My onsite Disney days are coming to an end

[captainkidd]

Not sure what it is, but the past couple of days I've come to the realization that if we are to continue going to Disney, it will be off-site. We've been very lucky in the past with discounts and bounceback offers, but none seem to be coming for next year (though it is still early.)

As a family of 5, our options are limited. And since we have to go in July, when prices are very high, it makes it that much worse.

I'm just having a difficult time justifying to myself spending nearly $7,000 to stay at the Poly, when I could stay offsite for 1/4 of the price. We could do the All Star Suites, but in the summer, those are even $300 per night. Riverside is an option, but the rooms are way too small for a family of 5, and the bus transportation, especially when crowded, absolutely sucks. 2 rooms at a Value Resort in the summer would be over $300 per night. The fact is, Disney simply doesn't offer enough affordable options for larger families.

I was looking online last night, and we could all take a 10 day Carnival Cruise, everything but booze included, for about $3,000. We could spend 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom condo on the water in Aruba for $2,000. When you start seeing things like that, you can't help but ask yourself, is Disney simply getting too expensive?

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I totally agree. Having a wife and kids must suck. I get to go to WDW whenever I want and always get a discount.

Unfortunately, the government doesn't see me as a tax paying human being and I can't get married and have a family.

Suck it up dude! There are worse things in life than not being able to stay on property on your next WDW vacation.

Okay that's really the point of this thread.
:hammer: Seriously, if you can't contribute in a productive manner, move on. This isn't a place to voice your political and/or social issues views (as I suspect you were).

 

[Main Street USA]

Um, yeah.....Because that's what I was trying to say.

Anyways, to everyone else, thanks for the tips. I looked into the Dolphin today and it would shave about $3,000 off the price, and that's for a room with a balcony and a view. They don't seem to care as much about the whole 5th person in a room thing as Disney does, which I STILL say is just a way for Disney either to:

A.Force you into getting 2 rooms.
B.Force you to stay in a Deluxe Resort.
C.Force you into buying DVC.

Well, you don't have to "buy DVC," as you can stay in any of the Villa resorts for cash. It's in the same price range as the regular deluxes, depending on what you get. Better yet, you could rent points from a current DVC member and not be stuck paying the insanely high prices of owning.

I completely agree on your point about being forced out of a normal room, though.

Seriously, if you need room for 5 or more, just figure your point total for that week, then rent some points. There are a ton of people looking to get some of their money back.

 

[MnDisneyFan]

I just checked the prices of Celebration Suites for a 7 night stay in July 20011. It would run about $640.00 total. I chose a pool view room. This hotel has gone through a major renovation since a new owner took over in 2009.

They are on US 192 next to "Old Town" they are very close to Disney World. It take less than 10 min to get there. We have stayed there before , when we came down on vacation a year before we move down to Florida. That was before the new owner took over. They have a number of "snow birds" that stay for like 2 months. I talked to a few last winter and they are very happy with the way the new owner has turned things around.

Please check it out. You can save a lot of money.

 

[Keri]

Also, right next to Old Town, is Tropical Palms Campground. Don't be fooled by the word campground. They have "cottages" which are modulars. They have 2 bedrooms, a loft, a kitchenette, and a sleeper couch. Sleeps 8 comfortably. Then you have your own deck as well. Really nice and VERY afforable! They have a HUGE pool as well, and many other activities. They also have a walking path that leads into Old Town.

Check them out, they have a website.

 

[wm49rs]

Not sure what it is, but the past couple of days I've come to the realization that if we are to continue going to Disney, it will be off-site. We've been very lucky in the past with discounts and bounceback offers, but none seem to be coming for next year (though it is still early.)

As a family of 5, our options are limited. And since we have to go in July, when prices are very high, it makes it that much worse.

I'm just having a difficult time justifying to myself spending nearly $7,000 to stay at the Poly, when I could stay offsite for 1/4 of the price. We could do the All Star Suites, but in the summer, those are even $300 per night. Riverside is an option, but the rooms are way too small for a family of 5, and the bus transportation, especially when crowded, absolutely sucks. 2 rooms at a Value Resort in the summer would be over $300 per night. The fact is, Disney simply doesn't offer enough affordable options for larger families.

I was looking online last night, and we could all take a 10 day Carnival Cruise, everything but booze included, for about $3,000. We could spend 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom condo on the water in Aruba for $2,000. When you start seeing things like that, you can't help but ask yourself, is Disney simply getting too expensive?

As much as we enjoy staying on-site, it doesn't make much financial sense for us to do so, not when we can rent a 3-bedroom condo for $699/week. Granted, we have some advantages others don't: we live within driving distance, so a rental car isn't an option; and we are AP holders, so tickets aren't a concern either. But even with a family of 4 the costs san still add up, which is why if we decide we'd like a stay on-site, we usually do so for a couple of days, or else find a moderate we really like (such as the FW Cabins). Of course it's difficult when we all enjoy the Deluxe resorts so much.

Which is why we may consider DVC at some point down the road....

 

[DME]

Fort Wilderness Cabins

So why don't you stay at the Wilderness Cabins? I have a family of 6 as my parents are staying with us when we go during Christmas and it's got a a bedroom with a bed and a bunk bed and my parents will stay in the living room on the murphy bed? I've never stayed there before but I'm assuming it's a bit more fancy than the all-star resorts considering that we get a kitchen and a deck, barbeque and our own parking spot right there.

Has anyone stayed at the cabins and can confirm this?

 

[dixiegirl]

I know how you feel. I also have a family of 5 and the 5th person adds a great amount of expense to the lodgings. This is true not only of Disney but other vacation spots as well. But it pretty much prices me out of doing a Disney cruise which I so want to do.

As a side note, we did a Disney cruise in 2008, the ship which was the Wonder, absolutly gorgeous, cabins, pretty spacious for a family of four (kids like the bunk bed , while hubby and I had the full bed....Food on the ship Eh it was ok....But the price for just a 5 day was $3,500.......In april...
This past April we tried Carnival new ship (The Dream) Again, gorgeous ship, Cabins very spacious and on this cruise we had a balcony...Kids had their own bunk beds , hubby and I our own bed....Food Fabulous....Needless to say We all had a great time in fact my oldest said she liked it more than Disney Cruise ( don't you love that well also too there were 6 waterslides on the ship...yes 6 two huge ones and 4 smaller)...The price for the 7 day $3,000.....For a balcony , in April......
So unless they had great deals going on ..I agree with you, prices are insane...Even the merchadise...I mean shirts for 30.00?? For a child...Yes I know its Disney but still....

 

[captainkidd]

So why don't you stay at the Wilderness Cabins? I have a family of 6 as my parents are staying with us when we go during Christmas and it's got a a bedroom with a bed and a bunk bed and my parents will stay in the living room on the murphy bed? I've never stayed there before but I'm assuming it's a bit more fancy than the all-star resorts considering that we get a kitchen and a deck, barbeque and our own parking spot right there.

Has anyone stayed at the cabins and can confirm this?

Well, this is when you get into the "you can't have your cake and eat it too" scenario. The cabins would be perfect, except Fort Wilderness Transportation can be a confusing nightmare.

 

[captainkidd]

Well, you don't have to "buy DVC," as you can stay in any of the Villa resorts for cash. It's in the same price range as the regular deluxes, depending on what you get. Better yet, you could rent points from a current DVC member and not be stuck paying the insanely high prices of owning.

I completely agree on your point about being forced out of a normal room, though.

Seriously, if you need room for 5 or more, just figure your point total for that week, then rent some points. There are a ton of people looking to get some of their money back.

It's my own fault. I really shouldn't complain, as our summer vacations have become 2 weeks. It's the only time we all get to go away together. 2 weeks in a 1 bedroom villa cash wise would run over $10K. Renting points, we'd need almost 700.

 

[Fritz_and_Ernst]

I love staying onsite. They have me sucked in. Disney has that foreign market tapped into, especially in the summer. The summer Disney vacation has become a luxary, that is for sure.

 

[dizzney]

It's my own fault. I really shouldn't complain, as our summer vacations have become 2 weeks. It's the only time we all get to go away together. 2 weeks in a 1 bedroom villa cash wise would run over $10K. Renting points, we'd need almost 700.

I dont see how you need 700 points for two weeks in a one bedroom in July, at BWV, a one bedroom for a week in July is 220 points; When our family of five goes by itself (no extra family) we all stay in a one bedroom and I've never had a problem with that. Some resorts have that extra twin pullout chair, others dont. We love the comfort and facilities of our DVC. Look at the resole market, some properties are inexpensive. We paid cash for our initial buy in and each add-on, and have recouped all except our very last purchase of BLT, we're about three years away from that being recouped BUT i have vacations til 2042 at BWV and 2059 at BLT, well worth the investment. And that gives me the ability to buy atnnual passes at the DVC rate and get other discounts. we could not afford to go yearly (or twice a year at times) without DVC.

 

[dizzney]

That is why I tell my wife I do not want more than 2 kids. For one you are outnumbered and two it makes vacations a whole lot more difficult.

@captainkidd Don't worry about staying offsite, just think of the money you can save staying in a vacation home and bring along friends or something to save on the expense and then take another trip at some point during the year with the money you saved if you can.

We didnt plan on 3 kids, my youngest two are twins, but we have always managed to enjoy our vacations wherever they are and it hasnt stopped us at any time. For us a party of Five is quite enjoyable!

 

[captainkidd]

I dont see how you need 700 points for two weeks in a one bedroom in July, at BWV, a one bedroom for a week in July is 220 points; When our family of five goes by itself (no extra family) we all stay in a one bedroom and I've never had a problem with that. Some resorts have that extra twin pullout chair, others dont. We love the comfort and facilities of our DVC. Look at the resole market, some properties are inexpensive. We paid cash for our initial buy in and each add-on, and have recouped all except our very last purchase of BLT, we're about three years away from that being recouped BUT i have vacations til 2042 at BWV and 2059 at BLT, well worth the investment. And that gives me the ability to buy atnnual passes at the DVC rate and get other discounts. we could not afford to go yearly (or twice a year at times) without DVC.

Our dates are July 8-24. The only calculator I have uses 2010 points, but for 2 weeks at the WLV, it was 646 points.

 

[nolatron]

Our dates are July 8-24. The only calculator I have uses 2010 points, but for 2 weeks at the WLV, it was 646 points.

It's actually 629 points based on 2010 rates. But if that's high, stay someplace else. AKL 1 BR suite was only 439 points for 2010.

1 BR 2010 Points

2 BR 2010 Points

 

[captainkidd]

It's actually 629 points. But if that's high, stay someplace else. AKL 1 BR suite is only 439 points.

Don't the "Value" villas at AKL only sleep 4?

 

[nolatron]

Don't the "Value" villas at AKL only sleep 4?

No idea honestly. A Standard 1BR or 2Br villa was 518 or 650 points for comparison.

I just wanted to show there are other lower point options for which DVC to stay at, though they all still go over $3,000 mark depending on the point rental price.

 

[TheJonesys]

You can save money by staying off site in a villa but get to spend it on yourselves in the shops and restaurants at Disney, everyones a winner:ROFLOL:

 

[LeafsFanNL]

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. We stayed off site for our 08 Easter visit. I'll never do it again. We would rather go less often to keep the onsite magic.

HB

 

[dizzney]

Our dates are July 8-24. The only calculator I have uses 2010 points, but for 2 weeks at the WLV, it was 646 points.

Its actually more than two weeks thats why the points are higher since you staying an extra friday and saturday which costs more points than a weeknight stay. BWV would cost you a little over 500 then. OKW would be cheaper.

Our normal stays are 8-9 nights and then sometimes a shorter trip of 5 nights. This past year we stayed 12-31 thru 1-9 shared between a two bedroom at BWV (5 nights Boardwalk view) and a one bedroom at BLT (4 nights MK view) and then we were there again in August for a 5 nights in a boardwalk studio view, our yearly points are 375 and we banked a few for this coming year when we will have a two bedroom in August for 8 nights as well as a studio for the same time frame (stnadard view this time). But we have found DVC to be so flexible. We've even rented some points at times if we had extra we werent using. We definitely prefer to stay onsite and like the deluxe accomodations

 

[ryguy]

Going from Poly to a wilderness cabin is tough. I can see why people like the cabins, but they are narrow and I didn't like the sleeping arrangements. Renting a house is the best option IMO. Check out vbro.com.