How to stay "off site"!?

[Shelby Schroepfer]

I'm hoping for some insight to staying offsite. We have stayed 4 consecutive years, ASMusic, POP, ASMovies, and POP again just a week ago. We are looking at going again in 2021 but trying to really save the most we can as I know packages are just gonna keep rising every year. We have looked into the Disney Springs hotels first because we like the idea of shuttles, EMH and 60 day FP windows. We do NOT rent a car and fly into MCO. So I know we would have to factor in like 200$ or so to get us to and from the airport. Can anyone talk to me about their trip at Springs hotels and not having a car? Are we better off staying on site like we have been? Truly? We have done free dining in the past, and then done years without dining at all and just budgeted for quick service meals. 2 adults 1 child who is now 4. We usually do hopper tickets and get the plus option to visit the water park. We usually stay 9 nights. Thank you to anyone with any insight! Oh we have always used a travel agent too and she's been fabulous!

 

[easyas123]

I've not stayed off site, or at Disney Springs yet, so I'm of no help there. BUT I have taken Uber down there a lot (to and from MCO to both universal & Disney resorts) and that will run you A LOT less than $200! I can't recall exactly what it was...not much though. You can get a idea of the fee off of the Uber website.

 

[easyas123]

And it's super easy. Land, get your luggage, so out to the meet area, contact Uber for a ride and they are there. Little to no wait.
Admittedly, we use them a lot in-park as well.

 

[skittles67]

We have stayed at the B Resort and Hilton Bonnet Creek.
We have an older child so we do not need a car seat. We took an Uber from the airport, which cost around $35. So plan on about $70 for round trip.
Shuttle to the parks was every 30 minutes from the hotels. B Resort had shuttle times listed on a board outside, Hilton had a weekly flier with times posted. No issues getting a bus to the parks. It was no different then the resort buses. As we were exiting the driver always reminded us of the bus stop number and time of the last bus.
We enjoyed the B Resort due to it's easy access to Disney Springs. Very easy walk! We are not a rope drop to fireworks family and enjoy hanging out at Disney Springs in the evenings so we enjoyed staying at the B.
Hilton Bonnet Creek was amazing! I loved that hotel. My daughter had so much fun in the pool and lazy river, she never wanted to get out, lol.
I spent about $140 dollars on Uber our last trip but that because we used them to get to and from the airport, and to dining reservations from the hotel to the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom. It was anywhere from 8-12 dollars each way.

 

[Alynw]

So, I'm different than most here as I have never actually stayed onsite, we always stay offsite and we never plan on staying onsite. But, we do more than Disney, we also do universal, sea world, gatorland, day at beach and much more. Personally, we rent a vacation home in Kissimmee, it's a 1600sgft home, 3 beds, 2 bath, garage and heated private pool. It cost us $1400 for 2 weeks but only $700 if u wanted 1 week. Our rental car cost $225 a week and we get our car at the airport (mco) soon as we get off plane, no waiting and no shuttle or uber. One thing I've learned over the years is the cost of food and having to eat out is one of the biggest expenses and being able to buy a few groceries and eating at home just a fraction of the time really helps cut cost. The biggest downside by far is the fastpass time line, we only get the 30 day window but if u stayed at a Disney springs hotel, u would get the 60 day and em hours but then again, not sure what ur saving will be. Hope I answered some of ur questions and if want more info about how we do anything, just ask , I'll help out anyway I can. Good luck on whatever u decide

 

[TnTWalter]

We did 2 onsite visits {POP and Poly} and 3 offsite {Windsor Hills & 2 Bonnet Creek}. Bonnet Creek is by far my favorite. It is on Disney Property even though offsite so close to everything. Pools galore. Hot Tubs. Pool Bars. Lazy River. Daily activity schedule if you have down time [we never do lol]. Room to Roam. There's a thread dedicated to Bonnet Creek on the offsite forum. Check it out.

 

[Alynw]

Just a quick breakdown of our total cost so u can compare yourself. For family of 3 adults per Disney

RT Flights for 3 - $1100 from Ind to Mco
Tickets from UT- 5 day base $1183
House- 15 days $1400
Rental car- 15 days $460
Groceries- $200 we buy things like milk, bread, eggs, cereal, lunch meats, frozen pizza and food like that. Sometimes we buy fresh hamburger or steak to cook out on grill as the house has outside gas grill.

 

[tvguy]

The distances between the parks was a bit startling to us during our only visit to WDW as DLR regulars. You can stay offsite and still be with in walking distance at DLR, or stay at the Grand Californian and literally be in CA in 3 minutes (and I mean from your room to into the park)

 

[tomasrey88]

I'm hoping for some insight to staying offsite. We have stayed 4 consecutive years, ASMusic, POP, ASMovies, and POP again just a week ago. We are looking at going again in 2021 but trying to really save the most we can as I know packages are just gonna keep rising every year. We have looked into the Disney Springs hotels first because we like the idea of shuttles, EMH and 60 day FP windows. We do NOT rent a car and fly into MCO. So I know we would have to factor in like 200$ or so to get us to and from the airport. Can anyone talk to me about their trip at Springs hotels and not having a car? Are we better off staying on site like we have been? Truly? We have done free dining in the past, and then done years without dining at all and just budgeted for quick service meals. 2 adults 1 child who is now 4. We usually do hopper tickets and get the plus option to visit the water park. We usually stay 9 nights. Thank you to anyone with any insight! Oh we have always used a travel agent too and she's been fabulous!

If you are staying near disney springs, you could take the disney springs bus to the theme parks so you could save money & not have to rent a car.

 

[Marionnette]

If you are staying near disney springs, you could take the disney springs bus to the theme parks so you could save money & not have to rent a car.

There are no buses that run from Disney Springs to the theme parks.

 

[siren0119]

If you are staying near disney springs, you could take the disney springs bus to the theme parks so you could save money & not have to rent a car.

Nope, there are no buses from Springs to any of the parks (because they don't want people parking for free at springs and going to the parks for the day). You can walk over to Saratoga Springs and pick up one of their buses, but it's a bit of a hike depending on which Springs hotel you're staying at.

We just stayed at the Wyndham Garden LBV, which is right next to Disney Springs - we definitely spent less than $200 to get to and from the airport (family of 4 with carryon luggage). There was a shuttle to the parks at the hotel, but if we wanted to head to the parks on our own time we'd just get an Uber/Lyft (about $12-15 each way to any park). Last year we stayed at the Hilton Parc Soleil and they didn't have a shuttle but we used Uber/Lyft and it was about the same from I-Drive as it was from the Wyndham this year. But what we saved not staying onsite was still way more than we paid in extra transportation when we used it!

 

[ArielRae]

Here is a link to my recent trip report about my stay offsite at the Wyndham Garden on Hotel Plaza Boulevard Disney Springs.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/wyndham-garden-lake-buena-vista-disney-springs-review.3772219/
Here is my review of using Mears Shared Shuttle service from the airport.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...tle-to-and-from-mco-great-experience.3772291/

 

[stsomewhere]

We stayed at the Wyndham bonnet creek on our last trip. It was great. You can order groceries to be delivered. We used uber most of the time, It was $6 from The broadwalk to Bonnet creek. The most expensive was Minnie van to and from MK. It was $35 each way but we got dropped off at the bus stops instead of TTC We did not want hassle of ferry or monorail.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Lyft is our preferred transportation method whether we are staying on or off property. It is faster and usually has more convenient pick-up/drop-off locations than the buses. At $6-$12 between parks and $20-$40 for airport runs, a small fraction of our total trip costs eliminates a lot of frustration.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would never stay off site thinking I would rely on the resort shuttles to get around. Even the ones with the most decent shuttles don't compare to Disney shuttles. They don't come as often, and drop you out farther away from the park gates. And I'm not sure if any actually run to all 4 parks. Many make use of the TTC as a hub.

Either budget to use Uber/Lyft to get around, or rent a car. Or skip staying off site and stay on site.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We stayed at the B Resort near Disney Springs last Thanksgiving. We had a king room with bunk beds that were perfect for our two adult boys who don't like to sleep together. We alternated between using the shuttle and Uber. We found it easier to Uber to the parks in the mornings so we could get dropped off relatively close to the entrance. In the evenings, we sometimes took a Disney bus to a resort, had dinner or looked around and Uber'd back from there. We figured we saved over $1500 by not staying onsite, so the Uber fares were really negligible.

 

[_19disnA]

The times we have stayed offsite we always rented a car. Online taxi or some other shuttle service might work to get you from the airport to your hotel, but then you are basically dependent on others for all of your transportation needs. Part of the offsite savings is going out to dinner and not eating every meal at a pricey Disney location. Perhaps you eat breakfast in your room, but I doubt you want to use an online taxi to go to a grocery store. Having a rental car gives you FAR more flexibility. If you need transportation for everywhere you might go, that will certainly add up during your vacation.

 

[Alynw]

The times we have stayed offsite we always rented a car. Online taxi or some other shuttle service might work to get you from the airport to your hotel, but then you are basically dependent on others for all of your transportation needs. Part of the offsite savings is going out to dinner and not eating every meal at a pricey Disney location. Perhaps you eat breakfast in your room, but I doubt you want to use an online taxi to go to a grocery store. Having a rental car gives you FAR more flexibility. If you need transportation for everywhere you might go, that will certainly add up during your vacation.

Absolutely agree. If you are staying offsite and plan on doing anything or going anywhere besides Disney, its definitely going to be cheaper and more efficient to rent your own, unless your under age 25. It seems the average vacation is 1 week and you can actually rent a car right there in the airport for around $180. The cost of getting to and from the airport alone is half the cost of a rental car. The efficiency alone of having your own car and not having to deal with scheduling and waiting on someone else is well worth it. I think a lot of people really don't understand how easy it is to rent a car. When we get off the plane my wife waits on our luggage while I go get our car. I will have the car and ready to go before she gets our luggage, that's how quick and easy it is. I've also noticed a lot of people don't know they do not have to pay for additional insurance on the rental car. If you own a car and carry full coverage insurance, u are automatically covered on the rental car and do not need the additional coverage offered by the rental company. Plus, if your a wheeler and dealer, u can go between rental companies and bargain the price down. Also, depending on who book through, u don't have to pay until u pickup the car and it's free cancelation. So, for those that are considering car rental, just know it's a really quick and easy process. Side note for those that already rent, when renting at MCO airport, there is option to rent and pay in advance and skip the line at the counter, u can literally do it all online and walk directly to the parking garage and just show attendant papers and go straight to the car.

 

[Fischstick]

Absolutely agree. If you are staying offsite and plan on doing anything or going anywhere besides Disney, its definitely going to be cheaper and more efficient to rent your own, unless your under age 25. It seems the average vacation is 1 week and you can actually rent a car right there in the airport for around $180. The cost of getting to and from the airport alone is half the cost of a rental car. The efficiency alone of having your own car and not having to deal with scheduling and waiting on someone else is well worth it. I think a lot of people really don't understand how easy it is to rent a car. When we get off the plane my wife waits on our luggage while I go get our car. I will have the car and ready to go before she gets our luggage, that's how quick and easy it is. I've also noticed a lot of people don't know they do not have to pay for additional insurance on the rental car. If you own a car and carry full coverage insurance, u are automatically covered on the rental car and do not need the additional coverage offered by the rental company. Plus, if your a wheeler and dealer, u can go between rental companies and bargain the price down. Also, depending on who book through, u don't have to pay until u pickup the car and it's free cancelation. So, for those that are considering car rental, just know it's a really quick and easy process. Side note for those that already rent, when renting at MCO airport, there is option to rent and pay in advance and skip the line at the counter, u can literally do it all online and walk directly to the parking garage and just show attendant papers and go straight to the car.

Might be helpful to remember that if you DO rent a car, you'll need to factor in the cost of parking at each park. Which, with the length of your trip, might mean at least ONE of you should get an annual pass. That would allow for free parking, photo pass, discounts on some dining and merchandise. Def crunch the numbers though, as the last AP price hike closed the gap on that being a no brainer.

 

[Monykalyn]

While I agree with renting is a car is easier, it is easy to Uber/Lyft around too. I rented a car for only part of our September trip and used Uber/lyft for the rest; and was really easy and convenient. Something to consider if you really don't want a car is to use a transportation service like Tony Hinds to and from the airport-his price includes a grocery stop if you'd like, so some money savings there to get snacks/breakfast items.
We've stayed at B Resort and Doubletree-personally for that long of a trip I'd choose Doubletree Suites for the extra room and kitchenette (like a DVC studio setup). Often if you book through DisneySpringshotels.com link DT has a waived parking or resort fee.