Question about staying on-site vs off-site at Disney!

[PeacefulChaos]

Ok, so here's what I'm thinking:

I want to TRY to go to DW in October of 2013 (during homeschool days). My plan is to stay off-site, because it seems like a better idea to me. My tentative 'plan' at the moment would be to go to the parks in the mornings and eat lunch there - leave after lunch and go back to the condo for a midday break, giving Pink time for a nap and the boys time to relax/swim/whatever. I'd make up a quick dinner and we'd eat around 4, then head back to the parks that evening. Just so you know what I'd like to do.

I guess I just want to know for sure what the differences would be.

First off, I don't want to be on-site because:

- I don't want to share a room with my kids for a week. I would go crazy - we just need more space than that. Not to mention I don't know how it would work with Pink taking a nap and stuff.

- We are a family of 5 - none of the value resorts have space for more than 4 (that I've seen). Though the fact still is that I don't want to share a room for a week, I would imagine some of the higher priced resorts have suites or something. But I feel like that is way overpriced and we can stay off-site for MUCH less.

- I don't think we'll go to FL JUST to go to DW. When we are there we will probably also go to Sea World. I would think it a pain to either pay for another Disney day and not use it or have to switch to another hotel.

 

Here are the things I know will be different (assuming we stay off-site):

1. I know that we can't do the Disney Dining plan. Really doesn't matter to me, as we're only going to be eating lunch in the parks anyway. I plan on doing the princess lunch thing with Pink, but other than that I've scoured the menus and picked out places that people like that we can eat at for around $50/meal.

2. Parking/driving in/etc. I know I'll have to plan to pay parking and stuff, but from my understanding it's what - $15 a day? Still less than the price difference between staying on site and off site.

I do get that the convenience factor is there on site, but at the same time I just don't know that it's worth the thousand (most likely) dollars more that it will cost.

 

I'm thinking there was more I was going to say but I forget at the moment... Is there anything else I should know and factor into this decision?

 

ETA: I did forget to add that I DO understand the draw of staying on-site. The convenience, etc. But when I look at it practically I just don't see why it makes any sense... financially and the whole staying in one room thing.

Edited June 26, 2012 by PeacefulChaos

[Trish]

You might want to make sure you have access to a decent pool, wherever you stay offsite. October can be very swimmable. And, it's usually a far less crowded month.

[Susan C.]

We LOVE Orange Lake condos in Kissimmee (Holiday Inn). They are VERY reasonable, especially if you book ahead with non refundable. I have gotten a 2 BR 2 BA for 79/night!! It is huge, full kitchen and living area, large master w/jet tub, the 2nd bedroom has 2 queen beds. There is a sleeper sofa on the living room. It is very close to Disney. There is also an amazing lazy river, and several pools and kiddie slides.

[LinRTX]

I've done both. We were a family of five when we stayed on site and a family of six off site. I actually preferred off site.

 

The only place we could find on site that we felt was big enough for us was the Wilderness cabins. The travel from there was awful when trying to get around the park, so we did not even make the early times for those who stay on site.

 

We did just what you are planning the second time and it was so much better.

 

Linda

[Ghee]

We've only been once. We stayed offsite and my plan was like yours. The only snag we hit was that it took a looong time to drive 2 miles from our condo to the parks. Or a long time compared to what it is here at home. So we ended up not leaving a few days, just grabbing food ($$$ for the quality) in the parks so that we had more time there. Next time we go, it'll likely just be me and three kids so I hope to stay on site and see if I like that better. It wasn't a bad time at all, and I LOVED the condo, but I felt like we lost a lot of time driving to be "next door to Disney".

[LibraryLover]

I hear you. One year, I rented a 2 bedroom condo for a month at Windsor Palms for $1600. You can't do that on site. Nice pool, too, Windsor Hills is another option, exactly the same layout at WP, but their pool has a slide. Both WP and WH has a' back road' to the parks, and there is little to no traffic. I tend not to visit the parks. I just want the escape from the cold.

 

I also like Wilderness Cabins, and it does give some more privacy, but it's very costly.

 

I thought family suites were now open at some of the value resorts? I am not sure, but it might be worth a look.

Edited June 26, 2012 by LibraryLover

[nono]

Also, depending on where you stay off-site, you might be able to have a shuttle available too, which could cut down on the parking cost.

[kroe1]

Just a few more things to think about before making your decision:

 

1. Sometimes the tram ride from the park to your car is a big hassle.

 

2. Finding one's way around the World is extremely frustrating to the first-timer. Make sure your car has an up-to-date GPS.

 

3. The traffic from outside the World to inside the World can be backed up. Plan an extra 30 minutes just in case.

 

4. You get to avoid the Disney bus transportation, which is OK at best and awful at worst.

 

5. If one adult purchases an annual pass, it can save hundreds and hundreds on a Disney resort, and the one who has the annual pass, obviously, doesn't need a park pass. With the premium annual pass 20% is saved on Disney merchandise. This can offset the off-site savings greatly when one is staying for 5 or more days.

 

6. I would never be able to drive in and out of the World twice in one day. I guess I'm not wired for that much time in the car when those rides are screaming my name.

 

7. I've never thought the meal plans save that much money anyway. At least the way we eat, sit downs and character meals, the Tables in Wonderland card helps us the most with costs.

 

8. Make sure you check out the DisBoards for lots of money saving tips, as well as Mouse 4 Less.

 

9. An AAA membership can save you 10% on Disney resorts.

 

:)

[Jennifer in MI]

We've done it both ways.

 

What I love about staying on-site:

1. Convenience

2. The magic stays with me

3. I can leave the car at the hotel and not see it again until we drive home.

4. We always get the meal plan when we stay on site and not having to cook meals makes it a true vacation for me. We love to eat at the places that would cost us $300 - $400 for dinner for the six of us and walk out just paying the tip.

5. I can send packages that I buy right back to my resort and pick them up there. (I don't do it often, but it's a nice perk!)

6. The pools!!!! When the parks get overwhelming, it's nice to have a themed pool (with a bar!) to relax at.

 

Cons about staying on-site:

1. Small room. But, we don't go back mid-day for a rest. We come back usually after Meg is asleep and we crash. Wake up and leave again!

2. Occasionally the bus service is slow and you have no control over it (we got stuck in construction one night!).

3. Price. It does cost more.

 

Pros about staying off-site:

1. HUGE space!!! We can spread out.

2. Our own kitchen. This is also a con, however, as it's not truly a vacation if I'm cooking all our meals! But, it is nice to have access with teen boys.

3. Laundry in the condo. There are laundry rooms in the resorts, but they're certainly not as convenient!

 

Cons:

1. I think it requires more planning. Bringing your own food. Packing it up. Driving the car. Etc.

2. Getting back to our condo (we were in a GREAT one in Windsor Hills - I can get you the guy's name and contact info if you want) was NOT an easy thing to do. Maybe from Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios where the parking is right outside the park. But from Magic Kingdom, it took nearly an hour to get there. You drive to the parking lot, take a tram to the monorail, ride the monorail to the park. Lots of waiting! Epcot is a HUGE park and it just would take a lot of time to get there and back.

3. having a kitchen. yes, it's convenient. BUT, it means you are cooking and packing lunches and snacks for your vacation. We've done it and I'd do it again. Just know it's hard!

 

We are actually staying in "our" condo again in August and doing SeaWorld and Discovery Cove and all the other parks. Then, we will move to WDW with free dining for five nights!!! I can't wait!

[Jenny in Florida]

I thought family suites were now open at some of the value resorts? I am not sure, but it might be worth a look.

 

Art of Animation.

 

It just opened and is mostly family suites. My husband took a tour a few weeks ago and said it was really nice.

 

One more thing to keep in mind is that staying on-site gets you access to goodies like Extra Magic Hours, which means being able to be in the parks either before the regular opening or after they close to day guests.

 

And, honestly, I've never seen a pool at any off-site resort that is an nice as the ones at the Disney-owned hotels.

[I.Dup.]

We did HD and stayed off-site for our first family trip there. It was wonderful. We rented a home in Clermont at $80/night. The home had a pool but we only swam in it once. We went to Gatorland our first day there, then we spent 3 days in the parks. 3 days is way too few days, BTW. Ever since we've always stayed 4 (dh can't take off more time than that at work) and ideally we'd stay at LEAST 5 days in the parks. We did not take a mid-day break because it would have just taken way too much time to go back and forth, and by afternoon the parks were really crowded (it was January). So we didn't want to walk all the way out and go against the crowds to get out, drive all the way back to the house, stay there for a few hours, drive all the way back, walk all the way back in the parks, etc. It would have just taken too much time that we didn't want to spare. We ended up eating a couple more meals in the parks than we had planned, just because it was way more convenient than trying to leave just to eat and we didn't want to lug around meals. We could only fit a medium sized cooler in our stroller, and there were 4 adults and 5 children.

 

We went the next year and stayed on-site. That time, it was just my MIL, my dd, myself and my 5 month old. We stayed on-site to get the free dining plan. The free dining plan was amazing. I don't ever want to do it another way (although the cheap rent off-site is way more economical for our large family). We didn't leave Disney the entire trip. We did have my MIL's car to use and I liked that better than having to rely on Disney transportation.

 

This fall just dh, me and our baby are going for an anniversary trip. We will be staying on-site and doing the free dining again. :D:D I am so excited. Next time when we bring the whole family in a year or 2, we will almost definitely rent a house again because that was so cheap.

[VeritasMama]

We've done Disney twice, both times with 4 kids, though I now have 6.

 

I stayed onsite. My mother is in the Air Force, so we were able to get a room at the military resort, Shades of Green. It was great. The shuttle was always right on time, and we had two room suites with kitchenettes/dining area, a living area, and a bedroom. They also had 2 bathrooms. The kids slept in a murphy bed by the dining area on on the sofa bed, and my hubby and I had a bedroom and bathroom all to ourselves. I'm sure that the resorts that are open to the public would have similiar accomodations, but they are surely pricier.

 

We had lunch in the park every day, there is a nice place near the Haunted Mansion that has great clam chowder and fried fish if you get sick of hamburgers. Most nights we came to the room around dinner time and had room service (which was comprable to the price of food in the park). It was great. Then we would take a dip in the pool if the kids still had energy.

 

We were all too tired to drive at the end of the day. On the day we stayed late in the park to see the fireworks, I think we all fell asleep on the shuttle on the way back. Not have to park the car is also a big advantage.

 

Another advantage to staying onsite is that they have special hours on certain days where the guests of the resorts can have access to certain parks and the more popular rides early in the morning before the park opens to the general public. This was a big help for us, we planned our day so that we went on the Dumbo ride, Splash Mountain, ect. before the crowds really hit, then we could spend the rest of the day sticking to the less crowded rides and attractions. This was a big stress reliever, as we could avoid trying to navigate the heavier crowds with 4 small kids.

 

We only stayed 3 days, so if we had stayed longer we may have wanted more space to sprawl out in and more time away from the park. But I really can't say. Also, we didn't really explore anything outside of Disney, we lived right next to the FL border at the time so we could make trips to see other attractions. These trips were strictly Disney.

[LibraryLover]

Dh just reminded me that we have stayed at Marriot Suites in the Disney complex. Not a WDW hotel, but right in WDW. That was nice. Not as cheap as a condo, of course. There is free transportation to all parks. I don't recall it being a hassle. The kids were probably 11, 6,5 and 1 at the time.

[PeacefulChaos]

Another question:

I was just looking at the cost of the on-site value resorts that do offer family suites now (I hadn't looked in awhile, and they have been added since) and I came upon a logistical question...

If you go during homeschool days, you buy your ticket through the homeschool days website, right? But then you still have to book your onsite hotel through the regular Disney website? Then how do you go about getting the Dining plan? I was trying to see how much it would be to stay on site and get the dining plan, but since I hadn't selected any park tickets it didn't offer the dining plan at all or show the cost...

[Jennifer in MI]

Another question:

I was just looking at the cost of the on-site value resorts that do offer family suites now (I hadn't looked in awhile, and they have been added since) and I came upon a logistical question...

If you go during homeschool days, you buy your ticket through the homeschool days website, right? But then you still have to book your onsite hotel through the regular Disney website? Then how do you go about getting the Dining plan? I was trying to see how much it would be to stay on site and get the dining plan, but since I hadn't selected any park tickets it didn't offer the dining plan at all or show the cost...

 

I would call Disney. To get the dining plan, you have to get a package - which includes 2 day passes to the parks. It doesn't matter if you stay longer. For example, we are staying for five nights in September on Free Dining. But, we only have 2 day passes to the parks. We have meals for all five days. Then, you could turn around and buy more days through the Homeschool Days place. Does that make sense? You'd just book the rooms, free dining and the 2 day passes through Disney.

 

I'm not sure at the new hotel, but all the other values give you the value meal plan - 2 counter service meals/day and one snack. BUT, you can pay the difference to get the better meal plan - 1 counter service and one sit down (this is where we make out like kings!), and a snack a day. ETA: This is with free dining. If you are paying for it, you can get whatever meal plan you want!)

[I.Dup.]

I would call Disney. To get the dining plan, you have to get a package - which includes 2 day passes to the parks. It doesn't matter if you stay longer. For example, we are staying for five nights in September on Free Dining. But, we only have 2 day passes to the parks. We have meals for all five days. Then, you could turn around and buy more days through the Homeschool Days place. Does that make sense? You'd just book the rooms, free dining and the 2 day passes through Disney.

 

I'm not sure at the new hotel, but all the other values give you the value meal plan - 2 counter service meals/day and one snack. BUT, you can pay the difference to get the better meal plan - 1 counter service and one sit down (this is where we make out like kings!), and a snack a day. ETA: This is with free dining. If you are paying for it, you can get whatever meal plan you want!)

 

AFA the bolded, do you mean you are only going to the parks for 2 days but you are staying on-site for 5 nights? And you are getting the free dining? So how will you eat the other 3 days if you are only going to the parks for 2 days? I'm confused.

 

Also, when you pay the difference to get 1 c/s meal and 1 sit down meal, how much appx. is that difference, do you know? And is the sit down meals the ones you need to make ressies for months in advance?

[Myeightkiddies]

I've done both since the 70s.

 

I'll never stay off-site again. With our family we have to get multiple rooms. We aren't rich. It's worth it.

[besroma]

AFA the bolded, do you mean you are only going to the parks for 2 days but you are staying on-site for 5 nights? And you are getting the free dining? So how will you eat the other 3 days if you are only going to the parks for 2 days? I'm confused.

 

Also, when you pay the difference to get 1 c/s meal and 1 sit down meal, how much appx. is that difference, do you know? And is the sit down meals the ones you need to make ressies for months in advance?

 

She mentioned buying the other days you wanted from the homeschool days offer.

 

To get the dining plan, you must buy tickets from Disney, but you can buy the other days from the homeschool site.

[I.Dup.]

She mentioned buying the other days you wanted from the homeschool days offer.

 

To get the dining plan, you must buy tickets from Disney, but you can buy the other days from the homeschool site.

 

Gotcha.

[Jennifer in MI]

AFA the bolded, do you mean you are only going to the parks for 2 days but you are staying on-site for 5 nights? And you are getting the free dining? So how will you eat the other 3 days if you are only going to the parks for 2 days? I'm confused.

 

Also, when you pay the difference to get 1 c/s meal and 1 sit down meal, how much appx. is that difference, do you know? And is the sit down meals the ones you need to make ressies for months in advance?

 

Yes. We are staying on-site for 5 nights and going to 2 parks (we go a lot, so we'll just hit our two favorites this time and spend the other three days at the pools!). There are restaurants included in the Free Dining all over the place. So, the two nights we are at the parks, we'll eat in those parks. The other days, we are eating in Animal Kingdom Lodge (Boma! Our fav), Downtown Disney (Portobellos - new to us!), and on the Boardwalk (Kouzzina - new to us!). You don't need tickets to go to those places to eat. For lunch, we'll just grab whatever - probably at our resort.

 

I think when we looked into staying in one of the value resorts one year during free dining, they charged us the actual difference between the two plans. This year, that's about $20/adult/day and $5/child/day. We found it worth it to stay in a moderate resort for that (we stay in Port Orleans Riverside). We're a family of 6 and that resort only sleeps 5, so we go with other family members and officially put one of our kids in their room.

 

HTH!

[DianeW88]

I have done both as well. And since 1983, I have refused to stay off-site again. The traffic getting in and out of the parks was ridiculous. Being exhausted at the end of the night and STILL having to make your way to the parking lot, then off the property, then back to your hotel was more than I was up for. Two miles from the main gate does not mean what you think it does. :lol:

 

Also, it's my vacation. Sorry, but I am not cooking any meals. Nor am I doing laundry. We stay for two weeks, we get the regular dining plan (1 TS, 1 QS and 1 snack per day), and I prepare nothing. If I were cooking two to three meals a day....that is not a vacation for me.

 

We always get two regular value rooms, and that's plenty of space for our family of five. Next year, we are staying in an Art of Animation family suite. That will give you more space than a regular hotel room and has a fridge, sink, microwave, two bathrooms...and...if you stay at AoA...the most awesome "Big Blue" pool on property.

 

There are lots of things you can do to save money and get discounts on rooms, etc. Check out the many Disney websites or ask here. Annual passes are one way. AAA membership is another. Calling the CMs at WDW twice a week and asking if there is a PIN attached to your account or if any new discounts been released is a third. They hate me at central reservations. :lol: Well, except for Charlie from the UK...he's my buddy now.

 

Remember that when you do make a reservation, they will NOT give you anything other than the rack rate unless you specifically ask if there is a discount available for the time of your reservation. Then they will search and apply it for you. Better than that is to know the discount code yourself and give it to THEM. Try www.mousesavers.com for those. And you can always make a ressie first, then call back and apply a discount code when it's released. It will rarely be more than two to three months before your stay.

 

As far as dining reservations go, those can be made for table service restaurants 180 days in advance. And seriously, you need to do that if there is somewhere popular you want to eat. The way I do this is to first consult both www.touringplans.com and www.easywdw.com (one of my favorite sites. Seriously, Josh, the guy who runs it is hysterical and has great info), to check their recommended parks for the days of your vacations. Then those are the parks I choose to go to on those days, and I make my dining ressies accordingly. My only exception is that we HAVE to go to Magic Kingdom on our first day and eat lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern (ooey-gooey toffee cake...yum!).

 

If you want dining info, be sure and ask...I know lots of mousejunkies here have great tips and personal favorites. Eating out is one of my favorite things in WDW. :D

[whitestavern]

We've been three times but always stayed offsite. We are like you; no desire to spend multiple nights in one room. Honestly, no one would sleep well and I don't feel like going to bed at 9. The equivalent space at Disney is pretty pricey.

 

We've stayed at Vacation Village (free timeshare opportunity-my parents own) and twice at Windsor Hills. From what I've seen, I believe the Windsor Hills pool is as nice as some of the budget Disney ones. This last trip we rented a home at Windsor Hills, though, so we had our own pool. Not too fancy, but the crowd was great :) Oh, and bathrooms, fridge, etc. all a couple of steps away. Plus, some kids could play in the pool, some could play in the house, some could nap but you could still keep track of everyone. Oh, laundry facilities are a nice advantage to staying offsite as well.

 

As far as driving, we've never minded the drive to the parks...really you can be walking in to HS or AK in 10-15--a bit longer to MK and EP--but I have heard that the waits for buses can be much longer than that. I like being able to leave and get back if I want to without having to rely on someone else. Sometimes we do 3/4 days, sometimes we tour/break/tour. It's easy peasy leaving and coming back and everyone, even if they don't nap, seems to refresh themselves for the evening festivities.

 

It doesn't sound like the meal plan is something you'd be interested in, so another vote for staying offsite. I'm not sure it's any big savings...most people seem to like it for the convenience more than anything.

 

And as far as the benefit of getting into the parks an hour earlier/staying after closing, those are the parks you want to avoid going to anyway...because they will be the most crowded. So that's really no benefit at all.

 

No matter what you do you will have an awesome time, because whether you stay onsite or off, it's a fabulous vacation!!

[mom2att]

We live in Florida and have been to Disney frequently. We usually stayed onsite when my youngest was still in a pack & play and didn't actually count in the total number of guests per hotel room. We only ever did the values, which have really fun theming and a hundred million people. So those for whom all-Disney, all the time is important, who don't mind sharing everything from morning coffee to laundry facilities with more people than live in some cities, and who think 4 or 5 people in a small, boxy hotel room is the ultimate in family togetherness, onsite is really great.

 

For us, we tolerated it for the sake of the cool theming (and the fact that the parks and resorts were much less crowded in those days) until youngest became an actual person who needed a bed. Then we started staying offsite, due to the fact that we could generally get a fully furnished 3 bedroom condo offsite for less than the cost of a 2nd value room onsite.

 

What we found was that not only was it more cost effective, it was also way more comfortable. Everybody had a room. Everybody had a t.v. We had two huge bathrooms, and nobody had to trip over anybody else or worry about the light bothering the rest of the family when taking a potty break. If the kids woke up early and wanted a bowl of cereal, it was right there in the kitchen--no getting dressed and walking to the restaurant at 6 a.m. We could freeze waters and pack them for a day in the parks, not to mention pb & j and other easy snacks to save money. We could hang out at the really nice resort pool and waterslide if we wanted a break from the park madness, and if we decided later in the day to make our way to the parks, it was only a 10 - 15 minute drive away.

 

We never had a problem with traffic, and we usually skipped the parking lot trams entirely because we found it was quicker and easier to walk from the car to the entrance. We also loved being able to get in the car and drive away at the end of a long day without crowding onto a bus of equally tired, cranky people. Of course the people in our car were tired and cranky as well, but at least in the car everyone has a seat.

 

We didn't get free dining, we didn't get extra magic hours, and we didn't miss them. But that's just us. Some people really love the onsite Disney experience and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

For those interested in offsite accommodations, check Florida Sun Vacation Homes or Vacation Central Florida.

[Candid]

We've done both and I think both have pros and cons. We always rent a full house which means we get a private pool all to ourselves.

 

We usually stay until mid to late afternoon in the park if we are off site and then leave for the day. That makes fora nice day and at least with older kids (say 8 and up) is doable.

 

We always go in March so I don't know anything about September, but in March traffic is pretty low and we had no problems in that area off site.

 

We also bring "new" movies to watch in the evening and make that part of the event. That is a big plus to being in a house with a video system.

[Mom0012]

:bigear:

[Trez]

We have been to Disney (family of 5) many times. We like to refer to the Polynesian Resort as our home away from home :001_smile:. We have stayed off site a little but we love to be onsite. When the kids were younger, we were right on the monorail so it was extremely convenient to just hop on and off for naps. We love the counter service dining plan (when we pick it up for free) as we can use snack credits for breakfast at the bakery. We always end up with a ton of snack credits left to get chocolate bars, etc to bring home. My husband loves the fact that he can just park the car for a week and relax. It is definitely not the cheapest way to go and yes....we are all cramped in the room (but we don't spend much time there anyway).

 

Oiy......can you tell I wish I was going....

[Denise in IN]

We went to Disney last October and stayed off-site (Mystic Dunes, by Windsor Hills). It worked wonderfully for us. I loved having the extra space, a kitchen and washer/dryer. It saved us a ton of money to be able to eat some meals at the condo and take our lunch plus snacks into the parks. I didn't mind the extra work, but that's how we typically vacation with our family. We also saved a ton of money on the accommodations alone, outside of the savings on food.

 

We did not have any traffic issues, and were usually at the parks early enough in the morning that we didn't need to ride the parking lot trams.

 

You just have to decide what your preferences are, and know what your budget is. Those things will determine a lot for you.

 

As an aside, I took my daughter to the princess breakfast at Epcot, and it was so fun! Highly recommended! Good food, lots of princesses, and a fun princess parade. She loved it!

[PeacefulChaos]

Thanks all!

I get why some feel like it isn't a vacation if they are cooking - but the fact of the matter is, if it's a vacation with me making spaghetti or tacos or other similarly easy things for dinner or no vacation at all, I'll take the one with me cooking a meal a day. :D

Now, packing a cooler, taking snacks and packing lunch to take into the park... the idea of that just stresses me out. Idky it's different for me, but yeah... the thought of cooking dinner in the afternoons (and that being the extent of what I have to do) doesn't bother me at all compared to packing stuff... :lol:

[Abeille]

We've done both offsite and onsite, and my preference is solidly for onsite. We tried renting a condo, and while it was certainly cheaper it also wasn't much of a vacation for me. Starting our trip by hitting Walmart for a week's worth of groceries was a drag. By the time we got back from the parks, all I wanted to do was take a cool shower and rest, but instead I was cooking and doing dishes/laundry (my kids were too young to help that trip). Getting out in the morning took longer too, and it felt rushed to get to the World before the lines got too long in the morning.

 

In contrast, when we stayed onsite all that needed doing was a quick store run for snacks/drinks and things to grab for breakfast as we headed out each morning. The whole trip was much more relaxing, though we were somewhat cramped in the room. We also really enjoyed the whole Disney atmosphere, and my kids still talk about how the cool stuff our housekeepers did for us and the wakeup calls from Mickey Mouse. We're hoping to go again in the next couple of years, and we're definitely saving extra so we can stay onsite.

[sparrow]

We LOVE staying offsite. Dh and I are just not the types that need to "stay in the magic" onsite. We want to leave the park, kick off our shoes, have the kids get ready to watch TV or a movie in *their* room, while we have a beer, or a glass of wine, in the living room :D.

 

We typically eat breakfast at the condo, a late-ish lunch/dinner in the park, and, if we're still hungry, make something simple like spaghetti, or even sandwiches, at the condo in the evening. We've also picked up a pizza on the way home.

 

I actually get sick of eating out on vacation. I love being able to have my glass of wine (I know I keep mentioning drinking, but it is *my* vacation ;)) and a big salad while I watch a movie after a day at Disney. Condo living on Disney vacations has totally spoiled me.

[Nestof3]

We went in February and stayed a few minutes away in a rental house. I can PM you the name and show photos if you'd like. It was fabulous! Really. I loved staying off the resort and having our own place to make food and our own private pool.

 

Actually, here it is:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g34352-d1298542-Sun_Palace-Kissimmee_Florida.html

 

There may be more amazing places to rent, but I always get a little nervous about the real condition of these places rather than the computer version. I would honestly highly recommend it. It was super easy getting on and off the resort as well.

 

We ate breakfast at the house and packed a lunch which we carried in with us. We then either ate dinner back at the house or grabbed something at the park. The boys jumped in the pool upon arriving home while my husband and I put everything away. Sometimes John joined them while I washed clothes or something. I love having easy laundry access! We had tons of room to spread out at night as well.

Edited June 27, 2012 by nestof3

[sbgrace]

Am I understanding that you're thinking of doing a couple of days tickets to stay on site and get the meal plan and then also buy tickets for a few more days through homeschool days?

 

I may be misunderstanding. If I'm not, though, I can't see how that would be cost effective. The first day or two of tickets are the high prices. Subsequent days are, comparatively, cheap. So you'd be paying the high ticket price twice. Beyond that homeschool days prices are really great. I just can't see how you'd save money even if you got the dining plan.

 

We stay off-site. Some condos have shuttle service to the parks saving parking and hassle. But that would, at least for some parks, make it difficult to come home for the afternoon and go back. In our condo you could do that for Magic Kingdom and Epcot but not the other parks.

 

When we go we go in the morning and stay till afternoon before leaving for the day. Or, if there is something like closing shows we want to see, we go later and stay till the show. I guess if a child needs to nap and can't nap on the run/in the park it would be impossible to not take a break in the day though. It is important to not run yourselves so hard that it's no longer enjoyable. Full days are way too much for most kids (and adults) I think.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you decide!

[Eileen Aroon]

As a pp said, if it comes down to a vacation packing a lunch and making a few dinners, or no vacation at all, I'll take the vacation.

 

Last May, we stayed offsite for a week in a hotel (Springhill suites by Marriott) it was a big bedroom with a mini fridge and kitchen sink. We had 3 kids and 2 adults. We ate a huge breakfast that came free with the room, filled up our cooler from our own fridge, hit the parks at rope drop, ate snacks and sandwiches in creative places (the play area by splash mountain was great!) and went home for a break between 2 and 4. We usually came back to the park in the evening. Dinners were pizza in our room or fuddruckers.

 

When we were planning this, I was kinda pouty about not being able to eat out in the parks, but the one time we got a counter service meal it was about 45 bucks and we quickly decided it wasn't worth it. Also, it was so fun being at wdw with my family, it make peanut butter sandwiches feel like a party!

[QueenCat]

Also, it's my vacation. Sorry, but I am not cooking any meals. Nor am I doing laundry.

 

:iagree:Sort of... I do not cook on vacation. However, we do stay off-site, in a condo. I do laundry... or we'd have to buy bigger suitcases & a bigger car to bring everything we need. The only food we buy for the condo is breakfast food, beverages and snacks, as well as some wine & beer.