Why do you stay off site?

[Ldno]

WOW! i didnt know this, thanks for the info... will definately look into this..

It’s honestly how I grew up with my mom waiting on the buses for the parks!

in comparison a resort stay will be the Most expensive purchase in a typical vacation and my logic behind is that i only need a room to put my stuff in and sleep, I’m gone all day and leave for rope drop And depending on how Early it is the food is on the go, i just learned to not care about where i stay especially since there’s not that many perks that are exclusive.

you could spend 1,000’s of dollars in lodging alone and for me I like that money to go on merchandising, one trip I legit paid 300 for a week’s stay in a hotel off of Kissimme, versus the 2,500$ in a recent resort stay with my kids last June, but the easiest tip is that I’m pretty sure someone here either has a friend that lives in orlando or works in a hotel franchise, i can do both and have stayed at a cousin’s house and gotten a massive discount At the Marriott just because of who you know, granted it’s cool that i have friends and family that live there but of course that’s like if i need a favor but i wouldn‘t have them try to fit my entire family haha

staying offsite‘s ultimate perk is how cheap the lodging will be compared to staying on a resort, i learned a lot from touring plans, it gave me a different perspective on things but since i have kids, I’ll let them stay at the resorts so they can get it out of their system but next time were saving money offsite haha.

 

[Demarke]

Value is the obvious big reason (I can get a two bedroom condo a mile or so from Animal Kingdom for $50 less a night than an all star), but there are other more compelling reasons for me sometimes that touch more on the non-room cost factors that the OP was looking for 17 years ago.

I have an AP and frequently travel for runDisney race weekends and occasionally for work. I prefer to drive than take buses even on site, so there’s not much difference for me in that respect.

When traveling for runDisney, I tend to have a lot of extra luggage between extra changes of clothes, but also running gear several pairs of shoes, accessories, etc. I frequently do those trips solo and also tend to need to get some work done each day which is a lot easier to do on my two screen set up than a laptop. So, the convenience factor is in the fact that I can specify and get a first floor condo at a place with generous parking where I can back my car up within 15 feet of the door and unload everything (3-4 bags of clothes/shoes/etc; computer/extra screen/keyboard/etc; groceries; etc) in just a few minutes. I’ve stayed at pretty much all the value and moderate hotels (and once each at Beach and Contemporary) and (other than the one contemporary stay) can’t think of a time where I’ve had a room less than 200-300 yards of the unloading area (much less my actual parking spot) which makes it a huge pain to make multiple trips with heavy bags and unwieldy computer gear and usually end up with a room up three flights of stairs.

Also, particularly for those run weekends, it’s nice to have the huge deep soak tub at the condo (that can accommodate someone well over 6 feet tall), have less walking from car to door after long races+park time, and to have a washer/dryer in the unit for all the dirty/wet clothes each day.

All that said, I do tend to still stay on-site when traveling with the gf. She doesn’t have an AP and doesn’t like the “rope drop to close” style vacationing I tend to do when solo and likes to do Uni and some other Orlando area stuff, so it’s nice to be by a skyliner so I can pop in to Epcot or HS for a quick 2-3 rides while she sleeps in on a non-park day or if she wants to take a nap after a day at Uni. I definitely wouldn’t have as much flexibility of getting that little bit of extra money’s worth from my AP with those short pop-ins if we were offsite.

 

[DisneyfanMA]

I only went to Disney twice thus far. 1990 as a 10 year old. My parents could barely afford it and so to cut some costs, we stayed at Days Inn (or similar) a few miles from property. I only remember a spartan room and a outdoor pool on a rooftop/deck. We went Christmas week, was an absolutely amazing and magical experience. Weather was warm enough as I remember shorts, swimming in the hotel pool, and also everyone was wearing those early 90s f@nny packs then, coordinating outfits in the most flourescent colors.

The 2nd time I went with my wife and 1 other couple before any of us had children ~2012. We were in the Gulf coast area of FL and took a 1 day/overnight diversion over to WDW. We stayed ON property at one of those generic chains but its on property. Price wasn't bad etc. We caught the free bus and did the park hopper and enjoyed a morning at MK, followed by monorail trip for the afternoon and evening at Epcot. New FantasyLand was under construction behind walls with posters of what was to come. Food & Wine was happening, which I didn't even know about, major bonus. Was 2nd week Nov, back when it was a quiet time there, weather was great and minimal lines. Wonderful day.

this upcoming trip, even being off property, with my own kids will be an upgraded experience from what I had, but I wouldn't change a thing about it.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

I'm planning my first trip in over 20 years, so for me the price is a big factor.