Disney Resort or Offsite

[McJags]

Hello all!

I am taking my fiance to Florida for the first time in April and we are going to spend four days in Orlando. I have been to Disney World 8 times but never stayed at one of the resorts. Is it worth staying at one, or is it better to stay offsite and save some cash? If you had to reccomend a resort, what would you reccomend? We are going in April (AKL is totally booked).

Thanks!

 

[Frosty689]

Hello all!

I am taking my fiance to Florida for the first time in April and we are going to spend four days in Orlando. I have been to Disney World 8 times but never stayed at one of the resorts. Is it worth staying at one, or is it better to stay offsite and save some cash? If you had to reccomend a resort, what would you reccomend? We are going in April (AKL is totally booked).

Thanks!

I will tell you right now, there is no better place to stay then on Disney World property. The experience is sooo much better it's hard to believe. My grandparents own some condos out in Florida and stuff, and we've stayed there many time while at disney world. Sure there bigger, and only a couple minutes away from disney property, but on property is the way to go; depending on where you stay you can even spend a ton of money. My personal favorite place to stay deluxe resort is Polynesian(only place i've ever stayed deluxe). I loved it, and i think it would be a very great place for you (grats on the fiance.) My family and I will be staying at the Grand Floridian this time around in may tho, and we hear it is also incredible.
All in all tho, whether its deluxe, moderate or even value i truely believe staying on property has steep advantages over off site, and i suggest you stay on property.. Good luck making a decision with all the wonderful hotels, however I suggest looking into Poly and boardwalk as those are definitly my two favorite resorts.

 

[MPitzen]

How much are you looking to spend if you were to stay onsite - which in my opinion there is no other way. I believe that you can't really experience the whole disney magic without staying onsite and being totally immersed in it.

From what I have experienced, I prefer:
Values - Pop Century
Mods - Port Orleans FQ
Deluxe - AKL or Grand Floridean

If you really wanted to stay at AKL and when you called they were booked I would keep trying, things change or open up all the time. Another option would be trying to book AKL through an outside agent like AAA or expedia. Sometimes these agents have different availability than Disney itself.

I would also try calling Disney and seeing what kind of discounts you could get. I got a Savannah view room at AKL (normally $285/night) for $129 by calling and asking if there were any available discounts, this is for Sept. though.

 

[McJags]

Well, we don't want to go too crazy in the spending department. I did get excited when I saw your price for AKL and called right away, but the lowest I was quoted was $325!! Is POR a good option? I was thinking the WL also but didn't know if the wife to be would be into the whole wilderness thing.

 

[pacochran]

I would definitely suggest staying on property, that's a great part of the whole experience. I would suggest the Beach or Yacht Club, they are deluxe but they are very nicely themed, close to Epcot and MGM, and theirs the Boardwalk across the way. We haven't stayed in the regular resort, as we are DVC members, but the resorts are really nice. I have heard that (but haven't seen any) quite a few celebrities like staying at the Yacht Club.

 

[Aurora23]

Hello all!

I am taking my fiance to Florida for the first time in April and we are going to spend four days in Orlando.

I was thinking the WL also but didn't know if the wife to be would be into the whole wilderness thing.

Are you taking the fiance AND the wife?! :ROFLOL:
I would suggest staying on property. I have stayed on and off, and loved the transportation and being so close to everything.

 

[ELopez]

Stay on property. It's way more magical. If you are looking to save money - then stay at a value resort. I loved POR. Have fun!

 

[MPitzen]

The wilderness lodge is nice, while I have never stayed there, I have visited. I can't speak about the rooms themselves, but the resort in general is really romantic. However, because of its proximity to the MK and being the least costly resort right there it is usually full of little ones - not sure how romantic you're looking for the trip to be.

Port Orleans is very nice. I would do a search on here there have been thousands of threads about port orleans and which side or the resort is better.

Also, when you called about prices did you ask if you had a pin or code in your profile? If you PM I can give you my information - sometimes they will let discounts be transferred from one person to another.

 

[shoppingnut]

Stay on property, Riverside and FQ are very nice and romantic. There are carriage rides that you can do (http://www.allearsnet.com/ae/issue205.htm). You will not have to rent a car, you can use DME to/from the airport which is free. The transportation to/from the parks is very good and these two resorts have a boat that you can use to go to DTD instead of using the bus if you want.

 

[slappy magoo]

I can't imagine too many people on this board telling you to stay OFF-property.

If you check out allearsnet.com, you'll find fact sheets for each and every on-site hotel, price lists, photos and submitted reviews from other people. It might help you decide whether staying on-site is right for you, and if so, which resort would best suit your needs.

 

[McJags]

Thanks everyone for your insight, I really appreciate it! And thanks to Aurora23 for picking up on the mistake my fiance always points out to me, I will not refer to her as my wife again until after the big day.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[CMSomeday]

Off-site ain't chicken liver...

I'd say because it is your first trip together, stay on-site. The above input is very handy. There are good resources online for anything you'd need to know about each resort and ways to "try" to save money with lodging.

That said, I've stayed at a few of the deluxes including the GF honeymoon suite (octagon one; awesome), DVC villas at Boardwalk, and I've stayed off-site. Each one, as you would guess, has different pros/cons. You can stay 7 nights within 3 miles of WDW in a 700k house (4 or 5 BR, pool, internet access, etc.) for $1000-1500, tax included + pool heat, guaranteed. The area where Formosa Gardens, Rolling Hills, etc. are is very nice. This gives you space, privacy, and better value. Obviously, the on-site gives you the WDW atmosphere 24/7, on-site food, free transporatation, extra hours in the parks, etc.

We like staying on-site, but with a 3 y.o., having the space and room for her to go crazy, and saving some money at the same time, since we rent a car anyway to go to "other" places works for us. Keep that in mind as your life stages change.

Congrats and enjoy the trip!

 

[Boray]

I have never stayed on-site, however, I would recommend that you do stay on-site if you have the money and because it's just the two of you (no kids). If/when you visit with children I would recommend renting a house (as mentioned by CMSomeday) if for no other reason, you'll have room for your kids to run around and sleep separate from you and your wife as well as complete privacy and your own pool. I couldn't imagine sharing a room in, for example, a value resort room, with my 4 year old and 7 year old (I know this works for many families, not for us). No one would get enough quality sleep (perhaps, this is just my family). Before I get anyone telling me that I shouldn't talk because I've never stayed on site, I just want to say that this is what works best for our family. I've never slept well in hotels (too many people walking up and down the hall or loud neighbors). Our family loves the home atmosphere. I would love to stay on-site in a 2 room suite, unfortunately this is financially impossible for us. We get to visit more often by renting a house, then if we were to stay on-site in any resort but the value resorts, and at less than 300 square feet per room, this is just too small of a space for us.

We rented a beautiful 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home in Davenport, FL (less than 15 min drive to WDW) for 8 days including heated/screened pool for less than $1100 this past October. That's a huge savings for us. (We also drive rather than fly and save over $800) Doing these 2 things allows us to consider visiting yearly, rather than every other year.

You need to decide what is best for you. I'm sure you'll never regret staying on-site, at least for your first visit.

 

[typhoonguy]

I want to clear up quite a few misconceptions from this article.
1.) If you call the DRC and 'ask' for discounts, they cannot give you any unless you are more specific. For instance, you can ask for an 'AAA' discount, and then you'll get one, but if you just say 'can i get a discount' or 'do you have any discounts' they are not allowed to give you ANY discounts other than a pin code that might be attached to your name.
2.) Discounts can NOT be transfered from person to person. This is listed on postcards, emails, ect that may have pin codes. If you call in with a pin code, the Cast Member you speak with is required to look up the name it is attached to and verify it belongs to you. Now, if you're on a pin code, you can book up to three rooms on that code, provided you are staying in one of the three.

Ok, I feel better now...

Good luck with your decision!

 

[1DisneyDad]

Stay at a Disney hotel. No question. It's so much fun. WL is great!

 

[davidpw97]

Normally I'd tell you to stay off property but since this seems to be a special trip I would totally stay on property. As far as recommendations go, I'd say if you can afford it and you can get in, i'd go with either WL or Poly. With your trip a little more than a month away, you're going to have to make a decision soon though if you are going to get in anywhere.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

If you're looking to save money then stay offsite (but remember that you'll then have travelling costs, car parking etc)

For the best Disney experience then an onsite resort is the way to go. We prefer POFQ