Many people extoll the virtues of staying at a Walt Disney World on-property hotel. Certainly, Disney hotels offer a great experience and unparalleled convenience. However, now that we have begun to stay off-property, we have discovered that the experience can be just as good, if not better. In this article, we will explore the reasons why we now stay off-property. We will also explore some of the trade-offs that we face because we aren’t sleeping within the “Disney bubble”.
What Does “On-Property” Mean?
For those who aren’t Disney experts, you might be wondering what we mean by an on-property hotel. Simply put, these are hotels that are located within Disney’s vast Walt Disney World property in Central Florida. With a few exceptions, these hotels are owned and operated by Disney. Here is the current list of Disney operated on-property hotels. As you can see, there are over 30 hotels to choose from! Some, like the All-Star Resorts, are considered value resorts as they offer smaller rooms and less amenities. Others, like the Grand Floridian, offer a premium five-star experience (at a price).
Our Journey From On-Property To Off-Property
First, On-Property Hotel
When we first starting to coming to Walt Disney World, it was “on property or bust” for us. We loved the fact that we could remain within Disney’s bubble. The experience between the theme parks and the resorts is just so seamless. The resorts felt like an extension of the theme park. It was just so convenient. However, that convenience came at a cost. We tried saving one time by staying in a value resort. However, with a special needs child, a typical child, and two adults, those rooms just didn’t make sense for us. Plus, even though a value resort is the least expensive on-property option, it isn’t cheap by any means.
Next, Disney Vacation Club
Then we discovered Disney Vacation Club. DVC is a Disney-owned timeshare where you purchase “points” that can be used to stay at many of the Deluxe Disney resorts. You pay a one time fee to purchase the points, and then you pay a smaller yearly dues to DVC. If you are visiting WDW every year, this ends up being a good value compared to paying the normal Deluxe hotel room rates.
We used our DVC points to stay at Disney resorts for many years. We have enjoyed being DVC members, as it allowed us to stay at Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort, the Beach Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the Polynesian at a fraction of the cost of the rack rate for these rooms. However, we started running into some issues.
Finally, Vacation Home
As Little Banshee has gotten older, she started requiring special equipment in order to sleep comfortably and safely. While we can handle a few days of her sleeping in a normal hotel bed, she doesn’t sleep very well in this situation anymore. And when she doesn’t sleep, nobody sleeps!
We thought about bringing her special bed setup with us on every trip and set it up in the hotel room, but this would require a lot more logistics. We already needed to lug her wheelchair back and forth, so this would be an additional large item that we would need to carry with us.
In addition, she would need her own bedroom, which means that we would need to upgrade to a larger room, with all of the associated additional costs. This got us thinking about purchasing a vacation home, which really started spurring the on-property vs off-property discussion. Would we be able to still find the Disney magic if we didn’t stay within the Disney bubble?
The short answer is “yes”.
Once we started researching it, we started to realize that staying off-property is a much better option for us, even if we hadn’t had Little Banshee’s special considerations to work through.
Advantages of Staying Off-Property
Better Accommodations
The biggest advantage of staying off-property is that you get so much more for your dollar. This manifests itself in so many different ways. The most obvious way is saving on the accommodations themselves.
Consider our very own Encore Magic Villa, which we advertise at the end of every article. Typically, you might pay around $2500 per week with taxes/fees to stay here. That may sound like a lot at first, but here is what you get:
- A house in a gated resort community located about 15 minutes from Walt Disney World (door to parking lot)
- 6 separate bedrooms (including two master bedrooms and two themed kids rooms)
- Private pool and spa
- Theater room
- Themed game room with video game consoles, table tennis, and air hockey
- Full kitchen and laundry room
If you wanted to house 12 people at Walt Disney World, you could get something like two 2BR Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort. However, this might run you around $1500 per day! For a week, the price tag for accommodations alone is approaching 5 figures.
Plus, even though each 2BR Villa technically sleeps nine, it might get a little crowded in there since someone is sleeping on a pull-out couch. Also, you don’t have a private pool. Or a theater room. Or a game room.
The same pattern repeats itself at every level of budget. Disney’s value resort, the All-Star, has rooms are the size of a small motel room. We stayed there once and I can tell you that they are super cramped for a family of four. However, you still might be paying $200-$300 per night or more. For the same price, you can probably get a suite at a mid-tier hotel chain which gives you a lot more breathing room for a family of four.
More Access to Restaurants
If you are staying on-property, you are likely to be eating only at Disney restaurants, because of the convenience. While I would be the first to admit that Disney has some amazing food options, they aren’t what I would call good deals. However, when you stay off-property, you have access to so many more dining opportunities at a fraction of the price.
Being that it is tourist district, you can pretty much find any and every chain restaurant in the Orlando-Kissimmee metropolitan area. So if you don’t want to pay the inflated prices to eat at Tony’s Town Square, which many people compare to Olive Garden, you can eat at the actual Olive Garden for much less.
Plus, there are some really great restaurants outside the Disney bubble that compare well to Disney cuisine for less money. For instance, here is a British-style pub, family owned, about 20 minutes from Disney with prices that are much less than Rose and Crown at Epcot.
Of course, there is nothing that says you cannot dine off-property even when you are staying at a Disney resort. However, in my experience, that rarely happens. After a park day, once you return to your resort, you really don’t want to go far for your next meal. You will end up just paying the Disney convenience “tax”! However, if you are already off-property, you are more likely to dine outside the bubble.
Cheaper Supplies and Souvenirs
If you really want to maximize your savings, you also have access to Target, Walmart, Publix, and other local stores. You can stock up on water, snacks, toiletries, and cheap meals for a lot less than you would pay at your Disney resort. I especially recommend the made-to-order sandwiches at Publix. So good and such a great value!
Even when we stayed on-property, we would always swing by a Target before checking in to load up on supplies before heading to our resort. Not only did we save money, but it meant that we had to pack less.
Another off-property trick: pretty much every Walmart and Target in the area has a great selection of Disney-themed merchandise. From shirts, to magnets, to pins, to Mickey ears, you can get your Disney shopping fix there without breaking the bank. In addition, several of the outlet malls in the area have a Disney Character Warehouse where discounted and discontinued Disney merchandise ends up. You can find some really unique items there.
Disadvantages of Staying Off-Property
You Will Need Access to a Car
If you stay off-property, you will definitely need to have access to a car. Unlike Disney property, there isn’t a robust bus/monorail/boar/Skyliner system to get you around. You will be pretty much on your own. That was never a problem for us, since we always either rented a car or brought our own car. However, be aware when you are making this decision for yourself.
Yes, many off-property resorts claim to have transportation to and from the parks. However, it generally is not very flexible, so always assume that you’ll be left to your own devices.
Many people do report success with using ride-sharing services to get around. Since we don’t use them when we are in Central Florida, I cannot comment based upon personal experience.
You Will Lose On-Property Perks
There are a few perks in particular which we miss:
Dining Reservation Perks
Normally, you can start booking your dining reservations 60 days in advance of your meal. On-property guests, however, get an extra advantage is that they can book starting 60 days in advance of the first day of their resort stay. If you are staying at a Disney resort for 5 days, for instance, you effectively will be able to book 65 days in advance. This might give you an advantage when trying to book a popular restaurant at a peak time.
Note that if you stay off-property, you also cannot purchase the Disney Dining Plan. Not a huge loss to us, since we prefer to pay a la carte.
Early Park Entry and Extra Magic Hours
All resort guests can enter the park 30 minutes before the general public. Plus, guests at deluxe resorts can stay late at certain parks on certain evenings. While we never took much advantage of the later evenings, the early hours was sometimes nice since you could get a jump on riding some of the more popular rides with a shorter wait time.
Free Parking
Resort guests do not have pay to park at the theme parks. This effectively saves you around $25/day. However, since we have become Annual Passholders again, we also get the free parking perk. Therefore, this isn’t an issue for us anymore.
You Are Outside the Disney Bubble
For many people, a Disney vacation isn’t just going to the parks. It is the whole feeling of being immersed in all things Disney 24 / 7. This, of course, includes the theming, but it also includes the entire guest experience.
Obviously when you leave property, you are outside of that controlled bubble that Disney has created. You have to deal with traffic, roads that might not be as well paved, landscaping that might not be as manicured, hotels that might not be themed.
For some people, this concept is important, and they are willing to pay for that privilege. However, in reality, Disney hasn’t cornered the market on guest experience. There are many non-Disney hospitality providers that can give you a great guest experience as well.
Travel Time to the Parks
Yes, there are resort locations that just can’t be beat. For instance, what’s more convenient than staying at the Beach Club resort and being able to take a five minute walk to get to Epcot’s International Gateway Entrance? However, in many cases when you factor in waiting for buses/monorails/boats/etc, you can get to the parks just as fast, if not faster, by staying off-property and driving to WDW. As I mentioned above, we can get from our vacation home to the parking lot in around 15 minutes in the morning. Not too shabby! Definitely close enough where we can take a mid-day break and still be able to head back in the evening.
I do admit that the one park where staying on-property is an advantage is the Magic Kingdom. The Disney resort buses drop you off right at the main entrance, bypassing the Transportation and Ticket Center. This alone saves you about 15-20 minutes of travel time getting from the parking lot to the main entrance.
Wrap Up
For many people, staying on-property is the only way to do Disney. No article is going to convince them otherwise, no matter how well written. However, if you are open to it, staying off-property can provide an experience that is just as good, if not better, for a fraction of the cost.
Let us know in the comments what you think..
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive of the Magic!
