BigredNole
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2007
I seem to be answering posts on MY EXPERIENCE ONLY quite often. I figured I would post some things that may help people decide staying onsite vs offsite. I will note a few Pros and Cons (to me).
Caveat: I have only been offsite on one visit. We will most likely never stay on property again unless a massive deal presents itself.
Decisions:
Many people will argue with my time assessment for Disney buses. All I can say is that these are my REAL wait times and travel times for Disney buses. It is why we stopped flying in. If we stay onsite, we still drive to all parks. All I can say is if I am there when you are and you are waiting for a bus with me, you are screwed. I don't advertise "no way is a bus this long". Time it yourself from room exit to ticket gate and park exit to room for your entire trip. I am willing to bet my offsite times are half and that your times are definitely closer to 45-60 minutes each way.
Caveat: I have only been offsite on one visit. We will most likely never stay on property again unless a massive deal presents itself.
Decisions:
- Will you have your own car? If not, then transportation to/from Disney parks gets expensive and will most likely cancel out any savings. I think this is the ultimate deciding factor in the whole discussion. You could stay some place like Wyndham Bonnet Creek, get an estimate for Uber to another resort like CBR, Pop, AoA, Boardwalk. Once there, you can hop on the park buses. I would guess Uber would be less than $10 each way. Quick Uber calculator. This would add travel time, but still doable maybe.
- Do I have to stay in the Disney bubble? If yes, then there is no decision to make.
- How much space do you need? If you need more than a 400sf studio, everyone in one room, and sharing beds, then your price for Disney rooms just skyrocketed if you don't have a car.
- How many people are in your party? For 2 people, staying on site is easy. For more than that, studios can get cramped and mommy/daddy time is not easy.
- Where are some of the best places to stay? There are tons and it comes down to how much space you want, what you want from the place you stay, and how far you are willing to drive each day.
- You don't need a car. You can rely on Disney transportation, Uber, and taxi.
- You get free use of Disney Magical Express
- You can make FP selections 60 days in advance
- You get a Magic Band that can charge everything to your room.
- You can make dining reservations for your whole stay 180 days out from your first day
- You can have packages delivered to your resort.
- You get Extra Magic Hours.
- You stay in the Disney bubble
- You save $1,000s vs comparable Disney accommodations and this is the main reason
- Resorts have the same and in many cases better amenities
- You get at least 3x the space and usually 2 or more bathrooms
- You have full kitchens to eat healthier and much cheaper meals
- If you don't have a car, Uber indicates it is about $10 each way.
- You can enjoy almost everything Disney resort guest enjoy: All activities at a Disney resort can be done by non-resort guests. It is NOT a perk to Disney resort guests.
- Depending on the resort, your kids may fight going back to the park and just want to stay at the resort.
- You still get FPs, but may miss out on 1 or 2 top attractions. Simply hit those at rope drop and there are no issues. We usually schedule our FPs for the evening hours anyway. Although not the most scrupulous of behaviors, some renters have a pass they call VIP. I do not know the exact specifics to it, but it is most likely something similar to the GAC. It lets a group up to 8 on to each FP attraction once per day. People can call this what they want. I have not rented a place with this benefit. It is simply a private owner that knows a CM or has a child in the College Program that can pass down a hidden benefit. In some cases, I would think the owner has a $20 handshake with a CM that makes $10/hr. If I ever rented a place that offered it, I would most likely use it...just being honest.
- Faster transportation times. Many people will fight this with me, but my experience with Disney bus transportation is that it takes me 45-60 minutes from the time I leave my room, get to a bus stop, wait for the bus, wait for ECVs to load, load the bus, get herded in like cattle, then off to the next stop, repeat, off to the next stop repeat, off to the next repeat, then off to the park, unload, and walk. Then, reverse the process from the park. At an offsite resort, walk from my room, hop in my car, scan pass for free parking, park, and get to the gate is about 15-30 minutes. Plus, when going to MK I get to take a ride before many resort guests be it the monorail or ferry.
- At the end of the night after fireworks or Fantasmic, the herds are going to their bus stop with 100s of people for your same resort. As I pass the corrals to walk to my car, exit with no real traffic, and at my resort in just a few minutes, those same people are still packed in like cattle waiting for bus #1, #2, #3, #4.
Many people will argue with my time assessment for Disney buses. All I can say is that these are my REAL wait times and travel times for Disney buses. It is why we stopped flying in. If we stay onsite, we still drive to all parks. All I can say is if I am there when you are and you are waiting for a bus with me, you are screwed. I don't advertise "no way is a bus this long". Time it yourself from room exit to ticket gate and park exit to room for your entire trip. I am willing to bet my offsite times are half and that your times are definitely closer to 45-60 minutes each way.
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