disney hotel or not

[tealady]

Hi!

I will be going to Waltdisneyworld on October 20, 2007 for a week. My heart tells me that I would like to stay at WDW but I can't shake the feeling that an offside hotel would be better for my pocketbook!

What do you reccomend?:mickey:

[katzctkpt]

Not sure on the size of your party but, I would choose to stay on disney property vs off site. Once you park your car you never have to use it to go anywhere. You catch a bus, monorail, or boat depending on where you're at.
We love POR Alligator Bayou BLDG 14 - 18 closest to the food court and bus stop and will accomodate 5. Keep up to date on this site for further discount codes and might want to check on becoming a AAA member you get a discount.

[kathiep]

If you do choose to stay off site, are you planning to use your car to get to the parks?

Don't forget to add in the parking costs to your figures. It can really add up.

[Strmchsr]

:welcome: to Intercot!!!

Staying off-site can be more friendly to the pocketbook, but staying on-site truly gives you the full Disney experience, and I haven't discovered staying at the value resorts to be all that much more than staying off-site when you factor in gas and parking, not to mention the hassle of driving.

[NewmanFamily6]

As a child we were never able to afford to stay on property. Since we have gone w/ our children we have always stayed onsite. I would never stay off property again! I love being completely immersed in the Disney atmosphere while on vacation. Plus I do not want to drive anywhere.:thumbsup:

[LudwigVonDrake]

Stay on property and immerse yourself in Disney Magic :tink:

[Marilyn Michetti]

Hi TEALADY, and [WELCOME !!

I've only stayed offsite one time, and it wasn't worth it ! The hotel didn't offer complimentary shuttle - it was $7.00 one way, or $10.00 R.T., and it took forever.:(

I think you'll find that staying on property, with the perks, probably isn't much more than driving and parking.

Anyway, whatever you do, you've found a great place to ask some of your questions, and we'd love to hear how it goes. WELCOME, once again.:)

[dizne4me]

Welcome to intercot! You're gonna find all kinds of helpful hints here to make a magical vacation no matter what size your pocketbook is. A few years ago, I was one of those people who never believed it when people told me that once you stay on Disney property - you will not stay any where else...it's that good. Well, for years I didn't believe and then one time, we tried it - and guess what - I will not stay anywhere else. The value resorts are just as much fun as the home away from home (I've not stayed at a deluxe....yet.) In my opinion, try the Disney hotels - you won't regret it.

[KayDee]

Hi There
Based on the assumption you are doing WDW parks as much as you can,if you take the cost of your vacation and divide it by the time you spend in the parks I guarantee staying on site wins.Also a co-worker of mine did not heed my advice on this subject and he told me that his family spent just as much time waiting for and being on busses and of course having to get to Epcot at night to catch his bus back to his hotel as they did in the parks .Next time they are staying on site. One thing is WDW transportion runs all day(before and after park hours) every 20 min or less from all hotels to parks ,water parks,DTD and back again . Off site hotels that I know of usually have set pickup times in the morning and night.Worring about catching my bus back to a hotel is the last thing I want on my trip.
Also I find you got to be pretty far from WDW to find a hotel for a lot less.
One last thing on onsite hotels, ASMu for values is a good choice but POR is 10 times better.

[RockChalkKimball]

Welcom to the boards! I would have to agree with everyone else, stay on-site if you can. The biggest advantage is the transportation. We drive for two days to get to WDW, so by the time we get there, we don't want anything to do with the car. The busses are so convenient and only take 20 min. max to get to anyplace. I think that you will find that when you add in parking fees, the cost of the values comes close to anything decent you will find off-site. The resorts are half the fun of the WDW experience. You can make a vacation out of just enjoying them. Good luck and check back often!!

[RaRaRoundTheWorld]

In my opinion, stay on-site!

INTERCOT has great tips for saving money.
Not knowing your details, here are some of my suggestions:
- Use garden grocer to have food delivered to your room and reduce food costs (but be aware that some hotels charge for mini-fridges)
- Consider AAA or annual passholder discounts.
- Don't opt for park hopper or water park options to reduce ticket prices.
- Don't rent a car and stay at a resort that offers Magical Express.

I hope this helps a little...
Good luck planning your trip!

[AllDisney]

On our first trip we stayed off site, that was in 1984. We've chosen to stay on property ever since.

You can't beat the experience of staying at a Disney resort. Go for it. You won't be disappointed!

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Stay on property. If you stay at one of the values, it's not that much more expensive. And when you consider the time you'd spend getting to and from the parks and paying for parking, you'd probably break even.
And you get to go to the extended yours, you can purchase stuff and have it sent back to your resort rather than carting it around all day.

[snifflesmcg]

What I do is just stay at the value resort. It's not all that much more to stay on site and the benefits are definately worth it.

[Darbylew]

First of all let me welcome you to Intercot!
:rocks::welcome:
If at all possible for you then stay on Disney
property. You park your car and use WDW
transportation. It is so easy. :thumbsup:

[DawsonAR]

We always stay onsite unless we are at a conference that is offsite. The difference in the two is really worth the price. The transportation issue alone is worth the difference.

[Jasminegirlsmom]

I've stayed both on-site and off. I definitely think that on-site is the way to go. If $$ is a concern, you can stay at a value resort for about the same cost as an off site hotel and you get all the Disney guest benefits (early entry, extra evening hours etc). Plus you can count on the quality of the Disney hotel being what it says ( 2star, 3star). I've had good and bad experiences with off site hotels (one was supposed to be a 3 +star and it MIGHT have been a 1 star - really bad :sick: - I even had to call my DH who didn't come with us and have him find me a new hotel).

I've only stayed at moderate and value resorts on-site but they were more than adequate, we don't spend much time in the room so we don't need anything too luxurious. And I get to spend my entire trip surrounded by DISNEY:cloud9:. Just my 2 cents.

[septembergirl]

We are staying onsite for the first time. Believe me, with a family of six, I have crunched the numbers over and over. I am hoping Free Dining will be the difference for us in staying onsite. I have checked out several cheaper options offsite for a large family (we had to book 2 rooms at a value) but unless you are planning on eating very cheaply exclusively outside of the parks (like having a kitchenette and preparing meals) or using a shuttle from an offsite resort (which will not run nearly as often as Disney's), you may very well be able to break even staying onsite at a value resort especially if you can take advantage of value season or a special offer like Free Dining. Even if you drive, staying at a Disney resort entitles you to free parking which is just one of several perks of staying onsite.
No matter which way you look at it, a vacation at WDW is NOT cheap but definitely worth it!

[chicklittlemom]

Other things to think about...
1) If you are going with kids, it is so much easier to stay on site. No dragging equipment from offsite hotel, walking from where you parked your car, etc. We took our 2yo several years ago and stayed off site. I was miserable.
2) If you decide in the middle of the day you want to head back to the hotel for a nap or get out of the rain, just hop on the shuttle. Then, when you're ready to go back, you don't have to worry about re-parking, etc. :mad:
3) It's already been mentioned, but the perks! Extra Magic Hours, Dining plan (if you choose) and above all else- the Magic! There is nothing like being "Welcome Home"'d:cloud9:
If you are going in the Value Season or when they have the Free Dining, that may be an added bonus rather than staying off-site.

Whatever you do- Enjoy!!!

[psychotekkie]

you can purchase stuff and have it sent back to your resort rather than carting it around all day.

OMG yeah! Don't underestimate how awesome that is. Especially if you haven't gone to WDW in a while. On our first couple trips, we bought so much stuff! We couldn't imagine carting it around all day and worrying about it while on rides. Hah! It just went straight to our room.

Plus with access to the dining plan and everything being charged to the room we didn't even have to carry money around the parks. Sooo stress free.

[mickey-mouse35]

OK, I'm in the minority here, but I actually prefer to stay offsite. We've done onsite at French Quarter twice and offsite at timeshare property once. We're doing offsite again this October for $80 a night. While I loved onsite for the whole Disney magic (pretty cool to get woken up by Mickey Mouse on the phone), the room was cramped and smokey (even though non-smoking-it came through the vents), and I hated dealing with the Disney busses and trying to get around to different resorts for dining/exploring. We loved offsite because we had a full kitchen, washer/dryer, living space and jacuzzi tub for about 1/3-1/2 off staying on property--which easily paid for the rental car and parking fees. We could come and go as we pleased to different resorts for dining, we were only 5-10 minutes away driving, and we saved oodles on food because we did it ourselves for breakfast and some other meals.

If this is your first trip to DIsney and you're only doing Disney (no Universal, Sea World, etc. where you need a car), I say stay onsite and take advantage of Magical Express, EMH, and the other onsite perks, since you're just there for a week. However, if you were going for longer and doing other parks, I would recommend offsite.

[vamaggie]

I too say stay on site especially if you have kids or older folks in your group. :ditto: to everything mentioned about EMHs, time and money spent just getting to WDW, ability to go back to room during the day etc. I would also suggest you contact Magical Journeys and have them help plan your trip. They are incredibly knowledgeable and will help you plan the trip of your dreams within your budget. Good Luck and Welcome to Intercot!

[Meteora]

If this is your first trip to DIsney and you're only doing Disney (no Universal, Sea World, etc. where you need a car), I say stay onsite and take advantage of Magical Express, EMH, and the other onsite perks, since you're just there for a week. However, if you were going for longer and doing other parks, I would recommend offsite.

I agree completely. If you do Disney every day, on-site makes sense. However, if you want to branch out more, Disney hotels can be a little restricting, especailly if you don't have a car. I've stayed on-site a couple of times and off-site a bunch of times, and I honestly don't have a huge preference either way. On-site is fun and more convenient to the parks, but off-site tends to give you more breathing room and space, and allows you to check out some of the awesome places and restaurants outside the World. It all depends what you place most value on in your vacation. For my family, as much as we love each other, we are four regular-sized people and hate being on top of each other. A room at a value, or even a moderate, would have us all longing for a break from each other after a couple of days.
I agree, though, that if you can get something with a kitchen, or even if you just go out to non-Disney restaurants, the money you'll save on food will more than make up for your rental/parking costs.

[Epcotfan21]

Stay at a Disney hotel. Trust me, its worth it.

[#1disneyfan]

I believe that on-site is the best way to go. To me it is just easier and definately more magical! We have stayed off-site in the past, and it just doesn't feel the same to me. In fact, we are staying off-site next month at my mom's timeshare. But I am ending the trip with 1 night on-site! When you stay on-site, I just feel like everything is taken care of for you. There is no worry, you just get up, get ready and get the bus. When you are done, you get the bus and go back to your hotel. There is no other way, IMO! Have a great trip, whichever way you decide. Keep us informed!

[TILLYLILY]

I would reccomend staying on site if budget allows, that way you never have to leave that disney "feel" even at your hotel. We love POR, the bus system and the entertainment at the hotel. I can't imagine going to WDW and not staying on the property.

[WDW_girl]

DISNEY HOTEL!!!!:number1: it really gives the whole affect of being in disney. if you're worried about the cost stay at a value resort like the all-star movies, all-star sports, all-star music, or pop. HAVE FUN!!!:mickey:

[Dizneyfan]

I've stayed onsite and offsite. I would strongly recommend staying onsite if you have small children. I found that it is much easier and quicker to get to and from the parks when you are staying at a Disney hotel. You can just catch your resorts bus to your destination. You also have the advantage of the extra magic hours. Another thing to consider is the fee that you would have to pay to park your vehicle each day. That can add up pretty quickly. Hope this helps. One more thing staying at a Disney hotel makes me feel like I am right in the middle of all the magic.

[Pocahontas]

I would never go to DW unless staying on their property. Besides the best perk of the transportation, I love the extra magic hours and nothing can beat that Disney feel from beginning to end of each day.:mickey:

[GrmGrninGost]

We stayed off site a couple of times, then once on site, then tried off site again. That was miserable! I'm not sure I'd want to go back unless we stayed on site! Just the total immersion into the Disney magic is fantastic! You get it at all the resorts, even the values! If there is any way possible, I would look into the lesser expensive WDW resorts and compare prices with off site. If you can swing it do it! I don't think you'll be disappointed!:mickey:

[MouseHouser]

We have stayed off-site many times and saved a good chunk of money doing so. We have stayed on-site twice.

Off-site we have had too many bad experiences with hotels in the "reasonable" category. For example, packs of teenagers partying all night, thin walls and music playing relentlessly, front desk people who really don't want to be there and don't care about your troubles, etc.

There's something about exiting the Disney bubble and getting on the highway and into traffic that is a real come-down. The air just runs right out of the balloon.

We're looking to stay on-site going forward, including this Sept. The dining plan really tips the scales for us, even when it isn't free.

All that said, if staying off-site is what it takes to make the trip happen, then by all means go for it, but be careful where you stay. We have fond memories of all our trips, notwithstanding any hotel hassles we endured.

Btw, Rosen Plaza, gotten on-the-cheap at sky auction, always went well.

[big blue and hairy]

DW and I have stayed at all levels of WDW hotels (as you can see in the thread about hotels), and we have stayed at a couple of off-site hotels at the very beginning of the trip to do a non-Disney park. I've said before and I'll always say, I would rather stay at a Disney value than a luxury hotel offsite. There;s just something about being in WDW the whole time. It's defintiely worth it.

:sulley:

[big blue and hairy]

There's something about exiting the Disney bubble...


HA!! DW refers to WDW as the bubble of safety ;)

:sulley:

[Tygger7]

Welcom to the boards! I would have to agree with everyone else, stay on-site if you can. The biggest advantage is the transportation. We drive for two days to get to WDW, so by the time we get there, we don't want anything to do with the car. The busses are so convenient and only take 20 min. max to get to anyplace. I think that you will find that when you add in parking fees, the cost of the values comes close to anything decent you will find off-site. The resorts are half the fun of the WDW experience. You can make a vacation out of just enjoying them. Good luck and check back often!!

Hit the nail on the head....once you stay onsite, you're hooked. With the nice Value resorts that are availalbe, it's very reasonable and when you add in your time savings, it's a a win-win. And welcome to Intercot! This is a fantastic resource, and you can pull from everyone's combined knowledge...even as many times as I've been to Disney, I've learned TONS from Intercot. :thumbsup:

[garymacd]

Hi There
Based on the assumption you are doing WDW parks as much as you can,if you take the cost of your vacation and divide it by the time you spend in the parks I guarantee staying on site wins.Also a co-worker of mine did not heed my advice on this subject and he told me that his family spent just as much time waiting for and being on busses and of course having to get to Epcot at night to catch his bus back to his hotel as they did in the parks .Next time they are staying on site. One thing is WDW transportion runs all day(before and after park hours) every 20 min or less from all hotels to parks ,water parks,DTD and back again . Off site hotels that I know of usually have set pickup times in the morning and night.Worring about catching my bus back to a hotel is the last thing I want on my trip.
Also I find you got to be pretty far from WDW to find a hotel for a lot less.
One last thing on onsite hotels, ASMu for values is a good choice but POR is 10 times better.

I could not agree more. By the time you add in parking fees or taxi fares because you missed your bus, you might as well stay at an All Star or Pop Century. The room charge for these resorts is close to and sometimes less than what you would pay for a half-decent room in Orlando or Kissimmee. We spent a night at Hampton Inn Maingate in Orlando the night before our reservations started. It was a very nice place, but it cost more than ASMu.

The only time we stayed off-site, we stayed in Cocoa Beach. Great place, but one hour on the Bee Line each way, plus tolls. That was the last thing I wanted to think about when all I really wanted to do was go to bed after walking for ten hours. Just about anywhere you stay, you will have to drive and pay for parking or take the bus. Do you really want to drive after a long day? In a strange place? In the dark? When you are tired?

Oh yeah. POR or POFQ is much nicer than ASMu and not that much more money. That is my opinion, anyway. And you can have beignets any time you want!:cloud9:

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

As a child we were never able to afford to stay on property. Since we have gone w/ our children we have always stayed onsite. I would never stay off property again! I love being completely immersed in the Disney atmosphere while on vacation. Plus I do not want to drive anywhere.:thumbsup:


I totally agree here. We love staying onsite so much we joined DVC! :thumbsup:

[cinderellangel]

I've been to Disney 4 times and everytime, I stay on property. It is much more easier because of many reasons; 1, taking free WDW transportation, so no need for a rental car and no parking fees or hassles, 2, extra magic hours so you can stay late or get there early, 3, being near enough so if you or anyone in your groups needs a break (which you guys will, I guarantee it:mickey:), you can go back to your hotel and unwind, and 4, if you are flying into Orlando airport, taking the Magical Express to your resort is a BIG money saver and you don’t even have to wait for your luggage. So, if I were you, I would book at a Disney hotel. Don’t worry, there are 4 different levels of resorts, so you’ll find something to fit your budget if you have one.

[Mickey91]

Your pocket book may be a little lighter, but the experience of being on site is worth it. The last time we stayed off site, Johnny Cockroach came out to say goodbye! We hadn't saved enough money to ever go back to tell him hi again! EW!!! Plus, once you enter "the World" you don't want to leave until you absolutely have to!:mickey:

[Dsnygirl]

:mickey: We went through the same thing the last time we went down - and in the end, we decided to give an onsite resort a chance, just to see if it was that different - and we really felt it was. We were surprised by how much more we felt a part of WDW by staying on site - and the service was remarkable. I'd highly recommend at least giving an onsite resort a shot - I don't think you'll regret it. :D

[Nicki'sMom]

I really agree that staying on property is worth it. I just love getting on the bus and going back to the hotel after a long day, especially with a 3 year old.

[Flower]

Stay on site, go for a value resort if money is a concern. We will never stay at an off-site hotel again.

[Dizneyfan]

Forgot to say:welcome: to intercot.

[Narawen]

100% on site. If you're worried about saving money, go for one of the value resorts, they can be just the same or even cheaper than nice off-property resorts (we stay at hampton inn everywhere but Disney, and the value resorts are cheaper than that in off season).

Keep in mind if you stay off property, you have to pay for transportation, or parking if you use your own car. On-site gives your free disney transportation, or free parking if you prefer your own car.

On-site also gives you the advantage of EMH, where certain parks stay open 3 hours late at night, or open one hour early in the morning. You can find the schedule online.

Staying on property also gives you the advantage of being able to go back to the hotel easily mid-day for a break to nap, swim in the pool, or just relax. It comes in handy with little ones, and some of the more grown up crowd too.

You can easily make your room key a charge card so you end up with only one bill, and you don't have to carry money around. This makes it alot easier, the only things you really have to carry are a water bottle, camera, and your room key (which doubles as park ticket). When you make purchases in parks or other hotels, you can have them sent to your room free of charge, this is alot easier than lugging around bags of merchandise all day.

And lastly, staying on property gives you the full "disney experience". I've only stayed off property once when I was little, but staying on property is so much more rewarding. You're surrounded by disney magic even as you sleep, the service is impeccable, and it just makes everything simpler.

[Jayhawk]

Staying off site is more cash friendly indeed. Staying in a resort is less of a headache. If time is important to you then you can't go wrong by staying at a resort. Transportation is free and each resort has more than several buses runing back and forth compared to an offsite lodging area that may only have a one or two units running. The other advantage is getting into the parks an hour early(days vary) than off site guests. The other service is the guest card. It is used as your guest key and charge card. No need to carry cash which is helpful when around a large group of people.Good luck in whatever choice you make.

[gdb1962]

We've visited WDW several times and have always stayed in the Lake Buena Vista area. Our next trip will be the first time we actually stay at a Disney resort. That being said...we've had some very nice experiences at the Vistana Resort and the Hawthorne Suites our last two trips. The prices are significantly lower, especially at the Hawthorne Suites, and the travel time to the parks is minimal. We bought a book called "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" each trip to get recommendations on hotels in and around the Lake Buena Vista area and have never been let down yet. Do some homework and you can get a good deal on a nice place.

[Becky'sMom]

We own a timeshare off site....
We have stayed on Disney proprty before buying the timeshare....that was also before the dining packages, so if you're doing the ddp, you need to be on-site. I love my enormous 3 bedroom luxury timeshare - this year we are staying for 2 weeks because we only used the 1 bedroom portion last year - banking the 2 bedroom portion. So, we will be in the 2 bedrom for 2 weeks and will give the leftover 1 week in the 1 bedroom to friends of ours who are a family of 5 that would never be able to afford Disney if they had to pay for travel, accommodations and park tickets.
We did enjoy staying on-site, but it was only 2 of us. We also were initially given a parking lot view, but when I went to the front desk and was visibly disappointed because it was my honeymoon, they switched us to a gorgeous corner spot with a view of the hammocks and sandy beach (CBR). As far as not using your car, I became frustrated several times while on-site with how long the disney transport took to show up - shuttle after shuttle going to the wrong destination. We just take our car, hop on the tram and then we can use monorail if we're going to the poly or contemporary for a meal.

[robyn221]

We've done both onsite and offsite and it really depends on with whom you will be traveling and what you want to get out of the trip.

My husband, our two kids (then 4 & 6) & I made our first trip to WDW as a family in March 2003 and staying onsite was absolutely fabulous because, as others have said, we were completely immersed in the whole Disney magic. It was particularly nice to be able to hop a bus back to our cabin at FW so the kids could rest for awhile in the afternoon and then head to another park or resort restaurant. And what's not to love about daily housekeeping!!!!:thumbsup:

We were back at Thanksgiving that year with my husband's family. At that time, we rented a couple of vacation homes about 4 or 5 miles from WDW. The parks and the resorts were very crowded so we were quite happy to have a nice quiet place to relax. We also had enough room for everyone to get together in the evenings for meals and visits. The real hit, however, was the private heated pool that we had in our backyard. We REALLY enjoyed being able to get in the pool after a long day in the parks. And never underestimate the ability of a nice swim to wear out young children and make sure they are asleep at a decent time!:thumbsup:

Which every route you decide to go, I'm sure you'll have a great time! Good luck with your planning!

Robyn:mickey:

[dixielandings]

I know there are 3 pages of responses to your question, Tealady, but I can't help but chime in. I am very passionate on this issue - stay on Disney property, without question. They have made it more affordable than ever, especially at the Value resorts. It's not a guarantee that an off-site hotel will be less expensive anyway. Don't cheat yourself or your family! Be Disney's guest!

[tltcats]

I've stayed onsite and offsite LOTS and LOTS of times. Even as an adult without kids I miss the upbeat, fun...yes MAGICAL feel of the DIsney hotels. You're going in a great month in terms of money - you should be able to get a value resort at a price that rivals an offsite hotel. And, like all of the others have said - time is money - and you'll have more time in the parks if you stay on-site because you'll have less travel time....not to mention saving $$ on gas!!!!!

[paddington]

Many off-site resorts have transportation, too. So don't just judge by that. We stayed at Liki Tiki Village for 7 nights last year, $800 and they had their own water park! I have been do Disney many times and have never stayed in the park because I can't bring myself to pay those prices for one room when you can have a whole condo for half the price.