Can we save money staying off property?

[DSNY4ever]

I totally see the value for a larger family and those needing larger accommodations and wanting the value of a kitchen. I don't think we can use uber/lyft because our kids are too small and we need car seats still- so I don't think we can do that?

I am very curious about people who prep their food and pack it on dry ice- how interesting! Our flights/travel day require about 12 hours of travel though, so I don't think I'm going to cook food and pack it on ice- do they allow big styrofoams coolers full of dry ice on planes, I thought you could only do small ones for prescription meds? Just curious, not really looking for food savings though, simply lodging savings. We have everything else as low as it can go for our family.

The values are priced around $140-150 per night for our time frame and I found some pretty awesome looking off property resorts for about $80, but then the additional add ons of parking and car bring it up, and we'd maybe only save a few bucks per day, and then we'd have no magic bands.

But I do understand the bigger picture of the value for others and that you can get nicer accommodations off site.

 

[firefly_ris]

I totally see the value for a larger family and those needing larger accommodations and wanting the value of a kitchen. I don't think we can use uber/lyft because our kids are too small and we need car seats still- so I don't think we can do that?

Uber XL or Uber Family you could. Or a Minnie Van, but pricier.

The values are priced around $140-150 per night for our time frame and I found some pretty awesome looking off property resorts for about $80, but then the additional add ons of parking and car bring it up, and we'd maybe only save a few bucks per day, and then we'd have no magic bands.

But I do understand the bigger picture of the value for others and that you can get nicer accommodations off site.

Yes... when you're just looking for a single, basic room with 2 beds deal, unless you're getting some kind of really smoking deal with free parking, no resort fees, etc. it can often be very close in price, or not enough to sway you over to it. Now if I'm like... I want 2 bedrooms and I need a balcony, the difference between trying to book at the Grand Floridian and say Bonnet Creek is going to be staggering. And amenities all depend on how you vacation... some people go only vacation at Disney exclusively, and so they want the more upscale accommodations because they are doing a lot of relaxing/down time... us personally, I'm mostly there for the parks, and I save my more luxurious feeling accommodations for other vacations like the beach or other city travel. Different strokes.

 

[kaytieeldr]

do they allow big styrofoams coolers full of dry ice on planes,

Styrofoam cooler, probably, at your own risk. Dry ice with restrictions https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2013/07/30/tsa-travel-tips-tuesday-dry-ice

Uber XL or Uber Family you could. Or a Minnie Van, but pricier.

Über is only one car seat, and limited. MinnieVans have two.

 

[Darcy03231]

As long as you're fine with 4 people in a room I don't think you'll save money by staying off-site.

We're a large family so we stay off-site because it saves us money. Last family trip we rented an 8 bedroom/5 bathroom villa. At $237 a night we saved more than enough to pay for the two minivans and parking. We're also all adults and like having room to spread out.

When DH and I decided to tack a couple of days at WDW onto a cruise we stayed on-site. It was less expensive than staying off-site and renting a car (and this was before the charge to park at your resort).

 

[hsmamato2]

onsite can be a deal IF you go at the right time and find a cheap room only option you can live with. If you can snag a value resort for$75-100 a night, you get the bus service included. So there's that savings (car rental.parking fees at park,parking at resort fees) - my fam was used to sleeping in one tent for 4 of us,so a value room wasn't a problem at all. Do we prefer bigger and better? yes...but a value room can still be quite fun if you get the right price. That said I'd rather go offsite any day than pay to park a car at a disney resort. I won't be paying parking fees(which used to be advertised as a 'perk' of onsite stays) ever.

 

[Tys Nanny]

Last year we made up sealed Food Saver bags with things like spaghetti sauce, chicken piccata, etc., that were allergy friendly and froze them flat. We packed them in an soft-sided insulated bag with frozen gel packs in a checked bag. We left the house around 7:00 a.m. and flew to Orlando and unpacked around 7:00 p.m. I thought there would have been a little thawing but was amazed to find them still frozen solid. This was in August.

 

[makthompson]

Have you looked at Disney's room discounts? I had priced out All Star for January at $76 a night.

I have heard some people have stayed their and paid less than off property.

 

[Ellie008]

We stay with our two kids in a standard room (we've stayed at POP before) and had been happy with it. But on our last trip my parents came along and we would have needed two rooms to fit the six of us. We stayed off site, rented a house with private pool for about the same as what we would have paid for two rooms at POP. Let me tell you, that trip was fabulous. I LOVED having all that space. And driving ourselves was so much more convenient than the buses. It will be a year or two before we go again, but I will likely be looking at offsite next time.
We travel a decent amount with the kids, and a lot of the time a condo/house isn't a viable option and we end up in a standard hotel room. We can do that, it works ok, but having a separate living room and kitchen is so nice. I try to plan for that when it is an option.