No more incentives left for staying at Disney Hotels.

[Club Cooloholic]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well. It seems like one of the many reasons given for not building a fifth park is the 'one week vacation' model... how long a family will actually visit Orlando, and with four theme parks, water parks, etc... it will fill a week for most families. There's also this cap now, when using G+, where you can't re-ride in the same day without hitting the standby line, so (perhaps) people will visit some parks two or three times during their trip just to hit their favorite attractions again. Perhaps Disney believes 'leakage' of guests to other resorts is pretty small.

Our family doesn't go every year, but when we go we stay for ten days at a time. We talk occasionally about venturing off to Universal or other places outside the bubble, but it never seems to happen.

Universal is definitely worth putting 2 days into. Great park that will surprise you especially if everyone is at least 9 or 10 years old, for smaller kids it's a bit harder.
I like to take 2 days per park if possible just because we don't have to rush and can do half days at the resort.
I really hate this hald hour early perk because it's tough getting up and out in some cases by 7AM. Heck the quick service at the resorts didn't even open till 7AM which is ridiculous.
That said since we drive we eat of site for a few meals. We love going to Columbia at Celebration.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well. It seems like one of the many reasons given for not building a fifth park is the 'one week vacation' model... how long a family will actually visit Orlando, and with four theme parks, water parks, etc... it will fill a week for most families. There's also this cap now, when using G+, where you can't re-ride in the same day without hitting the standby line, so (perhaps) people will visit some parks two or three times during their trip just to hit their favorite attractions again. Perhaps Disney believes 'leakage' of guests to other resorts is pretty small.

Our family doesn't go every year, but when we go we stay for ten days at a time. We talk occasionally about venturing off to Universal or other places outside the bubble, but it never seems to happen.

I encourage you to try it if you can! Once you go offsite, you'll be amazed at what fun there is to be had. Try a split stay (e.g., 3 days/nights at Universal onsite, followed by 3-4 days/nights at WDW onsite), and you'll never go back to being a single-destination vacationer.

Growing up we stayed offsitre and did it all... Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Homosassa Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs, Silver Springs, Ripley, Daytona, NASA etc.
It was great but over time the only place that remained well maintained and kept us coming back was Disney.
Eventually we started staying onsite and only doing Disney.
A few years ago we stayed offsite and did some non Disney things and realized why we stopped.
We are now a Disney only type of vacationing family.

 

[SaucyBoy]

Staying on site is worth it simply because you don't have to deal with that god awful arrival experience at the TTC. We're doing a split stay in a few weeks between Saratoga and Boardwalk. You just can't beat the WDW resorts. That said we're only doing two days at the parks. The rest of the time will be split between SeaWorld (me), resort chilling, and possibly the beach.

 

[SteveAZee]

Growing up we stayed offsitre and did it all... Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Homosassa Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs, Silver Springs, Ripley, Daytona, NASA etc.
It was great but over time the only place that remained well maintained and kept us coming back was Disney.
Eventually we started staying onsite and only doing Disney.
A few years ago we stayed offsite and did some non Disney things and realized why we stopped.
We are now a Disney only type of vacationing family.

I may be entering the 'old fogey' stage of life.

I travel with my adult children to Disney now... and there is word of grandchildren sometime in the next few years. I'll encourage my kids to go try Universal on our trip next year and maybe I'll visit some of the other places you've listed while they do that. I'm less adventurous and frankly less interested in the attractions and more just the experience of the Disney bubble.

All that said... yes, I should step outside my comfort zone a little and try something else.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well.

I see it a lot with coworkers and friends/family that aren't part of these forum groups. They think we're the oddballs for devoting an entire trip to WDW. In more recent years, I must say that the ticket pricing game is what kept me from jumping around. We contemplated a Universal day on both our 2017 and 2021 trips, but the 1 or 2 day costs always give me a bit of sticker shock, which has had me stay put in the past.

What's funny for me is that before joining these Disney groups and taking our kids, we always used to vary it up when visiting central FL. Heck, my very first trip was Sea World day 1, MK day 2, EPCOT day 3, Kennedy Space Center day 4, and then off to Sanibel for the rest of the trip. Of course, that was 1985 and things were a bit different back then. We still varied it up in the 90s, during my FL resident years. Once MGM and Universal opened, Universal became our movie park of choice and we always picked it over MGM.

 

[Patcheslee]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well. It seems like one of the many reasons given for not building a fifth park is the 'one week vacation' model... how long a family will actually visit Orlando, and with four theme parks, water parks, etc... it will fill a week for most families. There's also this cap now, when using G+, where you can't re-ride in the same day without hitting the standby line, so (perhaps) people will visit some parks two or three times during their trip just to hit their favorite attractions again. Perhaps Disney believes 'leakage' of guests to other resorts is pretty small.

Our family doesn't go every year, but when we go we stay for ten days at a time. We talk occasionally about venturing off to Universal or other places outside the bubble, but it never seems to happen.

Since we already had a rental car, and early flight times every Florida vacation, we add a couple nights off-site, and out of Orlando for that matter. So far done St. Augustine, Cocoa Beach, Lakeland (visit friends). We might end up adding a couple days and hop the Briteline route to Miami next year, not 100% on it yet.

 

[eliza61nyc]

So I never stayed onsite for the "perks'. My reason for onsite are super simple.
1) I like proximity to the parks. When I can walk to motel 6 from Epcot I'll think about it.
2) atmosphere. Yes I love my views on my balcony, I love the Boardwalk area first thing in the morning, I love the pool at BC

Those are the perks that make it worth it for me.

 

[TwilightZone]

I think when my family was thinking of going we decided on Hilton, cheaper and has the main perk of fastpass (genie wasn't around yet). Plus it's relatively close to magic kingdom and epcot. Sure there's a lot of "one time only" travelers on a budget that think similarly, but this is just my two cents

 

[Sans Souci]

We've started staying at S/D and Swan Reserve. You get most of the remaining perks. (We used to stay at BC or BWI, but I feel like there is a wide chasm between what they charge at the Crescent Lake resorts vs the quality of the product.) You can walk or take a Friendship to two parks. I feel like they have a more "adult" vibe to them, even though I see lots of families enjoying themselves when I am there.I had a really fantastic stay at the Swan Reserve earlier this year and I am staying there again in the Fall.

I know people dislike the lack of theming, lack of Magic Bands, its own transportation, etc, but these things are not an issue for me. I can see how these things would put some off, though.

 

[ppete1975]

i think free parking and magical express is the big ones here. Fast pass went away for everyone so that had to go.. though we could get genie plus "for free"
at first i rationalized free parking to keep people from nearby neighborhoods from using the pools and amenities. But they checked if you had a room when you pulled in so not sure how people did that before. Though i did see it alot at a few hotels.
But thats become the norm for paid parking even in places like dallas. IF you pay for the hotel they should never charge for parking.

what keeps me at disney hotels though is the bubble.. i enjoy using their transportation and once my car is parked i can relax and thats one less thing i have to worry about, or worry about traffic (i hate traffic and i hate parking lots).

Also port orleans has the best boat ever that takes me to disney springs and thats almost like a free attraction!

 

[Djsfantasi]

Genie+, no ME, no advance Fastpass and the slow deterioration of the parks and I’ve decided not to return to Disney.

I used to travel by myself twice a year and recently took my girlfriend…

The Flight of Passage queue has several places where the supporting chicken wire is visible - and has been visible for several years - disappointed me. There are many examples of the lack of maintenance in all thr parks.

My first (and ONLY experience with Genie+) completely made up my mind. I only got to ride 1-2 attractions at each park. With one meal a day, I spent close to $500/day. Yeah, no!

No more Disney! I’m going to a Sandals resort now. I’ve hired a helicopter to take me to the resort. Take that ME!

 

[John park hopper]

Come on people Disney is just doing what other amusement parks are doing(SO THEY SAY) what do you want ?

 

[UNCgolf]

They aren't going to start charging for transportation around the resort; it's nearly impossible to do from a logistics standpoint without bringing the whole system to a screeching halt.

They certainly might add a fee to the hotel rooms (or just raise prices more than usual) to help cover the additional costs, but making the system specifically pay to use isn't really feasible for multiple reasons.

 

[Eeyorenot74]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well. It seems like one of the many reasons given for not building a fifth park is the 'one week vacation' model... how long a family will actually visit Orlando, and with four theme parks, water parks, etc... it will fill a week for most families. There's also this cap now, when using G+, where you can't re-ride in the same day without hitting the standby line, so (perhaps) people will visit some parks two or three times during their trip just to hit their favorite attractions again. Perhaps Disney believes 'leakage' of guests to other resorts is pretty small.

Our family doesn't go every year, but when we go we stay for ten days at a time. We talk occasionally about venturing off to Universal or other places outside the bubble, but it never seems to happen.

This year will be our 1st Disney trip where we spend some of the time elsewhere - onsite at Universal. The kids are big enough now that they just might go on the scary coasters.

 

[NelleBelle]

We tend to stay 10 days and generally will spend at least 2 of those days at USO now that our boys enjoys the bigger thrill rides. We are staying offsite this trip so we will see how that plays out given we’ve only done the VRBO a couple times before (I was not a big fan).

 

[StarshipDisney]

This year will be our 1st Disney trip where we spend some of the time elsewhere - onsite at Universal.

Same here. After a number of 7 or 8-night trips strictly on Disney property...and what with all the many diminishments Disney has incorporated since our last visit in 2018...we no longer see Disney as a one-stop vacation Destination. So instead of just staying at Disney, our next trip planned for December will end with 3-nights at the Portofino Bay Hotel at USO.

Before COVID, that was unthinkable to me. But the tables have now turned and USO looks better and better all the time!

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

We usually stay at a deluxe resort (yacht club) because I’m able to go for a conference and have my boss pay for my room. If we were to just go as a family vacation I can’t see us really forking out the money for a deluxe or possibly even a moderate anymore. It’s definitely a case of diminishing returns

 

[Mindy55]

It is a shame, and from a business standpoint, I'm still a bit baffled over why Disney jettisoned a practically all-inclusive bundle of onsite amenities that kept guests spending money "in the bubble," and replaced it with a bare bones, piecemeal offering that not only embraces all the worst parts of mundane vacation planning, but piles on extra layers of complication and stress (e.g., Genie+, ILL, parkhopping restrictions, park reservation requirements). Who wants to pay an arm and a leg for that?

At the same time, for those of us who visit from out of state without a car, I've been surprised, when I crunched the numbers, at how expensive even an offsite stay at a "budget" hotel or inexpensive AirBnB can get, when you add in the cost of a rental car and parking (or multiple rideshares, or the costs associated with a hotel shuttle). Visitors like me are really caught between a rock and a hard place, financially - at least, until rental car prices come down.

As Simon Cowell is wont to say, "It's a no from me," and we're in no hurry to return to WDW, onsite or off. I, too, yearn for the "good old days," and am incredibly grateful I got to enjoy them, with some loved ones who are no longer with me. However, Disney has moved on from its former standards, and after a little post-breakup mourning period (and despite some residual "kicking against the goads" in forums like this), I'm moving on, too.

You have echoed my own thoughts! We are local, but would stay on-site and had incredible vacations … this is the result of Disney Parks and Entertainment completely doing a 180 on an incredibly successful business model to one that left us doing a bit of mourning and head scratching …

A bit of rambling- they are, in addition, desecrating the resort atmosphere by creating a concrete jungle, never mind, abandoning any actual environmental principles they used to have.

 

[Magicart87]

Come on people Disney is just doing what other amusement parks are doing(SO THEY SAY) what do you want ?

The Disney Difference to return.

 

[Mireille]

I'm really curious about how much this happens... people going to Orlando for WDW but going off to do other things as well. It seems like one of the many reasons given for not building a fifth park is the 'one week vacation' model... how long a family will actually visit Orlando, and with four theme parks, water parks, etc... it will fill a week for most families. There's also this cap now, when using G+, where you can't re-ride in the same day without hitting the standby line, so (perhaps) people will visit some parks two or three times during their trip just to hit their favorite attractions again. Perhaps Disney believes 'leakage' of guests to other resorts is pretty small.

Our family doesn't go every year, but when we go we stay for ten days at a time. We talk occasionally about venturing off to Universal or other places outside the bubble, but it never seems to happen.

I used to consider myself a fan of theme parks, but I've realized I'm really just a fan of Disney parks and WDW in particular. I enjoy thrill rides but they aren't a draw for me at all. Give me a dark ride or show with lots of animatronics and I'm a happy camper! I'm more excited for the PeopleMover or Carousel of Progress than Guardians of the Galaxy.

I went to WDW for the first time when I was 12 and then again when I was 13, this would have been 1985 and 1986 and EPCOT Center just drilled itself into my brain and made a tidy little home there. I adore, adore, adore EPCOT Center circa that time and consider it the pinnacle of theme parks. And despite all the changes, I still love Epcot. I really like Magic Kingdom and enjoy Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, but if I rank what keeps bringing me back to WDW and staying onsite despite climbing costs and decreasing perks, it's Epcot, then the Disney bubble, then the Magic Kingdom, then Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs and the water parks. It still feels like magic to me.

After graduating high school and going to college it just wasn't possible for me to go as often as I wished I could. I went for a few days here and there with exes and they would want to see other stuff and I always felt cheated. About 10 years ago I finally got to a point where I can afford to go on a semi-regular basis. I'm getting older, I live alone and never had kids, so I almost exclusively go by myself so I don't have to worry about other people wanting to see other things and so there's no point for me to leave. I'm actually taking my mom later this year who hasn't been there since 1986 and I'm really looking forward to sharing the experience with her. She mentioned Hogwarts and, since I'm paying for the entire trip, I told her we wouldn't be going there. Thankfully she's fine with that. It feels strange to be the child taking her parent on vacation! But I'm glad I'm at a point where I can afford to do it.

I worked for Comcast for a long time and could get discounted admissions to Universal and just never bothered to go because that would take time away from the bubble. So I get that there are fans of theme parks that love WDW but then also want to hit the other parks for the variety of rides and experiences. But I'm a Disney fan that came to love WDW as a real-world manifestation of my love for the movies and characters. Just being there is more important than experiencing a particular ride.

So WDW lovers can come from Disney fans or theme park fans (or somewhere on the spectrum) but on the Kinsey WDW scale, where 0 is completely theme park fan and 6 is a complete Disney fan, despite recent changes and Chapek and post-Covid realities, I'm a hard 6.