Blood.Sweat.And Tears..

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Good Morning All...Well I never...Was on the phone last night to a buddy just back from his Florida vacation..They have a family of two girls aged 6 & 8 and a boy of 4... This was their second trip.They went last year in September and stayed on site at POFQ...This year they opted for The Rosen Plaza on I- Drive to save some bucks..A great hotel, but their kids were confused why they had to leave Disney at night..They got up in the morning and were in tears that they weren't staying inside the bubble..It was a nightmare,he told me..Out of the 14 days, they spent 7 going to WDW and every time they had to leave, it was the same scenario, tears, tears, and more tears..So here is the thing I thought to myself..If they hadn't stayed on site, they wouldn't have known what it's like to live inside the bubble, but because they experienced this on their first trip, this turned out to be a nightmare.Both parents felt terrible each night,as the girls would sob night after night when they put them to bed..Your thoughts on this please..If you take your children on their first trip,and stay on site..Will staying off site be a let down..?.:(
 

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
I have had business trips to Orlando where I brought the family they would visit the parks during the day and I would join them in the evening. it just isn't the same having to go back and forth. Which is why we never stay off site on vacation.
 

Mr Ferret 75

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Good Morning All...Well I never...Was on the phone last night to a buddy just back from his Florida vacation..They have a family of two girls aged 6 & 8 and a boy of 4... This was their second trip.They went last year in September and stayed on site at POFQ...This year they opted for The Rosen Plaza on I- Drive to save some bucks..A great hotel, but their kids were confused why they had to leave Disney at night..They got up in the morning and were in tears that they weren't staying inside the bubble..It was a nightmare,he told me..Out of the 14 days, they spent 7 going to WDW and every time they had to leave, it was the same scenario, tears, tears, and more tears..So here is the thing I thought to myself..If they hadn't stayed on site, they wouldn't have known what it's like to live inside the bubble, but because they experienced this on their first trip, this turned out to be a nightmare.Both parents felt terrible each night,as the girls would sob night after night when they put them to bed..Your thoughts on this please..If you take your children on their first trip,and stay on site..Will staying off site be a let down..?.:(
They should be gratefull they got to go to Disney twice .
 

Mr Ferret 75

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Well, you have to understand that they are children. It's normal for them to be upset about something like that. Don't say that they are ungrateful, that's a bit unfair. Try to understand their point of view?
:confused: If that had of been me when i was younger i would have been so glad just to be going to Disney.My parents would have sat me and my brother down and explained to us that it was the only way they could have afforded to take us.
(never went any further than camping holidays in Europe as a child as they were an inexpensive way of getting two weeks away)
 

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
:confused: If that had of been me when i was younger i would have been so glad just to be going to Disney.My parents would have sat me and my brother down and explained to us that it was the only way they could have afforded to take us.
(never went any further than camping holidays in Europe as a child as they were an inexpensive way of getting two weeks away)
I feel a new country song coming on here..:joyfull:...Bet you took the dog camping with its 3 legs and glass eye..:cry:
 

Mr Ferret 75

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
I feel a new country song coming on here..:joyfull:...Bet you took the dog camping with its 3 legs and glass eye..:cry:
No pooch just the old and me and ma Bro is a saab 900 w tent strapped to the roofrack off on the ferry to europe.cheap back then and looking back i am glad we got to see as much as we did :joyfull:
 

LivFreeorDisney

Well-Known Member
My first trip to Disney was on my Honeymoon 8 years ago and we've always stayed on property. Last March I took a trip to Orlando with my friends for a guys weekend to Universal and Disney. We stayed at a motel on I drive to do it on the cheap and since it was just the guys we didn't need anything fancy...I cried myself to sleep every nights!! :cry::p:rolleyes: But it was my first time not being in the bubble and I didn't like it one bit. My girls are 5 and 2 and have never stayed off site and never will since we are DVC members.
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I think it all depends on how much time you spend on property even if staying off-site.

My first two trips were with my mother and step-father, staying in Fort Wilderness Campground.
Trip #3 was with my father and stepmother, staying in a hotel offsite.

Although I found I had preferred taking buses to the Magic Kingdom instead of driving and parking, I can't say I noticed much of a difference. (I was 9). That was probably because we followed the same schedule my mother/stepdad had used when we stayed on-property: arrive at rope drop, tour until lunch, leave for a nap, return and stay until late at night. Since we only used our hotel/camper for sleeping in both cases, I don't think I really noticed or minded that we'd "left the bubble" on that particular trip.

As an adult, of course, the distinction means a great deal to me. I have greater appreciation for the "total immersion" experience of staying onsite. Plus, since I have to drive 2 hours a day to commute to my job, I am generally sick of being in cars. I really, really love not having to drive anywhere on my vacation.
 

KLeigh

Well-Known Member
Growing up, my parents always had us stay on site - while they admit it would've been less expensive to stay outside the bubble, they liked how easy it was just using the WDW transportation.

My first, and only, time staying off site was 7 years ago when my BFF and I went during college and stayed at her family's time share. It made sense at the time money-wise, and we only did Disney a few days during our trip, spending the rest of our time at other parks in the area.

Personally, I think I'll always stay on site - for the exact same reasons my parents had. Even though it's more expensive, it's much easier and a lot more magical.
 

awoogala

Well-Known Member
I grew up staying in whatever cheap motel we could get for $49 a night by Disney. It was always amazing.
When I took my children for the first time, we stayed at POP. We were happy with it (and I was amazed about staying ON property!)
We have been lucky enough to stay at some nicer places since then- Boardwalk, Contemporary, Bay Lake.
Every year, my kids ask if they can go back to POP instead! I always find it hysterical, but that was their first taste of Disney, so I think it just feels like "Disney" to them! (If the beds weren't so bad, I might just do it!).
So I don't think it's odd that little kids attach to the hotel on property that felt like Disney!
 

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
I actually don't get what the big deal is about staying in the bubble. We're staying on site this time because I'm not at all familiar with the area and don't want to deal with driving around parking, etc. But next time, I could easily see staying offsite and renting a car. When I read TR's by people who had a car, they seem to love being able to drive around as opposed to using the buses.

So the two big reasons for staying onsite are: 1) Not needing to use a car 2) Not leaving "the bubble." (1) is clearly no issue for many people. Not leaving the bubble? I don't know - a nice hotel is a nice hotel to me. I guess I look at staying at ANY hotel as a bit of a treat, as we do it on average maybe once every two years. I spent a night in a motel in Youngstown, Ohio for work recently, and that was a treat!

I don't think the kids in the OP were necessarily ungrateful, but I think their reaction is not the norm and is somewhat extreme. I think if I didn't tell my kids we were staying offsite they wouldn't really even think about the difference.
 


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