off property

looking to get down to disney this year. need to cut the cost !!!! was considering staying at clarion suites maingate or comfort inn maingate. can't find it on trip advisors. the comfort inn actuall seems to have nicer rooms but wondering if anyone has stayed at either of these places. they both have bus servies to all the parks. i am a choice plus card holder and have stayed in other states at these hotels and have never been disapointed. well anyway they give free hot breakfast, shuttle service to parks and it will cost under 350 for 5 nights. with that and the cost of a 5 day pass for 3 it is about 1100 bucks. so one meal in disney is all we really need. i checked on moderate and it will cost with the free meal plan just over 1700 not including the airfare (700) from ny. so with airfare, hotel it will be around 1700 if i stay off property. any comments ???? suggestions ???

We have stayed at the Clarion several times before moving on property to save money. They are more cost efficient and pretty nice rooms for what you pay:mickey:; just remember that they are NOT Disney! Because of that, we have just decided to bite the bullet and pay the extra cash; but if it came to a trip to WDW or no trip to WDW...I'd pick Clarion everytime!

Personally, I'd rather stay at a Disney Value resort than anywhere offsite. It may cost a little more, but I feel I'm paying for the immersive "Disney experience". I just feel more "secure" staying on property. And, I much prefer using Disney's transportation.

Definitely be cautious about the off-property hotel shuttles. Some have very limited and rigid schedules that can make getting around a headache.

I know many people that stay off-property and wouldn't go any other way, but it's definitely not for me.

Agree about clarifying the schedule of hotel shuttles. Also, did you factor in the cost of all food when staying offsite vs. free dining? If I am understanding you correctly, you are planning to have the hot breakfast at the hotel and then purchase just one meal per day at the parks? It may be helpful to look at menus and price everything out to be sure you will be saving enough to justify the less convenient option. Also, what will it cost for airport transfers since you won't have Magical Express?

If the cost of staying offsite looks like it will higher than you originally thought, perhaps free dining at a value might be a worthwhile compromise? IMHO a Disney value beats an unknown Orlando property, unless you are able to find reliable reviews.

In college, I stayed at the Comfort Suites Maingate (International Drive, right?) and the Maingate East. Both were nice/clean but not fancy by any means. I think I liked the Maingate East better but enjoyed our stay at both. We had a car so we always would drive ourselves to the park because sometimes the buses would be crowded or we didn't want to wait.

I'd recommend looking into the WDW Value Resorts but if you choose to stay off-property, the Comfort Suites is a fine choice. Best of luck!

What time of year are you planning on going? Did you looking into the specials going on?

We've stayed both onsite and off. I found that if you stay offsite, a car is something that is necessary. As previous posts have said, the transportation to and from the parks can be difficult to manage. You'll have to factor in the cost of parking if you drive. I also found that there are less expensive dining options offsite. Usually free dining is offered during peak hurricane season, so you may want to be mindful of that, if you're considering booking onsite at that time of year. For a a family of six, timeshare condo rentals are much less expensive than even the Value Family Suites with a discount. Of course, you won't be fully immersed in Disney when you return to your hotel, but if it makes a difference on whether or not you go, by all means stay offsite. A Disney vacation offsite is better than no Disney vacation.:mickey: