Is Staying on Property Worth It?

villianess

villianess

New Member
OK - so I'll admit it! We've never stayed "on property." I've only been to WDW ONCE (DL 3 times), and we stayed off-property at the same hotel as some friends of ours that met us in Orlando. It was very inexpensive at around $38/night - and it was fine. But, whenever we'd be riding them monorail back to our cars at the end of the day, we'd say how awesome it would be to stay in the Contemporary or one of the Disney hotels.
So, planning a trip in September, I'm considering staying on property...but the PRICE! I look at $38/night compared to $150+++/night - and I'm having a really hard time justifying it. Especially when we don't spend much time in the hotel! (My husband likes to get to the parks when they open and stay until they close).
I'd like some adivce. Is it worth the extra $$$???
 
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KHockett

KHockett

New Member
I know that many people on the boards like to rent a car (we have never had transportation troubles - we don't have kids though so standing in a crowded bus isn't a problem but I could see how it would be), but my husband and I also spend a lot of time at the parks etc, and we have just used Disney's transportation. Two things to consider if you go this route: one - Magical express is free to your hotel and saves the cost of transportation from the airport and I checked how much renting a car would be for the length of our trip (6 days) and it is at least $220 that we won't spend because we are using their transportation. If you stay at a Value resort and don't rent a car, I am not sure if it really is that much more expensive. Just my observations from my experience. :)
 
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Teenchy

Teenchy

Member
CAPTAIN HOOK said:
There's always one - and I'm afraid its me this time.


Staying onsite IS magical and very convenient - but there is a cheaper alternative.
Click to expand...

You can always find cheaper. Why not stay home and go to your closest Six Flags or other Amusement Park. Why not wait for the local Carnival rides to come to town, etc.

But its what you said first that counts, Staying on property is MAGICAL. To me thats worth the extra $$. I would only suggest staying off property if it meant the only way you could afford to visit WDW. But if its a matter of adjusting your budget to fit the $$ in. Make the budget adjustment, then tell us when you get back what you think.
 
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Q

queenie0888

New Member
I vote yes

We have stayed both on and off site. I usually end up booking a Disney hotel because after checking into rates at off site hotels and adding in the expense of parking and gas I can generally get a better deal or about the same price to stay on site. One of the things I love about staying on site are the Disney buses. Often times my daughter and I like to stay later or head back to a park for fireworks, my husband and son like to go back to the hotel and swim and hang out after they have had enough of the 'magic'. When we are off site we all have to come and go together. With all that being said of the only way I could go to Disney was to stay off site then I would in a heartbeat!!!!!!


4 days and counting till check in at POP Century:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:
 
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Dubman

Dubman

Well-Known Member
Is it worth it??? Well, as Crush would say... "Chaaww" You will not regret staying on property.. Last weekend (3/10-3/14) my wife and I went to WDW.. Since we had just gone in the middle of February, we decided to make it a cheap trip. Made reservations at the Red Roof Inn in Kissimmee(40.00/night).. Read up on it, they had some decent reviews, renovated in 2003, and the price was inexpensive.. Well, you get what you pay for!! Never left a hotel so quickly!! Headed over to Pop Century praying they had rooms.. NOT.. The cast member working, I think his name was Adam, was very helpful, but no rooms available except smoking, and my wife is 5 months pregnant, so that wasn't an option.. Ended up staying at Savona Suites on Palm parkway, and it was a very comfortable place, but nothing compares to Disney.. BTW, we ended up paying 119.00/night.. If we had bit the bullet and made reservations at Pop, it would have been 99.00/night.. Don't make the same mistake I did.. STAY ON PROPERTY IF POSSIBLE.. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! :D Above all, do what is comfortable for you, and have a great time!!
 
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Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
First few trips we stayed at value resorts on-site. They're great! Our last trip I splurged and booked DAKL... WOW! Just listing the benefits wouldn't do the difference justice. The whole experience was incredible.

If cost is an issue, do what works for you, but if you can swing it, go for the best you can! The deluxe resorts have value-added benefits that make them that much more worth it. We really enjoyed DAKL and I'm seriously considering Concierge at Contemporary next trip. Even if we don't go with Concierge, the Contemporary tower with an MK view is likely to be the plan.

It's like any other travel, you can travel on a budget and still have a good experience, but the more you are prepared to spend, the better the experience can be. I've stayed in flea-bag motels on the outskirts of towns and I've stayed in the Presidential Suite in five-star hotels, you get what you pay for. At Disney, the lower-end prices still come with such a heaping helping of "Disney" built in, it's very much worthwhile, IMHO
 
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rileyspaw

rileyspaw

New Member
Staying On Property

:sohappy: We go to WDW strictly for the DISNEY experience. We do everything DISNEY on our vacations there so we always stay on property. Once our son got sick on vacation and a CM at the All Star Sports arranged him transportation to a clinic to get checked out and for medicine.

MAGICAL EXPRESS is the best. No worries with our bags. The WDW buses take us everywhere we need to go. When I see cars in those long lines of traffic I just smile to myself. Buses leave you off closer to park gates.

These are just a few of the advantages to staying on property.
 
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tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
We stayed off site with Alex's parents once in the Marriott and we will never do it again. We are huge fans of the deluxes, but even if it's a value it's better than staying off site. good luck, have a great trip & go with disney!!!!!!

tracy & alex

p.s. alex says that he does miss the tram rides sometimes:hammer:
 
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George

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
I used to live right next to Disney and now I live in the midwest. My last Disney trip was the best ever bedause I finally got to stay at a Disney resort. Besides, the many practical advantages many have already listed, it makes your experience completely immersive.
 
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tiggerguy2000

tiggerguy2000

Member
I have stayed off-site just one time at the embassy suites and it's the best for off-site but im hooked on WDW resorts.The money is so worth having the parks in a eye view of your resort.
 
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mousermerf

mousermerf

Account Suspended
Even at the Value resorts, wandering to the Food Court and being able to buy a mickey-shaped rice krispy treat or mickey premium ice cream bar is a nice feeling.

On the high end, i've been to some of the nicer resorts around Orlando, some that cost more than WDW resorts for standard rooms, and every time I felt the place was lacking in some major ways. Horrible service (45mins to get my car from Valet is ridiculous!) and paper thin walls at a high end place, beat-up room, fading paint, and that lovely smoking-converted-to-non-smoking smell at a moderately priced place come to mind.

With the exception of the Grand Floridian (which i can conceed may of just been a bad series of events - though i'll never return there) I've always felt a WDW resort was worth the money.
 
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Woody13

Woody13

New Member
My wife and I have been regular visitors to WDW for over 30 years. We normally visit about 3 times per year and we have stayed at most of the different resorts both on and off site.

The real difference is that WDW resorts (including the DVC) are small and expensive compared to comparable off site resorts. The rooms, amenities and price offered off site are far superior to anything WDW has to offer.

We drive to WDW so if we decide to stay off site, we know all the back roads and the best routes to take. We also know how to use the off site shuttles and the WDW transportation system to our best advantage.

My advice is, keep your options open and shop for your lodging by price. You can rent DVC points for peanuts sometimes, you can get major discounts on WDW resorts and/or the Swan and Dolphin, you can find good deals on vacation houses and condos for rent. You just have to look around for the best deals.

The main factor is the time of year you visit WDW. If you go during the heavy visitation periods, then your chances of getting a deal are reduced. We prefer to visit WDW during the "off season" periods when lodging discounts abound. Heck, we've stayed in the DTD Hilton for as little as $40.00 per night. The Hilton is far better than anything offered by WDW.

So, just keep your options open. We're planning an upcoming trip and we haven't yet decided where we are going to stay as of yet. We have a current bid pending on some distressed DVC points and we're looking at condo rental at Orange Lake. Or we might go to AKL again if the price is right. Visiting WDW in the off season is the key to discount lodging.

Edit: I just found a great deal on the Bonnet Creek resort so we're going to book it! :wave:
 
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Rcoaster809

Rcoaster809

Member
If you can afford it, stay on property. The Disney experience is with you the entire time. We have been to WDW 3 times staying at least a week each time, and we live in PA. The first 3 times we drove down and stayed off property, it was cheaper, and we had no complaints. On our 4th trip, we stayed on property and loved, and have done it ever since then. Now, we also fly down, so the transportation saves money because we do not rent a car. To be honest, we also had APs, so we got nice discounts. So, again, if you can afford it, stay on property, it is worth it!
 
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bgraham34

bgraham34

Well-Known Member
For me it is, I like not having to drive anywhere for several days. Sitting in traffic everyday stinks and having someone drive me around to have fun is a blessing.
 
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swimmom

swimmom

Well-Known Member
bgraham34 said:
For me it is, I like not having to drive anywhere for several days. Sitting in traffic everyday stinks and having someone drive me around to have fun is a blessing.
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Ditto! That is part of the fun for me. I love letting Disney do all the driving while I am there.

We have stayed both on & off site and staying at a WDW resort is so much more fun.
 
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