Worried about staying off property! Help!

[Mari annie]

You can still go to the resorts and eat, etc.

We did that for a while, we stayed on property for years then did the condo time share thing for two years, now we have a 2nd home there, no condo, a house........proud of that one*LOL!
anway, we have AP's to all the parks and we still go to the resorts to eat, drink, walk around, etc etc.

Magic is where you make it, it's not the hotel or room..........lol




Go enjoy yourselves!!!

So much to do in Orlando, it's mind boggling.... and we've been going for 18 years...................lol

 

[leanan]

My daughter loves going to the hotels to hang out, eat, and shop as well. She would rather hotel jump than go to the theme park. She is a silly girl.

 

[pewing]

I am SO glad to find this thread. As you see...we are taking the plunge and trying offsite for our upcoming trip. I got a deal at Sheraton Vistana Resort that I could NOT pass up! [4 nights in a 2 BDR condo for $149! with no timeshare talk!]

We got a great rate for two more nights...still the whole six days will cost <$600!

PLUS...it's 2 Bedrooms with a kitchen and a LR! With three kids (including one toddler) I can not imagine staying in one room for a week. Even when we travel on short trips...we like to stay at Embassy Suites so we have an extra room.

But...I have been SO nervous about staying offsite. I will have to make it back to the hotel some afternoons by myself b/c baby girl will have to take a nap every day. The boys might come back a couple of days and swim, but I want them to be able to do 'big boy' stuff too .

 

[Kimberle]

We've done both. During our off site stay, we were able to do lots of other things as well. We went to Sea World, US, outlet shopping, etc. Plus, we ate at lots of different resturants. No, it's not the "same" vacation as staying on site. It is the vacation that you "make it"! Just do a bit more planning.

 

[Mainebound]

But...I have been SO nervous about staying offsite. I will have to make it back to the hotel some afternoons by myself b/c baby girl will have to take a nap every day. The boys might come back a couple of days and swim, but I want them to be able to do 'big boy' stuff too .

I was nervous my first time with the car too. DH usually does all the driving when we travel (I am the "navigator"), but I knew sometimes I would have to drive by myself back to the pool home so my mother could rest while DH stayed at the parks with the boys. Well, I think it is one of the easiest places I've ever driven. The signage is excellent, wide roads, no pedestrians, lots of signals for left or right turns, and rarely have I hit traffic.

Vistana gets a lot of good reviews. I do think there are strategies for getting into newer rather than older units, so you might want to start a thread, or see if a search works.

We love our offsite trips -- leaving for one in a few days!

Have a great trip!

 

[rie'smom]

We stayed offsite last May and it was great! There was a game room and laundry area in the garage. We didn't use the kitchen except for the fridge. There were 3 bathrooms for 4 people-that was fantastic. Our 12yo daughter and her friend loved the pool in the backyard. I loved the quiet-and the king sized bed.

 

[karriern]

I'm glad to see that I'm not alone with my worrying. With all these great responses though, I'm feeling better . Now I just need to figure out which time share to exchange through . We have RCI points.
I know there as many opinions as to the best place to stay as there are people, but I'd like to be kinda close to parks. Any advice would be great! Thanks!
I'm really going to like sending my DS 10 to bed before we go! In a DW hotel room that is just not possible. He's a light sleeper--and no way is he going to sleep while the adults are still up(in the same room). And I'll admit it--I'll love having some private time with my husband

 

[MinnieMom]

We have stayed offsite more than we have onsite just because I feel so much more relaxed when we are offsite. I still feel the magic -- I just feel less stressed about being cramped in a small room with 2 young kids! LOL!

Like others have said, the magic is what you make of it. I always feel that our vacations are magical just because we are all together and, when staying in a nice home or condo, we are all so much more comfortable that we just feel better.

I don't know the ages of your kids, but there are little touches you can add to make it feel more magical for them (and you!). I always bring some Disney themed shampoos and soaps to use and I'll get the kids new washcloths at the Disney Store to use during the trip. I also put out special "gifts" from the characters over night while they are sleeping. Dd usually gets a costume one night and maybe a journal or something another night. I'll have a Disney t-shirt for DS one night and a light up toy or something similar.

Really -- it is what you make of it! And besides, you're going to be at Disney . . . what could be better?!?!

 

[eddieras]

We leave the craziness of the parks and come home to space for all of us to decompose

yikes! that would really start to get a bit smelly after awhile - especially in the heat

 

[NU2WDW]

Maybe it's not my place to comment, being new to the Disney experience and all, but for our upcoming 2-week visit in June we've rented a villa. For one thing, my stepDD and in-laws will be joining us, so it will be 8 of us, total. We'd need a bare minimum of two hotel rooms and frankly, I can't even fathom DH, me, and our three under-5-yr-olds sharing even a "deluxe" room for a week, much less two! The house we have has 5 BRs, 3 BAs, a pool, kitchen, game room, all kinds of "bells & whistles", and the price is incredible compared to what we'd pay staying on Disney property. Even if the cost worked out a bit higher, it would be well worth it for the space and amenities. I don't think I'd be feeling much "magic" all cooped up in a hotel room! This way, we can all just spread out and relax, fix meals and snacks when we want, let the kids "go" a bit.... Ahhhh, I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pewing]

...I don't know the ages of your kids, but there are little touches you can add to make it feel more magical for them (and you!). I always bring some Disney themed shampoos and soaps to use and I'll get the kids new washcloths at the Disney Store to use during the trip. I also put out special "gifts" from the characters over night while they are sleeping. Dd usually gets a costume one night and maybe a journal or something another night. I'll have a Disney t-shirt for DS one night and a light up toy or something similar.

Really -- it is what you make of it! And besides, you're going to be at Disney . . . what could be better?!?!

Thanks...those are great tips Now if I can only learn how to make towel animals

I am starting to feel better and better about this decision. One room (and one bathroom) for 5 people for a week...yikes!

How about transportation? Do you always drive and park when you are offsite? We are staying at Sheraton Vistana Resort and they said they have a shuttle. Has anyone used it? Good? Bad? Ugly?

Having never stayed offsite...this is all new In the past...we have flown and not even gotten a car!

Thanks for any tips!

 

[KayR]

We always fly and rent a car. That way you are not dependent on any shuttle schedule or having to wait around for the shuttle which then may be full. It is easy to drive to attractions, restaurants or to get groceries. To me, having a car helps us to make the magic happen in the vacation. If the kids are tired or the parks are toooo busy, we can just get in the car and go home to play in the pool.

If we want to go somewhere for a meal or just because, we can get in the car and go.

If we want or need more groceries - it is easy to do.

I don't like having to do my vacation on someone else's schedule. Waiting around for shuttles is not my idea of fun!! I like to be able to be flexible.

Obviously some people will feel differently about it, but that is just MHO

--Kay

p.s. enjoy your stay off-site. You will love the extra space!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I know what you mean. We just purchased a timeshare condo from my parents, which is a mile away from WDW entrance. Therefore we are going to be staying offsite alot. I love the whole Disney magic when staying on site, so I conned my DH to letting us stay on site for a couple of days before checking into our condo.

 

[Dis1978]

I am also worried about staying off site. The cost of 2 rooms at POR though was so much that we have booked Hyatt grand cypress villa instead. Have compromised though and got a good APH rate later in the holiday for 6 nights at AKL. I think that when we have been in a villa will be really tough to stay in small hotel rooms again. I am not sure about AKL, the rooms are very small.
If anyone has stayed at Hyatt please let me know what you thought of it.

 

[U2_rocks!]

We are exchanging into Cypress Pointe with RCI next month. It's a few traffic lights up from the Downtown Disney gate, and very close to restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacy etc. Very convenient! It isn't the most luxurious resort compared to the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, or even Vistana, but it's nice enough. The great thing for us was that the point value was much lower than some of those other places, so it was a very economical exchange. I stayed at CP via Hotel Kingdom rental last year and I enjoyed it, so I figured I'd stick with what I know! I rented a car last year and it was very easy to get around. We actually like having a car because we don't like to immerse ourselves in Disney 100% - we have a lot of other interests. Plus, we're staying for 2 weeks, so we will have time to explore. There are definitely advantages to offsite!

 

[Del]

I love having the extra room and I love not having to eat at all Disney restaurants.....Sometimes I just want something light and easy. I don't know if we'll ever go back to on-site.

Del