Trying to be mature & convince myself that I can stay off site...

[cyndik1111]

I'm trying to wrap my head around the high cost of Disney hotels.

We are going January 2023- 10 days (4 at UO and 6 at WDW)
2 adults and two older teens....we need 2 bathrooms and privacy (so two rooms)

Endless Summer/ POP for stay = $3650 (two rooms at each site)
We are renting a car - so we have to pay for parking $15 x 10 = $150
Total $3800

Offsite 3 bedroom/ 2 bath condo at Windsor Hills (we've stayed there before and loved the place) = $1397.62 for 10 nights
Parking = $258 at parks
Total $1655.62

Difference of $2144.38
Essentially for For bus transportation and 30 minutes of early entrance and the "bubble" Oh and the luxury of individuals leaving the park at will

I just can't see how $2000 is worth it
I'm not that wealthy
And at the condo we get washer/dryer and kitchen plus lots of space to spread out
The drive is about 15 minutes. The buses at WDW take about that much time too
The savings on food and beverage is really a lot (morning coffee $1 pot in condo vs $12+ in the park)

Am I missing something? Or is there a cheaper way to do the hotels at disney that I don't see?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I had close friends stay at Windsor hills in a very nice 3 br condo for around $150 a night this past may. They were there the same time we were, and they loved it. They also drove to all the parks in minutes. It was their first time offsite and they said the condo was actually closer to the parks than All Stars where they usually stay. They were very happy with the place and if we weren’t DVC we’d probably be staying there too instead of paying Disneys exorbitant prices.

 

[Magical2017]

We moved off site to have more space. We were moving from a standard room to suites with full kitchen. I read the recommendations from this group. We chose Wyndham Bonnet Creek and loved the property. We have not stayed on site at Disney since.

If you think you will be miserable, maybe it is not the time for you to stay off site. We all have things that make our vacation special. For us, the loss of many perks we enjoyed are not really worth the price.

 

[disneyseniors]

If we ever go back to WDW, we would stay in the bubble onsite!
We are older and enjoy going back to the room for a rest and going back to the parks when we want to for the evening.
My husband absolutely hates driving around WDW, so he is happy to pay more to be onsite.
I have read a lot about off site and it does sound great, especially the money savings. But I know how we like to tour, so we will stick with onsite.

 

[maxiesmom]

Am I missing something? Or is there a cheaper way to do the hotels at disney that I don't see?

The All Stars will save you about $50 a night over Pop. I also don't rent a car when I stay at a Disney resort. So with the current rates that would cut another $500 off of your price.

You also didn't add in any Uber/Lyft fees you may have if your family wants to split up. And Disney resorts also have coffee machines. So that doesn't signify. So take a bit over $1000 off of your Disney resort cost. So really you are saving $900, not $2000.

Again, there is no wrong decision, and you have to know what your family likes. We don't spend enough time in our room to worry about having space to spread out.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm kind of surprised this got moved to this board.... but I'll chime in anyway...longtime visitor,always onsite in some way shape or form.... a few years back discovered the wonders of Swolphin.... never went back 'onsite'....then discovered how fabulous a vacation we could have at a Springs hotel....well you can see why I like this board

 

[RoseGold]

Only consideration to me that isn't in play in this discussion is deluxe late hours. You could get those renting DVC, at least for some of the trip, which is definitely an option for 7 adults. That would also give you free parking at the parks for check in and check out day.

IMO, these are like buying a ticket to a party, and I plan trips around them.

Otherwise, the perks of being on site don't seem to matter much. Even staying on site, I took quite a few Ubers, and it's starting to lose its shine for sure. I was at Poly, a couple minutes walk from the TTC, and I still took an Uber instead of the 40 minute process to monorail to Epcot.

 

[Aprilshack]

Doing a dummy booking next year to get a feel for prices for a 2 week stay in 2024. Disney value resort Vs off site. There is a 2 grand price difference. I would love to stay in the Disney bubble but can’t justify spending an extra two thousand pounds for a couple of perks. We don’t bother using the 30 mins extra time in the morning perk, a bit bummed about the ADR 60+10 perk & the last 2 trips we have used husbands DAS so that helps getting on rides.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

How about one of the Disney Springs hotels. The cost will be much less. You children will have bus service to split up. You can walk to Disney Springs. I have stayed at a couple and have had a wonderful vacation at each one.

 

[jppeek]

I stayed off property and did the rental car thing once and hated it (quickly realized I am just that spoiled lol). Never again for me, would rather just not go to Disney and go somewhere else.

With that said I have done both Swan and Dolphin and they are awesome! I’ve seen great deals on rooms there before, and it still feels like your staying in Disney because of the location.

As for the DVC rental points, depending on when your going a two bedroom villa may still be your best bang for your buck, and I love being able to go back to the villa with everybody and either cook something or get Uber eats. Can save some money that way as well with grocery delivery.

No matter what you decide I hope you have an amazing most magical trip

 

[maxiesmom]

How about one of the Disney Springs hotels. The cost will be much less. You children will have bus service to split up. You can walk to Disney Springs. I have stayed at a couple and have had a wonderful vacation at each one.

By the time you add in fees, a lot of the time you are paying more than you would at a Disney value. I have looked at the Springs resorts a lot, but have yet to stay at one.

 

[Spunky946]

We’ve done both, and honestly i don’t get the it’s too much trouble to drive on and off pproperty, but we love having a car and would probably never stay on property again without one. One time we waited so long to get from typhoon lagoon to the contemporary, never again.
This spring we stayed at the Gaylord and we we’re so close it took no time to drive back and forth.

 

[rdaky]

We’ve done both, and honestly i don’t get the it’s too much trouble to drive on and off pproperty, but we love having a car and would probably never stay on property again without one. One time we waited so long to get from typhoon lagoon to the contemporary, never again.
This spring we stayed at the Gaylord and we we’re so close it took no time to drive back and forth.

I agree. I don't get it either. I'm local so I'm used to driving. But it's not that far or difficult or crazy congested to get to an offsite hotel or home, especially many of the ones that have been suggested. If you're driving on 192 in Kissimmee I can see how that could be stressful, because it stresses me out too and I avoid it unless I'm going to Sunset Walk. But otherwise it's not like we're trying to drive in NYC around Disney property.

That being said, OP, do what you want. I don't know if you need convincing tor you to feel like you need to justify a decision about what you want, but if you want to stay onsite, then do it. I almost always recommend that people stay offsite because there are so many better hotel options offsite, and so many amenity options depending on what you're looking for, but if you feel like it won't be as great outside of the Disney bubble, then you have to do what feels best for you.

 

[Pooh's World]

I'm trying to wrap my head around the high cost of Disney hotels.

We are going January 2023- 10 days (4 at UO and 6 at WDW)
2 adults and two older teens....we need 2 bathrooms and privacy (so two rooms)

Endless Summer/ POP for stay = $3650 (two rooms at each site)
We are renting a car - so we have to pay for parking $15 x 10 = $150
Total $3800

Offsite 3 bedroom/ 2 bath condo at Windsor Hills (we've stayed there before and loved the place) = $1397.62 for 10 nights
Parking = $258 at parks
Total $1655.62

Difference of $2144.38
Essentially for For bus transportation and 30 minutes of early entrance and the "bubble" Oh and the luxury of individuals leaving the park at will

I just can't see how $2000 is worth it
I'm not that wealthy
And at the condo we get washer/dryer and kitchen plus lots of space to spread out
The drive is about 15 minutes. The buses at WDW take about that much time too
The savings on food and beverage is really a lot (morning coffee $1 pot in condo vs $12+ in the park)

Am I missing something? Or is there a cheaper way to do the hotels at disney that I don't see?

If you are staying onsite you could basically take that money and have a really nice trip to Europe.

And without extra evening hours (except for Deluxe and Swolphin), on site becomes even more useless.

 

[Pooh's World]

The All Stars will save you about $50 a night over Pop. I also don't rent a car when I stay at a Disney resort. So with the current rates that would cut another $500 off of your price.

You also didn't add in any Uber/Lyft fees you may have if your family wants to split up. And Disney resorts also have coffee machines. So that doesn't signify. So take a bit over $1000 off of your Disney resort cost. So really you are saving $900, not $2000.

Again, there is no wrong decision, and you have to know what your family likes. We don't spend enough time in our room to worry about having space to spread out.

I used to think the same thing but it is simply not true.
You don't have to rent a car or Uber or hire an expensive Mears shuttle.

You can get a LNYX bus unlimited week pass for $16.
This is what alot of Brits have been doing for years but I'm finally seeing some American park goers taking the LYNX buses because inflation and economy are so bad combined with exorbitant Disney prices.

 

[Pooh's World]

By the time you add in fees, a lot of the time you are paying more than you would at a Disney value. I have looked at the Springs resorts a lot, but have yet to stay at one.

The value resort have zero value now.

Before you had free parking/free Magical Express/bus to parks/cool Disney branded shampoo and soap packaging for a concrete block cheap motel type building plus extra magic hours (evening and morning) for $79 to $120 (tax not included).

Now you are paying much more while getting less (no evening hours, parking fee, no Magical Express) to stay in a concrete block cheap motel type building.

And the All Stars are still not that close the parks. For example the 192 hotels near Sherburth Rd (Like Quality Inn at the Parks, used to be rated #1 hotel in Kissimmee, now #9 out of 166 hotels) are closer to Animal Kingdom then the All Star resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

The value resort have zero value now.

Before you had free parking/free Magical Express/bus to parks/cool Disney branded shampoo and soap packaging for a concrete block cheap motel type building plus extra magic hours (evening and morning) for $79 to $120 (tax not included).

Now you are paying much more while getting less (no evening hours, parking fee, no Magical Express) to stay in a concrete block cheap motel type building.

And the All Stars are still not that close the parks. For example the 192 hotels near Sherburth Rd (Like Quality Inn at the Parks, used to be rated #1 hotel in Kissimmee, now #9 out of 166 hotels) are closer to Animal Kingdom then the All Star resorts.

You still have Disney transportation, which is typically more frequent than any off site hotel, even the Disney Springs ones. And don't lie to yourself, the Disney Springs resorts are not super fancy either.

 

[Daniel Disney mom]

I had close friends stay at Windsor hills in a very nice 3 br condo for around $150 a night this past may. They were there the same time we were, and they loved it. They also drove to all the parks in minutes. It was their first time offsite and they said the condo was actually closer to the parks than All Stars where they usually stay. They were very happy with the place and if we weren’t DVC we’d probably be staying there too instead of paying Disneys exorbitant prices.

THIS makes me so happy to hear. I came here to research parking tips as we are staying here and I have never stayed off site. But we are this trip. The savings was too enough to add4 days extra to our trip.

 

[Jennasis]

We are DVC owners but have no points left so are doing an offsite cash stay. We have done this many times and find it no less magical and much more affordable than an onsite cash stay.

We are staying ar Hiltin Grand Vacations at Sea World. It's a lovely resort with HUGE rooms, up to 3 bedrooms and close to everything. We aren't paying resort fees thanks to a mousesavers rate, but even with the resort fees added in it would still have been cheaper than any of the value resorts.

ETA: The "bubble" for us is much larger now.

 

[_19disnA]

Over the years we have stayed both at Disney and other times at nearby non-Disney hotels. Enjoyed all of them for different reasons. If you have a larger group like the OP indicated, may also look into renting a nearby home as there are many of them available. Provides more space and everyone doesn't have to spend all their time in a tiny hotel room. Where you stay is mostly a matter of budget and what your preferences are regarding being @ Disney vs. someplace else. There are also many good restaurants nearby by so you aren't limited to the pricey offerings from Disney when it comes to meals.