Is it REALLY worth it...

[tmm7899]

Here is my two cents, my family and I have stayed for 2 weeks at a deluxe (the contemporary) and we loved it. We then moved to a hotel closer to Universal for a couple of days. It was like night and day. I highly recomend the Disney resorts. I feel that it is well worth the money for the atmosphere and the convienence.

It all comes down to what you want though, I know that my family will never stay off property. No matter what you pick I am sure it will be fine and remember you are at Disney World!

 

[disneypotter123]

I know what you mean, I am trying to plan my next trip and not spend my life savings.
But I must say the only hotel around disney thats not a disney resort that I absolutley love is the downtown disney hilton.
But they are always booked!
I am so picky when it comes to hotels...and last feb. we stayed at the fort wilderness lodge..the rooms werent all that amazing but everything else was!
and I am eager to try that dining plan Disney resorts just make it more...disney? :animwink:

 

[Grim Grinner]

Every trip before my honeymoon was spent staying off-property. We use a rental car and skip around to wherever we wanted to go. It was ok, but leaving the parking lots was a real nightmare.

My wife on the other hand had only stayed at the Disney Resorts, Caribbean Beach to be exact. When we got married, she insisted we stay there.

The comfort, theming and luxury of a Disney resort is amazing- AS LONG AS YOU GO MODERATE or up. We've taken strolls through the Pop Century and All-Stars, wading knee deep in screaming children. Given the choice, my wife and I would rather miss a trip than spend time there.

The moderates hit that sweet spot where you get quality, but you're not exactly breaking the bank. Our average week-long trip is normally under $2K, which is reasonable considering all the benefits.

The buses are extremely convenient and you can make a lot of 15-minute friends. Sometimes just watching parents and their excited little ones can be a blast. My bus experience has varied by resort when it comes to how often new buses come along, but it has rarely been inconvenient.

Stay on property and you'll be converted-just like I was.

 

[C&D]

Stay 'on property' and the Magic just never ends. Look on the Disney website, for specials, and you can stay for relatively cheap (inexpensive). The Disney Resorts generally hold onto the magic and you never have to be jerked back into reality (until the vacation does finally end). As suggested, do an abbreviated stay just to see if the difference is enough to want to do again, or for longer.

 

[brucie]

I will never stay off propperty again, I have only stayed at one moderate Dixie Landings, and that was when I was young enough to still be paid for. Now I stay at Pop Century, sure there is lots of kids, but the difference between off site and on site is quite profound. And When we stay at Pop we always make sure we dine in the Deluxe Resorts( just to see how the other half lives) I would Love to stay at a Deluxe resort, but it likely wont be in the cards any time soon. Staying in the World makes a huge difference everything is better!!

 

[happymom52003]

Only you can answer that question....and you can't answer it until you try it.
As others have said, split your stay. If you do not want to commit to an on site resort for your entire stay, then stay at your usual hotel for the majority of your trip, and then switch to a Disney Resort for your last few days, just as an experiment to see if you like it.
Then you will know if it is worth it to YOU for next time.

For my family, it is well worth it to stay on property.....we would never do it any other way. We love being right in the middle of the magic, and you just can't beat the themeing of the Disney resorts.
And it is so nice to just hop on the boat after a morning at the MK and be back at our resort, usually within 15 minutes, for our little ones naptime (we stay at the Wilderness Lodge). Then after some rest and maybe a swim, it is back to the boat for an evening at the MK.

That works great for us because we spend alot of time at MK. Sounds like you like to be at Epcot, so you could have the same experience if you stayed at an Epcot area resort (or even the Poly...you can actually walk to the TCC from there to get on the monorail to Epcot).

And we still rent a car, even though we stay on site. We drive to all of the theme parks except for the MK (since we have the boat transportation).

Whether the buses will bother you or not is also personal preference.
For my family, we have found that driving is much less of a hassle....but we have strollers, and we usually can't hang around the park late to let the crowds thin out because we have little ones who need to get to bed.
We have gone with a car and without, and we have found that we can get to and from the parks MUCH faster and comfortably if we drive ourselves (MK being the exception). Again, that is what works best for MY family. Some families prefer the buses over driving themselves....it really comes down to personal preference.

Also, there is budgeting to consider. Two weeks is a long time....and it sounds like you do this twice a year? We would not be able to afford to stay at the WL every night and rent a car if our vacations were that long. We usually go for only 6 or 7 nights. So again, it is hard for others to answer your question, because everyone has a different budget and priorities. If you can afford it, I really think you should try a Disney resort....but I must warn you....it might be REALLY hard to go back to staying off property after you do!

 

[mousefan1972]

Did anyone else notice that this thread was started 6 years ago? :lookaroun

I think it's safe to say the OP has made his or her decision by now. :lol:

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Staying on or off-property depends on ones personal preference. I have not stayed offsite since my first trip to wdw in 1992. Staying at a disney resort just adds onto everything disney brings to you in the parks. Once you get on the DME bus to your resort, the magic begins. It is as if you never see, or think about the real world when staying on property and that is why we love it so much. The resorts are themed amazingly. From the time we get on the DME bus, all the way up until we leave to go home....we are in a magical bubble that just decides to pop when we are back into the real world, because our disney vacation has come to an end. We love it and think it is well worth every penny spent, but you have to experience it for yourself to decide if it is worth it or not.

There are many perks when staying at a disney hotel also.

 

[YankeeMouse]

It's less about the time you spend in the room, for me, and more about the surroundings. Once you see those purple, red, and blue signs that say you're in WDW, there are no ugly billboards, tee-shirt shops, trash on the streets, etc. You are in a place like no other, and that makes the vacation all the more magical.

 

[happymom52003]

Did anyone else notice that this thread was started 6 years ago? :lookaroun

I think it's safe to say the OP has made his or her decision by now. :lol:

:lol: I had not even noticed the date! Well, I just wasted 10 minutes of my day typing up a reply!:brick: It would be interesting to hear from the OP now...I wonder if they ever tried staying on property.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I wonder if his hotel near AK still charges 39 bucks a night. :lookaroun

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I think it really depends on how much you like Disney. For people who visit now and again, and don't have an obsession with it, or who don't have children who are obsessed with it, it doesn't make sense to stay on property. There are plenty of hotels in the area, and time shares, that make more sense to stay at.

For me, who stays off property every time, I am always jealous of those on property. For my honeymoon we're staying at the Poly for the first time ever, and I'm ecstatic. I will like being on the monorail so I can come & go from the parks quickly, watching the fireworks & water show from the beach, eating at all disney places, and being surrounded by 'disney magic' 24 hours a day. But that's me, and I'm obsessed w/Disney. I do not get sick of it, and don't care if I do anything non-disney while in orlando.

If you want to be on property, Pop Century & All Stars are under $100 a night. For next summer I looked for my family and they are $86 a night. So that's not that bad.