At DisneyWorld would you recommend staying onsite or offsite - any hotel/resort you recommend?

Question

If we stay onsite then we probably wouldn't need a rental car, right? But we also want to hit the beach for 1 or 2 days. Think we'd just need a rental car for those 1-2 days we'd be going to the beach?
Is there free shuttle to the Disney parks if you stay in one of their hotels?

Answer 1

I would definitely recommend staying right on Walt Disney World property if you can. It's just so convenient and makes the vacation even more magical. The past two summers my boyfriend and I have stayed at Disney's Polynesian Resort, and we won't ever stay at another Resort - it's perfect! I always recommend Disney's Polynesian Resort. It has the highest Guest return rate of all the Resorts at Walt Disney World. My favorite part about Disney's Polynesian Resort is the rooms and views. People say that it doesn't matter what sort of room or view you get because you'll hardly be spending anytime there, but I don't agree with that at all. Even after an exhausting day of touring the theme parks in the heat, when we get back to our room in the evening, nothing makes me happier than to sit out on our patio and enjoy the incredible view of Cinderella Castle across the Seven Seas Lagoon. And we'd wake up every morning, have a coffe out on our patio, enjoy the view and the different animals - there's ducks and rabbits, and even a cat on property! (lol I have no clue how the cat got there, but it's been there the past two summers - we feed it beef jerky.) I also love the different transportation options available at Disney's Polynesian Resort. As you know, transportation anywhere on property is complimentary as long as you're staying at one of the Resorts. Many of the Resorts only have shuttle and/or waterlaunch transportation. Disney's Polynesian Resort has shuttle service, a waterlaunch, and the ever-reliable Monorail. Plus, there's a walkway straight to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa if you'd like to get a spa treatment or go out for a romantic dinner, and there's also a walkway straight to the Transportation & Ticket Center where you can get on a ferry to the Magic Kingdom or the other Monorail to EPCOT. The Resort has three great restaurants. The Kona Cafe is my favorite and we always eat there at least two or three times during each stay. 'Ohana is also very nice, and they offer a Character breakfast. Then there's Captain Cook's Snack Company, the quick service restaurant. It's been recently refurbished and now Guests can order through computers - it's pretty cool. Now, there's also the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Luau Cove which is awesome. It's an all-you-care-to-eat dining experience with fantastic traditional Polynesian entertainment. There's a few great shops in the lobby, as well as a beautiful art gallery. There's an arcade, of course, and two fabulous pools - the Nanea Volcano Pool with waterslide and the Quiet Pool. There's even a marina where you can rent personal watercrafts or depart on a guided fishing excursion. Besides everything I've already mentioned, Disney's Polynesian Resort is simply stunning. The Resort grounds, the lobby, and each of the rooms are gorgeous!

Disney's Polynesian Resort is a Deluxe Resort, though. It's one of the more expensive Resorts, but it's so worth the money if you can afford it. However, if Disney's Polynesian Resort is too much for your budget I would also recommend either Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge or Disney's Wilderness Lodge for less expensive Deluxe Resorts. I would recommend Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter or Riverside or Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for the Moderate Resorts. And then, there's always Disney's Value Resorts, but I've never stayed at any of them and they don't offer as many amenities.

Since transportation on Walt Disney World property is complimentary you wouldn't have to rent a car until the days you wanted to go to the beach. There's even complimentary transportation to and from Orlando International Airport via Disney's Magical Express.

Now, in your other question you asked "What about Seaworld & Busch Gardens......recommend those?" Absolutely! In fact, I'd probably recommend either of those two parks before I'd recommend either of the Universal theme parks. Sea World is obviously awesome! You get to see killer whales, beluga whales, dolphins, sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, sea lions, manatees, penguins, and many other marine animals. You can also participate in interactive programs with many of these animals, like go in the shark's tank (while in a shark cage for protection, of course) or play with and feed dolphins, etc. Busch Gardens is wonderful, too, but keep in mind that it's in Tampa. That'd be the time to rent your car, go to Busch Gardens, and then visit the beach while you're there. Busch Gardens has a bunch of awesome rides. I really loved the roller coasters there. And I liked the Egypt-themed area, too.

Anyway, hope I could help! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions or need help planning.

Answer 2

For those staying at a Disney Resort, but want to see the beach or other nearby attraction, I recommend they wait to do those activities until the last few days of their trip.
You will have free transportation from the airport to your hotel (and back again) and everywhere on Disney property. And since you have this free transportation, there is no need to spend money on a rental until you need it. So plan to visit a nearby beach (I recommend Cocoa or Siesta Key) during the last day or two of your trip. You can call Enterprise and they can bring your car to your hotel for you.
As for whether or not you should stay on Disney property - it is completely up to your family and your budget. The cheapest Disney Resort is going for $82 a night (All Star and Pop Century). The other resorts can be quite costly. If this is too much per night, I recommend staying off site at either the Best Western Lakeside or the Lake Suites, both located in Kissimmee for $79 a night or less. They also both have a free shuttle service to and from the parks as well.

If you would like help planning for your next trip or if you would just like to read up on some fun tips and ideas that are updated monthly, visit my Disney Vacation Services My space page, at:

http://www.myspace.com/disneymickeyvacation

Have a great time!

Answer 3

Staying onsite is definitely the way to go.

If you stay onsite, I would say you don't need the rental car then as much as if stayed offsite. The transportation onsite is great and takes you to all the Disney stuff. If you are wanting to go to anything offsite, than you may want to get a rental car a few days, one taxi ride can cost more than your whole rental car. And if you plan to visit the beach, you will want a rental car for this as well.

There are many benefits, the extra magic hours is just one. Here are some more:

1). Better transportation- Especially if you are travelling with younger kids or older adults that need to rest in the middle of the day. Many offsite hotels, if they offer a shuttle (if they don't that is an additional cost you will have to pay) only run in the morning and in evening. You usually need to schedule the shuttle, etc. It can also be a long ride and take away a good portion of your time at the park. Onsite transportation is fast and easy, and it runs all day. Depending on where you would stay you have different transportation options, all resorts offer buses, some of them offer boat transportation and three offer a monorail for transportation.

2). You can take advantage of the Disney dining plan. This plan can save you 40% off of your food and you get to eat at the nicer restaurants that you may not eat at otherwise. It is a great deal.

3). I'm not sure when you are going, but Disney offers promotions for just about every date of the year. Unless you are going in the next few weeks, you should still be able to get a promotion for your dates. Currently they are offering free ticket upgrades, but they often offer free dining, especially during value season. So if you add up the saving there, you will more than likely be spending less, or possibly a little more than an offsite hotel, but you get all of the extra benefits and probably a lot more included.

4) The Disney touch- When you stay at Disney you know you are going to be staying at a nice place. I've gone past some of hotels that offer lower rates, and in some cases the same rates as Disney's hotels, and I think I would be afraid to go inside. Most of them aren't very clean, they can be a few miles away, etc. Also, you get the Disney service. If there is a problem, Disney will go above and beyond to try and fix the problem and do everything they can to make up for it. Even in cases where it isn't even their problem, they try their best to compensate in some way.

5). You can charge purchases to a room card so you don't have to bring your credit cards and cash with you everywhere you go.

6). Parking is free at your resort and you will also get free parking for the theme parks and some of the other places on property.

7). You packages can be delivered to your room. I know this doesn't sound like much now. But when you are in the parks, it is hot, you've been there all day, your tired and you have a ton of purchases to carry around, put on the bus, take back to the room (especially if you have kids that have purchases and/or diaper bags, strollers, etc.) it is nice to be able to make your purchase and then let Disney deliver it to your room.

8). Disney also offers Magical Express. Now, this isn't the best service and it does have some room for improvement, but it is also free. So that is another $100 or so dollars that you can save just for your transfer to and from the airport.

These are just a few of the benefits. I think that if you actually figure out your costs, everything that is included, etc. you will probably find that an offsite hotel actually ends up being more and you don't get all of the benefits. Unless I am in Orlando for business, or have to attend a convention, meeting, etc. I always stay onsite, I even stay onsite when I am just there for business because I like the Disney hotels that much.

As far as where to stay, it depends on your budget, you family size, etc. But the most economical way to go is the value resorts, they are the least expensive. I like Pop the best, it is newer, transportation is a little better than the All Star resorts and you also have a little lake on the grounds, etc. You then go up to the moderate resorts, rates around about $130 or so a night, then the deluxe resorts go way up in price and the different resorts have different prices, but you can spend more per night just on tax at a deluxe than at a value resort.

I've included a link with info for each resort onsite.

I hope this answers your questions.

Answer 4

We always stay off site... much cheaper! I usually do a Priceline hotel off of 192 (Irlo Bronson Hwy) and drive to the park for the day. Of course, we stay at the park all day long so coming and going and transportation isn't an issue for us.

If you do stay offsite, do not rely on the hotel shuttles to get you to and from the parks as they tend to leave late from the hotel (around 9 or 10 am) and leave early from the parks (8 or 9 pm), which means you would miss many hours of good park time.

You might spend some time on tripadvisor.com to find a hotel in your pricerange in Orlando.

Another option is to rent a condo for your stay. Often you can get a good deal, have more room, and be away from the crowds. And you'd also get use of a full kitchen, allowing you to fix some meals at "home" while vacationing, saving some money.

Answer 5

My family and I have been to WDW three times. We have stayed off site twice and the last time we stayed on Disney property. I would TOTALLY vote for staying on site. It is just so wonderful being immersed in everything Disney. Grant it that our family are HUGE Disney fans, we are there for WDW and WDW only.
When we went we did rent a car and we used it quite a bit. Staying on site we still wanted to get to the parks when we were ready and leave when we were done. We rode the busses some and took the Monorail a lot. We used the car for going down town to eat, get film developed and get snacks for our backpack (to save some money). There is a car rental place on Disney property. We rented our car from the airport and returned it to the rental place on Disney property. We then took the free shuttle bus back to the airport. I know this sounds crazy, but it was actually cheaper to do it this way than rent it at one and return it to the same place. You just have to make sure that the your rental company is there.
We split our stay at two different resorts. We opened up with the Pop Century and ended it with a stay at the Contemporary. They are night and day from each other but both were great. We had a refrigerator at both resorts ($10/ day at Pop) and kept snacks and drinks. I hope you enjoy your stay in Orlando. Good Luck

Answer 6

Everytime i go to Disney i stay at the All Star Resorts...they are cheap and nice
of course if have more $ you can stay in others but i recommend those cause they are cheap and you can use the shuttle wich is an excellent way to go everywhere for free!!
if you wanna go to the beach just rent a car for 2 days meanwhile enjoy your time there not driving cause orlando is a place where is hard to drive (i get lost like 5 times haha)
good luck

Answer 7

Stay onsite. So much better. Was down there the first week of December and we stayed at the All Star Resort. They have everything there you will need, so there would be no reason to leave the site. Cafeterias, stores, transportation to every park. The All Star isn't exactly the Ritz, but if you are like us, we didn't stay there much, just to sleep. Nice and clean. Affordable too.

Answer 8

Well my wife and I have been going to Orlando florida for the last 6 yrs.And we wouldnt be caught dead on a onsite hotel.First of all you are delagated to sitting in a small room. No refrigerator no stove no room to move around in. So we are big supporters of staying offsite. We have found this great website that offers everything from condos to townhomes to homes . and they range from 65.00 a night to 200. 00 a night for the big 5 bedroom homes. We usually like to get a 2 bedroom condo just 2 miles away from Disney... THis offers a 2 bedroom condo over 1100 sq feet of living space. with a 37 in TV and dvd player.A full kitchen ... a balcony... and all for 85.00 a night.>YOu cant beat that with a stick!!!! oh by the way the website is www.villadirect.com

Answer 9

I loved staying onsite because the buses come and pick you up at your resort and then take you to the parks and you can always ride the trams around there. We have been twice last year and the year before and both times we stayed onsite at the Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Resort.

Answer 10

You gotta stay on site. The whole atmosphere is so much better. Each resort is a different theme and its really fun. There are buses that run all the time from the resorts to the parks. Everytime we go, we stay onsite and use the bus.