Why staying on site is worth it?

Ukdisneynerd

Ukdisneynerd

Member
I am planning a trip in sep 13, with my GF and we are planning to go with one of my friends and his GF.

To cut along story short I am after some testimonials for why staying on site (with free ddp) is better than a villa, which is what they would prefer to do, I have stayed on site and would never stay off site again as I love the whole on site experience.

I am aware that there are threads with a similar theam but want to consolidate as much info in to one thread.

Also anyone who prefers off sight id like to here your views on why on site is less preferable.

Thanks
 
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Florida_is_hot

Florida_is_hot

Well-Known Member
I do not think it is necessarily less expensive to stay off site.

Stayed at All Stars, Pop Century paid something like $75 a night.
For that I pay no parking, do not have to drive, get a little bit extra time at the parks in the morning or after regular close.
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Hmm!

Well flying in from the UK.Sorry Scotland.There's so much to see in Florida as a holiday vacation,Seaworld,Bush gdns,shopping malls,etc,etc. We've done all that in the past so the reason we stay onsite is just to get immersed in the whole Disney thing.It's hard to explain why WDW has converted me into an old Grumpy fan,but it just has.:ROFLOL:Some of my friends can't believe that I spend two weeks inside the magic bubble.I love it to pieces.:wave:
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Florida_is_hot said:
I do not think it is necessarily less expensive to stay off site.

Stayed at All Stars, Pop Century paid something like $75 a night.
For that I pay no parking, do not have to drive, get a little bit extra time at the parks in the morning or after regular close.
Click to expand...

Should have rephrased my post. It's less expensive when comparing apples to apples. In other words, a 2 bedroom villa offsite will be cheaper than a 2 bedroom DVC villa.
 
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Tinkerbella16

Tinkerbella16

Well-Known Member
I can't imagine staying off-site. Its just so convenient and we have always stayed at value/moderate resorts, so the cost is not too high at all. I love being picked up from the airport by DME, not worrying about my luggage, getting to the resort, and heading out to the parks right after we check-in. Its just part of the magic for us, and that feeling doesn't stop until we leave to go home. Disney transportation has always been great. I love how you are immersed in the magic 24/7. I would not get that feeling staying off-site. Plus you can choose the dining plan if you wish so your meals are payed for before the fun even begins.
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
tinkgrl1685 said:
I can't imagine not staying off-site. Its just so convenient and we have always stayed at value/moderate resorts, so the cost is not too high at all. I love being picked up from the airport by DME, not worrying about my luggage, getting to the resort, and heading out to the parks right after we check-in. Its just part of the magic for us, and that feeling doesn't stop until we leave to go home. Disney transportation has always been great. I love how you are immersed in the magic 24/7. I would not get that feeling staying off-site. Plus you can choose the dining plan if you wish so your meals are payed for before the fun even begins.
Click to expand...

You made a goof.:)
 
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Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Florida_is_hot said:
I do not think it is necessarily less expensive to stay off site.

Stayed at All Stars, Pop Century paid something like $75 a night.
For that I pay no parking, do not have to drive, get a little bit extra time at the parks in the morning or after regular close.
Click to expand...
It is much like the room discount vs free dining promotions in that you have to run the numbers to be sure. Quit often the price of an off property hotel is less than a Disney resort. However, when you factor in the price of a rental car, parking, etc, the savings tend to disappear. One area that you can consistently save a good bit of money off property is with a large party staying in a rental home.
 
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Chezman1399

Chezman1399

Active Member
Well for starters the cost of a room offsite may be a bit cheaper, however if you stay off site you'll be paying for parking($12+, I forget how much it is now), food(approx. $50 per person per day), gas to drive each day, less time in the parks, and probable high traffic when leaving the parks if staying until close. Just for the things I immediately thought of.
 
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Sharkreef11

Sharkreef11

Well-Known Member
Ultimately you will find on these threads that there are passionate people for on and off site. It's really what best suites your group. My family stays ON site for every trip. We can't imagine staying off site. As you will hear a lot on here, WDW offers this "magic bubble" that when you enter it, you are just emerged in this different world of happiness. You forget there's an outside world and fall in love with the place. Staying off site typically is because you aren't planning on doing strictly Disney. You may have other plans or other things you wanted to see.
 
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A

ann0d

Active Member
I am neutral about this, most places we stayed off site are much nicer than a lot of places on site. The only reason we stay on site so far is for the free dining. I personally enjoy getting a nice condo with a hot tub in our bathroom to come home after a long day at the park. The Marriot right outside of Disney was great. We were so close we could see the signs for Downtown Disney from our patio. We always rent a car so staying outside doesn't much matter to me.
 
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durangojim

durangojim

Well-Known Member
People often ask me why I go to Disney so often and where I stay. My answer is always the same: "I know I'm going to have a great time"
A big part of that is staying on property at Disney. When I go on a Disney vacation I want to do as little work as possible. So that means the moment I hit the airport in Detroit I don't have to worry about anything. Disney picks my luggage up for me in Orlando, I don't have to rent a car, I just get Magical Express. I don't have to worry about transportation to/from the resort to the parks, I just use Disney transport. And finally there are enough things to do and restaurants to eat at that if we're with our kids, or just alone as adults, we won't get bored and can have whatever experience we want, which include enjoying some adult beverages and not worrying about driving back to a hotel or villa.
 
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Kandi

Kandi

Active Member
The first three times we visited Disney we stayed in the I drive area butonce my brother got sick and my dad had to take him back to the hotel leaving my mum, sister and I with no transport back to I drive.

Since then we stay on site, once at POP and CS and the last 5 times at POFQ. Its easier for us as we can use the buses (we still hire a car to get to Walmart and go shopping) and if someone has to go back to the resort, the remaining people are not stuck without transportation. EMH are always a bonus aswell. Coming from the UK we take advantage of the free dining and overall staying on site has worked out cheaper for us.
 
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SAV

SAV

Well-Known Member
The only reason we decided to stay on-site this trip is because of the dining plan. And this trip it isn't even "free". My wife just likes the idea of having it paid so there is no guilt about paying the high prices for food when we are there. We paid for it and have to use it. Otherwise, I will go on the cheap and not eat much which makes her feel guilty for indulging in anything. I don't go to WDW for food.

With younger kids, late EMH aren't really a benefit to us and we try to avoid the early EMH parks since we don't hop.

Otherwise, Off-site gets you more for your money...especially with the various discounts that are available(even paying for parking). Generally the rooms are larger and nicer. We don't use resort transportation, so that's not an issue. I'm not into the whole "magic" thing that people always cite as a reason to stay on-site either. Theming is nice, but not something that would tip the scales to on-site if that were the only thing.
 
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disneygirl76

disneygirl76

Carey Poppins - Nanny and Disney Enthusiest
Ukdisneynerd said:
I am planning a trip in sep 13, with my GF and we are planning to go with one of my friends and his GF.

To cut along story short I am after some testimonials for why staying on site (with free ddp) is better than a villa, which is what they would prefer to do, I have stayed on site and would never stay off site again as I love the whole on site experience.

I am aware that there are threads with a similar theam but want to consolidate as much info in to one thread.

Also anyone who prefers off sight id like to here your views on why on site is less preferable.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I love staying on site so I will always try and make that happen. I've been very lucky and have been able to since 2005 with the exception of one year. That one year we stayed at Marriot Grand Vista with the use of my parents time share. So this year, my DH and I were to stay at the Poly and had to face the facts that just wasn't going to happen. So we asked my parents about the time share and they were going to let us use it. With having to pay for travel to and from the airport (b.c you can't use Magical Express if not staying on property), having to either rent a car or pay for transportation to and from (which cost us a freaking fortune when we did it in 2006 using Mears), and then having to pay for food and park tickets...we did the math and it was close to staying on property at a Moderate resort. So we are staying at PORS with free dining.

Now we can use the EMH, Magical Express and just get to enjoy being a part of the magic the entire trip.
 
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rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
1. Whimsically themed hotels. In a word, "atmosphere".

2. Easier access to the parks, as opposed to driving on a lost-tourist-infested road each morning and evening.

3. The option of driving your own vehicle within the Disney property, or riding a bus. Riding the buses can be a two-edged sword, but the good edge is a nice perk.

4. No parking fee at the parks if you drive your own vehicle.

5. A general "feeling". You never loose the Disney vibe when you stay at a Disney resort. It's hard to describe verbally, but it's there.
 
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bamillerpa

bamillerpa

Active Member
I'm definitely in the stay on site camp. I've done both but only stayed off property because it was free lodging with my husband's business trip. There's something about crossing the property line that changes me. The world seems cleaner, brighter, and better as soon as I'm on property. I stayed at the Gaylord Palms off property and the resort is beautiful and the easiest drive ever to the World but it still didn't feel like a Disney vacation. When we stay on property I love being able to stay later at the parks and I don't feel like I need to "sneak out" to avoid the rush at closing. I love the dining plan. We always get it free but I would purchase it if we didn't just so I know that our food is paid for. I love that everything is paid for when staying onsite and I love not having to carry around cash or keys when staying onsite. I even love the fact that I can have my credit card attached to my room key and all purchases sent back to the resort. It means I can shop whenever I feel like it and not worry about how I'm going to carry something around the park or pick it up at the end of the day. We stay at the Poly and I love riding the monorail or ferry back to my resort and still being able to see the MK from my resort so the magic is always there. It's not about price to me, it's about the experience and that's something that just isn't the same when staying off site.
 
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