Stay inside or outside of WDW?????

[rd0127]

THis will be our 2nd trip. Our youngest daughter is severely disabled and last time we stayed in an accessible cabin in Disney's Fort Wilderness. It was just wonderful! We have decided to go again next month (I know, kind of last minute), anyway, my husband and I are arguing over whether to stay in or out of WDW. We would need to stay in one of the cabins again because of the kitchen and sofa needs for our daughter. So it would mean either a cabin in Fort Wilderness again or renting something like a condo or home outside of WDW.

What are your opinions? My argument is that we are in the middle of everything and we don't have to pay for parking. My husband says the money saved would still be worth paying for parking, if we stayed outside.

Give me your arguments for each.

 

[Nicole]

Are you willing to explore other options? We stayed in a handicapped accessible room at Pop Century and it had a huge bathroom, a king bed so there was extra space in the room, and a refrigerator. You could do one room like that and get a connecting room with two double beds too for less than the cost of one of the cabins. Then you have access to all the WDW transportation.

I love staying on Disney to get the whole experience. I love being able to put the whole rest of my life behind me. Hoky as it sounds, it really is a whole different world there.

AllEarsNet.com has lots of suggestions for people traveling with special needs, maybe they have advice that would fit your situation.

 

[HunnyPot]

There are other resorts that offer the type of room you need. I have never stayed in this type of room, but have read great things about them! (For example, Pop Century as mentioned above.)

Until last year, I never stayed on property. For me, personally, I will never stay off property again. I love being right there, in the middle of the magic 24/7. It's so wonderful to just be there, and I've never gotten that feeling from another resort or hotel of any kind. In my opinion, if you can find the room you need for your daughter, I would stay on property. The money will be well spent on Disney property!

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a magical trip! :wave:

 

[shmmrname]

Unfortunately I have stayed at WDW off-site. I will not again.

I understand your situation is different, but I would hope anyone at Disney should be more than willing to help accomodate anything you need.

 

[Mimi]

I know it's becoming a cliche but 'once you stay on property you'll never stay off' is my motto. I stayed off property for 25 years but I will never do it again!!! The entire trip just isn't the same. It truly becomes an escape from reality when you stay at a Disney resort. If you stay off property reality hits home every night.

Aside from the magic you would be missing, you would also lose the convenience of stopping back at the resort for a mid-day break. This is not impossible off property, but can require a lot more effort than the break is worth.

If you are not excited about staying in the same resort again I recommend considering some of the other resorts, Disney can be quite accommodating. I think it would mean a more relaxing and hassel-free vacation. Not to mention that the difference may be keenly felt by your kids.

 

[e4ymod]

I can't really give good advice because I'm not in your situation. But I do know that Disney is very helpful to those with special needs. I say let your husband make the decision. If he decides to stay off-site, he's going to hit a bick wall - hard. And I can guarantee that he'll never stay off-site again.

BTW - Staying at a Disney Resort also lets you take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. And I would imagine that pushing around a heavy wheelchair all day can be very tiring. With extra magic hours, you can take a mid-day trip back to your room and rest for a couple of hours, and then head back out to the parks.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I'm going to side with your husband on this one and recommend off site.
A whole house to yourself, a room each, your own private pool AND saving $$$$ on what you'd pay to stay in one room at a Disney hotel (even when you have to pay parking).
Yes I have stayed on site before and enjoyed the whole Disney experience - but it all comes down to $$$ and what additional use I can make with those $ rather than putting them straight into Disneys pockets - they're better off in mine

 

[Master Yoda]

I would highly recommend staying on site. Disney has plenty of handicap accessible rooms. A house or condo might not be well suited for your needs as most houses are not constructed with ADA rules in mind. Also I have never had a "great" experience off site at best I would rate them as "fair". You really get accustomed to the high level of service offered at WDW resorts and miss it when it is not there. Just a minor example. This weekend we wound up having to stay off site. One thing that we had do do when we got to the resort is get a few extra pillows. At a Disney resort I would simply call house keeping and in a few minuets they would be at my door. At this particular hotel I called house keeping only to get voice mail. Left message and got no response. Went to front desk to request extra pillows and got attitude and was told that housekeeping would get them to me shortly. Waited an hour, no pillows. Finally had to take them off an unattended maid cart. To top it all of the room was more expensive than a moderate Disney resort.

 

[frankd1962]

Stay on property. I stay off once and after staying on, I LOVED IT! :sohappy:

No rental car to worry about (making sure it is full and nothing happens to it), no driving around, WDW on TV, looking out the window of the room and seeing happy things instead of a highway with rushing traffic, friendly fellow travelers and drivers to take you there and (best of all) getting right up close to the entrances than you would if you drove in.

Also the rooms were so much more festive than an off-site one. Like some else posted, check one of the WDW travel sites to see what they have that will be great for your daughter's needs. I'm sure there will be a great room in one of the Value Resorts. (Pop being the newest might have the most acessible rooms than All-Stars but I could be wrong)

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I would also strongly recommend staying on property. With resort options, there is a rate that is equivalent to most anything outside. I don't know your specifics, but Disney does have special accomodations for most needs, just as within the parks and with transportation.

If you put a cost on the extra time needed for travel into the parks, moving from parking areas, wear and tear, I think it can become a value. Then there is the ease of being able to take a midday break without much fuss.

With the possible exception of a large party staying at a house, I don't see any financial advantage to staying off property.

 

[ThumpersThought]

DVC Villas may also be an option (depending on budget), but they offer from "typical hotel room" with mini-kitchen to three bedroom with full kitchen. And yes, non-DVC members can get those rooms. I'm sure someone like Kingdom Konsultants or the like could fill you in on details.

This would also give you the choice of multiple locations (like Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, Beach Club...)

And don't forget -- parking is only part of the cost of staying off-site. In some cases time lost due to hassles and inconveniences are also a "cost" (so do chose an off-site location carefully!)

 

[TINKERLOR]

I agree with Captain Hook - We stay off site about 7 miles or so from Disney. We have a huge house that we rent, it has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, dining room, huge kitchen, screened in private pool with hot tub. Yes, while staying at Disney can be very nice, it is also nice to go home and not have to deal with other people. You can just be yourself and relax!!!

 

[shoppingnut]

I agree with Captain Hook - We stay off site about 7 miles or so from Disney. We have a huge house that we rent, it has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, dining room, huge kitchen, screened in private pool with hot tub. Yes, while staying at Disney can be very nice, it is also nice to go home and not have to deal with other people. You can just be yourself and relax!!!

Who is there to relax and be themselves, I'm certainly not when I go to Disney:wave: . The problem with staying off site is that rental homes do not have handicapped accessability as would a hotel.