Can we save money staying off property?

[missnic]

To echo everyone else.. Maybe.
A few years ago, I would have said no. A value resort was less than $100/night and included parking at the parks (before APs got parking included). Once APs included parking, the resorts started charging for parking, and value resorts were no longer near the $100/night mark, we started staying offsite. We stay at Silver Lake for $98/night (or slightly more for a 1/2 br with full kitchen), no parking/resort fees. It's close and we drive anyway, regardless of where we stay, so it works well.

 

[Klayfish]

I am just disappointed that Disney has basically trapped people on a budget into staying onsite.

Totally disagree with this. We stay offsite and save literally thousands over what staying onsite would cost.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Totally disagree with this. We stay offsite and save literally thousands over what staying onsite would cost.

I can always count on you to root for offsite stays!

But with respect, your situation is different from OP’s and many other visitors. You have your own car, and only need to drive from Atlanta. That alone knocks out the largest barrier to staying offsite cheaply, i.e. the cost of a rental car.

Speaking for myself, transportation costs (airfare and ground) are far greater than my lodging costs.

You also make a point of preparing all your own meals, and bringing food to the parks. There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and I’m sure it saves a considerable amount of money, but it’s not the way many people wish to vacation.

Offsite stays offer potentially great savings, but that depends on a family’s circumstances and how much work they are willing to put in for those savings.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I can always count on you to root for offsite stays!

But with respect, your situation is different from OP’s and many other visitors. You have your own car, and only need to drive from Atlanta. That alone knocks out the largest barrier to staying offsite cheaply, i.e. the cost of a rental car.

Speaking for myself, transportation costs (airfare and ground) are far greater than my lodging costs.

You also make a point of preparing all your own meals, and bringing food to the parks. There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and I’m sure it saves a considerable amount of money, but it’s not the way many people wish to vacation.

Offsite stays offer potentially great savings, but that depends on a family’s circumstances and how much work they are willing to put in for those savings.

Klayfish also has a family of 5, which changes the costs. He likes to rent a 3BR condo or townhouse, which has more space. The OP stated that she just wants a basic room. The calculus on costs is very different for a family of 4 that just wants a place to sleep and shower.

 

[Klayfish]

I can always count on you to root for offsite stays!

But with respect, your situation is different from OP’s and many other visitors. You have your own car, and only need to drive from Atlanta. That alone knocks out the largest barrier to staying offsite cheaply, i.e. the cost of a rental car.

Speaking for myself, transportation costs (airfare and ground) are far greater than my lodging costs.

You also make a point of preparing all your own meals, and bringing food to the parks. There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and I’m sure it saves a considerable amount of money, but it’s not the way many people wish to vacation.

Offsite stays offer potentially great savings, but that depends on a family’s circumstances and how much work they are willing to put in for those savings.

Totally agree with you, on pretty much everything you said.

I wasn't even talking about the transportation cost. I was actually only thinking of lodging and food. If you have to fly there, then the cost to get there is the same regardless of onsite or off. The rental car is the additional cost as you said. If you look, you can get those pretty cheap.

We definitely do things a bit different than many, and I mentioned that earlier. You can utilize the kitchen as much or little as you want, that's the beauty of it. I can assure you we don't spend time slaving over a hot stove while on vacation. Well, OK, one night DW and I did a date night at home and cooked something nice, because we enjoy cooking. Everything we do is really simple stuff.

I also think personal tastes and priorities are even more important than the cost (within reason of course). We prefer offsite no matter the cost, for so many reasons. If you are heart set on staying onsite and would view offsite as a negative, then I'd advise against it.

 

[kymom99]

I think one of the attractions of staying off site is the fact that you can have a down day or 2 without feeling like you are wasting money. I think I would be more inclined to have a pool day if I was staying in a nice condo with a kitchen to fix up some simple foods. Kind of like when we are at the beach. Some days we don’t leave. But I know personally when I am at a Disney resort I’m at the parks every day. Just a whole different kind of vacation.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I'm doing a solo trip this summer, and priced this out. When traveling solo I'm pretty particular about hotels/resorts I'll stay at. When I priced it out I WAS able to find a handful of hotels I was ok with the location and reviews of that were cheaper for the room than the All Stars (and I'm talking Hampton, Hilton Garden, etc, nothing fancy). However, the price for a rental car was absurd, and when combined with parking fees, an offsite stay for a standard hotel room was significantly more than staying at the All Stars with the summer room discount and using DME. I fly from NH, so parking costs are only a concern for me when a rental car is needed. And while I have utilized offsite shuttles to theme parks at times in the past, I really don't enjoy being at the mercy of their schedules.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I am just disappointed that Disney has basically trapped people on a budget into staying onsite.

How do you put that on Disney's shoulders? They haven't "trapped" anyone into doing anything they don't want to do. Can I stay offsite....I most absolutely can. Would I stay offsite? If I had to, again, I most absolutely would. Why don't I stay offsite? Because I'm a FL resident and I get great rates on the resort rooms for the time we go. As mentioned by @Klayfish I also like that Disney bubble. For me....it's being on Disney property as much as possible. I spend a lot of time dining offsite because of our kosher diet, so it's nice having that bubble to come back to after visiting one of the kosher restaurants in the area. I don't think trap was a good choice of words, but that is just my humble opinion. However, to say an organization such as Disney has "trapped" anyone into doing anything doesn't reason with me. They have been quite successful in their achievements. Certain things Walt probably would have said no to, but on the whole they got their economics and entertainment together.

I do hope that whatever you decide, works out for you in the end. Good luck.

 

[MrsPete]

The answer to this question depends upon your details. Thoughts:

- As a family of four, yes, we were always fine in a standard room at Disney. We don't spend much time in the room anyway, so we've never considered Disney a place to splurge on a fancy room.
- I think where you're "losing" with off-site is in renting a car. That's a big ticket item that isn't necessary in a Disney resort. Are you looking at something small /basic?
- You're not likely to save big bucks at an off-site hotel. You'll do better renting a house, which will probably give you more space, a kitchen, a laundry. You should be able to have a two-bedroom house for under $100/night ... yes, you'll have some fees, but with such a low starting price, it may be worthwhile.
- Disney's food is so expensive; you'll definitely save by having a kitchen. I would never burden myself with hauling lunch around the parks though, so I'd say rent an off-site place and cook breakfast and dinner ... but buy lunch. It IS vacation, after all.
- What do you mean by "decent pool"? If you want a big pool with fancy-fancies, you'll be better off in a Disney resort. On the other hand, if you stay in a private house, you're likely to have a small, basic pool ... but you'll have it to yourselves, which is a whole different experience.
- Be sure you're comparing apples to apples ... are Disney resorts now charging for parking? I think it's dirty pool, but it's something that was being discussed.
- Consider that an on-site stay will get you Magic Bands and (perhaps) extra hours.
- YES to those who say off-site is a different vacation. Having done both, I'll say both are fun ... but, yes, different.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Okay I think people have taken my "trapped" term too seriously. Sorry. I was just typing out loud, just disappointed in my options and feel "trapped" by my choices...not out to get Disney. I get that it not Disney's fault, I get that they are business, their purpose is to profit, and they are offering perks to stay on site etc. I do get the economics.

Anyway, from the sounds of it, we would not save off site, when comparing apples to apples.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Totally disagree with this. We stay offsite and save literally thousands over what staying onsite would cost.

Do you mind sharing more information about how you do this? From the other posts it sounds like your situation is quite different than mine, but I am curious if there is something I'm missing? Or maybe you know a really great bargain place to stay? Driving is not possible, we have to fly and therefore rent a car. We do usually eat a quick breakfast in the room and we will pack lunches (all which we can do in a value resort), but my son has allergies and I'm not willing to leave the parks and go cook up a complicated meal (stopping at Mc Donalds or even warming up a Stouffer's frozen dinner is not an option for us unfortunately, which was why I said we were not super interested in a condo).

 

[kaytieeldr]

,,

Do you mind sharing more information about how you do this?

Briefly https://www.disboards.com/threads/cheapest-disney-trip-you’ve-ever-taken.3734788/#post-60266349

 

[Magical2017]

We booked Wyndham Bonnet Creek about two months before our trip last August. The price for a one bedroom was the same as POP and we were upgraded to a Presidential Suite. We enjoyed having 3x as much room. The balconies seemed larger than the balconies at the deluxe resorts, but I might be mistaken. We had a nice view. There are no resort fees or parking fees. We rented a car. If we do it again we will take a shuttle to/from the airport and have groceries delivered, as we do not like driving in MCO. The resort was great and we had fabulous service. Our kids loved the pools.

Now that our kids are older, we do prefer a one or two bedroom unit over a room. POP rooms are less than 300 sq. feet, while the unit we stayed in was 900 sq. feet, so that made a difference for us. A one bedroom on site, even if we had been able to rent points last minute, would have been several thousand dollars (or more, depending on where we booked) than we paid. That is money we can use for other vacations. We liked having the W/D and the resort was next to Caribbean Beach. We don't really cook while on vacation, but loved the fridge for all the groceries, milk, water, coffee creamer, etc. we bought. All in all, it is something we would consider doing again. We would stay onsite again as well, as we have had great experiences, but would probably book a room for a shorter stay and stay offsite for a longer stay.

Edited to add our car rental was $132 with tax with Dollar at the airport terminal, and we were able to use the kiosk to check in. I got that rate by checking out the transportation board and using a discount code.

 

[Klayfish]

Do you mind sharing more information about how you do this? From the other posts it sounds like your situation is quite different than mine, but I am curious if there is something I'm missing? Or maybe you know a really great bargain place to stay? Driving is not possible, we have to fly and therefore rent a car. We do usually eat a quick breakfast in the room and we will pack lunches (all which we can do in a value resort), but my son has allergies and I'm not willing to leave the parks and go cook up a complicated meal (stopping at Mc Donalds or even warming up a Stouffer's frozen dinner is not an option for us unfortunately, which was why I said we were not super interested in a condo).

Our situation probably is different because we can drive. As I mentioned, if you have to fly that's a cost you incur regardless of whether you are on property or off. The rental car could be an added cost for sure. Last time I looked, you can get them pretty cheap. We love having our own car and would do it even if we were on site. Having to use a WDW bus would be a deal breaker.

We're also a family of 5, so we'd have to rent a suite or two rooms (camping is not an option, not our thing). We spend roughly $80-$90/night all in for a condo/townhouse.

We bring most of our own food in the parks or eat at our rental house. As I mentioned, we don't slave over a hot stove or spend lots of time cooking/cleaning. We make and keep simple stuff. We may spend 20 minutes per day on food prep. Our typical cost to feed our family of 5 is about $350-$400/week all in. Our kids don't have allergies, but we're into healthy eating, so having the condo is actually far better. We can pick exactly what we want to eat.

So for us with food and lodging, we're at roughly $1000/week. Let's say the cheapest lodging at WDW would be $250/night (again, family of 5), and we spend $50/person/day on food (which is on the low side). That would be $3250....$2250 more than offsite per week.

What we do certainly isn't for everyone, and that's the beauty of it. There are so many ways to "do" WDW. None are wrong, it's all dependent on what YOU want.

 

[_19disnA]

By 'saving money' if you mean the TOTAL price of your vacation, then I agree with many of the above comments. Just comparing prices of hotels on/off site isn't the total picture. Food is a BIG expense if you eat all of your meals at Disney. If you stay offsite and eat breakfast & dinner at your hotel, that will result in a large savings. If you fly and rent a car there is the rental cost + parking at the parks. If you drive your own vehicle, while you won't pay a rental car charge, you will still pay to park at the theme parks. There is no one right/wrong answer that applies to everyone's situation, but those are the other costs to consider.

 

[PerfessorZ]

Not sure why very little consideration is being given to ride sharing. When I priced the cost of an Uber or Lyft for my family of 4 from our upcoming offsite stay, it was only a couple bucks more than what you pay to park at Disney. The resort also has twice a day bus service to the TTC, so that could save money some days as well. So you can stay offsite and not have to rent a car.

Our stay is at a 2.5 br condo will cost slightly less than at a value resort and we’ll all have comfortable sized beds. My wife and I had very poor nights’ sleep our one trip in a value with their full sized beds, no matter what bed arrangement we tried with us and our kids.

The reason we booked a 2.5 br is that my parents will be joining us halfway through our stay, otherwise I probably would have gone with a Disney Springs hotel for about $50 less a night than the All-stars.

 

[firefly_ris]

There are so many factors at play, there's no black & white answer (IMO). We do both off site and on site -- different variables at play for all trips. I try to keep costs similar even when the places we stay, rent car or don't rent car, etc. are all different.

We also fly, so I'm with you there on airfare costs. We have a Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa that we were able to use to pay for 5 round trip flights to MCO 2 weeks ago. So that's a big help. But if we can't get good airfare deals, it makes it tough.

Typically if I'm staying off site, I'm looking for something more 'deluxe' than I can afford (or care to pay for) on site, like a 2+ bedroom condo or large suite. We're a family of 5, so we are out as far as most basic double occupancy standard rooms go... so if we're off site, I'm usually keeping an eye on something like Lake Buena Vista Resort Village, Wyndham Bonnet Creek, or Embassy Suites. I think for a standard double occupancy room, 4 walls and 2 beds and pool access, you can for sure find cheaper deals, and you can also take advantage of things like the blind deals on Hotwire (I can't). But then yes, you have to then factor in a rental car on top of the room rate. Being 5, and all of our kids are in boosters, we have to rent a minivan or SUV to ensure all the seats fit which seem to run between $350 - $400 for a week.

If we're off site, I like a kitchen or even just a kitchenette so I can do a couple quick meals there to save some dough. I don't want to cook the entire week though. I already do that when we go camping or when we rent a house in Outer Banks or Ocean City or wherever, so I don't have a strong desire to do it on a WDW trip. But even so, I like to do at least a few meals in the condo. If I'm on site, in a regular room, I get an Amazon Prime Now order and pack some park snacks and do easy breakfasts in the room. I also only do a small handful of ADRs and stick with quick service or snacks for other stuff. We also split a lot of things. My kids aren't big eaters so this makes it easier. When they are teenagers we will probably have to modify that. I also enjoy laundry access, I don't like to pack 7 tons of clothing for 5 people so I pack half a week's worth and do a quick load... I also like coming home with clean clothes to just put away. So condos with washer/dryer are cool. I thought this would be an issue at our recent on-site stay, but it wasn't... the laundry room was close and you don't have to stay there -- they even have it set up to send you a text message when your load is done. So both worked out.

Again... just so many factors at play. Sometimes one works better than the other. Some things are more important for some people and not important at all for others. The trip we just got back from we were on site. I paid $147/night for a room that sleeps 5 at Caribbean Beach Resort and used the bus transportation. The buses aren't my favorite thing ever, but we saved money on a rental that we were then able to use for other things. And there are some perks -- we could drink a bit and not have to worry about it, refilling the gas tank before returning the rental, didn't have to pay for resort parking, etc. They were pretty much always on schedule for the most part. My kids liked the "Disney bus", it was a thing for them. If my budget was totally limitless? Yes I'd rent a vehicle. Or, you could also Uber multiple times and possibly still come out less than the rental cost, depending on your length of stay and how much back-and-forth you're doing.

For me, I just do a list or a spreadsheet and do comparisons and see how the numbers add up, the pros and cons to each, etc. I enjoy both kinds of stays for different reasons. I do what works best for our enjoyment and our budget.


[ETA] If looking for just a standard, 2 queen bed room, try out places like the Holiday Inn at Disney Springs. You get some of the same benefits as on site like 60 day FP+ and EMH participation. There's also a shuttle. I just did a really brief look for the beginning of May and it was $169/night.

 

[MrsPete]

(stopping at Mc Donalds or even warming up a Stouffer's frozen dinner is not an option for us unfortunately, which was why I said we were not super interested in a condo).

With allergies as an issue, you can do all the prep work at home and bring home-frozen meals to be cooked at a condo. For example, it's easy to put together a tray of enchiladas at home /freeze them /bake them in a condo. The during-vacation work time is minutes. It's even easier to prep things for a crock pot /let them cook while you're out for the day.
Flying? Package your frozen items in a throw-away styrofoam cooler with dry ice. Arrange for your fresh items, drinks, etc. -- things that require no prep work -- to be delivered (or scheduled for pick-up).
Yes, it's work ahead of time, but you can feed your family on vacation for about the same cost as you do at home.

There are so many ways to "do" WDW. None are wrong, it's all dependent on what YOU want.

Yes, with the exception of tickets (and they have you over a barrel on that topic), pretty much every aspect of a Disney vacation can be done on the cheap -- or extravagantly. Your choice.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Also, if you have an AP (like @Klayfish has) you don't pay for parking. So he doesn't have to include that either. That's a big savings when you stay 2 or more week at a time.

Everyone's situation is different and there is no wrong or right way to do it. Is money or space more important? Money or comfort? It's really just specific on the family. Some don't mind being in one hotel room. Some want space. All that matters is you have a great vacation at the end of it all.

I know if we ever we go back we won't stay in one room. I can't share a hotel room with my kids for more than one night. So decisions about staying offsite or getting two rooms onsite will have to be done.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Disney does want to "trap" people on site. So does Universal in their own way.

That's why length of stay tickets are way cheaper the more days you add on. That's why they offer DME to and from the airport for "free." That's why they have buses, gondolas and monorails to make your transportation needs easier. Or resorts within walking distance of two parks. They most definitely want you on Disney property and to stay there your entire stay. They make it much easier to just stay in the bubble.

Disney plays right into the way I vacation. I hate to drive on vacation so DME and Disney transportation works right in my favor. I usually don't rent cars on vacation. I use Uber or stay at places that offer transportation or that has everything within walking distance.