Offsite after Onsite?

[Jrn14]

So my adult family parents/siblings/aunts etc.. are jonesing to go back to WDW as am I. I used to travel to the world frequently I was a former employee and for a while I was able to go seasonal and still reap the benefits… i.e. free park admission, tickets, discounted dining plan, 50% off hotels, etc… so my previous trips and my last trip with my family in 2011 were pretty amazing… 7 days at OKW, 4 days of parks, QSR dining plan for a very amazing price. We planned to go back in 2012, but it just wasn't in the cards… (too expensive), but it tore me apart not to go, so we set our sights on this year and our desired time of February 2014 is fast approaching and guess what… I'm poor again! However, I'm pretty sure everyone still really wants to go and I'm probably going to throw caution and my credit score to the wind and just go… The main reason I want to go as my parents are getting older and they really want to go and I don't know how long they will have the energy to keep doing WDW like we have in the past. The dilemma is… although the deals for February are rather good it's still quite a price tag and like I said earlier I'm attempting to crush some debt and I feel like I shouldn't be ignoring the option to stay offsite. However, as always staying on property and using busses and meal plan is something I'm used to will the stress and the lack of perks to staying offsite outweigh the financial gain? I mean I want to enjoy myself and one of the things I've loved about my previous vacations is how with the dining plan everything seems so easy and inclusive.. …and the less stress the better. Is it worth staying onsite in say an All Star Resort if you can actually get a condo off property for cheaper? Last time we stayed a 2 bedroom suite at OKW… we will NOT being doing that this year… the most I can justify is like a moderate or a cabin…

Has anyone every stayed offsite after mostly staying onsite? How did it feel? I feel like the difference could be as large as $300+ per person… but since we are spending a considerable amount of money already should we just go for maximum enjoyment?

 

[real mad hatter]

Well for what it's worth, our first two vacations were one week on site,the second week off site..Both times when we were leaving the bubble, we kinda felt sad...On our third trip, we decided to stay the 14 days inside the bubble..Now we wouldn't change that...We've done Uni...IOA...Seaworld..Shopping Malls..We love Orlando.But were crazy on WDW...

 

[minniemickeyfan]

For us I think the enjoyment is just being at the parks itself everyday. I have stayed offsite after onsite trips and although its a little different, I think it's just as fun. If you don't have anyone in your party that would need to go back to the room for a mid day break or nap, I wouldn't hesitate to stay offsite if its going to save you many $$. Right now we stay onsite with a one year old-the extra $ are worth it to be close. Wish u luck in your planning!

 

[luv]

I stayed in the bubble over and over again. I was afraid of getting lost, having terrible traffic, etc. You hear ridiculous stories, lol.

I finally went offsite and it was like a dream come true. I had so much more space. Sooo relaxing!

You can get a 4 bedroom townhouse (or even bigger regular house) with two mater suites and a couple extra bedrooms that share a bath, a kitchen, dining area, living room and private balcony or patio, be near a nice pool and maybe even a food court...for less than the cost of a Disney moderate.

It's just so much nicer and sooo much cheaper. Sometimes, they even throw in a rental car!

Search condos and vacation homes. Do a little homework on them. Talk to your parents.

Leaving the bubble may be the best thing you ever did.

 

[rsoxguy]

I stayed offsite this past Summer for a few days after having stayed exclusively at Disney Resort hotels for the past decade or so. Please believe me when I tell you that the price differential atones for the so-called lack of magic. We picked a nice, clean place with a slightly larger room, free breakfast, adequate amenities, and located just five minutes away from WDW. We payed considerably less than any similar room at Disney within the Moderate Resorts range. I felt plenty of magic within the parks as I spent the money saved on accommodations.

 

[MerMom1981]

I'm no WDW veteran, but for my money, the "perks" of staying onsite are not equal to the cost. Unless you're dropping the $$ on a monorail resort or one of the deluxe Epcot/DHS resorts, you've still got a journey ahead of you when you head to the parks. The term "onsite" suggests a level of convenience and accessability but it doesn't really deliver. WDW is the size of San Francisco. Just because you're within city limits doesn't mean you're particularity close to anything. Sure, they've got the buses, but 45 minutes to get anywhere does not qualify as convenient in my book.
I'd Stay off site, drive the extra three minutes and save enough money to wipe my tears. At least that's my plan for next trip

Don't get me wrong, I love Disney! The magic of the parks is like nothing else. I just expect more hotel for my money

 

[Disney Shib]

I prefer to stay offsite when we are with a larger group. It's a lot more accomodating and everyone has their space. We rent a 6 bedroom villa in Davenport which is about 10-15 minutes from WDW. The place sleeps 14 comfortable. It has a large kitchen, 4 bathrooms, private pool and hot tub and is located in a gated community. We pay $1120 for the week and have to throw down a $300 secuity deposit which we've gotten back within a week after we leave Orlando with no problems each time we've stayed. We save a lot of money making breakfast at the house in the morning alone however the close proximity to WDW makes it easy commute back and forth throughout the day. The other perk is that the house has a great game room with a pool table, dart board and bar. It's a great way to unwind and have a couple drinks after the park close.

 

[LucyK]

I must be one those sad brainwashed Disney types because I can't see myself staying offsite for the whole time, I need my Disney hotel fix

We left POFQ after 12 days to stay at a Holiday Inn near Universal for 10 days this past February. I hated. On our check day I was a grumpy, sad girl. It took me over a day to get used to not being at Disney anymore and to enjoy the rest of our vacation. We even sneaked in another MK day and it was not the same as getting there from a WDW hotel.

If there's any way you can do the other way around, offsite first then onsite, do it. I'm sure if I had done this I wouldn't be so upset upon leaving. Next November we're doing exactly that, we're staying at Royal Pacific for the first 11 days then moving on to POFQ for the next 13.