So my family and I are Disney obsessed. We have been the last two years and are now planning our 2013 trip. The last two trips have been wonderful, magical everything we could have dreamed but this year we are hoping to be a bit more frugal. We also may be joined by our extended families so we were pricing and it seems to stay off Disney property we could save a ton. Even with the $14 a day parking fee that we would pay to get into the parks. But it really seems that this may be the way to go. Has anyone done it? Any advice on saving money by staying offsite? I know the reality is we will probably cook more ourselves and like I said before we will have to pay for parking. Are there any tips to avoid paying for parking?
We got yearly and have never had the desire to stay off site. I know this forum is about saving money, but there is a saying, "less hassle is worth more money." Disney World is an ENORMOUS property and staying offsite sounds like a huge hassle.
Shop and compare a few things. Disney in Florida is massive with a lot of properties - including some like Fairway Villas, which are quadplexes with really beautiful design features as well as the convenience of a shuttle every 20 minutes that takes you to the Monorail station, where you can connect to any of their venues. These could accomodate at least 6 people... The hotels in the park area sometimes are surprising in their price and availability. Of course the area (Lake Buena Vista - outside Orlando) has tons of hotels and every kind of accomodation and entertainment. But Disney tries to be competitive, too, and has a huge variety of options and packages....
It's cheaper to stay off-site. Unless you are staying at a hotel on the monorail, you will still spend 20 minutes to a half hour traveling back and forth to the park. This website tells you a little more about where to look for real savings.Log In. It's an offer for an ebook, but the ebook guarantees to show you how to pay $1,000 less than the cheapest WDW vacation, and still get 3-star accommodations. There's a few other things it teaches you too.
I live only about an hour away from Orlando. I've stayed off site many times when going to Disney and it is cheaper. There are some hotels that have transportation to Disney, even for free I believe, if you don't mind going that route.
I have been to Disney only 3 times. Twice we stayed on-site and once we stayed off-site. The first time we ever went we stayed on-site. I don't remember the name of the place, but I believe it is either gone now or used as dorms/apartments for the workers to stay in. The second time we stayed off-site in Daytona Beach with my grandparents. It was about an hour drive to Disney. That was only for one day. The final time we stayed on-site at All Star Sports Resort, with a baseball team (how appropriate!). My advice to you would be to stay on-site. You get many perks by staying on-site that you would otherwise miss out on. If money is an issue, go with one of the "budget" hotels/resorts. Don't let the word "budget" scare you away. They are VERY nice, and definitely worth the price!
The budget hotels are okay. The problem arises when you pick your time of year. Their budget hotels are considered 2-star quality hotels. If you compare that to the average cost of a two-star hotel off-site, the Disney hotels are from $30 to $50 higher. I've stayed in a 2-star hotel that was literally right up the street from WDW and I only paid $30.00 per night.
I know this forum is about saving money, but there is a saying, "less hassle is worth more money." Disney World is an ENORMOUS property and staying offsite sounds like a huge hassle. ---------------------------- TVs making the ideal into reality ---Log In, What We Need Is Persist.
I am also a big fan Disney. I have been four times to Disney World and three times to Disneyland. I have stayed off site at Disney World and I would not do it again. We did save some money on food as I booked a hotel with a kitchenette. We had our breakfast before we went in the morning, then packed a bag lunch, bought a snack in Disney and made a meal when back at the hotel. That for me was not a holiday, I don't want to cook and clean when on holidays. We did save a lot of money on food as that is usually one of the highest expenses while there. I also made sure there was a free shuttle to the park from the hotel so no parking costs. You do tip the driver everyday but it is cheaper than paying for parking. This is how to save money on site at Disneyworld. I book at one of the All Star Hotels, not at All Star Sports as usually teams will be staying there, so much noisier and the pools will always be full. I then book Disney dining, absolutely love it. You save 30% on your food at the park. My family really loves Disney dining it is also entertainment going to a 5 star restaurant where you are treated like royalty. Disney dining has different packages; I always pick the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining. This plan gives you one snack, one quick service meal (which means you order and then take your meal to your table), and one table service meal (which is where you are seated and order from a menu or a full buffet meal). We really enjoy the table service meal once a day, the food is so amazing. Breakfast you have to purchase but it is really quite inexpensive to eat at your hotel in the food center. When staying on site you get so many more perks than when off site. The time we wasted going to and from the park on a shuttle from the hotel really adds up to a lot of time and you are paying a lot of money for park passes so you should try to see all you can see while there. When we took the shuttles from the hotel you had to leave at certain times so the park was never closed but we had to leave or call a taxi to take us back to the hotel ($20-30). The shuttles also go to many hotels so it is never quick, you can count on an hour each way. The Disney bus system is great 10 min and you are where ever you want to be and you can also go back and forth to your room or pool for a break. Being a Disney fan I want to experience all of Disney so staying on site is the way I would go, if your travel time is flexible then check for sales, one great sale from Disney which happens every year is free Disney dining. I also book directly from Disney Travel as you get more for your money. Look for the sales and Disney can be a cheap holiday.
Love the pl,ace, haven't been in years, when I took my neice as a treat. As I remember we stayed offsite, but close enough to the main site to have decent access. So as someone else suggested, you should research and compare some of the prices and places, there could be parking at some of them. We flew, so there was no parking problem.
Gardengrocer.com delivers to Disneyworld and Universal for reasonable prices. Order online and have it delivered to your resort
I like this place a lot. I would like to take the family to. It was a great trip. It will help save money.Thank
