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Do you find that staying off site
- Thread starter kybred72
- Start date
coasterphil
Well-Known Member
It absolutely saves my family money, but thats because we have 7 and would have to get two rooms or a cabin at Fort Wilderness to stay on property. Instead we go with one of the vacation home services where we can generally get a 4/2 house for $119 a night during the times we go.
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
We stay offsite with a group of 10 every February, and I enjoy it just as much as staying in the park. We rent a house with our own pool, hot tub, laundry facilities, and kitchen, and the most we have in any bedroom is 2 people. We save lots on food and lodging, even figuring in the cost of renting a van and paying to park, and we get to see other parts of Florida too!
barnum42
New Member
Even factoring in car rental, I've saved a lot by staying off-site. I go for the parks and the money saved on hotel lets me visit for longer.
Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista was a nice if plain place with free breakfast.
Quality Inn Polynesian on 192 near the big Orange is where my last couple of trips were. Nothing special, but clean free breakfast pastries and a ten minute drive to the parks.
Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista was a nice if plain place with free breakfast.
Quality Inn Polynesian on 192 near the big Orange is where my last couple of trips were. Nothing special, but clean free breakfast pastries and a ten minute drive to the parks.
Staying off site will save you money - the same level of accommodations is considerably cheaper. Particularly if you stay in Lake Buena Vista (Palm Parkway area) you don't loose much time if you rent a car, either.
You do loose a little of the magic of staying onsite, on the other hand you also get to do a little more outside of Disney - take a trip up to Downtown Orlando or Winter Park or Mount Dora. You can eat better food, and sometimes you just need a break, particularly from the overpriced stores!
You do loose a little of the magic of staying onsite, on the other hand you also get to do a little more outside of Disney - take a trip up to Downtown Orlando or Winter Park or Mount Dora. You can eat better food, and sometimes you just need a break, particularly from the overpriced stores!
We are just taking our first trip this fall, so speaking only from my extensive internet research of off-site accomodations.....
Below are 2 of my favorite affordable resorts where one can rent 2-3 bedroom condos or 3-6 bedroom homes (with own pool and spa).
Both places are close to WDW, have fully equipped, beautiful, spacious condos/homes, and the resorts themselves have:
Huge heated pool, spa, kid pool, tennis, bball, billard, clubhouse, workout room, free cinemas, etc.
Windsor Palms: http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net/ 3.5 miles away, rates lower, backs up to wooded nature preserve.
Windsor Hills http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/ 1.5 miles away, rates higher (but for us, added perk of 2 story waterslide in the lagoon style pool for our 6 year old!).
If you are considering an off-site hotel, etc., please check the reviews at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ (put your hotel in the search box)...
When I was first looking for inexpensive off-site rooms there were places I was interested in that I then found wouldn't be for us based on first hand reports of previous guests.
The 2 resorts above are new, clean and well cared and generally rented by the individual owners, who of course take good care of their own homes (the sites above have detailed info. on each condo or home that is available - photos, descriptions, rates for different times of year, etc.).
Good luck with your search!
Below are 2 of my favorite affordable resorts where one can rent 2-3 bedroom condos or 3-6 bedroom homes (with own pool and spa).
Both places are close to WDW, have fully equipped, beautiful, spacious condos/homes, and the resorts themselves have:
Huge heated pool, spa, kid pool, tennis, bball, billard, clubhouse, workout room, free cinemas, etc.
Windsor Palms: http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net/ 3.5 miles away, rates lower, backs up to wooded nature preserve.
Windsor Hills http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/ 1.5 miles away, rates higher (but for us, added perk of 2 story waterslide in the lagoon style pool for our 6 year old!).
If you are considering an off-site hotel, etc., please check the reviews at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ (put your hotel in the search box)...
When I was first looking for inexpensive off-site rooms there were places I was interested in that I then found wouldn't be for us based on first hand reports of previous guests.
The 2 resorts above are new, clean and well cared and generally rented by the individual owners, who of course take good care of their own homes (the sites above have detailed info. on each condo or home that is available - photos, descriptions, rates for different times of year, etc.).
Good luck with your search!
CAPTAIN HOOK
Well-Known Member
The 'Magic' is available to those who stay off site - it comes when you read your credit card statement and realise how much you've saved
off site
I have stayed off site for all my previous trips, Because i have 4 kids and it was so much cheaper than getting two rooms in a disney resort(this was before value resorts had suites).My older kids are not interested in coming,they are 17 and 18 and travel to fla every feb.,Thanks to a generous aunt and uncle.So it will be 4 of us.you can have a good time either way.This will be our first trip onsite,and our budget will still be tight.But onsite with a large family is hard on most families.There are tons of decent places to stay in the area .Last time we where there was in 2000 and we stayed at niki bird,a holiday inn motel style place.It had 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa and was very reasonable.But best of all it had free bkfst buffet and a nice 50s style dinner that kids ate free at with parents purchase.if you stay off site look for something like this.originally,it was what my plan for this year was until older kids opted out.house and condos rentals are also numerous.I have cousins who every other year rent a townhouse around kissimmee and its the only way they like to go.
I have stayed off site for all my previous trips, Because i have 4 kids and it was so much cheaper than getting two rooms in a disney resort(this was before value resorts had suites).My older kids are not interested in coming,they are 17 and 18 and travel to fla every feb.,Thanks to a generous aunt and uncle.So it will be 4 of us.you can have a good time either way.This will be our first trip onsite,and our budget will still be tight.But onsite with a large family is hard on most families.There are tons of decent places to stay in the area .Last time we where there was in 2000 and we stayed at niki bird,a holiday inn motel style place.It had 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa and was very reasonable.But best of all it had free bkfst buffet and a nice 50s style dinner that kids ate free at with parents purchase.if you stay off site look for something like this.originally,it was what my plan for this year was until older kids opted out.house and condos rentals are also numerous.I have cousins who every other year rent a townhouse around kissimmee and its the only way they like to go.
maelstrom
Well-Known Member
We used to stay offsite when I was younger at the Embassy on Lake Cecile (now a Motel 6 down by what used to be Xanadu). We haven't stayed offsite in years now and I really can't imagine staying offsite ever again unless my fiance and I did a real budget-conscious trip. There are plenty of great places to stay offsite (there's a nice Homewood Suites at the corner of 4 and 192) and it's not that I'm snobby and need to stay onsite because the hotels offsite aren't good enough, but 192, 4, and I-Drive are not magical, IMHO, and I want magic on my Disney vacation. We're staying at a Homewood Suites in Tampa after we leave WDW in May.
sbkline
Well-Known Member
The wife and I must be easy to please, because we have stayed offsite three times at the same place: the Super 8 Motel on Vine Street in Kissimmee. Nothing fancy by any means, but for 35 dollars or so a night, we don't expect fancy. We just expect a clean, decent motel where we can shower and sleep between amusements. Only problem is, the only thing to do at the motel is swim in the pool, or lay on the bed and watch TV. But for these two people who are used to being in Illinois working our humdrum jobs, it is STILL a big treat to go down there to that Super 8. Leave in the morning for our theme parks and not get back until late, when it's time to go to bed. I don't regret staying there, and we may do it again next year, but as for this year, we decided to go all out and try the on property thing, and I can't wait. :sohappy:
Word. We drive so transportation is never an issue, and getting around is easy. And don't feel we miss the magic.
Stayed on property (CS) and been to other resorts for dinner and conventions (even checked out friends' rooms) and just cannot imagine paying that much. Even with an AP discount, ehm... no. We've been using a friend's timeshare, renting a 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo for about $500-$600 a week. Easily sleep 6-8 adults, cook our own breakfast, have washer/dryer. For a shorter stay, we priceline and even if a little bummed with our win, it's still a nicer, larger room at a better than Disney price. Plus all the savings = more character meals/nice dinners, more days, more souvenirs, more Disney.
As far as recommendations go, yes the BW LBV is nice. As mentioned by cloudboy, LBV has decent hotels on Palm Parkway. FL HWY 535/DD area has some nice places, like the Marriott Village, though that area is so popular the rates seem to have gone up (and it's harder to get that area via Priceline). Even had some decent places in Kissimmee but prefer the area around DD. FWIW.
wdwmomof3
Well-Known Member
Smart man, but you will never stay off property again once you stay with Disney. J/K I don't really know because we have always stayed with Disney. I just can't picture staying out side of the park unless we were going to do more than Disney. We have gone down early and gone to Sea World and things and then checked in to the Disney Resorts. That was nice and I want to do this again someday to see Universal. I just cant pass on the mouse. It really doesn't matter where you stay, you are still in another world down there. Orlando is great!
You will have to let us know after your trip what your wife says. My guess is that she will fall in love with staying on the Resort.
sbkline
Well-Known Member
That's just it...our previous trips HAVE included more than Disney. On our 2003 and 2004 trips, we did almost exactly the same itenerary and stayed in the same motel...just one room over, actually. Room 110 the first year and 108 the second. :lol: But we checked in Monday evening and checked out the following Thursday, doing Sea World and Busch Gardens both times. Universal (both parks) the second time and GatorLand the first time. We got 4 day parkhopper passes to WDW each time, so spent 4 days at Disney. Not in a row, though.
My guess is we will both fall in love with the resort, but for money reasons, as well as our desire to do the other non-Disney stuff, the plan right now is IF we do a vacation next year, it will be off property again. Now that we have a baby, she has ruled out two week trips, as she doesn't want to part with our baby for that long, which is why we originally had a two weeker planned this year but had to chop it down to a week long ago, and with it, chop out all the non-Disney stuff. So, the non-Disney stuff that we were gonna include this year (Sea World, Busch Gardens and Universal), I want to do next year because I really hated not doing them this year. We are getting 10 day parkhopper, NE option tickets this year and using 6 days of them, so we will have 4 left to use in the future. So we will have time for two days of Disney next year, if we go for the same amount of time that we are this year. So staying on the resort for only two Disney days just doesn't seem worth it to me, or to the wife. :wave:
wdwmomof3
Well-Known Member
Hey!
Some day I would love to do just that. There is so much to do in Orlando that it would take two weeks or better to see it all. One of these days, when the kids are bigger we will venture out I guess.
It has been years since I have been to BG in Tampa. I really do want to do this the next time we go down.
I have been told that my kids are to young to really enjoy Universal. They are 6,9 and 14. I know that my 14 year old would love it but I'm not sure about the others. I'll have to check into it.
Man, now that you have a baby, that is going to be one happy child. How lucky to have parents that love to have fun!!
Some day I would love to do just that. There is so much to do in Orlando that it would take two weeks or better to see it all. One of these days, when the kids are bigger we will venture out I guess.
It has been years since I have been to BG in Tampa. I really do want to do this the next time we go down.
I have been told that my kids are to young to really enjoy Universal. They are 6,9 and 14. I know that my 14 year old would love it but I'm not sure about the others. I'll have to check into it.
Man, now that you have a baby, that is going to be one happy child. How lucky to have parents that love to have fun!!
sbkline
Well-Known Member
I just hope he's lucky enough to have parents who have money to burn on fun like that now that they have a child in the house. :lol:
Tramp
New Member
We stay off-property for most of our Disney visits. For us, the positives of staying in an off-site timeshare far outweigh the negatives for not being part of the 'magic.' However, there is something to be said for staying in the convenience of the Boardwalk area or the Monorail hotels, but the rooms are still the size of a large doghouse.
Before you stay in a hotel off-property, check out Expedia type sites for timeshares. Very often you can get full size timeshares with 2 bedrooms and the works for well under $100 a night. The description may not indicate it's a timeshare so make some calls before you book. The timeshare we own offers 1 week stays in a 2 bedroom villa for $599. And the amenities are awesome which include a very cool lazy river not unlike that you find in Typhoon Lagoon.
It's your vacation...and I don't fault anyone who needs the mental satisfaction of wanting to be in a Disney hotel cuz surely they are a lot of fun. But if you can get past that, staying off property can give you a heck of a lot of bang for your buck.
Before you stay in a hotel off-property, check out Expedia type sites for timeshares. Very often you can get full size timeshares with 2 bedrooms and the works for well under $100 a night. The description may not indicate it's a timeshare so make some calls before you book. The timeshare we own offers 1 week stays in a 2 bedroom villa for $599. And the amenities are awesome which include a very cool lazy river not unlike that you find in Typhoon Lagoon.
It's your vacation...and I don't fault anyone who needs the mental satisfaction of wanting to be in a Disney hotel cuz surely they are a lot of fun. But if you can get past that, staying off property can give you a heck of a lot of bang for your buck.
Uponastar
Well-Known Member
We got annual passes for the first time last December. So far we've used them for two trips and we are going again in 2 weeks.
The only reason we can go so often is because we stay off-site. I shop around the travel sites and book the best deal I can find. We usually come in under $700 for a 6 or 7 night stay at a hotel in Kissimmee, plus car rental and airfare from Philadelphia for the two of us.
We don't feel like we're missing out on the Disney "Magic" in the least because, once we're on property we have the same experiences as guests paying for expensive on-property rooms.
We hit the parks first thing in the morning and stay till they close. We use our hotel room only to sleep and shower. As long as it is clean, safe and reasonably comfortable we are happy. We don't need the bells and whistles. Of course they're nice to have. . .but if it comes down to being able to go more often if we stay off-property, then we stay off-property.
One major word of advice when staying off-property. . .rent a car!!!!!
Do NOT rely on shuttle buses to and from the parks. . . They can be a nightmare!
The only reason we can go so often is because we stay off-site. I shop around the travel sites and book the best deal I can find. We usually come in under $700 for a 6 or 7 night stay at a hotel in Kissimmee, plus car rental and airfare from Philadelphia for the two of us.
We don't feel like we're missing out on the Disney "Magic" in the least because, once we're on property we have the same experiences as guests paying for expensive on-property rooms.
We hit the parks first thing in the morning and stay till they close. We use our hotel room only to sleep and shower. As long as it is clean, safe and reasonably comfortable we are happy. We don't need the bells and whistles. Of course they're nice to have. . .but if it comes down to being able to go more often if we stay off-property, then we stay off-property.
One major word of advice when staying off-property. . .rent a car!!!!!
Do NOT rely on shuttle buses to and from the parks. . . They can be a nightmare!