What are the real benefits these days to staying on property?

[Reese'smom]

My husband and I are looking to take a quick weekend trip to disney with our 13 year old son. I'm weighing our options for resorts and its been a while since we've been to Disney. Are there any real benefits to staying on property anymore? I'm trying to keep it economical, but part of me doesn't want to share a bedroom with the teen anymore.... The problem is I've had a taste of the nicer resorts but they all seem out of our budget this time. Our favorite resort is Beach club.

 

[Zaranthenia]

My husband and I are looking to take a quick weekend trip to disney with our 13 year old son. I'm weighing our options for resorts and its been a while since we've been to Disney. Are there any real benefits to staying on property anymore? I'm trying to keep it economical, but part of me doesn't want to share a bedroom with the teen anymore.... The problem is I've had a taste of the nicer resorts but they all seem out of our budget this time. Our favorite resort is Beach club.

If you are only going for a weekend the early morning entry can be a real game changer in terms of a low wait for a lot of the rides. Plus the convenience of being on property vs having to rely on a hotel shuttle or uber. Those can be time eaters or budget busters depending on surge pricing.

My biggest pro is using a magic band to pay since we can then use our best credit card for those purchases and they reflect as 'hotel' instead of dining/entertainment on our statements (this is a pretty niche pro.)

But obviously staying off property can be much cheaper - so this really depends on how much time you think you'll even spend in your room. I'd say for a weekend where you plan to be almost always in the parks a value resort make a whole lotta sense.

Either way it's bound to be a fun family trip. Enjoy the time before you have a true teenager, lol!

 

[lampshadehead]

To me, the Disney transporation is a huge benefit. Its nice to not have to drive or pay for a ride if you don't feel like driving.

 

[Reese'smom]

If you are only going for a weekend the early morning entry can be a real game changer in terms of a low wait for a lot of the rides. Plus the convenience of being on property vs having to rely on a hotel shuttle or uber. Those can be time eaters or budget busters depending on surge pricing.

My biggest pro is using a magic band to pay since we can then use our best credit card for those purchases and they reflect as 'hotel' instead of dining/entertainment on our statements (this is a pretty niche pro.)

But obviously staying off property can be much cheaper - so this really depends on how much time you think you'll even spend in your room. I'd say for a weekend where you plan to be almost always in the parks a value resort make a whole lotta sense.

Either way it's bound to be a fun family trip. Enjoy the time before you have a true teenager, lol!

Thanks for the advice! We actually have an older teen as well- a 16 year old girl. She's just too cool to vacation with us. Shes going to disney but staying with a friend's family.

 

[Zaranthenia]

Thanks for the advice! We actually have an older teen as well- a 16 year old girl. She's just too cool to vacation with us. Shes going to disney but staying with a friend's family.

Ahh so you already have one full blown teenager, lol. Hope she spends a little time with you guys too!

 

[CarolynFH]

My husband and I are looking to take a quick weekend trip to disney with our 13 year old son. I'm weighing our options for resorts and it’s been a while since we've been to Disney. Are there any real benefits to staying on property anymore? I'm trying to keep it economical, but part of me doesn't want to share a bedroom with the teen anymore.... The problem is I've had a taste of the nicer resorts but they all seem out of our budget this time. Our favorite resort is Beach club.

Check rates at Swan/Dolphin/Reserve too, often comparable to Disney moderates.

If you don’t want to share with the teen, look at family suites at AoA and the All Stars. Not deluxe, but sometimes privacy is better!

 

[RoseGold]

If weekend means Monday night, the late hours are gamechanging. To get those, you need deluxe or Swolphin.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned looking into renting BCV points, or an already reserved weekend at BCV, maybe in a 1 BR, if you don't want to share a bedroom with your son. (I can identify with that!) And I also certainly identify with the love for BC.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

So we usually end up on site just because we prefer disney transport, the disney bubble, the CM and better locations. If you really like Beach Club, definitely check out Swan/Dolphin, not Disney owned but sometimes cheaper rates than most WDW deluxes, a great location and you get WDW resort benefits.....except no MB charging privileges/room access and MK bus stops at TTC, not at the MK main gate. Overall though we just prefer staying on property even though we know we can do offsite for a lot less $. We drive to WDW and I just like to park my car, forget about the stress of driving myself and let Disney do the work. We have teens also and we've also looked at All Star Music Family Suites/AofA Suites to get more space/bathrooms but have not pulled the trigger on one of those stays yet. For now, we make it work with a regular room and 2 queen beds.

 

[QueenofPrideRock]

My biggest pro is using a magic band to pay since we can then use our best credit card for those purchases and they reflect as 'hotel' instead of dining/entertainment on our statements (this is a pretty niche pro.)

Hijacking this thread because I take a similar approach ... so if you charge a souvenir purchase to your MB it codes as travel?? I really missed that opportunity for more points on my last trip lol.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hijacking this thread because I take a similar approach ... so if you charge a souvenir purchase to your MB it codes as travel?? I really missed that opportunity for more points on my last trip lol.

Any charges to your MB go onto your Disney resort account. When that account is billed to your CC, all of it codes as Travel, because it’s the hotel bill - the CC doesn’t break it down any further.

 

[sky13]

My biggest pro is using a magic band to pay since we can then use our best credit card for those purchases and they reflect as 'hotel' instead of dining/entertainment on our statements (this is a pretty niche pro.)

Hijacking this thread because I take a similar approach ... so if you charge a souvenir purchase to your MB it codes as travel?? I really missed that opportunity for more points on my last trip lol.

I'm planning to do this on my upcoming trip - have a credit card that gives extra points for travel associated purchases!

 

[carlyannek]

I'm an "on property" person exclusively, but last summer the Dolphin had a deal we couldn't turn down (under $200 a night). Even with that being on property-adjacent, there were definitely things we noticed that ultimately had us booking Coronado this year. First, we love the refillable mugs. We still bought them and used them on the boardwalk, but we always get our money using those. Second, the cleanliness of the pools was noticeably different. The vibe was a lot more adult, and there was a whole lot of floating debris in each of the pools. It was something I hadn't realized I appreciated about Disney until I stayed at Dolphin. And lastly, the buses. As much as we give Disney a hard time about their buses and the rage that bubbles up when the 5th Allstar bus passes you by and your resort line is stretching to the parking lot... the ease in which you can just show up and get transportation is priceless.

As a bonus point... I am convinced that Disney actually puts a magical concoction of brainwashing mystery substance into their resort fragrances because my body literally craves the smell of Pop Century when I am back home.

 

[disney-inspired]

I love the Disney bubble, so much so that I bought into DVC this year.
But I've always been an onsite person because of the ease of transportation and early entry.

The transportation is now the biggest factor for me since I need an ECV for my trips. Knowing I don't have to worry about calling an uber or renting a car is a huge relief.

 

[baler31]

Personally, the only value I see in onsite is location and the deluxe evening hours. We tend to lean towards Swan/Dolphin as we need multiple rooms and they offer a stay connected rate and will guarantee connecting. We are ambassador with Marriott so we get some benefits/points for that as well. We still sprinkle in a few trips to the Disney Deluxe resorts but we are finding we judge them very harshly compared to our pre-covid stays. When the service at the Mariott is better than Disney there is a deep seated problem. For us it is not about the price but the ROI, the only one we consider now is Grand Floridian as there is no room service at any of the others (at least the last time we visited) and dozens of other little things that have been removed.

When we want a more relaxing stays that are longer or not park focused we will choose Four Seasons every time.

 

[jchaeh]

My husband and I are looking to take a quick weekend trip to disney with our 13 year old son. I'm weighing our options for resorts and its been a while since we've been to Disney. Are there any real benefits to staying on property anymore? I'm trying to keep it economical, but part of me doesn't want to share a bedroom with the teen anymore.... The problem is I've had a taste of the nicer resorts but they all seem out of our budget this time. Our favorite resort is Beach club.

staying on property is so convenient

 

[nyy]

We stayed one night at a Disney Springs hotel before our YC reservation last summer, just DH and I.
To say we hated it would be an understatement. It was the Wyndham closest to Rainforest/Marketplace entrance to DS. It did not feel like we were at Disney at all. The room was tiny and dark. The resort fees and parking fees were more than $80 for one night. We felt like we were at a hotel we picked off I95 on the way down - just a random crappy hotel. We would likely think differently if staying at the Four Seasons.

DD stayed at the Holiday Inn in the DS area with a friend and their family a few months ago. She said the shuttle to the parks was only once a hour. She did not feel like she was at Disney, either.

We have stayed on property all other visits. (See below) We make good use of the dining plan (when available), we charge to our room to itemize expenses and not carry our wallets, we take a swim/shower/nap break several hours daily, we love the theming, and we love not having to drive anywhere. We love the different restaurant options, watching fireworks from the resort with music, friendly service, and the pools. Everyone complains about busses, but we think they're fun. If Disney transportation is a pain, we take an Uber/Lyft, also fun. (Maybe that's because we live in a rural area without public transportation?)

We love that Disney bubble. We feel like we have escaped the real world and can let our responsibilities go. Yep, we pay more for it.

 

[leebee]

Disney resorts have gotten too expensive for us to actually enjoy; I find myself thinking I paid how much for THIS? Staying at a value is like staying at an Econolodge, only far more expensive. Thirty minutes early park entry is almost a joke, and there are no late evening hours unless you are staying deluxe. We've stayed at the Sheratons at Disney Springs and had a lovely vacation; when we were there the buses to the parks ran twice an hour. The rooms were spacious, the lounges and restaurants lovely, and it was a 10 minute walk to all Disney Springs has to offer (including boats to POFQ/POR/OKW, buses to all other resorts) so if we did eat at a resort restaurant, we didn't have to drive. I really think the only benefit to staying onsite is free parking at the parks and being able to charge via magic band. Those aren't big enough benefits for me to consider staying at a Disney resort, especially if paying rack rate!

For those of you who need to have the "bubble" all-inclusive resort, Disney 24/7 vibe, stay onsite. For us, the ROI isn't there anymore.

 

[midwestdee]

Huge benefit to staying on property- Disney busses. The teen can go back to veg out when he can’t take anymore family time. IMHO, I’d put DH & the teen in 1 room and have one to myself.

 

[jtopp]

Time is money. The time you save in travel back and forth from your resort alone is worth the cost of staying on property.
Add in the other perks, such as extended hours and early entry, as a bonus.