How Important Are The Resorts To You?

[SirNim]

Muy importante...

Refillable mugs... the piped-in background music loops, the pool bars, the park maps in the lobby, the "Walt Disney Resorts" ballpoint pens and stationery...

...enjoying the bus ride back 'round park closing, with the lights off, a baby crying in the back, a dim, almost silent roar everywhere else... driving through the resort gate and buying a last-minute box of Mickey-embossed squares of mint milk chocolate in the resort gift shop, about to call it a day...

...then downloading all of your photos you took that day from your digicam to your iPod....

...yeah...

 

[HoneyMnShawnee]

I do have to say staying at the resorts is an integral part of the Disney experience, at least for me. There are great points made by those who can save money by staying at off-site villas and I know people personally who really enjoy them.. But there is something about the ambiance that the Disney resorts provide that can't be duplicated. I try to stay at WDW for as long as I can, so in the interests of $$ I don't think I will be able to stay at a Deluxe unless I win the lottery.. Port Orleans has become my home away from home, at least in my heart..

 

[David]

The resort matters to me as giving me a chance to enjoy more Disney magic from the time we arrive at the hotel. Granted, we always stay at All Stars and not a deluxe, but that's because we spend the entire day at the parks. We catch the first bus over to whichever park has early entry and catch the last bus back after closing.

I realize that staying off site can save you some bucks, but I think I would be miserable, knowing that the parks were open and I wasn't there.

 

[jim1051]

It is important enough to us that we bought into DVC so we can get the spacious villa type accom. and keep family all together.

 

[Tigerdaly]

I love the idea of staying for the whole stay in a resort hotel.
You all say how wonderful the Polynesian resort is and how you would stay no where else.
For us Brits 21 nights in there would cost £3617 for the accomodation alone thats $6909 you lot must get paid well cuz added to £2000 ($3820) worth of flights things are stacking up a bit and we still havent got any food into us let alone any tickets for the Magic.
I'm sure you will all tell me about the cheaper ways of doing it but none of you all go on annual trips there costing $15000 a year.

Some of us have to make sure reality and magic are not just pie in the sky wishes we have to make these dreams attainable.
I would love to stay at the Poly or Grand Floridian as you all do but woah there.

Happy holidays

 

[disneycouple]

For me it's all about being in the magic at all times. Theres somthing about leaving the resort at night breaks the magic. So the next day you have to get back in the swing. In the resort you are always there. So yes the resorts are important to me.

 

[Tigerdaly]

The resort matters to me as giving me a chance to enjoy more Disney magic from the time we arrive at the hotel. Granted, we always stay at All Stars and not a deluxe, but that's because we spend the entire day at the parks. We catch the first bus over to whichever park has early entry and catch the last bus back after closing.

I realize that staying off site can save you some bucks, but I think I would be miserable, knowing that the parks were open and I wasn't there.

When you stay at these resort do always without fail use the extra magic hours or do you drift back to your rooms like the majority.
Cuz if not you are the same as anyone else. My villa is closer to Magic Kingdom than Disney Downtown is by road.

 

[slappy magoo]

Eh, file under "F" for "Folks, Diff'rent Dtrokes for Diff'rent"

I prefer staying onsite. My wife and I don't spend all day every day in the parks; we nap, we lounge poolside, we nap, we ride bikes or boats, we nap, we'll play mini golf, and did I mention we nap? Having the option of not-driving (with a much-more structured transportation that most off-site resorts provide), and then being able to go back without the hassle of re-parking, is a big plus. We enjoy the attention to detail within many of the Disney resorts. Some off-site resorts, admittedly, have awesome amenities and incredible rooms, but I don't enjoy exploring them the way I do Disney resorts. When WDW is firing on all cylinders, they do an incredible job of adjusting your state of mind, to feel like you've truly escaped your worries and your everyday world. And I'm a pretty cynical sarcastic SOB by nature, so for me, that means a lot.

 

[csm7030]

There are a lot of great hotels in the Orlando area. Some are probably nicer and some are cheaper than the Disney Resorts. That being said, we would never go to Disney and stay off property. No matter what!

 

[adventurelander]

Staying on property is extremely important, but try telling that to someone that is going for the first time and really doesn't understand "the magic". I already told people I know don't even ask Disney advice from me if your planning to stay off property. The experience is totally different. If I had to save money an extra year to stay on property I would. Most people just don't understand how that is a major part of the experience.

 

[cooleo]

You are right in the fact going off site to the local Holiday Inn ruins the stay a little. One small room compared to another small room is just as bad if you dont have the theming and convienience of location.
But to park the car and punge into your own pool and spar with the game on in the lounge and beer cooling in the fridge........barbeque lit and warming.....kids playing on the playstation in games room...........shooting pool with you buddy whilst the evening sun sets over your patio.
It ain't all about themeing and magic...............it's about relaxing.

Oh and I forgot...................to save some big bucks.
Saving means we get to come back more often..........................

BIG HAPPY HOLIDAYS

On the contrary, it is ALL ABOUT THEMEING & MAGIC!

All of this other stuff you speak of can & does happen any other day of the year. I go to Disney for the whole Disney Experience & staying in themed resort keeps you fully immersed in that experience. When I want to relax, I get a hotel on the beach somewhere & lay in a hammock or beach chair with my beer cooler at my side.

 

[David]

When you stay at these resort do always without fail use the extra magic hours or do you drift back to your rooms like the majority.
Cuz if not you are the same as anyone else. My villa is closer to Magic Kingdom than Disney Downtown is by road.

We do not go back to the room. I can nap or swim at home. Our normal process is to go to the park with early entry, then later in the day go to the one for EEH.

 

[rbrower]

I think that staying in a resort just makes the whole trip more magical. At least, it does for me!

 

[PurpleDragon]

I for one never stay off property. The theming and magic of the on site resorts is wonderful. It keeps you in that Disney state of mind for the whole trip. As someone else said, going back to a Motel 6 after a day in the parks just wouldn't be the same.:animwink:

But for me, the biggest benefit of staying on site is NO DRIVING!! We always drive down from Atlanta so I've already spent almost an entire day of my vacation in the car, the last thing I want to do during my trip is worry about driving anywhere. I like the fact that you can basically leave your car keys in the room and never touch them your whole vacation till its time to go home. No worrying about staying ahead of the crowds getting out of the parking lots, no sitting in traffic getting back to your hotel, etc...

My commute each day is roughly an hour each way to and from work, I've spent half my adult life in the car stuck in traffic. So if I can take a vacation where I don't have to drive or even step foot in a car for the duration of my trip, then thats a major plus. :sohappy:

 

[slacker]

I back up the no driving point! I love those buses... even when they're super busy and we get shafted to the next bus even though we were at the stop first....... anyways, yeah, we drive from just outside Toronto, Ontario.

Arriving at the Beach Club after 22 hours of driving is my favourite thing in the world. That very first night at the hotel is the best night of the vacation, and there aren't any parks.

It just wouldn't be the same at an off site hotel.

 

[DDuckFan130]

We only stay maximum 2-3 nights so we always stay at an AS resort or CBR if no values are available. For us it's mostly for the beds, showers, food courts, and the free transportation. My parents can sleep in as long as they want and my siblings and I take the buses to the parks.

As far as the experience goes, I like knowing I'm at a Disney hotel and I like having the gift shop and all those little reminders that I'm not at a Radisson hotel :lol: But I don't think we could stay at a deluxe resort because we wouldn't take advantage of all the amenities :shrug:

 

[Cole'sMom]

We stayed off property once, our first trip after graduating college. We will never do it again. We have stayed at ASM, AKL and will be staying at the Poly this year due to a great deal. We took into consideration the fact that our 10 month old may have some major blow outs. A monrail resort will work this time. I think we will end up staying at AKL for future visits, though. We didn't mind the ASM, but we were spoiled rotten at AKL and I work with animals, so it was a no-brainer to go back. You just can't beat the ambiance of an on-site resort. SirNim summed it up-we have, on a few occasions, stopped at Zawadi Marketplace for some taffy or a krispy treat and a bottle of wine. I could recall every step as he described. I can completely understand why travelers from the UK opt for villas or off site accomodations. If I were taking a 2 week hoilday at WDW (don't I wish) and it came between staying longer or staying at an on-site resort, you better believe I would stay off site. Especially when you have other great expenses like airfare and such. I can absolutely see it both ways.

 

[harryk]

Tigerdaly,

Looking at the frequency of your visits to WDW - I strongly suggest you look into purchasing ownership in the Vacation Club - it is much less expensive than you may think.

 

[rjwalter]

DVC is truly a great thing. Because of this we will always stay on site. On our last trip in March we were there for 5 days and only visited the parks one day. We relaxed by the pool, went to DTD, went to the boardwalk. It was very relaxing. When you commute to work everyday its a nice feeling not to worry about driving anywhere just going at your own pace.

For those heading down soon they have model rooms of the new AKL DVC rooms set up at Saratoga Springs. The rooms are incredible.

 

[Raven66]

We like to stay at the POP. We mainly use the room to sleep and shower, but I enjoy getting up and remembering where we are. If I woke up off site it just wouldn't be the same. BUT, I completely understand staying off site because of money. I tried to get DH to stay off site once so we could save some money and he refused. I don't bother asking anymore, I admit I enjoy the Disney Resorts. When we head back in 2008, we were actually going to try a deluxe, but then I talked him out of it. I'd rather spend money on other things. When our DD is grown and out of the house, our first vacation together will be a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge. :sohappy: Even tho I can't wait, I just don't want her to grow up too fast.