Why Do I Get Separation Anxiety?

[dfarner]

Does anyone get separation anxiety if/when they think about staying off property? Every year we go and I have intentions of staying at Windsor Hills, Marriott, Hilton, etc...just for the shear fact that many times these are the better values. But when it comes time to actually MAKE a reservation offsite I just can't do it. I actually get sad at the prospect of going to Disney and not staying onsite. I read these boards religiously and get all excited about staying in a big house w/ a pool, or a nice NON-Disney timeshare, but I always go back to Disney. What's...wrong...with...me

 

[scanmom]

But, due to budget, there have been times that I bite the bullet and stay offsite. And we always have a great time, and I only feel a LITTLE twinge of envy as we pass by the resorts!!!!! We really enjoyed Cypress Point, and will probably be staying there again sometime.

 

[curlyjbs]

never stayed onsite (well... 2x as a kid ) and have no desire to. I love disney....but a little bit goes a long way! KWIM?

JMHO
~Connie

 

[dougsmom98]

I always think I would like to stay on site some day, but the bottom line is that we absolutely can't afford it. You must have the means to be able to afford the on site accommodations and the price of the food, so don't beat yourself up and stay there if that is what you want. If you really want to see what else is out there, you should probably plan a vacation that is not everything Disney. Maybe you could plan a Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World trip and then you will feel better about staying off site. I try to make my trip planning into a game to see the absolute best deals I can get while still feeling like I am treating myself to something truly special. I am obsessed with getting a deal and so staying off site is fun.
Don't feel bad about your decisions. We all have ideals for our vacations and yours is on site. That isn't a bad thing.

 

[mareed]

I'd say you really need to just force yourself to try it once. Especially as your kids get older, you just might find that you have a huge preference for a condo/townhome offsite! My 2 DS's are now 8 & 11, and while we could afford to stay at a Disney moderate or even Deluxe, there's just no way that I'd enjoy having all of us crammed into a standard hotel room with 1 bathroom (& no kitchen). We like separate bedrooms, mulitiple bathrooms, and a kitchen for a quick breakfast before heading to the parks. We visit the Disney resorts for the restaurants and amenities such as viewing decorations (not the pool!), but I don't need or want to stay there. I have stayed at Disney moderate before when it was just DH & I, but it just doesn't appeal to me at all when the whole family is along.

I'd really say that you need to try offsite once and see what you think about it. You'll either find that it's great for you, or you'll find you still prefer Disney. Either way, you'll know what to do for future trips!

 

[dfarner]

Thanks for everyone's encouragement . I've actually been to Disney dozens of times, and until the last 3 years when we stayed onsite I thought nothing of staying off property (prekids). I honestly can't remember a bad trip. I've recently been looking at townhomes and condos around the area and the prices are so reasonable!! We have stayed in DVC properties the last 3 times and have had the space of a 1 bedroom, but only because we've found some really good rental deals. There is no way I could warrant spending $300-400+ a night on a 1 bedroom unit by paying the rack rates. And yes, as you all have said, the thought of squishing my family into 360 feet of hotel room for 8 or 10 days is not my idea of an ideal vacation!

 

[SillyAuntJen]

My trips to Disney usually include, at the very least, my parents and my niece... more often than not, add in my DSis and BIL (niece's parents) and my DBro and new SIL and we've got a full house. We've been doing the condo/townhome deal for quite a while now and absolutely LOVE it. It is so nice for everyone to have their own bed!

I'm staying on-site for the first time in my 27 years starting Monday. I'm but would not have done it if I hadn't found such a great deal.

 

[dfarner]

I'm staying on-site for the first time in my 27 years starting Monday. I'm but would not have done it if I hadn't found such a great deal.

 

[Minnie]

We went through the same thing just a couple months ago when we were trying to determine where to stay for our WDW trip.

Prior to this trip we have always stayed on-site. However, we couldn't get an AP rate and it was too late to rent DVC points so our choices were limitted.

We decided to give a Windsor Hills townhouse a try. We had mixed opinions - you can read about it here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1524458

We went back and forth a lot before making the decision. I'm glad we gave it a try, but I don't know if we would do it again. We have another trip coming up in December and will go through the same decision making then.

I do know that when we stopped at the WL and the AKL I didn't want to leave. I love having someone take care of me on vacation and that of couse doesn't happen when renting. However, if my choice was between a value and off-site, I'd definitely stay off-site.

 

[mickeymousefan]

We do off and on-site trips. We choose depending on how we are planning to spend our days- for a shorter trip in the cooler months, where we spend everyday at a theme park, we prefer on-site. For a week long relaxing summer trip, we prefer a condo off-site.

Our offsite condo with full kitchen, jacuzzi tub, washer and dryer and a seperate bedroom with king size bed for DH and I - is cheaper than a night at CBR. I love using the kitchen to prepare meals (DH and I don't like the "10 lb souvenier" you come home with from eating out 3 meals a day for 8 days)
and having a washer and dryer means we can cut down on the amount of clothes we pack.

Plus..... outside the gates of WDW is a whole other world...... lots of restaurants, stores etc.......... If you always stay on-site, you may never get to experience it.

 

[Magalex]

This may not count of staying off-site but when we were heading back to the airport we drove past the Buena Vista Palace resort. This was during our trip this June(We stayed at CBR and loved it). But after driving past Buena Vista Palace and knowing that has been renovated and received good reviews lately I actually thought maybe we would enjoy a non-disney resort. Because I would think we would still have the feeling of being on property(Downtown Disney area) but above the mods/values of on site. I think we should try it at least one time. We do like renting a car just for eating at off site restaurants or buying something that we need at a pharmacy/grocery store. We did eat a few times at Crossroads/Downtown Disney. Also sometimes I get tired of the exterior rooms at the values/mods. Plus I do want to test if the the service is different. We didn't have any major issues at CBR but we did noticed the food court staff was kind of depressing (no smiles, hello or thank you).

 

[mikkiwikki]

Last year we stayed off site at Sunset Lakes.
This year we are staying on-site. We had a great time at Sunset Lakes!!!
The kids LOVE LOVE LOVED the house, and having all the extra space was just so nice. Last year we went with grammy and gramps so having the extra room was a must. The kids also loved having their own room, and being able to swim in their 'own pool. The cost for renting the house was definitely less than what we would have spent onsite for the room.

HOWEVER...one thing you have to factor into your trip planning tho - is the cost of van rental. We were away for 10 days, and the Van deal through hotwire (which was a steal in comparison to going directly to the rental sites) was like 300 bucks through Budget Rentacar! IN addition you have to count up the parking fees. Everytime you park its like 10 bucks.
But if you add that plus the cost to heat the pool - the cost came to about what My family paid (wo grammy and gramps there) onsite.

Another thing I didnt like was having to do 'housework' I go on vacation to get away from dishes etc., And also taking out trash etc., I did like tho being able to cook up some quick food for the kids without having to drop
100$ - so each time you have to weigh the pros and cons.

This year we are going back to onsite, because we enjoyed not having to have to drive and having all that transportation at your beck and call. You really cant put a price on how efficiently Disney wisks all these people around.

I know Im posting this opinion in the wrong forum!!
But that is my take on it currently. I understand completely because Im always having this internal debate!

 

[isla bonita]

I know Im posting this opinion in the wrong forum!!
But that is my take on it currently. I understand completely because Im always having this internal debate!

This is not the wrong forum off site is not for every one and you are giving those who question it why.

Another thing I didnt like was having to do 'housework' I go on vacation to get away from dishes etc., And also taking out trash etc., I did like tho being able to cook up some quick food for the kids without having to drop
100$ - so each time you have to weigh the pros and cons.

Also not one of my favs either. We share our home when we go down and I tend to do the cooking that is what I enjoy and others do the cleaning and we all get along just fine. It totally works for us.