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Will anyone stay on site any longer?
- Thread starter Jeff4272
- Start date
SteveAZee
Premium Member
It's great to have a rental car, especially at OKW where you can park just outside your room. If all of us are going to one place, we'll all pile in (we're all adults). If there are divergent plans, some may take the car, others the Disney transportation. Coming back or park hopping, also good to have Disney Transport and the car as needed. Also great for doing the liquor and food runs. I've thought about skipping the car and using Uber instead as the backup to Disney transport, or even Minnie Vans if they return. I need to compare pricing, along with grocery delivery services.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
Been to Volcano Bay for a friend having sort of a bachelor party type thing. It was fine. It’s a water park. There was that one thing where they shoot you through a tube that was pretty cool, and the wristbands that function like a FP were helpful.
Of course, someone had to
in the large pool area and we all had to get out.ok, then he’s not an old man.
I had no interest in Potter until I stumbled across the first movie on HBO in a hotel years later. Surprisingly liked it. Echoes of Star Wars abound. I’d go to Uni at some point just for Potter (with a bonus side of Jurassic Park.)
But haven’t been in about 15 years, when I took someone I didn’t want to spend Disney money on. (We broke up on the way home.)
When I’ve looked at non-AP park tix in the last few years, it didn’t seem worth it.
LovePop
Well-Known Member
When I think about it, the truth is, the onsite hotels will stay full like always, and the offsite hotels will mostly do well also. I don't know the proportion of onsite - offsite hotel rooms, but just by looking at travel sites, there are a ton of both. Many people probably stay at both, some trips on, some trips off. And they each have benefits, depending on a person's situation and needs. There's nothing wrong with doing either, and there are advantages for both sides.
Personally, I think only the Disney hotels are magical. The offsite hotels are missing the magic. On the other hand, I did stay at a cheap offsite hotel once. Where it lacked magic, it made up with convenience. The hotel was located next to a convenience store and a gift shop. The hotel had a microwave and fridge. Whenever I needed food and water, I walked to the convenience store and bought freshly baked bread, jug of water, gallon of milk, pre-cut fruit, hot from the oven pizza, for a pittance. It was like free dining when free dining wasn't available. When I wanted Disney stuff like a Minnie shirt, or a new swim suit for the kids, I walked to the gift shop and paid half price or less for brand name stuff. Also within a 5 minute walk was a restaurant that served fantastic food, better than anything I've ever had at WDW restaurants, for half the price. We ate there 3 times during our trip. There were a ton of other restaurants too. We ubered to the parks and back, never waited for the bus in the hot sun or pouring rain, never stopped at other hotels and always had a seat.
Compare that to the fact that if I want to feed the kids breakfast at Caribbean Beach, it's a 20 minute round trip walk to the food court, not to mention waiting in line to get the food and then eating it. And that's when I stayed at the preferred rooms; standard rooms take even longer.
Afterward my offsite attempt, I decided to never do it again. It's not magical, buying food from some grubby convenience store while I'm on vacation, or buying merch from discount gift shops. The convenience and the money saved wasn't worth the loss of magic. However, I can totally see myself doing it again if saving money is important. One can save a ton of money staying offsite, not only from the room cost difference (counting uber expenses), but also from the food and merch expenses. And one still enjoys Disney magic while in the parks.
Personally, I think only the Disney hotels are magical. The offsite hotels are missing the magic. On the other hand, I did stay at a cheap offsite hotel once. Where it lacked magic, it made up with convenience. The hotel was located next to a convenience store and a gift shop. The hotel had a microwave and fridge. Whenever I needed food and water, I walked to the convenience store and bought freshly baked bread, jug of water, gallon of milk, pre-cut fruit, hot from the oven pizza, for a pittance. It was like free dining when free dining wasn't available. When I wanted Disney stuff like a Minnie shirt, or a new swim suit for the kids, I walked to the gift shop and paid half price or less for brand name stuff. Also within a 5 minute walk was a restaurant that served fantastic food, better than anything I've ever had at WDW restaurants, for half the price. We ate there 3 times during our trip. There were a ton of other restaurants too. We ubered to the parks and back, never waited for the bus in the hot sun or pouring rain, never stopped at other hotels and always had a seat.
Compare that to the fact that if I want to feed the kids breakfast at Caribbean Beach, it's a 20 minute round trip walk to the food court, not to mention waiting in line to get the food and then eating it. And that's when I stayed at the preferred rooms; standard rooms take even longer.
Afterward my offsite attempt, I decided to never do it again. It's not magical, buying food from some grubby convenience store while I'm on vacation, or buying merch from discount gift shops. The convenience and the money saved wasn't worth the loss of magic. However, I can totally see myself doing it again if saving money is important. One can save a ton of money staying offsite, not only from the room cost difference (counting uber expenses), but also from the food and merch expenses. And one still enjoys Disney magic while in the parks.
Review: Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a premier resort within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features
www.disneytouristblog.com
Read that and then tell me why you would ever stay on WDW property again?
Cheaper, nicer, better theme, express pass, etc., etc., etc.
No Magical Express, no free magic bands, no FP+ booking at 60 days, no free parking.......
Joke
SteveAZee
Premium Member
I hope you have an excellent time there... it looks nice.Review: Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a premier resort within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features
Read that and then tell me why you would ever stay on WDW property again?
Cheaper, nicer, better theme, express pass, etc., etc., etc.
No Magical Express, no free magic bands, no FP+ booking at 60 days, no free parking.......
Joke
Oh yeah I did and it is awesome.......Just bought LL passes with my extra money i saved......Hope that doesnt make your line longer!
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
Portofino Bay looks great, but there's a reason they can't charge as much as Disney.
Does the comparison even matter? Disney is simply more popular.
It's comparing two different products, two different experiences, where a clear preference exists.
People make the same comparisons with ticket prices. They gripe that an annual pass to Knott's or Universal is a fraction of Disney's cost. Why don't they simply go to non-Disney parks for their theme park fix in that case? Because they don't want to. They want Disney. They gripe, but they still pay the Disney premium.
Does the comparison even matter? Disney is simply more popular.
It's comparing two different products, two different experiences, where a clear preference exists.
People make the same comparisons with ticket prices. They gripe that an annual pass to Knott's or Universal is a fraction of Disney's cost. Why don't they simply go to non-Disney parks for their theme park fix in that case? Because they don't want to. They want Disney. They gripe, but they still pay the Disney premium.
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
Lol, 3 sons and not one of them likes or every like HP. My middle didn't go on his senior trip because he didn't want to go to Universal.
May I ask you something, I don't mean to sound rude so I apologize in advance . Is the almighty dollar so important that you would go some where you didn't like just because it was cheaper? Is it really so hard to believe that there are those who really have no interest in Universal?
Whats not to like? And thats not the point at all........
The hotels are better than WDW hotels.........Why would you pay more for a worse hotel?
Im not saying to not to to WDW...Im saying go to WDW and pay thousands of dollars less to stay in a nicer hotel
Why is that so hard to fathom?
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
Easy because I want to see animals when I sit on my patio. I want to walk out of my door and be at epcot
I pay 10's of thousands of dollars more in property tax because I am a city gal, I want to live in center city. Yes I could get a bigger house for less money outside the city but I'd hate it. Moved to the suburbs for better school when the kids were little, lol husband and I had "for sale" sign on that suckered 3 days after the last graduation.
Not hard to phantom IF that is where you want to be. So for me I have different priorities, my happiness is waaay more important than my wallet. We have stayed off site and hated it so that's what is not to like. No don't want to stay offsite and have to drive, yes I know it's easy, still don't want to do it.
All good, like I said whole bunch of things I put before the cost.
Lol when Universal builds a hotel at international gateway, I'll be there
SteveAZee
Premium Member
It does remind me a little of Mac vs PC or VHS vs Beta.
SteveAZee
Premium Member
Beta was indeed better quality video. VHS won because the decks were cheaper and their tapes would record for 8 hours instead of 6. I'm guessing Disney is Beta (or was) and Uni is VHS.We are DVC members and annual passholders at both WDW and Universal.
It is a bit of Mac vs PC comparison. (Hey, everyone knows Beta was the better technology!)
IMO, the Disney product brand has a wider appeal than Universal's. Generalizing, WDW appeals to both the very young and the very old. Universal is more focused on thrill rides, which has a smaller audience.
For example, the Wizzarding World of Harry Potter (both parts) is simply the best land in Orlando. Theming is incredible! But the rides are not for everyone. The 3 major attractions (all of which are great) have height restrictions of 42" or more.
Conversely, Universal's primary Deluxe Resort onsite benefit (Express Pass) blows Disney out of the water. In addition, Universal's hotels often are close to half the price of Disney's comparable hotels.
This thread is titled, "Will anyone stay on site any longer?"
With Disney eliminating the best onsite benefits, anyone who is interested in both WDW and Universal should go with Universal and not look back.
Disney really thinks they can take away the best reasons for staying onsite and you'll keep paying for their ridiculously overpriced hotels. Why would you want to give your hard-earned money to a company that treats you like that?
I do think that its bad that Disney is pulling perks. For me personally, I like staying on property regardless of perks. Lately I've stayed only at OKW and I think of it as a really nice resort that happens to be really, really close to theme parks I really enjoy. Renting DVC points cut the rack rate in about half for a room, and now buying in cuts that price nearly in half again, plus I have my grown kids chip in and we go as a group, so personally I'm pretty insulated from the crazy on site price increases that are going on (minus ticket and Genie+ stuff) so perhaps I've just found a path that lets me stay in the bubble a while longer. Never used DME, I still get free parking (burned into contract), and yearly maintenance fees are generally predictable. I also can eat in the room more often since more and more the food becomes both mediocre and terribly expensive.
I do realize most people don't want to take this route. Understandable. There are ways to mitigate what Disney is doing, though.
TheGuyThatMakesSwords
Well-Known Member
In answer to original question....
NO. DVC owners, Blue Card, and selling as fast as we can...
NO. DVC owners, Blue Card, and selling as fast as we can...
cjack300zx
Well-Known Member
Yes
Club Cooloholic
Well-Known Member
It's always been closed when we went in January. Sounds fun though.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
This was early February 2019.
I understand why they do seasonal closures, it was absolutely dead. However, if you're going to use VB to sell your property as a multi-day 3-park experience, you kind of have to keep the water park open.
lunchbox1175
Well-Known Member
Definitely going to be re-evaluating it. I have always stayed on property, and was considering investing in DVC, but my brain doesn't like the paying more for less options/perks that is now happening. My heart will always want to stay on property, but I'm just not sure the ease of transportation on site is enough of an incentive on its own. Have a trip in November planned with some friends, and then another next May with my kids that are older and have never been together. After that, it may be a very long time before i see myself going back and staying on property, or even at all. I understand raising prices due to inflation, and changes in offerings on things due to Covid. But i feel like Charge More and Offer Less is the new CEO gameplan.
Review: Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a premier resort within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features
Read that and then tell me why you would ever stay on WDW property again?
Cheaper, nicer, better theme, express pass, etc., etc., etc.
No Magical Express, no free magic bands, no FP+ booking at 60 days, no free parking.......
Joke
Just personal opinion and I can only speak from videos - Portofino looks very dated (the rooms need some work) and nothing about it really says deluxe to me, compared to any deluxe hotel anywhere. It's got good theming, but so does AKL for example. And I disagree with your article - Yacht/Beach don't lose to Portofino.
Hard Rock- yikes, the entire concept is dated at this point. Ooh Taylor Swift's microphone...Axl Rose's guitar pick!
But now Royal Pacific...that's a hotel I really want to stay at.
So if we do a Universal Trip, we will definitely stay at Royal Pacific.
Also, I think Universal's moderate category wins against Disney - Cabana Bay looks like a lot of fun! They did an excellent job with the theme.
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