off prop vacation homes - am I missing something?

[erdooley]

Hi, first time poster here. My DH and 5 y.o. DD are planning our first trip to WDW in late Jan. '09 for a week. I've been doing alot of research on lodging. I've come to the conclusion that a close by (ie: Windsor Hills) vacation home or condo would be the best deal for our family. There are tons out there that are listed in the $500-$700/week range. To me this seems like an awesome bargain. People rave about the convenience of staying on site and on another message board I keep getting the idea that it's really better for first-timers to stay on site. We will have a car because we're driving from Atlanta. I don't care about being in a Disney theme 24/7. I don't mind paying $10/day for parking if it means a king-sized bed, more space, a porch or balcony, peace and quiet and a bargain. (I envision that we will be in our accommodations quite a bit). If we stay on property, it will have to be a value resort. We can't afford a deluxe, or really even a moderate. Considering all these things, am I missing something? Is there really any reason why I wouldn't want to stay off property in a vacation home or condo? Just trying to sort things out. Thanks for any advice!

[merlinmagic4]

I'm one of those offsite outcasts :D I love our two bedroom, 2 bath condo with full kitchen and laundry. The seven pools aren't bad either! I also don't mind paying to park and prefer going back to my own car at the end of the day (as opposed to a bus full of people). It's all individual preference. We also tend to spend more time at our resort as we only spend about 6-7 hours in each park on any given day so it's nice to spread out and relax. There's nothing wrong with staying offsite - it's all about what suits your family :thumbsup:

I would recommend staying as close as possible. Our timeshare is so close that it's only minutes to the parks. I wouldn't really want to struggle with a longer "commute" or traffic at the beginning or end of my day. Just a thought!

Oh, and :welcome:

[PetefromRI]

We love staying on-site.I hate driving on vacation and I love the 24/7 Disney feel.That being said,you really can't beat the deals off site if your traveling with a family.Last year we stayed with my brother and his family at the Grande Vista,3 bedroom villa.This was a beautiful resort and our bedroom was as nice or better than any deluxe at Disney plus we got to see what Orlando had to offer(Sea World,Universal and a few real nice restaurants).We plan on doing this again next year.It costs less for a 3 bedroom villa with 2 balconies,a nice kitchen and living room/dining room,3 baths and alot of real nice pools than 1 room at the Poly.Like I said,I love staying on site but I would'nt write off staying off site until I tried it.

[WonderlandsMostWanted]

First, Welcome to Intercot! I love it here, it's my second happy place! (The first being WDW!)

On to your questions... I've never stayed at a vacation home myself, so I can't speak to that end of things. But, I can tell you what I feel are the best things about staying on property for my self, and the reasons I encourage my friends and family to do the same, paricularly on a first trip.
First things first: WDW is at least 10 times bigger than you're imagining. Even if you've read about how many acres/miles the properties/parks are, or how much land they own, you still can't fully appreciate just how BIG it is and how much it encompasses until you get there. Everything else stems from this point:
A) Finding the parks, thier parking lots, etc isn't always as easy as you may expect, and the people on the road with you fall into 1 of 2 main catagories: those taking Disney (or some other form of group transportation) and tourists, who have about as much, or less, idea where they're going than you do. Think, lots of sudden, unannounced lane changes, nobody's exactly sure where they're going, and everyone is from out of town and unfamilliar with the area. Many of these peole are jet-lagged, over-tired, and pushing too hard to fit EVERYTHING in. Not ideal driving conditions for your OWN first time there. Taking Disney transportation eliminates a LOT of headaches, worry, confusion and ultimately, time and peace of mind. (We have our own car down there. We park at the resort and take Disney transportation, every time.)

2) Back to the BIG factor: You WILL be tired after all that walking, sensory overload, etc. Being able to stumble out to the bus stop, take your resort bus back to your room, and not have to worry about trying to find your way back out of Disney property, and back to your lodging is such a sigh of relief at the end of the day. We don't even travel with kids, and we're always greatful at the end of the day to be able to just get on the bus and not have to worry about driving tired, traffic, or trying to focus on anything else for the day. It just seems much more relaxing.

Now, there are a lot of reasons for and against, driving yourself, staying on property or off, etc, and I'm sure plenty of people will offer more suggestions soon. But, for me, those are the main reasons that staying on site is worth it for us.

[GrumpyFan]

First off, Welcome to Intercot! :welcome:

From the sound of things, you know exactly what you want, which is a good thing. We've stayed off property a couple of times, but never in a rental home, but still, I think I can help address some of your points. Many people feel the way you do when planning their first visit, as there are some good deals off-property, but I will caution you to find out everything you can about where you choose to stay. There are some lesser-quality places in questionable areas that you might find uncomfortable.

I'm not trying to convince you to stay on-property, but a lot of people who get hooked on the "Magic of Disney", eventually decide that it's better to stay on-property. So, much of what you'll hear on Intercot and most other Disney-related boards is from those of us who have been "converted" or hooked.

There are some advantages to staying on-property, that you can't get off-property, see Benefits of staying off property (http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/accomodations/onproperty.asp) for more info. The thing that changed our mind was the transportation options. While it can sometimes be a bit of a hassle waiting for busses, it is far less stressful (IMHO), than driving everywhere, and dealing with parking. My thought is, I'm on vacation, and I don't want to do anything more than I have to, so I'll let someone else do the driving.

The question you'll need to ask yourself is how important are these things, or do they matter to us? Again, judging from the sound of things, they don't. So, go enjoy, have fun and let us know how it turns out.

Also, check out this thread: Favorite little thing about staying on property (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=130847) for other thoughts on why people like staying on-property.

BTW, we used to live in Woodstock, and drive down quite frequently. Where are you in Atlanta?

[andreallybadeggs]

Hi and welcome to Intercot!

Our family has made multiple trips to WDW and we have good things to say about both on and off property stays. You have expressed your situation well and, while our preference is and will always be on property, in your case I don't think the off site home is a bad idea at all. There have been many times when we had too many in our group to consider on site or when the $ just wasn't there.
Off-property visits were a great option and we still had a fabulous time so I would not hesitate to tell you to go ahead with your plan. It IS nice to have the extra space, a kitchen, and a washer dryer. My only word of advice is if you do not have park hoppers, plan your days carefully and try to avoid parks on their Extra Magic Hours days.
Have a super trip.:mickey:

[crazeedizneefinatic]

For us staying on site is a no brainer. We fly in and renting a car and parking expense almost equals what we would save staying off site. Plus the idea of leaving the driving to someone else. Totally relaxing while on vacation. We have done both, we have stayed off property and used to think what's all the fuss till we actually tried on property. Driving I-4 in traffic and navigating Disney property (although marked very well) is proof enough for us to choose on site. The ME and delivery of our luggage is a big perk also. Walking off the plane and directly to the resort shuttle, it can't get much better than that.

Since you drive down don't count out staying on site, if your children are small they will absolutely love to stay in a value (I think even big kids would get a kick out of it). It's a tough decision to weigh out, especially when you can save money. But really plan out the price you might be surprised at how little it would be to stay on site.

Good luck with deciding, it's a tough one.

[Tigerinvestigator]

All I can do is speak for my family. Like others have said, you have to do what is best for your family and be satisfied with your decision. The last thing you want is to get there and spend the whole week regretting your decision (whatever that may be). This is how my family looks at it :

1) With Disney owned properties we are able to escape the real world. That is the number one reason for our vacation, and we would not get that staying in a vacation home in the city of Orlando or surrounding area.

2) We do not drive once we get to our resort. Many people use their vehicles and free parking at WDW, but we strictly use Disney Transportation. As they used to say in the old MK Video "Getting there is half the fun". I cannot imagine fighting traffic at the end of the day (or beginning for that matter). I know some would argue that they don't have to stand in line for busses, but we rarely have to wait for busses because we hang out in the park until they clear out.

3) We love the 24hr Disney immersion. You may not care, but maybe the DD5 would. You have to ask yourself how much more would she enjoy being surrounded by giant Disney icons etc.

4) One of the greatest benefits is being able to return to your resort during the day with little hassle and return late after the crowds have left or catch an afternoon swim.

5) We like the assurance that everything will be perfect with our rooms (or Disney will fix it)and knowing our deposits etc are safe. We know the location we are staying in is safer than the real world and knowing if anything goes wrong, Disney will usually do whatever they have to to make it right. 35 years of staying on property have proved this to my family.

6) Don't forget the importance of Extra Magic Hour (we typically get more done during EMH than most families get in one or two full days) which is only available to onsite guests, as well as the other benefits like having packages/gifts sent from the parks to your room to avoid carrying them etc.

Just so many great reasons to stay on property. Many will think I am crazy but my family would rather pay to stay at a Disney resort (even a value) than be given a free room off property. Staying off property to us is just a trip, but staying on property is an escape from reality and total immersion in Disney magic.:thumbsup:

[disneytime]

I have done both on and off property. i can tell you there is a place right out side Downtown Disney that we stayed at called Blue Heron. They are condos we had the 2 bedroom and it was great we were on the sixth floor and everynight we could watch the fireworks from the parks. You might want to also check the rates on property since you are going in Jan. that is a great time to go not too crowded. We just went for the weekend in April and it was $140.00 a night with two rooms one king and two twins in the other, also bunkbeds in the hall way (you have to see it ) and full kitchen with washer and Dryer. We have 5 in our family and this was perfect we also went with another couple and fit fine. You are still close to the heart of Disney. I will stay on property when I can but staying close by is not bad either and alot of the hotels on the out side have great deals and they are suites Disney should look into that its hard when you have 5 people Disney only offers so much also check out the hotels on Lake Buena Vista by Downtown they are all remodeled and not that exspensive if you still want the Disney feel.what ever you decide as long as you are in Disney mode you will be fine. Just becareful some of the house rentals are far from the parks the drive alone from the house to the parks will make you wish you just stayed on property. Check that before you book something.

have a great time

[Mickey91]

Well first let me say WELCOME to Intercot!:mickey:

Second, if you haven't stayed on property before than you don't know what you're missing. Meaning, that you will be perfectly content where you are. We stayed off site for our trips until we decided to splurge one time and see what it was like to stay at the AllStars. We loved it! But we weren't hooked. Our next trip, budget was a bit tighter and we figured we would stay off site to help the affordability factor. We were totally bummed. We didn't realize what an impact staying onsite had on us until we had to drive in and out of WDW every morning and night. Needless to say, we now stay onsite. But, the room isn't the draw. They are tiny compared to what you are talking about and to have something that size you would either need to join the DVC or pay a nice sum for a suite. It is really all in what you want your vacation to be. Being your first time and what it seems you have in mind for your first trip, I think you are fine where you are. Go and enjoy! Let us know what you think!:mickey:

[Taja]

You need to do what is best for your family. :)

Coming from the western US, I love evening EMH, as my internal clock doesn't reset until about Day 6 or Day 7 (we usually stay 10 nights). Even with a nine-year-old and 14-week-old last December, we still did evening EMH (most of the crew didn't get moving until about 2:00 p.m.--a little late for me!) when it was offered.

The value resort rooms are cozy, no question about it. But other than sleeping and showering, we don't spend a lot of time there. We also have a number of adults--usually female--and we don't particularly want to prepare food when on vacation. We can do that at home any time!

But your family might benefit from staying off site. As a previous poster noted, just be sure to pay attention to EMH days and avoid those parks on those days, and you'll be fine.

[NJGIRL]

Most of our vacation is offsite. We don't care about being Disney 24/7 either. You will be fine. It is not a hassle to stay offsite and I have found that the places that we have stayed (within 5 miles from disney enterance ) taking the car gets you to the parks alot quicker than Disney buses.

The general area is all "Disney". The roads are WELL marked and very detailed. In all our stays we have never had a problem finding any Disney attractions.

We stay in a timeshare that has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room,dining room and washer/dryer. When we stay at a Disney Hotel or any other hotel for that matter we feel cramped.

I'm not putting down Disney hotels because they are very nice but so is my timeshare. Beleive me you won't lose any of the "magic" renting a house for your vacation.

[TammiMcMan]

We've done Disney both on site and off site. To compare, our youngest was turning 6 on one particular trip where we rented a home. She had been to Disney and stayed on site the previous year and there was really no differnce to her. When we stayed on site, she did love ordering room service and eating out on the balcony, and when we stayed at the house, she loved having her own room, TV/DVD and her very own pool right outside the living room door. The house we rented had a covered lanai, so the kids could swim even in the rain. As parents, we loved being able to put the kids into bed and then enjoying the hot tub or a glass of wine outside on the patio. A few things you can't do when you're staying at a resort.... so there's always some give and take.

The drive was no issue at all and as a previous poster mentioned, we had no problems following the signs and making it to all the parks.

I think on site will definitely give you some perks and it's a great way to experience Disney, but having done both, I don't feel we lose anything when we decide to rent instead. It gives us some different opportunities, that's all.

[sainter]

I just wanted to comment that "Disney 24/7", especially to someone who has never been there, might sound like Princesses and the Mouse in your face everywhere you turn.
What it really means to me its beauty, cleanliness, background music and a feeling of safety and calm I don't get in the "real" world all day and all night.
We have stayed offsite and had a very nice condo once as well as regular hotel rooms. The extra space was nice. Not all areas around Disney are nice though and that just isn't something I want on vacation if I don't have to have it.
And I agree with all posters above about the driving. I have driven on some vacations to Disney and did OK. We only got seriously turned around (lost) once. But now the journey is truly part of the adventure for us. I love meeting the people in the buses or watching the young families in the morning on their way to a park. The kids faces as the parents point things out on the way -- priceless!!
Just my two cents :mickey: