Can we save money staying off property?

DSNY4ever

I am going to keep hunting
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
So we are a family of 4, just needing a standard room. We've never stayed off property, but we need a clean room and decent pool. I am trying to see if we can find accommodations cheaper than the value resorts, but once I find something and add in renting a car, parking fees, resort fees or other random fees at the off property resorts, it comes out to the same or usually more. Is there a good hotel I should be looking at to try and save? I feel like I try this every trip and realize it's only a savings if you want deluxe accommodations cheaper than Disney Deluxe resorts.
 
I'm sure that there are places you can stay off property that will be less expensive than even the discounted rooms at ASR in January. Someone is bound to demonstrate that later in this thread. However, what is interesting to me is how much more difficult it is to do that these days. Disney has slowly but surely made it more difficult for off property hotels to compete. The parking fees are very high now; it can be thought of as a tax for staying off property. And on the other side, things like extra magic hours and FastPass availability are being used to further motivate guests to stay on property. I'd think long and hard about switching to off property even if you can save a few dollars.
 
I can’t quote any specific rates, but now that Disney charges parking fees if you park at their hotels I’m sure you can find cheaper rates. Mousesavers.com always have deals on their website. Today I see the Hilton at Disney Springs for $121 with free parking. I’m sure you can find other similar deals.

Unfortunately with Disney’s recent price increases and nickeling and dining us I will not be going back to Disney anytime soon so I haven’t been pricing things out
 


With a family of 4, there's a good chance staying in one value room is going to be your best bet, or close to it.

Families of 5 or more can't do that because they'd need two value rooms or to move up to at least moderate level due to occupancy limits.

Of course, even some families of 4 don't do well in one value room. DH can't share a bed under king size with anyone and still expect to sleep.
 
Have you looked at Disney's room discounts? I had priced out All Star for January at $76 a night.

The tricky thing about the room discounts is that the timing may or may not work with a family's plans. That January rate is with a discount during Value season, and probably for a weeknight.

Many times of year, people will have to pay rack rate for All Stars, especially at times it's convenient to travel for school breaks. People will probably want to stay for at least part of a weekend, and those rates are higher. With taxes, rack rate on a regular (non preferred) room in the spring or early summer is going to near or exceed $200 for a Friday or Saturday night.

In contrast, Priceline and Hotwire have super low deals throughout the year, even on weekends in prime season. I'm not saying it isn't possible to stay onsite for less (I certainly did during my last trip), only that it takes planning (and luck) to make that work sometimes.
 
yes you can, BUT if going offsite means you will need to rent a car that alone will take your savings. Disney hotel will be your best option if you don’t drive, staying offsite saves money when you are driving regardless of where you stay and /or you don’t pay park parking (AP holders). Off sites hotels cheaper that Disney Values have terrible transportation, do charge “resort” fee and some also “parking”. You already did the math, stay onsite.
 


Some thoughts about transportation costs:

With a car:

If you had an AP (even for only one family member), you could park for free, but if not, you'll be adding $25 to your daily costs. If you drive your own car to Disney, you'll probably still come out ahead. But if you fly and factor in a rental, that's probably another $40 a day. So if you're renting a car and driving, you'll need to find accommodations that save you more than $65 a night.

Is it possible to do that? Yes, but it's tricky. People sometimes get great deals on timeshares where they find a full week for a few hundred bucks. There are also some clean, reputable, basic hotels that will run you around $50/night, especially if you're okay using the blind booking feature on Hotwire or Priceline.

Having a car and staying offsite CAN also yield other savings. With a car, it's super easy to do a grocery store run, and pay normal prices for your food during your trip. Especially if you're staying someplace with a kitchen, the savings can be substantial. Even if you don't cook, it's less expensive to buy a prepared single-serve salad from Publix and bring it to the park for lunch than it is to eat at a QS restaurant. If you eat at offsite restaurants, it's probably going to be less expensive than equivalent Disney fare. Even swinging through MacDonald's or Chick-fil-a will be a savings vs Disney QS. And if your family wants to sit down somewhere for dinner, off site restaurants are going to give you much better value.

OR you don't rent a car.

Some hotels offer free park shuttles. They can run the gamut from convenient and reliable (Disney Springs hotels) to cumbersome (like the ones that run once a day, go to only one park, and don't get you there until 10am). If your hotel is pretty close, you can probably take an Uber/Lyft for about $10-15 each way.

If your family's touring style is to go to the parks, stay all day, and leave for good in the evening, you can forgo a car, saving you car rental and parking. So offsite hotel rate plus $30 in Uber fare is likely to give you a good savings over even a Value onsite. But if your family likes to take breaks, go back for a nap/swim in the afternoon, then your costs go up for the additional trips. The age of your children is also a factor; this option works much better if your kids don't need carseats.
 
Off sites hotels cheaper that Disney Values have terrible transportation
Not necessarily http://disneyspringshotels.com
Walking distance to Disney Springs
Regularly scheduled bus service (30 or 60 minutes) all day and evening from before park opening until after closing
Many of the same perks as Disney resorts - similar to or same as Dolphin/Swan
Typically lower rates than Disney-owned

No, the OP would need transportation from/to the airport, but they could use Lyft/Über/taxi, or book two one day/one way rentals.
 
So we are a family of 4, just needing a standard room. We've never stayed off property, but we need a clean room and decent pool. I am trying to see if we can find accommodations cheaper than the value resorts, but once I find something and add in renting a car, parking fees, resort fees or other random fees at the off property resorts, it comes out to the same or usually more. Is there a good hotel I should be looking at to try and save? I feel like I try this every trip and realize it's only a savings if you want deluxe accommodations cheaper than Disney Deluxe resorts.

Have you looked at the Disney Springs hotels? They have the 60-day FP window and EMH privileges that onsite gusts receive. No DME, but an Uber from MCO will be around $40. They have shuttle buses that are as reliable as Disney buses. The resort fees can vary (so factor that in), but I've seen many of them come up on discount booking sites (sometimes as blind bookings but pretty obvious which resort you're getting) for less than Disney Value hotels, even after adding resort fees. This can take some patience and sleuthing, but there are deals out there.

Maybe try asking this question over on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.
 
Not necessarily http://disneyspringshotels.com
Walking distance to Disney Springs
Regularly scheduled bus service (30 or 60 minutes) all day and evening from before park opening until after closing
Many of the same perks as Disney resorts - similar to or same as Dolphin/Swan
Typically lower rates than Disney-owned

No, the OP would need transportation from/to the airport, but they could use Lyft/Über/taxi, or book two one day/one way rentals.
I don’t consider Disney Spring hotels offsite. But yes they are a option.
 
So we are a family of 4, just needing a standard room. We've never stayed off property, but we need a clean room and decent pool. I am trying to see if we can find accommodations cheaper than the value resorts, but once I find something and add in renting a car, parking fees, resort fees or other random fees at the off property resorts, it comes out to the same or usually more. Is there a good hotel I should be looking at to try and save? I feel like I try this every trip and realize it's only a savings if you want deluxe accommodations cheaper than Disney Deluxe resorts.

With a family of 4, there's a good chance staying in one value room is going to be your best bet, or close to it.

Families of 5 or more can't do that because they'd need two value rooms or to move up to at least moderate level due to occupancy limits.

Of course, even some families of 4 don't do well in one value room. DH can't share a bed under king size with anyone and still expect to sleep.

4 is not always comfortable in a Value. It really depends on the age of your family members. We took a 9 (turning 10 birthday girl) and a 6 yo and stayed in a Value together. We rode the line of it being comfortable/uncomfortable. When we return we'll have a 13 year old and a 9 (turning 10 birthday boy). We are renting offsite to stay in a 3 bedroom condo.

We were pricing out Moderate/Deluxe resorts for this trip and found for the price of a moderate resort, we could have a whole place to ourselves. Which was more important to us than being in the bubble. Now the fact that we're driving is a compromise. It's the only way this trip was happening. I am a flier, and if it was 100% up to me, we would be flying in and then stay in the park. I would not want the added cost of renting a car.

Are you only wanting a car to get back and forth from the parks? Have you priced out uber/lyft rides? Using those, I think would be cheaper than a rental car + parking fees each day. If you're planning on spending a lot of time doing other things outside the parks, maybe that's not a useful idea for you.
 
If you are comparing a motel 6 to a moderate yes you'll save money even after including taxes, rental car, parking, resort parking, etc.

Motel 6 compared to a value you probably won't save much after you include all the additional stuff.

Bonnet Creek compared to a value or moderate you won't save money but you'll have much more space and can make meals in your condo which can save TONS.

It all depends.
 
So we are a family of 4, just needing a standard room. We've never stayed off property, but we need a clean room and decent pool. I am trying to see if we can find accommodations cheaper than the value resorts, but once I find something and add in renting a car, parking fees, resort fees or other random fees at the off property resorts, it comes out to the same or usually more. Is there a good hotel I should be looking at to try and save? I feel like I try this every trip and realize it's only a savings if you want deluxe accommodations cheaper than Disney Deluxe resorts.

It depends...are you including food costs, too? A hotel with free breakfast, or a condo/deluxe hotel with a kitchen will let you save significantly over total costs, without actually being forced into "PBJ all day" as an option...4 people, especially if 4 are all Disney adults, will be very expensive to feed 3 meals/day onsite...
 
We stayed offsite for the first time last year and saved money. However, we drive to WDW so we have to pay to park somewhere.

3 bedroom/2 bathroom Condo at Windsor Palms - $950 for 9 nights all in, much cheaper than a moderate resort on property
$22/day parking at the parks (at that time), Would have been $23/day at a moderate resort
Tickets were bought from UT the same as if we stayed onsite
Food was less because we ate breakfast and some lunches or dinner at the condo. We didn't make a special trip back to eat, though, we ate when we were there. Spent less than $100/day on food for family of 4. We did not take food in with us, except one day we packed chicken salad, fruit, and raw veggies in the cooler and ate them in the parking lot. I wouldn't do it every day, but it worked that day for various reasons.
 
Yes, you can save. As others have said, paying for parking (if you don't have an AP) may eat into that savings a bit, but you have to decide what is important to you. Even if the prices ultimately wind up similar, look at what you're getting. You can pick a tiny hotel room in the cheapest "resort" on property, or for the same money you can get a 3-4 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo or townhouse. For us, that's an easy answer. Having that space, a full kitchen, a family room, in house laundry, etc...is beyond spectacular. When we come back from a day in the parks (and it's never a long drive...probably quicker than waiting for a bus), it's great to be able to have places to sit, relax and chill. The condo/townhouse complexes almost always have a really nice pool with clubhouse, etc...

As others said, you can also save a ton with food by having your own condo. How far you go with eating at the condo or bringing food is entirely up to you, but it's an option. We go to the extreme compared to most, but the payoff is that we spend literally 70-80%+ less than what people who eat on property do.

So yes, you can absolutely save money. But it's not all about the money. Some people insist on the "bubble". To us, the "bubble" is what you make of it. We have one too, it's just much larger than WDW property. There's so much just off property that we enjoy too.
 
Lots of interesting thoughts. Unfortunately, January is not an option for us. We have to go in Spring (2020), we were considering May because April is Spring break and for some reason March is more expensive for some reason. I know a lot of people are talking about the bonus of space in a condo, but we really are fine in a tiny room. I am just disappointed that Disney has basically trapped people on a budget into staying onsite. It sounds like there would be no cost savings for us, so I guess we are going to stick with onsite as our plan for now.
 
Sure, if you play your cards right. To me, it's not the same trip though.

We own at Wyndham Bonnet Creek so we've done both. You can pay about the same as value resort pricing to stay offsite and have so much more space offsite. (A two-bedroom condo with a full kitchen, living room, washer/dryer, etc.) as close to or closer to the parks than some of the Disney hotels. However, you will need to rent a car and pay for parking once a day. However, we find it a time-saver to drive to almost all of the parks unless you're staying at a deluxe hotel.

I personally love cooking and don't mind grocery shopping and cooking in our unit. In fact, sometimes I prefer it, especially with young kids. They chill out and have room to run-around while I'm preparing the meal. It's really a personal preference.

We've stayed DVC for the past 5 Disney trips we've taken, and I loved staying on property in a one bedroom. We're outgrowing them as our kids get older though, so we'll have to make some tough decisions. It's a much more expensive trip, but that doesn't mean the larger expenses aren't "worth it" to us.

My cousin and I are taking the kids this summer for the last trip before the baby turns 3. :) I scored a rate at Pop Century that I thought was really reasonable for mid-June using the military rate. Having the use of Magical Express, the DDP (since my cousin will be paying for her own portion of food and drinks), and Disney transportation made it an easy decision for me. It's going to be a tight fit, but we've been to Disney several times before and we're planning on spending most of our time in the parks this trip.

Regardless of what you decide, I hope you have a magical stay!
 
This dilemma is why we bought DVC resale in 2012.
Had stayed offsite and drove to the parks, enjoyed it but it just did not seem like a Disney trip. I like to be able to see London out the window while staying in london, the same with NYC, etc. Condos offsite were just "rooms".
Had stayed in value resorts before, enjoyed them a bit more but wanted space.

I agree with an earlier poster than the offsite room needs to be more than $65 cheaper than a similar onsite room to break even. Also consider fuel costs-gas here went up 25% just today alone. (1.97 to 2.45). Driving offsite to the parks and back daily would eat a tank of fuel. As for food, grocery costs are the same whether delivered or you drive offsite with the various services anymore. No need to pay $6.99 for a case of water or Coke from Garden Grocer when Instacart/Shipt/Amazon will deliver at grocery store prices plus a few dollar fee.

If you can get a skyauction type steal for $350-500 a week offsite and you want room, go for it. Otherwise I think flying in, using ME, and getting drinks/snacks delivered through the above is probably the cheapest way to go.
 
Lots of interesting thoughts. Unfortunately, January is not an option for us. We have to go in Spring (2020), we were considering May because April is Spring break and for some reason March is more expensive for some reason. I know a lot of people are talking about the bonus of space in a condo, but we really are fine in a tiny room. I am just disappointed that Disney has basically trapped people on a budget into staying onsite. It sounds like there would be no cost savings for us, so I guess we are going to stick with onsite as our plan for now.

I don't see it as Disney trapping people on a budget into staying onsite. I see it as Disney creating a class of resorts (value) that is competitive with offsite budget accommodations.

It's the offsite hotels that add "resort fees" to the stated price, even when the hotel is far from being a true resort. Disney is likewise not responsible for the cost of airfare or car rental, which seem to be going up, up, up. For people who drive, staying offsite is quite easily cheaper, even with the parking fee, which is the only barrier Disney adds to staying offsite.

By providing DME for free and a variety of internal transportation options (bus, monorail, boat, and soon a gondola), Disney makes it possible for those without cars to save on their transportation costs.

I do understand about just wanting a basic room. And it is possible to save money offsite on a simple room, even if you fly (see my post above). But Disney has chosen to make transportation to their resorts and parks included in the price of your hotel stay with them, and that offsets the slightly higher cost of their value rooms.

By not including transportation from the airport and to/from the parks, offsite hotels can give you a lower price for your room, but you're left to your own devices to figure out transportation costs. The costs are roughly similar; Disney's model is all-inclusive and the offsite hotels are more a la carte.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top