is off-site still cheaper than free DDP offer?

[smk09]

hi all,

We are a family of four (dc's 4yo, 18mo) going with another family of four (dc's 4yo, 2yo). Because of our size and budget, we were thinking of staying off-site in a condo/rental home.

However, now that the free DDP offer is an option (we are traveling in Sept) I am wondering whether off-site is still cheaper, considering rental car, parking, and food costs, not to mention the "commute".

Any advice or input? Thanks!

 

[isla bonita]

I think you have to add it up yourself.

Only you know what fits best for your group.

 

[mikkiwikki]

we've done both....and the size of the rental car can really affect your budget.....for example if you are a family of four you can do a economy car...which can be cheap on hotwire or other bidding sites....
but if you needed a minivan that makes a big difference in price.

Then when you add in the parking and gas...it does really start to add up...

And it is unique per group.....what your costs might be...given how big the condo you will rent etc.

That said I broke out my spreadsheet for my family of four...and the free dining did it for us....no cooking for me...and dining free? Im there! Staying at POP!

 

[*disgal*]

If you are staying in one room at a value resort, it's tough to beat free dining.

We are a family of 5, so that is out. And to be honest, they were fine when my kids were little, but not now. We've done the one room at POR for free dining in the past and even though we love free dining, we won't be that uncomfortable again.

And, we've always dreamed of staying at one of the monorail resorts and free dining makes this more doable for us.

Soooo........what we are doing is renting a 5/6 bedroom home for the first 7 nights (my sis and her family will be joining us here) and then checking into the Contemporary for 4 nights with free dining. Woohoo! Best of both worlds and I get to have all of my laundry done before we get to the Cont. An aside....I hate doing laundry at the resorts.

My budget is to spend an average of $100 a day on food (we did this last trip) while we are offsite. We have AP's so we only bought the one day base tickets with the package.

So our vacation is 11 nights but only 4 are onsite. I originally had 10 nights booked for CR (I was drugged by the disney gods). Even with buying our own food and staying one more night, we will probably save $1000 doing it this way compared to staying onsite for 10. That's because it is deluxe.

I would think 2 rooms at a value resort would be good for you all. Your kids will love it and it's nice not to have to think about how much food is going to be.

 

[DawnM]

We cannot afford free dining!

But we stay in SkyAuction two bedroom condos for $28/night including taxes and have a full kitchen.

We also eat very little actually in the parks. With 3 boys who eat adult meals, we have just decided we can't do it if we wish to go more often.

We went last month for 10 nights total:

Condo: $199
Extra hotel nights (3 nights) $144 through priceline
Food from grocery store: $150
In park food: $100 (plus some Disney rewards dollars)


10 nights at a moderate would be over $1,500.....an extra $1,000 or so.

Dawn



We have APs so no parking

 

[mysparky]

We're a party of 9 and based upon several iterations, it is still less expensive for us to stay offsite. The only calculation that came somewhat close, was if we stayed at a value.

In addition to the cost, I considered the following with regards to what we prefer:

• Space of a large 6bd house versus staying in any resort. We've stayed in a 2BR villa at BC and with 7 of us, still could have used some extra room. Our method of touring includes afternoon breaks from the park - we want the amenities and space of a well-equipped house.
  
• Ability to pack lightly by being able to do laundry mid-week. I try to avoid checking luggage if I can!
  
• Not being tied to ADR's and having the flexibility to dine off-site
  
• Fact that we want to drive to the parks because sometimes the busses just take too long (the one exception being MK)
  
• We don't take advantage of EMH's so we won't miss that aspect of staying onsite

I should say that the last time we went, we did the dining plan and it was very nice to have the predictability of the plan. We also have teenage boys and they were never hungry!

 

[brymolmom]

We went with FD when our kids were about those ages and it worked out cheaper to stay onsite for us. That was our first (but not last) time onsite.

Using Magical Express and having all your food paid for (we bring a box of cereal in luggage and get milk with snack credits to cover most breakfasts)...basically after 5 nights in a Value...it is basically $95 per night for park tickets, another hotel night AND all your food that extra day. So basically, if you can (with timeoff from work, etc.) afford to stay for like 7, 8 or 9 nights - it is VERY cost effective to go for Free Dining.

We are staying in Sept with 2 adults and 2 kids at POP for about $1700 for 8 nights...Seeing how our tickets alone would cost about half that - and considering our transportation, food and hotel is covered in that - it is a steal. And, I bet - would be a better deal than MOST offsite options. And, when we have free dining we eat WAY BETTER OPTIONS than when we stay offsite. We usually bring meals to park, etc. when staying offsite - and there's nothing wrong with it - but to indulge in NOT bringing any meals to parks and eating so many table service meals...just seems like luxury to me.

 

[Brian Noble]

For my money, offiste is less about being the absolute rock-bottom price---especially if you also have to get a rental car. Rather, it's about getting significantly more comfortable space for about the cost of a Disney Value.

If you would be fine putting four people in a single hotel room, then the dining promotion is a pretty good deal. Once you get past that, though, it becomes a lot less clear.

 

[luvvacations]

We are staying at POP for 7 days in September. We added 10 day base tickets, so after leaving the POP we will stay in our time share for a week and use the 3 extra[days at Disney. This also gives us time to relax and catch up on laundry/SIZE]

 

[yooperfamily]

But we stay in SkyAuction two bedroom condos for $28/night including taxes and have a full kitchen.

We went last month for 10 nights total:
Condo: $199
Extra hotel nights (3 nights) $144 through priceline
Food from grocery store: $150
In park food: $100 (plus some Disney rewards dollars)
10 nights at a moderate would be over $1,500.....an extra $1,000 or so.
Dawn
We have APs so no parking

I just googled sky auctions because I have never heard of it... on the site it mentions a 20 processing fee, plus 249 per person in taxes and fees... did you have to pay that?? we are trying to do a CHEAP trip next month, but with almost 250 per person in addition to whatever I would bid seems crazy!

 

[CSS1996]

For our family of four we figured it to be cheaper to stay at Pop with FD rather than stay off-site. We have done it both ways on past trips and the FD saved us a considerable amount of $. Good luck with your planning.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Like others have said, it depends on your variables!

We are a party of 8 this year, so there was no way we would have saved over staying offsite, not to mention being crammed in a hotel room vs. a house with a private pool (my husband won't swim in public pools). I crunched the numbers and they were within 20$ of each other, having to get 2 rooms and we chose more space.

If it were just our immediate family or just my dd and I, I think FD would be the best value.

 

[MikeyA50]

I just googled sky auctions because I have never heard of it... on the site it mentions a 20 processing fee, plus 249 per person in taxes and fees... did you have to pay that?? we are trying to do a CHEAP trip next month, but with almost 250 per person in addition to whatever I would bid seems crazy!

Your not looking at the right place, you can try the Skyauction Vacation Special, $199, plus $20 Processing Fee, plus your bid, often you can win with a $1 bid. Total $220 for the week in a two bedroom Condo.

Also under Dining & Entertainment, Basta & Pasta Special and there are others, price $195, plus $20 Processing Fee, and your bid, again if you are patient $1 will win. Total $216, or approximately $31 a night. Plus you get a $50 Restaurant certificate, free.

This will be the third time we have done this, in the past we have stayed in two bedroom condos at Wyndham Cypress Palms, Orbit One and Diamond Polynesian Isles .

This year we are staying at Wyndham Cypress Palms for two weeks and one week at Wyndham Sea Gardens in Pompano Beach. Each week cost us $216
plus a $100 Restaurant certificate for each week. It use to be $100, back in February when we booked. Some of the restaurant we have used the $100 certificates included, Salt Island, Ran-Getsu of Tokyo and Antonio's Ristorante. The certificates does not include tax or tip.

It will also depend on what time of year you plan on going, the best prices and availability are off season. Hope this helps you.

 

[angelmav]

Well two factors, the comfort factor and the cost factor. We originally were booked into two rooms at POP (family of 7) buying 1 day uneeded tix to get FD and using the military tix, total ran $2400, darn good for a week at Disney, but I had no love for cramming ourselves into two value rooms, nor buying tix I didnt need/want. Instead we got a 3 bdrm house a couple of miles from the gate (were driving anyway) with a private pool for $500 for the week. Add in just the military tix $620 and we are staying more comfortably with $1300 in savings to cover our food costs which I feel pretty confident will be substantially less, and even if they creep up, were in control of those dollars.

 

[pomlover]

Depending on where you stay off-site can be 1/2 or even 1/3 as expensive. If you don't mind economy style rooms.

 

[littlbugmom]

Off-site is A LOT less expensive for us.
There are specific things that make it so:


*We do not like using Disney transportation so we will always have a car. Staying onsite doesn't save us anything there.


*We need more than just a room. We are a family of 4 but my DS5 has some specific needs that make a regular room impossible for a long stay. If we only needed the room for sleeping, my opinion might be different...but for us, space is very important.


*Free Dining doesn't influence me because we get a villa with a full kitchen and buy about $150 worth of groceries that last us 9days (with food leftover). Even after we add in the bills from our ADR's, our food bill is nowhere near large enough to make staying onsite cheaper. Not even close!

 

[angelmav]

Depending on where you stay off-site can be 1/2 or even 1/3 as expensive. If you don't mind economy style rooms.

How do you figure that you can only save by staying at an econobox? Seriously, its that type of mentality that makes it difficult for people to look at the real numbers.

POP Century/All-Stars (Disneys Econobox) stay 7 nights in Sep, 2 rooms for 7 people $1200, vs 3 bdr home with private pool, fridge, microwave, flat screen TV's etc $500. More than 1/2 off over what disney charges. Compare that to a moderate at the same time period and its $2100 to $500, how about the cheapest deluxe? $3,500 to $500. Thanks, Ill take the vacation home with all of its amenities.

 

[kckmom]

We have a timeshare, and after 2 vacations in a 2bed/2bath villa, we have decided that this is the only way we are happy traveling. Our stay is 'free', we have to pay taxes/fee each year, but it is pretty inexpensive.

When I heard about the free dining the week we were booked in our timeshare, I contacted WDW to see if staying onsite would be a better option. With 5 of us, for that week, the only option was ASMusic and it would have cost us $1800 for the room/DDP.

I honestly don't think we will eat that much in food to make that package work for us. Our girls love the character meals, but it gets kind of hard to keep them all busy at a restaurant meal after meal, and sometimes we just want a bowl of cereal or a sandwich around the pool instead of having to plan every meal.

When we are at the villa, we do shopping for the week for around $150, usually including some alcohol for the adults. As we also drive, the only thing that can get truly expensive are the tix, and we are becoming more savvy about the plans and what works best for our family.

Little things too, I can do laundry during the trip, which some people might hate, but I only pack 1/2 the clothing, and I go home with all my clothes cleaned, priceless. Also, the full kitchen is great for the juices/waters, etc, and planning snacks for the time in the park. We can bbq our meals (which we all love to do) onsite, and the resorts usually have activities for the kids and adults.

However, if I ever get down to Disney without kids one day, I might look into staying onsite for a few days, just for the convenience factor and to say I did it! Hmm, maybe GF????

Long story short, for us, the offsite offers a bit more flexibility and more relaxation for us, and it does seem to be a bit cheaper all things considered.

 

[cheimer83]

I am going through the same delima as we speak. We usually stay at the FORT but not gonna get to this time. Alot of companies have hotel discount programs for employees and if you dont have access to something like that Priceline.com is ok. if you look hard you can always find a good deal at the hotel plaza a couple of blocks from Downtown Disney. If you choose to stay there you are sure to save money, for example i am getting a room at the best western Downtown Disney resort for 68$ a night and as for the transportation and comute problem......... its not a problem these hotels offer free bus rides to and from disney. if all else fails walk 2 blocks and catch one at Downtown Disney. i hope this helps.

 

[asmit4]

hi all,

We are a family of four (dc's 4yo, 18mo) going with another family of four (dc's 4yo, 2yo). Because of our size and budget, we were thinking of staying off-site in a condo/rental home.

However, now that the free DDP offer is an option (we are traveling in Sept) I am wondering whether off-site is still cheaper, considering rental car, parking, and food costs, not to mention the "commute".

Any advice or input? Thanks!

Have to get back to work but love doing the math on these types of things so here goes...it's a ROUGH ROUGH look. You'll have to do a bit more research to decide I didn't bother to look up the numbers- I just sorta went off of what I know for rough estimates.

ONSITE:
2 value rooms 100x7 = 700x2= 1400 total
48/day to upgrade the dining plan to the middle of the road option otherwise you are stuck with CS meals the entire time. That's 10 bucks extra per adult per day (4A) and a bit extra to upgrade the 2 little ones that are over 3.

Total cost for room/food = 1736

OFFSITE:
Car rental- either 1 large car for 8 people or 2 smaller cars so each family has their own- cost 600 with taxes (not sure what the going rate is but I'm guessing 300 a week for a smaller car??- can anyone clarify?)

Parking - say you go to the parks 5 days out of the 7 for a total of 60 in parking fees.

Food- 200 for the week in groceries for the 2 families total, and perhaps another 200 for out of home eating/takeout/restaurants? Only you know what you'll likely spend. I know for my family- our food budget would be crazy offsite b/c we'd eat most meals at restaurants- which would be at least 150/day in food costs but I bet we aren't the normal family.

Home- rental homes in September are cheap...heck- year round they are cheap. I'll bet you can get a VERY nice home for 125/night for the 8 of you. So that's 875.

Total cost for OFFSITE-1935

Could you do the offsite cheaper than above? I'll bet you can if you are willing to book a smaller less fancy place. You could also cook most meals in the house and skip going out.

For me? With 2 families? I'd probably stay offsite. Having 2500 sq. feet or more with our own pool/hot tub vs. 2 value rooms is PRICELESS IMO. You might have to spend a bit more offsite but I think for a family of 8 with 4 kids you'll want the space.