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On site or off site...does it really matter?
- Thread starter Joy Peace
- Start date
It really is personal preferance. I admit, offsite is an awesome deal.
We stayed off site once when my sister let us her timeshare for free. We had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen, washer/dryer it was great. Travel time to and from the parks wasn't bad either.
The thing is, I'm on vacation. I don't want to cook and I don't want to see as washer/dryer, and I don't want to have to have to drive anywhere. Its nice to know that people in your party can go back to the room while you stay in the parks, and you don't have to worry about who has the keys.
On the flip side of that, staying on-site isn't always magical. There is not a whole lot of magic in walking all the way to your bus stop only to stand in line for a bus that seems like it takes forever to come, at the end of the night. Depending on where you stay the distance from the bus stop to your room can seem incredible at the end of a long day. When we can we pay the primium price to stay at the monorail resorts because really, its the best way to get around.
We stayed off site once when my sister let us her timeshare for free. We had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen, washer/dryer it was great. Travel time to and from the parks wasn't bad either.
The thing is, I'm on vacation. I don't want to cook and I don't want to see as washer/dryer, and I don't want to have to have to drive anywhere. Its nice to know that people in your party can go back to the room while you stay in the parks, and you don't have to worry about who has the keys.
On the flip side of that, staying on-site isn't always magical. There is not a whole lot of magic in walking all the way to your bus stop only to stand in line for a bus that seems like it takes forever to come, at the end of the night. Depending on where you stay the distance from the bus stop to your room can seem incredible at the end of a long day. When we can we pay the primium price to stay at the monorail resorts because really, its the best way to get around.
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doombuggie
Member
depends:
onsite...enough said haha. disney magic 24-7. good ONLY if you plan on spending time at the hotel. we never do we are always out and about so it is a waste of money
offsite: you can stay for as little at 29.00 a night at a nice place....THATS SOOOOO much money saved. you dont get the 24-7 magic but WE ONLY sleep at the hotels we dont hang out at them.....we are lierally there from 11pm to 7am...so imho no need to spend 150+ on a room
now if the vacation was longer and we WOUDL be spending time at the hotel i would spring for the Disney hotel.
like i said..it depends on your budget and your activity level
B
onsite...enough said haha. disney magic 24-7. good ONLY if you plan on spending time at the hotel. we never do we are always out and about so it is a waste of money
offsite: you can stay for as little at 29.00 a night at a nice place....THATS SOOOOO much money saved. you dont get the 24-7 magic but WE ONLY sleep at the hotels we dont hang out at them.....we are lierally there from 11pm to 7am...so imho no need to spend 150+ on a room
now if the vacation was longer and we WOUDL be spending time at the hotel i would spring for the Disney hotel.
like i said..it depends on your budget and your activity level
B
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shanny
Member
we could do either and be happy. we stayed onsite for the first time in august, and loved it! the theming was amazing, and the convenience was awesome. also costly. our other option is staying offsite in a time share, for $100 a week. all that extra $$ we save with staying offsite, can be used toward better things! but if you can afford it, i say go for it. i think we may alternate every other trip, depending on finances... 
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MousDad
New Member
Just an FYI,
There are tons of rental condos/vacation homes available in the area that are not timeshares, but basically are the same facility-wise. You can get absurdly cheap deals at a timeshare, but recognize that you will be hounded by salesman 24/7 on your vacation.
The deal I mentioned in my earlier post was not a timeshare facility.
There are tons of rental condos/vacation homes available in the area that are not timeshares, but basically are the same facility-wise. You can get absurdly cheap deals at a timeshare, but recognize that you will be hounded by salesman 24/7 on your vacation.
The deal I mentioned in my earlier post was not a timeshare facility.
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MousDad
New Member
Regarding transportation:
I've driven to the parks recently about a dozen times. I've never once seen anything remotely resembling bad traffic on property. Kudos to the people who designed Disney's roads, IMO. They have great traffic flow considering the volume. The parking lots seem to empty out really smoothly as well.
Of course, I live in Northern Virginia/DC, so my traffic perspective may be different than some people's. :dazzle:
Personally, If I stay on property, I will still drive to the parks unless:
I'm on the monorail loop going to MK or EP. Or, I'm on the boardwalk, taking the boat launch to EP or DHS.
Parking, as you probably know, is free for resort guests.
I've driven to the parks recently about a dozen times. I've never once seen anything remotely resembling bad traffic on property. Kudos to the people who designed Disney's roads, IMO. They have great traffic flow considering the volume. The parking lots seem to empty out really smoothly as well.
Of course, I live in Northern Virginia/DC, so my traffic perspective may be different than some people's. :dazzle:
Personally, If I stay on property, I will still drive to the parks unless:
I'm on the monorail loop going to MK or EP. Or, I'm on the boardwalk, taking the boat launch to EP or DHS.
Parking, as you probably know, is free for resort guests.
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Wilt Dasney
Well-Known Member
I've always been impressed by the same thing. I expected traffic to be a hassle the first time I drove to WDW, but I've never run into any issues in WDW or the surrounding area. (Time of year could make a difference, I guess.)
Which is why I said in an earlier post unless you're someone who just hates the idea of driving on vacation, period (I know there are some people like that) or it's not feasible to bring a car, driving beats Disney transportation by a mile in my opinion.
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mickeypal1
New Member
On site is better. Once you are in the magic, you never leave it....from the moring wakeup call to the "kiss goodnight".....
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wvdisneyfamily
Well-Known Member
My husband and I only stay on property, as well.
I think you make one of the best points about staying on property. Being able to make ADRs up to 190 days in advance is great. (You can call when your first ADR is exactly 180 days away and then make ADRs for the next 10 days.)
I don't drive on vacation, but my husband does. He wants to get there and park the truck. I understand that. It's his vacation, too; he shouldn't have to drive around and deal with Orlando traffic (which we've never had good luck with) when it's his time to relax.
Here are two other things to consider - the Dining Plan and Magic Hours.
Magic Hours are wonderful. We plan 99% of our trip around them. Some people hate them; we really, really, really love them.
There's nothing like the Tower of Terror at 1 A.M. :sohappy:
The dining plan, whatever you may think of it with its new changes, is available to on-site guests only. I don't like the changes, but I do like the whole idea of having that part of my vacation paid before I get there. My husband and I are both teachers so our budget is a little bit different in the summer. Having the room, tickets, and food paid for basically eliminates a lot of the financial strain a vacation can present. It's a vacation - there's not supposed to be stress.
Plus, as others have mentioned, staying on property is part of the Disney Magic. I love getting there and being surrounded by the Mouse from the start until the end. We only get to go once a year so I want to make every minute as Disney as possible. I agree that the rooms are very pricey compared to what you can get other places, but I think it's all a matter of budget and priority. On my list of things that matter in life, vacation is among the top five. (I know that may sound silly, butI would never put vacation above my faith; the well-being of my family, friends, and students; or my ability to meet the necessary financial obligations of life.) My husband and I just make other small sacrifices throughout the year and find ways to save money so that we can enjoy a "real" Disney vacation. This year we were lucky enough to stay at the Wilderness Lodge because some extra money came our way.
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MIDisneyFamily
Member
If you have not see the nightmare of off site traffic, just stay off site one night down on 192 west of the Disney property. It takes about ten minutes to go a mile over on that side. And I think the company that makes trafficlights, made a killing along that stretch from I-4 to 27. The East side of I-4 isnt a lot better, but we suffer occasionally, because there a Krispy Kreme that way.
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im sorry but thats incorrect, anyone can book adrs, but people staying onsite can book for their entire trip, for up to ten days
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Chu-Chi Face
New Member
This is my first post - so hello everyone!
In reply to your question, I have stayed off site many times in the past but in 2002 we decided to try the ASM and I'm affraid there is definately no going back now!!! We loved it soooo much and I'm sure you will too. Tried PC last year and it was fab - going back there again in 5 weeks and counting!!!!! I agree with previous posts, the Disney transport takes away so much hassle. The service is so much better (even if we did have a pair of pj's stolen - ha ha - think they must have been scooped up with the laundry by Mousekeeping!!!!)
I say you go for it - stay onsite!
Have fun
xx
In reply to your question, I have stayed off site many times in the past but in 2002 we decided to try the ASM and I'm affraid there is definately no going back now!!! We loved it soooo much and I'm sure you will too. Tried PC last year and it was fab - going back there again in 5 weeks and counting!!!!! I agree with previous posts, the Disney transport takes away so much hassle. The service is so much better (even if we did have a pair of pj's stolen - ha ha - think they must have been scooped up with the laundry by Mousekeeping!!!!)
I say you go for it - stay onsite!
Have fun
xx
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I agree! Staying on-site is definately superior. However- we planned a spur of the moment trip for Easter week- too late to even think about getting a room on-site.
We're staying at a Residence Inn nearby- the doggie can even stay. Saves poor Lillie from the Disney kennels........ Better off-site than nothing. :shrug:
We're staying at a Residence Inn nearby- the doggie can even stay. Saves poor Lillie from the Disney kennels........ Better off-site than nothing. :shrug:
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sissa216
Well-Known Member
Hello! :wave: Love your name
I agree with onsite as well, for the same reasons.
But I also agree about the transportation. Each time it gets to me more and more. I enjoy the transportation during the day, but I can't stand the morning and the night.
This time, we are thinking about renting a car, driving it in the morning to where we expect to end our night, and then using their transportation the rest of the day (if we plan to do mk then epcot, for example, we'll park at epcot, head over to mk by monorail, and use them the rest of the day until the night, when our car is there). That way we avoid the crowds in the morning and at the end of the day :shrug:
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rlaeromech
Member
it depends and this is a question that there is really no wrong answer.
It does depend on whether you drive in or fly in. Obviously if you don't have a car, the WDW transportation helps. We drove in and used the buses about half the time. The other half they were too crowded.
Personally now, we always stay offsite in a condo or a house in Windsor Hills. We can get a condo for the same price as a value hotel and have much more room and more amenities that our important to us since we have small children.
As for being completely immersed... there is about a 4 minute drive to the world that you are technically not in WDW, but we have stayed so many times at Windsor Hills, that is basically part of WDW for us.
You really can't go wrong either way. I personally would not recommend a hotel offsite, so the choice is either, on-site or condo/house off-site.
It does depend on whether you drive in or fly in. Obviously if you don't have a car, the WDW transportation helps. We drove in and used the buses about half the time. The other half they were too crowded.
Personally now, we always stay offsite in a condo or a house in Windsor Hills. We can get a condo for the same price as a value hotel and have much more room and more amenities that our important to us since we have small children.
As for being completely immersed... there is about a 4 minute drive to the world that you are technically not in WDW, but we have stayed so many times at Windsor Hills, that is basically part of WDW for us.
You really can't go wrong either way. I personally would not recommend a hotel offsite, so the choice is either, on-site or condo/house off-site.
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Buzz Lightyear
Member
As you can see by my signature, we have done both on and off-site, and as everybody has said, there are both positive and negatives about both. The past 2 years, we have stayed off-site and plan on it again this June. Reason being is that with the 5 people in our family, we would have to stay at a moderate resort with it costing around $1400 or more for 8 days, and that's a 400 sq ft room. For around $1150, we get a 5 bedroom/5 bathroom with pool, the house is 3000 sq ft. We plan on sharing this house with another family which brings our cost down to about $600. We are 6 miles from any park and can get there very quickly. Annual passes allow us to park for free.
Side note: When we stayed off-site, we called some friends that were staying on-site to tell them we were leaving for the parks. They left at the same time. We actually beat them to the front gates, with parking and all.
The only direct negative I can say about staying off-site is missing the EMH, but in the summer all the parks stay open late anyway, we really don't miss much. The other is the delivery of your packages to your hotel. To make up for that, you can always make your purchase and have it sent to the front of the park and pick it up at the end of the day!
When we first started staying off-site, I told my wife that I was "missing some magic" by staying off-site. She always quickly reminds me that saving around $800 dollars can buy alot of extra magic!!!:lol: And I will admit that it is nice to come home after along day at the park and spread out in a nice big house and let the kids swim in the pool. I think she has finanlly converted me. :ROFLOL:
Side note: When we stayed off-site, we called some friends that were staying on-site to tell them we were leaving for the parks. They left at the same time. We actually beat them to the front gates, with parking and all.
The only direct negative I can say about staying off-site is missing the EMH, but in the summer all the parks stay open late anyway, we really don't miss much. The other is the delivery of your packages to your hotel. To make up for that, you can always make your purchase and have it sent to the front of the park and pick it up at the end of the day!
When we first started staying off-site, I told my wife that I was "missing some magic" by staying off-site. She always quickly reminds me that saving around $800 dollars can buy alot of extra magic!!!:lol: And I will admit that it is nice to come home after along day at the park and spread out in a nice big house and let the kids swim in the pool. I think she has finanlly converted me. :ROFLOL:
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