Convince me to stay on resort

[Disnewbie_N_MO]

I've been reading this thread, and want to thank everyone for their input. I've been having the same dilemma. It has taken us 2 years to finally be able to afford this vacation. We have been debating off site or on for a while now. The convenience has me completely sold. I'm just afraid we're going to be dipping into our spending money by paying the extra to stay on site. Hmmm, what to do, what to do?

 

[tommymac5]

Once you stay on Disney Property, (Even a value resort) you will never be able to stay in Orlando area OFF Disney property again.

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

I cannot express how much more I feel "on vacation" by staying on property. I literally feel that from the moment I step on to the Magical Express tour bus to the moment I step back into the airport that I am engulfed in the Dinsey magic.

I felt that when I stayed off-site, I pressed myself to do more as going back to the hotel for a rest in the middle of the day was not only impractical but time-consuming. Staying @ Disney allows you to follow a more relaxed schedule and because of Extra Magic Hours, still see as much.

The ability to have purchases sent back to the room is priceless. No worry about waiting to purchase souveneirs so that you aren't lugging them around. Purchase when you find something you like and don't carry it around!

The dining plan is also a nice plus. The cost for the two of us is $78 per day. We would normally spend at least that on dinner each day of our vacation, so we feel like we get lunch and a snack for free.

Having tickets linked to your room key and being able to charge purchases on them is also a nice benefit. No need to bring a wallet, purse or other bag. Just one card that you can easily put in a pocket.

For us, those differences are why it's a no-brainer to stay on site, and definitely one of the reasons we finally decided to purchase a Disney Vacation Club interest.

 

[jenseib]

I've been reading this thread, and want to thank everyone for their input. I've been having the same dilemma. It has taken us 2 years to finally be able to afford this vacation. We have been debating off site or on for a while now. The convenience has me completely sold. I'm just afraid we're going to be dipping into our spending money by paying the extra to stay on site. Hmmm, what to do, what to do?

Actually you really might not be saving much staying off site. The hotels really aren't alot cheaper in my past experience, you have to rent a car too if you didn't drive. And getting in and out of the parks to the hotel can take some time.

 

[disguy1]

WDW, as we know is like a huge magnet. They covered all the bases when it comes to lodging, eatting and playying. That magnet keeps everyone going back year after year. You will miss the Diney magic staying off-site. When your in Disney, your in another world. Thats the feeling I get. Its truly a vacation. Even if it costs a little more, believe me its worth it. Wont be much if your carefull and book a value resort. You will love it. My daughter and I are going once again in August. Why? because its the best place in the world Have a great time!!

 

[matt f]

OK, I guessj we're convinced... It's the first time we'll go to WDW, so let's do it right! Thanks everyone for your help. I'm still surprised that no one said that off site has the edge, but I guess that tells me sometihng!

By the way, we're leaning heavily towards Shades of Green. Thanks again!!

 

[disguy1]

its an addiction my friend, we look foward to it every year

 

[5mins2disney]

Ha...well let me play counterpoint for you then...I stayed onsite for many years, then in May05 my wife convinced me to stay offsite for the first time. The place we ended up at was 10x nicer than ANY onsite resort hotel at a fraction of the cost, and literally as close OR CLOSER than many of the WDW value resorts. With our own kitchen, free internet, plasma TVs everywhere, awesome mattresses and linens, and a WHOLE TOWNHOME with 3 bedrooms to lounge around in, we had one of the best vacations we've ever had anywhere!! I will NEVER go back to staying onsite...why? So I can pay 5x as much for the "magic"? So I can be forced to eat every single meal in a restaurant somewhere because I have no kitchen? So our kids won't go to bed since they're in the same room with us? As we say...you don't live in a single room..why vacation that way? Come on over to the DIS Orlando Hotels & Attractions board and you'll get a very different viewpoint! There's hidden secret in Orlando no one seems to know about...the vacation rental housing market! You can get 10x the amenities and a MUCH nicer place at a fraction of the cost! For what people were paying to stay onsite, my family was able to take two WHOLE WDW TRIPS... that's pretty tough to beat! You can argue all you want about the extra hour..etc..but while you're sitting at home thinking about that extra hour...my family will be back at WDW for another whole trip with all the $$ we saved by staying offsite!! LOL And...we'll be staying in a much nice, wayyy more luxurious resort while doing it! We've had many DIS members already share the same experiences with us...and most have said they would never go back to staying onsite ever again...don't believe the hype! The transportation options that I used to think were great, mostly end up with you on a bus going to the various resorts, waiting in a bus line to get on a crowded bus when the parks close, unless you stay in a monorail resort (BIG $$!).

Counterpoint done.

 

[disguy1]

I stayed off site one time..didnt save anything, in fact it cost me more. Theres no way im cooking on vacation. maybe some people dont mind. there are many choices for dining at disney, dont have to be all sit-down meals. I dont think $82 a night at a value is alot. Again, im not one for fancy rooms. I only sleep there at the end of the day

 

[dopeyfanatic]

I've stayed onsite, but next year we're going offsite. It IS cheaper if you plan on having a car anyway and not needing to rent one. WDW is so spread out that there are LOTS of offsite hotels that are just as close as the "onsite" ones. Don't forget that just because a hotel might be right next to MK, it's still 20 minutes from AK. Same thing goes with an offsite. To me the price difference is well worth it unless you were renting a car. That could be the breaking point. But since you'll have on, you can get offsite for cheaper, or pay the same price and have MUCH more room.

 

[matt f]

Ha...well let me play counterpoint for you then... ....Counterpoint done.

OH NO!! Now I'm not sure again!! These are all the reasons I was considering already. I think the cost will be nearly the same (within $100), but off site I get a MUCH nicer place to stay. Comparing 2 BR/2 bath suite to a single room.
Thanks again to all!!

 

[jenseib]

I stayed off site in the past only and this is my first trip planned on site. The reason being, that I had a 2 bed hotel i nthe past that wasn't any cheaper than staying here o nthe property. Now I 'm sure there are some, but I never found them in the past. Yo ucan look at staying at time share places, the ycan be little to no money, but you have to take there tour and stuff as well. In my experience too, and it has been awhile, I might add, It took forever to get to the parks on that highway (can't remember it's number right now) Though we were close, we SAT there in traffic ALOT of times on our way to the parks, and even in the afternoon trying o go back to the hotel for a nap or swim. Honestly the fastesst we ever made the trip was 30 minutes. But mostly it was 40.

As for a kitchen. That is the last thing I would EVER want in my hotel room. If someone thouhgt I was going to be cooking while on vacation, well they must be high, cause it ain't gonna happen! LOL! But I will say, staying off site may save you some money at resturants. Diseny food is expensive in my opinion and that is why we are going with the dining plan as well. We won't have the sticker shock when we are there for food.

 

[newms12]

I agree with Ransom. Onsite or no go for me

 

[Maddie2]

This is our 2nd WDW trip and while we enjoyed on-site last time, this year we are mixing it up. 1/2 on-site (Pop Century) to enjoy all the goodies -- extra hour/DDP/sending pkgs back to room/AllDisneyAllTheTime/etc.

The second 1/2 of the trip will be off-site. We want to do more than Disney. We have Disney parkhopper tickets for the entire time (adding extra days to a WDW package is pretty cheap); so when Universal Studios closes at 7pm, we can hop over to WDW for a few extra hours.

Yes, we are renting a car -- we are flying Allegiant into Sanford (so no free transports) -- the value of Allegiant gives us the extra $$ to pay for a rental car for the 10 days. Great to have a car to run to a grocery store, outlet shops, etc.

Our off-site hotel has a microwave and refrigerator, so we can eat big or small -- at a restaurant (high-end or fast food) -- or we can pick up fruits/veggies at a grocery store and eat simply.

I agree that you probably feel more pampered staying on-site, but for our family the variety we will have will be well worth the bit of extra work it will take.

As with many families, it takes us quite a while to save up to go on a vacation like this -- and this may be our last WDW vacation. Our kids are getting older and want to go elsewhere (waaaa!!) The plan we've made addresses each member of our family and hopefully will give each of us some of what we enjoy most.

 

[Eganclan]

Matt- If you were staying in Orlando for a week or more and visiting other places then off site would be a consideration but because you have a limited time and are focusing on a Disney visit my vote is stay at Disney. I did quite a bit of driving there last March and while Orlando is easy to navigate traffic needs to be factored in and while having the extra space was nice we were never around to really need it.
My husband I love using Disney transportation and there is even a web site that can tell you the quickest ways from point A to point B. Having never stayed at SOG I have no experience with it but another plus of the Swan and Dolphin is being able to walk to Epcot and MGM and of course the Boardwalk. You can also take the monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom.
Good luck with your planning.

 

[piglet50]

on site! we've been five times and stayed off site until our last trip. we stayed on site at vwl. we're going back there in may of this year. on site offers you the most convenience. there is also nothing like the experience of a disney resort. the transportation worked out fine for us in late july. some delays but i'm sure there were some on the roads to and from, also. whatever you decide, have a great time!

 

[yanners]

I'd stay on resort. My take is that if you don't like it then you can stay off resort the next time while taking advantage of all the extras to see if it is in fact worth it to you.

I think you will have nothing to lose that way.

 

[matt f]

Lots of good thoughts here Keep 'em coming!

The more I think about it the more I feel like I just can't go wrong.

 

[mikymouse]

Hi Matt! Disney was the only vacation where both my husband and I felt completely emersed in vacation and truly had the feeling of getting away. We have vacationed many other places but real life is still looming over us with driving, typical food, cell phones, watching the news... etc. My husband didn't even want to go at first but now is looking forward to another Disney vacation. My friends also went for their first trip and stayed off site (kept saying where is all the magic?) and they will not be going back to Disney... I think there is something about being at Disney 24/7 that makes a difference. A Disney vacation is just different than most vacations and I think that all the little extras (shuttles, extra magic hours, dinning plan) make a difference because the place is so vast it can quickly get overwhelming.

 

[Eganclan]

Matt- Putting in my 2 cents again. I just realized that you are heading down over the summer. We were there end of June/1st week of July and it was extremely crowded.....The only way we found to work around this was being the first ones there in the morning and using the night EM hours that are crowded at first but then the crowds thin out.
We used to love going just before Labor Day but that was before Disney started free dining. Not sure where you are driving from but a few days outside of your car would be beneficial to all.