Unfair :(

[Magpie]

A statistical anomaly considering most busses run every 29 minutes.

Source? I've heard 20 minutes, which seemed about right, as short of missing the bus just as it pulls away, you shouldn't have to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for the next one.

And I know for a fact that they schedule them much more frequently whenever there's a specific need. Nothing like seeing three busses lined up to load up people for your resort, with a fourth pulling in behind, at the end of a night at the Magic Kingdom!

I had to laugh when I read this. Your kids would have hated my childhood vacations. We were a family of 6 (Mom, Dad, 3 older brothers and me, the only girl) We traveled quite a bit and Dad wouldn't get more than one room. I shared a bed with M&D and the 3 boys shared the other. We didn't die and we had some very memorable vacations over the years that we couldn't have afforded if we didn't bunk up. There was no option of staying home either. If the family went somewhere, everyone went. I wish I could thank my parents for all the fun vacations we had, but alas, they gone.

Took our kids camping all over and heaven forbid, we all slept in a small tent. We were such BAD parents. My kids still talk about the great vacations we had. Had we stayed in hotels we could never have been able to go to even a 10th of the places we visited.

Awesome, I like your folks!

Last couple trips, my teenage son insisted on sleeping on the floor, rather than continue sharing a bed with his sister. Personally, I thought they had it worked out fine before, when one would sleep on top of the blanket and the other would sleep beneath. But whatever makes him happiest!

He says his sister kicks too much...

Actually, truth is, that's why I won't sleep with her, either!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I had to laugh when I read this. Your kids would have hated my childhood vacations. We were a family of 6 (Mom, Dad, 3 older brothers and me, the only girl) We traveled quite a bit and Dad wouldn't get more than one room. I shared a bed with M&D and the 3 boys shared the other. We didn't die and we had some very memorable vacations over the years that we couldn't have afforded if we didn't bunk up. There was no option of staying home either. If the family went somewhere, everyone went. I wish I could thank my parents for all the fun vacations we had, but alas, they gone.

Took our kids camping all over and heaven forbid, we all slept in a small tent. We were such BAD parents. My kids still talk about the great vacations we had. Had we stayed in hotels we could never have been able to go to even a 10th of the places we visited.

I stayed at the Poly with my parents and both siblings in ONE ROOM in the 80s. We had a great time, and 25 years later, we still talk about that trip.

Yes, you are right......we would have hated your vacations!!!!

And for us, its not "kids", just one. Though I am not sure how you interpreted that I would "die" if we had to spend the night in the same room ? No, I said he would rather not go. We have the same family philosophy as you do....if we go somewhere, we ALL go somewhere. Which is why we bought at the Vistana . It meets OUR family's needs. We enjoy our own space. We enjoy the upscale amenities. We enjoy privacy. We enjoy the resort. We don't enjoy one-room accommodations. We don't enjoy the Disney buses. We don't enjoy the dining plan. But all that said, I don't expect other families to value the exact same things we do .

I don't camp. I won't camp. I cannot imagine sleeping in a tent. I don't consider getting up close and personal with dirt and bugs, or sleeping on the ground (or an air mattress), a vacation. But its okay with me if that works for your family.

To me, a vacation should have more comforts than my regular day-to-day at home. We have separate sleeping quarters at home. I want separate sleeping quarters on vacation.

Please, do Disney (or any other vacation) your way, however it works best for your family, and have a wonderful time. I will do the same for mine . I've tried onsite, and learned any reasonably priced option is a poor fit for us. And pay $500+ a night for a two bedroom unit? Won't ever happen.

 

[Planogirl]

I remember back when there were wood-burning vacations too but the point is that some people are more comfortable with more space. Luckily we only travel in a group of two or three so that's not a factor for us but a big family or just one that enjoys privacy might have other needs.

In our case, we are staying in a hotel on points and paying virtually nothing. I really wanted to do the parks right so I couldn't resist this price. Now I'm not sure what "right" will be but we'll make it work. I'll be glad to give Disney more money for food than usual...unless we're stuck in long lines of course.

 

[nugov2]

I had to laugh when I read this. Your kids would have hated my childhood vacations. We were a family of 6 (Mom, Dad, 3 older brothers and me, the only girl) We traveled quite a bit and Dad wouldn't get more than one room. I shared a bed with M&D and the 3 boys shared the other. We didn't die and we had some very memorable vacations over the years that we couldn't have afforded if we didn't bunk up. There was no option of staying home either. If the family went somewhere, everyone went. I wish I could thank my parents for all the fun vacations we had, but alas, they gone.

Took our kids camping all over and heaven forbid, we all slept in a small tent. We were such BAD parents. My kids still talk about the great vacations we had. Had we stayed in hotels we could never have been able to go to even a 10th of the places we visited.

I think everyone has different ideas, wants, needs on vacation. Doesn't make on right or one wrong. One better or one worse. My kids are having great vacations and great memories even though we aren't bunking up together. Even though we can afford space and luxury. My dh loves to camp, I do not. Weirdly though he is the hotel snob and "would rather stay home then skimp" on a vacation. He will camp with the kids all the time. I hope my kids still want to thank us for our amazing vacations even though they weren't spent in a small space...seems to me it doesn't matter if your vacations are the top of the line or spent saving every dime. As long as you are together and appreciate the love of your family the vacation is worth it and will have the kids looking back and thanking you for the memories.

 

[nugov2]

Yes, you are right......we would have hated your vacations!!!!

And for us, its not "kids", just one. Though I am not sure how you interpreted that I would "die" if we had to spend the night in the same room ? No, I said he would rather not go. We have the same family philosophy as you do....if we go somewhere, we ALL go somewhere. Which is why we bought at the Vistana . It meets OUR family's needs. We enjoy our own space. We enjoy the upscale amenities. We enjoy privacy. We enjoy the resort. We don't enjoy one-room accommodations. We don't enjoy the Disney buses. We don't enjoy the dining plan. But all that said, I don't expect other families to value the exact same things we do .

I don't camp. I won't camp. I cannot imagine sleeping in a tent. I don't consider getting up close and personal with dirt and bugs, or sleeping on the ground (or an air mattress), a vacation. But its okay with me if that works for your family.

To me, a vacation should have more comforts than my regular day-to-day at home. We have separate sleeping quarters at home. I want separate sleeping quarters on vacation.
Please, do Disney (or any other vacation) your way, however it works best for your family, and have a wonderful time. I will do the same for mine . I've tried onsite, and learned any reasonably priced option is a poor fit for us. And pay $500+ a night for a two bedroom unit? Won't ever happen.

Ding, Ding, Ding!!!! That is my idea of a vacation!! I love my family...love the kids, but to have space after a fun filled day to be with my dh. To enjoy the silence by the pool or on a porch, outside looking at the lake. A breath taking view of the ocean(obviously not only referring to WDW). All vacations for my family need to be done in large space where there is time to unwind. My kids are little(oldest just turned 9 and youngest 3). I will have one with a somewhat early bedtime for the next 4 years(my 6 year old was out cold by 7 a lot of nights we were in WDW) and need to be able to let them sleep/rest when they need to and the ones who don't still have a good time. We can travel from Hawaii to over seas and still rent houses and vacation while meeting those needs. As they grow and change I'm sure our needs will change(though it would be hard to give up the space).

 

[2daughters1wife]

Truth be told, I'm a newbie
...guilty as charged... so very much appreciate everyones' openness and honesty in sharing the details of your visits.
looking forward to leveraging your hard earned wisdom in my Disney vacation

 

[lodge]

um, staying onsite does not equate to one being wealthy, I can promise you.

really? Thought it was.... I know, missed it. The text quoted was about complaining about not getting a steak dinner when you paid for a happy meal= about wealth...not that staying on site meant you were wealthy. Hope the system, when complete, is manageable.

 

[nabi]

I'm a 40 year old, unmarried (with a BF), living in an apartment, and staying on site makes me make choices about where I place priority....being I have rent to pay and don't get married benefits. Now I'm depressed about my life

 

[Tamiami]

Oh Christ, give me a break. I think most people know that it's unfair that my mother and father died of cancer in the last 4 years both around the age of 60. I think most people know it's not fair that priests molest little kids. I think most people know that some lunatic going in a school and shooting up a school isn't fair, but that is all a relative life experience.

This forum discusses problem in respect to Disney and this happens to be one.
People spend thousands of dollars on a vacation, and many people struggle to save that money to give their children the Disney Experience, something EVERY child should get. But no, it's not fair that a person staying offsite that is paying the same exact admission price as an on site guest is not getting the option of having the same value for that same price.

THANK YOU for seriously making me LOL at this, which was a nice break from getting so angry after reading some of these posts. You may not have the smoothest way of getting your point across at times, but I admire the way you just keep coming back and stating your opinion (which I mostly agree with) even while being ganged up on. I mean seriously....there really are some bullies on here, aren't there?? Keep on doin' what you're doin'.....I feel like you're speaking for many of us that can't always find the right words.

 

[aubriee]

I think more than anything it's what you get for that $90 a night. I recently stayed at Wyndhams Bonnet Creek. For $109 a night we had a two bedroom condo. Bonnet Creek is one of the more expensive ones becuase it's kind of onsite, it's within the WDW gates, near Caribbean Beach resort. I think you could easily get a two bedroom condo for that or less a night at a lot of resorts in Orlando. For us it wasn't about cost so much as about the room to spread out.

I agree. For our Dec trip we are staying at Bonnet Creek again. We are paying just $60.00 per night for a one bedroom, but was offered a two bedroom for just $70.00 per night. As you say BC is technically offsite, but right next door to CBR, so closer to the parks than alot of the WDW owned resorts. I was just there in Sept and also last May. I just couldn't see paying more for a tiny room in a Value resort than what I could get a fully equipped condo at a Deluxe resort for. We have no interest in most of the so called onsite perks (WDW transportation, DME, DDP, EMH, pkg delivery, etc) because we didn't use them anyway. However, FP+ does affect our trips.

 

[Tamiami]

I don't think Walt would have wanted a separation between the wealthy and those that are not. We just booked our FP+ and won't be taking advantage of the double dip.... read so much about the possibility of it, and never realized (I know, duh) that it was shutting others out.

.....and thank you for this. You, and the few others who have spoken up to say that they feel for those of us who are getting the short end of the stick (by not realizing that a vacation at this time would end up being such an issue, and it's simply too late or impossible to change plans), or for those of us who simply can't afford the same kind of trip that some of you can.
I feel the same way.....I don't believe Walt Disney would have wanted those of us who scrimp and save to give our children a Disney day to be punished for not being able to afford to stay on site! That's ridiculous. I may not be able to afford a $150 a night hotel room, but I am spending my Christmas bonus from work on tickets for myself and my daughter. They are costing me the same amount they are costing everyone else, so should we not be able to see everything everyone else can without standing in a 2 hour line?? And then to hear others talk of abusing the system and riding rides over and over, or of having 'magic bands in every color', yet STILL complaining 'they deserve perks'....well....I'm not even going to say how that makes me feel. So....please take a cue from this poster I'm quoting.....and try to be a little more caring and understanding. The rest of ya'll come off sounding like a bunch of spoiled children. It's DISNEY! Be nice.

(And to those of you who think staying off-site costs nearly as much as on.....just freakin' GOOGLE it. Even during busy seasons, they're practically giving rooms away on Irlo Bronson Dr.. Minutes from the parks, fairly decent rooms, for $40 - $50 a night. That's a THIRD of what a Disney resort would cost me, trust me, I LOOKED. If you can find me a Disney room for $100 a night Christmas week.....PLEASE tell me where! I would book it for our first night just to get magic bands. We'd be thrilled with just that perk.)

 

[Minniesgal]

Does staying at a Disney resort cost that much more than offsite? I just checked and value resorts start at $90 a night.

You can get a three bed roomed villa offsite for just over $100 way better than a value resort.

 

[aubriee]

I suppose, but I probably wouldn't bother lurking around the Pop at night if I wasn't actually staying there.

I love Pop! But driving my rental car over just to be there would feel... wrong, somehow. It feels like home, but only when it actually IS home, if that makes sense.

Besides, I like decorating my room window for the holidays.

I was staying at Bonnet Creek this past Sept. One day I left AK around lunch time and was trying to decide if I wanted to run to DTD for lunch or just go back to the condo and grab something quick, so I could go relax in the lazy river that was right outside my building at Bonnet Creek. I had stuff in the fridge to make a quick lunch, but as I passed CSR, I remembered how much I liked their nachos and decided on the spur of the moment to eat there. I drove in, told the gate CM I was there for lunch, and ran in just for lunch. One evening I also ran over to AoA to eat dinner and check out the resort. Both CSR and AoA are only about five minutes away by car from Bonnet Creek. For that matter I met friends one night at Boma for dinner. Even though I had stuff to make quick meals in the condo and had planned to eat some meals offsite, I had no problem and felt just fine patronizing WDW resort restaurants. I also had no problem using my AP discounts at a few restaurants during the week. Disney restaurants were getting my money even though I was officially staying offsite.

 

[aubriee]

That sounds about right to me. We are debating on/off right now,and I have to say,I think we'll keep our money in our pockets instead of "giving"it away staying on-site;In fact,unless we get a decent discount,MOST of our trips accomodations WILL be off-site;and if they screw up FP enough we'll go to the"Darkside"instead.

Same here! After I saw how FP+ negatively affected my trip this past Sept, we made other plans for our upcoming Dec and April trips. We will still spend some time at WDW, just because we want to get some use out of our APs. However, we will not be spending near as much time in their parks as we normally do. On an eleven day trip we usually spend nine days at WDW and two days at Universal. For our Dec trip, we will be spending only 4 (maybe 5) days in the WDW parks, two days at Universal, one or two days at Sea World, a day at the beach, a day split between Gator Land and an air boat ride, and a day or two just relaxing at Bonnet Creek. Normally there is no way we would do that. We would be spending most of our time at WDW, but not now. We have better things to do than stand in long lines at WDW (just because we chose to stay offsite months ago). In addition to having APs for WDW, we also have APs for Universal and are starting to look at whether we want an AP or all year Fun Pass for Sea World. I usually go to WDW 4-6 times a year, but we have decided we don't like the way WDW is treating their loyal annual passholders, so at this time have no intention of renewing our APs next May. It will be the first time in many years that I won't have an AP, but there are just too many things to do in Orlando to be treated like a red headed step child, just because we choose to stay offsite.

 

[Dallydown]

Excuse I am total new here.
Just a question.
My TA told me to take my old KTTW cards and use them to get FP.
Is this really true?

 

[Postal68]

Excuse I am total new here.
Just a question.
My TA told me to take my old KTTW cards and use them to get FP.
Is this really true?

 

[butterflygirl812]

The thing is, not all ticket purchases have the same end result.
An AP purchases entitles you to get into the parks as many times in a year as you want. But if you aren't staying on site, then it doesn't get you FPP.
A five day MYW ticket for on site stay will get you FPP, but it won't get you into the parks everyday that you want during a given year.

Those are choices that everyone made while purchasing tickets.

Once in the parks, everyone has equal chance of getting what FPs are left, or standing in line for rides.

Yes, Disney rolled out these changes after some had already purchased their tickets, and this will change what their perks are. You always have the option to cancel your plans if it no longer fits your needs.

 

[Granny square]

Source? I've heard 20 minutes, which seemed about right, as short of missing the bus just as it pulls away, you shouldn't have to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for the next one. And I know for a fact that they schedule them much more frequently whenever there's a specific need. Nothing like seeing three busses lined up to load up people for your resort, with a fourth pulling in behind, at the end of a night at the Magic Kingdom! Awesome, I like your folks! Last couple trips, my teenage son insisted on sleeping on the floor, rather than continue sharing a bed with his sister. Personally, I thought they had it worked out fine before, when one would sleep on top of the blanket and the other would sleep beneath. But whatever makes him happiest! He says his sister kicks too much... Actually, truth is, that's why I won't sleep with her, either!

To never have waited more than 10 minutes? You would have to always hit the busses practically perfectly. Lol, good luck with that! I've waited everywhere from 2 to 100 minutes over the course of 25 years staying on site at least one week a year.

Perhaps she has only gone a few times and been really lucky. But I don't know many who would say they've never waited more than 10 minutes. Even Disney would never give those numbers.

Even if you have three buses lined up they take at least 5 to lad. Especially if there are ecvs. When mom has hers we tend to just drive because it is quicker to walk to the parking lot and get back to our resort. Usually bwv or akv.

 

[Magpie]

THANK YOU for seriously making me LOL at this, which was a nice break from getting so angry after reading some of these posts. You may not have the smoothest way of getting your point across at times, but I admire the way you just keep coming back and stating your opinion (which I mostly agree with) even while being ganged up on. I mean seriously....there really are some bullies on here, aren't there?? Keep on doin' what you're doin'.....I feel like you're speaking for many of us that can't always find the right words.

You know, having a different opinion and debating it, does NOT make a person a "bully".

You are trivializing the very serious issue of bullying by throwing that label at people who simply disagree with you.

To never have waited more than 10 minutes? You would have to always hit the busses practically perfectly. Lol, good luck with that! I've waited everywhere from 2 to 100 minutes over the course of 25 years staying on site at least one week a year.

Perhaps she has only gone a few times and been really lucky. But I don't know many who would say they've never waited more than 10 minutes. Even Disney would never give those numbers.

Even if you have three buses lined up they take at least 5 to lad. Especially if there are ecvs. When mom has hers we tend to just drive because it is quicker to walk to the parking lot and get back to our resort. Usually bwv or akv.

I had to reread my post to see if I'd said anything about "never waiting more than 10 minutes", and I didn't. I said 20 minutes between busses sounded about right. I think elsewhere in this thread I said I generally wait only 10 to 15 minutes, and it's rare to wait as much as 20.

Caveat: I travel during the middle-to-low season. I stay at the Pop, and I am perfectly happy to hop the bus to AofA, if it comes first, and walk across the bridge.

So, yes, most of the time, I'm probably hopping on a bus in less than 10 minutes. But, I never said anything about "never" waiting longer than that.

If you've got an ECV, I can see how the busses would be less efficient for you. For ME, though, being healthy and used to being on my feet most of the day, being the kind of person who enjoys the company of other guests, and staying at the Pop, they're faster and more convenient than driving.

For you, maybe not.

It's not like anyone's forcing you to take the bus!

 

[ShayBells]

Excuse I am total new here. Just a question. My TA told me to take my old KTTW cards and use them to get FP. Is this really true?

I'm gonna take this seriously now that I've got my laughs out. Leave them home.

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