Poll:How many are looking to stay off site and why

[marsh0013]

I'm not sure which of the choices applies to me. We're doing our first offsite trip June 24-July 1 with my brother and his girlfriend. There was a bit of miscommunication with their original travel partners and they ended up needing to split a room with us. And their budget was to basically split a room at Pop Century or All Stars. For 4 adults. No thanks.

So we got an RCI exchange for a 2-bedroom at Sheraton Vistana instead. This is an extra/unexpected trip for us so we're rolling with it. The privacy of our own bedrooms and bathrooms will be very much appreciated. And my brother and I will alternate who drives so we can take turns enjoying adult beverages.

He's coming from Las Vegas and my husband and I don't get to see him too often so when he said he said he was coming to Disneyworld, we had to make the trip. We have APs anyway. So this is a one-off for us. Although, depending on availability through RCI going forward, we may end up staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in the future. Other than our 1-1.5 weeks at Boardwalk with our DVC points. I guess it comes down to saving money.

 

[Sue M]

Also: If I'm not getting dependable housekeeping at $137 dollars per night at a Disney resort then I'd much rather stay at a suite resort without daily housekeeping that has:
a full kitchen,
a free breakfast every morning,
a nice pool that doesn't look like a cement pond with no palm trees (Pop Computer pool I'm looking at you!)
and free parking and Wifi
:all for 92.50 per night minus the taxes.:

That's $45 dollars a day cheaper than Pop Century. Do the math on that one....
Yes you have to add in a car but the situations with the Disney Buses drive you to either a car rental or using Lyft for your transportation needs. Having the kitchen takes the sting out of Disney dining prices and the free breakfast every morning makes up for that and more, so the car rental is discounted.

EMH are disappearing and with my AP I get 30 day fast passes no matter where I stay.

It's the paying for stuff that you are not getting or paying for stuff that is priced way to high for all the aggravation that you have to put up with that made the decision to stay off site a no brainer.

~NM

sounds like a decent alternative to onsite.

 

[KickassPrincess]

We will be staying onsite this trip (just a few weeks from now!) but I seriously considered offsite. All of my vote choices on this poll were cost and amenity related. The "moderates" are no longer moderately priced for us, and we can get better amenities at a similar price point to the values. We love to swim, but since swimming is hit or miss in the winter and I have a young child who will get a kick out of the theming, we will stay at a value this time. In the future though, if we go during the hot time of year I would definitely consider offsite since there are so many places with beautiful pools, slides, lazy rivers, etc. plus more space in the room at moderate prices to top it off.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Great thread! I voted for several of your options. I still plan to stay onsite for a portion of at least my next two trips, but I am gradually staying offsite more of the time. In order of importance, these are the main reasons I am staying offsite more often:

1) New dog policy at some of my favorite resorts, and which could spread to more WDW resorts
2) Housekeeping often sloppy and not up to standards at several WDW resorts
3) Skyrocketing prices to stay at WDW resorts
4) De-theming of WDW resort rooms as each resort is refurbished (I wish you could add this to your poll as an option, but I understand you can't add any more items). If the room is going to look like a Holiday Inn anyway, I'd rather get it at a Holiday Inn price, instead of three or more times as expensive for the same room.
5) Removal of Do Not Disturb signs
6) Offsite hotels may have more amenities, such as breakfast included, business center, etc.

Also for me, poor/slow bus service is a reason why I would likely rent a car even if staying onsite, but is not a reason I would stay offsite. If inadequate bus service were the only issue, then renting a car could solve that problem. Unfortunately, as you noted, many other issues are piling up to the point where IMHO, staying onsite is less and less appealing than it used to be.

 

[GTApex]

Should add a “I don’t want to vote... just show me the results” option.

I voted at random just to see results.

 

[fhtpdw20]

Totally agree with DaisyDuck001. The savings of room dollars can be allocated to the expense of taxi or other ride service with the convenience of not having to wait for or hike to your resort line area to wait for a bus. As for the rides, they are not so much a priority (kind a been there done that) with the exception of a few favorites for me these days so fast pass is no longer a major perk. I will have to look into see if hotels in the area offer pick up service from airport to their hotels which would clinch the deal for me. That would make DME obsolete as well. Eventually, I can see myself replacing Disney parks for cruises.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I am going back with just DD in November. We are staying onsite since it's just us two and a studio is perfect for two people. I also rented points and am paying under $200 a night for BWV (with two nights before our week at BWV at POFQ for the same price). We prefer deluxe and it's the only way I can justify the price.

If we ever go back as a family of 4 we will stay offsite. I would love to do a 1-2 bedroom onsite but even with renting points the costs are crazy high! We would most likely do a Disney springs suite or WBC. A hotel room for a family of 4 (two teens) is just way too crowded. Add in the decline of EMH and the fact that we can get 60 day FP+ at a DS hotel...I'm in! I would then make it a Universal/WDW vacation.

 

[fitgirlFL]

We’re feeling like we will be able to get more and stay at a nicer resort, for less money, by going offsite. I think that, for the same amount of money or less, we could be staying at a nicer resort. And heck probably even get free breakfast, too, which we’d enjoy.

We don’t use Disney transportation as we always have a car. So the busses don’t matter to us. And we just bought annual passes so we have free park parking included with our tickets.

With non Disney resorts now getting the early access to fast pass, we can’t really justify paying more to stay at a Disney hotel. And the fast pass access is one of the top reasons we stay with Disney. I already booked Pop for our next trip. But I am starting to look at other options. I’m not seeing the value in it anymore.

We enjoy being in the Disney bubble, but it’s getting way too expensive and there’s really no perks to it anymore. I see other hotels which cost the same or less – and they are offering so much more.

Plus, not a fan of the new policy of them entering the rooms. I like to put up my do not disturb sign and know that I’ll be left alone.

 

[georgina]

I am considering it for future trips for several reasons. I have an AP and often have a rental car so parking at parks would be free. My DH and I spent a couple of nights at Sheraton Vistana Resort last trip before our stay at BWV on rented DVC points. While the BW has a fantastic location, the drive from Vistana was very quick, plus we had the full kitchen there. Price was great through Orbitz too. Also considering the hotels which will have 60 day FP booking and EMH, as those are also reasons we stayed onsite. I'm not sure I will renew the AP.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

We're going in March and staying onsite at BC but the trip was booked well before recent policy changes. We've always stayed onsite because of the convenience and generally like feeling immersed in the Disney atmosphere. In recent years we've rented a car because the BC bus service is not good (shared buses, long waits, etc...), housekeeping quality has declined, the flaky IT services makes booking (resorts, adrs, fp+, etc..) an adventure, etc...

I think the expansion of the 60 day FP+ booking window to the additional hotels will be the one that tips the value scale for us. Our FP+ booking window for this trip opens on January 12th --- 2 days after the change goes into effect... guess we'll see if it impacts availability.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Should add a “I don’t want to vote... just show me the results” option.

I voted at random just to see results.

Good idea, but I don't think the OP is in a position to make that happen. That would be a task for a web developer.

 

[Sue M]

We're going in March and staying onsite at BC but the trip was booked well before recent policy changes. We've always stayed onsite because of the convenience and generally like feeling immersed in the Disney atmosphere. In recent years we've rented a car because the BC bus service is not good (shared buses, long waits, etc...), housekeeping quality has declined, the flaky IT services makes booking (resorts, adrs, fp+, etc..) an adventure, etc...

I think the expansion of the 60 day FP+ booking window to the additional hotels will be the one that tips the value scale for us. Our FP+ booking window for this trip opens on January 12th --- 2 days after the change goes into effect... guess we'll see if it impacts availability.

Me too, I’ve always loved staying on site and being immersed in the atmosphere which makes me so sad to consider offsite options. It’s getting harder to justify WDW resorts. We loved BC/YC. I found their busses to be good, only sharing was within the resort, YC/BC except Disney Springs. But our last stay there was a few years ago. We’ve been at the MK resorts the past few years with the exception of Pop in Dec. no way could I justify a deluxe during Dec
We booked WL for August awhile ago with a good deal. After that will see. May be Disney Springs for us. I doubt Disney will “lower” resort prices, but they can offer higher discounts if bookings plummet. I remember when AP discount was 45%.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

For us it’s all about getting the best deal that works for us since we are a family of seven and need two rooms onsite. If Disney doesn’t offer an attractive deal for our trip this summer then we have no problem with booking a 3 bedroom condo offsite at Windsor Hills for $110/night (enjoyed our stay here in 2013 and it’s an easy ten min drive to the WDW parks) or even looking into deals for the Disney Springs area hotels. We were hoping to book two rooms at CBR but are not so sure now. Last March we had the stay, play, dine promotion and stayed in two connecting rooms at Pop Century which worked out nice for the most part; but all of us missed certain aspects about our prior condo stay (which is probably inevitable as a family of seven ). If we drive down we won’t need to rent a van and the savings from staying offsite will grossly offset the parking fees. However, if we fly down and aren't able to snag a good van rental deal (paid $280 for a week long minivan rental when we stayed offsite before) then we will just stay in two rooms at Pop again and shorten the trip by a night to offset the higher costs. Regardless of where we stay, we know we’ll have a blast .

 

[ThistleMae]

I stayed off site in Celebration for the first time in June. I went with my cousins who have a time share. They love the idea of having a kitchen though none of us made anything but coffee and tea. They drove, so I didn't have to and the drives were easy. That being said I wouldn't want to drive, just don't enjoy it but riding with someone else was fine. We definitely got to places faster without waiting. The only hassle was where to leave the car at the end of the night because we park hop and still used other transportation. The room was nice, had one bedroom and a beautiful pool and bar but honestly we weren't there enough to really use it. We used it one night. But we did have breakfast at the restaurant there, every morning...it was super good and very inexpensive. So while I didn't dislike staying off site, I would choose to stay onsite unless someone else did the driving.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

For us it’s all about getting the best deal that works for us since we are a family of seven and need two rooms onsite. If Disney doesn’t offer an attractive deal for our trip this summer then we have no problem with booking a 3 bedroom condo offsite at Windsor Hills for $110/night (enjoyed our stay here in 2013 and it’s an easy ten min drive to the WDW parks) or even looking into deals for the Disney Springs area hotels. We were hoping to book two rooms at CBR but are not so sure now. Last March we had the stay, play, dine promotion and stayed in two connecting rooms at Pop Century which worked out nice for the most part; but all of us missed certain aspects about our prior condo stay (which is probably inevitable as a family of seven ). If we drive down we won’t need to rent a van and the savings from staying offsite will grossly offset the parking fees. However, if we fly down and aren't able to snag a good van rental deal (paid $280 for a week long minivan rental when we stayed offsite before) then we will just stay in two rooms at Pop again and shorten the trip by a night to offset the higher costs. Regardless of where we stay, we know we’ll have a blast .

So while I didn't dislike staying off site, I would choose to stay onsite unless someone else did the driving.

We are a family of 7, and living out of the US need to purchase insurance to rent a car. We are staying 2 rooms at POP but after staying at a condo with the inlaws renting a car last trip, we are going to miss the space and the kitchen. Still looking around for deals in DS since renting a car is not necessary but still no kitchen. Doubletree has fridge, microwave, coffee pot and included Continental breakfast, and no resort fees. With needing 2 rooms, it is a little more than POP but it is around 1,000 sq ft vs around 500.

 

[GTApex]

Good idea, but I don't think the OP is in a position to make that happen. That would be a task for a web developer.

Nah... just adding that as another option would work.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Nah... just adding that as another option would work.

Oh, now I see what you mean. That's true, only thing is she said the website won't let her add any more options, oh well.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We either stay at the CR or offsite. Not sure what category that puts us in

 

[Spencer Wright]

I have only ever stayed onsite, but for my upcoming trip did seriously consider staying offsite. I looked into prices at some GORGEOUS resorts, Wyndham Bonnet Creek primarily; and could not believe the prices. Like I was sure I was looking at the websites wrong and looked on threads on here to confirm!! We normally stay in deluxes; and could get three bedroom suites at some places with a kitchen for the price of one room.

I knew it was quite a bit cheaper off property, but figured with the concept of market forces, the prices would be somewhat lower, but not like they are.

I am going in August with my mother and sister; and Beach Club prices were okay so we went with that.

I do believe there are enough perks to make the extra onsite perks worth it (i.e. meal plan, FP+, transit, ect.); however the scales are very quickly tipping to the point where the onsite amenities may not just be worth it. I was adamant we should try offsite but was shot down. (my parents did offer to offset some of the cost, don't judge!!)

If I look at the poll, for me the main things tipping the scales are the increasing costs, declining guest behavior, and the offerings of amenities such as FP+ off property. I am very happy with the choice of the BC, in particular due to its central location; and look forward to another amazing trip, but there are certainly issues continuing to pile up on site!!

 

[RocketCityMama]

In the past we have stayed onsite and loved it. We are returning after a long 9 years, we are actually doing a split, 5 nights onsite and 6 nights offsite at my fil's timeshare. We would love to stay onsite longer but the cost with a family of 5 is not conducive to our budget. We get the timeshare for free, so will only have paid for tickets and parking, and well food, but we have to pay for food at Disney resorts too. I wish there were better options for larger families other than a suite that cost as much as 1 room at a moderate, or booking 2 rooms or an expensive suite at a mod or deluxe.