First time visiting Disney World - Help! (please)

[irishone]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and I'm sure I'll have lots more :-D

My family (8 people - 7 adults (24-29 yrs old) 1 senior (in better shape then the rest of us!) are going to Disney World Jan 2, 2009 - Jan 7, 2009.

I have been to Disney once - in High School with the band, so I had no say over the travel plans - no one else in the group has been at all.

We are currently stuck between two accommadation choices

Choice A - 2 Disney View Suites at the Blue Heron Beach Resort -http://www.blueheronbeachresort.com/ I like this because it seems like we would have plenty of privacy and still enough room to hang out as a group.
We would also rent two cars with this option.

Choice B
Stay on site - probably 4 preferred rooms at the Pop Century
I love all the amenities offered if you stay on site (ie shuttle, ability to book meal plans) but Choice A has full size kitchens so we could save on food that way.

What do you all suggest, how much could we save (ie parking/tolls) by staying on site?

Thank you in advance!

 

[lilclerk]

Well I think parking is up to, what, $12.00/day now, plus the cost of the rental cars... would there be enough food savings for you to consider staying off property? Probably. But it's really all up to your preference. I'm all about staying on property, so I'm a bit biased and say that I'd rather eat cereal in a room at Pop Century for three meals a day than stay off property.

On the other hand, with a large group like that, it would probably be more beneficial to stay off property, either in a rental home or a suite. The suites would be FAR more spacious and give you room to hang out together, while the small rooms at a value resort would not.

 

[disneytopdog]

You will save $12 per car/per day

 

[DisneyJoe]

Parking is currently $12 per car per day.
2 cars x 6 days x $12 = $144

Don't forget the cost of the car rental - and the time it takes to drive to and from the parks.

If offsite, you lose the Extra Magic Hour benefit.

When we have traveled with multiple families and been onsite, we appreciated the ability to split up and to come and go as we pleased - we didn't need to wait for the driver of our car.

How many meals do you think you would be cooking while offsite?

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Welcome aboard

Quite simply, you'll save more money by staying offsite than you would by staying on - even when you have to add on fuel to and from the parks and parking.

You'll also save if you prepare your own meals (breakfast) other savings would depend on whether you eat in the parks or take your own or a combination of the two

What you'll miss out on is (as you've mentioned) the Dining Plan, package deliveries to your resort and Disney theming 24/7.

 

[irishone]

Welcome aboard

Quite simply, you'll save more money by staying offsite than you would by staying on - even when you have to add on fuel to and from the parks and parking.

You'll also save if you prepare your own meals (breakfast) other savings would depend on whether you eat in the parks or take your own or a combination of the two

What you'll miss out on is (as you've mentioned) the Dining Plan, package deliveries to your resort and Disney theming 24/7.

Darn it, that's what I thought (lol, can you tell I was hoping it was cheaper to stay onsite?)

Is it true you can't add on the dining plan unless you buy park tickets as well? We already got our tickets so, if so, that kinda cancels everything else out.

Thank you all again!

 

[deemcb]

Another option

We are actually staying at the Fort Wilderness cabins and they have a full kithcen. Granted they only sleep 6, but depending on costs, you could do two cabins. You are also right there at the beach for the electric water pageant, can see the MK fireworks from the beach and have water taxi to MK. Also, you might look into the Disney Vacation Clubs. Lots of people go and find someon not using their DVC points during the time you are traveling and you can get a nice suite with full kitchen and still get the Disney experience. Check on www.dvcbyresale.com to see what is available.

 

[lilclerk]

Is it true you can't add on the dining plan unless you buy park tickets as well? We already got our tickets so, if so, that kinda cancels everything else out.

Unfortunately, the dining plan is only available as a room/tickets package, unless you happen to have an annual pass. Then you qualify for the AP dining package.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Darn it, that's what I thought (lol, can you tell I was hoping it was cheaper to stay onsite?)

Don't take the word of anyone - you need to truly do the math for yourself, and also weigh the intangibles. Make a spreadsheet or two.

Yes, if you truly want the absolute bottom dollar, go Priceline and stay in a $35/night hotel.

A room at Pop Century for 5 nights in January will run you $461, and you could possibly get this as low as $369/room with AAA discount. I couldn't tell what those offsite suites would cost you, or your car rental.

As far as cooking and "hanging around" - how much time do you plan on being at the room? If you plan on maximizing park time, you may be out of the room from 7-8am until 9-11pm - not leaving much time for cooking or hanging around.

Weigh all the factors before giving up.

 

[krankenstein]

You have to run the cost for you. Make sure you go over and over the numbers and find out which choice is the best for you. Plus, you have the intangibles. I am willing to pay more to stay on property so I can park my car and leave it. I do not enjoy driving or finding my way around WDW, that intangible is worth a premium to me. Also, being in the magic 24/7 and EMH is worth it to me.

Like I said, price it out, decide if the intangibles are worth staying on property to you.

 

[KingStefan]

...What you'll miss out on is (as you've mentioned) the Dining Plan, package deliveries to your resort and Disney theming 24/7.

And don't forget Extra Magic Hours - often the deal maker for me when I'm trying to choose between on-site and off.

But DisneyJoe is right - you have to sit down and list all the advantages and disadvantages of both options and decide how important each is to your group. Every group is different. And each time we go our preferences are different. It also depends on what kind of discount deal you are getting.

Good luck planning, and have a magical trip no matter what you decide!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Stay on property.

 

[happymom52003]

With that many people, I'd stay on property if you can afford it.

There are so many perks to staying on property, but in my opinion the number one perk is Disney transportation to and from the parks. Even with my small group (four) there have been times one of us needed to go back to the resort while another stayed in the parks. I can only imagine the transportation issues that could come up with a larger group.

Even if you rent 2 cars, people are still dependent on each other to get to and from the parks. What if one person wakes up and does not feel well (this can happen for many reasons while at WDW!) and wants to sleep in a bit longer, while everyone else wants to get an early start? Or what if someone is not feeling well in the evening and wants to leave the park early to go back to the hotel, while others want to stay later? What if part of your group wants to stay at a park all day, while others want to take an afternnoon break to swim or take a nap? With Disney transportation to and from the parks, anyone can come and go as they please without affecting others.

We've stayed off property years ago, and then after staying on property we decided we would never, ever, ever stay off property again.

As others have suggested, do the math yourself. If you take out the cost of the two car rentals and the parking fees for the two parks, you might not really save all that much. Yes, you might be able to save on food....but realistically, if you are staying off property, it can be VERY time consuming to come back to your hotel to eat, so you would probably end up eating on property anyway.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip!

 

[disneychic71]

We are actually staying at the Fort Wilderness cabins and they have a full kithcen. Granted they only sleep 6, but depending on costs, you could do two cabins. You are also right there at the beach for the electric water pageant, can see the MK fireworks from the beach and have water taxi to MK. Also, you might look into the Disney Vacation Clubs. Lots of people go and find someon not using their DVC points during the time you are traveling and you can get a nice suite with full kitchen and still get the Disney experience. Check on www.dvcbyresale.com to see what is available.

This is a great idea and well worth looking into! You really can't beat the 24/7 Disney experience! If we don't have a kitchen, I always pack what I need for breakfast, snacks and even the occasional lunch (cup 'o soup, anyone?). If you're careful with what you spend on other meals, you could do all right. TIP: Disney restaurants DO permit meal sharing, which is great since the portions can be very large. My parents almost always share a meal, and there is only a small charge ($2 or so) for doing so. This obviously works even better at the counter-service restaurants. The wraps and sandwiches are actually quite large and anyone with a smaller appetite can hardly finish one by him/herself.

 

[DVC Dave]

on site.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I understand it might be cheaper to stay off site but add in the cost of a rental car, parking fees etc. Also and this is a question only you can answer....How reliable is everyone on going?? If you rent a larger place off property and then a few people decide they arent going for whatever reason, you are still stuck paying for the larger accomodations unless it can be switched at that time. With the smaller accomodations broken up into individual reservation, if a group cancels, the only ones affected are them. The rest of you may still choose to come.
Also Lil Clerk, The AP dining plan is only available with a room package as well. It is EXACTLY the same as the regular dining plan requirements, it just doesnt require you to buy a theme park ticket, because of the Annual Pass, is the only difference. You still need to be staying on site to get that. Belle

 

[JohnWeckwerth]

Have you checked the Disney Vacation Club Villas? You dont have to be a member to book one. I had 7 in my party and found that to be a great alternitive to getting several rooms at most of the resorts. Not only is a 2 bedroom villa (sleeps 8)more spacious than 3 single rooms, but you have a full kitchen and washer and dryer. We chose the Beach Club Villas and loved it.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

Honestly stayin gon property is wonderful. The pricetag between on and off my be quite a bit, but it is worth it. You get the buses, dining plan, extra magic hours, and the 100% Disney experience staying on property. If you stay off property, you'll have to consider driving costs, parking costs, grocery costs, etc... Do you really want to cook on your vacation just to save money? To me part of a vacation is not having to cook (which I happen to like doing). Also, what will you do about lunch and dinner? Will you leave the parks to go back and have lunch? Will you leave for dinner and then come back? Consider how much park time staying off property will cost you. Tickets are pricey so don't waste your park time driving back and forth to eat at your off property hotel.

 

[KristieLC]

If you are concerned about cost - do the spreadsheet as others suggested. You may be surprised at how much you really don't save by staying off. Of course every situation is different but I was really surprised when we were working out our "costs". We were considering staying in a timeshare right off property for the week we will be there - the same one we stayed in for our honeymoon. We totaled all of the "worst case" costs including the meal plan if staying on vs food for staying off and parking. I didn't even factor in gas and a rental car isn't needed since we are driving in (making a stop in NC for 6 days to visit family too). The one thing I said to my husband is that while I don't expect to do fancy dinners and such, I am not cooking dinner. We can eat out cheap and that's fine, and I will cook breakfast, but not dinners - so it would be a little more $$ doing it that way than cooking meals. Once we added up worst case on both sides, staying off was costing about $10 less in the long run, and that didn't even include any extra discounts that sometimes become available (and that we were lucky enough to get later). We also decided because it would be our son's fist time, and my second, and none of us ever stayed on property - it would be a great experience. All in all, it can be a great vacation weather you stay on or off, but price wise - the difference, or lack there of may surprise you.

 

[daliseurat]

You really do need to do your math.

How much are you paying for each choice?

Do you really need 4 rooms? Would it be cheaper to go with suites at one of the All Stars?

Parking for 2 cars would be $144

2 Rental cars would be 150 each (or more)

Gas, maybe 40 total.

You won't really save that much on food unless you are going back to the hotel and cooking everynight. You'll probably do breakfast there. You can easily get stuff for your room for breakfast before you get there.

Are you really hanging out at your hotel? Many people think they will, but spend all the time at the parks and just sleep there. Kind of depends on your group.

You can't get the dining plan without a htel/ticket deal, but you might be able to return the tickets you bought and get a deal if you call. Never hurts to check.

Depending on the math you may not really be saving money by staying off property. But you definitely chose a nice hotel for off property, if you really are going to hang out there.

My math always has staying on property at a vlaue resort as being about the same price as an off property hotel with a rental car. So do your math. Check with everyone to see what kind of trip they want, casual hanging out or park commandos.

Either way, sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!