Wanna Join My "Offsite Support Group"?

[disneygirlatheart]

We are going on our first WDW vacation this year.We have rented a house. We have always stayed in hotel rooms for all of our vacations but one. We rented a condo. Guess which vacation we enjoyed the most. Anyway I would love to stay onsite at Disney. BUT we love our privacy. During our other vacations everyone is miserable and the kids are fighting because everyone is so cramped up. I checked into staying onsite at one of the villas. I nearly fainted when I saw the price. We just can't afford that. Now if we stayed in a hotel room we could. We wanted our own space and we even have a private pool and spa. We can swim at midnight if we want and dont have to worry about the pool closing. So I guess you can count me in your group also.

 

[Bob S]

count me in. been a timeshare traveler since 1985 (vistana) back then the falls was the new section. lol just to see if we missed the "magic" we stayed at dixie landings for 3 days back in the 90's. bottom line is there is nothing magical about staying in 1 room with a family of 4. we really missed the extra room. the one thing that sticks out in my mind is almost being trampled by the people with the refillable mugs when i tried to get a cup of coffee. i crunched the numbers and figured i would have to drink 50 gallons of free coffee to get some value from my disney stay. lol no thanks.
much more enjoyable for us offsite.

 

[keishashadow]

Problem is those gigantic-looking mugs barely hold 12 oz...I always just sort of stood around gulping the 1st one & grabbed the 2nd before the long trek back to the room.

count me in. been a timeshare traveler since 1985 (vistana) back then the falls was the new section. lol just to see if we missed the "magic" we stayed at dixie landings for 3 days back in the 90's. bottom line is there is nothing magical about staying in 1 room with a family of 4. we really missed the extra room. the one thing that sticks out in my mind is almost being trampled by the people with the refillable mugs when i tried to get a cup of coffee. i crunched the numbers and figured i would have to drink 50 gallons of free coffee to get some value from my disney stay. lol no thanks.
much more enjoyable for us offsite.

 

[FayeW]

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I might cross over to the dark side, and rent some DVC points for part of our stay (for research, of course!). When I told my husband about my grand plan I'm afraid his response was . Frankly he thought I'd lost my mind. He said "Let me get this straight. You want to stay in one hotel for 3 days, and then switch to DVC for 5 days, and then go to another hotel for the last day. For this priviledge we are going to pay nearly double what we can rent that 3 bdrm townhouse for, for the whole trip. Are you NUTS???"

I have to agree, that when he puts it that way, it is nuts.

 

[spiceycat]

OK, I'm convinced and after talking to DH, our next trip is going to be offsite. We were DVC for 3 years and found that we were going just to use the points and weren't really enjoying it as much. So after a few years off(we sold the DVC) we're heading down next year and are planning to stay offsite. We have a teen who absolutely needs his own room(Dad snores ).

So, what's a nice suite hotel for a family of 3 with a teen? I have NO idea about the offsite availability. Price isn't as important as quality rooms and resort feel. HELP!!!

most of the timeshares and condo - not to mention houses in the area are nice.

for resort feel I would stick to timeshares and condo that are resorts.

Embassy suites

for timeshares
Cypress Pointe
Sheraton Vistana Resort (some of these villa are older) - bigger than most
Silver Lake (if did get some bad reviews - but the latest I have seem are much, much better)
Vacation Villa Parkaway
Orange Lake (further away) - big resort and I mean big
Summer Bay (even further away)

for homes in the area - BIG choice

start with
www.vrbo.com
http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/

here is a map to show you where everything is (houses)
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

more houses
http://www.lastminutevillas.net/


both of these are hotel rentals that also have some condo
http://hotels.travelzoo.com/orlando-hotels/
www.hotelkingdom.com

also the vistors bureau
www.floridakiss.com
www.orlandoinfo.com

 

[Blueberry]

Count me in...We have been 20 times, only ONCE stayed on site. Last September we stayed at POP for the free dining plan, it was ok..but we found ourselves saying we are just as happy if not more so offsite. Why...because there is more variety, if you need something Walmart is right there or Walgreens. If you feel like pizza, there are good quality pizza shops and chains to order from (not school lunch room type Disney Pizza). Service is very fast and the people are just as friendly as the people onsite we have found.

I have never been treated rudely at any hotel we stayed at, and we always had towels when we needed them, and the air conditioning worked. Never saw mold in any hotel, or the bugs that so many report are rampant in offsite hotels.

Hotels offsite are just like hotels in any other city. So many portray them as clones of the Bates Motel or Roach Motels that many are convinced unless they pay high Disney prices they will be subjecting their families to unsafe, dirty conditions offsite (without ever having stayed offsite).

My trips are just as magical as anyone onsites, and I am not in debt for a pricey hotel room when I return home. Believe me, if their credit card is denied or they do not have money to pay for that room when they check out..it will not be magical for them, Disney is a business like anyone else. A friend overcharged while there and Disney was not too kind on she needed to find MONEY immediately to pay for it (years ago when you could charge up that room key).

Let me get off my soapbox, I am a confirmed off siter and would not have it any other way...pleased to meet ya all....

 

[RainbowsMist]

I'm hopping aboard as well!!

I've been to Florida 3 times when I was younger and each time was off site. Now that I'm married with 3 children (11,9,4) of my own, we are taking our first every family vacation to Florida/Disney.

Because we are a family of 5 we didn't want to cram in a small hotel room and the price of those family suites is crazy. It made no sense not to take a 4 bedroom pool home with jacuzzi, kitchen and games room over a hotel room considering the price was a LOT cheaper than any family suite.

We also want to be able to take every other day as an "R & R" day...afterall this is our vacation too and I don't think our DD (4) could handle park life every day either.

To us, this is MUCH more than a Disney vacation...it's our dream Florida Vacation.

 

[twoprincesses]

Sooooo glad I found this! I was beginning to think I was the only one who has not stayed onsite. With two little ones I find that I am doing other hotel guests a favor by not having my kids run up and down a room above the guests below. I, too, love that I have my own washer and dryer, kitchen, and more than one bathroom. However, one day I hope to try an onsite resort, definitely a deluxe. Maybe when the girls are older.

 

[Gillian]

We like off site and it gets tiresome have to defend it.

Last week (april 23rd-30) we stayed in our pop up trailer at Fort Wilderness. It was great! BUT, we used our own car and loved having it, even for going to the Magic Kingdom. We are pretty spoiled in that we have always had a car (rental or otherwise) no matter where we stayed.

One night we chose to take Disney transportation home from MK after a 9 pm wishes and spent most of the time cursing it. FW shares a boat route with the Wilderness Lodge, so the line is always long. We knew it would be crowded, so we hung back, but there was some kind of problem with the boats and we didn't get back to our campsite until almost 11 PM.

DH & I don't really see the appeal of Disney transportation, except the monorail. The boats are fun, but not when you really want to get somewhere. And not if mosquitos like you.

Also, we found everything to be really noisy until at least 10 PM every night. There was no chance of getting the kids to bed earlier because of it.

Our next trip will either be in our pop up again or in a pool home. The kids like sleeping in one room but mom & dad do not!

 

[disneymom3]

count me in. been a timeshare traveler since 1985 (vistana) back then the falls was the new section. lol just to see if we missed the "magic" we stayed at dixie landings for 3 days back in the 90's. bottom line is there is nothing magical about staying in 1 room with a family of 4. we really missed the extra room. the one thing that sticks out in my mind is almost being trampled by the people with the refillable mugs when i tried to get a cup of coffee. i crunched the numbers and figured i would have to drink 50 gallons of free coffee to get some value from my disney stay. lol no thanks.
much more enjoyable for us offsite.

NO kidding! I have stayed onsite once in the past. It was fine though I would never ever in a million years do it again without a car. We were at the Poly. Going to AK EMH. Got to the bus stop at 7:25 but no bus came until 7:55. EMH started at 8:00. When we got on the bus, it had already stopped at the CR and there was standing room only. Not to mention the fact that there is no decent queue for the bus so my FIL who is too polite for his own good barely made it on the bus because people who had just arrived at the stop pushed ahead of him. That is not magical either! DH and I were just dying for our own transportation so we could have gotten to AK half an hour earlier.

DH and I are also going in Sept and staying at WL. We plan to spend quite a bit of time hanging out at the resort and for that, I will pay a higher nightly rate. It's comparable to going to Chicago and staying dwntn. We will also go onsite one time or part of our next trip as the kids are getting older and want to do EMH. (WITH a car!) But a whole week with 5 people in one room and let's not forget I am paying the same rate for each night as I would for a week is just not a good idea.

What cracks me up the most is the people who have some sort of subpar experience ONCE in Orlando hotels(usually for one night) and then vow, never again, onsite forever etc. Or act like all hotels in the entire area are just vulgar, cockroach ridden flea bags having never stayed offsite. I find myself wondering if these people never travel anywhere but Disney? Yes, there are crappy hotels everywhere you go, BUT there are plenty of really nice hotels too!

So, count me in though I am kinda middle of the road too. I just don't believe you have to stay at Disney in order to be part of the magic.

 

[Snoopymom]

Thanks, these are fun to read!

Within 20 minutes of leaving the park,
I'm literally 3 steps from the pool
with my own big beach towel, fresh and soft from the dryer,
and a tall blender drink that didn't cost $12,
listening to my favorite Van Morrison CD,
having the jacuzzi to myself while
ds and dh do cannon balls in the pool without anyone giving me dirty looks....

for rental villas!!!

 

[DISUNC]

Fun Thread!!!!!

And dont let anyone spoil the for you guys!

I wouldn't mind joining your group...BUT...quite honestly WDW resorts always come in with much cheaper prices for me. I tend to go with CHEAP prices!

My upcoming stay in July for 10 nights @ the POP comes to 720.00. That 72 bucks a night....with the Xtra magic hours & resort package delivery...which we use. Along with the bus service. This is with AAA discount.

I have stayed in the Courtyard by Marriot in DTD (11/02), for 39.00 a night...and it was grrrrrrrreat. It was off season...and so what they put us in the room all the way in the back!!!!

But I really ALWAYS get quoted much HIGHER prices for all other DTD resorts, and others. And as soon as 'specials" are announced try to book rooms...and they are ALWAYS SOLD out. Just recently I was sitting at my desk, recieved a email for 99.00 a night at the Royal Plaza, I went to their website, right away...put the dates...and gotz! Nutin available. I even changed the dates...and STILL Nutin available.

So what am I doing wrong that is holding me back from joing your club/crusade?

 

[isla bonita]

Getting to good of a deal. Thats why we have hopped on it is cheaper for us. We have a rental home in outside of disney and we go there. I could spend 17 nights at my rental home and pay our mortg. and bills bring down a few family members or friends. Still feel like I am putting money in the bank because I am paying my mortg. Can't beat that.

Stay at Disney if that is where the deal is for your family don't switch but if something happens like the $39.00 a night go for it how can you beat something like that? Thats a gimme.

I have stayed in the BC and it was a beautiful room. Nice pool and was in an ideal location. For us to enjoy we had 3 chairs out on the patio. At my pool home we have almost 3000 sq feet, 6 beds, 5baths, tv's, private pool and spa, full kitchen bbq, and all the entertainment we need. We bring down our own party. It just works for us.

There is not just one way to go thats why there is a variety of choices. Have a great next trip. Deb

 

[spiceycat]

there are deals out there.

look here - sometimes people will post when they find a good one.

Priceline if you wait until the last week or so...

skyauction - again if you can wait - but sometimes you find a good deal sooner...

good deals are getting harder to find.

then Disney suddenly put the All Stars on priceline....

so this only offsite trip is now staying at All Star on Sun and Monday - to go with the EMH - I can do all 4 parks in those 2 nights.... so my usually both....

some people look hotwire

at times
www.hotelkingdom.com
www.hotelmartusa.com
both have deals...

I guess it just depends!!!

 

[dennise]

WE have never stayed onsite, but some day would't mind. We are just two, but we only take on e vacation a year to Florida and like to see as much as we can. We usually spend 3 nights in the DW area, 4 on the West Coast and the last 3 in the I-drive area. We enjoy staying at different places and don't always do the parks although we love Disney.

 

[momofbgtwins]

Count me in, too! We are diehard offsiters. We always stay in a timeshare condo. We have young (3 1/2) b/g twins. One time we stayed in a hotel room at the airport, for one night, and thought we would go crazy! When we were in Orlando in March we DID look at DVC, just to see what it was all about. We weren't swayed in the least. The units are small, the balconies are small, and there's no place for the whole family to sit and eat together???? And all that for the ridiculous price? No thanks! If we ever stay onsite it would be at AKL for one or two night so the kids could see the animals that they LOVE up close.

 

[Gillian]

disunc, I think for most of us the real bargain is the amount of space you can get for your money, no so much that the actual cost is lower. Although there are good deals like that too.

 

[MiaSRN62]

we DID look at DVC, just to see what it was all about. We weren't swayed in the least. The units are small, the balconies are small, and there's no place for the whole family to sit and eat together???? And all that for the ridiculous price? No thanks!

I don't think you saw OKW then. The villas are much larger as are the balconies (we've had our family of 5 plus grandmom out on the balcony). It's one of the reasons that swayed us to choose OKW as our home resort with DVC.

 

[momofbgtwins]

I did see the floorplan for OKW, and did note that it was larger. They were not selling at that resort. They were only selling at Saratoga Springs at that time. Yes, I guess we could've tried trading into OKW, but there was a good possibility that we wouldn't get it, and I wouldn't want to have to stay in Saratoga Springs, or the like, which is all except OKW, right? No, we are very happy with the Marriott timeshares that we own, and their space and peacefull atmosphere. The price for value that Disney wants for DVC just isn't worth it to us.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I think we need a support group for those of us who choose to stay offsite. I'm tired of hearing about all the magic I'm missing not forcing my family to sleep in one room for 9 days. I'm tired of hearing about how much more convenient it will be to trudge, bleary eyed, to the foodcourt for my morning cup of coffee. I wonder if my children will ever get over the trauma of being driven in an airconditioned vehicle instead of standing on a crowded bus, or if they will ever forgive me for making them sleep alone in their own bedroom, and use their own bath, while I selfishly stay up watching TV for several more hours instead of lying quietly in the dark waiting for them to fall asleep. I wonder if anybody else truly understands that with all the money I save in accomodations, I can afford to eat at the restaurants I want to, and don't NEED a dining plan!

I've never stayed onsite, and can't imagine that I ever will as long as I'm travelling with my children. There are just too many beautiful timeshares, condos, and townhomes out there, and I am not willing to compromise on lesser accomodations to have Mickey shampoo. Who's with me?

Count me in and frankly I just wonder why no one thought of this thread before. I think that people who stay on site are somwhat brainwashed and I can say this because I used to be one of those people. You could not convince me that the offsite hotels were anything but flea bag flop houses!! Then I was forced to stay off site in a home(rented to us for 150 total for 10 days). I suddenly realized Orlando was a nice place!! From there I progressed to the Vistana Villages and darn but it was BETTER than the crowded Disney hotels with their attempt to control every aspect of your wallet!! I am now a confirmed offsite person. I have stayed in V.V. , Vistana Resort, Wyndham Palms, and Grande Vista...ALL were fantastic and tons better for the money than an ALL STAR and often either the same price or less!!

I do ont have to get ice each night to keep a quart of milk cold. I do not have to keep the tv low so the kids can get to sleep....I can eat a FROZEN pizza at any time of the night and even sit in my pj's and snack on Cheezits while my kids are in the other room snacking on whatever.

My gut feeling is that Disney does NOT want anyone to go offsite b/c once they find out the great deals and fantastic accomodations their hotels would be empty!! (lol)>