Why do people stay with kids in a hotel room....

[Pam Lau]

It is obviously to each his own. We are a family of 4 and budget is part of the reason. Quantity vs QUality. I figure if I can stay twice as long for the same price or in our case Disney Vacation Points. Why not? We really do not spend much time in our room anyways. Of course then the kids and I spend 3 months in our summer cottage (11'X13') and my husband joins us on weekends. And we LOVE it. If you are enjoying what you are doing then the hotel is just a place to lay your head. But being on property does maximize your time to do things. Also something to consider, most larger accomodations also include some form of cooking facilities. We are realistic and know that we prefer to eat out on vacation so why pay for the kitchen?

 

[denisem]

Husband & I have NO kids and we STILL prefer a rental home to a hotel room, for the price/privacy/relaxation We usually rent within 5-6 miles of maingate, have our own transportation and know our way around.

Only way to go: our own private pool and/or spa, a kitchen for snacks (yeah, like *I'M* gonna cook on vacation!?!) and handy laundry facilities (less luggage). Our last rental home even had a rec room in the garage (pool table, electronic darts, kid's toys).

But I can appreciate some people prefer the convenience of on-site transportation. Or they may be a bit wary of home rentals (I was too, at first).

One thing to think about: I also usually "just sleep" in hotel rooms; but once you experience additional space/facilities, it's interesting how much more time you spend relaxing by the pool, etc. It becomes a less frenetic vacation...

 

[CPM]

I guess it's also a matter of opinion what you call quality. I don't feel as though I give up any quality staying off site or any inconvenience. I usually stay within minutes of Disney.

 

[JesNJakesMom]

We couldn't afford staying onsite this year. We sure got spoiled when my parents splurged for the Fairway Villas at the Disney Institute last year. (Quite a pretty penny spent there!) So, this year we opted for the DoubleTree at Downtown Disney.

We have a 1-bedroom suite so we have to sleep in the same room with our kids but we can shut the door if we want to stay up and watch TV or do what ever after they go to bed. Plus, we'll have a mini-kitchen, (which was priceless last year) because it actually saves us money.

We are spending $95/night before taxes. And feel that we may not have "Disney Magic" in our room but we are close enough to DTD that we can experience it just by walking out the front door! The best of both worlds -- In our opinion anyway!

 

[CPM]

Originally posted by JesNJakesMom
So, this year we opted for the DoubleTree at Downtown Disney.
We have a 1-bedroom suite so we have to sleep in the same room with our kids !

There is a pull-out sofa in the living area. they will even make it up for you if you ask. that's where my kids like to sleep.

 

[Pam Lau]

Another factor to consider, and realize that Disney does have a few Villa options, is what type of Park Passes that are available. We are a family that likes to hop between attractions and we keep going until late at night. Resort guests (or Premilum Annual Pass Holders) are the only guests with unlimited access to all the attractions (including Pleasure Island, Disney Quest, and the Water Parks). All other passes have a limited number of Plus Features depending on the number of days. Which to my way of thinking means that if I am going to use one of my Plus Options for a Water Park or Pleasure Island, I am going to want to spend a significant amount of time there. As a resort guest you can go over to Pleasure Island several times and catch one show or club each time. Or just spend the peak sun hours at a water park. Just something to consider.

 

[Jane E.]

We used to stay in hotel rooms, but as our sons got older we realized we had to expand. They were constantly fighting. The money we saved just wasn't worth it. Our next move was using suites & 1bedroom condos. We also have rented two hotel rooms that are side by side. This year we rented a house & it was our best stay yet. The house had 4 bedrooms plus a livingroom, family & game room. Our sons hardly fought at all this trip.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by Pam Lau
But being on property does maximize your time to do things. Also something to consider, most larger accomodations also include some form of cooking facilities. We are realistic and know that we prefer to eat out on vacation so why pay for the kitchen?

I'm afraid I respectfully disagree. I have stayed onsite and offsite, numerous times of each. I have never seen any way in which staying onsite maximized our time to do things. Depending on where onsite you are, it can take you just as long to get to the other side of the property as it would if you were staying off property. And it is almost always quicker to drive yourself from place to place than it is to use Disney transportation.

Regarding the kitchen comment, I think the point of the original post was that the offsite hotels are CHEAPER AND INCLUDE THE KITCHEN! So you aren't paying extra for the kitchen, you are actually paying extra for the room WITHOUT the kitchen. That certainly doesn't make sense to us. We'd rather stay offsite and go twice a year than stay onsite and only be able to go once every 2 years.

As for the extra space, none of us - myself, my wife or my daughter - sleep as well when we are all in one room. If we just go away for a weekend somewhere, we put up with it. But for a week in Disney where we need our rest and energy to keep going all day, it just doesn't work for us. And since the suites are actually far cheaper than the regular rooms onsite, its a no-brainer decision for us.

To each his own, but for us, there is no debate. We'll stick with the great deals and spacious suites available within a mile or two of the main gate.

Steve

 

[Musky]

Pam, your post made it sound as though everyone who stays on site gets complimentary admission to the water parks, Pleasure Island, etc. This is misleading. Staying on-site only includes admission to these places if you have ultimate (length-of-stay) passes. You can stay on-site and still have plain old park hoppers, or even just a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom! And believe me, even if you have ultimate passes, you're paying plenty for all that access. I just wouldn't want any newbies reading this to think, "Wow, if we pay $70 a night for the All-Stars we get unlimited access to all of the water parks, etc, for free!"

And I agree with most of the posts in this thread. On our trip last year, my heart told me that it didn't make sense to pay the extra money to stay on site, but I couldn't ignore all the "Disneyholics" on websites such as this who told me I just HAD to stay onsite or I would be missing so much. So we divided our stay: 3 days at ASMu (49/night) and 3 days at the Days Suites (29/night). Now, the Days Suites has gotten many bad reviews on this website and is certainly no 4-star hotel. But my family liked it much better than ASMu, which should tell you how we felt about that. I will never, ever stay onsite again - unless of course, I win a trip (fat chance)!!!

 

[madge]

we did a week at the HGVC and a night at the Dolphin. we have 3 kids (13, 7, and 1 year). we loved having all the space at the HGVC....the kitchen was nice, to. but the single biggest stress relief at the HGVC was the fact that there is more than one TV!!! we didn't have to watch cartoons or worry that if we put something on that is inapporopriate (after bedtime), like the Sopranos, that they would wake up and see.....

to be fair, we did not do parks every day. we only went to epcot, and that was on a Sunday morning, so traffic wasn't an issue. there is a lot of road work going on in Orlando right now, so that is something to think about....

we stayed at the Dolphin one night as well, the room there is large enough for all of us, even with a crib.

 

[emmalgin]

The OP was based on my enjoyment of some privacy and not being able to go go go for 12 hours per day at the parks. A kitchen is for cereal or toast and coffee some mornings and kids who like some microwaved mac and cheese and to relax some nights with takeout.

I can't believe some people can stuff 5-6 people in a room. And share one bathroom.

I will only give in if we go on a cruise that includes children's programs!!!