On site versus off site-the great debate in my house!

bratray · 11-02-2002

Hello

This is our second trip to disney (DD 15 yrs & DS 3 yrs) and have not stayed on site

We have a room booked off site in Lake Buena Vista with fridge and micro (will come in handy) I have been doing a lot of browsing recently and am kinda tempted to stay on site (AKL or PO) BUT...........
trying to convince my husband to stay on site and spend more money(even with AP codes) and not have a fridge or micro is proving fruitless!!!

I need help!!

Please can someone give me some good reasons as to why we should stay on site as opposed to off site

Thanks

:dazed

wdwjeff · 11-02-2002

The magic, the magic, the magic. There's just something about staying on-site that makes it feel more "Disney." You always have theming, and you're constantly surrounded by all things Disney. Also, I like to use the bus system, so that, not driving at all, you even stay in the magic on the way to the parks. From a practical point of view, there's always Early Entry, which gets you into a given park an hour earlier than anyone else, and this is every day(you can get the schedule at www.disneyworld.com). And, you can get wake-up calls from Disney characters. Even the "mousekeepers" get into the spirit. They'll leave you little note cards, like Welcome Home,etc. My kids still have those cards as souvenirs. And, they make animal shapes out of your washcloths-quite a talent. I could go on and on. I've stayed off-site in the past. It's ok, but, even if the hotel is wonderful, it's just not part of the magical journey, and I want to be bathed in it 24/7. I guess you can tell, I'll never stay off-site again. If these aren't enough reasons to stay on-site, I'm sure others here will be happy to chime in. Good luck convincing your husband. And, welcome to DC. Hope you like it here.:D :)

MickeyMac · 11-02-2002

Hubby is an anal-retentive bean-counter. He wanted to stay off-site when we went. We got a great rate at the All Stars and and ended up being cheaper for us to stay onsite when he factored in time traveling, how little time we spent in our rooms, etc.

And I wholeheartedly agree with everything Jeff said - it is a surreal experience to stay on-site.

You could use the logical argument:
* you spend more time in parks
* you can take advantage of Early Entry
* 3yo can easily head back to hotel for naps, he can enjoy his time alone each afternoon, or be close to the hotel if he decides to wander off with DD (and you, too)
* If something DOES happen (which happened to my DD) Disney is PHENOMENAL about helping. (DD got a severe high fever and we were all the way in the back of Epcot in the pouring rain. They had private transportation bring us back to the hotel, offered to have an ambulance take us to hospital, and worked as an intermediary between us, our doctor, and the pharmacy. I have heard of others having medications from a local pharmacy all ready waiting in their room, and billed to their room bill by the time they got back to their on-site resort.)

I think this last one is the reason why I will NEVER stay off-site again.

graybill · 11-02-2002

I have stayed both off site and on site and second everthing in the last 2 posts!

I don't know how the costs would compare, but all of the Home-away from home studios have kitchenettes with a fridge, coffee maker and microwave if that is a major concern.

If you want to check out rates and full details, you can go to http://wdwig.com.

Also, I feel that all the on site accomodations are so well done that it would be a wonderful vacation to just stay at one of them.

Add in the convenience and Disney service and I know that I will always stay on site.

graybill

mmouse67l · 11-02-2002

Hi bratray this topic was pretty thoroughly debated in a previoud thread. I will post a link here:

www.disneycentral.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1174&highlight=onsite

Personally, I will always stay on site. I used to think maybe offsite to save money, but being on-site means being part of the Disney magic 24 hours a day!

trishb · 11-02-2002

If the question is to say on or off-site, then I have a few recommendations:

First, since you will have a car you can bring a cooler to your on-site resort (or you can rent one at a cost of $10/day, which I think is high) and buy food & staples at the grocery store. Heck, you could even buy a microwave for $30 at a discount store and leave it behind!

Or, you could stay at a Downtown Disney hotel, like the Marriott. Which is within walking distance of DD and offers bus service to the parks all day.

Or, you could stay at the Ft Wilderness Cabins. They have full kitchen facilities and cost much less than other Home Away from Home resorts.

Happy planning!

trishb · 11-03-2002

Super K (I mean K-mart) has Westinghouse microwaves on sale today (sunday) and tomorrow for $30. Thought you might like to know!

bratray · 11-03-2002

thank you everyone for all the great suggestions

i am leaning towards 3 nites off site and 3 nites AKL :laugh

i am so happy to be going again!!:love:

alexatdisney · 11-08-2002

If you are doing 3 nights out of disney and 3 nights at, I would
suggest you do the 3 nights off site first then the 3 nights at disney. Because if you stay off site at the end of your vacation I can almost guaranty that you will regret that you left the disney site

. So start with off-site then it will be like upgrading the magic as you're vacation moves along.

I used to stay off-site, my first 4-5 times, then for a special occasion I took my reservation on-site and since then I will never,nerver,never go back off-site. The magic was unreal and
more relaxing when going and leaving the parks.:D

disneycouple30 · 11-08-2002

Why not stay at the all-stars for 3 night then the AKL the last three. The luggage will be sent to AKL for you and all you have to do is show up at the AKL after a day at the parks. Staying off site is so incovience and it take so lang to travel between hotel and park. For the price you will be paying you couls stay the whole time at PO and enjoy the magic completely.

geeman · 11-10-2002

I agree with all respondents:
Being that I have family in Florida, I used to have no choice but to stay "off site", as it didn't make sense to spend the extra money when all I really needed was a car...
However, once I tried staying onsite, it became part of the whole Disney experience for me. I've stayed at nice inexpensive hotels in the Orlando area, on International Drive, which were just fine. And I've spent the extra on Disney packages. Nothing compares with the feeling of the Magic. Plus, being able to get to your resort in no time is a major coup.
As everyone will attest, it's the attention to the little details that help very much add to the experience. Plus, not having to go very far after a long, tiring day (especially if you're taking a 3 year old!).
I think alexatdisney is completely on the mark about which days to stay where if you do decide to split it up. And trishb is right as well. Stay at a less expensive Disney property hotel and you can make both of you (kinda) happy.
Plus - is staying offsite REALLY saving you THAT much? The rates at WDW seem to have come down considerably (through the special deals) - If you could concievably stay at DAKL for 120 -- then how is staying at an 80 dollar place of less stature that much of a stretch?? Try to find yourself a good rate for the amount of days you want, and you might come away with a big bargain.
To be honest, I'm more upset at the ticket prices/options at WDW than I am about their hotel rates.
(However, that said, Jen & I are already thinking that the next time we go, it should be all out-conceirge service and all. I think I ought to start saving my Disney dollars now!)
Another consideration- If this is going to be your last trip for a while (say, until your child is older), then by all means, convince him to splurge, if you can do it.

bratray · 11-10-2002

:D :D
thanks everyone for the great info- we have decided to stay 3 nites off and 3 nites AKL concierge!!- really looking forward to this

we go on a family vacation every year but it has been 4 or 5 years between our last disney vacation-

i am counting the days!!
:laugh

geeman · 11-11-2002

Quote:

Originally posted by bratray
:D :D
thanks everyone for the great info- we have decided to stay 3 nites off and 3 nites AKL concierge!!- really looking forward to this

All right! Now you're talking!
Have a fantastic time!
:)

mickaholic4077 · 11-25-2002

I'm going to weigh in with my two cents here and say that I have had much better experiences staying off-site. I stayed at an Econo Lodge that was 5.9 miles from Disney and was at the park of my choice in my own car in less than 10 minutes each time. If you have to really economize to afford Disney,stay off-site. Yes,it is also great staying on-site,but say a family of a mother,father and 2 kids went to WDW. If they stayed at the All-Star for 99 dollars a night,they could stay for 3 days or 9 days at The Econo Lodge. What would you rather do,stay for a short time on-site or much longer off-site?

Willbegone · 11-26-2002

This was a huge issue with my dad who is going in March with us, we finally ended up agreeing to pay half the trip just so he and mom would go! Anyway, I wanted to stay off-site too and my husband talked me into staying on site. He kept showing me all the pictures of the different resorts and I finally decided the extra money was worht it! This will be our first on-site visit ever!! I'm hoping it will be well worth it. I"M EXTREMELY EXCITED TO BE STAYING ON SITE!! We are staying at the Caribbean Beach we figure it's Disney without being too expensive, plue we love the Caribbean (been on several cruises) so we know we will enjoy the theme! :love:

11-02-2002	#1 (permalink)
bratray Mouseketeer Intern Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Niagara Falls Posts: 12	On site versus off site-the great debate in my house! Hello This is our second trip to disney (DD 15 yrs & DS 3 yrs) and have not stayed on site We have a room booked off site in Lake Buena Vista with fridge and micro (will come in handy) I have been doing a lot of browsing recently and am kinda tempted to stay on site (AKL or PO) BUT........... trying to convince my husband to stay on site and spend more money(even with AP codes) and not have a fridge or micro is proving fruitless!!! I need help!! Please can someone give me some good reasons as to why we should stay on site as opposed to off site Thanks :dazed __________________ "are we there yet ma?"

11-02-2002	#2 (permalink)
wdwjeff Big Cheese Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: West Chester, PA Posts: 764	The magic, the magic, the magic. There's just something about staying on-site that makes it feel more "Disney." You always have theming, and you're constantly surrounded by all things Disney. Also, I like to use the bus system, so that, not driving at all, you even stay in the magic on the way to the parks. From a practical point of view, there's always Early Entry, which gets you into a given park an hour earlier than anyone else, and this is every day(you can get the schedule at www.disneyworld.com). And, you can get wake-up calls from Disney characters. Even the "mousekeepers" get into the spirit. They'll leave you little note cards, like Welcome Home,etc. My kids still have those cards as souvenirs. And, they make animal shapes out of your washcloths-quite a talent. I could go on and on. I've stayed off-site in the past. It's ok, but, even if the hotel is wonderful, it's just not part of the magical journey, and I want to be bathed in it 24/7. I guess you can tell, I'll never stay off-site again. If these aren't enough reasons to stay on-site, I'm sure others here will be happy to chime in. Good luck convincing your husband. And, welcome to DC. Hope you like it here.:D :) __________________ wdwjeff GF 1988 ASMu 1998 Studio City Sheraton 2000 HRH/CBR June/July 2002 Portofino Bay Sept./Oct. 2004 BWV/Royal Pacific July/August 2005 HRH/BCV August 2008 My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Universal first, then it's Magic Time We're here, We're here!!!!!!!!!

11-02-2002	#3 (permalink)
MickeyMac Cherubic Chocoholic Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,233	Hubby is an anal-retentive bean-counter. He wanted to stay off-site when we went. We got a great rate at the All Stars and and ended up being cheaper for us to stay onsite when he factored in time traveling, how little time we spent in our rooms, etc. And I wholeheartedly agree with everything Jeff said - it is a surreal experience to stay on-site. You could use the logical argument: * you spend more time in parks * you can take advantage of Early Entry * 3yo can easily head back to hotel for naps, he can enjoy his time alone each afternoon, or be close to the hotel if he decides to wander off with DD (and you, too) * If something DOES happen (which happened to my DD) Disney is PHENOMENAL about helping. (DD got a severe high fever and we were all the way in the back of Epcot in the pouring rain. They had private transportation bring us back to the hotel, offered to have an ambulance take us to hospital, and worked as an intermediary between us, our doctor, and the pharmacy. I have heard of others having medications from a local pharmacy all ready waiting in their room, and billed to their room bill by the time they got back to their on-site resort.) I think this last one is the reason why I will NEVER stay off-site again. __________________ ... back in the frozen tundra!

11-02-2002	#4 (permalink)
graybill Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ocean City, NJ Posts: 213	On site versus off site-the great debate in my house I have stayed both off site and on site and second everthing in the last 2 posts! I don't know how the costs would compare, but all of the Home-away from home studios have kitchenettes with a fridge, coffee maker and microwave if that is a major concern. If you want to check out rates and full details, you can go to http://wdwig.com. Also, I feel that all the on site accomodations are so well done that it would be a wonderful vacation to just stay at one of them. Add in the convenience and Disney service and I know that I will always stay on site. graybill __________________ Disneyland 1959 Disney World 1979 DVC 2001

11-02-2002	#5 (permalink)
mmouse67l Grand Magician Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Silverdale, WA Posts: 973	Hi bratray this topic was pretty thoroughly debated in a previoud thread. I will post a link here: www.disneycentral.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1174&highlight=onsite Personally, I will always stay on site. I used to think maybe offsite to save money, but being on-site means being part of the Disney magic 24 hours a day! __________________ Official Defender of Swiss Family Treehouse

		MouseBuzz.com > Walt Disney World > WDW Resorts
On site versus off site-the great debate in my house!

11-02-2002	#6 (permalink)
trishb Mouse Meister Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,350	If the question is to say on or off-site, then I have a few recommendations: First, since you will have a car you can bring a cooler to your on-site resort (or you can rent one at a cost of $10/day, which I think is high) and buy food & staples at the grocery store. Heck, you could even buy a microwave for $30 at a discount store and leave it behind! Or, you could stay at a Downtown Disney hotel, like the Marriott. Which is within walking distance of DD and offers bus service to the parks all day. Or, you could stay at the Ft Wilderness Cabins. They have full kitchen facilities and cost much less than other Home Away from Home resorts. Happy planning! __________________ Trish

11-03-2002	#7 (permalink)
trishb Mouse Meister Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,350	Super K (I mean K-mart) has Westinghouse microwaves on sale today (sunday) and tomorrow for $30. Thought you might like to know! __________________ Trish

11-03-2002	#8 (permalink)
bratray Mouseketeer Intern Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Niagara Falls Posts: 12	thanks thank you everyone for all the great suggestions i am leaning towards 3 nites off site and 3 nites AKL :laugh i am so happy to be going again!!:love: __________________ "are we there yet ma?"

11-08-2002	#9 (permalink)
alexatdisney Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Canada, Quebec ( french cold section of it ) Posts: 190	If you are doing 3 nights out of disney and 3 nights at, I would suggest you do the 3 nights off site first then the 3 nights at disney. Because if you stay off site at the end of your vacation I can almost guaranty that you will regret that you left the disney site . So start with off-site then it will be like upgrading the magic as you're vacation moves along. I used to stay off-site, my first 4-5 times, then for a special occasion I took my reservation on-site and since then I will never,nerver,never go back off-site. The magic was unreal and more relaxing when going and leaving the parks.:D __________________ GOING BACK TO ...??????????????... All-star Movie............2008 All-star Movie............2007 All-star Movie............2006 Caribbean Beach........2003 Polynesian..................1998 off-site(Kissimmee)..1995 off-site(Orlando).......1994 off-site(Kissimmee)..1993 off-site(Kissimmee)..1992

11-08-2002	#10 (permalink)
disneycouple30 Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: In the Boonies Posts: 438	Why not stay at the all-stars for 3 night then the AKL the last three. The luggage will be sent to AKL for you and all you have to do is show up at the AKL after a day at the parks. Staying off site is so incovience and it take so lang to travel between hotel and park. For the price you will be paying you couls stay the whole time at PO and enjoy the magic completely. __________________ My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Next Trip to WDW 361 days 3 hours 12 minutes

11-10-2002	#11 (permalink)
geeman Big Cheese Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in NYC Posts: 953	I agree with all respondents: Being that I have family in Florida, I used to have no choice but to stay "off site", as it didn't make sense to spend the extra money when all I really needed was a car... However, once I tried staying onsite, it became part of the whole Disney experience for me. I've stayed at nice inexpensive hotels in the Orlando area, on International Drive, which were just fine. And I've spent the extra on Disney packages. Nothing compares with the feeling of the Magic. Plus, being able to get to your resort in no time is a major coup. As everyone will attest, it's the attention to the little details that help very much add to the experience. Plus, not having to go very far after a long, tiring day (especially if you're taking a 3 year old!). I think alexatdisney is completely on the mark about which days to stay where if you do decide to split it up. And trishb is right as well. Stay at a less expensive Disney property hotel and you can make both of you (kinda) happy. Plus - is staying offsite REALLY saving you THAT much? The rates at WDW seem to have come down considerably (through the special deals) - If you could concievably stay at DAKL for 120 -- then how is staying at an 80 dollar place of less stature that much of a stretch?? Try to find yourself a good rate for the amount of days you want, and you might come away with a big bargain. To be honest, I'm more upset at the ticket prices/options at WDW than I am about their hotel rates. (However, that said, Jen & I are already thinking that the next time we go, it should be all out-conceirge service and all. I think I ought to start saving my Disney dollars now!) Another consideration- If this is going to be your last trip for a while (say, until your child is older), then by all means, convince him to splurge, if you can do it. __________________ Geeman ****************************** YBC10/95, CS 8/00 AKL 5/02,DL Hotel 10/02, ASMusic 5/03,CBR 10/03,Disney Cruiseline 10/03, DD Hilton,CR, ASMusic 4/04; AKL 5/04;Pop Century 10/04,CBR 10/04,CR 10/04;DGC 10/04;SOG & PC 12/04;CBR 8/05, SOG 4-5/06 Geeman on the Web

11-10-2002	#12 (permalink)
bratray Mouseketeer Intern Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Niagara Falls Posts: 12	:D :D thanks everyone for the great info- we have decided to stay 3 nites off and 3 nites AKL concierge!!- really looking forward to this we go on a family vacation every year but it has been 4 or 5 years between our last disney vacation- i am counting the days!! :laugh __________________ "are we there yet ma?"

11-25-2002	#14 (permalink)
mickaholic4077 Currently in Timeout! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: 90 miles from The Mick!!!!! Posts: 6,193	I'm going to weigh in with my two cents here and say that I have had much better experiences staying off-site. I stayed at an Econo Lodge that was 5.9 miles from Disney and was at the park of my choice in my own car in less than 10 minutes each time. If you have to really economize to afford Disney,stay off-site. Yes,it is also great staying on-site,but say a family of a mother,father and 2 kids went to WDW. If they stayed at the All-Star for 99 dollars a night,they could stay for 3 days or 9 days at The Econo Lodge. What would you rather do,stay for a short time on-site or much longer off-site?

11-26-2002	#15 (permalink)
Willbegone Southern Princess Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,618	This was a huge issue with my dad who is going in March with us, we finally ended up agreeing to pay half the trip just so he and mom would go! Anyway, I wanted to stay off-site too and my husband talked me into staying on site. He kept showing me all the pictures of the different resorts and I finally decided the extra money was worht it! This will be our first on-site visit ever!! I'm hoping it will be well worth it. I"M EXTREMELY EXCITED TO BE STAYING ON SITE!! We are staying at the Caribbean Beach we figure it's Disney without being too expensive, plue we love the Caribbean (been on several cruises) so we know we will enjoy the theme! :love: __________________ Feb. 2002: CBR Mar. 2003: POR Oct. 2005: CBR Mar. 2006: POFQ May 2007: POFQ Nov. 2008: SSR My Disney Countdown Counting down to: DDs dancing for Mickey in.... 189 days 0 hours 58 minutes

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