On Site or off Site.

[Astro_Digital]

The last 10 years or so I been staying in Disney hotels but the last trip I am wondering maybe that is a bad idea.

I stayed last week at the Celebration Hotel, 5 star hotel or so, and I got a really good rate.

The last time I stayed at Pop Century for about the same price.

Ok I had to pay $11 dollar a day to park but IT IS WORTH IT !!!!! Not packed in like sardines on a Disney Bus after waiting for it in line for 20 minutes. I wanted something to eat hop in the car off to Downtown Disney or 192.

The only thing Disney guest have that is kind of cool is the extra magic hours, but I went to a park 9am by 9pm I was tired any way.

So what do you think? You may miss some of the magic but you have other stress by staying on Disney Property.

 

[tigsmom]

We have done both and now we only stay on site.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will find more threads along these lines with some decent info.

 

[MasonDuo]

That sounds like a good deal if that would work out better for you. You would have more food/eating options and probably at a better price. I use the disney hotels mainly for the transportation as I do not rent a car but if you are going to have access to the car you would be far more comfortable than packed into the buses (especially at the end of the day). It's always worth a try off-site, if you don't like it then you know that Disney onsite is your best bet for the next trip.

 

[dave1105]

I have done it both ways. Staying off property is generally less expensive but I guess it all depends on whether being immersed in the world and forgetting about everyday life for a while or not.

I also know what you mean about packed buses! Our first time on property we stayed at ASM and since it is at the end of the line sometimes we waited and the buses were packed by the time they got to our resort heading out to the park. And most times on way back buses were so packed that we either had to stand the whole way after walking all day or if we got a seat you got to have peoples butts in your face.

The most recent visit we splurged and went to Poly as our Christmas to the family and rode the monorail or boat to MK and EPCOT and drove to DHS and AK. The driving not so bad since we went when opened and didn't stay til close so we avoided the masses exciting. I purposely stayed away from the buses. They definately serve a purpose especially if you don't drive down. But when I am staying at a resort where I can avoid it I will.

 

[Disneyfan1981]

I have done it both ways and will never stay off of property unless its a free trip. EMH, the transportation, the environment, the atmosphere....all worth it IMHO

 

[rictusred]

I have stayed on site and off and definitly think staying onsite is better but when we go we don't rent a car and use disney transportation for everything we do which seems to work out great and saves us the cost of renting a car.

 

[raven]

We are staying offsite in 2 weeks after years of staying onsite. There are a couple of reasons though: we are planning to move to Orlando and we plan to visit other areas and we are renting a car for very cheap.

We actually are staying at Extended Stay America near DTD for only $39/night. It's a suite with a kitchen and 2 queen beds. Not bad for offsite! :wave:

 

[PatsRule]

We have done both in the past. We like the total immersion in Disney so offsite was not as good for us. We are members of DVC now. I agree that staying onsite is more expensive than offsite but we do other things to cut costs. Since we have no particular interest in going anywhere else, we don't rent a car which saves us a lot of money. We stop at a grocery store on our way from the airport and buy grocery items for breakfast (bagels, OJ, milk) and snacks (water, soda, beer, munchies). The cost of those items in the park add up so we save there. Also, we don't get bothered by the transportation issues.

The bottom line for us is the experience. We would probably stay onsite no matter what the cost because the resort is part of our whole Disney experience.

 

[DivineMadness7]

You will find equally passionate opinions on both sides of this issue, so it boils down to a matter of personal preference. We only stay on-site. Sure, you probably save some money staying off-site. But you're going to spend a pretty penny for the trip anyway, why stay-off and not fully enjoy it? I understand not everyone can do this, but if you have the money, it seems like a no-brainer to me. I go to escape the real world. For me this includes driving, finding a parking space, etc. The money saved does not balance out with the things we love about staying on-site. A few hundred dollars and the difference of our enjoyment of a trip is the bottom line. As in most cases, you get what you pay for. Good luck!:wave:

 

[kimmychad]

i guess it really depends on who is going with us and our needs. when me and the wife go i book a room at a mod usually, and im happy. for our next trip there will be 8 people there at some time during the trip and comfortable disney accomodations for 8 people would be alot for than im paying for the condo im getting off site

 

[jjgoo]

We love the whole resort aspect of staying on-site and being immersed in all that is Disney.

If that does not matter too much to you and you find driving easier than the busses then I say go for it with staying off-site.

I don't think all the time you stayed on property was a "bad idea" though. Staying in WDW is an experience all in and of itsself. My DW and I spend a good amount of time at the pool and visiting other hotels as well as the one where we stay. We feel you can have a great time without even going into the parks. (Though we would never go and not go to the parks)

If you do your next visit off-site please post your experience!

 

[RedGear]

My family has done both and there are a lot of pros and cons to each. My husband and I prefer to stay on disney property when its just the two of us so we dont have to rent a car, drive (we aren't from the area), pay for parking, or worry about getting to the parks early to ensure we are allowed in when it's busy. By staying on property it also allows for both of us to enjoy some adult beverages.

My family on the other hand likes staying off disney property and renting houses. this time we are renting two 5 bedroom houses that are side by side and aren't too far away from the magic. When you have 22 people you need this much space and we are only paying about $1,300 per house for the whole week. There is no way we could stay on disney property for that much for all of us. They also like it because they have their own pool, and we don't have to be quite in our rooms when we get back (since my family gets a little loud and likes to play cards, anyone heard of smear?). But then again we have to drive to the parks, and when we want to leave and come back to take a nap we have to drive. Then again you dont have to be stuck on a bus with 75 other really tried and cranky people at the end of the night. My husband isn't looking forward to driving since he's never driven in the orlando area before, and i know that this is a major con for him

I hope this can help anyone with anything, but that's just my families take on the whole thing. Only 3 more days till we go, and this is the biggest group of us yet to go, I'll let you guys know how it goes. I had issues getting reservations for dinners and breakfast and stuff, so we'll see if the problems continue once we are down there. :ROFLOL:

 

[digger1977]

i am leaving for my second ever trip to the world in 3 weeks . my last trip and this one i have choosen to stay off site. ( although i would love to stay on site to be part of the magic 24/7 ) the reason being i'm from the uk and getting to florida is a big enough deal and i wish to visit many places in the orlando area. As i or my partner dont drive i have to rely on public transport. so for me a hotel on i-drive ( in the middle) works great for getting to wdw and the other parks round abouts. that said when i do get my finger out and get my drivers liecense and have the extra freedom it will be on site every time.

 

[Disneykidder]

I saw your thread and thought, "oh no..." However, I am pleasantly surprised that you haven't been yelled at about the idea of staying off property. Some people have very strong opinions about this issue.

To me, I stay on property. I don't have to rent a car and it just works well for us. Do what makes you happy. If you are happy with off-site, than continue your stay that way.

 

[Woozle]

I think there is something missing when we stay off-site. We stayed in a cabin at FW 2 trips ago and it was a total blast. The last trip we stayed in a nice hotel about 15 min away from WDW. I think there was some magic lost? Unfortunately, not to my liking, I will be staying off-site again in August:lookaroun

 

[carol5739]

stay on site

Did both, never again off site . The way gas prices are, just take the bus, Don't get on if it to crowd People are in too much in a hurry. Relax your on vacation :ROFLOL:I like not having too drive I can enjoy if I want to have a drink ,someone else is driving

 

[abug'saunt]

Our 1st trip in 2003, off site, 4 adults 1 toddler. Great rates, filthy rooms. Nice to have rental, hard to transfer sleeping toddler in/out of car. At the time, we thought it to be once-in-a-lifetime trip. Went to beach for day as well.
Next trip was 2005 for Christmas, same party. Did ME, stayed at Contemporary all but last night where we checked out ASMovies as we realised we would definately go back AND stay onsite. Plus it was easier to get sleepy child from park to room using monorail/buses.
Last trip we stayed at POR, again using ME, one extra adult. This time onsite was perfect for Father-in-Law. He likes to take midday naps and didn't want to make everyone go by his schedule. Win/win for all. Buses more crowded than previous trip but doable. Many adults would let the child sit while adults stood.

Would we stay offsite again? It's possible but very unlikely. We travel across the country (from Idaho to Florida) so if Disney keeps offering free transportation to/from airport and parks, good meal plans, and help me relax for the 10 - 14 days I'm there. I will stay onsite.

 

[fireworkz]

Like everyone else there are pros and cons. Personally if we go on short trips of say 4 to 5 sometimes 7 days, we like to spend the extra money and stay on site. Longer trips, say 10-14 days we like to stay off site. Not only for the cost savings, but while the 'magic' is great, after a few days in a row we need a break from it. :shrug: That's just us.

Another pro to off-site that's a weird personal thing. There's something that sends tingles down my spine each time we drive on to the property, and off-site you get to do that everyday!