Question for those who stay off site from Walt Disney World

[spiceycat]

for the DVC rental calling - now you can call the resort directly. the problem the resort does not receive the reservation until 5 or 4 days before....

that is a long time to wait.

it is better to get a person who you can trust to make your reservations.

but yes I can see a conference call would work too.

 

[Zipitydooda]

We drive down, but generaly the amount you save offsight in a condo or resort will more than pay for your rental car! Either way, by using many of the fine websights (we use VRBO.COM --Thats Vacation Rentals by Owner) you can get such a good deal on a condo or house that it makes a hotel room pale by comparison. When it was just me and DW, we would stay on WDW property. With kids, there is no comparison!!! Stay in a villa.

 

[timon711]

Thanks for all the pro off-site opinions! Personally, I was afraid off-site wouldn't be as "magical" thus resulting in a disappointing vacation. After so much planning, my biggest fear is that we would regret being off-site and wouldn't enjoy this trip nearly as much as the last two on-site stays. You have all done a great job pointing out so many positive aspects of staying off-site.

Not sure if Disney charges extra $$ per night for more than 4 guests per room. If so, this might be one more reason an off-site villa, condo, or home would be a better choice.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

We got back from anohter off site stay just a couple of weeks ago. It again confirmed how much we get and how much we LIKE being off site. There are SO many new condo rentals being built that it is not all that hard to stay in a brand new resort only a few minutes from Disney. It is one way to have a more upscale vacation at a less expensive price and for us that means going more often! I could never go back to a WDW resort...all I would be doing is thiking that I could have stayed for three weeks instead of two for the same money!

 

[heart4dis]

We are a family of 6. Disney forces us into two rooms so it doubles our cost. The Wilderness Lodge exception is pricier than other off-site options which offer privacy for DH and I
Off-site we can get a suite that sleeps all 6 of us, often with a private bedroom for DH and me all at a cheaper rate and breakfast included. So it's a mixture of space and money.

I have stayed on-site and love the whole Disney experience, but for our money and the reality of our budget, we're happy sleeping off-site and playing on-site!

 

[queenof2princesses]

After our August trip to Hotel Royal Plaza and GALYLORD PALMS!!! for less than the values, we will NEVER (uh-oh never say never, right?) stay on-site again. I am now looking for a 5bed house for our extended family of 11 to stay together next December. I am estimating our week stay to be comparable to a week stay on site for the 4 of us! The amenties that you get off-site just go so far beyond staying on-site. My kids are sold on Gaylord Palms, after staying at Pop and All-Stars, we jumped to 4star resort. We did not miss any magic by staying off site. The only problem we encountered were the beds...they were so soft and cozy I had to DRAG everyone back to the parks after our naps.

 

[d23cndrela]

when we arrive in disney this week we are staying on hotel plaza blvd. the reason being is that wdw hotels only allow 4 adult per room. my family has five adults. my mom, dad , brother, grandmother, and myself. my brother and i are in our early 20's and could not afford a vacation if we did not go with our family and why should we rent another room when in all reality we don't need it. our rate a night is only a couple of dollars less a night then one of the value resorts but if we stayed in one of them we would have to pay double or we could of stayed in a suite or a villa but why pay all that money on a room we are only going to sleep it. i would rather spend my money in the parks. at least we are still within the gates of disney and i can remeber a time when you recieved the same perks as disney hotel guests when you stayed on hotel plaza blvd. to bad they have limited that so much now.

 

[liamsaunt]

I'm really looking forward to our off site stay this year. Last year I rented two rooms at SOG, and they were nice, but this year we are getting a 4-bedroom home with pool and game room and etc. amenities and it is $500 less than SOG, even though we are staying an extra night. This will allow the children to have their own bedrooms, and give the grownups some space to stretch out and relax while the children sleep. We always drive to the parks anyway, so there is no change for us there.

Dsis and the kids are flying back two days before us, and DH and I are then spending 2 nights at BWI. So, it's the best of both worlds (hopefully!) this trip.

 

[spiceycat]

Thanks for all the pro off-site opinions! Personally, I was afraid off-site wouldn't be as "magical" thus resulting in a disappointing vacation. After so much planning, my biggest fear is that we would regret being off-site and wouldn't enjoy this trip nearly as much as the last two on-site stays. You have all done a great job pointing out so many positive aspects of staying off-site.

Not sure if Disney charges extra $$ per night for more than 4 guests per room. If so, this might be one more reason an off-site villa, condo, or home would be a better choice.

Disney charges for more than 2 adults in one room. the values and moderates (except POR) only allow 4 period.

now there are places that allow 5 - suites in both all star Music and CSR plus POR (standard room) - the deluxes, FW cabins and 1-bedroom and up at any of the DVC resorts. all expensive - all over a $100 per night.

Now your other comments - if you expect offsite to be lousy it will be. but if you go with an open mind and just expect a great vacation - you will get a great vacation.

some people love offsite, some people love onsite - others of us like a taste of both.

Onsite is great and I do love WDW - but I love saving money more - with options like VRBO, skyauction and others - you don't have to pay a fortune to visit WDW.

 

[Emme]

This past April we stayed offsite in a suite (Courtyard Marriott Buena Vista) and it was amazing!!!! The extra room, the free hot breakfast buffet, super close location, and the incredible amount of money saved made me an offsite advocate .

We ate at some offsite locations that were GREAT and the drive to the parks were actually shorter and quicker than by bus HONESTLY .

 

[Kay7979]

Like many others here, we enjoy both experiences. Generally we stay off-site. We own one timeshare in Orlando, and two in Hawaii, so we can stay at our own resort or trade to a different one. Even with only DH and I it is nice to have the space to kick back and relax on a couch, rather than watching TV in bed. If I wake up first, I go out to the living room and read or watch TV there. We like to have coffee and snacks whenever the mood hits, so it's great to be able to go into the kitchen and grab something out of the fridge. I don't usually like going out to breakfast. I prefer the relaxed pace of having my usual light breakfast at the condo like I have at home. Most of the resorts have planned activities, various socials, and fun things to do, as well as tennis, basketball, volleyball, etc, which you don't get at a WDW hotel. We enjoy going to the touristy gift shops and attarctions on 192 and I-Drive. When we stay on-site and never leave WDW, I actually miss "the outside world." The whole Orlando area is a fun place with so much to see and do from outlet malls to dinner shows to other theme parks like Sea World and Universal.

As far as on-site, I am a sucker for themed resorts. I love the Disney resorts, and staying at one is a special treat. I don't need to stay for a week, however, and I can happily enjoy a couple days before or after a timeshare stay, or a quick trip like we are doing in November, which is mostly to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, with only one day at a park. Even when we stay off-site, we usually eat once at the Poly or Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we spend a little time walking around the resorts and enjoying the grounds and the theming. I can totally understand liking to be immersed in the fantasy world of a themed resort, but its a real trade-off to give up a spacious condo with whirlpool bath and all the extra perks. I guess that's why we will always do a bit of both, on-site and off-site so we can have our cake and eat it too!

 

[mmcguire]

We were die-hard onsiters until we rented at Windsor Palms last Dec. For less than a deluxe WDW room, we got an immaculate and beautifully decorated 2000 sq ft, 4 br, 3 ba home. We drive from NC, so a car wasn't a factor.

After spending the whole day together, it was great for everyone to have their own bedrooms, and a living room where we could relax and watch TV, rather than sitting on the end of a bed. It was also nice to have a kitchen where we could make breakfast, and a fridge to keep water and drinks cold. We also made a couple of lunches and dinners there.

I was pretty apprehensive about staying offsite for the first time, but it took us about 10 min to get to AK, maybe 20 to MK. Driving and parking was a snap -- in fact, we're pretty sure we got to the parks and back faster than if we'd taking WDW transporatation.

It was a such a surprisingly pleasant experience that we're renting at WP again next August. While there is a special "something" about staying onsite, it's even more special (to us) that we weren't at each others' throats from being in such close quarters for a week. And, as an added bonus, Mom and Dad can have some "special time" all to themselves.

So to answer your question -- we choose offsite for many reasons!

 

[isla bonita]

Marci

I think a few other die hard on siters would love the experience also if they stay like your self close by in a real nice home.

Not that homes out further are not great I think the idea of die hard on siters being to far from the magic would kill them.

You can not beat having your own room while on vacation. Glad you enjoyed your stay.

 

[Cyrano]

Great thread

 

[Tissa]

I never even considered staying offsite until our upcoming trip in June. We are taking another child along which puts us at 5 which makes the options more expensive and with Disney deciding to charge more for the summer season it put getting two preferred rooms at a value $242 a night. That's not much of a value to me so I started researching offsite pool homes.

I just put the deposit down on a 4bed/3bath pool home in Windsor Palms which ended up totaling out to be $1100 for 7 days. That's about $800 less that POP with no fridge.

 

[isla bonita]

Tissa

Sounds like you have 800.00 for food and souvies what a deal. Let us know what you think of the experience? Have a magical vacation.

 

[Gillian]

Tissa, I think you will love staying offsite! And when taking along another child (I'm assuming it's not your own), it's nice for everyone to have extra privacy.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

I enjoy both. I especially like the transportation and when staying at the Beach Club I liked being able to walk to Epcot and MGM. As much as I love Disney though it is nice to get away from it sometimes. I sort of feel like I am trapped in a Disney bubble when I stay onsite which is nice for a while. There's a whole other world out there and we like to go to Universal, Seaworld and eat and shop at non Disney places.

You can really get so much more for your money offsite as well. Our 2 bedroom condo at Sheraton Vistana Villages for instance was much much better than the Beach Club.

 

[Mono~rail]

We stay off-site at Liki Tiki for lots of reasons with cost being at the top of the list.

We like having all the space in our condo and the full size kitchen that is also fully equipped. There is a counter with bar stools to sit at plus a dining table with 6 chairs.

We have a washer and dryer so we don't have to take so many clothes with us.

There is a tv in the living room, our room, and DD13's room.

The Liki Tiki water park is a blast and DD13 has always spent most of her time there.

We take every other day off from the parks. We get to the park at opening, and we are finished by mid afternoon -- mostly having ridden all the headliners 3 or 4 times.

I could go on and on but I have to clean up the kitchen.

 

[mmilner4]

After visiting for 25 years we love staying on-site for half our trip and off site for the final half. We love being on-site (where you never leave your room without background music), the transportation, the service, but frankly Disney food sucks and driving off property to get something to eat every night knowing you will need to drive back after dinner is stressful. Better to stay off site, travel to your off-site hotel and have a decent meal-without the extra half hour to get back to Disney property.