Why do you stay offsite?

[theparsons]

We use Skyauction. Through Skyauction we've stayed at CPGV, Vacation Village and a few other REALLY nice places. In September we'll be staying at Cypress Pointe Phase I and then Grand Beach I, both 3 bedroom units. Of course, the key to Skyauction is being flexible. First I check to see what is available and then I plan my vacation. It would never work at peak times (Christmas, Spring Break, peak Summer travel dates), but we've never been disappointed in any of the places we've stayed.

Is Skyauction ONLY condo/townhouses? I can't seem to find any single family homes. Pool doesn't matter to me, but I prefer not having to share walls with others, lol. I want my peace and quiet, and I don't want to spoil others' when we're feeling rowdy (or the kids are).

 

[cey]

We have did the disney accommodation thing over the last 15+ years and now prefer to stay offsite. We much prefer the peace and quiet of our own vacation villa, own pool and own spa!
Our last experiences staying at Disney were not Magical due to the noise and rowdiness of the groups also staying in the hotels. I had no idea when these people slept! I do miss some of the "Magic", but it is really hard to remain upbeat even at WDW when you have little or no sleep! Times have changed at Disney and some hotel visitors seem not to be respectful of other visitors and seem only to concentrate on their holiday, no matter how rowdy that is. I know you can experience problems staying in any hotel, condo etc., but staying in your own villa/house really seems to minimize it! The important thing to remember is to do what is best for your family and stay in the accomodations which best fit your type of holiday, Disney or not! You don't have to stay in Disney to experience the MAGIC!

___________________

Cheryl

 

[Dallas_Lady]

This will probably be our last on-site trip. As our family grows, the lure of a pool home is tempting. The kids having their own rooms, a private pool in the backyard, a full kitchen, and to top it off, all the less than that price of a room at Disney... yeah, this will be our last on-site trip

 

[ICF]

We are going for the 3rd time as a family this Oct and have always stayed off-site. We can get a 2 or 3 BR condo for less then a night in a Value Resort. Our 2BR Condo this trip for a week (7 nights) is going to be $350ish.

We have a full kitchen, 2 baths, a living room and are on Sherberth rd so it will be a short drive to the parks.

We just enjoy the additional space and can go to the WalMart close by and get plenty of food to use for breakfasts, snacks or meals while in the Condo.

I always hate trying to get 2 little kids to fall asleep in a "normal" hotel room. One night trips are bad enough doing that, I couldn't imagine doing it for a week.

 

[tinaluis]

Is Skyauction ONLY condo/townhouses? I can't seem to find any single family homes. Pool doesn't matter to me, but I prefer not having to share walls with others, lol. I want my peace and quiet, and I don't want to spoil others' when we're feeling rowdy (or the kids are).

Yes, Skyauction is only condos/townhouses. In the past we've had to deal with a few noisy guests dragging chairs across the floor above us, or noisy neighbors next to us, but it doesn't really bother us too much. I'm sure our kids have made a little too much noise at one time or another, although we do try to be considerate of others at all times.

 

[wiserabbit]

My family (DH, 3 kids) have stayed both on and off-site...in a variety of hotels from cheap to expensive - and I have to say that the on-site is usually the best - the moderate priced resorts are a good choice for a stay (we usually brought an inflatible mattress for the extra kid)....we never participate in dining plan - and to save money we would stock our cooler for the room with snacks and sandwich stuff/drinks...

Off-site - to be close to Disney - on Palm Parkway (just outside the Downtown Disney area) there are several "suite" properties (we stayed at Hawthorne Suites) with a separate 1 or 2 bedrooms living room with sofa sleeper and kitchen area - they also served a full hot breakfast included with your room rate. The location was ideal - short dirve to disney property and a great value if you are off site...

The Disney Magic is immediately evident on-site and you can't beat the feeling of Pixie Dust everywhere - but we enjoy it either way...

Have fun planning your trip! December is a great time to go...

 

[amery]

At the end of the day for us, it comes down to 3 factors; RCI, budget and non-WDW activities.

While there are definately perks to onsite visits (ME from the airport and EMH to name a few), our RCI memberships gets as good of if not better accomodations than those of DVC. As we also like to hit the 'other' side of Orlando, having a car allows us to do just that.

Just once though, it would be nice to stay onsite for the experience. We may actually get a chance to do that next Summer at Swan or Dolphin.