What are the benefits of a disney hotel?

[tallym]

Hi, Iam planning a trip to Orlando for april 2006! Iam having a hard job convincing dh that we should spend 7 nightd in a disney hotel and then 7 in a villa.
He would rather spend 14 nights in a villa. He at first thought that if you stayed in a disney hotel all the entry was included to the parks...but now he knows thats not the case , he can't see the point!
So....is there any other benefits, such as getting in the parks before everyone else that I don't know about?
We could stay in pop century 7 nights for only£420, which I thinbk is a good deal! Then the following 7 in a villa for £450.
Then just flights and tickets to sort

 

[Frances999]

• Free Car Parking at all the Disney theme parks
• Free use of the Disney Transportation from your resort to the parks
• Use of "Extra Magic Hour" - you can enter one park either one hour before the public, or three hours after closing each day
• Disney restaurants, service and facilities
• Guaranteed theme park admission (excellent during peak times)
• Outstanding Disney theming and magic
• Excellent locations - easy to pop back for a midday break
• Free use of "Magical Express Service" at Orlando International Airport
• Package delivery. Items can be delivered for pick-up at your resort

There are probably plenty of other benefits too!

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

We always stayed at a villa.....until our honeymoon last year at the Poly. I always thougth this would be a one off and didn't see there would be many benefits, how wrong i was. Biggest benefit...it saved so much time in getting to the parks, a 20 min drive MAX to any park as opposed to a 40-60 min drive from a villa. Also you just can't beat staying IN THE HEART OF THE MAGIC - cheesy though that sounds. HAve a magical holiday!!

 

[stemikger]

Besides the good advice you have already been given. There is nothing like being in Disney. The magic stays with you 24/7. As a kid I stayed off-site because my parents couldn't afford it. Now as a parent myself there are more affordable choices as you have already found out yourself, so there is really no excuse to stay anywhere else.

I stayed at Pop Century for 10 nights last year and loved it. Other Disney resorts I have stayed at were POFQ and CBR. Both were also fantastic. I will never stay offsite - nothing can compare to the quality and the magic that Disney has to offer.

 

[Hilary]

I have to agree with everything that's already been said - staying on-site makes such a difference to us that I'll never stay off-site again for doing the Disney parks.

For time in non-Disney parks it isn't the best use of your cash and holiday time to be staying in WDW, so your idea of a split stay is an excellent one - just plan you park days to make best use of being in / out of WDW.

Have fun deciding!

 

[UKDEB]

I also think a split stay is the best of both worlds. For me, though, the biggest benefit of staying onsite is being really close to the parks, so that would mean either one of the Magic Kingdom or one of the Epcot resorts (giving you very easy access to all but Animal Kingdom). They are all deluxe resorts and obviously a good deal more expensive than Pop Century. Depending on the time of year you are visiting, though, you could quite possibly get an AP rate for the Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge for around £500 for 7 nights. We paid $139 a night for the Contemporary in December. One member of your party would have to buy an Annual Pass, but there are additional benefits such as discounts at some restaurants, DisneyQuest, golf, mini-golf, and several stores at Downtown Disney including the big Disney Store and Virgin Megastore. For a further $50 you are then eligible for the Disney Dining Experience card which gives you a 20% discount on virtually all full-service restaurants and bars on property. The current Pop Century AP rate is $74 per night (around £290 for a week).

The villas we have stayed in recently have all been very close to the parks - literally just a couple of minutes more than Pop Century. You would, of course, be able to take a Disney bus if you chose to do so, but you're restricted by the timetabling (i.e. you can't just hop in and go when it suits you in the way you can with a car). The benefit of using the buses is that you are taken directly to the park entrance - you don't have to park in the parking lot and then walk or get a tram (or monorail from the TTC in the case of MK). From the villas we've stayed at, we can be at the AK parking lot in 5 minutes and all the others in 10. You wouldn't reach any of them much quicker than that from PC. Having said that, you do pay a premium for the villas which are closer to WDW.

If you have young children, I think you would enjoy Pop Century. If you can afford it, I would consider one of the MK or Epcot resorts. It's also worth considering a different split - say 4 nights onsite and 10 at a villa.

 

[Miffy2003]

We have stayed at offsite hotels and an offsite villa. Our most recent trip we stayed onsite at All Star Movies which is one of the "furthest" out WDW hotels but we still found it very easy to hop on a bus to get to the parks. It was great being dropped off "at the entrance" (well, nearly) and not having to bother about parking, waiting for a tram etc.

Not that we can't live without a drink but it was fantastic for my DH to know he could relax with a beer or two and not have to drive home. We rarely waited more than ten minutes for a bus which is considerably better public transport than my local bus service

I agree with Deb that the location of the MK & Epcot resorts is unbeatable, but frankly there was no way we could have afforded one of those this time and we did not feel we had a second class experience at All Star Movies - quite the reverse.

I agree with all the others - the tangible benefits have already been listed but we just felt "special" at a WDW resort.

 

[paulh]

When we have stayed offsite we found that the pools act were quiet everyone at the parks and when they come back they are exhorted there is always something going on at a Disney hotel and seem more livelier and better quality and you are treated the same if you stayed at a value to a deluxe we have stayed at all types and we prefer Disney
Paulh

 

[AndRu]

... or for the alternative view, staying on site at Disney means eating at their restaurants and paying their (higher) prices. If you are going to spend all seven of those days within the Disney parks and you can justify the extra costs, then stay on site. If you want to mix and match where you visit (to avoid getting tired of the same things 7 days in a row), then there would be little benefit in staying on site and travelling to non-Disney parks / attractions.

Personally, I think there is much more to Central Florida then WDW on its own and would prefer the freedom of a villa so I can choose when/where I want to go. If you're staying on site then you would (probably) feel obliged to spend it at a Disney park. Nothing wrong with that if it's what people want to do but I'd rather stay at Skegness Butlins than visit Epcot again!

As for the "benefits" ...

Extra Magic Hour? - just get to the park(s) at openig time, the first hour is always quiet.
Disney Transportation? - Use a hire car!
Disney restaurants, service and facilities? At a cost ...
Guaranteed theme park admission? - See #1 - get there early!
Outstanding Disney theming and magic? - There is more to Orlando than WDW and Universal / Sea World / Busch etc can be just as good!
Excellent locations? - OK, you got me on that one!
Package delivery? - Just buy the stuff you want on the way back to your car!

I love Disney and will always want to visit - I just want to see everything else and not be blinded by just WDW. There is more to see/do than this!

 

[Claire L]

Extra Magic Hour? - just get to the park(s) at openig time, the first hour is always quiet.

But now there are also EMH evenings with up to 3 extra hours in the parks.

Agree there is more to Orlando than WDW but being IN the magic for however long you stay is something you can't experience anywhere else.

Claire

 

[Miffy2003]

AndRu, that's surely the whole point? The OP is thinking of spending a week onsite and a week offsite. The best of both worlds?

As to Extra Magic Hour(s) - I can't think of a single good reason why anyone would not benefit from an extra three hours at a park after it closes (or for that matter the Early one). It is not the same as arriving early at the parks; if you "do" the big attractions in the areas that are open it then means you can move onto a different part of the park while others flood where you've already been

If you have a hire car you are not restricted to dining onsite at WDW (which is more expensive) but personally I found that when staying onsite I wished I hadn't bothered with the hire car. It just sat in the car park for days. Different strokes for different folks though!

The package delivery actually can work for you really well. It is undoubtedly a WDW marketing ploy to get you to buy more but you can't just say "buy it on the way back to the car" as not all items are available in all shops (in fact, most are not!) We like to not have the hassle of carting loads of bags around, checking we've got them all, keeping the stuff in them dry on wet rides etc etc...

Like I said in my original post, I have stayed onsite and offsite in villas and hotels so I think I have a reasonably broad range of experience to compare the pros / cons of each. But what's right for me and my family may not be right for your's.

I would like to say you are absolutely right that there is a lot more to Florida than just WDW, without a doubt. I thought this was why the OP was splitting their stay?

 

[Miffy2003]

This thread covers some different views on on vs offsite stays. I think your idea of splitting your stay is great

 

[Danauk]

I agree spending 7 nights in WDW and 7 nights in a villa is an excellent idea. Like Andru said there is more to Florida than Disney but you can do those things in your villa week. We spent 2 weeks at WDW last year on site at the Beach Club Villas and only spent 2 days off site. We still didn't see everything in WDW that we wanted to.

OK, you could get to the parks early from off site to make use of the quiet time. But then you are further away so have to get up earlier. Plus you need to make sure you know where you are driving to. As opposed to being able to get up a bit later and just hop on a bus. Also it is free.

As for food expenses it depends where you want to eat. If you eat at a 4/5 star deluxe hotels restaurant expect to pay 4/5 star hotel prices. If you do not want to pay that do not go there (that applies to all hotels and restaurants not just in WDW.) Also you can hire a fridge if you are staying in a value resort (mods and deluxes have them for free) so you can save money on breakfasts and lunch by making them yourself (there are plenty of supermarkets near WDW that you can nip to and stock up.)

I find the resort delivery service an excellent idea. OK, you could just buy things on the way back to your car but some items are only available in one location so you might end up having to trek back to other shops to buy an item you saw earlier. We found this out the hard way as we had seen something we wanted to buy, thought we could go back and buy it an then we forgot which shop we had seen it in!

If I wanted a WDW holiday I would definately stay on site. If I wanted a central Florida holiday I would stay in a villa.

 

[Frances999]

... or for the alternative view, staying on site at Disney means eating at their restaurants and paying their (higher) prices. If you are going to spend all seven of those days within the Disney parks and you can justify the extra costs, then stay on site. If you want to mix and match where you visit (to avoid getting tired of the same things 7 days in a row), then there would be little benefit in staying on site and travelling to non-Disney parks / attractions.

Personally, I think there is much more to Central Florida then WDW on its own and would prefer the freedom of a villa so I can choose when/where I want to go. If you're staying on site then you would (probably) feel obliged to spend it at a Disney park. Nothing wrong with that if it's what people want to do but I'd rather stay at Skegness Butlins than visit Epcot again!

As for the "benefits" ...

Extra Magic Hour? - just get to the park(s) at openig time, the first hour is always quiet.
Disney Transportation? - Use a hire car!
Disney restaurants, service and facilities? At a cost ...
Guaranteed theme park admission? - See #1 - get there early!
Outstanding Disney theming and magic? - There is more to Orlando than WDW and Universal / Sea World / Busch etc can be just as good!
Excellent locations? - OK, you got me on that one!
Package delivery? - Just buy the stuff you want on the way back to your car!

I love Disney and will always want to visit - I just want to see everything else and not be blinded by just WDW. There is more to see/do than this!

As Karen said, surely the OP is experiencing 2 different ends of the spectrum by splitting their stay between a villa and WDW resort. Also as Karen said, how the heck can you not benefit from 3 hours extra theme park time beyond the closing hours? Please enlighten me on this one!

I never knew that the shops near the exit stocked everything that the entire parked offered, either.

Nowhere else in Orlando offers the same around the clock Disney magic as offered by the WDW resorts. Period.

 

[Hilary]

I'd rather stay at Skegness Butlins than visit Epcot again!

This just goes to prove the point that we're all different! However, I'm another one who can't agree with some of your dismissive comments about on-site benefits, AndRu.

No-one is suggesting that WDW is the be-all and end-all of Florida. In fact many of us here spend time far away from Orlando during our Florida trips. But the original question was about the benefits of staying on-site in WDW, and that's what we've tried to answer.

If you honestly believe the listed benefits count for nothing, I can't believe you've ever stayed on-site and put them to the test.

Of course there are reasons for staying off-site as well, and that's why most of us here have agreed with the idea of splitting the holiday between on-site and a villa.

 

[AndRu]

[Life OF Brian]All I said was "That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah"... Blasphemy! [/life of brian]

No, I haven't stayed on site and neither will I. On the same score, I haven't visited Baghdad - and nor will I!

It's blatantly more expensive to be on site as you're paying for the privilege / experience. If you can afford it, if you can justify the extra cost and you want to be engulfed/surrounded by Disney then stay on site - it's all a matter of personal choice.

I believe the original point was that Tallym's husband had reservations about staying on site. I'm siding with the husband in chossing the villa for the whole holiday for reasons of ... convinience (cooking / washing / privacy), private pool and the freedom to do what you want. Yes, I know you can drive off Disney after a day in the parks but most people probaby wouldn't want to. It's too far. They're too tired. Lets stay on site and pay the extra - which is exactly what Disney (from a business POV) wants.

I hope that Tallym shows this thread to her DH so that they can make in a choice about what to do with their holiday. Then they can see the majority pro 'on site' campaign compared to me, in my loin cloth and chains putting the alternative view forward!

PS - If you haven't had the good fortune to see Monty Pythons "Life Of Brian" my first and last comments will have meant nothing to you!

 

[Frances999]

Disney magic is the only magic

What about the rest of what "Central Orlando has to offer", Andru?

For most people, a major (or THE major) part of their holiday experience is experiencing Walt Disney World. Staying onsite allows you to enjoy this experience to its maximum potential and enjoy the "Disney magic" 24/7.

I'm siding with the husband in chossing the villa for the whole holiday for reasons of ... convinience (cooking / washing / privacy), private pool and the freedom to do what you want.

Convenience - Disney resorts are extremely convenient to the parks (and the rest of Orlando's attractions) and Home-away-from-Home resorts offer additional facilities for cooking, along with extra privacy.
Private Pool - Most villas, (especially if booked with a tour operator) have a pool overlooked by other villas. Disney resorts pools are magically themed and boast a whole array of facilities and services.
Freedom to do what you want - Just because you stay on-site it does not mean that Disney "lock the gates" and will not let you leave. Many people, including myself head out of Disney to other restaurants and attractions in the evening, but can return afterwards to the magic of their Disney resort.

 

[tiggerlady]

Gosh this is getting heated but I will chip in my two cents, last Nov we stayed in a lovely villa at Westridge carefully chosen for the south facing non overlooked pool,we spent 10 days here visiting Disney parks, shopping ,Universal etc it was lovely and peaceful, our final 3 nights due to the villa previously being booked were spent at the All stars Movies, our 1st taste of a disney hotel the advantages were as you have all mentioned the drawbacks 1.cramped room in comparison to villa(only 2 adults)
2. The general noise,people walking past our room, toilets flushing, pool area full of screaming kids.
3. No fridge, no coffee in rooms
4.Hanging about for room service checking in waiting for busses queing in the food courts

All in all the Disney hotel experience is ok but I would prefer the inconvienience of a villa. Unless I could afford the poly or GF.


The only time a hotel has ever beaten a villa was when we were upgraded for free to the penthouse at the Raddisson Universal.

 

[AndRu]

Frances - you and I could argue until the cows came home, looks like we won't agree on anything

I'm just putting across my personal alternative view. As is to be expected on this board the majority is going pro-Disney, pro on site and that isn't going to change. What is so wrong in pointing out an alternative? Unless of course, you're expecting us all to be chanting a Disney mantra! A healthy debate is good, without it we'd only ever have one view on any subject. That's a little too much like a communist philosophy for my taste!

I hope that Tallym and her DH can be left to weigh up their own pro/cons of staying on/off site and that this thread + investigations of their own can lead them to a satisfactory conclusion.

As for you quoting my "Disney magic is the only magic", I'm not referring to WDW ... there is more to it than WDW.

 

[Frances999]

Frances - you and I could argue until the cows came home, looks like we won't agree on anything

Well there's something we can agree on!

Seriously though, TallyM, make up your mind and check out other sites for more information. Most of all, have fun planning!