Why I will always stay on-site.

[flynnibus]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I guess I made the post because here people treat those of us who stay on site as some type of idiots who are unable to really figure out why we choose to sacrifice and stay on site. That we are too dumb to know there are cheaper options, lol I figured out how to google. We carefully make the decision to do so.

Lol, I totally know the feeling, heck my home city of New York is unaffordable for most of us who grew up there. The people I know who choose on-site are not rolling in dough, most of us sacrifice plenty to do so.
I was pretty much responding to the thread that questions if any one would stay on site.
Yes they will

Aren’t you a dvc owner? And is this on points?

 

[england1]

WE have stayed at AKL for the last 5 holidays there are some great rooms that come as a standard view and you still get all the animals outside your balcony
As soon as us Brits are allowed to travel we will be booking this hotel again

 

[SammyMF]

Staying on site is costing me a significant premium than it would otherwise but its impossible to beat the convenience and reduced stress than staying elsewhere. Going to be pretty stressful and tiring at the parks as it is. Dont have to worry about renting a car or paying the parking fees. Also the usual stuff everyone knows.

Business would say losing these extras is trimming the fat. Well, maybe so. But fat lends that extra taste making a good steak a great one. That said, Disney is spending billions of dollars upgrading and adding to the parks instead of leaving them exactly as they were 20 years ago. That money has to come from somewhere.

But yea, 3k a night for that new Star Wars place? That just obscene. For that price I would expect a totally authentic and working blaster that I can use to go around shooting cast memb.... er... the First Order.

 

[castlecake2.0]

Staying on site is costing me a significant premium than it would otherwise but its impossible to beat the convenience and reduced stress than staying elsewhere. Going to be pretty stressful and tiring at the parks as it is. Dont have to worry about renting a car or paying the parking fees. Also the usual stuff everyone knows.

Business would say losing these extras is trimming the fat. Well, maybe so. But fat lends that extra taste making a good steak a great one. That said, Disney is spending billions of dollars upgrading and adding to the parks instead of leaving them exactly as they were 20 years ago. That money has to come from somewhere.

But yea, 3k a night for that new Star Wars place? That just obscene. For that price I would expect a totally authentic and working blaster that I can use to go around shooting cast memb.... er... the First Order.

I agree with you first point, the biggest perk of staying on property is staying on property. My extended family comes every year, and usually will stay at a house in champions gate, but every third year or so will splurge to stay on property. It’s more expensive than the house but everyone always comments on how much easier it is, more immersive, not worrying about traffic on the I4 etc. They can’t afford to do it every trip, but they always like those trips best because it’s just so much less stressful. And for my family they never really bothered EMH so no biggie there. The magical express is a loss for sure, but we used to take the mears shuttle before magical express existed so we will survive

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Glad you are able to stay onsite. Not everyone can afford it. People will continue to pay Disney prices, but I definitely think lots of people are looking offsite as well. Lots of repeat visitors I know just don't see the value in it anymore. Annual passes have more than doubled in the last 10 years and value resort prices are what moderate resorts were priced at not too long ago. Yes, they have given us some new things, but they have also taken away a lot of things that help make Disney stand out from the rest (free FP, EMH, free DME..) We are diehard Disney fans. Animal Kingdom Lodge is our favorite resort. But we are starting to see that WDW vacations are getting in line with the pricing for Disney Cruise Line. And the service on the cruises is 100% better than at WDW or DL. We will probably switch to cruises now as we see the value in those better than a WDW vacation now. But people will still continue to pay Disney's insane prices for less perks than they were getting a year ago.

 

[drizgirl]

Good morning gang
Currently here at the Animal kingdom lodge, sitting on the balcony and experiencing an outstanding peace from nature, I hear the soft sounds of African chanting being played, it is a magical way to start my day. This is what my vacations are for. Yes I am totally aware of what is available off site at a cheaper price. Some things for me are worth the cost. So I can safely say, YES people will stay on siteView attachment 584895View attachment 584896View attachment 584897

sorry for the grainy pictures, the files were too big and I had to resize themView attachment 584898

Translation: Disney, come take my money!

And BTW, no doubt people will stay onsite. Nobody said they wouldn't. The question is will they do so in high enough numbers to continue charging what they do. I always assumed the answer was yes, but they're getting into uncharted territory with the increasing prices and decreasing services department.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Aren’t you a dvc owner? And is this on points?

Yes and yes. But we have done offsite, actually the reason we became dvc members was because we hated off site big time. Interestingly enough our sales rep was rely good in that she repeatedly warned us that the perks were NOT the reason to purchase.

 

[jaklgreen]

I always stay on site. As a solo, female traveler, I like the benefits that it gives me. I don't have to worry about driving there with a bunch of other tourists that have no idea where they are going, plus I feel safer being inside the bubble. I have priced it out over the years, and when it is just me going, it is cheaper to stay on site, then to go through the hassle of staying off site, getting a car, etc.

 

[flynnibus]

every affordability/value post can stop now... as the OP is staying on pre-paid, committed dues. It's not even the same dialogue to talk about onsite vs offsite and value when you're comparing with a DVC stay.

 

[Andrew25]

If you are DVC, of course you will stay onsite, not sure what you contribute to this discussion. As I see it, this topic is for non-DVC guests who are questioning the rational of staying at a Disney resort hotel.

 

[flynnibus]

If you are DVC, of course you will stay onsite, not sure what you contribute to this discussion. As I see it, this topic is for non-DVC guests who are questioning the rational of staying at a Disney resort hotel.

This topic was started by a DVC owner boasting about their DVC room and stay.. so you might want to rethink your statement.

 

[eliza61nyc]

This topic was started by a DVC owner boasting about their DVC room and stay.. so you might want to rethink your statement.

Lol anyone notice that if you complain and rant against Disney, you're just asking a question but if you say you love your accommodations you're "boasting". But I recognize here the old adage "it's easier for people to critize than compliment " is sooo true

As I said before yes I have paid cash for stays (don't have enough points to go as often as I've been) and my second part of this trip will be a regular cash stay

But hey I don't have a problem boasting, the Animal kingdom lodge is a fabulous resort. One of the best on site.

Anyhow, again it was in answer to another thread, and judging by my conversation with guest now, yes people will pay to stay onsite.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

AKL is a tricky one for me. I'm not a big fan of it if we're planning on hitting the parks, but I love it for trips where we've built in a lot of resort time. So, while I could see staying there, it's not a top choice for us if we're planning any significant time in the parks. When it comes to onsite stays, if I'm going to pay the premium, I want a better location. Sure, the bus service has always been good for us at AKL, but it's no match for being able to walk to Epcot from BC, YC or BW, or even the walk to MK from Contemporary. Even those resorts with prime locations have us scratching our heads and debating if the ones with top convenience are even worth it. We stayed at BWV last trip and while the convenience was nice, I still don't know if it was worth it.

 

[SteveAZee]

This topic was started by a DVC owner boasting about their DVC room and stay.. so you might want to rethink your statement.

I've visited WDW many times since 1973... Ft Wilderness, Contemporary, Beach Club... then bought DVC which I had for about 15 years... sold it... stayed offsite ONCE, have rented points a few times, and now I'm buying back in to DVC... in part as a cost saving measure. Personally, I enjoy going to WDW every few years and determined the best and most cost effective solution to the problem of escalating prices is to buy back in to DVC. Am I boasting? Dunno. I'm just trying to manage the costs while still staying in the bubble.

 

[england1]

Being in the UK the biggest bonus we get for staying on site was the free Dinning Plan, with 5 of us all classed as adults the cost of food in the nicer places soon adds up over 14 days. not having to worry about driving, parking, we have done all the other parks about and just get a cab.
Disney will always put their costs up, and people will still keep coming maybe not as often, if Disney put their prices up 10% and 10% of people stop coming they will not worry about that.
The cost of some of the posh hotels in London are madness anything from £2000 a night plus, watched a programme the other week the Savoy their top room was £20,000 a night

 

[eliza61nyc]

Well the 2nd half of our vacation and we've moved to the beach club, lol I'm sure some will be happy to hear we are paying cash for this room.
We love this resort primarily for its location. We walk to both Epcot and Hollywood studios. At the end of a long hot day FOR US, that alone is worth its weight in gold.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This topic was started by a DVC owner boasting about their DVC room and stay.. so you might want to rethink your statement.

Nobody was boasting.

 

[Deanieb59]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I guess I made the post because here people treat those of us who stay on site as some type of idiots who are unable to really figure out why we choose to sacrifice and stay on site. That we are too dumb to know there are cheaper options, lol I figured out how to google. We carefully make the decision to do so.

Lol, I totally know the feeling, heck my home city of New York is unaffordable for most of us who grew up there. The people I know who choose on-site are not rolling in dough, most of us sacrifice plenty to do so.
I was pretty much responding to the thread that questions if any one would stay on site.
Yes they will

I didn't come up with it and its old as hell but still applies--"To each his own"--its not a contest.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

To me, there's something special about staying on site.

 

[DfromATX]

Being in the UK the biggest bonus we get for staying on site was the free Dinning Plan, with 5 of us all classed as adults the cost of food in the nicer places soon adds up over 14 days. not having to worry about driving, parking, we have done all the other parks about and just get a cab.
Disney will always put their costs up, and people will still keep coming maybe not as often, if Disney put their prices up 10% and 10% of people stop coming they will not worry about that.
The cost of some of the posh hotels in London are madness anything from £2000 a night plus, watched a programme the other week the Savoy their top room was £20,000 a night

I wouldn't describe any of the Disney hotels as posh, not even the Grand Floridian. It's fancy and nice for sure, but not posh. I've been pricing hotels in London recently. There are many nice ones in the $200-$300 per night range. At least they look nice online.