Disney Property or Offsite

[Snickerdoodle]

We're having a time trying to decide to stay on Disney property or offsite. Please give me some suggestions on the benefits of both.

Thanks

[Dulcee]

On property is a necessity for us. I don't like leaving the magic until the end of the vacation (and even then I'm not happy about going...).

As far as the benefits, having transportation to and from parks can be a godsend. If your flying in you don't have to rent a car. The buses are fairly reliable and if you stay at a monorail resort that cuts down a lot on even needing the buses.

Staying on property also gets you early or late admission to the parks on select days, if your going during a busy time this is a great way to see what you want to see with somewhat more manageable groups.

Disney's dining plan is also only available to resort guests. The convenience of having our meals paid for in advance is something we've come to appreciate.

The draw back...it can be more expensive, but personally we find it worth it!

[Dragongirlx]

As the previous poster said there are some great benefits to staying on property
transport to and from the parks - so no driving
extra magic hours - get in an hour early or stay for 3 hours later than the park closing times (certain parks on certain days)
plus one of my faves get anything you have bought sent back to your resort so you don't have to lug it round with you all day.
The resorts that I have stayed in are absolutley gorgeous and the service has been wonderful which is another plus.
I think a lot of it depends on how much time you are planning to spend in the parks. If you are planning to spend a lot of time I would stay at disney but if you are wanting to spend the majority of time exploring other non disney parks and other bits of the area then it might be worth staying offsite

[DisneyDINK]

Your question is a bit general.

For me it would depend on how many days you'd be there, your budget, whether or not you want to visit places outside WDW while you're there, whether or not you want to rent a car, whether you're flying or driving, which airport you're flying into, etc...

Generally I'd say stay on property. Easy transit to the parks, EMH, and the facts that I'm not a fan of driving and I don't spend time outside of WDW pretty much make staying on property the only good choice for me.

If I were driving there I might be inclined to consider staying off property. A car provides some flexibility, you could go to Universal, etc. Better deals can be had outside Disney. Some hotels have shuttles to the TTC and some are better than others.

[magicofdisney]

Keep in mind it cost $14 a day to park. That one time fee (per day) includes all theme parks and water parks.

[brivers222]

staying off site... is well ummm offsite, out of the realm of disney magic. You pretty much have to be a slave to the resorts transportation (if they offer it) meaning you have to arrive and leave on THEIR schedule not yours... and some even charge you like $10 a day for the "convience" of their shuttle... or you have to drive your car in and pay $15 to park every day you go to the parks..

It was a hassle for us this past october. We had to get up extra early to make sure we arrived in time for any of our morning adrs... because you never could guess what the lines were like getting into the parking lots.

You do miss out on the Extra Magic Hours, which can be a bummer. We used the MNSSHP as our version of the EMH so that we could stay in MK until midnight on 3 nights with very little crowds.

for our honeymoon in December we opted to not just stay onsite, but to stay right on the monorail loop.

we recently found my parents can use RCI to get a 2bdrm at the WL so in 2013 we will be doing that as a large group.

the days of staying offsite are over.

[princessjojo]

Even before we purchased DVC, on property was a given for us. Even under the tightest budgets for us, DH and I both felt it was non-negotiable, for several reasons:

We don't have to worry about cars and parking fees. When we take those cost and apply it to our on-site room, we can break even somewhat.

We love the EMH, both morning and evening.

The ability to go and come with ease.

Though it makes our vacation more expensive, the DDP also allows us to prepay this part of our vacation as well.

Magical Express is super convenient.

Not having to deal with my packages, should there be any, all day.

The whole idea of "time to leave Disney and we'll be back tomorrow" isn't there.

Because we've never even considered it, I really can't think of any real benefits to staying off site, unless you're staying somewhere like Marriott/Hilton using their points. Then cost could be a big factor.

[MarkC]

Its not just the benefits of staying on-site. Anybody who has ever experienced the magic and atmosphere of Disney knows exactly what I'm talking about. You can't put it into words, but we always stay on-site. Even my wife, who usually offers no opinions considering vacations, said "never again" the one time we stayed off-site.

[princessgirls]

Although some off site resorts are amazing...I'm never happy to stay in them!

I love all of the Disney magic and perks of staying on site!!

For us it's cost-effective!
We don't rent a car
We USE Magic Express both ways
We use the Disney transportation all week
We book a package with the Disney Dining, and usually get it for free using a promo code!

I have done it both ways...off-site is more expensive for us!
Julie

[DizneyRox]

Agree, when comparing apples to apples, I find it hard to find any real savings..

If you include parking, transportation, gas, and hotel costs, I have always found off-site very similar in cost to on-site accomodations.

Parking being $14 (or so, I'm sure it's due to go up again) is a big one, add that right onto you hotel room. Cost of rental car goes right in there as well.

And the reality, I consider my time valuable, so any extra time or aggrivation I don't need to deal with goes in the savings category under intangibles. Driving around WDW can be very aggrivating, you have loads of tourists that don't know where they are going/doing. Being able to quickly head back to my resort to pick up forgot items, or take a nap, swim, change of clothes, etc.

We can get really cheap rates (associate) at the Marriotts around the parks. Still, it's never really a consideration due to the intangibles.

[Disneyfirsttimer]

I agree with all the previous posters. Sometimes you may find a great deal off site, but it is off site. My kids love riding the resort buses. We love the Disney feel at the resorts. We love the dining plan (free or not). Would never visit another way.

Karyn

[White Rose]

I'm relatively stubborn and will absolutely not to go Disney unless I can stay on property.

Now, I do think if you plan on doing multiple things in the Orlando area (Seaworld, a few days at US, Discovery Cove, etc) it may be worth it to stay offsite/rent a house. But, considering, when I go to Disney, I go only for Disney (I did spend one day at IOA back in January but that was for Harry Potter!), staying on property is a must for me. As the others have stated, staying on property is wonderful for the convenience of the transportation and I love it because from the moment I arrive at the airport and take ME to my hotel, I'm in Disney. And I stay in Disney, even after leaving the parks.

So, for me, it's either on site or bust!

[Altair]

If you're driving you can save money by staying off site, but if you are flying the savings will be less or nil.
If you feel the need to be immersed in Disney 24/7 stay on site or you may regret it. If not, try off site, it's a whole new world out there (pun inteneded).
Providing more information would be helpful to us.

[A Big Kid]

If you add in the daily parking fee ($14) and gas driving back and forth between the parks and your resort, if there is a cost difference, it would be negligable. And that small savings would more than pay for itself with the ease of getting to the parks and having the ability to take a mid day break.

[Tink#64]

Another vote for onsite! My fam has to seriously plan for our WDW vaca's, with 2 DS's in private school, we have to budget for everything! lol

Only one trip have we stayed offiste, & that was a spur of the moment trip during Spring Break! I called & there was nothing available onsite anywhere ( I called the week before we planned to arrive! ) So we booked via Priceline, a decent hotel at a great price! We would've saved alot if we'd've stayed there all week! But alas, we were able to move on property after 2 nights (knew this before trip) & I didn't feel like our vacation really began until we checked in at Pop, parked our van & boarded the bus for MK! Nothing compares to the magic of staying onsite & being immersed in that Disney spirit for the whole of your trip!

[TinksGoofyMom]

I've only stayed on-site but know others who haven't. They've been fooled by low costs at other hotels but then complained about everything else they had to pay for which ended up being equal to or more than a Disney stay. My husband likes not having to be responsible for anything; just get on the bus. We also split up often due to various likes & ages. My DH also likes to nap in the pm. On-site makes life easier. Also, if you have kids who want the character meals or just Disney restaurants, it's cheaper on the DDP. I tried pricing us w/ just a few meals & it was more than the DDP. Prepaid is awesome. We only bring spending $$ & put tax & tips on our Disney Rewards Card.

[angyl15]

Growing up I was always a die-hard of staying on-property. We usually stayed at moderates, but always on property. Then I had kids....my sister, mom, 2 nephews, my son and I went a few years back. It was horrible - we were so cramped and having 3 kids under 5 there was no where for them to play or us to relax after they went to bed. The next time we went, my mom, dad, husband, son and I rented a 2 bed, 2 bath timeshare at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It was amazing what a difference it made. My 1 year old had a whirlpool tub that he thought was a pool - we had 3 TVs, a full kitchen, highchair, crib, more beds than we knew what to do with and a veranda with an awesome nightly view of epcot fireworks. Yes, it necessitated renting a car, but we paid about $100 a night with tax for the place, so it was still cheaper and so much more relaxing. I would rather drive anyday that wait for the buses with a little one.

We are going back this December and will again be staying at Bonnet Creek. We now have 2 little ones and I think a condo-like property is the only way for us to travel until at least the kids are a little older. When we are past strollers, I am sure we will consider staying on property, but maybe only half the stay. At that point maybe we would use the extra hours and it would make it worth it.

[EJS-Houston]

I've only ever stayed off-property once in the mid-90s. I'll never do it again for all of the reasons enumerated by my fellow posters. Bottom line: I want to be immersed in the magic when I visit DisneyWorld...and get all the benefits of staying at a Disney property (e.g.: magic hours, Magical Express, more convenient transportation, the ability to pick up my park purchases at my hotel at the end of the day rather than carry them around with me).

[magicofdisney]

Growing up I was always a die-hard of staying on-property. We usually stayed at moderates, but always on property. Then I had kids....my sister, mom, 2 nephews, my son and I went a few years back. It was horrible - we were so cramped and having 3 kids under 5 there was no where for them to play or us to relax after they went to bed. The next time we went, my mom, dad, husband, son and I rented a 2 bed, 2 bath timeshare at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It was amazing what a difference it made. My 1 year old had a whirlpool tub that he thought was a pool - we had 3 TVs, a full kitchen, highchair, crib, more beds than we knew what to do with and a veranda with an awesome nightly view of epcot fireworks. Yes, it necessitated renting a car, but we paid about $100 a night with tax for the place, so it was still cheaper and so much more relaxing. I would rather drive anyday that wait for the buses with a little one.

We are going back this December and will again be staying at Bonnet Creek. We now have 2 little ones and I think a condo-like property is the only way for us to travel until at least the kids are a little older. When we are past strollers, I am sure we will consider staying on property, but maybe only half the stay. At that point maybe we would use the extra hours and it would make it worth it.

Do you mean your portion was $100 a night or you found at that rate? If so, what time of year did you travel? $100 a night seems quite reasonable for all the amenities you enjoyed.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Unless I'm ever invited to go with someone else who is staying offsite, I will never stay anywhere but on Disney property....For many reasons but here are the top

1. You get to feel like you are at Disney during your whole vacation even when you leave the parks you are immersed in Disney theming and magic at your resort.
2. You have Disney restaurants and giftshops and cool pools in your hotel....
3. Free Transportation to the Parks
4. Extra Magic Hours
5. Can get dining plan and other great package deals
6. Package delivery from parks to resort