Resort cost vs off site hotel

[projectaero]

Hi guys.

I need to get your opinion on what you reckon i should do.

In June next year i am in Orlando for 8ish days for the first time.

Now i want to go to all the 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot,Hollywood Studios,Animal Kingdom)
Depending on weather and time maybe Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

Now offsite i also want to go to Universal Studios, Shopping as well as Seaworld.

I have looked on the net and found a close resort outside of Disneyland (Sheraton Vistana) at $1300.

When checking prices on the Disneyworld Resort the cheapest i could find is about $2200 and that was the Pop Centure park. I would want at minimum the Caribean lodge but it jumps up a lot.

I spoke to someone who said to get an 8 day pass because if you are bored at 7pm in your hotel you can go to a park and see it at night.

Sheraton Vistana doesnt has a shuttle bus only to Epcot (5x p/d) and Animal Safari (2x p/d)

Universal is $22 round trip and a Taxi is about the same to Sea World.

If i want to go to Magic Kingdom i have to get off at Epcot and get a bus to Magic Kingdom.

My question is, is there a way to justify the savings at Sheraton compared to staying at a Disneyworld Resort when you take into consideration, food pass, magic bus shuttles, airport pickup of bags etc and more.

Can the average joe justify the $800-$1400 extra when trying to stay within a budget.

 

[Nemo14]

Hi guys.

I need to get your opinion on what you reckon i should do.

In June next year i am in Orlando for 8ish days for the first time.

Now i want to go to all the 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot,Hollywood Studios,Animal Kingdom)
Depending on weather and time maybe Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

Now offsite i also want to go to Universal Studios, Shopping as well as Seaworld.

I have looked on the net and found a close resort outside of Disneyland (Sheraton Vistana) at $1300.

When checking prices on the Disneyworld Resort the cheapest i could find is about $2200 and that was the Pop Centure park. I would want at minimum the Caribean lodge but it jumps up a lot.

I spoke to someone who said to get an 8 day pass because if you are bored at 7pm in your hotel you can go to a park and see it at night.

Sheraton Vistana doesnt has a shuttle bus only to Epcot (5x p/d) and Animal Safari (2x p/d)

Universal is $22 round trip and a Taxi is about the same to Sea World.

If i want to go to Magic Kingdom i have to get off at Epcot and get a bus to Magic Kingdom.

My question is, is there a way to justify the savings at Sheraton compared to staying at a Disneyworld Resort when you take into consideration, food pass, magic bus shuttles, airport pickup of bags etc and more.

Can the average joe justify the $800-$1400 extra when trying to stay within a budget.

Is renting a car a possibility for you?

 

[projectaero]

Yeah it is a possibility. I have never driven in the US though. Being that it's summer and it's Disney World I'm not sure if it will be a hindrance?

 

[s&k'smom]

If it were me and could I would stay in WDW, I love to be in the magic 24/7. My hubby doesn't like renting a car he likes to being car free for a week however if visiting outside theme parks more than once renting a car would make sense. Good luck!

 

[Nemo14]

I'm a firm believer in staying off-site. To me the savings is well-worth not being in the "bubble".

If you've never driven in the US, summer in the Orlando area is not the place to start. I'd stick with the shuttles you mentioned - even with the additional fees you'll save quite a bit. You didn't mention what country you are coming from, but I know that many European countries are offered substantial discounts on all-inclusive tickets for the parks you mentioned, so you might want to check about that.

 

[projectaero]

I will be coming from Australia.
The big thing I think is going to be getting to the parks at night after they shuttles have stopped running from the hotel.
Or if we go for dinner. I just don't want a lot of taxi fares adding up.

Car hire is about $300 us for the days needed.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Can the average joe justify the $800-$1400 extra when trying to stay within a budget.

Simply put - the answer is no.

HOWEVER - things to consider - by spending the extra $$ you're in the heart of The World - all transportation is free (except to Universal, SeaWorld and shopping). You can access the parks whenever you want and if you add the hopper option you can visit multiple parks daily. If you're going in 2015 you may get free dining (if you stay at a moderate or deluxe resort).
If you stay offsite then you save a load of $$. However, you have to get to the parks and it would take longer (you've already mentioned the difficulties you're anticipating) and personally, I'd hate to be at the mercy of an offsite hotel shuttle. You can get a rental car and drive - rental cars come with sat nav (extra $$) and you pay daily parking (plus gas). It's not that difficult to drive in Orlando (whatever the time of year). The first time I did it - I drove on the right (not the left), had an automatic box (compared to manual shift) and printed directions off the internet !!!

Its what you want out of your trip (and what you can afford). Its about $$ v convenience

 

[zurgandfriend]

For me it's on property. I don't want to deal with rent a cars, directions, parking etc. but that's just MHO.

 

[projectaero]

Staying on site what would be the benefits? How does the shuttles work etc?

 

[zurgandfriend]

Staying on site what would be the benefits? How does the shuttles work etc?

Others will add to this I’m sure however, the Disney Magical Express will take you from the airport to your resort while behind the scenes they take your bags to your on property resort and put them in your room. Depending on your resort you will have buses, boats or the monorail to take you to the parks or other locations on property. That to me is huge as I travel a lot for work and on vacation I don’t want to worry about renting a car, getting where I’m going, parking at a hotel then going out for dinner and again finding parking etc. Others like adventure but after 27 years of “adventure” in the Army . I want my vacations to be relaxing.

 

[smk]

You mentioned 8 days, right? Staying on site gives you the freedom of walking out the door of your resort, walking to a bus top and getting on Disney transportation (free, included in the price you pay for the room) to whatever park you want to spend the day at, or if you park hop, getting back on Disney transportation and going to the next park you want to enjoy. And, IF you want shopping, there is always Downtown Disney or take a taxi to an outlet mall close by. Universal is a taxi or shuttle ride away, for a price, but not as much as a rental car for 8 days.

Eight days does not seems like long enough to try to cram in all of the details of timing off site resort transportation issues. Jet lag alone will put you behind a few steps. Staying on site takes away some the stress of planning details of how to get to where you want to go. It is mindless to take WDW buses, just stand in the line of the park bus you want, climb on and leave the rest to the driver!

Plus POP is a fine place to stay, clean, good food and AoA is right across the bridge from there and is a short walk. I would not hesitate to stay there at all. And, look for deals, you may even get lucky and get free dining in a package deal.

 

[dreamfinder]

Staying on site what would be the benefits? How does the shuttles work etc?

The buses pretty much from a few hours before the parks open (6:30ish) until a few hours after the park closes. You walk to the resort bus stop, and wait for the bus for your destination. Each destination will usually have it's own bus, so you need to get on the MK bus to go the MK for instance. They are supposed to run on a 20 minute cycle. May be faster or slower depending on a plethora of factors, but that is their guideline.

There is also DME (Disney's Magical Express) which is their free shuttle to and from the airport.

Staying on property you get the ability to make your dining reservations at 180+10, which means you can call 180 days out from the first day of your trip, and make reservations for 10 days of your trip at once. Off site guests would need to call back each day to book the next day worth of reservations. You also get the ability to make FP+ reservations 60 days out, while offsite guests can only book 30 days out. These both matter primarily for getting high demand reservations for things like Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Castle, or FP+ for some of the more popular rides as they book up quickly. You can charge things back to your room, and have purchases delivered back to your resort instead of carrying them around all day.

If you aren't going to have a rental car, you lose most of the benefits of staying off property. Having to rely on transportation that runs only a few times a day (and may be shared between other hotels in the area) means that you are at their whims. Bus leaves at 7 but you couldn't get a dinner reservation until 7:15? Too bad, you need a taxi to get home then. If you really want to go to Universal, Sea World and do shopping then you would really want to look at a rental car. Adding in the costs to get to those locations alone may very well make the rental a break even deal.

I would strongly suggest reading a recent book on WDW to get a full grasp of the differences. I usually recommend the Unofficial Guide, you can often get older editions used on Amazon for pennies, but the new one might be helpful as it covers recent changes like FP+ and MDE.

 

[R W B]

I would personally spend the extra money and stay at a Disney resort. In my opinion it just makes it so much easier. You can get the magical express from the airport and they will take care of your bags, you can hop on a Disney bus to go to any park with a very short wait, a lot more often then 5x per day. A taxi ride to universal runs about $30-$40 and I'm sure the big outlet malls would be a little less since their a little closer.

In the long run if you stay off site I don't think you'd save that much money with all the fees and taxis rides you'd end up spending.

 

[SAV]

Yours is a very complex situation to say the least.

First off, that is a lot to do in only 8 days Considering your arrival and departure days won't be full days. So that really only leaves you with 6 full days and being a first time visitor, there is plenty to do at each park to keep you occupied. And when you say Universal, do you mean both parks? You could do a day in each one. Secondly, I would have said to rent a car, but being from down under, that adds a whole other layer to it. If you are comfortable with driving on the opposite side of the road that you are used to, then the off-site stay would be cheaper, even with the rental and parking fee's. If you aren't, then it seems that you will have to pay more to be on-site and use the resort transportation and cabs.

As for the resort, you need to determine how much time you will actually be spending in the room and at the resort. If it is a place to sleep, then stay Value. The rooms are clean and nice, just a bit small. You will get all of the other amenities like DME and the bus transportation. And with the time allotted, I don't see much "resort time" in your future.

 

[dadddio]

I'd forget the advice to buy more days on your ticket than you'll likely need. If you are planning SeaWorld, Universal, and shopping days, don't get Disney park tickets for those days, also. I seriously doubt that you'll be so bored after a long day at Seaworld or US that you'll need to go hit a Disney park. Pop over to downtown disney or go play minigolf or check out all the things going on at the various resorts.

Also, I wouldn't buy park hoppers.

 

[Chernaboggles]

If you haven't driven in the US before, do NOT put yourself in a position of having to do it every day. Driving the opposite side that you're accustomed to is incredibly stressful, because all your instincts will be wrong, all the time. If you want to compare off-site prices, look for off-site resorts that have bus service to both Disney and Universal.

If there's nothing that can offer free transport to both sets of parks at a better price than a Disney resort, stick with the Disney resort so you can use Disney transportation and just get a taxi on Universal days.

 

[projectaero]

Thanks guys you have been great.
I forgot to mention I'm in Fort Lauderdale and have to get to Orlando. Might play a part in what you recommend.

The Sheraton Vistana seems like a good hotel. It has the freedom of being able to cook your own meals as well as a mini supermarket to be able to make breakfast or tea so that's a plus.

For those who have stayed at a Disneyworld resort. How much does it usually cost to get to :
Universal
Seaworld
Outlet Malls
And maybe just to one of the main malls there.

Via shuttle. Bus or Taxi.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Personally, I'd find a cheap motel off-site and rent a car. You can find perfectly decent motels for around $40 a night in the 192 Kissimmee and International drive areas.

In summer, the parks are open for such long hours then an expensive room imo is just a waste of money.

Driving in Orlando really is very easy, a SatNav whilst making things easier isn't necessary - really if you can't find Disney, Universal or the Airport then you shouldn't be allowed on the road. I drove a number of times pre-satnav, I take my own (I purchased US maps for my UK device and load then each trip - cost about $40), I only ended up getting this for a trip to LA as that driving there really didn't sound like fun.

I will say though, I don't think your going to be able to fit in all you mention in just 8 days. If you do so, its going to be very rushed and you won't get time to take in everything any of the parks has to offer (Studios and AK maybe excepted). Don't forget that in Summer it's hot and humid so rushing around is no fun, plus the lines are generally going to be longer so it's not like you can rush through a park in a few hours.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

I always go in June and Disney usually announces room/package discounts during the beginning of January. You normally save 15% at a Value (excluding Mermaid rooms) 20-25% at a Moderate (that's your Caribbean) and 25-30% at a Deluxe. It's not a guarantee that they will discount this year, but they have always done it for at least the last 5 years. They call it the "Late Spring Special" If you are going at the end of June, then those discounts come out later than January, but it's the same discount only it's called the "Summer Special". You can always book a room now and apply the discount to the room when the discount is announced.

As far as on-site versus off-site, you will save money off-site but not time, and vice-versa with staying on-site. You just have to decide what is more valuable to you.

 

[projectaero]

What about staying on site and renting a car for the three days needed off site?