Anyone else feel that there's an enormous difference in quality

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In case you hadn't noticed, this thread is about the quality of on-site stays versus off site. There will be a diversity of perspectives on this.

uh huh because that was the point of that comment..mmmkkk

 

[Planogirl]

I vaguely remember a time when only hotel guests were supposedly allowed to use Disney transportation. I also remember how little it was enforced. I imagine that Disney got tired of empty restaurants and let that go.

 

[Monykalyn]

lthough off site vacationers do not have a resort room to go freshen up or nap.

Um-offsite vacationers also have a room to go to freshen up. The world doesn't actually end just outside Disney property...I've timed some buses from time I walk up to when I walk into my room, vs walking to my car/tram to walking into my offsite property. Yes even at park close or open. There isn't as big of a difference when you actually run a timer (vs the perception of that time). For example: Marriott sabal Palms is about 15 minutes from door to DHS park gate (and I know this for sure due to forgetting my magic band one Star wars weekend when I was trying to get to DHS for the storm trooper opening).

But a lot of offsite resorts and vacation homes are just as close to the parks (time-wise) as some of the Disney resorts. And no one from housekeeping is going to barge in, interrupting your rest, in order to do a "security" check

less money, bigger space, nicer rooms. I can BUY a giant stuffed Mickey for the "ambiance" and still come out ahead. Often we can park closer than the walk to wait for a bus. and wait for a bus. and wait for a bus. By that time I am back in my third world room after braving the wilds of Florida (according to what some must think the rest of Orlando is like LOL).

As I said it's been that way since at least 2011..what's the year you stopped needing a resort ID?

More like early 1990's. In fact I don't remember ever being asked for ID when I did my DCP in 1991 (back when you could still go in the lake at the Grand Floridian beach-I have photographic evidence of that glorious time )

Disney chooses to allow non-resort guests access, because it suits their business model. In the past, it did not.

In the past it was a different company or different division of the company so maybe it was because of accounting purposes? WED Transportation company? As WDW expanded it would have become a nightmare to stop and ask every single guest every single time for ticket or ID. So of course it fits their business model.

I like my onsite stays and I like my offsite stays. One isn't superior over the other.

 

[HopperFan]

Anyone else feel that there's an enormous difference in quality
between the following two types of vacations:

1. On-site stay (prefarably at deluxe or at least moderate level). Parks from RD to about 1 pm-ish. Resort/pool from about 1 pm-sh to about 5 pm-ish. Dining is mostly table service (and preferably at the signature level for most dinners).

2. Off-site stay. Parks are typically done commando style (RD to closing). Dining is mostly counter service, brown bag, or off-site.

To me, there's just no comparision between these two types of vacations and
I continually tell people who have only experienced the second type that they don't know what they're missing.

That being said, I realize that there are two huge caveats here:

1. The first type of vacation tends to be substantially more expensive than the second type (especially, if you don't own or rent DVC and have a large family). Many people just can't justify that expense.

2. Different strokes for different folks. Some people just love the parks and would honestly rather spend the whole day in them (as opposed to going back to a hotel in the afternoon).

I also think that some people err toward commando style because they feel that they need to get their "money's worth" out of those expensive tickets (and, as alluded to above, getting your "money's worth" is subjective).

People also often understandably err toward staying off-site for a number of reasons, particularly more lodging for the buck (and the larger the group size, the more this tends to be true), especially if they're planning to visit more than just Disney on their vacation.

But, having experienced the second type of vacation growing up and having experienced the first type of vacation in recent years, for me, the first type of vacation just blows the second type out of the water. In fact, I'd probably never go to WDW again if limited only to the second type of vacation.

First I'll say my mantra which is in my signature ...
"There is no right way or wrong way to do Disney, just what is right for you!"

Second I'll say I have been staying ON site and OFF site since 1970, with onsite being somewhere in the 130+ stays. And I do not agree with your assessment. I especially disagree with your statement that it is an err ... "mistake or doing it wrong" if one stays offsite. Personally, having experienced both, I would never give up going to Disney World just because I couldn't stay onsite .... that makes no sense. Actually have had some great offsite stays, and some disappointing onsite stays.

Playing devils advocate thoughts -

- Some people thoroughly enjoy having lots of space, not crammed in beds, having multiple bathrooms, having a kitchen, laundry and better yet some of these places come with private pools they don't have to share with hundreds of other folks.
- Some people embrace getting a real legit deluxe hotel and hotel room ... and for less money.
- Some people want to be in a large resort with great pools, lots of kids activities, live music, bars & restaurants that are not grossly ovepriced ... all for less money than a Disney value resort.
- Some folks enjoy Universal, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and other attractions that are easy to get to when not staying on Disney property ... and more affordable when not paying Disney's inflated hotel rates.
- Some folks enjoy prompt and responsive housekeeping, ones who honor Do Not Disturb signs and have no issue delaying housekeeping.
- Some folks like to drive to parks and not ride packed buses especially at the end of the day when there are smelly & cranky folks.
- Some folks like saving enough money to do Disney more times.
- Some folks don't care about EMH and know how to work the FP+ system so they don't miss out on anything.

There just isn't anything Disney offers that can counter what I can pay for something much nicer offsite .... but I still stay at Disney for some trips because that is what works for that trip. Every trip for me is different, just like every guest group is different ........... some only stay onsite, some only stay offsite, some like us do both ............ I would never tell someone their way is wrong.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

More like early 1990's. In fact I don't remember ever being asked for ID when I did my DCP in 1991 (back when you could still go in the lake at the Grand Floridian beach-I have photographic evidence of that glorious time )

In the past it was a different company or different division of the company so maybe it was because of accounting purposes? WED Transportation company? As WDW expanded it would have become a nightmare to stop and ask every single guest every single time for ticket or ID. So of course it fits their business model.

I like my onsite stays and I like my offsite stays. One isn't superior over the other.

I was pretty certain it had been quite some time but my memories of my earlier trips are pretty fuzzy and alas my google skills were not with me when I tried searching earlier lol.

Thanks for the background information .

 

[karamay]

...and most of the posts are pointing out that it is a generalization and the assumptions made are incorrect.

There are not just two extreme ways to enjoy a WDW vacation. It isn't a black or white situation...but gray. A little bit of everything.

I'm actually neither 1 or 2. On property with a more commando style in the parks and rarely choose a signature meal although most are a balance between CS and TS.

Agree. We

I'm not mad, but I giggled when I read this, how you keep saying old.

I suppose 44 seems old to someone who is 26, but we love to hang at the pool with a cocktail in the middle of the day when it's less crowded, nothing to do with being tired or needing a break.

It's funny 40's seemed old in my 20's, now it feels young. 50's seemed old in my 30's, now it seems middle-age. My parents are almost 80 and finally relented to say they "might" be getting older.

I am there with you. Just turned 47 and we bought DVC last month. Can't wait for our first trip and whether it be relaxing by the pool or hitting the parks all day (which we can handle), we are looking forward to staying on site and a much needed Disney vacation.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

meh. We stay off site, the last few times have been Wyndham Bonnet Creek at less than $100/night for a beautiful condo. The resort is amazing, with beautiful pools and a lazy river, a gorgeous walking path around a lake, a splash park and playground, daily resort activities, running trails, and a quick drive to the parks. Typically have an easy breakfast in-room, and use the money we saved staying off site to do a mix of counter service and table service meals. We aren't huge eaters, so prefer not to do too many buffet or table service style. Sometimes we go ofd site for a meal. We do non-park days, beach days, and resort days. We choose to spend our $150 meal at a truely upscale beachside restaurant with fresh seafood and an amazing view. We have APs so never pay for parking (unlike those staying on site).

Your original post reeks of humble-brag. It seems that you think us off-siters are just pinching every penny and having an inferior experience. Go ahead and judge, I'll be laughing all the way to the bank while I save thousands on my amazing vacations. And then I'll use those thousands for other fun experiences when we get home. I don't care how much you make, money is finite and the less you spend at one place, the more you have available to spend somewhere else.

 

[Nancyg56]

Your original post reeks of humble-brag. It seems that you think us off-siters are just pinching every penny and having an inferior experience. Go ahead and judge, I'll be laughing all the way to the bank while I save thousands on my amazing vacations. And then I'll use those thousands for other fun experiences when we get home. I don't care how much you make, money is finite and the less you spend at one place, the more you have available to spend somewhere else.

I think it is more of an inability to recognize that we all have different styles and preferences for vacations in general and Disney vacations specifically. I have heard people argue the merits of Dining plans, on site vs off site, breaks, resort levels, commando vs meandering. Longer, shorter, early morning or sleeping in. I do not understand what there needs to be any judgement at all. I came home one time needing a vacation from the Disney vacation and swore never again. I know folks who would cringe if they came home feeling like they had just had a nice nap.
Personally I wish people could just respect that there is no wrong way to do Disney and no wrong way to vacation.

 

[Farro]

meh. We stay off site, the last few times have been Wyndham Bonnet Creek at less than $100/night for a beautiful condo. The resort is amazing, with beautiful pools and a lazy river, a gorgeous walking path around a lake, a splash park and playground, daily resort activities, running trails, and a quick drive to the parks. Typically have an easy breakfast in-room, and use the money we saved staying off site to do a mix of counter service and table service meals. We aren't huge eaters, so prefer not to do too many buffet or table service style. Sometimes we go ofd site for a meal. We do non-park days, beach days, and resort days. We choose to spend our $150 meal at a truely upscale beachside restaurant with fresh seafood and an amazing view. We have APs so never pay for parking (unlike those staying on site).

Your original post reeks of humble-brag. It seems that you think us off-siters are just pinching every penny and having an inferior experience. Go ahead and judge, I'll be laughing all the way to the bank while I save thousands on my amazing vacations. And then I'll use those thousands for other fun experiences when we get home. I don't care how much you make, money is finite and the less you spend at one place, the more you have available to spend somewhere else.

And then you come back with poking at on-site guests on how much money they spend. No one can win.

On-site, off-site - IT'S TEARING US APART!!!

 

[Bostonbeans99]

Reading through the posts I don't know why anyone feels the need to prove which way is better. It's called "I'll do me, you do you."

Then we will all be happy at WDW

 

[TeacherDL]

We have truly thought about staying off site several times...just more room for my teenage girls...but then when it comes right down to it, we go with a deluxe or a villa. I'm just nervous to try offsite because we love staying at Disney so much. I know there are others that love offsite. That's why there are options for everyone...no right or wrong way...just whatever is good for your family.

 

[Huff]

Trouble I have with offsite is transportation. I have yet to find an offsite resort that has shuttles running fairly reliably every 15-30 minutes to/from parks from open to close. Many have set times in morning and evening, others require a reservation. Miss that and you have no transportation.

Using a rental car adds parking costs. If you park hop then a rental car is often far slower to either move it, or have to return later in day. Disney transportation at the resort is a big perk for us. As Disney raises rates it becomes a decision on how much can be saved offsite figuring in rental car or airport transfer costs, parking etc.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

Trouble I have with offsite is transportation. I have yet to find an offsite resort that has shuttles running fairly reliably every 15-30 minutes to/from parks from open to close. Many have set times in morning and evening, others require a reservation. Miss that and you have no transportation.

Using a rental car adds parking costs. If you park hop then a rental car is often far slower to either move it, or have to return later in day. Disney transportation at the resort is a big perk for us. As Disney raises rates it becomes a decision on how much can be saved offsite figuring in rental car or airport transfer costs, parking etc.

As a general guideline, when planning a trip, i budget $400 for a rental car including gas, plus $22 per day parking at Disney. We usually go around 6 park days, so add $132. That's about $550 rounded up to pay for transport and parking.

Then I compare the cost of a hotel: onsite deluxe (the only option we consider) is at its lowest, $350 per night, usually much much higher. That's $2500 a week for a hotel (usually much more). Our favorite hotels can usually be had for $150/night including taxes and fees, so that's around $1100 for that option. Doing my quick math, I see offsite at $1650, and onsite at $2500. That difference in price more than pays for our food, and we eat whenever and whatever we want.

Obviously the math leads to onsite if you want a moderate or value, but those rooms are tiny (even deluxe rooms are tiny), and we place a ton of value on having a full kitchen and having in-room laundry, which is easily found off site.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Trouble I have with offsite is transportation. I have yet to find an offsite resort that has shuttles running fairly reliably every 15-30 minutes to/from parks from open to close. Many have set times in morning and evening, others require a reservation. Miss that and you have no transportation.

Using a rental car adds parking costs. If you park hop then a rental car is often far slower to either move it, or have to return later in day. Disney transportation at the resort is a big perk for us. As Disney raises rates it becomes a decision on how much can be saved offsite figuring in rental car or airport transfer costs, parking etc.

Full disclosure--we always get a rental car on vacation it's just part of the cost for us (exceptions have been NYC and St. Lucia and Cape Cod {which in-laws had driven their car up so we used that}).

I will agree on the shuttles. Back in 2011 we stayed offsite with free shuttles but they weren't all that convenient especially the Universal one so we ended up driving a few days anyways.

Fast forward to 2017--we didn't plan it this way but we used our rental car everyday to get to WDW and USO parks. We went to 2 WDW parks per day too. The now added parking fee onsite with Disney adds an unsavory aspect to it for future trips.

As far as park hopping it was very easy for us to use it and we liked doing it on our time vs Disney's time. The waiting involved was for the parking tram and that was it rather than an unknown of a bus (I still remember the 45min we waited for an AK bus back in 2011 lol).

I can't speak to Disney's bus transportation in 2017 because we actually never used it (though like i mentioned it wasn't planned that way) but I do know it worked out fine enough for us to use the rental car and the rental car was nice when we wanted to go to CVS or the one time on arrival night that we went from All Stars to McDonald's for quick food and on our Universal days since we had stayed onsite at Disney the whole trip rather than do a split trip.

It's all how I think people prefer to travel. Disney transportation from resort to park wasn't a perk we used but we could have. Of course we did use the monorail though that is available to all guests to use. We used bus transportation from park to park back in 2011 though again that was available for all guests to use.

 

[Huff]

Doing my quick math, I see offsite at $1650, and onsite at $2500. That difference in price more than pays for our food, and we eat whenever and whatever we want.

Quite a number of offsite resorts that are on par with Disney deluxe's also charge for parking or resort fee's. Your style would also not work for us as we ALWAYS park hop to other parks and to various resorts for dinner or lunch. Having to go out of the park, walk to our car, drive elsewhere, shuttle or walk to next park or resort is a PITA and slow. We find Disney transportation far faster and easier. Sure you can use that but then you'd have to get back to your car. Again, a PITA! I could easily get a very nice 3 or 4* offsite hotel for about the same as I'm paying for a value or moderate but the convenience of onsite is worth some $'s to me.

 

[OneinThree]

Quite a number of offsite resorts that are on par with Disney deluxe's also charge for parking or resort fee's. Your style would also not work for us as we ALWAYS park hop to other parks and to various resorts for dinner or lunch. Having to go out of the park, walk to our car, drive elsewhere, shuttle or walk to next park or resort is a PITA and slow. We find Disney transportation far faster and easier. Sure you can use that but then you'd have to get back to your car. Again, a PITA! I could easily get a very nice 3 or 4* offsite hotel for about the same as I'm paying for a value or moderate but the convenience of onsite is worth some $'s to me.

Sure, it's all about being "right there" for many. I just really believe most people would be surprised just how much they are paying for that proximity. Going to guess that conservatively, it amounts to a $3000 difference for a week's stay between a Disney Deluxe, and an off-site with similar or better amenities.

 

[fla4fun]

I was pretty certain it had been quite some time but my memories of my earlier trips are pretty fuzzy and alas my google skills were not with me when I tried searching earlier lol.

Thanks for the background information .

Our first on property stay was 1986, and we had to show ID for transportation. We stayed at CR and they had someone stationed at the bottom of the escalator to check ID’s before going up to the monorail platform. We had to show the ID’s before boarding the boats on Bay Lake to go to Fort Wilderness when we went for HDD, and before boarding the bus for the Disney Village. Back then the ID cards were paper, and we would laminate them after we signed them to protect them. I’ll have to dig one out and see what it says about transportation on them. I agree it was early 90’s when that stopped because it was right about the time we moved from the Tampa Bay Area to Orlando, and were able to go to Disney anytime, not just on overnight trips.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our first on property stay was 1986, and we had to show ID for transportation. We stayed at CR and they had someone stationed at the bottom of the escalator to check ID’s before going up to the monorail platform. We had to show the ID’s before boarding the boats on Bay Lake to go to Fort Wilderness when we went for HDD, and before boarding the bus for the Disney Village. Back then the ID cards were paper, and we would laminate them after we signed them to protect them. I’ll have to dig one out and see what it says about transportation on them. I agree it was early 90’s when that stopped because it was right about the time we moved from the Tampa Bay Area to Orlando, and were able to go to Disney anytime, not just on overnight trips.

Thanks for sharing that information!

On a site note that would be such a cool memento if you still had those ID cards.

 

[fla4fun]

Thanks for sharing that information!

On a site note that would be such a cool memento if you still had those ID cards.

I know I have some in the old photo albums. It’s finding the albums that may be a challenge . . .They are in the same one from our first PO stay that had plastic key cards with patterns of holes to unlock the doors. When we first stayed at CR they had regular metal keys you turned back in at the end of the stay. The top of the key was shaped like the outline of the tower.

We stayed off property for years and never felt like we were missing out, but WDW was much smaller then. Even living where I can see WDW from my driveway, I prefer an on property stay to making day trips from the house. In the back of my mind I am always dreading the drive home when I do a day trip. I don’t stay in the parks nearly as late when I don’t stay on property.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Sure, it's all about being "right there" for many. I just really believe most people would be surprised just how much they are paying for that proximity. Going to guess that conservatively, it amounts to a $3000 difference for a week's stay between a Disney Deluxe, and an off-site with similar or better amenities.

I could stay 20 minutes away for free w/ my ILs and pay to stay on property...so for us it is a significant difference!