disney magic?

[twoweirdos]

i keep hearing this
as a reason to stay on property..but what is it?
lol
im not being a smarty pants really
I just would love to know
Is it just a warm fuzzy feeling?Do the cast memebrs sing to you as you walk into the hotel?lol...im kidding
Ive heard they do the little towel animals...things like that
whats the magic for you?

 

[wizards8507]

I don't think it's so much of what the resorts provide as much as what they protect you from. You can find gorgeous resorts off-property, but to get to them you have to navigate miles of neon strip malls, giant-wizard gift shops etc etc. The beautiful thing about staying on property is that, once you step off the Magical Express (airport shuttle), you're completely immersed in an exclusively Disney experience.

 

[twoweirdos]

I don't think it's so much of what the resorts provide as much as what they protect you from. You can find gorgeous resorts off-property, but to get to them you have to navigate miles of neon strip malls, giant-wizard gift shops etc etc. The beautiful thing about staying on property is that, once you step off the Magical Express (airport shuttle), you're completely immersed in an exclusively Disney experience.

kinda like a lovely Disney pool huh?JK

 

[stlbobby]

The on property resorts provide several major advantages. The first is somewhat ephemeral. All the WDW resorts are intricately themed, immersing you in the Disney atmosphere 24-7, creating a total experience that cannot be equaled elsewhere.

The other reasons are more concrete. The location of the resorts allows for easier access to the parks. You will save travel time to and from the parks everyday of your vacation. You will have the option of returning to your room for a mid-day break more easily than with off-property resorts.

Depending on the off-property resort you choose you may have to pay for parking everyday if the resort does not offer a shuttle service or the service does not fit your needs.

The Magical Express and WDW transport completely eliminates the need for a rental car.

The option to purchase various Disney Dining Plans will save you money if you plan on eating in the parks and resorts for the bulk of your meals. These options also allow you the convenience of knowing what your food cost will be upfront and not have to worry about overspending.

There are many smaller perks such as the ability to have purchases made at the parks and in the resorts sent back to your room. The key to the world that includes your room key, park tickets, and dining package all on one card. You can even attach a credit card to it to charge other items. You will also have the opportunity to have more time at the parks through Extra Magic Hours.

There is also the difference in service. Disney cast members are trained to provide over the top service, most of the time this is the case, and when it isn't I have found management is extremely responsive to legitimate complaints made at the time.

 

[DreaminO'Disney]

Covenience.
Totally FREE parking (even if you choose to drive into the parks vs using WDW transportation).
No extra resort fees.
Peace of mind vacation packages.
A complete Disney experience.

We stay off property, usually on the last night of our stay (we usually hit the road pretty early). DH and I walked into the hotel to check in on our last trip and looked at each other and said "We're not in Disneyworld anymore!"

I feel much safer and more comfortable at an on property resort!

 

[LuvMyLatte]

I have stayed on property 4 times and off 1 time. The advantage for me was easy: I can go back to my resort in the middle of the day for the pool or a nap or a nap for one of my children. I don't have to leave the park to go outside of Disney for anything or cope with outside traffic. I hate to drive (or do heavy thinking) on vacation. Food is convienient and I have ADRs so I don't really have to wonder where I will be going next for food. The convienience to stay on property is certainly more than hedges shaped like Winnie the Pooh or pools with dragon slides. Disney just makes everything so easy and it is clean, that is HUGE with me. Disney goes out of it's way to make sure I am happy and satisfied. When my daughter fell and skinned a knee coming off a bus. I asked for bandaid, not only did I get a bandaid.. the resort mgr. came up, offered to send the dr. on call and then proceeded to call the next morning to make sure my daughter was ok. The local motel/hotel in Orlando may not be as interested in my satisfaction.

 

[amykissangel]

I'm going to make up a word here and say "the total immursement in the Disney Experience." I don't have to drive - it's taken care of for me. I don't have to see a WalMart on every corner - the hotels have a certain quality when you walk in them that makes you know you're at Disney. Everything I buy is "magically" sent back to my hotel. Towel animals appear on my bed and stuffed animals and blankies get made into pyramids while we're out. Everyone you see is just as excited to be at WDW as you are, and you never feel out of place striking up a conversation with random people about which park they're going to the next day or which ride their little one liked the best.

Also, staying off-property bites. :lookaroun

 

[Stellajack]

i keep hearing this
as a reason to stay on property..but what is it?
lol
im not being a smarty pants really
I just would love to know
Is it just a warm fuzzy feeling?Do the cast memebrs sing to you as you walk into the hotel?lol...im kidding
Ive heard they do the little towel animals...things like that
whats the magic for you?

You can never understand this "magic" until you DO stay on-site because it is not easily explained.

As others have said,
- Cast Members at your resort treat you as if you are the ONLY guest (even though you may read about a negative encounter on this board);
-without being conscious of this, there is Disney music playing all around you at the resorts (bus stops, walkways/hallways to your room, through the trees!; in the food court, everywhere!)
-even your transportation whisks you around the pay booths at the parking lots, drops you right off. (Day guests or those staying off-site wait in line at parking booths to pay -Disney built and maintains the roads in and around WDW-onsite guests by-pass this).

I have taken several trips with my husband with no other family members. This means our schedule is less hectic, our patience much longer, our observations much keener, and the disney magic more spell binding each time.

You two are going to have a great visit!:dazzle:

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Also, staying off-property bites. :lookaroun

This sums it up perfectly :ROFLOL::wave:

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

never off property.....

We've never stayed off property and never will. I was hooked the first time I went as an adult and there's been no looking back. For one thing, and I've said this before on other threads, Disney goes all-out in their theming. No place else does it like them. From the rooms, to the CM's to the pools and if, like me, you're a sucker for that kind of thing you'll understand the very first time you step into one of their hotels. Any of them, doesn't matter which one.

 

[twoweirdos]

yeah
I kinda understand
and I am normally a sarcastic cranky people suck kind girl,,,lol
but something about Disney...i get all bright eyed and dance with small children at parades
IN my doc marten boots while their parents stare at my piercings....hahahah
other businesess could take lessons from WDW
I got the warm fuzzies without it seeming like a butt kissing fakery
i wanted to MOVE there...hahahah

 

[wide-eyed2wdw]

It's also a good idea to put yourself in a vacation state of mind and observe and ponder the little things. The trash cans aren't overflowing, the restrooms don't stink. Come to think of it, I just realized that I didn't see as many kid meltdowns as I usually do at other parks.

Some people go in expecting perfection and complain when the lines get too long or the food is too expensive. Keep your eye out for the little things that make you smile. Hidden Mickeys, for example.

I got the biggest kick out of our visit to WDW. We were on a shuttle bus, wearing our "1st Visit" pins, when a little girl, who couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 addressed us and said "How are you enjoying your first visit?" - just like a cast member would! Obviously she has visited a few times and knows a thing or two about the "magic".

Enjoy! :wave:

 

[lilclerk]

and I am normally a sarcastic cranky people suck kind girl,,,lol
but something about Disney...i get all bright eyed and dance with small children at parades

Same here haha. WDW brings out the best in me. I love staying on site because, like most other people say, you're immersed in WDW the entire time you're there (except the day we normally take a cab over to Universal.) Plus the resorts are a lot more fun than most of the nearby off-site hotels (theme-wise.)
On my trip in September, my nephew is coming with me so I'll be renting a car. We'll be doing more off-site dining and going to Universal two days so we can see Harry Potter. I'm kind of dreading having to drive on vacation, but we'll live :lol:
The only time I'd consider staying off-site is if I were traveling in a large party because of how small Disney rooms are.

 

[Mouse Man]

Honestly staying in Disney is Magical in many ways. My DWF has to most of the time check us into our resort because I imediatly start turning into a kid. I run into the gift shop then watch the disney movies or cartoons in the lobby. Then when we get into our room throw our stuff in we hop on a bus or boat or maybe a bus to mona-rail to Epcot. When I leave the park for the night I go back to my resort, where I hear Diney music playing, play a few games in the video arcade and then the DWF and I get a few snacks and then hear the people at the cash register tell us to have a magical night. Going into the room sometimes we have animals made out of the towels and were two adults who laugh out loud then it's off to the pool then finally a quick shower and lay back and watch some of the Disney channels to maybe give us an idea what we might want to do the next day. Off to bed and then rise and shine. Walking from Partier Place in POR to the main building for breakfast where I have to have Mickey waffles. What a great way to start the day and then venture off to another park and just keep having more fun. Now the other parts that really help us to have even more fun and go stress free is renting boats and driving it to DTD and DOC it at Captain Jacks get two Milk shakes at Ghiardelli's and then drive the boat back to the resort. We also go on a three hour Bass fishing trip, then we love to go to Typhoon Lagoon for the wave pools. Also keep in mind that we go to DTD most of the nights after leaving the parks to go shopping and get Ice Cream Sundays at Ghiardelli's. Honestly we do a lot more than I can even write hear, but staying at a Disney resort helps to make the Magic. The actual Magic is generated by you and how much you decide to allow yourself to feel and act like a kid again. This part has to come from with-in. Not to mention that we just paid our trip off and we will be going to WDW this September. So we are really geting excited.

 

[Buzzfan86]

I always stay on the property . It has its perks like other ppl have stated . No driving to parks and paying ,you can stay in the park longer with the extra magic hours or come an hour earlier . I like that if I buy something and its early I can just have it sent to the hotel and pick it up later . You can use your key to the world(room key) as you credit card to so your carrying around to much stuff. Its little things like that . I stayed off property once with my parents it just wasnt the same.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Kevin Yee did a cost comparison with the Values v. a $35 Motel 6 or something similar. He made a stink about how much cheaper it was and that it didn't make sense to pay extra for the special Disney hotel. I thought his math was a little fuzzy, and when I crunched the numbers for myself, I found paying $82 per night at Pop was cheaper than paying $35 at Motel 6! Before you even factor in things like the "Disney magic" and EMH, there are a lot of extras that you will likely be buying/renting if you stay off-property: rental car, car seats for said car if you have kids like we do, airport shuttle, parking at the parks... Let's just figure $30/day for the car, $10/day for two car seat rentals and $14/day for parking at the parks (Never paid for parking at WDW... I think that's what it is now?) and right there you're above $82.

 

[dizzney]

Same here haha. WDW brings out the best in me. I love staying on site because, like most other people say, you're immersed in WDW the entire time you're there (except the day we normally take a cab over to Universal.) Plus the resorts are a lot more fun than most of the nearby off-site hotels (theme-wise.)
On my trip in September, my nephew is coming with me so I'll be renting a car. We'll be doing more off-site dining and going to Universal two days so we can see Harry Potter. I'm kind of dreading having to drive on vacation, but we'll live :lol:
The only time I'd consider staying off-site is if I were traveling in a large party because of how small Disney rooms are.

Suggestion if you travel in a large party, rent DVC rooms at Old Key west, they are the largest rooms on property and you can rent a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom,

DVC rooms have many more options than the regualr hotel rooms, all of the DVC resorts have two bedroom villa avaialble

we will never stay off site, too used to the Disney Magic, 17 days til we arrive for our anniversary and counting!

 

[StingraySam]

The magic for me is the feeling I have escaped reality for a few days. By being onsite I can remove myself from the craziness of the rest of the world and just live in the moment. I will even always use the resort transportation and not to drive my own car to the parks because kills that buzz and is to much of reminder of the reality that just beyond the horizon.

 

[Master Yoda]

This is one instance where this statement applies.

For those that understand no explanation is needed.
For those that do not understand no explanation will suffice.

If I had to describe the "Magic" of a Disney resort it would be the complete separation from reality.

 

[Xethis]

I think for us it's the 'total package'. From the minute I step on the plane, I know everything is taken care of. Transportation, food, accommodations, etc. And what makes it that much better is the little things that the CM's do for you. Wishing you a happy anniversary/birthday/etc. Going out of their way (most of them) to be extra nice to you. The overall feeling of being at Disney & they way you're treated is what give me the "complete separation from reality" as Master Yoda put it so well.