Why do you stay offsite?

[rosiep]

This is my first trip to WDW and I have chosen to stay offsite for several reasons.

1. The main reason was that so the kids could have their own rooms. Its so difficult in a hotel room with small children. We spent evenings on our last trip to DL in the bathroom so that we wouldn't disturbe the kids.

That's a riot! I remember doing that! I promise you though...they'll grow up before you know it....then the tables turn and you're asleep and they're in the bathroom

 

[dgaston]

Just back from WDW, and one memory is while we were returning from Safari on the Savanna at the International Gateway, we decided to "steal" some air conditioning and fiound a dad parked in the hallway at the Beach Club Hotel in his words "doing sentry duty" while his kids napped. He had a chair from the room, newspapers and coffee, but it made me appreciate our 1 br at Cypress Pointe (and later in the week our DVC at Saratoga).

 

[Lisa BC]

1. We need some down time. We get plenty of Disney magic while we are in the parks. We really want a break from it at night. That's one of the reasons why we like OKW the best on-property.

2. Private pool and hot tub. Pool villas are the way to go with your own pool and hot tub right out your back door - no fighting for lounge chairs, use as many floaties and pools toys as you want, and drink & snack poolside... now that's vacation. Plus you don't have to hike the pool at the end of a busy park touring day.

3. Extra space with bathrooms and bedrooms.

4. Park at the door.

 

[FayeW]

I am going to be the lone dissenter in the crowd and say that since this is your first trip you should stay offsite, because that way you will never know what you are missing! As far as we are concerned, there is no "magic" to be found cramming 4 people into two double beds in a value or moderate resort for a week with one bathroom (and there is no way I am paying those crazy rates for the deluxes!)

We have been to WDW 3 times, and have never stayed onsite. We rent 2 bdrm condos offsite via skyauction and the most we ever paid was $261 for the week. Like the others, we all have a better vacation when the kids have their own beds, in their own room and we all get a good night's rest. The kitchen for meals, snacks and drinks is a time and money saver and coming home from vacation with clean laundry is a huge bonus for me.

If we had stayed on site the first trip, we wouldn't have had a second (or third). Because we were able to see how inexpensive a vacation to Orlando could be we were able to plan other trips.

 

[deejay-55]

It's a matter of 'horses for courses'. If you want the full on-site experience, then you will only get it on-site. For our part, when we used to stay on-site we found ourselves Disneyed-out after a few days. So we prefer off-site, and nearby, to experience not only Disney but also the other things on offer. Plus, we get our own private pool and spa!

 

[umaangel00]

We're a family of 6 and would require 2 rooms at a MOD or Value. Instead, we're staying two weeks in a 3 bedroom condo for $462 total for both weeks. That's about $33 a night!!! We'll all have space to spread out, have a full kitchen to whip up a few meals when the kids are too tired to go out to eat, a washer and dryer, a balcony and three bathrooms. We could never afford comparable accomodations at a WDW Resort.

As another poster mentioned, we do not utilize the on-site perks -- we always rent a car (no Magical Express or bus service), we don't take advantage of EMH (far too crowded when we tried it) and we certainly wouldn't pay for the DDP (although we enjoyed it when it was free last August).

But, as others have said also, if this is your first trip to WDW, then it is advisable to stay onsite. WDW really is a HUGE place!! We've been visiting at least 1x a year since 1993 and it took us a few trips to "get our bearings" and not get lost each time we ventured out. Now, Orlando is like a second home to us, but it took several years to feel comfortable (and we sometimes still take wrong turns here and there).

If you do not mind me asking, how do you get a condo so cheap? We are thinking of renting from Windsor Hills and its 600 for 1 week!

 

[dougsmom98]

Many people are suggesting you stay on site for your first trip because it is hard to navigate from off site. We always stay off site, I live in a very rural town in Maine and I am not used to driving on anything but country roads, and we find navigating to the parks from off site to be very easy.

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Many people are suggesting you stay on site for your first trip because it is hard to navigate from off site. We always stay off site, I live in a very rural town in Maine and I am not used to driving on anything but country roads, and we find navigating to the parks from off site to be very easy.

I agree with you. I live in another country and find Orlando easy to navigate.

 

[KLAIT]

yup, count me in with the easy to navigate off-site crowd

 

[Mainebound]

We actually find offsite easier and more relaxing with our kids, and started staying offsite with them when they were 3 and 5 years old. I found watching them in a pool home pool to be MUCH less stressful than keeping track of them in a large pool with a gazillion kids. I found driving in our rented car with them strapped into their carseats MUCH less stressful than trying to get them and their strollers into crowded buses and trying to get them to behave. I found having a quiet cool space of a house where we could spread out MUCH less stressful than trying to squeeze into a 400 sq ft room. DH and I got alone time at night. And we found the savings made for a less stressful trip financially.

That said... for your first trip, I would consider staying onsite. Disney takes care of everything, you don't have to worry about finding your way around, it is easier in many ways, and then when you decide to stay offsite eventually, you will know what you are and are not missing!

 

[hinodis]

We are staying off site in a pool home because with my kids its all about the pool. They would much prefer to have their very own private pool to swim in anytime they want. We don't have to pack anything up and walk to a crowded pool. We can grill out on our lani right next to the pool. We have a jacuzzi in the master bathroom and a hot tub built right off the pool. There is a mickey mouse kid pool built right off the main pool that is 1 and 1/2 feet deep and the ears are 6 inches deep. We have 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms in a 4,000 square foot home for a family of 5. There is a game room with air hockey, fooseball, electric darts and a pool table - no quarters here. We are about 2 miles to WDW. The price for 9 nights was $1,650.00, or $183 per night. The rental car was $246.25. Including our 6 day WDW tickets we spent $2821.25. We will also be going to Discovery Cove and Seaworld. We believe there is life outside of WDW and Orlando has alot to offer a tourist. I think the "magic" will be having a HUGE master suite with a sitting area that has french doors out to the lani and an amazing master bathroom.

 

[barbanm]

Believe me when I say we are HUGE Disney Fans and make it there every year (except when I was pregnant -- tough pregnancies) and we have done both on and off several times! And like others with 2 kids we LOVE having the extra space, the kitchen, washer/dryer and so on! We find it very easy to drive around and FASTER to get from place to place than waiting for the busses! Even park hopping we have found faster by car than by Disney Transportaion! (We always go during the slower times so not sure how this would work when lots get fuller)

With that said I still enjoy the 24/7 Disney but at this time in our life know it would not work for us!

Hope that helps!

Barbara

 

[tinaluis]

If you do not mind me asking, how do you get a condo so cheap? We are thinking of renting from Windsor Hills and its 600 for 1 week!

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.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I agree with the posters who say for your first time stay onsite. That being said, we tend to stay offsite more now than on. My kids are "disneyed" out and we like to do other things while in Orlando. The first 5 or so times we went we were onsite, but honestly there are so many wonderful places to saty in Orlando that we actually prefer offsite. I love the Universal resorts, I love the Ritz Carlton, and I really liked Gaylord Palms. Some of these properties blow away the Disney resorts and are very comparable pricewise.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We stay off-site because we regard our holiday as a Florida one and not just WDW.
Find the extra room, cooking facilities, private pool a big advantage when we stay in a private villa.

These days we do a split-stay, timeshare resort/DVC resort and villa - just find this gives us the best of everything.

 

[lissiesmum]

Wow, thank you so much for all of your posts! I think you helped me realize that just like when they say "home is where the heart is", I would say the same thing that the Magic is where your family is and what you make of it We will be there for 10 days, so the thought of staying in one of those little hotel rooms makes me cringe a little. I remember when I was little traveling with my parents and they watched TV while I was "asleep" and it kept me up for hours, then, as a teenager, reading in the bathroom myself while my parents were asleep in their beds! We will not be at Disney the whole ten days, maybe half of them. We're going to Universal for a day and maybe Sea World. We will have our own car, and I don't anticipate staying out at the parks until midnight so we probably wouldn't use the EMH. So, it makes more sense for me to stay offisite. Most of the villa sites rent for a week, so maybe we'll stay in a villa for a week, and a value or mod for three days if they won't rent for ten days. I guess I should ask, do they rent the villas for more than seven days? I would think it would be difficult to go from a house with your own pool to a cramped hotel room! Thanks again for all your responses, you have been so helpful!

 

[lissiesmum]

PS...my DH and I are also what we call restaurant snobs What I mean by that, is, we hardly ever go out to eat and when we do, we like great service and delicious food for our money. From what I read about dining at Disney, it is mediocre at best. I think this might be another reason to stay offiste because you get more for your money at offsite hotels? Oh, and one of you mentioned to stay away from I93...is it too congested there with a lot of traffic? Are there any other offsite areas to avoid?

 

[sympatico]

Most villa owners rent for any amount of days. Usually if you stay less than seven you might be charged a cleaning fee. We usually go for anywhere from 9 to 12 days. In the Orlando areas because there are so many places to rent owners are very flexible with the amount of days and their rates.
We rent from owners so that we can pick the exact home we want and where we want and with the amenities we want. We like the Formosa Gardens / Windsor Hill area because it's close to Disney ( west end of 192 ). We like WH in particular and have stayed there twice and upcoming in Nov. There's condos, townhouses and pool homes in WH with a large community pool / clubhouse. You can see the resort on www.windsorhillsrent.com .
Quote: Oh, and one of you mentioned to stay away from I93...is it too congested there with a lot of traffic? Are there any other offsite areas to avoid?
I couldn't find who posted this but there is no I 93 or even 193. There's route 192 that extends the length of Kissimmee but most subdivisions are located on roads just off 192 or further out on 27. I wouldn't stay on the far eastern end of 192 because it's older and have heard there's some bad areas there.

 

[portia9]

This is my first trip to WDW and I have chosen to stay offsite for several reasons.

1. The main reason was that so the kids could have their own rooms. Its so difficult in a hotel room with small children. We spent evenings on our last trip to DL in the bathroom so that we wouldn't disturbe the kids.
2. We chose a villa so that we could watch tv or relax by the pool when the kids are in bed. In a hotel room that is just not an option.
3. I love the idea of the washer/dryer in the villa. The last thing I want to do is spend part of my holiday queing to wash our clothes.
4. Disney transportation. Whilst I think its great that its available, I have listened to and read many posts about experiences of anything from 60-90mins to get to the parks from the value resorts. Thats just too big a chunk of the day getting there and back. And the price to stay at the deluxe properties was just too prohibitive for the length of time we were staying.
5. Having a full kitchen. I didn't want to have to eat out for every meal with two small children. And being able to keep snacks in the fridge will save us a lot of money.
6. The pool and hot tub. I imagine it is going to be nice of an evening relaxing in the hot tub after a busy day in the parks.
7. Just having the room to move around, not be on top of each other all of the time.

Don't get me wrong. I would like to try a couple of nights onsite. But each day when I read the boards I am just so pleased with the decision we have made to stay offsite.

I could have written this post-all the reasons above are why we are staying offsite except the transportation issue.

Yvette

 

[portia9]

If you do not mind me asking, how do you get a condo so cheap? We are thinking of renting from Windsor Hills and its 600 for 1 week!

When I was looking online I found that Windsor Hills seemed relatively expensive. We have ended up renting a 3 bedroom villa in Eagle Point.

Yvette