We've launched the new forums! Read more here

The Disney World Thread

fupresti said:
There are so many benefits to staying on site, and depending on the time of year it can be more cost effective to stay on site. With benefits like Magical Express and the Disney transportation system, I dont know how anyone stays off site.
Click to expand...
I agree that depending on the time of year it may be better to stay on site but in the prime season of summer discounts are hard to come by. For our family it worked out better to rent a car and have the freedom to get groceries to make some meals to save money. Plus having the Disney Visa has allowed us to accumulate enough Disney Dollars that parking is always free. I have always been a strong advocate of staying on site and it really took a lot to stay off site but after having the freedom of having your own car and a much bigger living space I am more than happy to do it again. Every family is different and what works for one may not work for another. This happens to work for us.
 
Yes I meant the electric parade when I went they only had it on certain nights I assume it was becasue it was offseason. I bet it would be horrible trying to leave at that time.
 
Mward said:
I wish I could say I haven't been a lot, especially in the past year, but that would be a total lie. Some of my wife's family work there, she used to work there, I proposed there, we went on our honeymoon in the west coast and made a special trip to Disneyland just so we could say we've been. It's my wife's getaway and her happiness outweigh the costs per month for our annual passes (also cheaper than saying go buy something at the mall by a considerable amount) I'll take all the verbal abuse in the world if it keeps the smile on her face from the time I say we're going till we come home.

Food and Wine festival just started up. We'll be there towards the end of it to unwind.
Click to expand...

Food and Wine is probably one of my FAVORITE events at the parks. Looking forward to going again this year.
 
woody_74 said:
Yes I meant the electric parade when I went they only had it on certain nights I assume it was becasue it was offseason. I bet it would be horrible trying to leave at that time.
Click to expand...
It is horrible trying to move anywhere during that time. Thank goodness Disney often opens the backlot to funnel people through to the main gates or you might as well make yourself comfortable because you are not going anywhere.
 
I keep hoping that I am going to be able to test MagicBand on my December trip, but it does not look like Annual Passholders are eligible yet.
 
The Disney World Thread

woody_74 said:
Yes I meant the electric parade when I went they only had it on certain nights I assume it was becasue it was offseason. I bet it would be horrible trying to leave at that time.
Click to expand...

I always thought it was nightly. I guess it's one of those if it closes at 7, no go. 9 or later, sure why not. 75% of the walking just stops to watch and everything bottlenecks something awful. It's usually faster to stay on the outskirts and just find something to do till it's done. That or make a break for the large gift shop and restaurant that connects all the way down towards the fire station.

I just want my apple strudel with werthers original caramel sauce. Soooo good

Edit: Fupresti, if you're staying at all on property, you're going to be testing them.
 
fupresti said:
I keep hoping that I am going to be able to test MagicBand on my December trip, but it does not look like Annual Passholders are eligible yet.
Click to expand...
My group (not AP) gets to test it when we go in early December so I hope everything is working by then. I do know some AP have used the MagicBands but I'm not sure how they got them. They talk about it here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com
 
OhioMatt said:
My group (not AP) gets to test it when we go in early December so I hope everything is working by then. I do know some AP have used the MagicBands but I'm not sure how they got them. They talk about it here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com
Click to expand...

Worst case scenario we get the RF cards, so I am not complaining too much.
 
fupresti said:
There are so many benefits to staying on site, and depending on the time of year it can be more cost effective to stay on site. With benefits like Magical Express and the Disney transportation system, I dont know how anyone stays off site.
Click to expand...

I will never stay on site again.
Too many off site properties at Downtown Disney that offer the same transportation for less money and I can earn and use rewards and miles while staying there. Outside of the one with the monorail, the same buses that pick people up at the others, pick people up at the Swan, Double Tree downtown, and so many others.
 
JB said:
I will never stay on site again.
Too many off site properties at Downtown Disney that offer the same transportation for less money and I can earn and use rewards and miles while staying there. Outside of the one with the monorail, the same buses that pick people up at the others, pick people up at the Swan, Double Tree downtown, and so many others.
Click to expand...

Understood and agreed it makes sense for some people. However with the recent new programs Disney has been developing, namely FastPass+ and MagicBand, it is clear that they are trying to expand offerings for on site guests. Things like Magical Express save me the need to rent a car or arrange for transportation. If you have a spouse who blows your travel budget on souvenirs, package delivery is a godsend. Extra Magic hours are also a great relief for certain parks, namely Hollywood Studios because of the continuing ridiculousness of wait times at Toy Story Midway Mania.
 
We took the kids a couple years ago and chose to stay onsite. I wouldn't do that again next time around, it was great and all but Orlando as a whole has SO many great things to do that I wouldn't lock us into 7 straight days at Disney next time. It was pretty awesome though, my kids loved every second of that trip. That and the meal plan we opted for sure was nice to have!
 
fupresti said:
Understood and agreed it makes sense for some people. However with the recent new programs Disney has been developing, namely FastPass+ and MagicBand, it is clear that they are trying to expand offerings for on site guests. Things like Magical Express save me the need to rent a car or arrange for transportation. If you have a spouse who blows your travel budget on souvenirs, package delivery is a godsend. Extra Magic hours are also a great relief for certain parks, namely Hollywood Studios because of the continuing ridiculousness of wait times at Toy Story Midway Mania.
Click to expand...

Disney transportation is available for offsite properties too. No reason to rent a car there either. Same as package delivery. Extra Magic hours are also available at some properties offsite and to some with different types of tix.
 
I fear a family trip with the kids is coming in the next few years. Was looking at the cost a few weeks ago, its insane, but will probably be way more economical for us to say offsite especially if there is direct transportation available
 
My daughter is 13, my son is 8. I am wanting to plan a christmas break trip with them. With kids that age and just myself going would you all recommend Disney Cruise or Disney World? I am kind of leaning towards the cruise but would like opinions from those who have done both
 
The dining plan is available to only on-site guests though, correct? If you can go when they have a free dining plan deal, that is an awesome advantage.
 
mikedean441 said:
I fear a family trip with the kids is coming in the next few years. Was looking at the cost a few weeks ago, its insane, but will probably be way more economical for us to say offsite especially if there is direct transportation available
Click to expand...

The Swan and Dolphin are phenomenal.
To save even more money, Downtown Disney Double Tree can be had for next to nothing.
If you prefer a grander place, like the Gaylord Palms (now a Marriott property), they offer their own shuttle service multiple times per day to each park.
 
jt2929 said:
The dining plan is available to only on-site guests though, correct? If you can go when they have a free dining plan deal, that is an awesome advantage.
Click to expand...

This is true. However with Orlando, dining at Disney is redundant. Considering what you get for your money and what is directly outside the gates including Downtown Disney.
 
JB said:
I will never stay on site again.
Too many off site properties at Downtown Disney that offer the same transportation for less money and I can earn and use rewards and miles while staying there. Outside of the one with the monorail, the same buses that pick people up at the others, pick people up at the Swan, Double Tree downtown, and so many others.
Click to expand...

Swan, Dolphin, and the Downtown Disney Hilton all give magic hour benefits. Puts you in the moderate hotel cost, yet you could accrue points and such for it.

A small commute isn't bad from the Marriott World, Omni Championsgate, and the Gaylord Palms. Those three right off the bat are pretty darn tough to beat and worth the lack of magic hours. Haven't stayed at the Waldorf or the Hilton Bonnet Creek but they're probably pretty nice too
 
JB said:
The Swan and Dolphin are phenomenal.
To save even more money, Downtown Disney Double Tree can be had for next to nothing.
If you prefer a grander place, like the Gaylord Palms (now a Marriott property), they offer their own shuttle service multiple times per day to each park.
Click to expand...

I'll keep those in mind, the in laws have a time share so we can usually stay at Mariott's Harbor Lake and Grande Vista for stupid cheap, I think its like $350 for 7 days
 
Mward said:
Swan, Dolphin, and the Downtown Disney Hilton all give magic hour benefits. Puts you in the moderate hotel cost, yet you could accrue points and such for it.

A small commute isn't bad from the Marriott World, Omni Championsgate, and the Gaylord Palms. Those three right off the bat are pretty darn tough to beat and worth the lack of magic hours. Haven't stayed at the Waldorf or the Hilton Bonnet Creek but they're probably pretty nice too
Click to expand...

Good info. I remember we discussed this a while back about Swan and Dolphin. Starwood has a strong program.
 
JB said:
Im not sure a thread is needed, but I know there are quite a few here that enjoy the theme parks and I know a few others that know just about everything there is to know about the parks. With some of our events being in Orlando and people making mention that they were planning the trip to Disney as well, I thought the timing was right.

Before this year, I had not been to Disney world in 25 years, despite it being so close (lived 10 minutes from it for a year). This year we have been twice and both times had an absolute blast.
Click to expand...

Epcot center is absolutely amazing. We used to go every other year when I was a kid but I haven't been back in 20 years. I need to go.
 
JB said:
This is true. However with Orlando, dining at Disney is redundant. Considering what you get for your money and what is directly outside the gates including Downtown Disney.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I've never explored dining options outside of Disney because we've always had the dining plan. Something to consider for next time.
 
JRod said:
Epcot center is absolutely amazing. We used to go every other year when I was a kid but I haven't been back in 20 years. I need to go.
Click to expand...

I said the same thing. It was close to 30 years since the last time I was there. Now I am like a kid in a candy store. Just a great trip.
 
JB said:
Disney transportation is available for offsite properties too. No reason to rent a car there either. Same as package delivery. Extra Magic hours are also available at some properties offsite and to some with different types of tix.
Click to expand...

I am aware. I guess then the true reason I prefer onsite is the theming and ambience of the property. I have stayed offsite on previous trips and it just seems to break the feel of a Disney vacation. I like being immersed in it the entire trip and the theming of the resorts and on property touches just make me happier. Not saying staying offsite is a bad thing, I know many do it. But I treat my Disney vacations as something above and beyond and I like coming back to the Boardwalk or the Polynesian and treating it as an extension of my day in the parks.
 
fupresti said:
I am aware. I guess then the true reason I prefer onsite is the theming and ambience of the property. I have stayed offsite on previous trips and it just seems to break the feel of a Disney vacation. I like being immersed in it the entire trip and the theming of the resorts and on property touches just make me happier. Not saying staying offsite is a bad thing, I know many do it. But I treat my Disney vacations as something above and beyond and I like coming back to the Boardwalk or the Polynesian and treating it as an extension of my day in the parks.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Nothing wrong with that. Some of them are quite nice.

Like I said, the reason we stay off site is we get the perks, and the rewards. Staying at the Swan or Dolphin for instance for 3 nights paid, earns us enough points for 1 free night anytime we want to use it at many Starwood properties. With all the traveling we do, its about maximizing rewards to save money for future trips or vacations. Then add to that both of those hotels are very nice Starwood properties, right in the heart of Downtown Disney. Which for us is great for night time with shops, restaurants and walking around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top