Staying at disney resort or offsite? Confused

[Cgulati]

Not sure if it worth spending extra to stay in one of the Value resort or just staying in outside the Disney resort (like buying a package from Costco or something)? Please help.

We are a family of 4, with 3 and 9 yr old. I was planning to do a 6 night trip only in walt Disney, nothing outside of it. Was planning for 2 days at Magic kingdom, 1 day each at animal kingdom, Hollywood and Epcot..Do I need an extra day? Most packages with Costco include a car and its for 5 days only..is that a standard?

Thanks

 

[Summer2018]

We stayed at All Star Music three times and loved it. We've since upgraded to deluxe, but back in our value days, we were very happy there. Staying there, you don't need a car at all. The Disney busses are great. We tend to stay for a week and do six days in the parks.

 

[Owl X]

If you stay onsite at a Disney Resort, you don't need a Car as transportation from/to the Orlando Airport (and the parks) is provided.
You save a considerable amount of time using Disney's transportation compared to renting a car and staying offsite. Plus you save the headache of dealing with traffic and parking.
It is convenient to take afternoon breaks when you stay onsite (which may help with young children).

 

[coast2coastmickey]

For a first time visitor, go ahead and try on-site. You get a free bus from the airport for you and your family, and your luggage. Then, when you're at the hotel, you take free buses to and from the parks (some of the more expensive hotels also have boats or monorail access depending on their location, but cost more).

Just be sure to do your research about budgeting for food, and being prepared to pay theme park prices for food, everywhere. Just don't let it be a shock.

If you're willing to do a little more research or you're not a first time visitor, you'll find that Disneyworld is no different then planning any other trip from home:
1) Transportation to destination: Drive or Fly? Each has pros and cons and cost differences.
2) Renting a car at destination if flying? Or using public transportation? Public transportation is really only an option if you're staying on-site so you take advantage of that benefit of Disney Magical Express.
3) Finding an acceptable hotel. Luckily, you clearly have internet access, so if you consider off-site, plug into google maps the time it would take to drive/uber. You won't want to book a budget hotel an hour away. You can also research reviews of hotels, which usually tell a slightly exaggerated story good or bad, but it's usually close to what the average person would experience. You can easily find a clean, safe place this way, no different than if you had to travel anywhere else.
4) Pricing out park tickets: determine if you want to pay extra for hoppers, etc. Sometimes you can get discounts, but the discounts aren't much.
5) Saving up for special things like sit-down dinners and higher than normal costs for everything

The only thing unique to Disney is that if you've never been, it helps to do a little research so that you can figure out the best way to do all you want to do so you don't go home disappointed. Really want Be Our Guest breakfast? Learn how to set up a dining reservation. Want to ride Space Mountain no matter what? Learn how fast passes work.

 

[BebopBaloo]

I've looked at the Costco packages a few times, but I've never found them to be a good deal. I like Costco. I do. Their Disney packages just haven't been a good deal whenever I've looked into them. I would recommend staying onsite if possible. Disney transportation is really helpful, as is the ability to book FP+ in advance. If you did stay offsite, I would look into the Disney Springs area resorts, as they also have access to 60 day out FP+ bookings now. This would be incredibly helpful and is something that used to only be a perk to Disney Resorts. The Disney Springs Resort hotels are now included, as well as The Swan and The Dolphin. Keep an eye on the Special Offers section of the official Walt Disney World site. There's also a section of the boards here: Disney Discount Codes and Rates, which can be really helpful for finding and monitoring when deals are available.

 

[MonorailNate]

I would 100% stay onsite for the total Disney immersion. It is just not the same staying off site. You can easily forgo the rental car because transportation is provided. I agree that Costco has never seemed like a good deal. You would be better booking on your own with a room discount and look at Undercover Tourist for discounted tickets.

 

[Huff]

Not having to rent a car when staying onsite is a huge cost savings since the on-site resorts now charge daily parking fees. The parks also charge a parking fee but if you stay onsite, all transportation is free.

Price out the same package with an onsite resort and tickets and no rental car and compare with Costco's package. Disney bus from airport to on-site resort is free as is all buses, monorails and boats to get to anywhere you need to go in WDW.

Also keep in mind that when staying onsite you can reserve you fast passes 60 days prior to your visit. If staying off-site its 30 days which makes it more difficult to get the rides and times you want. Restaurant reservations can be made at 180 days prior for your entire stay when staying on-site.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I have never booked with Costco so not sure about info on that.

Personally with your party size and the fact that you are only interested in Disney I would definitely recommend staying onsite in a Disney resort.
A value resort would be good.
If staying onsite I would not suggest renting a car or you'll end up paying resort parking fees and Disney has buses, boats, and the monorail to use to get around at no cost.

If you do end up staying offsite then I recommend that you do rent a car because offsite shuttles to the parks are not a great option and using Uber/Lyft could get expensive than a rental car would cost. Plus with a rental car offsite you'd have the freedom to go anywhere at any time.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Stay onsite to get the addiction.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I was tempted by a Costco deal too... but ended up keeping CSR. I like being in Disney and knowing I can easily go back to the resort to relax. Also, not going to lie... the driving scares me a bit

But considering a 2 bedroom villa, car rental and a five day park hopper came to the same $ as my room at CSR, I can't say it wasn't tempting for a moment.

 

[Sue M]

I would stay onsite, at Pop Century. If you can, go for 7 days. I know my first trip even with research I didn’t realize how big WDW is. Even with 7 days you won’t see or do it all.

Imo it is more involved than booking a regular vacation. Research and planning are key to a successful trip.
Paying the $10 or $12 for Touringplans web site is worth it. So is buying their book: Walt Disneyworld The Unofficial Guide. There is a wealth of info in it, as well as very useful touring plans! You will get more done with less waiting in line. It was our bible for our first few trips. And taught me how to tour WDW. I still use it for their crowd calendars.

Another useful web site is Mousesavers.com. Sign up for their newsletter. Monitor this site, the WDW web site and Mousesavers web site to know when Disney releases room discounts.

All ears.net is another great web site.

Undercover Tourist.com sells WDW tickets with varying discounts. When comparing prices undercover(UT) posts the total price up front incl tax. WDW web site shows you ticket price before tax, and adds it to cart at checkout. UT is a reliable ticket broker, I’ve used them several times.
Happy planning.

 

[JasonMouse]

You have to give us prices to see if it's a good deal. A good deal at Pop is around $110 / night with tax, but they've added a parking fee now which screws everything up. Not all off-site resorts have parking fees. Moderates used to be around $150 with tax, but they are increasing as well. We will have to see once the construction is done. And I will never pay more than $300 for a deluxe. It used to be we could get at least AKL for $220 a night. Not anymore. We are definitely thinking off site for 2019, and we are used to staying onsite 4 times a year.

 

[tommygunn]

On-site is the way to go imo. Something about being in that “Disney bubble” for your whole stay makes things extra special.

For a resort I’d recommend pop century for a value resort

If you want to spend a bit more money I’d recommend the port orleana riverside and request to stay in the mansion section. It’s a gorgeous resort that rivals the deluxes.

 

[Shellyb84]

I would rather stay at a value onsite than stay offsite. Honestly I would rather not go than stay offsite, it just wouldn't be the same experience not being in the "bubble".

 

[Nancyg56]

FOr a first trip I woudl alwasy suggest onsite. There is a lot to a WDW vacation, and if your party is not visiting offsite attractions the onsite benefits can add up. Most have been detailed upthread.

For my family it is not just the financial or logistical benefits that we enjoy, it is teh package as a whole. We fly, so this will skew our percepton. WE love the feeling that once we check our bags at the airport, we are on vacation! Yep, no more driving and no more "legs" of our trip.

We are THAT family. We somehow do something one time, and it becomes our tradition, so each trip there might be a "new" bit that gets added. So far, we all have a little dinner out as a family the night before we depart. No cooking, and the fridge is clean. The following morning we are off to the airport bags ready, and DH cringing because he cannot get past the trip when one bag was overweight. His memory is that of all of his unders being transferred to a second bag while all 6'6" of him tried to shrink behind a tiny 4 YO DGD. Finally Arrival in MCO!!! Yay!!! Starbucks and then of to meet the CM's waving their Mickey hands to guide us to DME, and we wave back with our own Mickey hands. DH is again wondering how he managed to be included in the group..... still wondering how his crew who has traveled multiple times here could not manage to find DME on the first try while he is in tow. At this point we have blamed him for our wandering around from one side of that enormous terminal to the other, and he is wondering what fresh hell we will subject him to on the bus.

Our resort is always the last one on the route, no matter which resort we choose, so we get to tour them all. Hey: do not judge that we are easy to entertain, we are on vacation!!! Check in is so easy, no car to park, no bags to drag in, just a visit to the front desk. The first of many, I love DIsney CM's!!! DH is just praying the TV works, and that we do not have a box of essentials tha DD shipped from home. (The one with the matching Disney shirts he will be required to wear. He is still concerned that there may be pictures all over the internets of him in his lime green Mickey head shirt, standing taller then the rest of his crew of shorties, all glowing in lime green. Do not tell him, this year the theme is the 7 dwarfs)

From there is is the best. We use every means of DIsney transportation. No one needs to drive, no one pays for parking or rentals.The magic is from the moment from liftoff to touch down. We are pampered. DH spends the trip wondering how a virtual ticket works, peeking behind walls to get a glimpse of construction, shaking his head at parking lots the no longer needs to navigate, and thanks the rest of us that he can have his glass of wine without impacting his CDL.

So, this is what we pay for when we choose an onsite location.