Onsite again or new offsite choice? HELP!

Momto3littlemice · #1 04-13-2008, 11:45 AM

We are planning our 2009 trip with family and trying to figure out where to stay. This year will be the first year that we are considering staying offsite because of the number/ages of kids. We are 6 adults and 4 children (2 under a year, a 4 year old, and a 5 year old). We are considering staying at POFQ (like last year with only 2 kids and had a GREAT TIME) in 3 rooms OR in an all star vacation home with 4 bedrooms. We will have a car (and can rent another) and after figuring the cost it will be slightly cheaper to stay at the house, but will we lose too much magic? We are tempted by the house because of the space it affords and the ability it will give us to hang out together after the kids are asleep. But, for the past couple trips we have stayed onsite and loved it. We can't afford to get a villa on property -- any advice from people who have tried both with kids? Thanks!!

faline · #2 04-13-2008, 04:23 PM

I prefer to stay off-site but I have heard that off-site house rentals have worked well for some folks. Hopefully, those with first-hand knowledge will be along shortly.

If you consider a house rental, you might try All Star Vacation Rental Homes.

Donald · #3 04-13-2008, 06:19 PM

When our kids were younger, we liked staying at a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West. It allowed us to have a lot of room: 2 bedrooms (2 queen sized beds in one and a king size bed in the other), 2 full bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, family room (with pull-out sofa bed), and laundry room.

Best of all, it was on property which allowed us to go back to the villa for lunch and an afternoon nap. When they woke up, we had a snack, and then back to the parks.

BronxTigger · #4 04-13-2008, 06:42 PM

I haven't been in your situation but I can toss out some questions for you to help your decision making.

Are you going at a busy time of year? If so, EMH hours can be invaluable to get things done with less crowds. If you stay off-site you lose this privilege.

Have you considered 3 rooms at a value or 2 of the family suites at a value?

Another thing to consider is if you were able to book two CONNECTING (the "official" term for the rooms with the doors between them) you could perhaps put all 4 kids to sleep in that one room while the adults close that door and "hang out" in the room next door? You'd be able to check on the children frequently and then open the door when you went to sleep so the kids wouldn't be alone.

From the tone of your post it sounds like staying off-site would make you feel like you were missing out on something, and this IS a Disney vacation. I would try to find something on-site that works for you so you can stay in the magic.

OogieBoogieMan · #5 04-13-2008, 09:37 PM

You will likely get more than a couple of " there is nothing like staying on site" e-mails so I will throw in a vote for off site.

For the most part we always stayed at a deluxe resort, but it was just the two of us and our son. Recently we had two more babies and it became clear that even a two bedroom villa wouldn't work, at least while the babies were young. We tried Saratoga, with my Mom and our sitter along to help, but things were still tight in a a two bedroom and we walked on eggshells at night for fear of the babies waking everyone up. I had come very close to renting a home but didn't for fear of "missing the magic".

We subsequently went down in January 2007 and I decided to take a look at the homes. I had thought about buying one a year ago and figured we could take a look and get to see how they shaped up as well. We were really impressed and to make a long story short, we ended up buying a 5BR/5BA home last April. As far as we are concerned, it was a great decision. The house is close enough for an afternoon pool break, and just as you mentioned, I love being able to put the kids to bed at night and relax. (they aren't loud enough to wake the neighbors!) Is it the same as staying at the Beach Club Villas? Absolutely not, but we love it and much to our surprise don't find ourselves longing for the hotels.

My feeling is that it is definitely worth trying once. If it isn't for you it won't be the end of the world, and I am sure you will still have a great time. If you love it, you will have learned something, like we did. We still have a DVC, and will probably keep it for the years ahead, but where we are right now in our lives the house suits us perfectly and I think that is the most important thing to consider.

merlinmagic4 · #6 04-14-2008, 06:32 AM

We bought a timeshare offsite. As much as we would love to stay onsite, or better yet buy into DVC, it was just much less expensive offsite. Our timeshare is literally right around the corner from Disney and I think that helps. We don't have a long drive from our resort to the parks. So, we do find plenty of magic offsite and I would recommend staying as close as you can so you don't have a long drive in traffic

Momto3littlemice · #7 04-14-2008, 03:11 PM

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. I am tempted to try the offsite vacation home just once and see what we think. I already know the onsite option is wonderful but agree with one poster who said it may be easier with babies/toddlers to be in a bigger space. If we decide on this for sure I will definitely be posting again to find out advice on parking, traffic, groceries etc.

Thanks!

EvilQueen2006 · #8 04-14-2008, 09:54 PM

When calculating the difference in cost, remember to add in the $10/day for parking. Unless you have an AP, then it's free.

Mickey91 · #9 04-14-2008, 11:01 PM

All I will tell you is that after we stayed onsite the first year we were really bummed when we stayed off site the next time. It changed the whole experience.

Tinkermom07 · #10 04-14-2008, 11:26 PM

We have been renting an off property house for three years now, and love it (we have another year already planned too). We are a party of nine, which includes my mother and father, my DD/13, my DS/12 , me and my girlfriend, and my cousin and her 2 daughters, 5 and 9. We get a house with 5 bedrooms and 4.5baths.

Having a private pool and jacuzzi is priceless. Having them screened in on a lanai even more so-no bugs! We are 10 minutes from the world, so it's no big deal to go home for a bit. There is a super Wal Mart 10 minutes away, and another supermarket closer.

As much as I would love to stay on property, and as skeptical as I was over the house issue, my love for this type of experience was immediate. There was plenty of room, negating the privacy issues I was worried about. We got to share at the end of the day. It's easier to watch the kids in the pool. There's 4 televisions, complete with DVD players, PS2 and Gamecube, so all of the kids are happy. We've got a pool table and foosball. There's a computer station with internet and printer. Everything you could ask for at home is there. We save money making breakfast at 'home'. We stay for 3 weeks, and the home environment I think is better for the kids too ( my son has some emotional problems, and doesn't like being away from his safe zone at home for very long, but with the house he has no problems).

I love having a full fridge to go to, being able to throw in a load of laundry when I want, being able to whip something up for the kids.
It's just like being at home with Disney around the corner.

While I'm sure it's wonderful to stay on site, and I hope to someday take a trip with just my family and stay in a monorail resort, I'm very happy with this arrangement, it allows the family to have more together time, and eases stress. Have fun no matter what you chose!