Yeah... We're just offsite kinda' folks... (sorry, long rant)

[Cruz91]

And I'm convinced that anyone who stays Onsite and doesn't turn into a "disney" person is doing it wrong.

OK - I know the thread title and first line are two different topics, but they're related - let me explain...

We originally booked a townhome at WH starting today (all the way through 1/1/11!!). Long story short, we ended up flying down yesterday and needed a place to crash one night. In our previous 9 trips, we'd never stayed onsite. Well - what a better chance to do it than this?! So we booked 1 night at ASM. Our flight arrived on-time and we let DME take our bags while we drove to the hotel (yeah, I know, I know, I know). Anyway - we checked in and were "family of the day" at the hotel. Cool. So we got a woman who walked us to our rooms, took a picture, gave us 4 balloons, and that's pretty much the end of that story. Nothing special, but kinda' cool. We went to MK and had a blast (perfect weather ). It was a MVMCP, so we left the park around 7. Got back to the room and our bags still weren't there - so we called and asked. I thought it was something to do with us not riding the bus (I know, I know, I know), but I was assured that wasn't the issue. For some reason - even though our flight arrived on-time at 12:25 PM, our bags still hadn't made it to our room by 7:30?!?! Anyway, they came about 30 minutes later.

The night of sleep with the 4 of us in 1 room was horrible. There was a lot of noise (people talking, kids yelling, doors slamming, stomping above us, etc, etc, etc). We got up early this AM to take advantage of EMH at DHS and I called around 7:15 to get help with our luggagge. They said they'd be over in 5 minutes. 30 minutes later, still nobody there, and I ended up carrying all our luggage to the car myself. Not a HUGE deal, but annoying.

We went for EMH at DHS and it was all good. Left around noon (with 8 FP's for TSM in-hand, which we'll use later tonight), hit WalMart Super Center, and are now at the condo where kids and wife are napping before heading back. We have a 3 BR, 3 BA townhome in WH for 14 nights, and the grand-total including cleaning, taxes, pool heating, etc is $1700, or $121.42/night. The one night at ASM was, unbelievably, $121.82.

So why are folks who are staying on-site and who DON'T turn in to Disney people doing it wrong? Because if the experience I had last night was indicative of Disney, I wouldn't be nearly as big of a fan either. We like spreading out, we like having separate rooms, we like eating a meal or two in the condo each day (usually breakfast and maybe dinner every 2 or 3 days). We like the private splash pool. We like the freedom of having our own car and not waiting 30 minutes for a packed bus. Plus, we got from DHS to WH today FASTER than we got from MK to ASM last night - and traffic wasn't a factor.

Now - those who DO stay Onsite and LOVE it - I'm not hatin' on you. Everyone has their own preferences and likes and dislikes. It's all good. What I'm saying is - for those of you who stay onsite and DON'T fall in love, I BEG you to try offsite just ONE time and see if you too don't join the bandwagon. And when you do decide to try, PM me and I'll give you the other pointers that will make staying offsite even more enjoyable!

 

[swilshire]

I'm with you. We stayed three or four nights a few years ago at the Pop Century to get free dining before moving into a 3br pool house at Summer Bay. The soundproofing was pitiful (as bad as any cheap hotel I've stayed in) and sleeping four to a tiny room with one bathroom was miserable.

We loved the resort theming, but the bus service was so slow that we always drove to the parks. I just don't get it.

We will make our second stay on site next June, but we traded into a 2br at the Wilderness Lodge Disney Vacation Club. THAT I'm looking forward to.

Sheila

 

[Chelley00]

When we go as a family, we will always stay offsite. We need the space, extra bathrooms. We love our own private pool and hot tub. I like the kids having their own rooms for this light-sleeper of a mom.

I've stayed onsite twice...once at AKL and once at the Poly, when going with a smaller group. There are pros and cons to onsite and offsite, but our offsite vacations have been cheaper, less stressful and more relaxing for our family.

 

[spiceycat]

love both onsite and offsite.

last trip was offsite - grand beach - it was lovely.
but also love staying onsite - reason I brought DVC. there are things about both that I love.

yes the bigger rooms offsite. Onsite transportation you park the car and forget it. You can ride WDW buses/monrail/boats.

Now before DVC use to really feel rushed when stayed onsite. had to do alot because of the price.

but offsite heck if you miss a day or more going to the parks not a big deal.

now one of the things that I have never really loved is eating out at Disney. but hey with even a studio you get a kitchennett. So that is no longer a problem.

then again a value resort should be a value and to me anything over $100 IS NOT A VALUE.

 

[snowangel72]

Back at cha. We are off site people too and LOVE it. We are trying out Bonnet Creek this time around and I am excited that it's a bit more resort ish but we will still have the bedrooms and kitchen. The four of us in one hotel room for a week = please shoot me

 

[twooley2]

We have done both and while I agree that more room is nice onsite thus we bought DVC and have a full kitchen and multiple rooms, there are downsides to offsite. I hate driving in orlando, I also like the hustle and bustle of being in the middle of the chaos. I also feel more secure booking through Disney than just some general person where I worried till vacation if they are trustworthy or not. It all turned out for the better but I have heard horror stories of otherwise. I like waking up and going out of my room straight to breakfast at a restaurant at the resort too. I like seeing all the families in their happiness

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't think it's so much an "onsite" vs. "offsite" question, but "hotel room" vs. "more" question. I've enjoyed my onsite stays, but they've all been in DVC villas though timeshare exchanges. I've never done a "regular hotel room."

 

[DonnaL]

We've also done both...we've been DVC members since 2001...so have used DVC accommodations vs. hotel room onsite since that time. However, we did rent a large 7 bdrm house at Acadia Estates two years ago for a family reunion of about 16 people and it was a very nice experience....one which I'm sure we will repeat in the future. And, I also made the arrangements for friends to stay at a Windsor Hills townhouse...who were planning a trip to WDW during the same time period we were going to be there (unfortunately we didn't have enough points for them to stay at DVC with us).....they loved it.
We went over to see the place and I was very impressed with it also. I do have to agree with Brian Noble.....I believe it really is a matter of hotel room vs. more.....not so much as onsite vs. offsite. While the theming at Pop Century and All Stars is great I really don't think I would be happy staying in a room with 3 other people there either.....as much as that may make me sound like a snob. I love staying in a 1 bdrm or 2 bdrm DVC unit........and while we do reserve studios when it's just DH and I traveling, we've been having conversations lately how much we prefer a 1 bdrm, so I think in the next few years as we get closer to retirement we will be adding some points to make 1 bdrms a reality for most of our trips. I also think as we begin to think about retirement we just may begin considering mixing up a few offsite locations with our DVC stays to make spending a good part of the winter months a mix of offsite townhouse and 1 bdrm DVC onsite.

 

[DonnaL]

We've also done both...we've been DVC members since 2001...so have used DVC accommodations vs. hotel room onsite since that time. However, we did rent a large 7 bdrm house at Acadia Estates two years ago for a family reunion of about 16 people and it was a very nice experience....one which I'm sure we will repeat in the future. And, I also made the arrangements for friends to stay at a Windsor Hills townhouse...who were planning a trip to WDW during the same time period we were going to be there (unfortunately we didn't have enough points for them to stay at DVC with us).....they loved it.
We went over to see the place and I was very impressed with it also. I do have to agree with Brian Noble.....I believe it really is a matter of hotel room vs. more.....not so much as onsite vs. offsite. While the theming at Pop Century and All Stars is great I really don't think I would be happy staying in a room with 3 other people there either.....as much as that may make me sound like a snob. I love staying in a 1 bdrm or 2 bdrm DVC unit........and while we do reserve studios when it's just DH and I traveling, we've been having conversations lately how much we prefer a 1 bdrm, so I think in the next few years as we get closer to retirement we will be adding some points to make 1 bdrms a reality for most of our trips. I also think as we begin to think about retirement we just may begin considering mixing up a few offsite locations with our DVC stays to make spending a good part of the winter months a mix of offsite townhouse and 1 bdrm DVC onsite.

 

[Cruz91]

I get that you can get the space we crave onsite, but what is the cost? From what I've seen - I can do TWO weeks at a typical Windsor Hills townhome for the cost of ONE week buying someone else's DVC points.

We are very, very blessed to come too often to afford enough DVC points for all the times we come. We have been averaging over two visits per year for the last 4 years - and our typical stay ranges from 8 days to about 10 - 12 days.

Granted, we have the extra expense of car rental - which this year is only $650 for 15 days of a minivan, including Christmas week.

Maybe for our spring break stay, I do need to check out a DVC point rental. I actually have it on my list of things to do next week to take a DVC tour. The parks are gonna be so crowded, I thought it would be a good way to escape a little bit of the crowd and check out something I've been thinking of doing for a while anyway.

 

[floydfamily4]

I had a similar experience last Nov. We stayed at WH for a week and decided to stay another night instead of going to the MVMCP. My DH knew I always wanted to stay onsite so we decided to book 1 night at Pop (what we could afford) after staying at WH. What a mistake!! There is no way to compare a 3bdr townhouse to 1 room at Pop. I felt like I went from a suite to a motel. Now if we were going to a DVC villa maybe not so much of a shock but $100 bucks a night (WH) to another $100 bucks a night option (Pop) was not good

To each his own but the values are not for us. I would love to have a daily housekeeping option and the space of WH for $150 a night - now that would be awesome!!

 

[jerseygirl81]

We have only stayed onsite and plan to stay offsite on a future trip we have found the values to be much more noisy than the moderates can't speak for the deluxes since we hav'nt stayed there but I would expect the same. We don't spend much time in our room and our stays are usually 5 to 7 nights, we usually go to the pool for a mid-day break, since we have a pool we like to go in the larger themed resort pools and fall asleep not long after coming back to the room at night. When we take a beach vacation we stay in a larger place either a home or a resort with a separate bedroom and kitchen, since we spend more time in the room it is nicer to have the space. Even if we stay offsite at Disney we would'nt cook dinner after walking around the theme parks and water parks we prefer to let someone else do the cooking its part of our vacation since we rarely eat out at home. We do eat a bowl of cereal in our disney room in the am to avoid the food courts and get to the parks. We tend to go to disney off season so the rates are'nt as high and we have gone during free dining which is a good savings with teenage boys & DH and myself. I think it depends on your family and what type of vacation you are looking to take. Linda

 

[blondietink]

We have done all options .... on-site in a hotel room, on-site in DVC villa (we are members) and off-site both in a cash hotel and at Vistana Villages, where we own. Both on-site and off-site has it's advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of staying on-site is the ability to get DDP whether out of pocket or "free". Also, the bus to MK is an advantage over the MK parking lot. In October, when we were at Vistana Villages, leaving Epcot after the fireworks at F&WF, the parking lot was a nightmare, but I am sure the resort buses were bad, too. We agree that drive times to an off-site place is often the same or shorter than taking the bus on-site. Also the EMH advantage can be a big factor if you go during a busy time.

Overall, we prefer the space we get by staying at a villa no matter where it is located. We love to save money by cooking at our villa and just getting snacks or counter service at the parks once per day. In April we will be staying at BCV for 7 nights and then moving over to Vistana Villages for 4 nights.

 

[RainbowsMist]

We've only ever rented pool homes...mainly because we have 3 children and the price it would cost us to stay onsite for 1 week we can get 2 weeks for a 4 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom pool home. Our last trip we really enjoyed our down days at the house. Everyone having their own space and being to relax in the privacy of our own pool was great! When doing the parks we always ate breakfast at the house and packed snacks for the park. DH doesn't mind driving down there..and he doesn't mind cooking so it's all good

That being said, I would someday like to try staying onsite..mostly because I want to try the dining plan and the experience...who know's I may hate it..or love it...but until it's just a DH and myself trip I can't see 5 of us in a hotel room..or 2 joining rooms. Financially is just doesn't make sense.

 

[torinsmom]

I have done both, but I am hooked on offsite now. Our 3 bedroom condo was much cheaper and more comfortable than a room at any level of hotel. I actually think the transportation was also quicker(we stayed at Emerald Island), except for MK, which took slightly longer. We were able to take our break each day and go back to the parks in the evening. Wi-fi was free and we even got to interact with a group of wild herons. We will either stay at Emerald Island or Windsor Hills next summer.

 

[twoplustwins]

we stayed at POR last year with a legal six (very cramped!!!). Next year we are staying at Bonnet Creek. I really look forward to spreading out, to all of us eating at the table together, the full kitchen, and washer and dryer. I wish I would have known all this last year.

 

[Frothy]

We rent a wonderful 6 bed pool home on Cumbrian Lakes and we love it. Have stayed on site but we've found we enjoy exploring the area and finding new things to do rather than just having a Disney experience. Comparing hotels to homes is easy as there's really no better way to stay than in a spacious home that saves $$$$'s!

 

[twooley2]

I get that you can get the space we crave onsite, but what is the cost? From what I've seen - I can do TWO weeks at a typical Windsor Hills townhome for the cost of ONE week buying someone else's DVC points.

We are very, very blessed to come too often to afford enough DVC points for all the times we come. We have been averaging over two visits per year for the last 4 years - and our typical stay ranges from 8 days to about 10 - 12 days.

Granted, we have the extra expense of car rental - which this year is only $650 for 15 days of a minivan, including Christmas week.

Maybe for our spring break stay, I do need to check out a DVC point rental. I actually have it on my list of things to do next week to take a DVC tour. The parks are gonna be so crowded, I thought it would be a good way to escape a little bit of the crowd and check out something I've been thinking of doing for a while anyway.

we bought DVC last summer and surprisingly it was not as bad as we thought it would be. I was going to rent but couldnt ever bring myself to rent DVC but took the tour an bought a small point contract.

 

[spiceycat]

I actually have it on my list of things to do next week to take a DVC tour. The parks are gonna be so crowded, I thought it would be a good way to escape a little bit of the crowd and check out something I've been thinking of doing for a while anyway.

don't buy at DVC - unless you decide you have to have BLT - they are cheaper (like all the other timeshares) resale.

of course Disney is putting out rumors of changing the way resales work - so you might wait and see.

that say for the first few years at owing DVC - it was OKW only. Sometimes we would say at WDW resort (they were lot cheaper point wise in those days)

but mostly OKW - so if I got a resales at OKW would not mind if that was the only resort that I could stay at.

 

[giginator]

I am an offsite convert! We stayed in Windsor Hills last year and will NEVER stay onsite again. We felt like we were home away from home. The kids called it our Disney house! So easy to get back and forth to the park, no waiting for busses and room to spread out and not deal with crowds at a hotel pool. Along with the community pool we had our own pool where I could sit with my coffee on the deck and watch the kids play. We will always stay in Windsor Hills and I tell everyone I know that's the way to go!!