Why do you stay off site?

[tiggerguy2000]

My family has stayed at the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista resort for years - mainly b/c there are 4 kids and it was always cheaper to do one suite (with full cooked to order breakfast and managers reception [free drinks] daily) than 2 rooms onsite.

Great choice and I also have stayed here.If anyone is looking for a great place then the Embassy Suites is the right choice for a off-site resort.It's around $100.00 to $160.00 a night and the perks make it worth every penny.it's very clean and upscale to say a Days Inn which I feel and this is my opinion is on the very bottom of the scale.

Everyone has the right to a opinion so don't take this the wrong way

tiggerguy

 

[tiggerguy2000]

You have no need to get defensive as to your having the money to stay onsite, how hard you work to get said money and your right to spend it how you will. :wave:

Im sorry if I came off that way but I was just trying to say im no rich snob.
Im a working stiff who gets his hands dirty and I have freinds who could and can't afford staying on-site and still stay outside. some feel it's just a place to put their stuff and sleep and others who like me will pay more to feel comfortable in where they stay and think it's not just a place to sleep.

This is only the opinion of tiggerguy and how he likes to go on vacation
In no way is it a knock on anybodys choice of resort but just a personal opinion.

 

[barnum42]

Im sorry if I came off that way but I was just trying to say im no rich snob.

No worries :wave:

some feel it's just a place to put their stuff and sleep

I think you've found I'm in that group

 

[Little Mermaid]

Count me in that group too. When my family goes to WDW, we spend 3 days in the parks and 2 days doing non-Disney stuff. We are rarely in our room to do more than sleep and eat the continental breakfast. And, since it's usually spring break, none of us even wants to use the pool. We stay in either a Comfort or Quality Inn...they're clean, and we get discounts because we stay in so many of them each year.

And, part of the reason is financial too. We take another vacation during the summer, and that one is an annual set-in-stone type of thing. Our Disney trip is the only vacation which can either be done or left out. As the great WDW-lover that I am, I like doing it each year, and financially, I don't think we would go every year if we were staying on-site. So...stay on-site and go once every 2-3 years, or stay off-site and go every spring? No contest.

I get plenty of Disney magic just by being in the parks for a few days. I'm sure it would be wonderful to stay in a resort too, but I'd rather ride Tower of Terror every year. :wave:

 

[PrinceAndysMom]

Yey!! I am so glad someone finally said something nice about Grosvenor. I am staying there next month, can't wait!! Looks like a nice place but got horrible reviews. I am willing to give them a chance because I love the location and the $$ :animwink:

 

[TwoTigersMom]

If it works for you then that's great! I have a 2nd job for our Disney trips so you can see im not rich at all.Im a car technician and wife a postal worker.I give up alot to enjoy disney in the best way I know how.I had a friend who wanted to go to hawaii but said he cant afford it so I told him to give up smoking and save the money in a can everyday and guess what he has been to Hawaii and still thanks me for helping him reach his dreams.he spent $12.00 a day on smoking so you see anything is possible if you want it bad enough.Im just trying to show my children the better things in life and I hope thats the level they start from.I was very very poor as a kid and never been on vacation until I was old enough to work.Never give up on going Disney deluxe some day --- tiggerguy2000

This is the way we feel too. I work 2 nights a week at our local hospital, but Hubby works 7days a week 13-16 hour days. He owns his own company so he would work these hours whether I worked more or not. We scrimp and save in a lot of areas so that we can go to Disney and "live it up". We will go eat dinner out tomorrow for the 1st time in 5 months, because it's out 11th anniversary and DH's 45th bday. We save alot of money this way. I also only by myself clothes if I find them rediculously on sale, like $50 shirt for 3 bucks. I buy my kids very nice name brand clothes (bought a brand new 2 piece outfit with tags on it for my 1 year old for 2 dollars, it is a Pooh outfit and came from the Disney store) at a gently used consignment sale that is held here twice a year. These are just a couple of the things we do to save, so we can pamper ourselves later.
We do stay off site if we go to any other Orlando parks. If I'm staying on WDW property I don't leave the property. We're looking at renting a vacation home in December from resort quest. We'll probably go to DTD for some shopping but other than that we'll only be going to Universal & IOA.

 

[melbatoast]

My family has always stayed off-site in The Villas of Somerset, a set of condos about 15/20 minutes from Disney. They are very nice, and we have lots of space, a full kitchen and living room, things you pay much more for on Disney property.

Also, I think many people choose to stay off-site because they want to do things other than Disney while they are there(crazy as that may seem!). My family usually goes to Kissimee for two weeks, and spends a day in each Disney Park, a day at Blizzard Beach, and usually quite a bit of time in Downtown Disney. Besides that though, we usualy drive to a beach for a day, go to flea markets, sometimes go to Universal Studios, and to the the space center in Cape Canavral(sp?). In that case, staying on-site, would be inconvinient.

 

[Brian Noble]

We're a family of four. We go during Peak season, and strongly prefer to have separate bedrooms for parents and kids. We are not particularly fond of waiting for busses, and so tend to drive everywhere but MK even when we do stay onsite.

Even with an AP discount, separate bedrooms in Peak season is going to run at least $150/night+, and that's for two value rooms.

For $110/night we can have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an in-room washer-dryer, a fully equipped kitchen (used mostly for breakfasts-in-jammies) a private plunge pool, and a 42" plasma screen, all within 12 minutes of any theme park parking lot (MK is the farthest: I can pop the wishes CD into the player when we start the car, and be home before we get to the karaoke track.)

Two value rooms really doesn't compre to this. It might be more fair to compare to a 1BR DVC or FW cabin, and that's closer to $200-$300/night, depending on discounts, point rental rates, etc. Even owning DVC, I'd need more than 200 points for the least expensive 1BR (OKW), and the annual maintenance on those points would cost more than the townhouse does, let alone the $15K+ I'd need to tie up owning that many pts.

It's nice staying onsite, and I do enjoy it, but I don't enjoy it to the tune of an additional $100-$200/night. Yes, I might have to pay for parking, but that's only $10 or so. We could afford to do this---heck, if we scrounged a bit, we could even afford to buy DVC. But, with the HUGE numbers of pool home rental stock in Kissimmee, I just don't see the "value" in paying that much more.

When it's just my wife and I, one room is feasible, and then onsite is worth thinking about. When the kids get older and want to go off on their own for a short while, onsite transportation will matter a lot more to us, and then we might switch back. Until then, I'm a pool home person.

 

[jozzmenia]

One question.... How much cheaper is it to stay off site in comparison to the value resorts? And is it not more beneficial to stay on site for means of transportation and other "perks"?

Not just price, but also value. Most places have free shuttle to the parks. Some have shuttles to Disney AND Universal, but on top of that, sure a lot of offsite hotels are close in price to the value resorts, but u can get an offsite luxury resort for the price of an onsite value resort is the thing.

 

[melissa44102]

Ya,i Like To Know Were You Get A Condo For 200 A Week Im Going End Of Nov.2006

 

[melissa44102]

Ya,i Would Like To Know Were You Get A Condo For 200 A Week Im Going In Nov.2006

 

[JennyTablina]

Me and my family have always stayed off-site. Partally because the hotels were too pricy for us and also partally because we prefered the alternate Villas.

First time we went we stayed at the Quality Inn and second time, the Ramada International. Both experiences were fine though I think my parents didnt like the idea of living most of our two weeks off snack foods and Mc Donalds :lol:.

We tried a villa in 2002 and we've never looked back, we love the idea of having your own little private pool, lots of living space so nobody gets cramped and the ability to cook your own food (We rather like sampling what the US has to offer in terms of brand food XD). Plus with cars it doesnt mean we're stuck in the world the whole 2 weeks. Dont get me wrong I love WDW and all but as they say, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. We always hang out at the formerly named Belz mall and go for a little shop outside Disney itself. Even Walmarts kinda fun to wonder around.

 

[minnie29uk]

I enjoy the private pool and spa and not worrying about how I look in my swimsuit - nobody else can see!!

Lynn

 

[sbkline]

One question.... How much cheaper is it to stay off site in comparison to the value resorts? And is it not more beneficial to stay on site for means of transportation and other "perks"?

Depends on what hotel/motel we are talking about. When we went down for our honeymoon in 2003 and our vacation in 2004, we stayed at the Super 8 in Kissimmee on Vine Street. Each time, I think our total room bill was a little over $400, and that was for Monday night through Thursday of the following week. So, basically, less than $40 a night for a decent motel. My thinking was that we will get up in the morning, leave for the days' activities and get back late at night...except for a couple nights getting back at 5 or 6...depending on where we went. So why fork out a bunch of money when all we are doing is sleeping, showering and watching TV? It wasn't just a Disney trip....it was 4 days for Disney, as well as Busch Gardens, Sea World, the beach two days. NASA on our honeymoon and Silver Springs the following year, and Universal the following year. So we saved the money on the room and used it for activities. It wasn't a classy hotel by any means, but we had IHOP next door, which was convenient. Walmart and our mini-golf courses just down the road.

Having done that a couple times, and with the wife not wanting to be gone for more than a week now, since we have a baby and she doesn't want to leave him that long, we are ready to shrink the length of the vacation down a little and do almost all Disney and try out the experience of staying on site. Although that doesn't mean that some year we won't take the kid or kids down there and stay in the ol' Super 8 again so as to have more money for other, non Disney activities.

 

[davinakb]

Wow. This is hot topic. My two pennies: Yes money is the number 1 reason for us, but we consider every dollar saved as more money to spend on more Disney: souvenirs, nice dinners, longer stays. That said, it's not just a money issue for us, but value & quality.

Having stayed at the Coronado Springs, I was a [hangs head] little disappointed [/hangs head]. This is a moderate resort that was about six years old when we visited and it was showing its age. For a hotel of that price range (the convention group rate was $150), I really don't like the motel-style rooms with the exterior, open courtyard entrances from a plain concrete walkway. And the room, for its attempts at a SW theme, overdid the tacky wallpaper, making it look cheap. The beds & linens were nothing to speak of, and the room was on the small side.

The resort was great: pools, public areas, grounds. Mickey wake-up call was cute. But I find that true of all the Disney resorts (having eaten in about half of them & walked around). I just find it hard to pay top dollar for an average room, then be charged for every little thing, when an off-property hotel will give you free calls, internet access, sometimes breakfast and nicer accomodations for the same or less.

The other issue that most people mention is transportation but that's never been our deal breaker. We usually drive not fly, so we have a car. As passholders we park for free. We used to park once and use the free transportation, but found that as we learned our way around it was much easier and faster to drive ourselves. (Talked with many a resort guest, DVC owner, and all lamented the wait times and long bus rides.) Plus we don't like being trapped and having a car gets us to Sea World and outlet shopping (including discount WDW merchandise ).

It really boils down to the type of traveler you are, if you're renting a car anyway, if you're only doing Disney, how much time you have, etc. YMMV. That was a bit long. Okay, a nickel.

 

[Philo]

I will be staying offsite for two reasons. One is the cost but the main reason is so that we can see the other attractions too. Its going to be our first visit to florida this January so there is alot we want too see other than DW. In future though we probably will stay on-site because of all the benefits. I really like the look of the AK lodge or CB for the next trip

 

[Tramp]

If our stay is a week or so, Disney hotels are just fine. But we usually do a 3+ week visit and there is nothing like the size and comfort of a timeshare condo. I find the Disney hotel rooms a little larger than a doghouse and since I'm the size of a Great Dane, I want room to romp and play. You can easily find timeshares to rent a few minutes from the Disney property at the price of a moderate Disney hotel or less.

I own at Orange Lake Country Club which is on RT 192 and butts up against the Animal Kingdom. They regularly advertise that they have for rent a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, full kitchen, you know, the works, for less than $700 a week. The place is immaculate and very comfortable with all sorts of amenities including a river tube ride similar to the one in Typhoon Lagoon.

I know a lot of people talk about the benefits of staying at a Disney Hotel but other than the extra magic hours, I just don't get it. I think the 'real' benefit for people staying at a Disney Hotel is the mental state of mind of being part of or close to the Disney magic....and there's nothing wrong with that. :wave:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I know a lot of people talk about the benefits of staying at a Disney Hotel but other than the extra magic hours, I just don't get it.

Its a lot of extra $$ for a few extra hours in the parks !!

 

[BonzoAPD]

As people know I stay at the Grosvenor Resort I like it there to me the Price
is good and its a short walk to Downtown Disney.
For the Parks there are Buses and its a fast ride to the Parks
I know that some people don't like the Grosvenor thats ok But I do I
know all the staff and some are friends to me as for the staff at the front
desk I think there great to if they can help you they will.


:xmas:

Can you tell me more about the Grosvenor? I may be staying there for a few days for business in January and would like to know more about it and how accessable the MK is from there with bus service. Thanks.

 

[Jenerella]

I stayed off property last week. It was the biggest mistake I could have made. Typically, we stay on property, but we planned this trip with 3 weeks notice and they literally hthing left. We had to switch rooms in the middle of our trip because of fire ants. Yep. fire ants...in our room. The their "free shuttle service" to the parks was a joke. It only ran a few times a day, and when we missed it, (which we did once because I refused to miss Fantasmic),
we had to spend 20 dollars to get back to our hotel in a cab. It was awful.
But, we did get to go to Disney World for Thanksgiving Day, which i s something I have always wanted to do. The parks were so crowded! Anyways, don't stay off property if you dont have to .