Honest Resort Feedback

[MrWizard]

My wife and I go to WDW about once a year and we allways stay off property because of cost. We are going for a week in May for our anniversary and we are thinking of staying at the Port Orleans Resort.
It comes down to this, to stay at Disney we will have to pay about 30% more and wind up with a smaller room. I love the parks but is the "Disney Magic" really worth it in this instance?

 

[dixiegirl]

love love love port orleans riverside!!! we stayed once outside the park (mother in law tried to save everyone money) big mistake and too much hassle...we love not driving for a whole week also......

 

[Pippa]

Hi MrWizard!

I too have stayed on and off site and not having to drive during the trip is bliss, you don't have to worry about who has to stay sober in the evening! I love the fact that you can go back to your room quickly and flop if it all becomes too much. I felt much more relaxed while on site. Off site felt like more of an effort as the washing machine beckons and the washing up has to be done etc. It just didn't feel like a holiday to me so, in conclusion, pay the cash and stay on site you won't regret it I'm sure!!

:wave:

 

[Disneygrl36]

My vote is for on-site as well...especially since it's your anniversary. The convenience & the extra time spent in the "magic of Disney" will be well worth the extra cost. I've also stayed at many of the resorts & any of them are great from the All Stars to Port Orleans. It's just the best way to stay immersed in the magic!! Hope you have a wonderful & romantic anniversary. :wave:

 

[Merlin]

Actually, we almost always stay onsite and ALSO rent a car.

The challenge is that "worth the extra" money really depends on what is important to the person SPENDING the money. For some, it's the freedom of being able to go where you want and when you want. For others, it is about not having to fuss with a rental car. For some, getting a wakeup call from Mickey is worth spending an extra 30%, while others would rather save that money or spend it on something that matters more (like maybe an extra day in the parks or something).

 

[Woody13]

It's a room! Shop by price. Disney magic indeed.:lol:

 

[lamarvenoy]

In the last ten years I've done a 180° turn. In the beginning my wife and I stayed off property, I've stayed at the Sheraton lakeside at least 10 times and most of the other 192 hotels when available. Maybe 25 times off property. Then in 98 stayed at the Wyn. Palace in DTD.Since then I've stayed at CBR X 7, CSR X 3,PO x 1,Poly x 1, GF x1, Contemp X 5, Wyn pal X3,BW X1, Swan & Dol x2-free!, These are all VISITS, not nights! Since my first "on property" visit I've only stayed "off property"3 times, each time due to availability. You feel different, really. People call it the Disney magic and I have to admit its not logical but it is true. If you are going to stay on property and money is tight, you are less likely to let yourself go and enjoy yourself. I'm a penny pincher (now) and when I go to Disney I DON'T COUNT MY MONEY. I feel getting away and relaxing requires me to ease up on my wallet as well as my tension. You get what you pay for and convenience can be priceless.

 

[Raven66]

My daughter loved the wake up call from Mickey. To see the smile on her face and the excitement in her voice when she told us it was Mickey, was worth 30% and more.:sohappy:

 

[Merlin]

Originally posted by mickhyperion
If you REALLY want to experience how incredible staying on-property can be, stay at one of the Epcot Resorts. As far as romance is concerned, I don't think it gets much better than that. The Epcot resort area is gorgeous, surrounding a lake like World Showcase. You will never need a car and will rarely need the bus. So much is within walking (or boating) distance it is almost amazing... Epcot, Disney-MGM, even the Magic Kingdom, thanks to the monorail. Though these are much more pricey deluxe resorts, you can find $150 a night rates at the Swan & Dolphin through special deals online (allearsnet.com for example).

I agree. If you are going to spend the extra money to stay onsite, then consider doing it up right and staying at an Epcot resort. My personal favorite is Beach Club. I love being able to walk right over to the entrance to Epcot.

 

[moosie]

We have stayed both onsite and off and definitely recommend staying onsite. Our last stay was at Port Orleans French Quarter and we loved it. The location was great...good bus service to the parks and convenient to DT Disney by boat. Our room faced the water which was nice. Disney has so many price options now that pricewise it makes sense to stay onsite. :sohappy:

 

[Syrinxx]

for our part we couldnt imagine going to WDW and NOT staying on-site
I agree that a package isnt always the best way to do that, it works great for us because we use enough of the benefits to offset cost and always come out with more value than we spent of course this requires "doing the math"
if you plan on staying anyplace "decent" id bet that once the available discounts are aplied disney can compete with almost any "room only"

 

[Foolish Mortal]

Originally posted by MrWizard
My wife and I go to WDW about once a year and we allways stay off property because of cost. We are going for a week in May for our anniversary and we are thinking of staying at the Port Orleans Resort.
It comes down to this, to stay at Disney we will have to pay about 30% more and wind up with a smaller room. I love the parks but is the "Disney Magic" really worth it in this instance?

Since you've never stay'ed on property and if you dont mind paying the extra 30 %, you should definitely try it at least once. Then you can decide for sure if it's for you on your next visits. A lot of good reasons have been given here pro and con. For people who are truly cash strapped, I can understand their need to stay off property. But like I said, if you can spend the extra cash and not have that little voice of doubt in the back of your mind, stay on property at least once. I've never stay'ed off site and dont want to. I'd miss that Disney feeling. Plus I stay on property to get AWAY from the outside "world". And I love POR so much !!!!!