Which is cheaper? On or off property

[Brandilovesdisney]

Hello,
Someone has offered me the use of their condo near Disneyworld for my next stay. I usually go during the Free Dining deal. For those of you who have stayed off property, bought tickets, rented a car, and basically brought snacks to the park with the exception of a special character meal or two, did you find it cheaper than the Free Dining deal? Or did you still find it more advantageous (time and money wise) to stay on property?

I'm planning on going to universal as well but those tickets would cost me extra whether I stay on or off property. The only additional cost would be the shuttle to and from universal as I won't rent a car unless I stay at the condo.

Thank you!

 

[bankr63]

By all means, for any comparable category of room, staying offsite is much cheaper than staying onsite, even calculating food, car rental and parking.

Assuming your friend is renting and not loaning the condo? If it is like most condos, you would be looking at the DVC properties as comparables (2BR, kitchen and other facilities). If your friend is charging any more than about half of the DVC rate, she is not offering you any deal. Tickets are tickets on or offsite; well actually you can get them a bit cheaper offsite through Undercover Tourist and other sites and you have to buy through Disney at full freight to get your FD?

So it comes down mostly to the cost of meals. FD is not free; you do not get discounts on any other part of the package. Offsite you have a host of (very) reasonably priced restaurants that do not require reservations and will serve you a hot, fresh meal. You can also do a quick grocery run to have grab and go breakfasts or pack along lunches to keep you moving. We generally pay out of pocket for one meal per day, and prepare simple, healthy, and often portable, foods for the other two. The thousand(s) you save on offsite lodging will not be anywhere near eaten up by these dining costs, or the added cost of rental vehicle and parking.

Finally, assuming your condo is a reasonable distance from WDW, you probably won't take any longer to reach the parks than if you were taking a bus. Certainly not enough to make a difference.

You might lose a little magic, but many of the touted onsite benefits aren't really. There is a reason why the crowd calendars always say stay away from the EMH parks on their designated day. So while the sheep are over at EMH at MK, I'm enjoying a much quieter day over at Epcot.

My family stays in luxury offsite, and by staying offsite, we visit a lot more often than we could afford to visit if staying onsite. So who is really getting more Disney magic in the long run?

 

[starvenger]

Without breaking it down, my gut says the "free place to stay" option will always work out cheaper. But that's not really the question.

I feel like the strategy is different based on where you stay. I haven't stayed onsite myself, but things seem pretty straightforward - and that's the idea, I think.

Offsite, there's more planning involved, mostly around food.
- Since you need to rent a car, you have to check for decent prices on a regular basis.
- Time-wise, you will need to account for driving to the park, parking and the shuttles to and from your car.
- If you have access to TouringPlans or a similar site, you can plan around (i.e. avoid) the days with extended hours. What was a boon when staying onsite is a hindrance when staying offsite.
- I think your biggest expense will be meals. Since you're offsite and have a car, you can go to a supermarket and get whatever supplies you feel you'll use.
- I would say get some supplies for breakfast, some snacks that won't melt in heat and a 12 or 24 pack of water. If you've got some good water bottles that keep drinks cold at home, bring those. You can make ice, load them up and add some water from the bottles as you go.
- For meals while in the park, the key is moderation. You're not on a meal plan, so there is no obligation to get one appy/entree/drink each. For my family (2 adults, 2 girls 9 and 6), we've been able to get 1 a la carte entree and 2 kids meals and that is a pretty satisfactory meal, even taking into account that I eat quite a bit. Since you've brought water, there's no need to buy any drinks (unless you want to, of course).
- You could also eat meals offsite. Plenty of chain restaurants in and around the Kissimmee/International Drive area. You name it, they're probably there. Places may not be significantly cheaper, but you cannot argue about the variety.

 

[SaraMc]

Cost wise aside, you also have to think how valuable is your time. I-4 is known as a traffic nightmare, having to park your vehicle and go into the parks can take longer at times than Disney's service. For us that's the value right there of staying on property. However free accommodations would make me stay off site if I was offered that. When you get the free meal plan your often paying rack rate for rooms. Our family had a horrible time when we were on the dining plan as we were always stuffed. We missed our impromptu snacks that we would get and found that we were making choices for meals based on how much they were instead of how healthy they are and what was best for our family.
For us, we stay on property and use tables in wonderland. That for us is the savings and the best for our family.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Don't discount a good night's sleep in a place where you can spread out. We rent a nearby house with a private pool for less than the equivalent stay in a value resort. We eat breakfast at home with groceries we bring or buy, make RD, then do a full lunch in the World. By dinner, we're exhausted, so we head home, either stopping for fast food on the way or a cooked chicken and loaf of fresh bread at Publix for dinner. Sometimes we'll do a Disney restaurant or even another out of the World restaurant. But the best part is going home, getting into our bathing suits and walking out the back door to the pool. It does wonders for aching feet and backs. We don't go back in the evening, but you could, as your parking is good for all day. My DH is not a night person and, again, we do RD (rope drop). So yes, it's cheaper that way. Did I mention the house is usually a 5 bedroom house for less than a value resort? Everyone has their own bed and room. Some even have a private bathroom.

So it comes down to how you like to do your touring. Do you love EMH? Are you a go for a break in the afternoon people? Do you like those Disney restaurants? If that's you, maybe on-site is better. If you can see yourself doing it a different way, why not try off-site.

Also, if the cost of the restaurants is what you are worried about, why not go on Disney's restaurant menus and add up the cost of a typical vacation meal plan if you had to pay for it? That should help you.

 

[mshanson3121]

Off site hands down. As for a driving nightmare? It was busy sure but incredibly easy. It's straight forward and well marked. Also unless you're staying at a monorail resort, driving there is quicker (yes including parking) than relying on the Disney bus system and afternoon breaks are easy.

The incredible amount of money you'll save will allow you buy lots of impromptu snacks, or perhaps other experiences you would have had to skip.

As for extended hours those are getting slim these days anyway, so no big loss. If you want the free magic bands and earlier FP selection, just book a throwaway site at Fort Wilderness - free MB, 2 days of parking, 2 days of 10% shopping discounts and 60 day FP - a $100ish value (family of 4) for $60-70.

 

[mshanson3121]

For us staying in a 4 bedroom (private rooms for the kids! Good sleep!), 2 bath house with games room and our very own 24' pool, was far more magical than spending a week in a small over priced hotel room. It was far more relaxing.

 

[Average Joes]

I would buy the 25% off tickets now as a Canadian before it expires to use if you stay at your friend's condo.

 

[starvenger]

I-4 is known as a traffic nightmare, having to park your vehicle and go into the parks can take longer at times than Disney's service.

This is definitely a big thing. I have an eBook of "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" and one of the sections outlines some shortcut routes ("sneak routes") to avoid I-4, which is indeed a nightmare. Last trip we stayed in a timeshare close to Sea World and using the book's suggestions were traversed a side road over the I-4 which got us to the back side of Disney Springs (skipped a couple of roads) and around to Epcot Center Dr.

If you can find the book in the library I recommend borrowing it as it's informational (even for the WDW veteran) and a pretty good read considering it's a travel book. If you can find an eBook to put on your tablet that might be even better.

 

[JustinD]

Every time we do the math, we always end up offsite. However, we have never gone when free food is available. I really enjoy having a kitchen and two bathrooms and at least two bedrooms. It makes sleeping and getting ready so much easier so that people are not stressed first thing in the morning. And, by cooking up some breakfast as people are getting ready, we don't have to go do that first thing out of the door. Might be toaster waffles, or eggs, or maybe cereal, but it is done.

We put all the snacks on the kitchen bar, and people grab what they want on the way out the door. We carry those light string type backpacks now and they fit a bottle of water, some form of rain gear(if it looks necessary), and some snacks. For water, we buy a case. You can use it and refill it throughout the day, and if it gets lost or worn out, oh well. Plus, these are way lighter than any of the refillable bottles.

We also buy a package of the nice disposable coffee cups with lids. They are just like you get from the coffee place. Then, we can grab a cup of Joe on the way out the door. We top the cups off from a thermos as we get out of the car. Somewhere between the car and the first attraction, I finish it off and drop it in a trash can. No muss, no fuss, no worries.

Dang, we really have developed quite a Disney routine over the years. It works for us..

 

[JustinD]

Every time we do the math, we always end up offsite. However, we have never gone when free food is available. I really enjoy having a kitchen and two bathrooms and at least two bedrooms. It makes sleeping and getting ready so much easier so that people are not stressed first thing in the morning. And, by cooking up some breakfast as people are getting ready, we don't have to go do that first thing out of the door. Might be toaster waffles, or eggs, or maybe cereal, but it is done.

We put all the snacks on the kitchen bar, and people grab what they want on the way out the door. If it is a PBJ lunch day, DW and I will make them and put them on the counter. Some days are PBJ, and some days are not. Just depends on our mood. (we still buy at least one meal and some snack/drinks in the park) We carry those light string type backpacks now and they fit a bottle of water, some form of rain gear(if it looks necessary), and some snacks. For water, we buy a case. You can use it and refill it throughout the day, and if it gets lost or worn out, oh well. Plus, these are way lighter than any of the refillable bottles. The single serving gatoraid type things are nice for the water bottles too, when the days are hot. And using the disposable ones means that you don't screw up a good water bottle.

We also buy a package of the nice disposable coffee cups with lids. They are just like you get from the coffee place. Then, we can grab a cup of Joe on the way out the door. We top the cups off from a thermos as we get out of the car. Somewhere between the car and the first attraction, I finish it off and drop it in a trash can. No muss, no fuss, no worries.

Dang, we really have developed quite a Disney routine over the years. It works for us..

 

[Brandilovesdisney]

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone!

bankr63 - My friend is letting me stay at the condo for free and he said it's really close to Disney - he bought it with Disney and Universal in mind.

I'll look for that travel e-book (starvenger) and write out my meal plan to see what the cost will be (Figment Spark). JustinD - you've definitely developed quite the routine - I like the coffee cup idea. Mshanson3121 I never thought of booking a throwaway site at Fort Wilderness to get free Magic bands! I wonder how many people do this.

It sounds like it would be better to stay off site. Then I can go to Disney/Universal anytime of the year instead of relying on free dining. Average Joes - do you know if I can buy those 25% off tickets now and use them next year or is there an expiry date? Does Universal ever offer deals like this one?

Thanks again!

 

[Average Joes]

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone!

bankr63 - My friend is letting me stay at the condo for free and he said it's really close to Disney - he bought it with Disney and Universal in mind.

I'll look for that travel e-book (starvenger) and write out my meal plan to see what the cost will be (Figment Spark). JustinD - you've definitely developed quite the routine - I like the coffee cup idea. Mshanson3121 I never thought of booking a throwaway site at Fort Wilderness to get free Magic bands! I wonder how many people do this.

It sounds like it would be better to stay off site. Then I can go to Disney/Universal anytime of the year instead of relying on free dining. Average Joes - do you know if I can buy those 25% off tickets now and use them next year or is there an expiry date? Does Universal ever offer deals like this one?

Thanks again!

Yes you can buy the tickets now and use them later. No expiry. The deal ends in about a month. I do not know if Universal has a similar deal. Doesn't appear so. We always wanted to do both but the cost of buying Universal vs. extra days at Disney is significant.