverse food options at a better value. It's easier to get to a grocery store to stock the kitchen for e.g. the kids' preferred cereal for breakfast or a the makings of a decent cup of coffee. The rooms in most offsite timeshares are larger and better equipped with more comfortable layouts than the DVC resorts. If you go the pool home route, there's a lot to be said for having a private pool off the living room where the kids can swim while you watch them from the kitchen while you make nachos or mix margaritas.

And, all of this is much less expensive, gives you much more space, or both. Before we started timesharing, it was pretty typical for us to be able to get a week in a 2BR or larger condo, townhome, or pool home with easy access to the theme parks for something between what a Value and a Moderate would cost for the same stay.

That cost comparison included the cost of a rental car and theme park parking when staying offsite, but exclusively using Disney transportation onsit. It's been more than a dozen years now, but I bet this general comparison is still pretty close. This is also how we discovered that having your own car is a lot more convenient than relying solely on Disney to get you from place to place. Staying somewhere other than a Monorail resort but want to go to 'Ohana for dinner? That's a lot easier with a car.

Finally, if you are traveling with kids, there is a big difference between putting everyone in a single hotel room and having a condo with separate bedrooms. That's particularly true if you can lock the door to the bedroom that the adults are in, so as not to be interrupted in flagrante delicto. After all, it's your vacation too.

That said, it's not that offsite is "better" or "worse," but it is different. Each has its advantages.

When off-site we found it more difficult...We had to make our way to our car, or call a rideshare, and it was almost impossible to get a shuttle mid-afternoon so we generally stayed until we got tired and left, not returning.

We are also morning/break/evening people on most days. We've found that where you stay makes a lot of difference in how easy this is. For example: Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Windsor Hills, VV@Parkway, or Sheraton Vistana (Resort, not Village) all made this fairly easy. I suspect that Marriott World Center would be good for this, too. Silver Lake would be great. But, if you are staying e.g. more than a handful of traffic lights on US-192 from World Drive, the trip can be tedious. We stayed out near FL-25 and US-192 one year because my uncle owned a pool home out that way. Beautiful home, and we got it for a great price, but I wouldn't stay that far out for a WDW-centric trip again.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I have been getting my rooms on priceline/ hotwire. Because my stays are one or two nights all with in the 30 day mark I get fantastic prices.
I used the priceline thread to learn how.
Sometimes I stay off site but it's still in bonnet creek. I'm not sure what you like to spend on hotels but I never pay more than 140.
We also stay in Sheraton vistana on idrive it's a time share... i mean vacation club as they say now days. I get rooms on skyauction.com.

Not sure where you live, we are 3 hours away in south Florida so a hotel is a must after all that walking. We just want safe and clean.
PL and HW almost always has dolphin and JW Marriott available and they are super nice in bonnet creek.

 

[badiggio]

It all depends on how you like to experience the parks.

We have stayed off property and it totally changed our routine. We like to rope drop and on property we can get up and easily walk or boat/Skyliner to the parks every morning excepting Animal Kingdom. We rarely stay in the parks when the lines get long in the afternoon, again an easy hop back to our resort. We can nap, swim, enjoy the hotel lounge... then back out for dinner and fireworks.

When off-site we found it more difficult...We had to make our way to our car, or call a rideshare, and it was almost impossible to get a shuttle mid-afternoon so we generally stayed until we got tired and left, not returning.

The perks of on-site for us were never a big deal compared to proximity. DME (we often skip it for a rideshare or private car), EMH (evening yes, morning rarely), never charge to the room using MBs. We were very good at planning using the ADR +10 and loved the FP+ advantage...

Can't see changing to off-site as long as we can afford on-site.

Totally agree on most points.I don't for a second believe having your own vehicle is better or faster than disney transportation,as much as some try to cut corners in their estimation.For us,the transportation IS the reason to stay on site.It takes us less than 10 minutes to get on the boat at WL and "THROUGH" the gates at MK;I can't see anyone standing at their car door at their off site location and being "through" the gates at MK.

 

[HopperFan]

Totally agree on most points.I don't for a second believe having your own vehicle is better or faster than disney transportation,as much as some try to cut corners in their estimation.For us,the transportation IS the reason to stay on site.It takes us less than 10 minutes to get on the boat at WL and "THROUGH" the gates at MK;I can't see anyone standing at their car door at their off site location and being "through" the gates at MK.

Of course this wouldn't apply if you are at a MK resort going to MK - but if you are calculating going to ANY of the other parks you likely wouldn't even be on the bus after 10 minutes. It wouldn't count at one of the Epcot resorts IF you are going to DHS/Epcot. You still have a long walk, long boat ride or a get to/wait/ride the skyliner. Likely not 10 minutes, especially boat since waiting for one can be a long wait.

I will also add that you have to calculate in the wait for said boats etc. I once was going from MK to FW and from the time I arrived at the MK boat dock until I arrived at FW it was one hour. A recent trip I was at Poly waiting for boat to MK and the wait for a boat to arrive and us get on was approx 30 minutes without traveling to MK and unloading. We have to count waiting on the Disney transportation to arrive, load and unload ... not just the actual ride.

But I promise you, no cutting corners or fuzzy math, I have experienced this over and over ... if you depend on buses, driving can be faster, even from offsite. I was driving more and more from Disney hotels because the wait for buses, the good chance if not timed right I have to wait for another bus, the time it takes to roll ... me driving was faster and more comfortable. This is no estimation, this is factual occurrences over years at various Disney resorts and sometimes with direct comparison when we travel with others who stay onsite. I have waited longer for the bus to arrive (not counting riding the bus) than it takes me to get to hotels offsite. Now I normally stay just outside Disney property, Disney Springs and Bonnet Creek mostly, but I never had had more than a 10-20 minute hotel to parking spot commute (toll booth is usually the slow point), and at MK you do add the crossing the lagoon. I can get up 10-15 minutes earlier to save hundreds of dollars and get more space etc.

I will say if you do not have a car, staying on property or at least Disney Springs is the ONLY way to go. I might consider Bonnet Creek if I will be using Uber, but I would never stay off site with no car. My point is if you have a car then transportation is not a factor in where I pick to stay, because Disney transportation doesn't offer a big enough time advantage at most of their hotels, many no advantage at all.


Perfect EX:
Myself and DS1 staying offsite at hotel just north of outlet mall. DS2 and friend staying at POP. We were at MK together. Leaving, DS1 and I took the bus to the TTC, walked to our car, drove to hotel and getting ready for bed when DS2 texted saying they were still at the MK waiting on a bus.

 

[badiggio]

Of course this wouldn't apply if you are at a MK resort going to MK - but if you are calculating going to ANY of the other parks you likely wouldn't even be on the bus after 10 minutes. It wouldn't count at one of the Epcot resorts IF you are going to DHS/Epcot. You still have a long walk, long boat ride or a get to/wait/ride the skyliner. Likely not 10 minutes, especially boat since waiting for one can be a long wait.

I will also add that you have to calculate in the wait for said boats etc. I once was going from MK to FW and from the time I arrived at the MK boat dock until I arrived at FW it was one hour. A recent trip I was at Poly waiting for boat to MK and the wait for a boat to arrive and us get on was approx 30 minutes without traveling to MK and unloading. We have to count waiting on the Disney transportation to arrive, load and unload ... not just the actual ride.

But I promise you, no cutting corners or fuzzy math, I have experienced this over and over ... if you depend on buses, driving can be faster, even from offsite. I was driving more and more from Disney hotels because the wait for buses, the good chance if not timed right I have to wait for another bus, the time it takes to roll ... me driving was faster and more comfortable. This is no estimation, this is factual occurrences over years at various Disney resorts and sometimes with direct comparison when we travel with others who stay onsite. I have waited longer for the bus to arrive (not counting riding the bus) than it takes me to get to hotels offsite. Now I normally stay just outside Disney property, Disney Springs and Bonnet Creek mostly, but I never had had more than a 10-20 minute hotel to parking spot commute (toll booth is usually the slow point), and at MK you do add the crossing the lagoon. I can get up 10-15 minutes earlier to save hundreds of dollars and get more space etc.

I will say if you do not have a car, staying on property or at least Disney Springs is the ONLY way to go. I might consider Bonnet Creek if I will be using Uber, but I would never stay off site with no car. My point is if you have a car then transportation is not a factor in where I pick to stay, because Disney transportation doesn't offer a big enough time advantage at most of their hotels, many no advantage at all.


Perfect EX:
Myself and DS1 staying offsite at hotel just north of outlet mall. DS2 and friend staying at POP. We were at MK together. Leaving, DS1 and I took the bus to the TTC, walked to our car, drove to hotel and getting ready for bed when DS2 texted saying they were still at the MK waiting on a bus.

And what if boat arrives just as you do?No wait,no traffic,no parking lot,no long walk to ttc,no ferry or monorail,right to the gate at Mk.Bus to any of the other parks or DTD is 15 mins max.
If your son was staying at WL,he'd be there and you wouldn't be at your car yet.I agree if you have a vehicle you can pick other nicer spots to stay for less;i just don't see or agree that staying anywhere else off site would be faster,more convenient transportation.

 

[ChanaC]

Here are some off property benefits I've found:

- You can earn or use points if staying at a major chain like Marriott or Hilton.
- You might get a good deal bundling flights, hotels, and rental cars by booking through an airline or travel agency, and often the Disney resorts aren't part of the bundles.
- Some hotels (usually chain hotels) offer some kind of free breakfast. Some are full breakfasts, some are just continental stuff, but it's nice being able to grab a bagel, cereal, yogurt, milk, juice, coffee, tea etc without paying the major Disney prices. I think some mid-tier chain hotels also offer happy hour snacks and drinks in the early evening.
- Some hotels do offer transportation to the park. Usually, it's not a good as the Disney transportation with a set drop off or pick up time, but still, it might be possible to get around without a car.
- Depending where you stay you are near other restaurants and shops at are non Disney, and thus could potentially save some money. Honestly, I joke that if you can name a chain restaurant you can find it within a few miles of I-4
- If you are planning to go to another park besides Disney (SeaWorld, Universal, etc.) off-property might be to your advantage. If you stay near the Orange County Convention Center you are pretty much between all three of the major park brands. This can cut down on travel time or on Uber pricing.
- While you wouldn't have all the Disney "magic," honestly some of the off property hotels really do there best. And between some of the housekeeping nightmares I've read about with Disney and Universal hotels you might have better lucky staying at a smaller hotel property.

 

[HopperFan]

And what if boat arrives just as you do?No wait,no traffic,no parking lot,no long walk to ttc,no ferry or monorail,right to the gate at Mk.Bus to any of the other parks or DTD is 15 mins max.
If your son was staying at WL,he'd be there and you wouldn't be at your car yet.I agree if you have a vehicle you can pick other nicer spots to stay for less;i just don't see or agree that staying anywhere else off site would be faster,more convenient transportation.

Yes, IF the boat was there and there was room on the boat. Odds are always there will not be a method of transportation when you get to the line. Odds are you will have to wait, other than Skyliner. You have to calculate all the before and after time spent traveling. You have to do apples to apples.

And as far as my son, say he's at WL AND if we both left Animal Kingdom at same time, I'd be asleep at my hotel before he was back to WL. You can't declare a fact because there was a boat waiting for you at a MK resort without considering the other three parks and the waiting that usually comes with transportation.

WL is one of the smallest hotels. MOST guests will be staying at a value or moderate resort. MOST guests will have a much longer transportation experience. My offsite stays are faster than most guests on property. So when someone is contemplating staying offsite they have to think about where they would stay onsite to compare.

Again, I have 150+ stays on property, clearly it worked for me for years. I went many weeks without seeing my car. But when I am staying onsite and driving to a park is faster than the hotel transportation, that perk is kinda not high on my list.

With Disney transportation, the perk is .... not having to drive, not having to worry about where you are going, ability to drink alcohol without worries - all great perks .... but the time it takes to get there is not a perk at the majority of the hotels for majority of parks.

 

[Brian Noble]

Totally agree on most points.I don't for a second believe having your own vehicle is better or faster than disney transportation,as much as some try to cut corners in their estimation.For us,the transportation IS the reason to stay on site.It takes us less than 10 minutes to get on the boat at WL and "THROUGH" the gates at MK;I can't see anyone standing at their car door at their off site location and being "through" the gates at MK.

I've stayed at BRV four different times now, for a week at a time. I really like staying there--it is probably my favorite resort so far, and the comparison set includes BLT, BCV, and BWV.

And yes, if your destination is MK, it would be silly to drive from WL/BRV. But I can also tell you that driving to the other parks is faster, on average, than using Disney transportation in my experience--and I've done both to all three, plenty of times.

More importantly, driving is predictable. I know for sure when I leave my villa how long it is going to take me to get where I'm going. If I am taking the bus, even with the MDE bus arrival times (which are often wrong) I have to pad my arrival at the bus stop by 15 minutes or so to be reasonably confident of getting to e.g. my ADR on time. Sometimes I end up getting there early, sometimes just barely on time. For me, that uncertainty is frustrating, but for others driving in what passes for traffic at WDW might be frustrating, so I can see why someone might not care about this part.

What's more, if you are going somewhere that isn't a theme park (or maybe Disney Springs), driving is significantly faster and more convenient. Dinner at the Contemporary? Driving is faster, but the boat is definitely more fun. Dinner at any other resort, even in the MK area? It's no contest. The other exception is probably Trail's End/HDDR, because driving you have to park by the entrance of the Fort, and take the internal shuttle vs. taking the WL/CR/FtW boat. But if I am going to the Fort from WL before sunset, I usually walk--the walk through the woods is very pretty, at least when the path is open. It was closed the last time I was there (Feb of 2019.)

To put it another way: Having a car means a lot more things are possible as you are planning a vacation. For example, we often go to Olivia's for lunch on a "slow" theme park day--it's a bit of a tradition for us. There's no way I would do that without a car unless I was staying at OKW..

 

[badiggio]

I've stayed at BRV four different times now, for a week at a time. I really like staying there--it is probably my favorite resort so far, and the comparison set includes BLT, BCV, and BWV.

And yes, if your destination is MK, it would be silly to drive from WL/BRV. But I can also tell you that driving to the other parks is faster, on average, than using Disney transportation in my experience--and I've done both to all three, plenty of times.

More importantly, driving is predictable. I know for sure when I leave my villa how long it is going to take me to get where I'm going. If I am taking the bus, even with the MDE bus arrival times (which are often wrong) I have to pad my arrival at the bus stop by 15 minutes or so to be reasonably confident of getting to e.g. my ADR on time. Sometimes I end up getting there early, sometimes just barely on time. For me, that uncertainty is frustrating, but for others driving in what passes for traffic at WDW might be frustrating, so I can see why someone might not care about this part.

What's more, if you are going somewhere that isn't a theme park (or maybe Disney Springs), driving is significantly faster and more convenient. Dinner at the Contemporary? Driving is faster, but the boat is definitely more fun. Dinner at any other resort, even in the MK area? It's no contest. The other exception is probably Trail's End/HDDR, because driving you have to park by the entrance of the Fort, and take the internal shuttle vs. taking the WL/CR/FtW boat. But if I am going to the Fort from WL before sunset, I usually walk--the walk through the woods is very pretty, at least when the path is open. It was closed the last time I was there (Feb of 2019.)

To put it another way: Having a car means a lot more things are possible as you are planning a vacation. For example, we often go to Olivia's for lunch on a "slow" theme park day--it's a bit of a tradition for us. There's no way I would do that without a car unless I was staying at OKW..

I've stayed off site and on-site.For us,"going to the parks "and being through the gates and IN the park,not the parking lot,nothing is faster or more convenient.I'm not interested in going everywhere and anywhere else.Yes imo, it is no contest.

 

[badiggio]

Yes, IF the boat was there and there was room on the boat. Odds are always there will not be a method of transportation when you get to the line. Odds are you will have to wait, other than Skyliner. You have to calculate all the before and after time spent traveling. You have to do apples to apples.

And as far as my son, say he's at WL AND if we both left Animal Kingdom at same time, I'd be asleep at my hotel before he was back to WL. You can't declare a fact because there was a boat waiting for you at a MK resort without considering the other three parks and the waiting that usually comes with transportation.

WL is one of the smallest hotels. MOST guests will be staying at a value or moderate resort. MOST guests will have a much longer transportation experience. My offsite stays are faster than most guests on property. So when someone is contemplating staying offsite they have to think about where they would stay onsite to compare.

Again, I have 150+ stays on property, clearly it worked for me for years. I went many weeks without seeing my car. But when I am staying onsite and driving to a park is faster than the hotel transportation, that perk is kinda not high on my list.

With Disney transportation, the perk is .... not having to drive, not having to worry about where you are going, ability to drink alcohol without worries - all great perks .... but the time it takes to get there is not a perk at the majority of the hotels for majority of parks.

WL being a "small" hotel,is a perk in itself for ME.I don't care what other people do ,that's their choice for whatever reason.There's a reason why "values" and 'mods" cost less,and the numbers is one of them.What if you're staying off-site a 30 minute drive away?Still faster?And if your son is staying at WL and your staying at say Bonnet Creek,both leaving Mk ,he'd be in bed and you "might be getting in your car".You can't paint the worst scenario for staying onsite,and the best for off site.If I stay off site,a vehicle is a must,however when on-site, WL is my choice for what works for us, being fast,easy and convenient transportation ,to the parks and back.

 

[TamaraQT]

Always stayed on property, but as fl ap holders we could go more often if we stayed off property, but with WDW reducing on property benefits. help me convince myself off properrtty is the better option

Easy...just stop going on a DISNEY vacation and start going on a Florida vacation. This way you will incorporate MORE of Florida and visit Disney while in the area. Then start finding things to do at your resort. My family enjoys the poolside activities like "dive-in" movies, line dancing and so on. This allows us to spend less time visiting parks and enjoying more of Orlando and the area. I think you are going to be shocked at how much your kids enjoy themselves without a Disney requirement for vacation. Maybe incorporate SeaWorld for a day. It's easy to ENJOY offsite if you stop expecting all of your entertainment and enjoyment needs a Disney price tag attached to it. Enjoy yourself off-site at least once. You will know if it's for you or not. I stayed onsite once and my daughter couldn't wait to go back offsite at a resort. She HATED a standard hotel room at Disney. She wanted her own bedroom and a fridge full of snacks, and a balcony overlooking a pool. Try it!!!

 

[Sakiki]

DW and I have always hired a car and stayed offsite in a villa except for our most recent trip, when we stayed at AKL/JH (but still with a car - we wouldn’t be without one and DW says she enjoys driving in the US, traffic on I4 and the 192 notwithstanding). We probably won’t stay onsite again; while I understand the whole concept of the ‘Disney bubble’ that just isn’t so important to us, and the costs are insane. We don’t resort hop; we’ve visited GF and the Poly because I wanted to ride the monorail (and I surprised DW by booking afternoon tea at GF when we were in Florida on her birthday a few years back) but we’ve never visited the Contemporary for some reason or any of the other resorts. I always think it might be interesting to do so, but we invariably seem to run out of time even on a three week trip - there’s just so much to do in central Florida outside the bubble as well as inside it.

The only thing we would really miss from not being at AKL would be the buffet breakfast at Boma but that’s not a thing at the moment and from everything I’ve read the buffets won’t be returning in any meaningful way. If the buffets are back by our trip in December 2022 a breakfast there would be a special treat…

Of course I‘ve heard it said that some people think DW and I are a little… odd…

 

[Blondie58]

My parents have all the timeshares. About two years ago, they stayed at Polynesian Isles (Diamond Resorts) in Kissimmee while we (me, DH, DS, DD) stayed at CBR. So they were about 10 minutes away from us. It seems like a really great option. We spent Easter Sunday with them at their resort and Nana made us the full spread with the ham and everything. That was pretty awesome. Full kitchen, nice dining area, full living room, big bathrooms. I've stayed at a couple other Diamond Resorts and I've always been so pleased with them (Boardwalk Resort at Virginia Beach and Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg). Sometimes having a nice big 1 or 2 bedroom condo makes all the difference, you can get so much more comfortable.

Also, I tend to travel to FL for business a lot. The Gaylord Palms is the best. Awesome pool, fabulous rooms, tons of dining options, amazing atrium. And yes, I did a solo visit to MK while I stayed there.

Rosen Shingle Creek is pretty darn wonderful too. Great dining. Beautiful pool. Pretty grounds. Comfy rooms. Yes, I did an MK day from there too.

I should be staying at Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate in a few months for about a week. The pictures look very wonderful. I'm having trouble deciding on MK or Epcot for that solo day......

Of course you can stay at all of these wonderful places for about the same price as All Star Movies..... hmmmm. Makes me wonder why I stay on property sometimes too.

Edit: I forgot to mention that Diamond Resorts have the best beds. That's all.

If you like the Gaylord Resort in FL you must visit the Gaylord in Nashville. So much to do and so many places to dine you don't have to leave for a week and all of this under one climate controlled roof that is HUGE!

 

[Schneewittchen37]

If you like the Gaylord Resort in FL you must visit the Gaylord in Nashville. So much to do and so many places to dine you don't have to leave for a week and all of this under one climate controlled roof that is HUGE!

But why would I want to go to Nashville?