offsite--can you convince me??

[Sher]

My family and I are big All-Star Movies fans. We find this to be more than adequate for our needs and have had 3 great experiences there. This year, we are going over the week before Easter. Because it is the peak season, our rate at ASMo is higher than we have ever paid and now I hear there is no more early entry so we are considering offsite. Here are my concerns, can any of you reassure me that offsite is the way to go??

1. we don't know this hotel (Hampton Inn Maingate East) It could be awful and ruin our trip

2. how will the travel back and forth to the parks go--will we get lost? will we encounter construction making that 1 mile take 40 minutes? will we be in stop and go traffic for an hour every night after the parks close?

3. Will it seem like less of a vacation if we encounter gas stations, Pizza Huts and Wal-marts every day?

We drive from Illinois and won't be going back to WDW for at least 2 years after this. I don't want to risk having a bad trip, but staying offsite would save us about $400.

Can anyone help me??

Sher

 

[tracycd]

Hi,
Have you thought about going to the down town disney hotels. They all offer a bus to the
parks.so you won't get lost. There are some great rates through Dreams Unlimited, on
this site. We got a great rate for the Best Western LBV through them.
Hope this helps a little.
Tracycd

 

[cdntowdw]

Hi Sher;
I would recommend off-site, but let me also add that we enjoyed three nights on-site at ASMO. But to compare the two - not much difference. We stayed at the HIMGE (I am assuming you will have your own car). We rented a car while in Orlando and found this hotel just as accessible, by very quiet roads, to WDW. A Disney Transportation Map helped us find our way around when on Disney Property. We had the added benefit of a fridge and microwave and only a block to Publix for groceries, either on our way to or back from Disney. It was not out of the way, or overly priced for Disney Area. We used the hotel for sleep and swim time at the end of our day (pools were very nice and warm with a great hot tub). Breakfast in our room made for an early start. We left about 8:15 to get front row parking at parks and first at the turnstiles all four days. But then again it was early November. We did not require mid-day breaks to our hotel. Just a little sitdown and snack in the parks was enough to keep us going. Just ask if you would like to hear more.

 

[Emme]

Sher,
We too are in the same dilema. I am booked at the Hampton Inn Maingate West for the week before Easter and am undecided about it. We have stayed offsite only once and on site 3 times.
1) Offsite was definately more relaxing for us...Once you left Disney and got back to your room and the pool it was quieter and just a more laid back atmosphere
2) Hampton Inns are suppose to be wonderful...free breakfast, fridge, microwave, cookies at night (I think that's great) and 3 stars
3) No early entry (need I say more)
4)Saved money...You must be saving at least $50 a night
5) The Hampton Inn is very close so driving shouldn't be too much of a headache and it's pretty direct so you really shouldn't get lost.

Just my opinions!

O.K. am I convincing you or me LOL!
Hope this helps IM me if you want to know more!

Emmy

 

[Russell]

We stayed at Port Orleans in 2000 with our one and five year olds. This November we're going with our now four and eight year old and plan to stay offsite. In 2000 we weren't in the resort for very long, it was expensive, and it took forever to get to the pool, the food, the bus stop. We love the Downtown Disney Marketplace with the Rainforest Cafe so this time I'm planning to stay at the Grosvenor which is a short walk across the street. I can use the Disney transportation at Marketplace, it's $65 a night, and I'm close to what I enjoy most. I'm still looking for reviews of Grosvenor but it's either that place or Courtyard which is nearby.

 

[Russell]

Oh, early entry is a thing of the past so staying onsite has lost a big advantage in my opnion.

 

[MulanMom]

Sher,

I guess the question you need to ask yourself is is it worth $400 to have peace of mind for your Disney trip not to be ruined? If you have deep reservations, or it doesn't feel right to stay offproperty, then don't do it. However, if you are open to a different experience, then go for it. I've been active on another Disney board for close to 8 years and always heard good things about the Hampton Inn.

As a DVC member, I really don't have much of an opportunity to stay offsite. However, we did on a few trips and it was fine. In fact, for our upcoming trip, we are splitting between off-site and OKW. Gosh, for less than the standard rate for a moderate (and only $35 more than AS) per night, I'm staying at a 1 BR villa comparable to OKW! With young children who enjoy time at the resort, it was a no-brainer for me!

Good luck with your decision. I know it's tough one to make first time around!

Sharon

 

[crusoe2]

Sher, I went thru the same thing last year - we were planning what was supposed to be the BIG trip and I wanted it to be perfect (of course). We waivered back and forth between staying onsite at WL with one of the great code rates or staying in a very luxurious villa for even less money. (Keep in mind, this was supposed to be our big, do-it-all, see-it-all trip.) I had the same concerns you've expressed - mainly the drive to and from the parks. We finally decided to try the villa. It turned out to be a beautiful place but we did run into alot of little aggravations because of the location - it just wasn't as convenient as what we were accustomed to and just wasn't what I had wanted for that trip. We wound up moving to WL and spending most of the week there, afterall, and I swore I would never stay off-site again. Famous last words. We are actually considering it for a 5 nite trip in June. Why?
Well, we figured out that our mistake wasn't so much staying off-site as it was staying off-site in an area we are not familiar with. We normally drive down to Kissimmee, come into town from the west (not thru Orlando) and go to the parks from that direction. Even tho we've only stayed in Kissimmee on one of our trips, we feel like we are in familiar territory there. The villa we rented was in Lake Buena Vista and we came in thru Orlando in lots of traffic. We didn't know our way around that area, didn't know the best place to go for groceries and the places to stay away from, there didn't seem to be any restaurants conveniently located between the villas and the parks, and so on. If I had that trip to do over again, I would definitely stay on-site from day one.
Now we are planning a budget trip for this summer. We don't plan to do alot of the extras on-site. We just want to get in as much time as we can at the parks and need to do this trip as cheaply as possible. For this trip it would be a waste of money to stay at a resort with alot of extras so I'm thinking we'll probably end up at the All Stars or off-site. (We have been tossing around the idea of staying at a moderate because we are going at a time when we can get a good discount. There would only be about $100 difference between the cost of a moderate and the cost of the All Stars.) But we could stay in Kissimmee for about half of what it would cost to stay on-site, even with the great discounts that are available.

Bottom line (and yes I am going to get there ) is that if you decide to stay off-site, choose an area you are already familiar with, find out everything you can about the hotel and what's around it, and keep asking questions here. You can use these boards to find out about road construction near your hotel or on-site, alternate routes to the parks, off-site attractions near your hotel, all kinds of things that will make your off-site stay easier and more enjoyable. But do go with your gut feeling about what will make you happy - I didn't do that and it nearly ruined a trip that we had been waiting years for. I hope this helps and that I didn't just confuse you more.

 

[cinlee3]

We were in Orlando over the Christmas Holiday. We stayed off-site for five nights and on-site for two.

We got our off-site hotel (Courtyard by Marriot at Little Lake Bryan) for $25/night on Priceline. The room was huge w/ two queen beds and refrig., the hotel was new and very clean. It had a great indoor/outdoor pool, food courts, arcade. Compare this to CBR at Disney for $163/night. The Courtyard was very close to DD and traffic was not a problem at all.

We were hardly in our CBR room and I really felt like we were wasting so much money by not spending our time there. I can see some benefits to staying onsite, but if I am saving that much money it is a no-brainer for me to stay off-site.

 

[Planogirl]

On the trip before our last, we stayed offsite due to tight finances. I was uncertain too but I had a car and I was VERY pleased with our hotel in Kissimmee. The drive was easy except when I got lost a few times on Disney property. I decided that these were just chances for me to explore WDW a little more.

I did honestly miss being onsite a bit but I LOVED having extra money for meals and souvenirs. I knew that we couldn't enjoy ourselves as much at the parks if we hadn't stayed offsite so it was worth it to me. And I would do it again without hesitation.

I agree though that if you'd miss the Allstars too much, then don't stay offsite. It would be a shame to be unhappy. Maybe the Downtown Disney hotels would be a good compromise?

 

[deena]

on repeated trips to Orlando and really wouldn't dream of doing it any other way because of all the pluses involved. There are so many wide variety of options available to individuals especially those traveling with families or large groups that are literally right next door to WDW at so much less whether villa, condo, suite, house, along with hotel room.

All of our vacations staying off-site have always been outstanding and overall excellent experiences. Many of the surrounding accomodations have all the particular amenities that we have found to make our entire vacation a very enjoyable time whether refridgerator, microwave, and complimentary breakfast buffets; easily convenient to a number of stores (Walmart, Publix, and Walgreens) to pick up any needed perishable items or forgotten. They are near a nice variety of restaurants and shopping venues which have not detracted from our stay but have enhanced it instead due to being in the middle of many great selections.

In addition, we love the extra allotment of room space at the end of the day; look forward to going back offsite at night to relax and leave huge crowds behind. The drive has been an easy stint up the road and the money saved has allowed longer stays per year, more meals in a variety of restaurants, greater ability to purchase souvenirs, and definitely doesn't break the bank in planning overall budget. So, I would highly recommend offsite having enjoyed it actually more than onsite and will continue to do so whenever making plans for a future trip.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Sher]

Thanks for all the replies. I am still debating. I'm hoping to hear from someone who has actually stayed at the Hampton Inn Maingate East. It sounds like lots of you have good experiences offsite.

Like I said, we don't need and won't use a lot of the amenities that many of you have mentioned. There are only 4 of us and we spend most of the time at the parks. We are looking to save as much money as possible over the $109 rate we already have at the All-Stars while still guaranteeing a clean room. The stories of broken bathroom fixtures and torn bedspreads followed by demands to be moved to another room that I have heard on these boards over the years are spinning through my head. All of your replies have been really positive, but if you are describing you experience offsite at a five star resort than it might not be comparable to what I will encounter at a $58 a night Hampton Inn.

Ok, I'm rambling. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I hope this thread has been helpful to others as well.

Sher

 

[MulanMom]

I don't know if this will help at all as it is hearsay, but...

Though I'm pretty new to this board, i've been active on another WDW one for 8 years. There was a member who visited WDW frequently and stayed in a range of places, from Contemporary to Junior Suite at the Swan/Dolphin. He always enjoyed staying offsite at the Hampton and comparing services provided at that hotel versus WDW, with Hampton coming out very favorably.

Save for someone coming forward who has stayed at the Hampton Inn, this is the best I could do for you! Maybe you ought to post another message thread with Hampton Inn Maingate in the thread title to generate some interest?

Good luck!

Sharon

 

[onceuponadream]

I know this is a little off your subject but..we are staying at ASSp (wanted movies but the DC discount wasn't available) in March. We were able to get a Disney Club discount of 15% off the value resorts. So instead of $109 is's $93. Only $16 a night but over 7 days it adds up. Are you a DC member and is there a DC discount available when you are traveling??

 

[Musky]

Sher, I can't tell you anything about this particular Hampton Inn, but I have stayed at several Hampton Inns in the past and have always been well pleased. They are more hotel-like, with interior hallways, than the All Stars, which to me seem like overpriced motels. They have a beautiful lobby with a breakfast area where you can eat the very nice complementary breakfast buffet. They are spotlessly clean and the first thing you notice when you walk into the lobby in the evening is the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. We were at Disney in October, we spent three nights at the All-Stars and 3 nights offsite. I would never, never, ever pay the extra money to stay onsite again, especially now that there is no early entry. I'm afraid I don't understand how seeing stores and restaurants could make your vacation any less enjoyable. To me, one of the most enjoyable things about a vacation is enjoying good food. Well, the meals we had at the All-Stars were the grossest, most overpriced food we've ever had in our lives. We had much better food (and much cheaper) offsite. And we never encountered any traffic at all (our hotel was in the same area as the Hampton Inn), but of course it was October and there was nobody there! I don't know what you might run into at Easter. Having said all that, though, I really think a lot of how much we enjoy a certain place is the attitude we have before we get there. I just couldn't understand before we went what could possibly be so wonderful about staying onsite, but I let people on this and other websites talk me into it. Sure enough, I hated it, and resented spending the extra money on it. I personally would have a better time staying at the Hampton and not fretting about wasting $400, but if you have it in your head (and heart) that your vacation is going to be ruined by staying offsite, then do what it takes to give you peace of mind.

Musky

 

[momtotwinglesx4]

Hi Sher,

This is off-topic, I know, but I tried to email you and it wouldn't let me. I see that you drive down from Galesburg IL--I'm in Galena, IL and we have always flown in the past. We will be driving down for the 1st time the end of April and I was wondering what route you take? I can't seem to figure out which way would be best (fastest!) and I'll have 4 kids and my mother in the van with me--yikes! My husband can't go this time, so I'll be doing ALL the driving. I really appreciate the advice!

Thanks,

Sue

 

[NancyIL]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Maingate East in Nov. 1997. The location was great - at the end of a fairly quiet street that is easily accessible by a stoplight. However - the hotel backs up to I-4 - so you could have some expressway noise, depending on the location of the room. The room had a sink outside the bathroom, as well as one inside. Continental breakfast was sufficient, and the pool was a nice size.