Staying On Disney Property VS Staying Off Property?

[cep101]

I need to make a decision in roughly a week. My husband and I have gone to Disney World before, but we have only stayed off of Disney property because their hotel's are so expensive. Recently I discovered the idea of renting DVC points which has made it much more affordable. So, is staying on Disney property worth the extra money?

For reference, it is almost double the cost of staying at an off site hotel that includes a kitchen. The hotel we are looking at for 7-nights is roughly $500.

What we would be doing if we stayed at a Disney property is:
Two Nights off-site
Two nights at Old Key West
Three nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View
This would cost us about a $1,000. So, I am wondering if staying at Disney would be worth the price increase in your opinion? We will be driving, so we will have a car.

We could also split the vacation down the middle splitting the days between two places (one off-site and one on-site). That would cost about $800.

 

[Alesia]

For me, no way.

I used to swear that I would never stay offsite. And then I actually tried it and it was fantastic.

It will be very difficult to justify staying onsite again, but if I do, it will be just my husband and I at a value resort. I cannot justify staying at a moderate or deluxe resort when I can have an entire house for well under $100 a night.

 

[chartle]

On the 3 trips we have done as a family we would have loved to stay on site but the numbers just don't work out.

We have stayed at the Buena Vista suites and we love the cost, the free real hot buffet breakfast, three queen beds, two real rooms and the closeness to the parks. We have always driven so getting to the parks is never an issue.

Only you can determine if it "worth it" but if you have the bucks I would go for it. We may once its just the two of us.

 

[cep101]

For me, no way.

I used to swear that I would never stay offsite. And then I actually tried it and it was fantastic.

It will be very difficult to justify staying onsite again, but if I do, it will be just my husband and I at a value resort. I cannot justify staying at a moderate or deluxe resort when I can have an entire house for well under $100 a night.

I was shocked by how cheap hotels are on Priceline! Even if they aren't rated very well there are SO MANY cheap options.

On the 3 trips we have done as a family we would have loved to stay on site but the numbers just don't work out.

We have stayed at the Buena Vista suites and we love the cost, the free real hot buffet breakfast, three queen beds, two real rooms and the closeness to the parks. We have always driven so getting to the parks is never an issue.

Only you can determine if it "worth it" but if you have the bucks I would go for it. We may once its just the two of us.

We would have a car because we are driving. I've heard so many reviews about how staying on Disney property "makes the vacation".

 

[teller80]

The idea of checking in and out three times would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[Alesia]

I was shocked by how cheap hotels are on Priceline! Even if they aren't rated very well there are SO MANY cheap options.

We would have a car because we are driving. I've heard so many reviews about how staying on Disney property "makes the vacation".

If you think hotels are cheap, check out vrbo.com or homeaway.com We stayed in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom house that was 15 minutes fromMK for $50 per night.

I have come to the realization that the "Disney bubble" is highly overrated.

 

[powellrj]

Check the pictures out on post #70.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/i-cant-shake-the-allure-of-staying-on-site.3366513/page-4

 

[dayvewc]

I've stayed mostly off-site, with one on-site stay. Personally, I loved the stay on-site, but not enough to permanently entice me to do so. I will do so when and as I can, but I an doing the quantity approach. I can afford to go every year if I don't stay onsite every time.

As a previous poster said, determining if it will be "worth" it to you, is up to you. I will say that since you are driving, you won't "need" the Disney transportation. And then having to check-in and out for 3 different places? No, I'd opt at that point to stay off-site and look at maybe a shorter on-site stay in the future. My one on-site stay so far was done on a get-a-way weekend when I was only able to go if I flew down. So, not having to rent a car, the quick escape, and being in the bubble for all 4 days made it definitely worthwhile, to me.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I think you have to determine what makes a vacation for you. If you are driving, would your main driver be tired and ready for a break for a few days once you are there?
My husband is the frugal one in our family and he absolutely loves on-site because it feels like a vacation for him. He doesn't have to worry about traffic, directions, parking, etc... Maybe that's not a big deal for you, but for my husband to have a few relaxed days, calm nerves and just enjoy himself was worth it.

 

[cep101]

Thanks for everyone's posts and ideas! Another option would be to split the vacation down the middle, so that we would only stay at two places (one off-site and one on-site). This would cost about $800.

If you think hotels are cheap, check out vrbo.com or homeaway.com We stayed in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom house that was 15 minutes fromMK for $50 per night.

I have come to the realization that the "Disney bubble" is highly overrated.

Thanks for the websites! They have some really great deals. Cheers to another option

 

[msmama]

You don't say how many people or ages either (assuming there are kids).

It's just my son and I that travel and I would never NOT stay onsite. 1. I feel safer on Disney property than some "random" hotel (I certainly don't think Disney is a safe bubble, and I'm sure there are many perfectly fine hotels in the Orlando area, and have in fact, stayed at some - and some sketchy - but I KNOW what I'm getting in Disney). 2. Since there is 2 of us, extra space is wasted. 3. There's no way I'm cooking on vacation so a kitchen is unnecessary. 4. I don't like driving so the Disney transport is perfect for me. 5. We are early risers so morning extra magic hours are great for us.

I look at the lodging as part of the vacation so the cost is just what it is. Could I stay cheaper somewhere else? Absolutely, but that's not the vacation I'm looking for.

 

[Puffy2]

Personally , for me, Disney just isn't the same unless you are onsite. I"m sure others feel differently. There are a lot of advantages (being able to book the fast passes at 60 days out for one). Is the $1000 your total cost of OKW and AKL??? VERY cheap if so. I'd consider that a deal. I think you will most enjoy AKL...or maybe that is just me. I might agree with the other poster who said three hotels in one trip is a lot. Two might be better.

 

[coastalhh]

I need to make a decision in roughly a week. My husband and I have gone to Disney World before, but we have only stayed off of Disney property because their hotel's are so expensive. Recently I discovered the idea of renting DVC points which has made it much more affordable. So, is staying on Disney property worth the extra money?

For reference, it is almost double the cost of staying at an off site hotel that includes a kitchen. The hotel we are looking at for 7-nights is roughly $500.

What we would be doing if we stayed at a Disney property is:
Two Nights off-site
Two nights at Old Key West
Three nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View
This would cost us about a $1,000. So, I am wondering if staying at Disney would be worth the price increase in your opinion? We will be driving, so we will have a car.

We could also split the vacation down the middle splitting the days between two places (one off-site and one on-site). That would cost about $800.

where do you guys stay off site with a kitchen for 500 over 7 days? Everywhere I look off site its slightly cheaper but then the parking fee and "resort fee" make it about the same with disney

 

[MichelleVW]

DVC here but if I don't have enough points (we like to go alot!!) I stay offsite. Just a no brainer if you ask me. I am pricing 4 bedrooms with a pool for the second week in August and it's going to cost about $1500 give or take for a week. Way cheaper than onsite. Plus we love having a kitchen for breakfast/snacks etc. I get so tired of eating out. Staying offsite at Disney is as Magical as you make it.

 

[GatorMama]

We have mostly stayed offsite. And I had no problem with it at the time. But after our last trip, DH and I discussed what could have made those trips feel more like a vacation. For him, he didn't want to have to drive everywhere all the time. I didn't want to feel obligated to cook. (We never had more than 2 ADRs in a week+ trip.) The condos we were in were very nice and very VERY cheap, especially when I cooed half our meals... Which is why we could afford to go two years in a row. But I didn't even see the pool at one resort because I had to cook. The other one, we had to drive to the pool it was so far away. So we decided we'd wait until our (then) 4 month old was about to turn three before we came back and we would stay onsite. Wellllll.... Turned out we really REALLY love MNSSHP. We went in 2013 and stayed with friends in Plant City and DH complained about driving so far after the party. I don't blame him. It sucked. So in 2014, we got a room at POR. It was only about $15 more than a Hampton Inn would have been. Pool was way closer to our room. Kids were excited to see Mickey soap in the bathroom. And the drive back from the party took ten mins instead of 90. And my sweet but cheap husband picked up the phone himself before we checked out and booked us for a whole week on a bounce back offer. :-D and then we decided it was time to really spoil ourselves... And we booked the poly. We won't have to park at the TTC AT ALL!!! And I won't have to cook. AT ALL!! It will be almost three times more for this vacation than the two in the past. But we will get to enjoy it easily three times more!

 

[powellrj]

where do you guys stay off site with a kitchen for 500 over 7 days? Everywhere I look off site its slightly cheaper but then the parking fee and "resort fee" make it about the same with disney

Because you need to look at condos and houses. Check out home away, vrbo or even ebay for condos like bonnet creek.

 

[eliza61]

So generally If I don't use my dvc, then I'm offsite. We like the Deluxes, I just went on line to research a quick last minute trip to the world in march (lol this horrendous weather is getting to me). the Polynesian wants 608 bucks a night!! Yeah right, no way in heck is the Poly worth that money.

anyhoo, We've had just as magical vacations offsite as on site. I will say this was before the new FP+ system so everyone had a fair shot at Fp's ..
Don't get me wrong I would pay an extra grand for convenience and other things but I'm an old Disney pro so none of the perks are that special anymore. I don't do the ddp, don't do rope drop so rarely need the EMH and I always have a car so Disney transportation is not a factor.

go offsite, save your money. you won't be disappointed.

 

[ValpoCory]

We (me, DW, DD9, DS5) always rent DVC points, and use Disney transportation to save money on a rental car. Our total hotel + car + parking expense is between $108 and $181 per day, depending on which DVC resort we stay in.

In my opinion, the time you save by staying onsite is worth more than any money savings that you get by staying offsite. Plus you get the extra magic hours, and FP reservation perks.

If you stay offsite, you are most likely renting a car (and paying to park) or using less convenient transportation to the parks. Just to get to the front gate of the Magic Kingdom, it takes longer. And if I were staying offsite, it would be harder to take a mid-day break. Most of our friends that stay offsite just power through the whole day rather than go through all the trouble of making all the trips to monorails and to the parking lot.

 

[HeatherC]

We stay at Bonnet Creek Resort...onsite but not Disney owned. We do rent a car because we would HATE waiting for buses. Even renting a car and paying for parking at the parks, we come out WAy ahead monetarily. Even more important for us, is we come home relaxed.

I say relaxed because we get a three bedroom villa with full kitchen, two bathrooms, washer and dryer in a beautiful resort for $125 a night...INCLUDING ALL TAXES.

We are staying April 15-25 which is our spring break and paying a total of $1249 for 10 nights.

The idea of cramming into one small hotel room to say we stayed at a Disney property is not something we would enjoy...particularly for a week or longer. We love having the space to spread out, a kitchen to make a quick snack or meal in, a washer to throw a load of laundry in....less luggage to bring...and multiple bathrooms to get ready in. There are also a couple restaurants if we don't want to cook.

We rent via myresortnetwork.com.

Also wanted to add that because this resort is "onsite" for all intents and purposes, it WILL NOT take you any longer to get to the parks than a Disney hotel. And if you have a car it can be quicker since some Dismey Resorts share buses and you spend time waiting around for the bus to come and then possibly having to pick up and drop off at another resort first. It is close enough to zip to the parks and even do a midday break if you want.

As far as location, it is next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Hope this gives you another perspective. Have a great trip wherever you stay!

 

[HeatherC]

Just realized you won't even need to rent a car. The money you save at Bonnet Creek would be even more then....and you wouldn't have to waste time checking in an out of two different places. This puts you onsite...just not at a Disney hotel.