Why stay on property?

[GADisneyDad14]

Riviera just opened 2 years ago, how did they take away moderate hotel inventory? IRRC it was built as a DVC resort, not a moderate resort. But I could be wrong.

A portion of Caribbean Beach Resort was demolished to make room for Riv.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

A portion of Caribbean Beach Resort was demolished to make room for Riv.

As much as I keep up with Disney, I had no idea. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Pats Dragon]

Stay at the Swan and get the best of the world, classier rooms, even better service and lower rates!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Stay at the Swan and get the best of the world, classier rooms, even better service and lower rates!

With DME out of the mix this hotel will be on level playing field with the rest of the on-site hotels. At that point, for the location and cost (and dining) it can't be beat. Wonder if they'll raise rates accordingly.

 

[cjlong88]

Stay at the Swan and get the best of the world, classier rooms, even better service and lower rates!

We really liked staying at Swan & Dolphin a few years ago. Great rooms and restaurants, and walkability to Epcot and HS make it the best non-Disney resorts IMO. Being a Marriott Bonvoy rewards member also helps significantly if you ever want use points!

 

[WorldOfPooh]

With DME out of the mix this hotel will be on level playing field with the rest of the on-site hotels. At that point, for the location and cost (and dining) it can't be beat. Wonder if they'll raise rates accordingly.

It's still "not Disney" though. So from a purist point of view not in the "Disney Bubble"

 

[Disneylover99]

It's still "not Disney" though. So from a purist point of view not in the "Disney Bubble"

I often think about all the people who talk about wanting to stay in the Disney bubble, but then don’t use any of the amenities at their resort. Many people, particularly at value resorts, and to a lesser extent, moderate resorts, talk about being park commandos and just needing/using their room to sleep and shower.

Other then access to buses, what makes that a Disney bubble for them?
I’d rather stay at The Swan and Dolphin and walk to two parks.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

I often think about all the people who talk about wanting to stay in the Disney bubble, but then don’t use any of the amenities at their resort. Many people, particularly at value resorts, and to a lesser extent, moderate resorts, talk about being park commandos and just needing/using their room to sleep and shower.

Other then access to buses, what makes that a Disney bubble for them?
I’d rather stay at The Swan and Dolphin and walk to two parks.

I think the night I slept under the bridge between Boardwalk and Hollywood Studios (for the ROTR opening) was the cheapest and I was still in the "Disney Bubble".

 

[nwandless32]

We really liked staying at Swan & Dolphin a few years ago. Great rooms and restaurants, and walkability to Epcot and HS make it the best non-Disney resorts IMO. Being a Marriott Bonvoy rewards member also helps significantly if you ever want use points!

You can also walk to Fantasia Fairways and play some Mini Golf.

 

[hereforthechurros]

It's still "not Disney" though. So from a purist point of view not in the "Disney Bubble"

I'm talking amenities and access-wise. Not going to tell anyone they have to like it better than Disney hotels.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I often think about all the people who talk about wanting to stay in the Disney bubble, but then don’t use any of the amenities at their resort. Many people, particularly at value resorts, and to a lesser extent, moderate resorts, talk about being park commandos and just needing/using their room to sleep and shower.

Other then access to buses, what makes that a Disney bubble for them?
I’d rather stay at The Swan and Dolphin and walk to two parks.

This describes me, but I’ve always considered Swan and Dolphin part of the bubble anyway. I’ve never stayed there mostly because of DME plus it always happened that I could get better deals at a value resort but the loss of DME means I’d be more willing to stay at one of them.

But to answer your question I really love the atmosphere of the All Stars. And that comes from someone who originally was dead set against ever staying at one. The only resort amenity I use is the food court and gift shop but I just love the walking around the facilities both before and after the day even if it is just for ten minutes to wind down or pep up.

 

[MomOTwins]

I often think about all the people who talk about wanting to stay in the Disney bubble, but then don’t use any of the amenities at their resort. Many people, particularly at value resorts, and to a lesser extent, moderate resorts, talk about being park commandos and just needing/using their room to sleep and shower.

Other then access to buses, what makes that a Disney bubble for them?
I’d rather stay at The Swan and Dolphin and walk to two parks.

Theme is a big one. AoA is the only value I'd consider at that's because my kids would love the themed family suites.

Little bits of Disney at the hotel may seem silly to some, but we really enjoy being able to have mickey waffles for breakfast every day and search for hidden mickeys in the decor and landscaping.

Magic bands, when they were free, were a nice perk (and they are still subsidized for hotel guests). Beyond the functionality at the parks as a wearable ticket/credit card, I love being able to go for a swim in the pool with my magic band on, not having to bring a room key to get back in the room.

Knowing everything at the resort is kid-friendly and safe for kids is also a big reason Disney is draw for us. Before we discovered Disney (when my twins were almost 5), we went on a variety of other vacations, most of which were stressful at best or disastrous at worst. One time one of my kids wound up with stitches after crashing into a glass coffee table in the hotel room. Another time our son almost drowned while I was sunscreening his brother at a pool at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico with no lifeguard. At another resort, we arrived to find the two queen bed room we booked was not available, so we were put in a room with one king bed and two rollaways--we could hardly walk it was so cramped! Once we get to WDW, I know I don't have to worry any more because my kids are somewhere they'll be safe and happy.

 

[kengquist]

If you have unlimited money then I highly recommend staying on site in the Disney bubble.

For the rest of us peasants, staying off site is a much better deal, in terms of quality, loyalty club points, better free food, etc, etc.

The main reason I would stay onsite was either to get the EMH or get the Magical Express but now I know how to use the $2 LYNX bus from the airport and I know all the good offsite hotels.

What is the $2 LYNX bus?

 

[kengquist]

Have you ever stayed at Shades of Green? I totally disagree that it "is really not Disney". That resort feels just as magical as all the "Disney" properties. Disney partners with the resort and allows all the access (advanced reservations, etc) that anyone would have if they stayed at a deluxe hotel. Everything is linked on the Disney Experience portal just as it would be for any other property. And Disney guest services has access to the reservation, also. The Disney theming is great and the location is really attractive (right across the street from Poly). The only difference between Shades of Green and the other resorts is that it is for current or retired military. That's the only difference. We stayed there three times (my father in law is retired military) and loved it! We just recently bought into DVC because we wanted an affordable way to stay on property.

As has been said many times on this thread, everyone has their own thoughts and feelings about staying on property versus off-property. For those who don't care about the Disney magic and who only care about the bottom line cost, yes, staying off property probably makes more sense. But for MANY of us the WDW experience is worth the added cost to stay on property, as well as the convenience. As I said, I want to stay in the "bubble" to stay immersed in the magic and have more convenience. That is everything, IMO.

Do you get to use the WDW bus system to get to the parks from Shades of Green?

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Do you get to use the WDW bus system to get to the parks from Shades of Green?

We have used both the WDW bus system and monorail. The bus picks up right at the lower level of Shades of Green. You can also walk across the street to Polynesian and grab the monorail or the boat. But, yes, you can take the WDW bus system directly from Shades of Green.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

This is missing two very important things: discounts and ticket cost.

Discounts: In all the times we have been to Disney World, there was never once a time when there was not a discount available at most (if not all) Disney hotels--the most we have ever paid for Beach Club was a little over $400 a night. If you're paying the rack rates of $600+ a night, you're doing it wrong. In contrast, we've priced out Universal a few times and while they sometimes have discounts, it typically requires a longer stay and but with only two parks compared to four at WDW, a longer trip to Universal doesn't really make sense to us. For the two-night stay in the below example, the best available discount was a whopping $10 off, total.

Park tickets: Especially if you go for shorter trips, these are also considerably cheaper at WDW. If you are going for a longer trip, Tickets may be cheaper at Universal with available discounts again, but again, often for longer stays.

Example: we were considering weekend getaway, Friday-Sunday, family of 5. We like deluxe hotels so are comparing Premier at Universal to Deluxe at WDW. Total price for 2 adults, 3 kids, a standard room, 2-nights, 2 day 1 park per day tickets, for the lowest cost Premier and Deluxe options respectively were:

Royal Pacific: $2,551
Yacht Club: $2,380

We also have to pay the cost of airport transportation at Universal, which is $200 round trip at Universal if we use their shuttle (we can't use Uber given we need 3 carseats, and a rental with 3 carseats is more than the shuttle cost). Recognize Disney is doing away with the free shuttle next year which may make Universal a better value for us, but for this year that increases the price difference to close to $400 more at universal for the same trip. And we also have to have one of the kids sleep in a rollaway bed at Universal, which is less than ideal and makes a small room even more cramped. Not to mention that most of the rides at Universal have height limits that mean I can't go on them with my kids.

So bottom line, you can't make a blanket statement that Disney is always more expensive than Universal for a comparable stay. Yes, it may be that Disney is more expensive based on the way YOU prefer to do your vacations, but that doesn't apply to me or others who have different vacation styles and needs.

This reminds me of the debate over the dining plan. I have to roll my eyes at the people who say it is "impossible" to save money on the dining plan unless you order food you don't want. That's never been the case for us, and we always came out significantly ahead on the plan eating exactly where we wanted to, ordering exactly what we wanted to. For resorts, like with the dining plan, you really have to do the math and can't just assume one will be more expensive than the other.

These are great points. We went to both WDW and Universal during the same trip about 6 years ago (7 days at WDW and 3 days at Universal). I created a spreadsheet to track the costs back then because I was curious about how each would price out when all was said and done. All said and done, Universal was ~$50 cheaper per day than WDW. That's it...$50 per day. Is $50 per day worth the Disney experience (cleaner, better theming, better service, etc.)? It is to me. Even if that disparity has grown to $100 per day, that is still worth the Disney experience.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

What is the $2 LYNX bus?

It's the purple/pink buses you see all over the place. The Orlando local bus.

From the airport I can take #111 to Sea World and then transfer to #50 to get to Disney.

Recently, they've made it even easier cause you can buy tickets or the week pass ($16) on your phone using the LYNX App.

https://www.golynx.com/

 

[DVCSunDevil]

It's the purple/pink buses you see all over the place. The Orlando local bus.

From the airport I can take #111 to Sea World and then transfer to #50 to get to Disney.

Recently, they've made it even easier cause you can buy tickets or the week pass ($16) on your phone using the LYNX App.

https://www.golynx.com/

So how long does the entire trip take you from the airport to your resort at WDW?

 

[Disneylover99]

Theme is a big one. AoA is the only value I'd consider at that's because my kids would love the themed family suites.

Little bits of Disney at the hotel may seem silly to some, but we really enjoy being able to have mickey waffles for breakfast every day and search for hidden mickeys in the decor and landscaping.

Magic bands, when they were free, were a nice perk (and they are still subsidized for hotel guests). Beyond the functionality at the parks as a wearable ticket/credit card, I love being able to go for a swim in the pool with my magic band on, not having to bring a room key to get back in the room.

Knowing everything at the resort is kid-friendly and safe for kids is also a big reason Disney is draw for us. Before we discovered Disney (when my twins were almost 5), we went on a variety of other vacations, most of which were stressful at best or disastrous at worst. One time one of my kids wound up with stitches after crashing into a glass coffee table in the hotel room. Another time our son almost drowned while I was sunscreening his brother at a pool at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico with no lifeguard. At another resort, we arrived to find the two queen bed room we booked was not available, so we were put in a room with one king bed and two rollaways--we could hardly walk it was so cramped! Once we get to WDW, I know I don't have to worry any more because my kids are somewhere they'll be safe and happy.

Oh, I understand why people who use the amenities enjoy the Disney resorts. It sounds like you use them as well with your family, eating, swimming, etc....

But as I said there are many who really, literally just sleep and shower at the resort, without even stepping foot in the lobby, restaurant or pool area. And if they have a car, they just go back and forth between their car and room. I was wondering why the Disney bubble is important to them.

 

[DisKaren]

We went to both WDW and Universal during the same trip about 6 years ago (7 days at WDW and 3 days at Universal). I created a spreadsheet to track the costs back then because I was curious about how each would price out when all was said and done. All said and done, Universal was ~$50 cheaper per day than WDW. That's it...$50 per day. Is $50 per day worth the Disney experience (cleaner, better theming, better service, etc.)? It is to me. Even if that disparity has grown to $100 per day, that is still worth the Disney experience.

I was just wondering which part of Universal you found unclean? I can agree with any financial comparisons between Disney and Universal— we love them both. We stay in the deluxe Universal hotels and find it a more relaxing vacation, as we can walk or boat to the parks and stand in the express ride lines for free.