Staying outside Disney? What Are We Losing?

[NCRedskins]

My wife and I were all set with reservations in Pop Century in November 2015, and then my father reached out to tell me he has a billion timeshare points he never uses. We are now looking at being able to stay in the Sheraton Vistana, Cypress Pointe or other resorts nearby Disney at a lower cost.

That said - how much of the Disney magic are we sacrificing here? I've heard you can still purchase magic bands, which is cool, and we weren't sure about whether we would use a dining plan anyway, but I'm just curious from all of you seasoned Disney vets what we're losing here.

 

[MickeyMomV]

There is just something about staying in the Disney "bubble". It just adds to the whole experience. We tell people it's the difference of going on a Disney Vacation and going to Disney while on vacation.

Short List:
Mousekeeping
Towels in animal shapes
Magical Express
Resort Busses
Earlier Fast Pass selection
Luggage "magically" showing up in the room.
EMH
The cast members we find from back home (GVSU is always represented-GO LAKERS)
Using Magic bands for everything
Purchases being shipped to your room
Hotel themes
Midnight stroll around the hotel (POFQ)

It's all part of the Magic.

 

[Spencerrr]

30 days instead of 60 I would say guarantees you won't get a fp for top attractions. Including meet and greets.

 

[SAV]

30 days instead of 60 I would say guarantees you won't get a fp for top attractions. Including meet and greets.

I have to disagree with you on this one. This past June I had set up all of our FP+'s at the 60 day mark. While on vacation, we called an audible and changed the last 4 days of the trip all around. We inserted a "resort day" instead of going to a park, which pushed the remaining days around a bit. With the exception of 7DMT, I was able to get FP+'s for the rest of the "top attractions" that I wanted to go on those days. And we had been on that already on the first day of the trip, so it wasn't a big deal to miss it a second time. The ones I did get were at great times of the day and not just jammed up at the end of the day. Granted I didn't want A&E, so that wasn't even a thought. So I got them all the night before when we decided where we wanted to go that next day.

 

[sxeensweet]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. We are driving so the airport thing isn't an issue, nor is dining.

My biggest concern I would say is losing the 60 days on the FP+ selections, and the magic hours. How clutch are these two benefits? Is it within the realm of worldly possibility that I could get, say, Meeting Anna and Elsa via FP+ (by far the biggest interest for my daughters) 60 days out?

If you stay on site you get FREE PARKING at all parks. That saves a lot of cash and time getting to the parks, etc. Buses on or off Disney site can eat up a lot of valuable park time etc.

 

[cattailgal]

We love having space for the family after the parks. We used to stay in the Nick Hotel (suite), but would take ten days worth of clothes for four people so not to have to wash clothes (a lot of luggage). Then we stayed in Bonnet Creek, and after that bigger townhouses close to the parks. This trip we'll have a pool home with a fenced yard and bring our dog (we'll be driving for the first time). We'll have a dog sitter come in while we're at the parks. A huge benefit for us is having a washer/dryer offsite! It reduces the amount of stuff to bring greatly. We have a few sets of matching Disney shirts and wash them nightly. We eat breakfast before leaving for the parks which saves money, then have two TS meals at Disney.

KC

 

[Rob562]

A question for the OP: You mentioned that you'll be using timeshare points. What exchange network is your father a part of? (If he's even part of one) If he's in the RCI network, he can see about exchanging into the DVC properties. My parents have a week in the RCI Weeks side (vs. the RCI Points side) and we're staying for a week in a 2-bedroom at Saratoga Springs this November.

Just be aware that trading through RCI you won't see *any* DVC availability until sometime in the 5 to 6.5 month range before your trip. (We matched our Oct 31 checkin date in early May, I think) You should also be flexible on your dates (we had a three week range that was acceptable to us and ended up with the final week or our range).

Though if the Points/Week are at a timeshare within 50 miles, Disney won't allow the exchange to go through.

-Rob

 

[epcot2004]

We love having space for the family after the parks. We used to stay in the Nick Hotel (suite), but would take ten days worth of clothes for four people so not to have to wash clothes (a lot of luggage). Then we stayed in Bonnet Creek, and after that bigger townhouses close to the parks. This trip we'll have a pool home with a fenced yard and bring our dog (we'll be driving for the first time). We'll have a dog sitter come in while we're at the parks. A huge benefit for us is having a washer/dryer offsite! It reduces the amount of stuff to bring greatly. We have a few sets of matching Disney shirts and wash them nightly. We eat breakfast before leaving for the parks which saves money, then have two TS meals at Disney.

KC

We took our dogs with us and rented a house last time, worked great. They are coming with us on the next trip as well!

 

[SAV]

Back to the OP's question. My last trip, we stayed part on-site(Coronado Springs) and part off-site(Sheraton Vistana Villas). We did the on-site part first and then off-site.

While off-site we didn't get the option of EMH's(Which we didn't use even when on-site.)
We didn't do the Dining Plan, so that wasn't an advantage either way. I did do one sit down meal at Sci-Fi and we booked that within the 30 day window so that wasn't an issue.
They made it easy to spend money with the charging privilege on the MB's. Just scan it and go. During the off-site portion, I did find myself liking that option of not having to carry money or a CC with.
The Disney Resort theming blew away the Sheraton. CSR was incredible and immersive. Sheraton was very nice, but didn't transport me to another place.
The Sheraton Villa was WAAAAY bigger than the CSR room. We had a FULL kitchen, Clothes washer and dryer, multiple TV's, a separate bedroom for us, private balcony with a table and chairs and the decor was very, very high end and classy.
The Dig Site vs the big pool at the Sheraton were actually comparable. Both were very big and beautiful. The edge has to go to CSR, though.
We rented a car, but on our DHS day my son and I went to the park earlier than the DW and DD. It was nice to have the Disney bus there for them to take at their leisure. There were a couple of times off-site that the ability to use the on-site transportation may have benefited us if it were available as an alternate if someone wanted to head back to the room/resort and I wanted to stay until 3am.
I did get to park for free on-site but not off-site, but the money off-site saved greatly outweighed the extra $50 for parking.

All that said, it really comes down to money savings/bigger room vs Disney theming/"magic"(I don't really like that term).

 

[Chernaboggles]

Wow, this isn't easy. It's definitely the cheaper option off-site (and frankly, MUCH more space for the family versus a value room at Pop Century), but I do want to be able to take advantage of the Fastpasses when possible.

FastPasses 60 days out are great, but I think there's a bigger picture to consider here. The thing about Disney planning sites is that they can put a lot of pressure on us to do things "the right way" and work the Disney system. Strategies are helpful, but I honestly believe that the "right way" to do Disney is YOUR way, whatever works for your individual family. WDW is huge, overwhelming and can be very stressful, there are more factors at play in accommodations than just a bed and a shower. Space to unwind may be more valuable than you think, especially if anyone in the family is an introvert. On the other hand, proximity to the parks is a big deal - if you're 15 miles from the gate, that will change the whole feeling of your vacation.

Either way, you'll have a much better time if you focus on the way your family vacations and cater to that style rather than making a shopping list of rides & meet & greets, paying any price to do them. If you hang your whole vacation on an Anna & Elsa Meet & Greet and something goes wrong (kid gets sick, weather causes a problem, whatever), your vacation will feel ruined. Don't give any single attraction or character the power to make or break the entire trip.

 

[Chernaboggles]

We took our dogs with us and rented a house last time, worked great. They are coming with us on the next trip as well!

We do the same thing! I find having the dog along to be very helpful in slowing things down and preventing burnout, we take a break mid-day to take care of him, go to the dog park, things like that. I find the parks easier to deal with if I take them in blocks of 4 or 5 hours at a time, with breaks in between.

 

[DVCOwner]

I like to stay on park so I do not have to spend all day at the parks. We come and go as we please and its so eay to do. I like to go to food and wine at EPCOT and I do not have to worry about drinking and driving. Just walk to the Boardwalk. Always have a nice bottle of wine with diner and if you want a couple of drinks as we walk around. We also like the night shows and find it easier to get back to the rooms when staying on the park. Up early, go to the rooms to rest a couple of times during the day and stay out late. Could not do if I was staying off park.

 

[draybook]

Extra magic hours used to be the bee's knees. Now, with the ridiculously idiotic way they check for entry it's a hassle and the lines can be just as backed up as if it were normal operating hours. At least that's how it was for us the last few weeks.

It used to be that you just flashed your room key and boom, you were in. Now you have to line up with your party and have one band scanned with a portable scanner. What used to take a second or two now takes 10-20. That doesn't sound like much but when a line forms it adds up.

I don't understand why they don't just open the FP- lane and just have it programmed to scan for resort guests during magic hours.

 

[NCRedskins]

It's like Beyonce tickets or something.

I think it's worse than Beyonce.

 

[NCRedskins]

A question for the OP: You mentioned that you'll be using timeshare points. What exchange network is your father a part of? (If he's even part of one) If he's in the RCI network, he can see about exchanging into the DVC properties. My parents have a week in the RCI Weeks side (vs. the RCI Points side) and we're staying for a week in a 2-bedroom at Saratoga Springs this November.

Just be aware that trading through RCI you won't see *any* DVC availability until sometime in the 5 to 6.5 month range before your trip. (We matched our Oct 31 checkin date in early May, I think) You should also be flexible on your dates (we had a three week range that was acceptable to us and ended up with the final week or our range).

Though if the Points/Week are at a timeshare within 50 miles, Disney won't allow the exchange to go through.

-Rob

It's all through Raintree, which can trade into RCI. I asked about trading for Disney, and there is not availability yet, but I can be put on the waitlist. Of course, there is no guarantee anything will pop up, and additionally they can't really tell me how many points we can expect to use until booking, so I don't know if it's within the points budget.

Thanks for the tips on the availability - I'm just not sure if we want to leave things up in the air until the spring.

 

[NCRedskins]

Strategies are helpful, but I honestly believe that the "right way" to do Disney is YOUR way, whatever works for your individual family. .

Right on, I just think we (my family) have to figure out what that right way is for us. This is our first time, at least since I was like 8.

My kids will be 5.5, 3.5 and 1.5 when we travel. On one hand, being in the park sounds nice in terms of coming back to the room and doing naps, etc. At the same time, we might also "gut it out" and let them nap in the stroller and such, and head back to the resort for the evening after a big day in the park, in which case it would be nice to have the extra space to kick back and hang out. I just won't know which works until we're there. That Pop Century room looks awfully claustrophobic when I see the pictures of the timeshares.

 

[Spencerrr]

I have to disagree with you on this one. This past June I had set up all of our FP+'s at the 60 day mark. While on vacation, we called an audible and changed the last 4 days of the trip all around. We inserted a "resort day" instead of going to a park, which pushed the remaining days around a bit. With the exception of 7DMT, I was able to get FP+'s for the rest of the "top attractions" that I wanted to go on those days. And we had been on that already on the first day of the trip, so it wasn't a big deal to miss it a second time. The ones I did get were at great times of the day and not just jammed up at the end of the day. Granted I didn't want A&E, so that wasn't even a thought. So I got them all the night before when we decided where we wanted to go that next day.

exactly the top attraction you couldn't get... and id put money on it that if you wanted to do the frozen meet and greet you would not of been able to. You basically proved my point. just like if you had gone to HS I bet you would not of been able to get TSMM the day before.

 

[Chernaboggles]

Right on, I just think we (my family) have to figure out what that right way is for us. This is our first time, at least since I was like 8.

My kids will be 5.5, 3.5 and 1.5 when we travel. On one hand, being in the park sounds nice in terms of coming back to the room and doing naps, etc. At the same time, we might also "gut it out" and let them nap in the stroller and such, and head back to the resort for the evening after a big day in the park, in which case it would be nice to have the extra space to kick back and hang out. I just won't know which works until we're there. That Pop Century room looks awfully claustrophobic when I see the pictures of the timeshares.

Unless the parks are so crowded that it closes due to capacity, you can go back and forth pretty easily even if you're off-site, just pick somewhere close by (within 4 or 5 mile, if you can). We were there in February, stayed off-property and sometimes hit three parks a day, we just didn't do any one of them for a long period of time. We'd usually eat breakfast at home, go to a morning park from open to noon or so, then go home for lunch and a rest. Back to the parks for afternoon and evening, dinner at one park, fireworks at another. Getting in and out of Magic Kingdom can be a bit of a pain, but the others are fine.

I know I'm in the minority here, as most people want to be on site at any cost. Our next trip will be our first on-property stay, so maybe I'll come back singing the Disney Bubble tune, but just from a practical standpoint, with three little kids? More space seems like the way to go. Being able to put the small one to bed while the older two unwind with a movie and you have a quiet glass of wine on the balcony (or whatever) just sounds so much nicer than having to stand out in the hall or hide in the bathroom to have adult conversation once you put the kids to bed.

 

[SAV]

exactly the top attraction you couldn't get... and id put money on it that if you wanted to do the frozen meet and greet you would not of been able to. You basically proved my point. just like if you had gone to HS I bet you would not of been able to get TSMM the day before.

I'm not getting in a pi$$ing match with you, but you said "top attractions"...with an "s", meaning more than one. My post pointed out quite nicely that I was able to get other "top attractions" the day before/day of. And to the contrary, I was able to get TSMM FP+'s the day of because I stacked my FP+'s early and used it at opening and got one again for much later in the day. Maybe you don't consider Space, Splash, BTMRR, Buzz SRS, TSMM, RNRC, TOT, Test Track "top attractions", but I do. Maybe I didn't get the newest and greatest, but if you are following many of the threads/posts about 7DMT and A&E, many people aren't able to get those at 12:02 am when their 60 day window opens. Let alone at a 30 day window that off-site provides. So feel free to turn this around as you wish to say you were right, but my actual experience, not opinion, proved my point that you can get "top attractionS" day before/day of when I used my 4th, 5th and 6th, which is what the OP was asking for.

 

[Susan Savia]

We absolutely always stay offsite and believe me, we don't miss a thing. The room is used for sleeping and a shower. We don't use the new FP system and have ridden and done everything we want, with little to no waits using single rider lines etc. Booking months in advance is crazy. It's a vacation. Relax and enjoy it!

 

[crispy]

I made my FP+ selections at midnight at the 60 day mark.

I have no interest in Anna & Elsa, but I did notice that there were ZERO FastPasses available for it. The entire week of my stay. 60 DAYS OUT AT 12:02AM. It's like Beyonce tickets or something.

Staying on-site is the actual best, but it doesn't guarantee you won't have to wait standby for those controversial l'il princesses...

We also book FP+ at the 60 day mark, we couldn't get the Anna and Elsa FP+ either. I definitely wouldn't base my decision on where to stay based on FP+ selections because it's likely you won't get what you want anyway.

We have stayed off-site and on-site and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Since you are driving anyway, you don't need Magical Express or Disney transportation which is probably the biggest perk right now anyway. You will save a lot of money and will most likely have more space. We like staying on-site when possible because it's easy and convenient, but I would take a free stay off-property any day of the week if it was offered.