Why stay on property?

[Edna K. Mode]

The cancellation of DME, EMH, resort airline check-in, cancellation of bell service driving people to their building, etc. while room rates remain the same or in some cases higher than ever (without discount applied), I’m having trouble identifying a reason to stay on property. As an Annual Passholder I spent many very happy vacations on property in moderate, deluxe and deluxe villas over the last 10 years but just can’t justify the cost when better quality accommodations can be obtained off-site for less money. What am I missing? Does anyone else feel the same way? Can anyone offer thoughts about why staying on property is worth it? Just feel that a lot of the joy and magic is gone. Staying on property always felt special and a big part of the experience but not feeling that way now. I also didn’t renew my AP, too expensive for limited park hours, cancellation of entertainment, etc. I’m sorry for the whiny post, just looking for some thoughts from the community. Thanks!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

There is legitimately no reason to stay on property I know people are going to try to twist some kind of rationale thar getting into a park a half hour early... but at this point there is absolutely no reason to stay on property.

The hotels off property have better rates and now that you have your own transportation you can see more of Orlando as well

 

[StageTek]

I agree; most of the Magic is gone.

I'm in California and so much of what you mentioned is why I would choose The World over and over again. It was an expensive but generally hassle-free vacation. Without the perks I will be staying off-site on my next trip. I've done the math - even for a solo traveler it's less expensive off-site. Once my AP is done I won't renew.

They have finally managed to make this long time, die hard WDW fan stop staying on-site and traveling from CA three to five times a year. Once every other year. I'll spend my vacation time and money elsewhere.

 

[JFDIS]

As someone who lives an hour drive away, I love being in the Disney bubble. I spent my first few years as an AP staying off property. I can say with certainty all the deals I got and large accommodations never gave me the feel I got when staying on property. I started at AOA, thinking the price was absurd but got hooked on the magic. Next was POFQ, Caribbean beach and now multiple stays at Deluxe properties. I’ve never used magical express or EMH.
So, I question myself out loud as I read this post, ‘Why do I pay these prices?’ My first nod must go to the cast members. They conjure all the magic that is Disney. Without them the theming is 2d. When that cast member speaks to my three year old as if she is the actual Cinderella, the happiness I feel is overwhelming.
When I am in the ‘bubble’ my worries melt away. I don’t want to think of unpleasant things like dirty 7-11 bathrooms and and cold Hyatt receptionist who glare at me like they’d care less if I were ever born. I feel like a part of a family at Disney. It is my escapism from this world. I don’t want to leave my happy place after I leave the parks.

 

[Timandalicia]

From the moment you walk into the Beach Club you feel immersed in the magic that lasts the length of your stay. Staying at the Contemporary with the monorail running through it or the view from your room or the electric water pageant. Even the noisy Chef Mickey’s below. I feel so much a part of the magic the entire time. Standing on your balcony at the Grand Floridian in the morning listening to the train whistle blow at the beginning of the day and taking a boat over from its dock- as if you are being taken to some magical island, not a road or a bus or a car in sight. Just your resort and the Magic Kingdom. An experience where that’s all that exists in the whole world.
Now some of them, maybe I feel less so. So I get what you mean. But the right resorts still supply that extra magic that you can’t get any other way.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I used to be an offsite guy but have stayed on-site the last handful of visits. So far, only the loss of the Magical Express has been a real loss to me.

I always shop around before visiting anywhere and that will certainly be true for future WDW visits, but my reasons for staying onsite as of now include:

- I like the hotels. They feel more special to me than anyplace I stayed offsite even the ones I really enjoyed offsite. Honestly, this is the biggest one. If I didn’t like the hotels to begin with I would never have gone back. None of the perks were important enough to me to make me stay in a hotel I didn’t like to begin with.
- The ease of use of the resort busses. It’s nice to know I just go to a bus stop and someone will pick me up and take me where I want to go but that I still have the option of ride shares if I want them.
- Food convenience. I know my hotel will have a place to eat without having to worry about finding one nearby and arranging to get there.
- The resort tv channels. Yeah, I know this isn’t a big deal but I love turning them on while I’m getting ready each morning.
- Customer service. I’ve been extremely pleased with the service I’ve received each trip without fail.

 

[angelmav]

The only reason is that you either like the proximity or really love that hotel.

I personally don’t think they are worth the asking price currently, and you can stay at a non-Disney hotel or offsite and be as close to some parks as you are from some of their on sight properties.

Currently they have pushed us from on sight to a vacation home with these changes. But I’ve been happy enough staying at either and there has to be some cost/benefit equilibrium for me.

 

[MissStitch626]

When they first announced the end of Magical Express amd EMH, we started questioning on-site stays.

We stayed off site once, for our first trip 13 years ago, and have stayed on-site for every trip since, so it had been a long time since I looked at off-site prices. It was a stark reminder how much extra we pay to stay on property.

What it will likely come down to for us is that we love the resorts. I haven't seen an off-site hotel Iike as much as POR or Yacht and Beach Club and I will likely still pay those prices because I want to stay there, even if I don't get the same benefits I used to. The themeing, the food options, the rooms - I'll go back for those.

We did ask ourselves what the deal breaker would be. I think if Disney ever stopped offering transportation to the parks that would be it for us (seems impossible but so did ending Magical Express until a week ago )

Let's see if I still feel the same after waiting for an Uber or Lyft to get back to the airport!

 

[Dug720]

Why will I still stay on property? Other than Magical Express, the other arguments don't apply to me. And Magical Express is minor - always managed from MCO before it and will manage after it.

* I don't drive, so I'd rack up a TON of costs using Lyft every. single. day. of vacation going to and from the parks and then to and from restaurants. To and from the airport is not that bad to budget for.
* I am perfectly capable of walking, so never needed to be taken to my room. Pointless to me. And more than once I've seen people hanging out waiting and complaining that they should have more golf carts and/or people to take people around and waiting was ridiculous when they could have been to their room by the time they finally got picked up.
* I don't check bags - no need to bring an entire wardrobe and the kitchen sink - and I use my phone to check in for my flight, so a service provided by an outside vendor (THAT stopping was not Disney's call) is pointless to me.
* Never really did Extra Magic Hours - and never had a problem not doing so. I enjoyed the one time I was there for EMH in a park I care about (I seemed to always hit times when evening was only Studios which...meh, Tower and RnRC and I'm done, so again, pointless for me.)

No one wants to believe me, but I did MANY trips where I was not able to book FP in advance and yet I still was able to do everything I wanted - sometimes with day-of FP, other times with waiting in line. Unlike most on here I'm not allergic to lines. It's a nice break and most of the longer ones are so well-themed there is plenty to look at. And worst-case, I've got my phone.

So will I stay on property for future trips? Of course. For me, it's the only way to Disney.

 

[cjlong88]

I’ve flipped back and forth between several off-site and on-site stays over the last 3 years. I have never used DME and we always chose to avoid EMH and yet we still enjoyed staying on property.

What makes us choose a WDW resort is the magical feel you receive walking the grounds, interacting with CM’s, exploring the detailed theming, etc. There are constant reminders everywhere you turn that you are at WDW. And you can’t put a price on that feeling.

While the off-site hotels are cheaper, and sometimes very nice (and sometimes not), these are hotels that I can stay at during any other vacation in the world.

I see people threatening to stay off-site and tour other theme parks and I say to myself, “Okay, whatever.” Because the harsh reality is that while the things Disney is removing might have helped people justify the cost, an off-site stay was and will always be a better value if you’re purely looking at the bottom line. WDW rooms were always overpriced. Yes, you can argue DME is built into the price, but if I can stay at a nice Hilton for hundreds less a night compared to a deluxe (or sometimes moderate) resort, that perk alone doesn’t make up the difference.

We love staying on-site for that intangible magical quality that a regular Hilton simply cannot create. We don’t always stay on-site, but for us it’s a nice way to splurge on ourselves and continue to experience the Disney feeling even when we aren’t at the parks.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I live two hours away so being able to "escape" Florida is a huge perk of itself since we'll drive up I-4 and not go further than the first Disney exit. We never used Magical Express so that wasn't a factor. Right now honestly I love the cleaning protocols for the rooms and being able to online check-in and head straight to my room without interacting with people.

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d say transportation to and from the parks is the main reason/only reason to stay on property these days if you don’t have your own car and you don’t want to use Uber or Lyft.

We drive down and stay 2+ weeks so we are seriously looking into offsite for the first time to save money on accommodations while getting a more spacious room.

 

[kylenne]

There is legitimately no reason to stay on property I know people are going to try to twist some kind of rationale thar getting into a park a half hour early... but at this point there is absolutely no reason to stay on property.

The hotels off property have better rates and now that you have your own transportation you can see more of Orlando as well

If the bubble doesn’t matter to you, then sure all of this is correct. For those of us that it matters for, none of this makes a difference.

I absolutely don’t give a toss about the rest of Orlando tbqh and if I wanted to stay at a random Marriott I could save airline points and take a 30 minute subway ride to do that.

I can’t wake up to sunrise on Seven Seas Lagoon from the Sheraton Vistana down the road. More pragmatically, if I’m feeling overwhelmed/overstimulated/just plain tired in a park I can’t walk back to my room in some Disney Springs hotel.My last offsite stay was in 2016 and I swore never again no matter how much cheaper it is. I would honestly rather stay home. I don’t feel like I’m really at Disney among other reasons.

People have different priorities and different needs and different dealbreakers on a Disney trip.

 

[Dug720]

More pragmatically, if I’m feeling overwhelmed/overstimulated/just plain tired in a park I can’t walk back to my room in some Disney Springs hotel.My last offsite stay was in 2016 and I swore never again no matter how much cheaper it is. I would honestly rather stay home. I don’t feel like I’m really at Disney among other reasons.

Agree with this!! My family (all adults) all met down there at Christmas in...I think 2000 and that time we stayed off property to save money. Well, as it turns out, a kiddo in the nursery at church on Christmas Eve (I had to keep it for that service as our normal workers were college students who were home for Christmas break) had probably Noro - at the least some kind of GI bug - and passed it to me. Our first day in the park, I got sick before we got on Ellen's Energy Adventure and thought I was ok, but...my sister sacrificed her backpack while we were on the ride. I spent an hour or so in Epcot first aid and we thought I was better until about 30 minutes after my parents and sister picked me up. Got sick AGAIN, so my sister (who was a WDW-based CM at the time) took me back to the hotel because she could get back into the parking lot or worst-case use a CM lot where I rotated between the bathroom and the bed and pretty much slept off and on all day. If we'd been staying on property it would have been MUCH simpler for getting me to the room. That was the last time we stayed off-property.

 

[Orion Nebula]

It's not a whiny post and something that many of us are struggling with. I also am trying to figure out what the point is now and for the first time we have looked into alternative places to stay. This entire situation is really depressing. I can't really come up with many reasons outside of the Disney bubble "light" experience. Once you walk into your resort your in WDW for the duration of your trip. That is still somewhat attractive to me, but justifying the increased cost in order to do so is a big question mark.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

If you have unlimited money then I highly recommend staying on site in the Disney bubble.

For the rest of us peasants, staying off site is a much better deal, in terms of quality, loyalty club points, better free food, etc, etc.

The main reason I would stay onsite was either to get the EMH or get the Magical Express but now I know how to use the $2 LYNX bus from the airport and I know all the good offsite hotels.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I’ve looked into offsite for our trip Thanksgiving week, but we will be 2 years without a vacation by then and the thought of staying offsite depresses me.
Everyone has their reasons for spending their money the way they do.

 

[ucf_knight]

Unless you are walking distance to a park, have skyliner access or boat access to a park there isn’t any point. I have felt this way for years prior to the cuts they are making. Many of the value/moderates are charging a huge premium compared to the much better accommodations for less off site.

 

[Lashed34]

As non drivers when we visit from the UK we love to stay on property. Yes some of the perks may have gone but we will still get Disney transport taking us to all the parks and Disney Springs and can stay out and about late, until it stops running, without having to worry about taxi fares, full shuttle services etc. It's peace of mind and so when we do return next year it will absolutely still be on property.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

IMO, nothing beats staying on property. You stay immersed in the WDW experience. You don't need to take a ride off property to your hotel...you simply get on the monorail or boat. Yes, you can probably grab some great rates off-site somewhere. And that's fine. But the question posed is "why stay on property?". None of those off-site hotels can replicate the feel of staying on-site. Again, just my opinion.