Off Site Property

[Disneyfan819]

We are a family of 6 going to Disney in September for our daughter’s 18th birthday celebration. I am really contemplating staying off property to save money. Now that our youngest is 3 this narrows down where we can stay and increases cost as far as park tickets. We have been to Disney many times and have always stayed on property. I know this question is asked a lot regarding staying off property. I have looked through some of these threads and I am ultimately trying to determine between Double Tree and Hilton. Swan Reserve is also not out of the question but I am having a hard time finding a lot of info on it including cost. I really would like to know what the transportation is like from the hotels to the parks. Is it reliable? Is it really every half hour? Do they have one shuttle for all parks or do they have more then one shuttle? And most importantly my daughter wants to know if they show Stacie at any of the off resort properties ? Any other suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[sdoll]

I know you have it narrowed down already but have you looked at Wyndham Bonnet Creek? By far my favorite place I have ever stayed!

 

[Disneyfan819]

I know you have it narrowed down already but have you looked at Wyndham Bonnet Creek? By far my favorite place I have ever stayed!

I will look into it thanks! It just has to fit the six of us for a good price! How is transportation to the parks? One thing that is high on our lists is we do not want to drive to the parks as we drive to Disney from PA!

 

[Tom_E_D]

We are a family of 6 going to Disney in September for our daughter’s 18th birthday celebration. I am really contemplating staying off property to save money. Now that our youngest is 3 this narrows down where we can stay and increases cost as far as park tickets. We have been to Disney many times and have always stayed on property. I know this question is asked a lot regarding staying off property. I have looked through some of these threads and I am ultimately trying to determine between Double Tree and Hilton. Swan Reserve is also not out of the question but I am having a hard time finding a lot of info on it including cost. I really would like to know what the transportation is like from the hotels to the parks. Is it reliable? Is it really every half hour? Do they have one shuttle for all parks or do they have more then one shuttle? And most importantly my daughter wants to know if they show Stacie at any of the off resort properties ☺? Any other suggestions are much appreciated!

I assume you're asking about the Doubletree and one or both of the Hiltons in the Disney Springs area, as opposed to one of the other Hiltons in the area. (I don't think there is another Doubletree in the area.) The Disney Springs Hotels bus service which ran pre-Covid was suspended due to Covid. I believe the Doubletree and the Hiltons are now running buses to the Disney parks, but it is probably not every half hour. Someone recently posted the schedule for the B Resort, which was one of resorts that used the Disney Springs Hotels buses, and they run far less than every half hour. Hopefully, someone with more knowledge can tell you how often the shuttles from the Doubletree and Hiltons are now running. But I would not assume that whatever you read about every half hour service is at all accurate. It was probably written pre-Covid.

There is a long "we looooooove Bonnet Creek" thread discussing Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Most people on that thread recommend that you take Uber or Lyft to the parks if you don't want to drive. Its bus shuttle is not free. With six of you, it'll probably be cheaper to Uber/Lyft, even if you have to pay extra for one that seats six passengers. You'll have to decide for yourselves how much your desire not to drive ties into things.

 

[CarolynFH]

It just has to fit the six of us for a good price!

A 2BR at WBC has a king bed in the master, two doubles in the second bedroom, and a queen sleeper in the living room. Two baths, not to mention full kitchen (cheaper breakfasts!) and in-room laundry. Recent posts here have mentioned it was less expensive than a studio at SSR!

I know you don't want to drive to the parks, but the location of WBC makes it really easy (it's next door to the Riviera). Parking at the parks costs $25/day now - for comparison to whatever the shuttle bus cost would be for your family. And the resort itself has lots to do - six pools, lazy river, six restaurants, an ice cream shop, mini-golf - here's the thread: Bonnet Creek. We're out of DVC points for this year and recently stayed there, just booked another stay for November!

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Just a guess here but my assumption is that the Swan Reserve will be waaaay more expensive than the other two options you listed.

 

[Nabas]

I know you have it narrowed down already but have you looked at Wyndham Bonnet Creek? By far my favorite place I have ever stayed!

We have stayed at WBC a few times. It has become our go-to when we stay offsite. It's essentially located on Disney property and is closer to DHS and Epcot than many Disney hotels.

However, we always book it through eBay. We have never paid more than $150/night (all costs included), sometimes much less.

 

[Upatnoon]

It pretty much boils down to this....

You can have large, inexpensive, luxurious accommodations off-site -- and drive to the parks,

Or you can stay onsite, pay much more for tiny accommodations, and enjoy the Disney bus.

If you are staying offsite, you don't always have to drive, you can use rideshare as a supplement.

For example, you could Uber to Disney Springs for dinner or part of your group doesn't want to return early with the 3-year-old and can Uber back to the resort.

 

[DL1WDW2]

.

 

[TamaraQT]

It pretty much boils down to this....

You can have large, inexpensive, luxurious accommodations off-site -- and drive to the parks,

Or you can stay onsite, pay much more for tiny accommodations, and enjoy the Disney bus.

This exactly!!!

 

[Disneyfan819]

When looking at WBC I see two different websites. One that has rooms and one offering suites. One says Club WBC and the other says Wyndham Grand bonnet creek. Both at the same location. Is there a difference in how you book this? After getting feedback yesterday on WBC I did do a little research on it and read somewhere to be careful how you book because they may get you to buy timeshare. Is this true and is there a trick to booking? I do not want to get suckered into sitting through a timeshare presentation.

 

[TamaraQT]

We are a family of 6 going to Disney in September for our daughter’s 18th birthday celebration. I am really contemplating staying off property to save money.

You will definitely pay far less per night for larger accommodations when you stay offsite. I also highly recommend Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort. It sits inside the Disney gates but is not a Disney resort property. If you rent a week directly from an owner instead of booking on a website, there may be more savings in the daily rate too. Reputable places to find owners to rent from are RedWeek and TUG(Timeshare Users Group). I have used both for over 10 years.

One thing that is high on our lists is we do not want to drive to the parks as we drive to Disney from PA!

It sounds like you prefer bus/shuttle transportation instead of using your own vehicle. If you stay at WBC you are 10-15 minutes from WBC parking lot to a Disney parking lot if you drive your car. I am guessing that waiting for/riding buses and shuttles are considered part of your vacation experience and enjoyment. We fly from Philadelphia to Orlando and we always rent a car while we are here. We stayed onsite at Art of Animation once while in Orlando. We tried the Disney buses for a day but quickly went to using our rental car instead. The long wait times, crowded buses and multiple stops were not enjoyable for us. But we do more in Orlando besides Disney and stay longer than 7 days. Maybe by September things will be more back to normal and there will be more transportation options available for you to choose from. I don't think you can go wrong with Wyndham Bonnet Creek since your main focus is Disney. However, there are plenty of other resorts to choose from if you are willing to use your vehicle more. Besides hotel accommodations being better offsite, maybe consider other offsite options outside Disney like restaurants. Orlando has so much more to offer if you incorporate your own transportation into your vacation.

 

[TamaraQT]

When looking at WBC I see two different websites. One that has rooms and one offering suites. One says Club WBC and the other says Wyndham Grand bonnet creek. Both at the same location. Is there a difference in how you book this? After getting feedback yesterday on WBC I did do a little research on it and read somewhere to be careful how you book because they may get you to buy timeshare. Is this true and is there a trick to booking? I do not want to get suckered into sitting through a timeshare presentation.

Wyndham Grand is the hotel on the same property of Club WBC. Club WBC is the timeshare that will give you the option of 2 bedrooms with full living room, dining rooms, kitchens and washer/dryer in unit. You do NOT have to sit thru a presentation unless you purchase one of those discounted rates requiring that you do. I recommend renting directly thru an owner or go to the We Love WBC thread as someone else suggested and use their recommendations for how to book without having to go to a presentation. People avoid timeshares thinking they have to sit thru a presentation to stay there. It's simply NOT true.