Onsite/Offsite?

[Loftus]

I currently have 7 nights reserved at ASSp for next February half-term @ $109 plus tax. As this is peak period I don't see there being much chance of a code or discount.
Playing around on the net I found 7 nights at the Howard Johnson Maingate West on hotelkingdom.com for $39.95 plus tax.
If staying on-site I wasn't planning on hiring a car. Staying off-site at the HoJo this would probably be a necessity.
Factoring this in (Choiceair around £150 fully inc) gives off-site hotel plus car hire and parking charges at around £400, against on site plus towncar transfers at around £650.

Is on-site worth the extra £250?

Answers on a postcard to.....

 

[BevS97]

in a word, YES.

I would and have stayed off-site - but for a difference of only £250, then I would definitely go for the on-site option.

I would keep checking Mousesavers though, because they often have discount codes, at all times of the year.

Bev

 

[Goofyish]

I think discount availability has more to do with the amount of booking that Disney have rather than the time of year.

Check out the Mousesavers site for news of any discounts as they become available:

http://www.mousesavers.com

Another option is to re-book through Dreams Unlimited. They will keep checking for discounts and get the best rates for you:

http://www.dreamsunlimited.com

If you are only planning on doing WDW then staying on-site would be my choice - even with the extra expense. It may be worth looking at an Annual Pass for one of your party so that you can take advantage of the AP discounts (around 30%) on WDW resorts.

 

[vernon]

I presume you're talking about £250 per person? For a family of 4 thats going to be cling in on £1000 so it isn't a trifle.

I would say though it seems you are only planning a week in Orlando? If that i sthe case I would suggest the greater cost of being on site is going to make it much easier to cover all of Disney. Taking into account you would probably get charged some insurance on the "free car" I think it would be worth the extra to stay on site. If you'd been staying longer and you were on a tight budget I would have said look at splitting the booking or even stay off site as IMHO Disney is very expencive for two weeks. While the hotel cost is one factor, eating on disney is also quite a lot more than eating off.If you're only there for a week it's likely that you'll be in the parks most of the time so you're unlikely to make a massive saving by eating off site. I would say that to eat on Disney you pay probably 30-50% more than a similar meal off site costs.

You'll find some people that wouldn't even consider an Orlando vacation if they weren't on site for the whole trip, I find that just a little TOO MUCH of a good thing for 2-3 weeks and it's also VERY expensive. You'll also find some people that don't need to be immersed in "Disney 24 hours a day 7 days a week and for them, staying off site is a preference as well as a more economical solution. I've done both and I can say I thoroughly enjoy both on and off site, both offer a great vacation and whichever way you go, you'll have a great time.

 

[Loftus]

Yep, I think you have confirmed what I was thinking. Despite the price difference a week on site will probably be so much less hassle.
Cheers guys.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

I would agree with staying on-site: if you don't, I think that you may regret it when you get there.

My husband and I went to Orlando for the first time together a couple of years back (first time I have been to Orlando since I was 7 - quite a while ago...). We were booked into the Omni Rosen (now Rosen Centre, I think), but it seemed rather drab and conferency when we got there (I think this was highlighted when visiting Disney Parks and after we had just done a 7 night Disney cruise). We visited the Swan and Dolphin and fell in love - it was so special (especially compared with the Omni Rosen - a totally disfferent feeling). My husband was so lovely - he booked us out of the Omni Rosen 3 nights early and we booked into a concierge room at the Swan. Okay completely mad, but fantastic - we loved every moment of it.

This August we are going back to Orlando again and are booked into the Yacht Club: another hotel we looked around last visit - really lovely.

I wouldn't stay off-site now unless we rented a villa somewhere. If we were staying in a hotel, then we would stay on-site: we worth it for the disney experience.

So, in summary (I am good at rambling!), I would stay on-site for your first trip: get the full Disney experience and look around other hotels/resorts whilst you are there (so you know where you want to stay next time ;-)).

I would second using Dreams Unlimited - I have used them before and they were very good.

Have a great trip.
Boo

 

[Cinderella]

Definitely on-site, especially if it means u won't need a car. We have tried off-site once - Hyatt Orlando and my husband hated off-site so much that it persuaded him to buy DVC!

 

[KayleeUK]

I am an on site girl - I love the 24 hour disney magic

Kaylee

 

[Hilary]

Another vote for on-site from me.

When I went in early March last year (also peak resort rates), I started out with a booking at ASMo, but ended up paying less for a moderate (POR) by getting an AP rate through Dreams Unlimited. So there may be on-site deals to be had for that time of year, but you'll probably have to wait and see what comes up nearer the time.

Good luck!