Is Staying on Property Worth The $$?

[lisamonster85]

I went to Disney last summer (end of July - August) and stayed at an OK hotel, but am trying to plan to go back for my honeymoon in October and am trying to see if it is worth it. Do I stay at a value or a nice offsite hotel? Is the dining plan worth it too?

We were going to go on a cruise or an all-inclusive, but I think the cost of the passport is too costly and time consuming. What are your thoughts?

 

[paul436]

As for staying property, Im a fan of disney resorts. That said, my family is staying off prop next trip. For a family of 5, I no longer see the value at the current prices. Staying on prop, we'd need 2 rooms. Off prop, for the same price as ONE room, I can get us a vacation HOUSE and have plenty of space.

I always stay on property but have a family of 5 also and know what you mean about the price to accomodate a larger group. So far, I have been able to plan around discounts that are still allowing me to stay on property at the value resorts. But I would love to stay at a deluxe but can't yet afford that for a family of 5.

 

[joannecasey]

We always stay offsite in a 4 bedroom home. Two living rooms, full kitchen, 3 bathrooms, private gated pool. It is beautiful !! For us, we just love having our own private area to come back to for an afternoon swim, etc ... plus with having 2 kids a full kitchen and laundry right there is awesome !

The house we stay at is in a beautiful gated community at Emerald Island Resort and we pay $80 a night !!! It's incredible. Also, it's only 6 minutes from Magic Kingdom even with traffic and it never takes us long to get to our car from the park as we usually go at a slower time of year.

We have also stayed at a Value Resort and for our family, the rental house works best. But for many others, staying onsite is what's best.

On site or off site ... you're going to love it !!!!!!!!!!

Happy Planning

 

[R W B]

My GF and I are going in mid May and we could get a value resort for under $90 a night with the special they have right now but we are opting to stay off site at a cheaper hotel for right under $30 a night. For us it will work out fine and save us money which means a longer trip because all we ever do is just shower and sleep in the hotel room anyway. I dont mind driving back and forth and i'm use to rush hour traffic so i'm ok with that too. I will admit having Disney transportation on hand is always a good thing and made things easy though.

Now with that said and it being your honeymoon, I would stay on property even if its at a Value. Since your going in Oct which means kids are in school so it shouldnt be that bad.

Good luck with your choice and hope you have a good time either way!

Let me put it this way - We could stay at Sheraton Vistana down the street from DTD for free, and instead I'm dishing out $8K to stay on property.

I wouldn't do a Disney vacation without staying on property.

I read on another thread about when and how long your trip will be and then saw where your staying in your sig and I was like , yea thats gonna be a pretty little penny, lol. Cant wait til I'm out of school.

 

[WDWFigment]

If you’re looking into the dining plan, I’m thinking maybe money isn’t as big of a constraint as others are making of it. I would also look into renting DVC points, and if money is an issue, maybe not using the dining plan. Instead, do a few nice meals rather than one daily.

 

[invt24]

Definately on site

I can't imagine going to WDW without staying on the property. We have been going every Christmas for the last 10 years.
It is a truly magical experience.

 

[John]

I had a client just come to me with a quote of 2,200 for five days off proprty from another TA. That included renting a car ect. I dont know if the other TA was padding it with some extra for themselves or not but I ran the numbers for staying on property for the same lenth of time with dining plan and air included.
1,900.82 for PC and 2,326.06 for FQ.

To me its a no brainer. Food included, Disney experiance, Transportation, a hassle free honeymoon. As far as the dining plan is concerned, its your honeymoon its supposed to be special. If it was me and money isnt a concern I would go for the DDP. You could really plan some nice dining experiances....but thats just me.

I also think that you should absolutely get a TA to help you with this(no I am not advertiseing) Let them do the leg work, help you plan your honeymoon. A good one can give you the info you need to make the right descision for you and your new hubby.

 

[love disney]

I went to Disney last summer (end of July - August) and stayed at an OK hotel, but am trying to plan to go back for my honeymoon in October and am trying to see if it is worth it. Do I stay at a value or a nice offsite hotel? Is the dining plan worth it too?

We were going to go on a cruise or an all-inclusive, but I think the cost of the passport is too costly and time consuming. What are your thoughts?

I will be down there for part of my honeymoon this fall (second part is a cruise!!!). We plan on staying one night at Wilderness Lodge because we love it there, then move to Pop Century (which we also love) for the rest of our stay. October should be pretty slow for you, and having stayed at Pop in October the past two years, we never had a problem with crowds, noisy kids, and there really is no long walking from lobby to room there in my opinion.

I recently did a trip to WDW with my brother and his family where we stayed off property, so having experience both I strongly suggest staying ON property! Granted the theme-ing of a value isn't the most romantic, but romance is what you make of it. The extra perks (buses or free parking at parks, extra magic hours, etc.), and being immersed in Disney definitely make it worth staying on property in my opinion.

As for the dining plan, it really depends on how you eat. My fiance and I never do it as we are relatively light eaters and it costs more than we spend paying out of pocket.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I went to Disney last summer (end of July - August) and stayed at an OK hotel, but am trying to plan to go back for my honeymoon in October and am trying to see if it is worth it. Do I stay at a value or a nice offsite hotel? Is the dining plan worth it too?

We were going to go on a cruise or an all-inclusive, but I think the cost of the passport is too costly and time consuming. What are your thoughts?

The cost of a passport per adult would be $135 each plus the cost of shipping. So I would go with staying on property. I would suggest a moderate resort since staying at a Value for your honeymoon really does not sound very romantic. I would suggest Port Orleans French quarter since it is a beautiful and romantic hotel without breaking the bank. I actually booked a huge wedding party there last year and they all loved it!

And yes I would suggest the basic dining plan since it will save you at least 20% if you were to purchase the same amount of food separately.

Also you can take advantage by staying on property of magical express where if you stay off property you would either have to use that hotels shuttle service which means you are tied to their schedule or rent a car which is an added expense. And if you stay off property you cannot take advantage of EMH and you cannot purchase the dining plan.

Too many perks to staying on property not to. I personally would never stay off property.

Also keep in mind that chances are very good that a nice discounted package will be released for your dates to save you money.

I would go with on property. Less hassle and more perks and a good chance of getting a nice discounted offer.

Pam

 

[SpoonOfSugar]

Is Saying on site worth it? YES
Is a Value the place for a honeymoon? NO

The values are very loud. Lots of kids running around at all hours of the night, no pool is really "quiet". And a lot of tour groups/ large school groups stay at the values. Last trip we got a lovely cheerleading group staying the floor below us. Thank goodness it was our last night or else we would have asked for another room.

The values are great for people with kids but I wouldn't stay there as a "couple". Actually, My two older DD's (19 and 14) Have asked to say at Port Orleans because they want to "relax" by the pool and not have loud whinny kids around them.

 

[KaliSplash]

I'd definitely stay on-site. I'd also go for the dining plan, too. Disney pricing for food is clearly geared around the dining plan, so it's better to be in the plan than have to pay plan-oriented prices without the plan.

Wilderness Lodge would be a very nice location if you don't want to spring for a monorail hotel. But as Pam pointed out, the French Quarter is a moderate with a very nice atmosphere.

Go for it!

 

[NadieMasK2]

Like others have said, values are not for honeymooners. I would recommend Port Orleans for just slightly higher rates (rates are good in October). MUCH more romantic and appropriate for a honeymoon. If that is not an option then I would choose a nice hotel off-site or on Hotel Plaza Blvd. IMO values are only good for families with small children who only need enough room to sleep and don't mind the noise and lack of amenities.

 

[Disney Dawg88]

I went to Disney last summer (end of July - August) and stayed at an OK hotel, but am trying to plan to go back for my honeymoon in October and am trying to see if it is worth it. Do I stay at a value or a nice offsite hotel? Is the dining plan worth it too?

We were going to go on a cruise or an all-inclusive, but I think the cost of the passport is too costly and time consuming. What are your thoughts?

Lisa - first congrats to you and your fiance'!!! I'll start by saying that I'm probably one of the few on here, I'm not anti-Disney resorts, I just choose to stay in nicer places and save money. That being said:

1. Are you planning on renting a car or will you have a car? If no then staying on property would probably be best so you can use Disney transportation.
2. I work in Orlando once per month and always stay near Disney. I've pretty much stayed in every hotel near Downtown Disney and around the corner on Palm Parkway. Since you will be going in October, the hotel prices are pretty cheap. I can definitely recommend some to you just PM me, but I have my regulars that I stay at all the time. Personally I would rather pay $79 - $99 a night (in October) to stay a nice, new upgraded hotel (won't name names as I'm not sure if it's allowed) versus paying $149+++ to stay at a value resort with cynder block walls and kids running all around. Not the place for a honeymoon couple. To me I'll save $50+ per night and use it towards food and drink, but that is me though.
3. In regards to getting a passport, it's not the hassle or as expensive as you think it is, I could be wrong as I got mine about six years ago. You probably want to go ahead and get one anyway as hopefully you guys will travel outside the US one day. Better to get it over with as I believe it lasts for 7-11 years.

 

[Disneykidder]

We are huge fans of staying on site. We love the conveinience of being able to hop back to the hotel and swim, change or relax. Dinner reservations are also a hop away and the theming of each resort is nice. Plus you get EMH when staying on property, which is a nice plus. Then there's not having to rent a car, which can also be nice.

With that said, i'd choose at least a moderate (POR mansions are beautiful) if it's your honeymoon. Values would be overly crowded and would have lots of kids and i'm sure that on your honeymoon you wouldn't want that. A monorail resort (deluxe resorts) would really be ideal for a honeymoon, with even more conveinience and beautiful surroundings.

As for the dining plan, first think about how you eat and go from there to decide if it would be right for you. There are a few different options to choose from but as already mentioned, you can only get the plan when staying on property. The plan is beneficial for my family but not always couples. Crunch the numbers to see if it would work for you. Another benefit of getting the ddp is that it would be paid for in advance.

Check the Disney web site for the time of year you are planning on going to see if there are any dels for that time. There really are great deals for most of the year.

Good luck and let us know your decision. :wave:

 

[thewhitequeen]

No way would I stay in a value for a honemoon. POFQ would be a very nice option though.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Let me put it this way - We could stay at Sheraton Vistana down the street from DTD for free, and instead I'm dishing out $8K to stay on property.

I wouldn't do a Disney vacation without staying on property.

I agree totally. The EMMs and EMEs + the transportation make staying onsite my choice. As far as the dining plan you have to decide if you want to tour restaurants. If you are interested in seeing the different themes would say get the Deluxe dining plan. When you make your reservations let them know you will be celebrating your honeymoon...most places will do something special for you!

 

[MaryJaneP]

I join the "On-Site'' crowd. We honeymooned in Contemporary (North wing, before it was demolished for BLT) and it was awesome. Great perks as mentioned before, great location (walk to MK), Monorail to Epcot, Buses to everywhere else. If you can swing it, a honeymoon dinner in California Grill just before the fireworks (watch from restaurant deck) is a highlight you will never forget. We recently re-lived and celebrated with a champagne toast on our anniversary this past May while we were staying On-Site.

We have stayed off-site also (Embassy near DTD and timeshare in Kissimee) and while they were cheaper, it just didn't feel like a Disney vacation. It might as well have been a trip to the beach.

We never did the DDP so can't comment there.

Best wishes on whatever you decide.

 

[lbrad]

DH & I stayed at POFQ for our 20th wedding anniversary (November 2008).
We had a fabulous time!!!! Very romantic
Dinner at Narccoossee's and Cali Grill during the MK fireworks...both were awesome.
We did NOT do the dining plan....better for us to pay out of pocket.
Congratulations & have a beautiful trip :sohappy:

 

[OGMickey]

Stay on Prop, its your honemoon. You have to go all out. I stayed at the Coronado Springs for my honeymoon and had the best time of my life! It was cheaper for me to fly to Orlando, take the disney bus to my resort from the airport, and get the dinning plan then it would have for me to stay off prop and rent a car and feed myself. yes u pay more for a room on prop but you dont have to pay for a rent a car.

By the way if u take a cruise that leaves the US and ends in the US you just need a birth cetificate not a passport. i know because my wife doesnt have a passport and we just went on a cruise to the bahamas..

 

[wm49rs]

For your honeymoon, I would stay on property as well. Plenty of time down the road to save money on other trips....

 

[ShadyLady]

Stay at a value (i hear pop century is good) and do the Deluxe dining plan!

If you are considering Disney for your honeymoon, I have to think that your speed of honeymoon is not going to be spending the trip in your room or relaxing.

The amount of nice meals you can eat on the Deluxe will make the experience amazing for you!

Also, if you stay off-site, you have to pay for parking on property each day.