Why do you stay off site?

[DisneyFreak529]

I love & prefer to stay on site, but to sneak in a second trip in a year I'll stay off site for less money.

I agree, if you can sneak in a second trip in the year by cutting corners, I'm all for that. Nice idea!!

 

[Shaman]

For us it comes down to $$...because since we have our APs we make various short trips up during the year...when the reservations people decide (after coming back from putting us on hold for ages and seeing how many times we've been etc) to give us a good deal on a room...we take it...but we don't hesitate..EVER..staying off site...because at other places you sometimes get more and pay less...and saving money equals to more $$ in your pocket and maybe even more small trips to the world...

 

[matrtj]

Having stayed on and off site before I'd have to go with off site.

1 Cheaper to stay

2 Better appointer room for less

3 Easier to get food out of hours

4 It's nice to have a break from the Mouse (don't shoot me!)


I know my wife will disagree though - she loved staying at the Riverside and I think I'll have a job persuading her to go anywhere else!

 

[chernabog_ca]

when i'm at WDW, i don't want to even think that WalMart EXISTS
when i stayed at the Dolphin, i was really upset that there was a newspaper waiting at the door every morning. it was USA-Today, so i carefully pulled out the "purple" section while avoiding the front page (trying to not even look at the headlines in the process)

When i'm there, the outside world simply DOES NOT EXIST! nope nope nope
it just blinks out of existence entirely, then pops back into being on the day that i leave

I feel the exact same way. Once we're checked into our resort that's it, no going off property till we are on our way back home. I remember once we stopped at Goodings on our way back to our resort from EPCOT and I just felt really weird and out of place. I couldn't wait to get back to Disney property. It's almost like a security blanket. I don't even like to check e-mail when we're down. I'll put the weather channel on and CNN for about 10 minutes but that's all of the outside world I want.

 

[conntom]

I just book The Grosvenor for Dec 4 the price is 71$ dollars a night
you can't get that at a Disney Hotel not even the all stars.
To me all I use a Hotel for is to sleep and sometime eat other then that
I think I would like to save my money for the Parks.The Price for the
Hotel is with a Grosvenor Discount card save me 20% on Hotel and
food.





:xmas:

 

[MKCustodial]

So it seems the majority who'd rather stay on-site is from the US, correct? And also, those that do prefer on-site, you go to Orlando and you only visit Disney? You don't do the other stuff?

 

[shoppingnut]

So it seems the majority who'd rather stay on-site is from the US, correct? And also, those that do prefer on-site, you go to Orlando and you only visit Disney? You don't do the other stuff?

I like staying on site because I can and want to. I've stayed off site a few times and they were okay. Also I have an AP so the hotel discounts just give me more incentive. I do go other places than disney, I like to go shopping while there, eat at different places and I have a friend who lives there so I always catch up with her too.

I would never stay at an off-site hotel that someone I know hasn't stayed at before because there are too many old crummy hotels down there and you can't tell from their website because the photos are definitely enhanced someway because they never look the same.

 

[SirGoofy]

I have only satyed off site three times. The only reason we did it was so that all of my family could stay in one room.

 

[Pixiedust1393]

Sometimes we'll stay on site and sometimes we'll stay offsite. If we have a lot of family going, we'll rent a house a split the price. If it's my mom, dad, brother, & I, we'll stay onsite

 

[bgraham34]

I personally only goto Disney and thats it. I feel thats good enough. I have been around Orlando before and it does nothing for me.

 

[RalphieN]

Offsite is such a better value, there is no comparison. We rent a three bedroom, 3 bath house for $550/week and are less than 10 minutes from any of the Disney parks.

plusses of being off-site:
1. private pool
2. 24/7 laundry facilities without sitting there,w aiting for it to be done.
3. cheaper
4. closer to off-site restaurants
5. as easy or easier travel to Universal and Sea World
6. with 3 kids, can still have privacy
7. did I mention much cheaper.

 

[MKCustodial]

I personally only goto Disney and thats it. I feel thats good enough. I have been around Orlando before and it does nothing for me.

Maybe it's really the whole budget thing, but I don't picture myself saving for a Disney vacation and not counting in everything I can do. Who knows when the next time will be, so I gotta make the most of it.

 

[wannab@dis]

Maybe it's really the whole budget thing, but I don't picture myself saving for a Disney vacation and not counting in everything I can do. Who knows when the next time will be, so I gotta make the most of it.

Wouldn't that make it an "Orlando" vacation? If it's a Disney vacation, then staying on site is the only way to go.

 

[barnum42]

Wouldn't that make it an "Orlando" vacation? If it's a Disney vacation, then staying on site is the only way to go.

If you want a Disney vacation but only have a set amount of money to spend, do you go for:

A) Four day vacation staying onsite
B) Fourteen day vacation a ten minute drive away.

For me, option B wins hands down

 

[MKCustodial]

Wouldn't that make it an "Orlando" vacation? If it's a Disney vacation, then staying on site is the only way to go.

Down here, Disney kinda became a synonym to Orlando. You don't see many tour groups going to Disneyland. WDW is the "Disney vacation", and most packages selling a "Disney vacation" include Universal, Busch Gardens, Sea World, Wet n' Wild, a day for shopping downtown, and a couple of days in Miami (also mainly for shopping. They used to include Church Street Station, but that's gone so...

 

[wannab@dis]

If you want a Disney vacation but only have a set amount of money to spend, do you go for:

A) Four day vacation staying onsite
B) Fourteen day vacation a ten minute drive away.

For me, option B wins hands down

I believe your comparisons are off just a little!

I've seen you say that you spend about $40/nt for a hotel. I spend $55 - $65 per night and stay on site at Pop Century or All Stars. If you add in the cost of parking/rental/gas, then the $40/nt suddenly gets closer to $60/nt if you get a GREAT rental deal. Not a lot of difference to me.

 

[MKCustodial]

If you add in the cost of parking/rental/gas, then the $40/nt suddenly gets closer to $60/nt if you get a GREAT rental deal. Not a lot of difference to me.

Like I said, most hotels along International Drive offer complimentary transportation to the parks. So no gas, parking or rental charges.

 

[lawyergirl77]

So it seems the majority who'd rather stay on-site is from the US, correct? And also, those that do prefer on-site, you go to Orlando and you only visit Disney? You don't do the other stuff?

Yup. The rest of Orlando holds no real appeal to me (yes, I have visited the city)... It's just another Big American City to me and I can see that elsewhere! I go to WDW to escape the real world, and if I stayed off-site, then I would see far too much of it for my liking... I go for the Pixie Dust (as does my DH)!

 

[disneytati]

Down here, Disney kinda became a synonym to Orlando. You don't see many tour groups going to Disneyland. WDW is the "Disney vacation", and most packages selling a "Disney vacation" include Universal, Busch Gardens, Sea World, Wet n' Wild, a day for shopping downtown, and a couple of days in Miami (also mainly for shopping. They used to include Church Street Station, but that's gone so...

I was gonna post the same thing!!! Many people here think Orlando=Disney! Well, Miami is gone too, because now most of the groups shop in Orlando. And with Pleasure Island, Church Street Station is gone. Well, the only reason I stay offsite is money, because most of the things I do are at Disney. Last time I went to Universal for 1 day (both parks, just the thrills) and to Disney for the rest. Of course, for Brazilian people (and this time I include myself) a day for shopping at Belz, Walmart, and Factory Outlet is essential, as we buy things we don't have here (or is too expensive) for a very small price. So, if I could, I would stay at Disney and just go offsite for a couple of days. A nice idea is to start the trip offsite, for like.. 3days, and then go to a value resort. I've done that before, it's nice.

Hey, RODRIGO!!! What's this thing about being a father???? OMG!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I gotta warn you it's not an easy task being a parent. Yesterday, Clara broke a plate, and hypocritically said: "oops... it fell..." And she's only 2!!!!!

 

[barnum42]

I believe your comparisons are off just a little!

I've seen you say that you spend about $40/nt for a hotel. I spend $55 - $65 per night and stay on site at Pop Century or All Stars. If you add in the cost of parking/rental/gas, then the $40/nt suddenly gets closer to $60/nt if you get a GREAT rental deal. Not a lot of difference to me.

I've not paid $40 a night.
Not $30
About $25 last time.

Best bargain I've found was £350 for two weeks, flight AND hotel all taxes included