Do you loose the "MAGIC?"

[mousey]

I think the HIFS is like staying at a deluxe Disney resort. You just
get so much more for your money. Believe it or not my kids had
more fun at the HIFS than staying onsite. I agree with the person who said they like to save money so they can go more
often. We all like to sleep in comfort, and the HIFS sure lets you!

 

[twinz]

We have stayed on and off site...personally, it really doens't make a difference to me. I am there to see the parks not the hotel rooms, so we spend as little time in them as possible. I liked the convience of staying on site (being closer to everything), but I found while staying at the ASMovies that the buses were not as frequent as I thought they would be so we ended up driving everywhere--and the free parking made it even easier. Which didn't bother us in the least, as I didn't want to fight the crowds in the night, on the busses. We also stayed on International Drive, and had a great time. The advice that I can give is...if you don't mind driving places, and you don't fell like you are going to miss anything then stay off site...if you want to "feel the magic" then stay on site. Is Disney going to be the only thing that you do while in Orlando? Put that into consideration as well. There are pluese to both (well to me anyways), and with being Canadian (as another poster posted...our dollar pretty much SUCKS) sometimes staying off site is the only way we can do it. Above all, what ever you decide have a great time!!!

 

[B3LM]

We've stayed on-site and off-site, both within the last year. While I love staying on-site, you can definitely save some money by staying off-site. I only recommend off-site as a possibility if you have a vehicle to get around - I don't recommend relying on off-site transportation.

The one other thing that is nice about off-site is that you can also save some money by eating a few meals off-site. I've never stayed at HIFS. We were at Comfort Inn LBV, but we still had a great time!!!

Beth

 

[iluvmick]

I too have to say,if at all possible,stay onsight.The magic is there 24\7.The conveniance and time saving and oportunity to return for a break in the afternoon are so important. We just joined DVC because we want to be surrounded by the magic the whole time were there!Enjoy whatever your decision!

 

[travelitis]

I've done both and am facing a similar dilemna. Did we lose some of the Disney magic staying offsite? No, we lost some Disney magic because we were interested in NASA and spending time completely away from the parks. Did that make our Disney vacation less magical and fun? Absolutely not! Escaping Disney's ambiance which has become much more commercial, was a very conscious decision. While I love Disney, I tire of the non-stop self-promotion that was not always so pervasive. I've stayed at CR, ASM, and the Dolphin and thoroughly enjoyed them thinking that off-site would be terrible. However, we found accomodations we love that offer so much more in creature comforts than anything at Disney including OKW, that now the only onsite places that tempt us are the 3 monorail resorts. We're still deciding what to do.

You've made the right choice for you on this trip, and I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[montessori]

We stayed at the beautiful Gaylord Palms in June. As much as we liked the hotel, I always felt that we had to "get going", I just wanted to get on Disney property!

Many people enjoy staying off-site and usually the price is more reasonable. I'm thankful for all the tips I've learned on the Disboards... we've been able to take more DW vacations and some of them are very economical. Especially renting points from a DVC member. That has worked wonders for us!

For us, we do LOSE (not loose) some of the magic by staying off-site. Yet, I can understand that many people don't feel that way and there is a great variety of quality resorts near WDW.


Happy vacation wherever you stay, the Disney magic isn't far away!

Mary Ann

 

[A1A1]

Sounds like the decision has already been made, but wanted to post here anyway.

I enjoy staying around the resort more lately than going to the parks. So, staying off site is not an option for me. I don't just want to stay in a hotel that looks like one in Anytown, USA. I want to stay at a WDW resort that reminds me that I'm in the happiest place on Earth, even if I don't go to the parks every day. I spend a lot of time at the resort, and like the Disney feeling. It makes me happy. I know some people just sleep in the hotel, so they don't really care where they stay as long as it is safe and clean, but not me, I have to stay Disney or not stay at all!