Offsite Hotel/Motel Perks?

[SandmanGStefani24]

I see lots of people posting about how great the WDW resorts are. (and that praise is well deserved!) But, it's not in everyone's budget to stay on site. I am travelling solo this time, so I'm staying offsite and pocketing the extra $200 for Epcot WS shopping. (I will have a rental so the distance is not a factor) So, for those of you who have stayed offsite before due to a budget constraint, or like me just to save some green, tell us all the good things about it!

My parents were divorced, and my mom would have loved to have taken us to WDW when we were young but it was not in the budget. So, I have a soft spot for budget travellers because I have been there before.

[DizneyRox]

Well, in all honesty, unless you're saving some serious green, I havne't found offsite to really be a value.

Once you iunclude the rental car and the parking charges into the hotel room it's often very much a wash. While it may be tough, I try to put a value on my time travelling, convenience (not having to drive), sanity, etc. I've found that even the moderates are a good value in general.

I can get the associate rate at most Marriott hotels, but still have a hard to justifying it. Yes, sometimes they offer breakfast, etc, but for the most part, I just sleep in the room. I do want a quiet clean room to sleep in, but things like free breakfast, etc aren't high on my list of "perks".

That might not help, but maybe it gives you a better comparison. I think often people do not factor in things like parking, and rental costs in with their hotel. Those are items you don't need to pay if you stay on-site however (well if you are able to use ME).

I do feel that I travel on a pretty tight budget though. I think our last trip cost us less than maybe $1500. Disney rewards and some surprise Disney Dollars, monetary awards from work, etc. It all adds up to a nice relaxing vacation. You don't have to splurge to have a good time

[TammiMcMan]

So, for those of you who have stayed offsite before due to a budget constraint, or like me just to save some green, tell us all the good things about it!We've stayed off site a number of times, in the interest of budgeting. I think the list of perks, really depends on where you're staying. We did a few days at the Knights Inn motel and other than the bar close by, there were really no other perks to speak of. We've stayed in hotels along International Drive and discovered that there are actually other things to do in Orlando besides Disney. I think we do get so immersed in the magic when we stay on site, that we literally only see other parts of Orlando on the drive to and from the airport. Probably the best off site amenities we experienced though, was when we rented a house. Obviously it was great for everyone to have their own room and the convenience of a full kitchen. Plus we had our own pool and hot tub under a covered lanai.

[#1donaldfan]

I think that if you save any money at all, it's money saved. I absolutley love staying on site and letting Disney do the driving and almost everything else, but staying off site and being able to save money....well, that's a personal choice. I don't think it's for us, as we like parking our car upon check-in and not seeing it until we leave. I know I'm not much help, but I agree that not everyone's budget is the same and if you stay off site to save money then there's nothing wrong with it. Your at Disney, you'll have fun either way. As mentioned before, you may want to weigh the perks you'll miss out on, the parking, traffic, and all that either on / or off has to offer. Normally the night before we check-in at a resort we stay off site a night and we get to swim in a nice pool, eat dinner, shop a little....basically, is that not what you'd do at a resort, but at a largely reduced rate??

[Dawneeeey]

Hi!

My next trip is a budget trip for us!

My mom has time share and gave us her week to use anyway we wanted. All we had to do was pay for the guest fee and transfer fee ($200 for the WEEK!!!)

We have a 3 BR condo with a kitchen for 5 adults. We get a discount on a rental car through my work association and our flight through Southwest was $58 each way.

Although I LOVE staying on WDW property sometimes we can't and it's ok!! As long as I can get to the World, I don't care. :)

Have fun on your trip! :mickey:

[DDuck66]

We will be staying off site for the first time ever this October. We have AP's so the parking is not a problem, it is just going to be the extra driving time. The room was not that much cheaper, but we did it so that we can take our 4 legged daughter with us. I hope it all goes well and we are putting our best face forward.
Hope your trip goes well. Here some pixie dust for us both.
:pixie:

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We enjoy staying both on-site and off-site.
2) The advantages of being off-site
. . . usually save some money on hotel
. . . usually save quite a bit on food
. . . ability to not have to eat on-site *
. . . day long scheduled non-park activities

NOTE1: In our opinion, the Disney eateries are becoming too similar and starting to get a little boring in the menu selections. Eating off-site saves a lot of money and gives us better menu choices. When paying Disney prices, we want uniqueness and style. We get more of that off-site.

NOTE2: Sometimes we really "put-on-the-dog" when staying off-site. We can get TRUE concierge service at the Ritz for less than Grand Floridian, plus, the free use of a Mercedes during the stay.

[MNNHFLTX]

You already mentioned the greatest perk of staying off-site--saving money! I've never stayed off-site for more than a night, but I can imagine the saving would be substantial. You could get a decent room in an all-suite hotel that would include breakfast. And in my experience, a rental car is not that huge of an expense. For example, I just booked a midsize car for an upcoming trip for $142/ week (taxes and fees included). And it is nice to have other options for restaurants, if you choose.

Of course you do have factor in money for parking each day, gas and not being able to utilize the Extra Magic Hours program. But all in all, there are some benefits to staying offsite.

[andreallybadeggs]

While on site is our preference, we've stayed off property several times and still had great vacations.
Besides saving some $ (in our case it was timeshare trades that had been gifted to us)
we did like seeing a little more of the area outside of the world. Laundry was easier for us, we enjoyed having kitchen facilities/more flexibility with meals, and having more room to spread out.
EMH was not as big a sacrifice as I had anticipated. In fact, it was a bit liberating not to feel pressured to go to all the EMH's just so we would get "our money's worth" Do your park hour research before you leave, though, and avoid the EMH parks for the day or you do risk feeling a bit like a second class citizen.
Even when we stay on property we often drive ourselves... we like being a little more in control + it's just fun to drive through the World.
Enjoy!

[rt207]

We've always stayed offsite, except one stay at the Fort Wilderness Campground, because our dog goes with us. The money vs the space issue has been huge, also, because we've always stayed in a suite when staying in a hotel. If we hadn't been traveling with a child/teen, which was the reason for the suite-I need some space/privacy, we could have saved even more. Free breakfast is nice, also. If Disney ever has a hotel that's pet friendly, I'm not sure what I'll do...I'd like to try staying onsite for once, but it'll probably never happen (that they'll be pet friendly).

[Jasper]

Before you go any further in reading my post here be sure you understand that I am ONLY talking about the cost of a standard hotel room, no suites and no time shares or any of those other options that are out there. I am also not talking about any other costs like transportation, meals or anything else.

What I don’t understand is how people say they save so much money on rooms when they stay off site. Granted we normally go to WDW during the off season and normally stay at a value resort so things may be different at other times of the year. Having said that though, we normally never pay more than about 70 or 80 dollars a night staying at one of the All Stars or at Pop Century. When I have checked room rates off property the ones that were relatively close to WDW were at least the same price and often times was even higher.

Am I missing something here? Our basic requirement for a hotel room when we go anyplace regardless of whether it is Disney or not is sleeping capacity for four people and an indoor swimming pool in cold weather parts of the country or a heated outdoor pool in places like Orlando. That means that a hotel like the Holiday Inn Express chain fits our needs.

[SandmanGStefani24]

the days inn is 2 miles from the parks (about a block away or so from the value resorts) and I got my room for 34 bucks a night. that's the only reason i got it. i can easily afford a nice hotel, but since i'm gonna be solo, i don't see a reason to get a nice room i don't intend on being in for any longer than i can sleep. i have lots of shopping to do, and i can take the extra cash and have fun with it!

(and Mrs is not going, but she is still thinking of more and more things for me to buy for her while i'm over there...i thought she "wasn't that into Disney":confused:) lol

[BronxTigger]

the days inn is 2 miles from the parks (about a block away or so from the value resorts) and I got my room for 34 bucks a night. that's the only reason i got it. i can easily afford a nice hotel, but since i'm gonna be solo, i don't see a reason to get a nice room i don't intend on being in for any longer than i can sleep. i have lots of shopping to do, and i can take the extra cash and have fun with it!

(and Mrs is not going, but she is still thinking of more and more things for me to buy for her while i'm over there...i thought she "wasn't that into Disney":confused:) lol

It sounds like you have made the best decision for you for this trip, which is the most important thing. Go and have a great trip!

[TFrauts]

We stayed there for a night in August!! We stayed on property for 5 nights, but I would never pay what disney asks on the weekend! We chose to stay at choice suite at Old town!! We were EXTREMELY impressed! IT was less than $100 a night, and that included an *amazing* breakfast, and 2 coupons for buy one get one free drinks at the pool bar! We were VERY happy with the room size and cleanliness!! I would definitely stay there again!! And it is adjacent to old town! So if you don't feel like hitting the parks, you can take a walk through old town!!
Oh...and even though you didn't ask, enterprise was by far the cheapest rental company we could find!!