Blown away by offsite stay

Carolynleanne · Mar 3, 2019

Yay! I'm glad you had such a great experience. We stayed at a very nice off site resort once but just didn't enjoy it. We didn't like renting a vehicle, having to figure out how to get to and from places with our vehicle, and going back and forth off property. But if you dont mind it? BOY do you save money!

snappy · Mar 3, 2019

I used to have so much trouble getting the kids out of the pools at the pool homes. Youngest was still so little. Good memories.

We used to drive and once we rented a home for 3 weeks. It was hard to leave and go home

hereforthechurros · Mar 3, 2019

We are planning to spend the last two weeks of the year in Florida and I’m very excited to test the offsite options. Seeing places for $600 for a week is mind blowing! We’ve paid close to that per night at WDW for similar amenities. We are bubble people and always will be but we typically do a few long weekends a year so we can stay deluxe. For a two week trip it would be silly to pay WDW lodging costs.

Viking7641 · Mar 4, 2019

Okay, so on-site big advantage for me is the buses, I like the buses, they are part of the charm and I hate driving.

How is experience with shuttles at these resorts? That’s what will keep me going back to on-site - the transport and the worry free, car free movement

ScubaCat · Mar 4, 2019

I've had good and bad experiences staying off property. In DL, it's a no brainer to me - the on property hotels are obscenely overpriced and off property is like a block or two walk away. But WDW can be challenging depending on your time frame and hassle factor. Yeah the buses can run slow, but when you just want to get back to your room after MK fireworks, it's a long trip if you're parked at TTC. You can save a small fortune staying off property... This is true. But I live pretty modestly the rest of the year (I fix the cars myself, etc...stuff like that) so it's worth it to me to have a 1 or 2 bedroom BCV villa when we're at WDW. There's just no substitute for SAB and a 3 minute walk to Epcot.

kylenne · Mar 4, 2019

Viking7641 said:
Okay, so on-site big advantage for me is the buses, I like the buses, they are part of the charm and I hate driving.

How is experience with shuttles at these resorts? That’s what will keep me going back to on-site - the transport and the worry free, car free movement

Garbage. I wouldn’t rely on them at all. My last offsite stay was at the Sheraton Vistana, which is a timeshare but also does cash rooms. Their shuttle had to be called to be scheduled and only ran at certain times. Other offsite shuttles make stops at multiple hotels. And remember that on MK days, you’re dealing with the TTC regardless. We had a car on that Vistana stay and fighting traffic to get out at the end of the night was not the business.

Honestly in this day and age unless you have multiple small kids, if you’re staying offsite and don’t have a car, just Uber/Lyft. Heck even on site I take it rather than mess with buses. I think we took buses all of twice on our last stay, both times coming back from AK. Lyft is just too convenient.

Beer Me · Mar 4, 2019

Maybe it’s because I usually go in the summer but I can’t find these killer less than $100/night deals at decent resorts. I stayed at an idrive resort recently for a conference for around $170 and it was kind of a dump.

Next Disney trip I’ll look again. If a great deal comes up I’m open to it but find myself always going back on-site.

Viking7641 · Mar 4, 2019

kylenne said:
Garbage. I wouldn’t rely on them at all. My last offsite stay was at the Sheraton Vistana, which is a timeshare but also does cash rooms. Their shuttle had to be called to be scheduled and only ran at certain times. Other offsite shuttles make stops at multiple hotels. And remember that on MK days, you’re dealing with the TTC regardless. We had a car on that Vistana stay and fighting traffic to get out at the end of the night was not the business.

Honestly in this day and age unless you have multiple small kids, if you’re staying offsite and don’t have a car, just Uber/Lyft. Heck even on site I take it rather than mess with buses. I think we took buses all of twice on our last stay, both times coming back from AK. Lyft is just too convenient.

Like Lyft but it adds up when it’s not really necessary as the buses are fine in my experience on site

Off site yeah, absolutely

katyjeka · Mar 4, 2019

We love Disney resorts but stayed at Bonnet Creek years ago and fell in love. The location is awesome and the place is beautiful. When planning our trip I always look at all options and will not pay over $3000 more to stay at a moderate in Disney when I can get a 2 bedroom villa. I love the washer/dryer as we usually stay for at least 10 nights. Nothing like watching Disney fireworks from our balcony with an extra few thousand in our pockets. Sounds magical to me.

sbd78 · Mar 4, 2019

Viking7641 said:
Okay, so on-site big advantage for me is the buses, I like the buses, they are part of the charm and I hate driving.

How is experience with shuttles at these resorts? That’s what will keep me going back to on-site - the transport and the worry free, car free movement

I've stayed in the Disney Springs hotels once (Double Tree Suites) and they have what is likely the best bus system for offsite hotels. They run regularly every 30 minutes I think? I still wasn't happy with them. Each bus goes to 2 parks and the drop off and pickup area is in the offsite area which is quite a bit further away than onsite buses. (TTC for MK.) Offsite can give you a lot for your money, but I personally would plan to drive to the parks.

rg35 · Mar 4, 2019

Most folks on here universally say the off site hotel shuttles are very bad.

buzznina · Mar 4, 2019

ScubaCat said:
I've had good and bad experiences staying off property. In DL, it's a no brainer to me - the on property hotels are obscenely overpriced and off property is like a block or two walk away. But WDW can be challenging depending on your time frame and hassle factor. Yeah the buses can run slow, but when you just want to get back to your room after MK fireworks, it's a long trip if you're parked at TTC. You can save a small fortune staying off property... This is true. But I live pretty modestly the rest of the year (I fix the cars myself, etc...stuff like that) so it's worth it to me to have a 1 or 2 bedroom BCV villa when we're at WDW. There's just no substitute for SAB and a 3 minute walk to Epcot.

We learned years ago not to leave MK right after fireworks, because of the massive transportation lines, so any time saved is very little. Sorry, but SAB does not even compare to some of the pools offsite, heck we liked Cabana Bays pool better because it has a longer and nicer themed lazy river and the pool itself is so much bigger. The walk to Epcot and DHS is great but your also paying $200-$300 more PER night, just to be able to walk to 2 out of 4 parks. Staying onsite and in the bubble is great, we have been doing it for over 14 years, and up until 4-5 years ago I would have never thought of offsite.

snappy · Mar 4, 2019

I agree about the transport at MK after fireworks. Awful even when we have stayed onsite and taking the bus. As frequent visitors we avoid that. Also agree about SAB. I think I have had 4 stays at YC,BC, and BCV. It’s lovely to look at, but the lazy river is too deep for me and not nearly long enough. Not to mention crazy busy.

kylenne · Mar 4, 2019

Viking7641 said:
Like Lyft but it adds up when it’s not really necessary as the buses are fine in my experience on site

Off site yeah, absolutely

I guess it’s all about the individual. I don’t think they’re nearly as bad as people make them out to be sometimes, but avoid Disney buses because I’m crammed on buses daily in “real life”, and that doesn’t scream vacation to me.

buzznina said:
We learned years ago not to leave MK right after fireworks, because of the massive transportation lines, so any time saved is very little. Sorry, but SAB does not even compare to some of the pools offsite, heck we liked Cabana Bays pool better because it has a longer and nicer themed lazy river and the pool itself is so much bigger. The walk to Epcot and DHS is great but your also paying $200-$300 more PER night, just to be able to walk to 2 out of 4 parks. Staying onsite and in the bubble is great, we have been doing it for over 14 years, and up until 4-5 years ago I would have never thought of offsite.

I don’t think there’s a real clear cut answer for on vs offsite. People have to do the math and see what makes the most sense for themselves and their families and the way they do Disney. The Vistana was a lovely resort and we had great accommodations especially traveling with a teenager like we were at the time, having a kitchenette was wonderful. But my trips are usually just adult only, and the truth is that trip just reinforced why I like to stay onsite. Not being able to quickly dip from a park back to my room when I felt overstimulated or ill was misery inducing. Staying offsite makes midday breaks eat up so much more time, especially from MK. And the difference between walking over to a resort launch or monorail at the end of the night, and doing the monorail/ferry to tram to car shuffle then fighting with traffic was the whole opposite of magical.

Then again I never pay rack rate to stay at a Deluxe (I use agency exclusive discounts through a TA) and the most “offsite” I like to get is the Swan or Dolphin. I feel like those are the best of both worlds because you get the cheaper prices and better accommodation but still have Disney transportation and a fantastic location.

Kimberle · Mar 4, 2019

snappy said:
I have loved staying offsite for years. We started with 4 bedroom pool houses right after 9/11. Later we mixed in some DVC stays with Wyndham Bonnet creek, Waldorf and Hilton Bonnet creek and we still enjoy all of them but we also stay at the Dolphin now.

Nicest rooms we ever stayed at while visiting Disney parks were definitely the Presidential suite at Hilton Bonnet Creek and a big suite at the Waldorf. We could afford them, the nicest suites on site would be out of our range.

Next up: universal resorts. We need to check them out. I am definitely going to check out cabana bay but am also interested in Hard Rock Hotel. I think that might be a good fit for us.

The Hard Rock is an amazing resort. You will love it! We loved dining at "The Kitchen" @ the HR. No ADR's needed.

nascargirl · Mar 4, 2019

We usually stay at the BWI or BC. This coming May we are renting a house at Windsor Palms since we will have my Mom with us. The house is 4 bedrooms and has a covered pool. The drive time to AKL is 5-10 min which is fantastic. I am hoping this will be a positive experience for us.

ScubaCat · Mar 4, 2019

kylenne said:
I don’t think there’s a real clear cut answer for on vs offsite.

Definitely. If there were, this topic wouldn't come up and there wouldn't be both options.

Is SAB the best pool complex ever? Hardly! We stayed at Hilton Orlando (the one on I-drive by the convention center) and even that hotel had a massively better lazy river. But it's a lot farther to the epcot world showcase, so ..

It's all a matter of what people want along with what they can afford (or choose to spend).

richmo · Mar 4, 2019

Offsite definitely has a lot of options. We and I have saved a fortune by staying outside the bubble most trips. And for longer trips, especially with older kids, definitely consider renting a condo or house at Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms and the like. That ability to spread out a bit can be priceless.

One thing to remember when staying offsite is that you really need to rent a vehicle. Don't get enticed by the hotel having a shuttle that runs to the parks...do that and you're on their schedule, not yours. When you do the math of comparing the cost vs. staying onsite, remember to add in the cost of your rental vehicle, $22 per day to park (unless you have an AP) and gas and tolls. But, you can also subtract things like having breakfast (and maybe more) in your room, offsite dining, etc. The amount you can save on even sometimes eating dinner outside Disney can easily pay for the rental car.

ScubaCat · Mar 4, 2019

richmo said:
Offsite definitely has a lot of options. We and I have saved a fortune by staying outside the bubble most trips. And for longer trips, especially with older kids, definitely consider renting a condo or house at Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms and the like. That ability to spread out a bit can be priceless.

One thing to remember when staying offsite is that you really need to rent a vehicle. Don't get enticed by the hotel having a shuttle that runs to the parks...do that and you're on their schedule, not yours. When you do the math of comparing the cost vs. staying onsite, remember to add in the cost of your rental vehicle, $22 per day to park (unless you have an AP) and gas and tolls. But, you can also subtract things like having breakfast (and maybe more) in your room, offsite dining, etc. The amount you can save on even sometimes eating dinner outside Disney can easily pay for the rental car.

+1 on the offsite shuttles, although the disney springs and bonnet creek resorts have pretty decent busing in my limited experience. Even still, you'll probably want a car to get to various offsite restaurants and such.

I've stayed at one of the hotels that offered "theme park transportation" only to show up and be presented with a total of 4 inbound and outbound pickup times. We caught the next bus available which was a retired school bus spraypainted white (I'll never forget the sign as long as I live: "Lou's Route 9 Bus") that took a solid hour to get us to the TTC. Lesson learned there!

richmo · Mar 4, 2019

ScubaCat said:
+1 on the offsite shuttles, although the disney springs and bonnet creek resorts have pretty decent busing ...

Good point on that...forgot to mention that the Disney Springs (Hotel Plaza blvd) and Bonnet Creek resorts have regular loop buses to the parks that are pretty decent. Just about anywhere else, I'd definitely recommend getting a car.

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