Off Site

[Insanity Clause]

It seems that so many people stay on the property and I was wondering how many stay off site. We will be staying with friends at a condo abou a mile from Disney and Universal. Anyone staying off site to save money? And if you do do you still enjoy the magic as much.

[faline]

We've stayed off site a couple of times. We did not enjoy it as much as staying on site.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We stayed off-site for our first trip, and although we had a good trip, we've found that we prefer the on-site experience.

[goofiecrazy]

Our last trip we stayed off site and we enjoyed the rental house. We were extremely close and we had a pool so the kids used it any time. It was nice being able to run 2 the Super Target down the road for food and to go off site places 2 eat.

[Disney Doodle]

We stay off-site for a few reasons.

1. The cost - When you have taken in to account the cost of our flights from the UK, two weeks accommodation on site is not possible on our budget.

2. We are a family of five, so accommodation choices are a little limited.

We usually stay close to the parks and it doesn't take us long at all to drive in. My family, although I am sure they would like to stay on site just once, always have a wonderful time. For us though, we also like visiting local restaurants and seeing the surrounding area.

Angie

[Georgesgirl1]

We always stayed off site when I was little. Now my parents own DVC, and they usually let us stay with them or borrow points. If it weren't for the free place to stay, we would stay off site a lot more!

[Fastpasssteve]

I really enjoy the perks staying on-site offers:

I like using Mickey's Magical Express to take us to our resort and handle/deliver our baggage to our resort room while we're in the parks on that first day.

I love being able to access the parks during Extra Magic Hours (not so much the early ones...we like to sleep in and we don't have kids) in the evening.

My friends and I love being able to go out and get a little silly, perhaps have a few glasses of wine at dinner in EPCOT or Jellyrolls after the park closes...and the bus takes you everywhere you need to go...including home...all transportation inside WDW is included. I love that. It also adds to my enjoyment for another reason...I do not have to be responsible. Someone else is driving for us. We can use the transportation time to rest, relax, talk...like real people and not worry about how to get there or parking.

And the best reason for anyone with children...adults, as well: It is easy to slip out of the parks in the heat of the afternoon and go back to the resort for a dip in the pool, or even better, AFTERNOON NAPS! This is the best part of staying on-site. Structure and naps is very important. If the kids (or myself!) get overly tired, they will become grumpy. It won't matter that you took them to Disney World if everyone is upset at the end of a very long day. A vacation is supposed to bring a family together.

[Goofy Texan]

Reading your post it looks like you don't really have a choice and must stay off site. You'll be fine. Focus on the ADVANTAGES of staying off site (cheaper food and shopping, not standing on a crowded bus, NOT surrounded by Disney 24/7, etc.) Make sure you go to the parks that DO NOT have extra magic hours and just plan to have a grand time - because you will. An off-site trip is different than an on-site trip, and whether that difference is a positive or a negative will depend largely on your attitude toward it.

[faline]

Focus on the ADVANTAGES of staying off site (...., NOT surrounded by Disney 24/7, etc.)

To me, this would be a distinct DIS-advantage in staying off-site!

[LVT]

I find on site cheaper, maybe because I don't go to the right hotels. POP fits us and costs less than the nearby SUPER 8. Yes they have toast and donuts for breakfast there, but I want more.
I know that for 5 or more I would have to go off.

[mickeyman42]

I'll preface my response with this: we are from a very small town and are not used to massive parking lots or paying for parking.

ok, we stayed off-site once, 2 years ago. we rented a lovely 4 room house in a gated community, literally 5-7 minutes from disney world. the house was amazing, had everything, pool, very close to many chain and upscale restaurants, shops, etc.

however, we found that paying for parking, and getting a tram from the parking lot to the park was just a hassle that did nothing more than waste time, in our opinion. MK was the worst; park, tram, monorail/boat just to get to the gate was a lot for us. after a few days it seemed to take the magic away.

with that said, we are not used to this and if we had experience with large shopping malls and amusement parks perhaps this would not have bothered us as much as it did, but I would never stay off site and still go to disney everyday. maybe for a trip to orlando where disney only takes a day or 2 but I dont see that in our immediate future. I just love letting disney drive us right to the gates with out the hassle. hope this helps

[DisneyKim22]

I would always choose to stay on site. I love being surrounded by Disney 24/7. However, I have stayed off site twice in the last 5 trips. Once was absolutely because of cost. We found a wonderful hotel for $50 a night. On that trip though, I did feel that I had lost some of the Disney magic when I would leave each night.

This year, we are staying off site again because my entire family is going. Mom, Dad, DB and DSIL w/3 kids, DS and her DH, my DH and me. The last time we did this, we rented a house through All Star Vacation Homes (found by the Intercot sponsor link). We LOVED it!! Each couple had their own master suite, and the kids had their own space too. Plus the added bonus of a private pool, bbq grill, in-house "movie theater", etc. It was about 5-6 minutes from Disney gates. The first time was 3 years ago, and each couple paid $700 for the week. We would have paid more at a value resort. This way, we all had more space. While we were sharing the house and didn't have to worry about meeting anywhere, we also had enough space where we didn't feel like we were on top of each other either. There was also a pool table and video game system in another room. I didn't feel like I lost a lot of the Disney magic at the end of the day because we weren't pulling into another parking lot and walking through a non-Disney lobby during which the let-down would happen. We parked in our own driveway, walked straight through the hall and living room and into the pool area.

We chose to do the same this year because we're going Thanksgiving week. We'll cook our own Thanksgiving dinner (cause it isn't the same at a restaurant), and then go somewhere in the parks or DTD for dessert.

I absolutely cannot recommend All Star Vacation Homes enough. You can get them in all sizes, up to 7 bedrooms. We stayed in the Arcadia section. If I cannot stay on site, this is my next best option.

[Goofster]

We haven't stayed off site since 1998 when we stayed at a time share resort about 1/2 a mile from DTD Marketplace. It was a different experience...eating at Denny's afterwards, seeing all the traffic and commercial stores...there wasn't as much 'magic' as staying on-site. It felt more like a trip to Florida with Disney thrown in there. It wasn't a bad trip, just a different experience. Each good in its own way, we just prefer to stay on site to get away from it all.

[eandrsmom]

For us, it was either stay off site this year, or not go at all. We are a family of six, so we need larger accomodations. We've tried connecting rooms at Deluxe resorts, and found it to be too expensive, and not comfortable. We need a living area in addition to bedrooms. I found a great deal off site for a two bedroom villa owned by a major hotel chain. It had an awesome pool, and was only a mile away from Disney. Driving wasn't bad. On more than a few occasions, we noted that driving directly to the theme parks was faster than when we stayed on property and used Disney transportation from our hotel to the theme parks.
There is a disadvantage of having to pay for parking, but it was vastly offset by the cost difference of staying off site. I do like the total immersion of being on property, but our villa was better than any place we'd ever stayed at on property. Our view was the 18th green on a golf course. Also, it was nice having the freedom to dine outside of Disney. We ate several dinners on property, but had a few off property, which was nice and less expensive. We also stocked our villa with items from the grocery for quick breakfasts and snacks, which also saved time and money. It was nice having a grocery nearby.
It is worth noting, that we went the first week in May, which wasn't too crowded. If we were to go at a busier time of year, I may think twice about staying off site because of traffic. Other than that, I think you'll be fine.

[KylesMom]

We stayed off-site for our honeymoon in 1991 - and my 25th birthday. Not knowing what to expect, I thought everything was great. I ddn't realize what I was missing.

We returned to Disney for our 9th Wedding Anniversary - for our son when he was 27 months old. Once we stayed on-site at All Star Sports, we vowed that we would never again stay off-site. We've since extended our stay and upgraded our accommodations, but our feelings haven't changed about the difference in our trips on-site versus off.

DH feels so strongly about this that if we had to stay off-site, he wouldn't even consider a trip to Disney World. It really is a significant difference in the type of vacation you take. Just our opinion as a family . . .

[LauraByTheSea]

Although I really can't compare because I've never stayed on-site, but right now I'd be hard-pressed to spend the money to. I work in hospitality and am blessed to get a very good discount at a good amount of nice hotels, so when money talks... And the one we always stay at is right around the corner from DTD in a nice quiet area, so we like it. Gets you away from the hectic crowds of the day.

[SandmanGStefani24]

Offsite-You can get rooms sometimes less than half of what you would pay on site. (motel 6, days inn, ect often in the $30's per night) This can be a major $$ saver, or you could just use the savings for gifts/meals. Also, if time is an issue, you save some because you can just go straight to the parks without having to go to the resorts. (one trip i did this, and went straight from MCO to MK. ) Another perk is the ability to eat at different places for much less moolah. Staying onsite you tend to eat at the resort, which limits your choices and costs more.

Those are the major perks of staying offsite, but I prefer to stay onsite, mostly because you feel like you never leave. You also get worlds better service, quality of rooms, and vibe. I've done both, and wouldnt mind either again. I just prefer onsite myself.

[Love of Disney]

We used to stay offsite during our Disney stays, but we now prefer to stay onsite while doing Disney. We always do the meal plan and we find everything so convenient. However, when we go to Orlando, we don't just do Disney, so we also stay offsite when we do the other stuff such as shopping and the beach.

[BluewaterBrad]

We always stay on site. Usually in values, but at times we through in a mod, and in special cases a deluxe. But, if the choice was off site or no trip....................heck easy choice. Take me to WDW!!

[Jessietoystory2]

Our family has been there 12 times. We only stayed on site once. Most of the time we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages. We are a family of 5 and the big rooms were great! The pool is better than most Disney resorts and it is alot cheaper than most of the Disney resorts. The rooms are between 800 - 1100 sq. ft. for a two bedroom villa. We still had a great Disney experience everytime. You still will get that "Disney" feeling no matter where you stay. Have fun!!!