On property or off property!?

[Nelly2016]

I'm headed to WDW for the second time with two or three girlfriends. We are super conflicted about staying on or off property!

On one hand, we are university students... we definitely want to keep costs low! If we stay somewhere cheaper, we'll most likely spend more of our money on the dining options that Disney offers in the parks and resorts. The disney transportation (except to and from the airport) doesn't really appeal to me. I've heard it takes quite a while. I think we'd most likely be taking uber everywhere since we don't plan on renting a car. We also plan on visiting Universal Studios.

On the other hand, we are SO excited for the Magicbands and Fastpass stuff. We do want to stay in the Disney bubble the whole time we are there if we can!

If we do stay off property, the hotel we are looking at is the Doubletree. Please let me know your thoughts!

 

[Nelly2016]

We also really love the convenience of an on site hotel. Plus I think it'd be so sad to leave the property to go to our off site hotel!!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Please let me know your thoughts!

On Property -
Total Immersion in Disney 24/7
Free transportation right at your door (some knock it, we rate it)
Ability to charge purchases to your room
Have packages delivered to your Resort reception
Fast Passes booked from 60 days (all in one go)

Off Property -
Cheaper than a Disney Resort of similar rating
Some hotels have free shuttles to the parks - not as frequent as WDW and usually you work to their timetable
Costs involved getting to/from the park - taxi or petrol + parking
Having to leave "the bubble" each evening and carry all your packages with you
Fast Passes booked from 30 days (one day at a time)

 

[Nelly2016]

On Property -
Total Immersion in Disney 24/7
Free transportation right at your door (some knock it, we rate it)
Ability to charge purchases to your room
Have packages delivered to your Resort reception
Fast Passes booked from 60 days (all in one go)

Off Property -
Cheaper than a Disney Resort of similar rating
Some hotels have free shuttles to the parks - not as frequent as WDW and usually you work to their timetable
Costs involved getting to/from the park - taxi or petrol + parking
Having to leave "the bubble" each evening and carry all your packages with you
Fast Passes booked from 30 days (one day at a time)

I love the idea of staying in the disney bubble but saving money to do other things and maybe even stay an extra day or two might be worth it for me!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I love the idea of staying in the disney bubble but saving money to do other things and maybe even stay an extra day or two might be worth it for me!

Just remember to factor into your costings - Taxi journey twice a day for 3 or 4 people - it won't cost as much as a Disney room but I'm sure you could cut back on other things and find a Value Resort deal ??

 

[Dylan Ann]

I've always been a fan of staying on property, both for the convenience and also for the ability to get swept up in the Disney magic. I think the only reason I'd choose to stay offsite was if I was really concerned about money, but I'm the type that scrimps and saves all year and then just completely enjoys my vacations! I tend to stay at the value resorts because they are cheaper and I don't spend a lot of time there anyway, but the moderates can be worth the upgrade.

As far as the transportation to/from the parks, I think it's how you look at it. It may take a bit longer, but it's some of the best people watching you can see! Excited kids (and their parents) who can hardly sit still, entertaining meltdowns - and I've always found the drivers to be very nice. I think when you start Ubering everywhere, your savings might get eaten up pretty quickly. If you're staying onsite, you can take the buses when you're not in a rush (going to the parks in the morning), and then take Uber when it's more convenient (coming back late at night from Disney Springs).

Reading the way you phrased your question, it sounds like you already made up your mind that you'd prefer to stay onsite Need help convincing your friends?

 

[Kate Alan]

It really comes down to how much the "perks" of staying on property mean to you. The breakdown @CAPTAIN HOOK gave is a good one. You also would have the option of utilizing Extra Magic Hours if you were staying on property.

I personally tend to stay on property instead of off-site or with relatives in order to take advantage of EMH, earlier FP selections, etc. I stay at the Pop Century resort - it allows me to pay one of the lowest on-property prices (the All Star resorts tend to run maybe 10-15 bucks cheaper a night, though not always), while also allowing me to utilize all the benefits of staying on-property.

Pop also has a dedicated bus line that it doesn't share with any other resorts (unlike All-Stars), and I have only had one or two instances in the last ten years where I've had to wait excessive amounts to board/get where I'm going (and frankly, in those cases - Uber is still an option)! I also take Uber to Universal for the day.

If you are traveling to and from the parks by Uber to an off-site hotel that will all add up as well, so make sure you consider the overall cost of that. Not to mention that if you don't plan to stay on property, Magical Express to and from the airport is not an option for you - that service is to the Disney hotels only.

 

[Dylan Ann]

The savings you get from Magic Express from the airport is nothing to sneeze at, either!

 

[Nelly2016]

Reading the way you phrased your question, it sounds like you already made up your mind that you'd prefer to stay onsite Need help convincing your friends?

I totally would prefer to stay onsite, and I think I'll regret it if I don't!! But I might need help convincing my bank account! I probably won't come back for a while, and I want to do this trip right. There are three of us, and we'd like to do the trip for no more than $2500 each. That seems like a lot but were from Canada, and we have to pay a third more of whatever USD price we are quoted!

 

[Nelly2016]

It really comes down to how much the "perks" of staying on property mean to you. The breakdown @CAPTAIN HOOK gave is a good one. You also would have the option of utilizing Extra Magic Hours if you were staying on property.

I personally tend to stay on property instead of off-site or with relatives in order to take advantage of EMH, earlier FP selections, etc. I stay at the Pop Century resort - it allows me to pay one of the lowest on-property prices (the All Star resorts tend to run maybe 10-15 bucks cheaper a night, though not always), while also allowing me to utilize all the benefits of staying on-property.

Pop also has a dedicated bus line that it doesn't share with any other resorts (unlike All-Stars), and I have only had one or two instances in the last ten years where I've had to wait excessive amounts to board/get where I'm going (and frankly, in those cases - Uber is still an option)! I also take Uber to Universal for the day.

If you are traveling to and from the parks by Uber to an off-site hotel that will all add up as well, so make sure you consider the overall cost of that. Not to mention that if you don't plan to stay on property, Magical Express to and from the airport is not an option for you - that service is to the Disney hotels only.

You're right. I hadn't thought about the cost of uber! The only reservation we have about staying at a Value is the space. I know the rooms are small and with three adults, it might get a little cramped! Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Kate Alan]

You're right. I hadn't thought about the cost of uber! The only reservation we have about staying at a Value is the space. I know the rooms are small and with three adults, it might get a little cramped! Thanks for your thoughts

I can totally understand that concern - you're right, the rooms do tend to be on the smaller side (I say this as someone who routinely shoves four adults in at a time, lol).

One thing I would consider when thinking about hotels is how you plan to spend your time. If you plan to spend a day or two lounging at the pools, hanging in the rooms, the extra space of an off-site or a moderate resort would likely come in very handy. For someone like me, who spends all day in the parks and is literally only in the room to sleep and shower, it's less of a concern - we just have to be a little careful planning out who gets the bathroom when in the morning. Don't pay extra for amenities (even space) that you won't utilize on your trip.

Similarly, if you and your group are the types to spend time in the parks, head back to the hotel for a break, and then return to the parks later in the evening, you will kill far more time doing so traveling to and from an off-site resort than you will an on-site.

 

[Nelly2016]

I can totally understand that concern - you're right, the rooms do tend to be on the smaller side (I say this as someone who routinely shoves four adults in at a time, lol).

One thing I would consider when thinking about hotels is how you plan to spend your time. If you plan to spend a day or two lounging at the pools, hanging in the rooms, the extra space of an off-site or a moderate resort would likely come in very handy. For someone like me, who spends all day in the parks and is literally only in the room to sleep and shower, it's less of a concern - we just have to be a little careful planning out who gets the bathroom when in the morning. Don't pay extra for amenities (even space) that you won't utilize on your trip.

Similarly, if you and your group are the types to spend time in the parks, head back to the hotel for a break, and then return to the parks later in the evening, you will kill far more time doing so traveling to and from an off-site resort than you will an on-site.

I do think we'd go back in the middle of the day, as we plan on getting to the parks by rope drop but you're right - the room is just to shower and sleep! You make some good points, I think staying onsite MIGHT be the best choice for us! (that makes me happy)

 

[Dylan Ann]

The money thing is hard - but I can tell you that I've never regretted extra money I've spent on a vacation (within reason, of course - I'm not booking first class flights anywhere), especially when it comes to things that saves me time or makes my experience a bit smoother/more special.
Do you have any flexibility on dates? I'm staying in December and am getting the free Dining Plan with my package. I know that at other times of the year, they will offer decent discounts on the hotels. I'm not an expert on those things like a lot of people on here, but you might be able to book at an off-peak time!

I'm a big foodie - but I'm also super thrifty! There are plenty of cheaper ways you can have a great time while saving some money - eat breakfast in your room (granola bars, cereal, etc.), have your big meal of the day at nice restaurants for lunch, when meals are a bit cheaper, and then just have something lighter for dinner from a Quick Service place. There's tons of info on the Dining board here that can help you stretch your money.

 

[Nelly2016]

The money thing is hard - but I can tell you that I've never regretted extra money I've spent on a vacation (within reason, of course - I'm not booking first class flights anywhere), especially when it comes to things that saves me time or makes my experience a bit smoother/more special.
Do you have any flexibility on dates? I'm staying in December and am getting the free Dining Plan with my package. I know that at other times of the year, they will offer decent discounts on the hotels. I'm not an expert on those things like a lot of people on here, but you might be able to book at an off-peak time!

I'm a big foodie - but I'm also super thrifty! There are plenty of cheaper ways you can have a great time while saving some money - eat breakfast in your room (granola bars, cereal, etc.), have your big meal of the day at nice restaurants for lunch, when meals are a bit cheaper, and then just have something lighter for dinner from a Quick Service place. There's tons of info on the Dining board here that can help you stretch your money.

I think we'd probably go out for lunch and dinner, since we're looking forward to taking advantage of the food options! We were thinking of going in february to make our trip cheaper but the prospect of cold weather is really deterring us. A vacation isn't a vacation unless its in hot weather for us!! Now we're going in April. Later than that isn't really an option since its supposed to be a graduation trip for us and by the fall, we'll (hopefully) be in grad school.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

You also would have the option of utilizing Extra Magic Hours if you were staying on property.

Not to mention that if you don't plan to stay on property, Magical Express to and from the airport is not an option for you - that service is to the Disney hotels only.

I knew I'd missed a couple of bits

 

[tpoly88]

I think we'd probably go out for lunch and dinner, since we're looking forward to taking advantage of the food options! We were thinking of going in february to make our trip cheaper but the prospect of cold weather is really deterring us. A vacation isn't a vacation unless its in hot weather for us!! Now we're going in April. Later than that isn't really an option since its supposed to be a graduation trip for us and by the fall, we'll (hopefully) be in grad school.

Take a peak at the hotels in Disney village (disney springs area), they have a couple of nice hotels that you can get cheap and the rooms are bigger than a value resort, plus you get the perks of the other disney hotels (no magic bands though). the Buena Vista Palace always has deals. you can walk across to disney springs and they have a bus to the parks.

 

[Nelly2016]

Take a peak at the hotels in Disney village (disney springs area), they have a couple of nice hotels that you can get cheap and the rooms are bigger than a value resort, plus you get the perks of the other disney hotels (no magic bands though). the Buena Vista Palace always has deals. you can walk across to disney springs and they have a bus to the parks.

Thanks for letting me know!

 

[Dylan Ann]

Sitting down to eat two full meals at Disney is actually a lot - and I say this as a foodie I am usually quite stuffed with one sit down meal and one quick service counter meal - I think sitting down for two table service meals would make it feel like I was only eating But the awesome thing about Disney is how amazing the quick service options are - this isn't like chicken fingers and fries from an amusement park! For example, for my trip in December I'm already planning quick service meals at Be Our Guest (for lunch), Flame Tree BBQ (people rave about it), Wolfgang Puck's quick service at Disney Springs, and just about every country in Epcot You can definitely enjoy lots of great dining without spending $30-$60 per sit down meal.

Congrats on your graduation! Maybe check with a Disney travel agent to see if they can recommend discounts. And Florida weather in February is usually still pretty nice!

 

[Nelly2016]

Sitting down to eat two full meals at Disney is actually a lot - and I say this as a foodie I am usually quite stuffed with one sit down meal and one quick service counter meal - I think sitting down for two table service meals would make it feel like I was only eating But the awesome thing about Disney is how amazing the quick service options are - this isn't like chicken fingers and fries from an amusement park! For example, for my trip in December I'm already planning quick service meals at Be Our Guest (for lunch), Flame Tree BBQ (people rave about it), Wolfgang Puck's quick service at Disney Springs, and just about every country in Epcot You can definitely enjoy lots of great dining without spending $30-$60 per sit down meal.

Congrats on your graduation! Maybe check with a Disney travel agent to see if they can recommend discounts. And Florida weather in February is usually still pretty nice!

Thanks for the tips! Maybe we'll just do one or the other and not both I hear there are some serious snacks to take advantage of too so maybe we'll make that our makeshift lunch or something! Thank you, I'm so excited to be finished! Have you been in February before? I'm looking forward to the water rides so I'm reeeeeally hesitant to book at this time.

 

[Dylan Ann]

No matter what, you're going to have a great time

I'm going in December this year, and about 5 years ago I went the first week in January. We had gorgeous weather most of the time - shorts and t-shirts, but not hot enough that we wanted to go in the pool - though they were definitely people in the pool at my hotel - probably Canadians The last day we were there it got much cooler, probably in the low 60s. It was hysterical to walk around the park that day - you'd see some Europeans in tank tops and shorts, and then you'd see Brazilians with parkas on, lol! Coming from Canada - it will be warm to you!

If you're looking to go to the water parks then April is better, but if you're just looking to enjoy the rides with some water at Disney, then February should be fine, though more hit or miss.