Benefits of staying on property

[Shifu]

Advantages of on site ( when at Yacht) for me personally are ( in order of importance)-

1. We walk to and from Epcot
2. Familiarity and security ( I know if anything were to happen to me health wise I’m confident my son would be helped)
3. Boat to HS and buses to other parks
4. View
5. Friendliness
6. The 7am booking availability 😂 and extra time in the parks 🙄

If our family unit was what it once was instead of just my son and I, I imagine we would be staying off site.
I do think though that deluxe is not worth anywhere near the money it is costing with the ‘benefits’ it currently has…depending on how this Genie situation pans out, moderate prices are looking very attractive.

[Bozza]

Being able to leave my room at the Beach Club and be standing in "France" enjoying a Grey Goose lemon slushie in under 10 minutes is a MASSIVE benefit.

I would (indeed do) pay almost anything for that!

[Bozza]

Originally Posted by Shifu

Advantages of on site ( when at Yacht) for me personally are ( in order of importance)-

1. We walk to and from Epcot
2. Familiarity and security ( I know if anything were to happen to me health wise I’m confident my son would be helped)
3. Boat to HS and buses to other parks
4. View
5. Friendliness
6. The 7am booking availability 😂 and extra time in the parks 🙄

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All that as well.

I think my family would disown me if we visited WDW and stayed off-site.

Where we stay depends on what we are doing, but a typical pattern for us now is something like:

10 days at WDW, staying at the Beach Club.
4 days at Universal, staying at one of the three hotels that include Express Passes.
7 days chilling, staying in a house-with-pool.

We've done several cheapie February half-term weeks away where we don't do parks at all and just rent a house-with-pool, and on each occasion the houses were marketed as being 10-15 minutes from WDW.

However, on those visits it has always taken considerably longer than that to get onto WDW property when we head over for Disney Springs or dinner at the Cali Grill. If we were visiting parks, we'd then need to get to the appropriate parking lot and, if at the Magic Kingdom, then get the boat or monorail to the park itself. It feels like a massive faff to do that day after day.

On top of that, we both like a drink. We'll have beers, wine, cocktails as and when we like as no-one has to drive "home". It wouldn't feel like a holiday if someone had to abstain from a drink they fancied, because they needed to drive.

As such, I can't see we'd stay anywhere other than a WDW hotel for the period of time we are visiting WDW parks. When we're doing other things, we'll stay elsewhere.

[yogadeb]

We won’t stay onsite now .
Overpriced for what you get in our opinion .

We will factor in cost of ubers for next visit as we don’t want to drive and stay at LBV resort for the space and freedom to eat in cheaper places too other than the Disney bubble .

It will still be loads cheaper than staying in Disney .

[Moorlandman]

Originally Posted by yogadeb

We won’t stay onsite now .
Overpriced for what you get in our opinion .

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Completely agree. You could buy a new car for the cost of Bozzas holiday above😀

[Shooby doo]

Just throwing this one in as I'd say that anyone reading this thread would think that staying offsite was the slums! Apart from Holiday Inn Sunspree, there is not one offsite Hotel that I wouldn't stay at again, even the Old Comfort Inn at $29/night! By the way "see" that CI at $29/night it was just as good as CBR when we stayed there. The problem with onsite, deluxe in particular, they are charging Top $ for a product that without perks isn't really Deluxe IYKWIM Go stay at Royal Pacific for instance - modern room,waterfall shower & modern bathroom & fittings, modern LG wall mounted TV ... & much cheaper than a Disney Deluxe.
Also a few of the things that used to make the stay that little bit special, when was the last time you saw a towel animal, these days your lucky if they even do a mickey on your bed! We always leave Mousekeeping some UK chocolate with their Tip, one stay at AKL our mousekeeper used to leave little messages, last stay nothing apart from chocolate & tip disappearing- now the staff probably haven't changed that much but I'd guess that there are less of them but the bosses expect them to do the same amount.
I'll finish with this those that believe in the bubble etc will/can never be persuaded that it's not worth it & vice versa.
SD

[stupet11]

I think it's two different types of holiday... We love both off site and on site.

I find onsite much more relaxing. Not having to drive, a big one for me. I like planning so being able to do that as early as possible a perk for me. Love the Disney food halls, Mickey ice creams etc. The resort mug is still a perk... OK you pay, but a good deal right?

We have stayed on site when it's been a good deal or split stay staying somewhere cheap to justify cost.

Next year will be POR as we have credits to use from cancelled holidays. Perks for me, the boat to DS, and all those pools, and the food all, and transport.

I was of opinion staying on site was the best way to Disney, and offsite we'd be more likely to do other parks instead... But thats not as clear cut now in my mind.

[kermit1982]

We have stayed onsite and off site.

Offsite was fine when was just us adults, when our eldest came along we took her when she was 7 and stayed offsite at Doubletree Hilton at seaworld. Hotel was lovely, walking to seaworld and Aquatica but shuttles were horrendous, both trips but when just adults can get by. We found hours wasted on shuttles,local transport, taxis etc

Next trip daughter was 11 youngest 2.5 and first time onsite, we had dining plan which was amazing as it fed us all with loads to spare so we are gutted not having it. But TBH we found we ate for sake of using it! We don’t eat big in heat so in a way was waste came home with around $500 of goofy candy 🤣🤣🙈

Anyway for us the main perk is being close to everything. I felt safe on my own with wee one while dad took big one back to Resort etc. No way we could go offsite again. For us we can only afford to go every 4/5 years so save accordingly.

2017 was POFQ booked for SSR for June 2022 🤞 As we have kitchenette we will pack as much snacks and breakfasts to take with us 🤣🤣🙈 my hubby cringes but later thanks me for thinking ahead and saving few $$$$ 🤣

[miked1e]

We would not entertain staying offsite these days…

Had many a great family holiday offsite when I was younger, however my first stay onsite in 2007 at POP changed everything.

POP followed by POR, SSR, BC, ASMu, POFQ and next year at Poly.

The bubble, the food courts, the extra morning hours (even the 30 mins for us is a benefit), the proximity to the parks.

We love it and wherever possible will always stay onsite.

[Shifu]

Originally Posted by Shooby doo

Also a few of the things that used to make the stay that little bit special, when was the last time you saw a towel animal, these days your lucky if they even do a mickey on your bed! We always leave Mousekeeping some UK chocolate with their Tip, one stay at AKL our mousekeeper used to leave little messages, last stay nothing apart from chocolate & tip disappearing- now the staff probably haven't changed that much but I'd guess that there are less of them but the bosses expect them to do the same amount.
I'll finish with this those that believe in the bubble etc will/can never be persuaded that it's not worth it & vice versa.
SD

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I read that bit about the towel animal and it dawned on me- that was it! That’s how they sucked us in! With little fun quirks like that. Well, me anyway, and I’d totally forgotten about that. I seem to have still got this nice little ‘welcome home’ image stuck in my head, getting in from a day at the park having fun ( with the kids) guessing what towel animal would be on the bed at AKL and sometimes still trying to guess what it was even when we saw it 😂.
Staff seemed much happier back then. During one holiday we’d been chatting briefly to a cm in the AKL shop and a few days later we saw her in AK park with other cast members. “It’s my friends from the Lodge!” she shouted, “ Come on over, how’s it going?” … and it was little moments like that which don’t exist now which ( being born a northerner) I really liked. The friendliness and positivity used to stand out a mile years ago- Universal resorts felt like going into some standard generic theme park ‘world’ - as bit flat and soulless- and we’d look forward to getting back into that Disney bubble of smilie, towel animalled niceness.
A sad realisation that the pixie dust and taking time to smell the roses in the Disney bubble with cm’s have all pretty much been costed out.