Disney World: Trade offs of staying on property vs off

[Anonymous]

Planning a Disney World trip, first for my kids, age 8 and 10. We will be there for four nights and in the parks for three days. I plan on Ubering and will not have a rental car.

If you have stayed on property, did the convenience justify the higher cost for you? Or in the end, did it not feel worth the price for the experience you had? What on property hotels do you like the most? And if off property is preferred for your family, what have you found to be convenient? This will be the most expensive trip we have taken and while I am not trying to do it as cheaply as possible I also do not have a ton of disposable income to do all the things.

[Anonymous]

We thought it was worth staying on property for the additional hours in the park and early entry. We've stayed at both the Polynesian (super expensive) and Art of Animation. Highly recommend Art of Animation with the Skyliner access. That worked really well for us, just as well as the Polynesian, but for much less cost.

[Anonymous]

We stayed at the DoubleTree which is "within" the property and a 'partner' hotel. We had a rental car so that worked well, but I don't think I would've wanted to rely on the shuttle that the hotel provides.

Loved having a huge 1 bedroom suite room with a separate sitting area for everyone to have some space. And mom and dad sleeping in a separate room from kids All for a very reasonable price of about $225/night (but we were able to use Hilton points so only paid for 4 nights). To get the equivalent of that on property would've been like $600/night (or more). And you DO get the early entry with the partner hotels.

That said, we were there for a full week so we were less concerned about maximizing every possible moment like you might be if you're only going to be there for three days? I dunno. If I had an endless budget I would totally stay at the Grand Floridian or Contemporary or somewhere right on the monorail BUT for those of us whose budget is more like...the values or the moderates...I struggle to see the value proposition vs. staying at a place like the DoubleTree.

My experience.

[Anonymous]

We stayed off property, but because you are going for a shorter time and won’t have a car rental, I would advise that you stay on property to maximize your time. Disney is pay to play. They make it enticing to stay on property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We stayed off property, but because you are going for a shorter time and won’t have a car rental, I would advise that you stay on property to maximize your time. Disney is pay to play. They make it enticing to stay on property.

They have cut back on some of the benefits, but having the shuttles is still one.

[Anonymous]

It's been a little over a year since we went and these things change all the time, but, when we went, if you stay on property, you get earlier opportunity to book for special tickets and other certain things. For us, that was worth it. It's also a PITA to drive onto Disney property and parking at MK in particular is a disaster (not as bad at the other parks). And uber can be a little challenging at things like park entry/closing -- because of demand surge charging, you can end up paying a lot, especially if there are other events in orlando at that time. (We were once there during some sort of bowl game and the uber charges were insane and it was hard to even get one.) Maybe try pricing out some ubers during park opening and closing time and see what the cost is, so you can compare that against the upcharge for staying on property? I wish they still had the airport magical express to the parks -- I always counted that as part of the savings that offset the higher cost of on-property hotel rooms. It was dumb of disney to get rid of that.

I would check for discounted rates -- we never pay full price but typically have gotten 20-40% off. You have to be a little flexible at where you want to stay to see which have discounted rooms available. The discounts usually open up about 180 days before the trip -- I think basically right after the dining reservations open. Right now they have 15-30% off from end of July to early October, for instance. One time we got club level rooms that were cheaper than base level rooms, because they still had a club room in the discount.

As for hotels, I don't like either the Grand Floridian or the Contempo. One thing that MIGHT work for you -- book one night at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which might give you early access for booking things for at least 2 days, but will also give your kids a chance to see the animals at the lodge, which is basically like additional park time. AKL is one of the hotels where i feel like there is definite value added, because where else in the US can you wake up and look out your window to see grazing giraffes? If you have a non-park day, you could also book a lunch there, and use that time to see the animals, but without a car that might be more trouble than it's worth. We've also stayed at the beach themed one, which is nice because you can walk to HS or Epcot from there, and we've stayed at the one that looks like Yosemite, which is a cool hotel with a nice pool and you can take the boat to MK which is nice. But those are all "luxury" level so you can probably find something more cost efficient. I know a lot of people like Port Orleans as a relatively convenient, cheaper option, and of course Art of Animation.

[Anonymous]

Stayed at the Polynesian last year. Would not stay there again. Room was small and uncomfortable. It's priced like a luxury resort, but the experience and accommodations are more on par with a Great Wolf Lodge.

I thought the monorail transportation would be convenient, but the lines were so long and the other guests so pushy, it turned out to be quite a hassle. The only thing that really made it worth it for me was the extended hours at the parks, but not enough to do again.

[Anonymous]

What’s the price difference? I think staying on property is nice but only in minor ways.

[Anonymous]

We stayed off property for a full kitchen and space for significantly less $$$$.

Stayed in one of the “resort” hotels within 10-15 drive to DW. The hotel had with swimming pools / lazy river and mini golf and some other activities on site.

We enjoyed the hotel as much as we enjoyed Disney. It was nice to come back to the hotel after the craziness at Disney and just spend time relaxing and swimming at the pools. The downside was that once we were back at the hotel, we didn’t go back to Disney for fireworks.

[Anonymous]

We stay on site for the perks, including transportation, early entry, and early access to LL. We like space so we generally book suites or connecting rooms at value resorts. When they’re on sale, which is often, the price can be comparable to offsite resorts when you tack on resort fees and transit costs.

When you’re doing a short trip, LL is absolutely necessary unless you’re going at the low points of the year or don’t care to ride much. People staying on site get to book starting 7 days before check in for their entire trip. Offsite guests get 3 days before the start of their ticket. Depending on when you go, many of the headliners are gone at 3 days out, or return times are very late which hinders how much value you can get out of the pass.

Also, goes without saying that Uber can get really expensive at park open and close. The offsite resort shuttles vary in quality, and some have extremely limited hours or availability or up charges.

There are lots of neat places to stay around Orlando, but if you’re doing a short Disney trip, stay at Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stayed at the Polynesian last year. Would not stay there again. Room was small and uncomfortable. It's priced like a luxury resort, but the experience and accommodations are more on par with a Great Wolf Lodge.

I thought the monorail transportation would be convenient, but the lines were so long and the other guests so pushy, it turned out to be quite a hassle. The only thing that really made it worth it for me was the extended hours at the parks, but not enough to do again.

I’ve also heard this about the deluxe resorts from a bunch of people. We know some pretty wealthy families who swear by Port Orleans as the right balance. GF and the Polynesian feel like a joke if you’re used to Four Seasons type places - might as well lean into it being a theme park and stay somewhere “normal.”

[Anonymous]

We stayed offsite in Disney Springs at the Drury. We took the hotel shuttle to the parks. The shuttle times were convenient for us. We were still able to get LL for rides and restaurant reservations without the early access. We got more space for less money in Disney Springs, plus free breakfast.

[Anonymous]

On property for the transportation ease. Loved art of animation/pop century for that. Plus the earlier booking of lightning lanes and earlier access to the parks.

[Anonymous]

Definitely stay onsite.

1. Convenience of shuttles, sky liner, boats, and other Disney transportation.

2. Extra hours

3. More magical experience

No need to stay at the Poly or higher end property. Art of Animation and Caribbean Beach offer the convenience of the skyliner and easy access to Epcot and the Boardwalk—plus Riviera which has good food options.

[Anonymous]

Another rec for Art of Animation. The skyline was like a bonus ride