where to stay?

[Deweyme]

help! i found a great deal for the week in a condo 5 miles away ($500). why does everyone recommend staying ON the resort? my boys are 6 and 9 and we are going March 2009

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've made 41 trips to WDW and everyone has been to a resort on site. Alot will agree and many will disagree but to us, being immersed in the mouse 24/7 is the ultimate. We arrive by Amtrak and a car service takes us to the resort, WL, and from then on, usually 10-12 nights, no car is needed. We're catered to, pampered and bestowed with the beauty of the grounds, lakes and architecture from waking to retiring. We want for nothing, no parking lots, no driving, traffic it's all there, right outside my resort door. If we feel like visiting a park, hop on a boat or bus and voilà, we're there, short ride. If we crave any type of meal, it's to be had again by boat or bus. It's the attention to detail, the properties are beautiful, from value to deluxe and we totally relax and drink in the magic. Yeah, we pay alittle more but we're inside, where it's happening.

There are a few things about a vacation for us that will not change since it's a time out for my wife as well as for me. We will not abide by any schedule, wear no watches, watch no news, do no laundry and definitely not cook. It's a vacation, we both deserve it and to spend alittle more to stay on property is worth every dime they charge.

 

[tiggerfan1]

to the DIS boards!!!

Like the previous poster said, a lot of people like to stay on the resort to have the ultimate Disney experience (and for convenience's sake). My family and I prefer to stay off-site to keep the costs down, but someday we want to stay in a Disney hotel. I know that many other DISers prefer to stay off-site, too. It's simply a matter of personal preference.

 

[ToddyLu]

I have to agree with Pepe, it is so convienent. The decor is terrific and magical. There have only been a few ( I can count on one hand) issues we have had with the buses. Of course they are slower in the evening at closing, but you expect that. I imagine if you gave it a try it would be difficult for the kids to stay off property once on...My DH and I do not have children but that doesn't change the fact that we would never stay off property, it is a part of the vacation. Like Pepe the car service to the resort starts the vacation and we are absorbed and saturated all week. I know that some folks don't need that much of The World when they visit and enjoy cooking for their family and maybe enjoy a jacuzzi/pool off site. I guess it just depends on how much Disney you want.

At age 6 and 9 I would have been totally into staying on property because in the 70's I knew about WDW and the monorail and stuff. My parents took us on many vacations but they could never afford Disney. So my first trip was at age 32 in 2002. I mean, I literally stood there and tugged at my DH "screaming it is the real castle" . Then to get on a bus special for us, with all the balloons, strollers, sleepy adults and children, completely worn out--dropped at a great, clean resort (I have done value and moderate--DH and I prefer value due to cost), coming in washing your face with Mickey soap, turning on the Disney calendar channel to plan rope drop the next day--getting the Mickey wake up call.......it just goes on and on....which is why we go back every single year.

What ever you plan it will be fabulous and I know the children will have a terrific time as well as you.!! Have a great trip.


Oh, DH just walked in--his comment was "to stay in the illusion". Gotta love a man that agrees with me.

 

[ToddyLu]

He also made the observation that the tranportation drops you close to the entrance and at MK especially you would have to park at TTC and monorail or ferry in to the park if you were in your car. You may want to consider also that you will have tired little ones most likely and be worn out yourselves, only to have to get them back on a ferry or monorail, get to the car, drive to the place off site, fighting traffic to leave the parking lot, etc....

 

[PA disfan]

Staying in a Disney hotel isn't like staying in a regular hotel. They make you feel like its yours. Imagine waking up in the morning and having no worries about driving to where you want to go. Just take bus, boat, or monorail. No need to find directions or a parking spot.

 

[OZ 877]

As you can see below, we have done both.
The good
1. Staying off-site, you can get a really nice place and spend less than comparable to WDW.
2. You can eat cheaper off-site.

The bad
1. You have to drive and park each day.
2. It's harder to take any breaks away from the parks.
3. You dont get to experience the magic of the resorts. (They are almost as much fun as the parks.)

Basically it is cheaper to do off-site, but you lose some of the flexibility and convenience, but you definitely lose the magic.

The first time we stayed on site my two daughters were older (16 & 14) and they were in total awe. Even now this is the only place they want to vacation at.

 

[FireDancer]

I have to preface this by saying that there is no right answer to your question, it is totally personal preference. When I go down now I stay onsite because of the convenience and the fact I usually go down for a Disney event (like Marathon Weekend).

When I was growing up though we were pretty poor and when we were able to scrape up enough to go to WDW he had to go on the cheap. We were able to stay in a vacation home for a week for what we would pay for 2 days onsite. We also had a kitchen so we saved money making our own breakfast and had a fridge to keep snacks and drinks in to also save a little dough.

I lived in Tampa for 2 years and was a passholder so I did a lot of day trips that didn’t involve staying anywhere at all. So I have run the gamut of the Disney experience and none of them take away from the magic for me. Whatever you choose just have a good time with your kids in the most magical place on Earth, your hotel choice shouldn’t take away from that.

 

[gsmbaby19]

I love staying at the park. However, off site, I REALLY enjoyed staying at Floridays resort. If I can't stay at Disney, I try to stay there. They have a shuttle with limited hours to the resort, so you don't have to drive if you can work into their schedule.

They do make the resorts magical though

 

[Justcat]

By staying on property you get access to Extra Magic Hours for one.

This may not seem like a big deal with little kids - but the wait time for rides can be reduced by a lot if you simply use that one little hour in the morning to get a fast pass for things like Toy Story Mania that tend to have wait times over an hour long.

Also staying on property you can use the bus system to get to the parks (I know someone said this already) But that'll save you about $12 a DAY in parking fees alone.