Is it REALLY worth it...

[epcotwsmd4me]

Is it really worth it to stay on property?

I stay at a hotel that is 3 minutes by rental car to Animal Kingdom for $39/night in a King Size bed, rent a car and have freedom to drive where ever my wife and I decide to that day. We are annual passholders and go for 2 weeks at a time. Our hotel for 2 weeks is $546, we get 2 annual passes (and go again just before they expire - so 4 weeks) and rent a car. The annual passes include free parking, so that's not a problem.

We park hop the entire time we're there and just don't understand the reason why we'd want to stay on property.

Is there a reason that could possibly beat the savings? I know about the "experience", but is it really that good? Does it really beat $39/night?

Oh, by the way, the hotel isn't going to be named. <grin> At least not by me. One of my secrets - nor will the path that I take to get to the park.

But the hotel is by no means a bad hotel. It's better than a motel 6 or a quality inn.

Thanks!

Dennis

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Last August when I was thinking of where to stay I was asking myself the same question...Is the Disney Resort Worth it? As a travel agent I knew all about, but also knew about all the resorts outside WDW. We were able to stay at great (big room) hotels outside WDW (.5 mile) for 50-100 a night. So why sould I pay the extra money for the smaller room? We decided to try one of the Resorts (Port Orleans French Quarter).

This is what we thought of it...
The Disney Hotels are the most wonderful places you can stay. The theming and extra effort put in to the resort are just incredible. Every castmember is so nice, and all the extra Disney touches make the money well spent.

I can't tell you what to do, but I think that you should try it just once. If you don't think it was worth the extra money then don't stay there again, but you have to experience one resort.

 

[epcotwsmd4me]

Actually, we're probably going to try one.

I just haven't figured out which one to try. We want to make sure we get a good one on the first try (one that doesn't have too many kids right off the bat - we'll have enough of our own soon anyway).

Is there a good one that isn't outrageous that you can get to fairly easily near Epcot? If we were to do it, we'd want to be able to use Disney Transportation (not the darn buses either) - we're leaning towards the Polynesian.

Thanks!

 

[DigitalDisney]

You should try it for a couple days and find out for yourself. For shorter trips, the price difference isn't that much. However, for a whole 2-week stay, the price difference definately adds up.

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by epcotwsmd4me
Actually, we're probably going to try one.

I just haven't figured out which one to try. We want to make sure we get a good one on the first try (one that doesn't have too many kids right off the bat - we'll have enough of our own soon anyway).

Is there a good one that isn't outrageous that you can get to fairly easily near Epcot? If we were to do it, we'd want to be able to use Disney Transportation (not the darn buses either) - we're leaning towards the Polynesian.

Thanks!

The only other options asside from the busses are the Monorails and boats. I'm not sure you could get away with out using the busses. It's beyond me why you wouldn't want to use the buses...theyre on time 99.9% of the time...they run back and forth from the parks to resorts frequently.

As for a hotel near Epcot...Board Walk, or the Yacht or Beach Club. there are also the Swana and Dolphin but those aren't Disney owned. You can walk to Epcot from all of those hotels and the price range is the same as the Polly. The Polly is close to Magic Kingdom not Epcot.

If you want something cheaper than those resorts try one of the moderates...which in my opinion have the best theming. My favorites are both Port Orleans resorts. Port Orleans French Quarter tends to be the quietes, most laid back and kid free rsort in the moderate range. You would have to take the buses but trust me the buses run just fine and get you everywhere you need to go.

PLUS, there are boats that take you from both Port Orleans resorts to Downtown Disney. It's really convenient and an overall relaxing boat ride!

 

[epcotwsmd4me]

Interesting.

I've only heard that the buses are a pain due to closing time at the parks it can get a little crowded.

Overcrowded some say.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Erika]

Personally I have never had a problem with the busses. They CAN get crowded but it doesn't bother me-- the rides are short and it beats driving. I deal with enough traffic at home, thank you very much!

I stayed at Dixie Landings twice, which is now the Riverside half of Port Orleans. I loved it. I have also stayed at All Star Sports and Caribbean Beach (loved both of them, too). I would never stay off property again. Lucky for me, my husband feels the same way!

Try it, and if you don't feel it was worth it, go back off property next time. But I'm willing to bet you'll be back

 

[2much2do]

Here is something nobody mentioned, that would make a big difference to me. You mentioned that you buy annual passports. Did you know that annual passport holders get amazing discounts on Disney resorts????? Check out www.mousesavers.com for some examples of the deals you can get. Typically, it is 40% off the rates, and this is not just during value season. For instance, I am staying at All-Star Movies for $54 a night. Since we will be using only Disney transport while we are there (it is extremely effective, and since we are not going during the busy summer, it should not really be crowded) we would not need to rent a car. We do not usually go anywhere other than Disney when we go. I guess you might want to rent a car if you do a lot of things off site during your trip, but the $15 more a night would still be worth it to me. The Disney resorts are MAGIC!! Oh, BTW the room we got at All-Stars has a king size bed.

 

[Dawn S]

I have done it both ways..about 4 times on property, at least 15 times & all the other times, as a local resident.

On-site resorts do have the Disney feel to them, but in all honesty, it's where you sleep! If you're going FOR the hotel, stay on-site. Personally, I get about the same deal you described (there are 4 area hotels I stay in regularly) & I am content. I don't care what the pool is shaped like, whose picture is in the lobby, whose voice is on the other end of a 2 second wake up call or if the hotel restaurant has dancing characters or not. Maybe I sound negative or something, but I just hate the thought of spending hundreds of dollars for a glorified hotel room. The atmosphere is not worth sacrificing better meals, more souvenirs, a longer stay, etc.

Not to mention, most people who stay on-site never leave WDW & those people are missing out on more than they can even imagine! The Orlando area has SO much to offer & holing up on-site can really rob you of a lot of surprising treats. If you have limitless money & can still go whole hog in other aspects, then by all means, stay on site. Personally, I've always been happier leaving to head home from my $40 hotel room with a car load of goodies & a week's worth or more of memories, than leaving my $200 "resort" empty handed after 2-3 days.

It's really all a matter of what you consider most important to you & what you will enjoy more. The on-site resorts are not at all bad, but they're also not at all necessary.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Since you are going to be there for 2 weeks I think that you should try to split up your stay. Since the Disney resorts are more expensive, you will have to spend a lot more money of lodging. I say do a week at a Moderate, and then do a week at a deluxe so you can save some money. We are doing that for our 9 day trip in August.

 

[zenatoad]

I think it all depends on what you're looking for on your vacation.

For us (my husband & I --NO kids yet) we love staying on the property and would probably never stay off. It' s a really big deal for us to be totally immursed into the "MAGIC." We also totally enjoy NOT having to drive while on vacation. As far as Disney transportation - sounds like it all depends on 2 things - your personality (if you're a patient person or not) and what time of year you go. On our last visit in October we had absolutely NO problems with the buses. I'll let you know in a few weeks what it's like in May. We leave in just 7 days 10 hours for a full week. :sohappy:
It's just amazing to wake up at Disney -- even at 31years old. It's also pretty cool to check out different resorts for your stay.

That's my 2 cents - hope it helps.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I've only heard that the buses are a pain due to closing time at the parks it can get a little crowded.

SHHHHH don't tell anyone.

Don't
DO NOT
rush to the gates at closing time.

Grab that last Mickey head bar of the day, or cookies from the Main Street Bakery if you're in MK. Find a place to sit. Enjoy your snack and people watch.

Wander into a shop or two (all the while heading generally in the direction of the gate)

Let all the Type A's get out of your way.

Then, and only then, head for the bus/monorail/boat.

The transportation runs for at least an hour after park closing, and believe me, they will not shut the place down with you trapped in it.

There is absolutely no reason to make the mad dash to the gate. Let those who are travelling with cranky toddlers do that.

(and you can't tell me that the bus stops are ANY worse than the ferry/tram to the parking lots)

 

[Debbie]

I have stayed off site as much as I have stayed on site. The only difference was when I would stay off site ( always at the Travelodge Golden Triangle), I didn't have kids. For now, it is too convenient to jump on the monorail or boat and get to my room when we have had enough. I still wouldn't mind staying off property if we went in the off season. but if it is dead heat of summer, I don't care to take a bus to the TTC then get in my hot as heck van and drive 20 or 30 minutes to our hotel.
And if I can add this, Disney hotels are a pleasant experience. I hope to try each and every one eventually.

 

[epcotwsmd4me]

Excellent to know.

Psssst...

I agree. Don't do the mad dash out of Epcot at closing time either. Sit and look at the water. Absolutely wonderful to watch the people as they make that mad dash out of the park.

My wife and I have been there in July for our honeymoon ('00) and our 1st anniversary ('01).

I guess I just don't understand why I'd want to break up my stay when I can stay at one hotel the entire time. Is the experience of the more expensive resorts worth only 2-3 days? I've seen a lot of people talking about it. Must be.

BTW, Hotels are nice, but we've done almost every restaurant in Epcot and MGM Studios in the 4 weeks we've been there. And without much effort either.

Our favorite is the Bistro de France (especially when my wife noticed that Montel Williams was standing less than a foot away from her with a bandana on his head and trying to look inconspicuous). The parade is spectacular from up there.

Thanks for all of the great pointers.

Actually, it looks like the hotel is currently offering $37/night this summer. Pretty good deals...

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

From a UK perspective Ive had two issues.
As we had always gone as an extnded family it made sense to rent home via Virgin holidays, they were always well equiped, clean and conveniant to the parks. They would allocate a property when you arrived in Orlando UNTIL one year we ended staying a good 50mins drive away, worse at peak times. That was it for me, I started looking at costs and when you added tickets etc into the equation the difference between a hotel and a moderate resort was minimal. So we tried on site and were hooked. The buses the time saved travelling the having a break mid day all added to the experience. Yes it is just a place to sleep and the rooms are nothing earth shattering, but as many have said its the small things that make the diffrence.
I have just been given my price for a fly drive for next year, in a planned 3 week stay if I only take the car for the 1st week (i can do non disney things) it saves me nearly £800. And apart from trips to US IOA and the odd meal we never feel the urge to do much else after all WDW is the reason weve travelled for thousands of miles.

is it REALLY worth it? As I walked around the DL/Riverside i just look at my surroundings for my answer.

 

[TacoExistential]

Hello Everyone.

I may be the only one, but I kind of like the AllStar Resorts.

 

[bvolguards]

staying on property is definitly worth the money........it really completes the experience......and im with u taco kid i like the all stars too

 

[njchris65]

A 2 week stay for me would be too pricey. I'd have to go with the $39 for a period like that.

For a week or less I'll stay on site. I stayed off-site for about 6-7 years in a row. It was still fun, and I wouldn't say it was ever a bad trip. I *always* had a great time. Then I tried on-site and I didn't want to go back.

Staying on site just made it more fun for me.

I do go to other parks / attractions besides Disney ones, and staying on-site doesn't mean I can't. I *always* get a car, btw, so the busses and transportation are never an issue for me.

-Chris

 

[Dr Albert Falls]

Even IF the buses are a bit "overcrowded" and you have to wait for a second or third one, keep in mind...

** Even the closest of off-property hotel is at LEAST a 10 minute drive from any park. (Disney is a HUGE property to get off of. AK and MGM are fairly easy distances. Epcot, moderately so. But the Magic Kingdom is FAR from the nearest exit!) And don't forget about all the stop lights and lines of traffic once you enter the "real world". Throw in I-4 and US 192 construction traffic, and you're talking about a 20-30 minute drive EACH WAY!

** Unless you're extremely lucky, you can't just park your car in front of the main gate. You've got to WALK from your car to the tram stop...and then WAIT for a tram. (At the Magic Kingdom, you must then WALK to either the Monorail or Ferry station, and then WAIT for another vehicle to take you to the front entrance) You'll reverse that procedure when leave.

** At closing, you'll have just as long of a wait for a PARKING LOT TRAM as you will for a resort bus, monorail, or boat.

** Also at closing, the streets of the "outside world" are JAMMED.

** You must pay $8.00 for theme park parking.

** Gasoline is approximately 50 cents more expensive near the theme parks than it is in the rest of Central Florida (they know tourists will pay it!)

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by TacoKid
Hello Everyone.

I may be the only one, but I kind of like the AllStar Resorts.

The All Stars are just fine but he clearly stated he would like a hotel that's not loaded with ankle biters.

Once you go moderate or Deluxe you will never go back!!