Why stay on site anymore?

[mikesmom]

We've been to Disney 6 times, never used EE, and up to 2 years ago never (yes, that's NEVER) stayed onsite. Three years ago we decided to "splurge" and stay onsite "just once". That did it! What an improvement in the quality of the vacation!

While we had liked several of the offsite hotels, quality and space could be spotty. Disney has always been consistent about quality. In addition, the ability to head back to the room for a rest and return changed things from an exhausting trip to a real vacation. Yeah, I know we could have gone back to the hotel and returned (we never stayed very far away) but the hassle of getting off property and fighting the traffic was just too much. Once we got back to the hotel we tended to stay there. You think WDW is crowded, wait until you try and fight your way thru Kissimmee traffic. "One mile from the Disney gate" can take 30 to 45 minutes of driving!

Plus being on property enabled the teens to keep going when DH and I needed a rest. The experience was SO much better we bought DVC within the month of that first onsite and have never looked back.

 

[RussH]

Normally this is one of those threads that I would just pass on but now is a good time.
I stay on site normally at ASMu and EE was one of the reasons. Used it every day as a starting point then went to yesterdays EE around 11. Was there in September when no-body even cared about EE and then again in December without it and I have adjusted fine to the change.
The reason I stay on site is transportation. I like having a cocktail in the afternoons and I go to PI several times during a visit. For me its simple "have a drink dont drive" use the bus. I might be the only person in the entire world to use this reason for staying on site but to me it is proper and easy to justify.
RussH

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by RussH
The reason I stay on site is transportation. I like having a cocktail in the afternoons and I go to PI several times during a visit. For me its simple "have a drink dont drive" use the bus. I might be the only person in the entire world to use this reason for staying on site but to me it is proper and easy to justify.
RussH

Russ- Believe me, we feel the same way as you do! We've done the "Epcot Crawl" more times than I want to remember, and it's great to be able to walk back to our room at the BC or BW, or get on a Disney bus and be deposited at our resort.

Leave the driving to them!

Anne

 

[SeaSpray]

We stay onsite for many reasons: transportation, proximity to the parks, the theming of the resorts, and because DH and I don't drink alcohol often while out because we will not drink and drive, but at WDW, we can BOTH have a drink together and not have to worry about it!

Whether there are EE's or E-nights or not, doesn't matter to us at all.

 

[Grumpygal]

For us it works best to stay on site because in a party of all adults there is more flexibility. If someone wants to go somewhere else or back to the room they can do that and not worry about stranding anyone else in the party without a car.

Also we've stayed both on and off site ands with one of the people in our party in a wheelchair, let me tell you, on site is so much easier. No more folding the chair up and stuffing it in the trunk and then pulling it out again, only to be repeated over and over all week long.

In the past EE was a big feature and we used it in September and there was barely anyone there using it at all. I've pretty much resigned myself to not having it at all when we go in May and truthfully its not bothering me at all. I'll make some early PS's for character breakfasts and get my early start that way. I know crowds could be a problem, but sometimes its kind of fun to get "lost" in that crowd and meet new people.

 

[Grumpygal]

For us it works best to stay on site because in a party of all adults there is more flexibility. If someone wants to go somewhere else or back to the room they can do that and not worry about stranding anyone else in the party without a car.

Also we've stayed both on and off site ands with one of the people in our party in a wheelchair, let me tell you, on site is so much easier. No more folding the chair up and stuffing it in the trunk and then pulling it out again, only to be repeated over and over all week long.

In the past EE was a big feature and we used it in September and there was barely anyone there using it at all. I've pretty much resigned myself to not having it at all when we go in May and truthfully its not bothering me at all. I'll make some early PS's for character breakfasts and get my early start that way. I know crowds could be a problem, but sometimes its kind of fun to get "lost" in that crowd and meet new people.

See you in May.

 

[GeorgeG]

It may cost more, but staying onsite is part of the overall experience for us. In fact, we would probably stay onsite even if we had a free place to stay off-site.

 

[mrsltg]

I for one vote for staying onsite. Sounds corny, but it feels like "magic" to me!

Don't get me wrong, though. I don't do it for the "ease of transportation". I rent a car and drive myself EVERYWHERE. I've never had a problem getting parking (must be the time of year that we go) and haven't had to hop a single tram! I did find the bussing system to be far less than stellar. I wouldn't make a decision to stay onsite because of this! :

 

[Bob NC]

I guess by 'ease of transportation', I also meant the 'closeness' of the parks to the resorts. We too, have a car whenever we are at WDW. After numerous trips without a car and numerous trips WITH a car, we have found that we save hours every day, (that's right, I said hours), by having our own transportation.

 

[mickey7861]

For my family Disney means staying on site. We stayed on site before EE and we'll stay now that it's gone again. We only used it once or twice over the years anyway. We've stayed onsite before e-nights and we'll stay now after it. The buses may be slow but we find it a nice convenience. We have a car with us but use it to go places outside of WDW. We just love the Disney feel from staying with Mickey.

 

[Piglet203]

I would never stay off site if I can help it. Staying on Disney property offers so much more than EE days and E-ride nights. I love to stay right in the heart of Disney!!! There is something special about staying with Disney that cannot be matched anywhere else. The treatment that everyone receives while staying on Disney property is great!!!! Don't forget the convenience of staying on the property. You can't beat the buses, food court, wonderful pools, shops, etc. I love staying on the property and am so glad Mickey76 and I will be staying at CSR from May 25 to June 5!!!!!! I can't wait.

 

[ContempoSMT]

dISney is disney is disney. Staying off site stinx compared to staying on site. I will not dare stay off site ever again cause it takes away all the magic

 

[Neeter]

Mainly, the only benefit of EE for our family was helping us decide what park NOT to do on which day. We always knew if MK was EE on that day; we went somewhere else, because of course MK was going to more crowded that day than the other parks.

Also, not everyone in our family are "morning people" so it always made for a much better time not having to force those folks out of bed so early every morning. EE didn't benefit our family enough for that! LOL!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Kisby
I'm very disappointed that Disney has dropped early entry and won't have e-nights in August when we will be there.

I'm starting to wonder what the advantages are of staying on Disney property? Obviously, proximity is an advantage, but am I paying an extra $100 per night just for that?

Well for us no more early entry does not matter. We never used early entry. We would go to one of the parks that did not have early entry that day and found that that was a very nice way to tour.

The advantage is the atmosphare. I cannot put into words the feeling we have when we are on property. As far as high prices there are many discounts avaiable and the All Stars can be had for less then $100. We would not pay rack rate for a deluxe and stay on property but the Swan and Dolphin also offer good discounts.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[jamsmom]

We only liked EE for MGM. But, knowing how much we liked it, I feel sorry for those who always used EE. I also don't carfe for parks closing earlier.

However, I will always stay on site for several reasons. The theming in the hotels and the transportation just to name a couple. As a single parent, I feel much safer on site. Also, since I HATE driving, much less in a new place, the Disney transportation is a god-send for me.

 

[mjenni27]

To be fair, there are plenty of other hotels with good theming! Holiday Inn has the kidsuites. That is great for those of us with younger kids. And it comes with a continental breakfast. True the transportation is certainly more reliable on site. And true the Allstars are cheaper than the $100 more a night, but the moderates are comparable to most of the outside hotels in size, it would appear. And the deluxes are a small fortune! For my wife and I, the decision to stay onsite boiled down to one thing. There is only one first time going to disney! We wanted this to be a vacation our son would never forget. So, we made a decision to spend more so that he could have the "experience". The experience of waking up to a telephone call from Mickey. The experience of being able to come and go from the parks to his hotel throughout the day (so going back to the hotel does not mean that his day there is over which staying offsite may mean because it is just easier that way). The experience of feeling like he was sleeping at DisneyWorld because he is young enough to not realize that the hotel is a hotel. I am upset about the removal of EE. When my wife and I got married in '93, we looked forward to taking our children back, staying onsite and them getting to get into the parks "early" and them feeling special. In that way, I feel that Disney has cheated us all. For close to a decade they have marketed this as one of the great things about staying onsite and now they take it away because "nobody" uses it. Even better a reason to keep it. They give you all kinds of "perks" with your tickets that most people do not ever use (I don't golf, so what would I want a ticket with golfing included for). It would seem if they were wise they would have kept this because the customers percieve it as a perk, better to lose $1000/ yr paying people to show up early and not be needed than to lose $10,000/yr revenue from people who would have stayed onsite but didn't see any special reasons to justify the additional cost. I think the boneheads in management screwed up on this one. Just my two cents worth.

 

[DisneyVillans]

We're staying on sight for the third time this August. I never even considered staying off sight. We had decided to skip EE this trip because it is just too early for us. We're from the West Coast and really enjoy the later afternoon and evening time more.

Why do we stay on sight? Storm Along Bay! Where else can you stay at a water park? Concierge service. We really appreciate and utalize the perks. Also, we always do a plan where our meals are prepaid. My DH would choke if he had to cough up the price of meals. Just handing a card to the server is painless. It's paid for. Want lobster? Go for it. It is easier for me to budget and save to pay for the trip before we go. Just couldn't get the prepaid meal perk staying off sight. I know that some folks feel that the prepaid meals is not a bargin, but we are from a small town with limited restaurants. The chance to eat in nice service restaurants is a real treat for us! It is a big part of our vactation!

 

[mjenni27]

Fair enough that you like the thrill of eating at a lot of different restaurants. And if you can afford the meal plan, I think it is a great way to go. I cannot afford it and the prices of the food onsite amazes me. We also come from a small town with few restaurant choices, but our prices are nowhere near the WDW prices!!! My DW and I plan on splitting entrees to get it closer to what we are used to spending ($6-10 per entree)

 

[ckb_nc]

I stayed offsite this January and onsite last May. Onsite really increased the Disney feeling. The hassle of leaving and returning tp the hotel or condo is real. We found that while off-site, we tended stay longer at the parks because we knew that returning was a probably to going to happen. Onsite is very convenient, regardless of EE or e-night. The magic of Disney, although costly, is special. Although our offsite accomdations were very nice, staying onsite was much more special.

 

[mjenni27]

What upsets me so much about the removal of EE is that they basically did false advertising!! I started planning our trip in the fall of 2001 and on page 67 of the fall/winter Orlando Visitors guide disney has an ad that states "you can use your Theme Park ticket to get in early on selected days". That is a lie. The high ups had already decided to give it the axe before this was gone to print so they basically lied to people!!! Not a good way to keep customers happy.