Am I going to miss Disney????

[Minnie]

Okay, here's the deal:

I am very close to renting a townhouse for our July vacation.

My main concern is that we will miss the whole "hotel treatment" of being taken care of at a WDW resort.

Also, the lack of magic hours concerns me considering we will be going in July.

Any thoughts on this?????? We need to make a decision soon before this home is booked.

Thanks!

 

[gcrw11]

We've stayed offsite years ago and feel there is never a good enough discount to not stay on property. The extras that you get staying with them outweigh any discount you can get from a non-Disney place. Would Mickey wake you up in the morning? Would you get to get in the parks an hour earlier? Would you get to stay 3 hours after closing in the parks? Will you get an off key bus driver sing to you at 2am to keep you awake?
There are so many other reasons also, but I think you get the idea.
I don't even go to Universal because it's just not up to Disney standards, and I expect that on vacation now because they are so good.
Hope that helped.
Either way, have fun.

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

On-Property is the only way to go, especially in July when your going to NEED those extra magic hours!

 

[Christine]

I stayed off-site over Easter and I didn't "miss" the magic. In fact, I found the comforts of my townhome extremely "magical" over spending my evenings in a hotel room with two teenagers!

As you can see from my signature, I have spent most of my time on-site and loved every minute of it. I do stay at Shades of Green mostly because the rooms there are FABULOUS--some of the best on-site. Even then, I really enjoyed this townhome we rented. I was more comfy than I've ever been on a trip.

BUT....we do not do a lot of LATE evenings. We've been to Disney many times so I don't feel that I have to spend so much time at the parks. It all comes down to what you think you need. If you REALLY think you must have the EMH, then you won't be happy off-site.

Also, I don't know why the other poster said that Universal wasn't up to Disney standards. I went for the first time this year and was extremely impressed with the park.

 

[gcrw11]

The reason I posted negative Universal stuff is because every time I've ever been there, I've dealt with rude employees, dirty bathrooms and an ok atmosphere.
I'm glad that you enjoyed it, but to me it's not up to Disney standards. That's why it's not called Disney.

 

[Christine]

The reason I posted negative Universal stuff is because every time I've ever been there, I've dealt with rude employees, dirty bathrooms and an ok atmosphere.
I'm glad that you enjoyed it, but to me it's not up to Disney standards. That's why it's not called Disney.

Well, I've had similar experiences at Disney with dirty bathrooms and "not-so-friendly" CMs, but I do try not to let one experience color my whole view.

Also, I wasn't trying to refute/argue your opinion about Universal. Everyone likes what they like, but I just hate seeing anyone discouraged from trying something different. I *used* to be an on-site snob . I hated my experience off-site at the Sheraton Vistana Resort. Absolutely HATED it. But I try to keep an open mind and try new things to and not get all locked up in the "Disney is the only way" mindset. I've seen that so many times on this board and I've even seen people express those views who've never spent 5 minutes outside the parks. How can you say that, KWIM?

Anyway, staying on-site does have a lot of good perks and I may, myself, go back on-site again, although my townhome stay was incredible. One of the best vacations I've had. So, it's hard to say what I will do next. I guess it just comes down to whether you really need those Disney perks each visit.

In our case, the savings was a HUGE amount. We were travelling with 5 people and needed two rooms. Two nights in a Disney hotel during Easter are not cheap. I got a 4-bdrm townhome that slept all of us, plus we had an extra room and I got it for $114 per night (including all taxes).

 

[gcrw11]

All I can say is WOW. I never knew loving Disney would make me a snob.
Good vibes going out your way.

 

[spiceycat]

disney hours are longer in July - see link
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/july07.cfm?requesttimeout=1000

mk doesn't close to 11pm or midnight

studio at 10pm

ak at 8pm

epcot is still 9pm

so I won't worry about missing EMH....

go early - leave when the crowds get too much or the heats get bad, go back to your house and go swimming!!!! or shopping - then that afternoon, or early evening when it is cooler go back to the parks.

 

[Mainebound]

Well, I've had similar experiences at Disney with dirty bathrooms and "not-so-friendly" CMs, but I do try not to let one experience color my whole view.

Also, I wasn't trying to refute/argue your opinion about Universal. Everyone likes what they like, but I just hate seeing anyone discouraged from trying something different. I *used* to be an on-site snob . I hated my experience off-site at the Sheraton Vistana Resort. Absolutely HATED it. But I try to keep an open mind and try new things to and not get all locked up in the "Disney is the only way" mindset. I've seen that so many times on this board and I've even seen people express those views who've never spent 5 minutes outside the parks. How can you say that, KWIM?

Anyway, staying on-site does have a lot of good perks and I may, myself, go back on-site again, although my townhome stay was incredible. One of the best vacations I've had. So, it's hard to say what I will do next. I guess it just comes down to whether you really need those Disney perks each visit.

In our case, the savings was a HUGE amount. We were travelling with 5 people and needed two rooms. Two nights in a Disney hotel during Easter are not cheap. I got a 4-bdrm townhome that slept all of us, plus we had an extra room and I got it for $114 per night (including all taxes).

Thank you Christine. I agree with everything you say!

IMO, Universal parks, restaurants, and hotels are absolutely on a par with WDW, and I would hope everyone who enjoys theme parks would give them a try. My super hero loving sons will never let us skip Universal now that we have gone there.

Also, onsite at WDW (or USO) and offsite are both great vacations in Orlando. they offer different things. You have to decide what matters the most to you on your vacation. Staying offsite does mean having your own car and taking care of your own food needs, and picking up after yourself in your condo or pool home. To some, that is not a vacation. On the other hand, staying onsite means being trapped in WDW, spending more for less in terms of accommodations and food, and (for many) not controlling where you go and when (i.e. relying on public transportation).

We find BOTH are great vacations, and neither one can fulfill our every vacation desire. Lately we have foudn we enjoy offsite more -- it is actually more relaxing for our family. A split stay is often a good idea if you are on the fence, or want to try both. Good luck!

 

[Christine]

All I can say is WOW. I never knew loving Disney would make me a snob.
Good vibes going out your way.

I have "lovingly" called myself an on-site snob for many years. I've also seen the term used by other posters here referring to their on-site preferences. It really is a joke and I hope that it didn't come across as mean.

 

[Christine]

We find BOTH are great vacations, and neither one can fulfill our every vacation desire. Lately we have foudn we enjoy offsite more -- it is actually more relaxing for our family. A split stay is often a good idea if you are on the fence, or want to try both. Good luck!

Yes... I think now that my kids are getting older that has what has caused us to shift in the way we vacation at Disney. I would have NEVER dreamed of staying off-site many years ago and, to be quite honest, I was really nervous before this Easter trip and a bit bummed. But I was so pleasantly surprised by my experience, I guess I feel like I need to shout from the rooftops or something!

 

[5mins2disney]

Yes... I think now that my kids are getting older that has what has caused us to shift in the way we vacation at Disney. I would have NEVER dreamed of staying off-site many years ago and, to be quite honest, I was really nervous before this Easter trip and a bit bummed. But I was so pleasantly surprised by my experience, I guess I feel like I need to shout from the rooftops or something!

That's how we felt too, we used to be "on site" people and our first offsite experience was SO incredible we felt the same way, like we needed to go let everyone know how incredible it is! We went even a step further and bought a home, we loved it THAT much!!

hehe

 

[wayneg]

You can see from our trips below we love the Disney area. Stayed onsite once and it was OK but not half as enjoyable as being offsite, more space, more amenities for your money and best of all you are not Disney 24/7.
We have AP's for all the parks, Disney, Uni, IofA, SW, Busch. and we find standards and friendlyness as good at them all.
I personally think Disney are outpriceing themselves with rooms, tickets and food. Which is one reason they are having to do free dining.
We go to Orlando for upto 50 nights a year, we can only do this offsite, onsite I would only be able to do half of that for the same money.

 

[jessiangel]

We only stayed once onsite. DH and DD actually did not enjoy it. After staying in a 2 bdrm condo on vacation for years with our own kitchen and a great pool, they just felt too cramped at a moderate resort to feel too much magic. Unfortunately, I was the one who had to hear about their lack of magic the whole trip. That's why we are back offsite this year. I may miss a bit of the magic, but it will be nice having the big separate bedrooms. Plus, we will still have Disney magic, as I have proclaimed myself on strike from cooking, so we have ADRs for dinner every night. Now that's a vacation!

 

[Minnie]

Thank you all for your helpful and varied comments

We normally stay deluxe as you can see by my sig though after our last stay at the OKW 2-bed we were totally spoiled and can't imagine going back to a standard "box" for a week.

Though it is only the 3 of us (2 adults, 1 child) the extra room is extremely helpful. Also, on this trip I will be in the middle of writing my MBA thesis so time/space to do so is important. With the splash pool offered with the townhouse my DS could enjoy that while I work.

Hmmmm choices, choices. Time is coming to an end and we need to make a decision quickly. Hopefully we will make a decision this weekend.

Still a bit worried about missing Disney and the ease of the use of the transportation, lack of EMH, ect. If we do the townhouse though we may end up doing non-Disney as well. Discovery Cove (DS13) has wanted this for a long time, Sea World, even gasp Universal.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

If we do the townhouse though we may end up doing non-Disney as well. Discovery Cove (DS13) has wanted this for a long time, Sea World, even gasp Universal.

If you're considering USO, I would highly recommend splitting acommodations and stay 1-2 days onsite. Their hotels are all on par with Disney deluxe and perks for onsite guests are awesome. You can use your room key (card) for an unlimited fast pass, even kids get a card. With that, there's no need for EMH!
We had visited twice before off site and thought it was just okay. No Disney magic (but then again, they're not trying to be WDW.)

After staying onsite, we have completely changed our outlook. The water taxi ride to the parks was sooo relaxing and more appealing than getting bussed. We're even planning our 1st trip exclusively to USO for Sept. Surprising kids with the Hard Rock Hotel.
Now, when we want Disney magic, we do WDW. When we want something different, we do USO.
A 13 y.o. boy would LOVE it there. Shrek, Mummy, Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Jurassic Park, Jimmy Neutron... My boys are 10 and almost 7 and there's plenty for both of them!!
Good luck!
ps. We also enjoyed Kennedy Space Center if you're looking for something non-Disney. You might want to check that out too.

 

[jdm]

I have to say I was surprised when I read the first post saying Universal was not up to par with Disney. I was reading it in the context of onsite versus offsite. I have never stayed onsite with Disney, although I am a Disney lover! We spend a lot of time onsite, going to Disney restaurants, spending time horseback riding at the resorts etc. We do Disney cruises. I LOVE disney everything. I have stayed onsite at Universal and it was really something! We've stayed at Portifino's and Hard Rock and Universal makes staying onsite really worth it with all the perks they include. I'm not sure I would do Universal without staying onsite. Having said that, although my kids loved it-- the parks themselves weren't really my cup of tea. The thrill rides aren't my thing and I didn't feel the "magic" as I do at Disney.

We always stay in 2 bedroom condos offsite. Usually one of the Marriotts. I couldn't imagine staying in a hotel room, deluxe or otherwise after experiencing the space, privacy and fun of the resorts we stay at. I'd love to do an onsite 2 bedroom at Boardwalk etc. but Disney does not make it worth the $$ as Universal does. JMHO.

Jenn

 

[Dreaming WDW]

Also, on this trip I will be in the middle of writing my MBA thesis so time/space to do so is important. With the splash pool offered with the townhouse my DS could enjoy that while I work.

I don't think I could get any kind of work done if I stayed on property. I probably could'nt focus with everything happening around me. It might just be for that reason that it's better to stay off site so that you can detach and concentrate on a little work.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I have to agree with Dreaming if you are going to need to work some during this trip, it sure would be nice to have some space to do your work.
Either way have a GREAT Vacation anything near Disney is the best for me!!

 

[JMLBrats]

We're staying off site at the Vistana for the first time (in a loooong time) this summer and we're very excited about it. WE LOVE staying onsite, but feel that we're ready to experience a slightly different atmosphere that's not Disney 24/7. (of course, we did split the trip up and will be staying onsite for half the time ) We're also doing Universal 1 day too-LOVE USO-just in a different way than Disney.

Anyway, I guess my thoughts are go for it-as long as you don't need to do the EMH.