Why do you love staying offsite?

[kathy884]

I only wanted to add one thing, since we have a bunch of offsite fans here: consider home rentals for otehr vacations, too. We only do WDW every other year, and on the off years, take a driving trip. Last summer, we spent a week in a farmhouse in Amish country--it was a blast! It was a working dairy farm, my kids got to feed calves, gather eggs, and run around. Next year, we're still considering options, but there are places all over the world where you can rent a house for a week.

I just thought I'd mention it--especially for those of us with larger families.

We do timeshare rentals (our favorite) other places too. Besides renting these in Orlando (I've rented in Orlando maybe six different times), I've rented these in Palm Beach Shores, FL, Victoria, B.C., Sedona, AZ, Cancun, MX, and Puerto Vallarta, MX. I usually find rental on TUG2.net classified ads section or Redweek.com. I'm also a member of TUG2.net for $15 a year even though I don't own a timeshare, specifically so that I can read reviews of timeshares all over the country / world and have a good idea about whether or not I'd like to rent a property. Sometimes I've been a little creative too -- didn't see the week I wanted available for rent, but saw that someone had that week for sale at an inflated price (so I knew their week wouldn't sell), I contacted the person, asked if they'd rent to me, and they did for a good price (let me pay what the resort would have paid them for renting the unit and with me it was a sure thing where as with the resort it wasn't a guarantee).

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I'll haev to remember to look into timeshares if it seems applicable. Next year is way up in the air for us--generally, I plan way out due to having a large family. But, DD15 will be potentially looking at colleges (she'll be a junoir this fall), so next summer, we'll vacation around her college tours. We might possibly go to Virginia or PA again, depending on her choices. Then again, if she stays with the New England area, we can vacation anywhere, since that would be a day/overnight college tour. Then, we might go up to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia for vacation. So, it's really great to check out the house/timeshare rentals for any destination, get a feel for the location and what amenities you might like.

 

[jeff968]

I'll haev to remember to look into timeshares if it seems applicable.

Try and stay with a name brand if possible like Marriott, Hilton, or Sheraton. They ensure a high level of quality at their resorts. The one time we didn't stay at a name resort the overall resort experience was nowhere near as good.

 

[Leajess99]

I am planning a trip with my DH in a year or two. The Disney Resort thread had a question of why do you like staying onsite or offsite. Pretty much everyone loved staying onsite (surprise as its in the Disney Resort thread ) saying they loved the "bubble" of Disney.

So why do you love staying offsite? I am struggling because I know the benefits of onsite but I look to offsite and for the same price of a value (at times) I can get a much better hotel and it seems quieter.

So why do YOU love staying offisite??

We just got home from a week offsite and for us the savings was the best. We stayed at Silver Lake Resort through the Armed Forces vacation club so total cost with tax for the week was $394.

We had a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo with a kitchen. It also had a washer and dryer so we could do laundry which at a WDW resort would have cost us $2 a load and you can't just throw it in and go.

The resort also had 3 pools (2 in the main area and one is another area) as well as a hot tub. The room we were in also had a jacuzzi tub in the main bathroom.

I like the freedom of being able to watch something other than a Disney station while also not being stuck watching what the kids watch. I also like that the kids can go to sleep early if needed and sleep later than I do. Space to spread out is also nice especially with 2 teens and an 8 year old.

Doing all the cost analysis made the offsite a much better savings. We drive anyway so there is no added cost for renting a car like there is for those who tend to fly and even the $14 a day parking did not bring the price close. For us it would have cost a thousand dollars for the same period to stay on property and that was even with the military discount. Since we were a family of 5 this trip we had very few choices.

Also, the pool at our resort was not busy compared to what the pools at the Disney resorts have been while we stayed previously.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I used to be a DVC owner. Now that i don't own DVC anymore, financially i could only afford to stay onsite at a moderate. I could not go back to a hotel room. I would miss the full kitchen, laundry, and extra space. Staying at WBC in December and so looking forward to it.

 

[miralys]

The main reason I like staying off-site is simply due to time and money. I have stayed on-site twice (POFQ and PC). I enjoyed being in the "Disney Zone", however, I felt like we were wasting money, because we honestly just use hotel rooms on vacation to sleep and shower. There was so much at the resorts that we did not have time to see (pools, themed areas, etc). If I was taking a vacation that had a lot of down time at the hotel, then I would likely splurge for an on-site stay.

However, I know myself and my style of vacationing at WDW, and a relaxed stay will never happen. For literally half the cost of even a value resort, I can get a room off-site that will meet my needs, which are few (clean room, shower and working AC).

Also, the older I get, the more grouchy I get waiting for Disney Transportation!

 

[ellen82]

Now that I am thinking about it...what do you do if you can only afford a value onsite and you have kids. What happens when they go to bed if its just you and your spouse? I suppose you just sit in the room with them as they dont have balconies?

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

It's not so much that I like staying offsite better than onsite per se...it's more that I think that Bonnet Creek is so much nicer than DVC. We own both Wyndham points and DVC points, and I'll choose Bonnet Creek over a DVC resort every time. We get a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek...I just love the big balcony, especially if we can get a lake view. I also love the awesome pools, the lazy river, the free mini-golf, the playgrounds...I could go on and on. It's just a nicer resort to me and therefore I like staying there better than staying onsite.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I only wanted to add one thing, since we have a bunch of offsite fans here: consider home rentals for otehr vacations, too. We only do WDW every other year, and on the off years, take a driving trip. Last summer, we spent a week in a farmhouse in Amish country--it was a blast! It was a working dairy farm, my kids got to feed calves, gather eggs, and run around. Next year, we're still considering options, but there are places all over the world where you can rent a house for a week.

I just thought I'd mention it--especially for those of us with larger families.

I want to know more about the farmhouse rental. My kids would LOVE to have a vacation like that! How did you find the place? How expensive was it?

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Now that I am thinking about it...what do you do if you can only afford a value onsite and you have kids. What happens when they go to bed if its just you and your spouse? I suppose you just sit in the room with them as they dont have balconies?

We used to sit quietly in the dark. I didn't mind so much--I'm an early-to-bed type anyway. Dh would sometimes go out on his own. Or, we'd alternate, one staying in the parks late, the other taking the kids back to bed. Currently, we put the little two to bed in their room, and the teens stay up later, as does DH--I still go to bed early! But, Dh watches TV or reads orwhatever in the living area, no problem, and I do the same when I wake up at 5am.

I want to know more about the farmhouse rental. My kids would LOVE to have a vacation like that! How did you find the place? How expensive was it?

http://www.padutchcountry.com/members/MeadowView_K_Farm_Guest_House.asp

This is the specific place we stayed. I think it was ~$1200 for a week. We found it through the Lancaster County website. From there, we did a number of day trips--Gettysburg, Hershey Park, the Wilbur chocolate factory, etc. You can even arrange to eat dinner with an Amish family, if you're interested. While we didn't milk the cows (all done by machine), feeding the calves and gathering eggs were big for my little guys. Playing with the barn kittens was way up there, too. DD15 runs cross country, and the streets were clean enough that she ran barefoot daily--mind the road apples! The kids even pitched in to shuck corn with the family--this wasn't required, they just wanted to help, so we all did. We all had a really nice time there.

 

[TotoToo]

Try and stay with a name brand if possible like Marriott, Hilton, or Sheraton. They ensure a high level of quality at their resorts. The one time we didn't stay at a name resort the overall resort experience was nowhere near as good.

While it is true that the name brands tend to offer a consistency that is no guarantee. In fact I'd place a stay at a very well known, usually top quality resort as our worst experience. On the flip side a few visits to resorts that were independents we never would have picked turned out to be some of our best visits. The massive database of timeshare resorts on TUG is well worth the $15 membership to get a great amount of real feedback on virtually any timeshare. A great way to help find the real gems rather than the rather cookie cutter, but nice, look & feel of the name brands. Often at less cost too as a bonus.

 

[KelnRon]

Reasons we stay offsite:

Family of 6 ~ definitely saves us money in the long run! We love the extra space! We always stay in 2 or 3 bedroom resorts.

Love having a full kitchen ~ saves on food and able to store drinks/snacks easily

I must have a washer/dryer in my unit! Traveling w/ a big family, doing laundry is a must for us! Saves on suitcase space, I don't have to pack as much!

We have stayed at Mystic Dunes, Orange Lake, Vistana and just returned from Westgate Town Center last week. All were nice.

 

[ccgirl]

Now that I am thinking about it...what do you do if you can only afford a value onsite and you have kids. What happens when they go to bed if its just you and your spouse? I suppose you just sit in the room with them as they dont have balconies?

And that right there is one of the HUGE problems I have with the values. There are no balconies so my DH and myself had to turn off the lights and pretend we were asleep. We then had to whisper for the rest of the night. One night we sat right outside the door on the concrete.

It's not so much that I like staying offsite better than onsite per se...it's more that I think that Bonnet Creek is so much nicer than DVC. We own both Wyndham points and DVC points, and I'll choose Bonnet Creek over a DVC resort every time. We get a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek...I just love the big balcony, especially if we can get a lake view. I also love the awesome pools, the lazy river, the free mini-golf, the playgrounds...I could go on and on. It's just a nicer resort to me and therefore I like staying there better than staying onsite.

Do you happen to know if Bonnet Creek trades with RCI or Interval? I have both but they are both weeks so I don't know if that would matter.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Do you happen to know if Bonnet Creek trades with RCI or Interval? I have both but they are both weeks so I don't know if that would matter.

Bonnet Creek trades with RCI. I've seen it come up cheaply in RCI "Extra Vacations" before too.

 

[dsnycrzy]

I was reading the post similar to this one on the Disney Resorts board and was humored by the replies that staying onsite keeps you in the Disney "bubble", or staying offsite is "not the same", or by staying onsite you are "immersed in the magic" or away from the "real world". I know everyone has their preferences, but some of the replies seem a little humorous to me. I would probably be flamed to ashes if I posted this over in that thread. I think there are so many options and reasons behind choosing different options that there is a sense of pressure to validate our choices. But I could never understand why the whole onsite/offsite thing is such a big deal; and it especially humors me when there is an implication that staying offsite is "less" of a Disney vacation than staying onsite. I think just by being in Orlando in the vicinity of the WDW area you are in a Disney "bubble" as there are Disney related signs and memorabilia everywhere, JMHO.

Exactly, I could be at the HOJO or Suites at Old Town but as long as I'm in Orlando, I'm at DISNEY. I do stay on site and off site to extend my trip. Last time we did POP for a week,CBR for 3 days and then went off site for a week. We enjoyed the WDW Resorts some days while there and did some parks. Finished up our parks in the off site and used the last 2 days to relax because I've found that you do need a vacation from a vacation, especially a WDW vacation

 

[Planogirl]

Now that I am thinking about it...what do you do if you can only afford a value onsite and you have kids. What happens when they go to bed if its just you and your spouse? I suppose you just sit in the room with them as they dont have balconies?

It was often just me and DS so it was really odd for me. Luckily DS could sleep with a light on and I always left the TV on in case of outside noise. I would usually tune it to something unexciting like news or that endless Disney channel that would repeat over and over.

I could also read.

 

[shalom]

It isn't price with us. I love a lot of the Disney resorts and would stay there for free, but if it costs the same at this point we'd pick off site. We are condo people -- staying in a hotel room is not a vacation for us -- and the last time we were in Orlando we toured the DVC unit by Boardwalk. Much too small for us. The bedrooms were fine, but the living area was tiny, and the kitchen would not work for us At All. We don't do a lot of cooking on vacation but we always have snacks and stuff, resulting in at least a load of dishes a day, and I wouldn't have wanted to cope with them in that kitchen. Rather, I wouldn't have wanted to cope with the kids griping about it.

I always knew DVC units ran small and kinda figured we'd go for Old Key West if it came to it, but it turns out that OKW is the only Disney resort where, not only did no one particularly like it, but three of the kids actively disliked it. I didn't much like it myself, which was less of a surprise when I considered I've never liked the Caribbean Beach Resort, either, but not expected since I quite like OKW in pictures (except the pool).

I've always thought, and still think, what a lot of people consider "Disney Magic", I consider noise and higher psychic energy. Which I enjoy for a while, but at night I would rather go home someplace quiet, where I've got the pool to myself or just have to share it with my kids or another few people (we were in a condo but I still had the pool to myself most nights). We all really liked Saratoga Springs, so we may give that a shot sometime when we're traveling with a smaller entourage. Although I'll have to convince hubby he can zone out every evening to a Disney channel just as easily as he can with Discovery or the History channel.

Not to say that money isn't a factor. When we went, we could have traded into a 2BR DVC with our current timeshare for under $200 a night. The condo we stayed in, which was bigger, with a bigger (and screened-in) porch (and a pool ten steps from our porch door), was only $64/night. So we'd have to really love DVC to pay that difference more than a time or two. But touring the Disney resorts this time I realized money is definitely not the real reason we stay off-site. I do love visiting and eating at a lot of the Disney resorts, though, and since we're far from commando tourists, that's entirely doable.

 

[Dave1234]

Personally i think it would be hard to do Disney and Orlando in general staying offsite without a car. You really cant survive with the car. Here's a few website you coul use for offsite villa rentals, better to rent direct from an owner:

www.reunionprivaterentals.com
www.windorhillsrent.com