Do you stay at a Disney resort? Why or Why Not?

[disneylizzy]

Just wondering how many people stay in the Disney resorts when they visit Disneyworld....

We always stay on property. One reason is b/c we like to be completely immersed in Disney while we're there, and also the Disney resorts are really neat. And we like to do the dining plan and Extra Magic Hours & you can't do that off-site.
Another reason is that when discounts are available, they cost about the same as non-Disney resorts.

Where do you stay when you go? And why?

[MmeLeota]

We have never stayed on property...but we would really like to!

I have been 3 times...the first was part of an educational trip and we went to Epcot and MGM Studios among other area attractions so we were in a non-Disney hotel. The second and third times we stayed with family.
Hubby has been several times throughout his childhood, but never stayed on property...they usually stayed in the Marketplace Village (?)...the area near what is now DTD.

Now that the family is no longer there, we are looking forward to taking a fully immersive Disney trip! (Someday )

[Mousekedude]

Good topic, disneylizzy!
We always stay at the Disney resorts, for the same reasons you do. You have to totally immerse yourself in the experience. When we're at Disney, we want to feel like we're there 24 hours a day for the whole trip. It would just feel weird to not stay in a Disney resort. Besides, no other hotels can match up to Disney as far as customer service, extra little perks, and attention to detail. Plus, you get to use the free park buses 'n stuff. That comes in real handy when you do the parkhopper option on your park tickets.

[Amy]

We stay at the resorts as well. It might be a little more expensive than surrounding hotels but the services make up the difference. Using on-property transportation is the best benefit.

[trekty]

Heading to the World in Dec. for trip #6 and have stayed on property every trip but the first. Love the atmosphere of the Disney hotels and the convenience of Disney transportation + extra magic hours, you can't beat that!

[timekeeper]

We stay onsite. Disney makes it so easy to turn our vacations into an almost all inclusive package so we do it. We take ME from the plane, stay at AKL, buy the dining plan and let Disney drive us around. We love the ease of our vacations this way!

[MmeLeota]

We stay onsite. Disney makes it so easy to turn our vacations into an almost all inclusive package so we do it. We take ME from the plane, stay at AKL, buy the dining plan and let Disney drive us around. We love the ease of our vacations this way!

That's pretty much what we want to do when we get out there...the feeling of having everything taken care of and all you have to do is relax and enjoy it...

[boilerbabe]

We always stay on-site. My parent's started taking me when I was 3 years old. We stayed at the Poly, so I have very fond childhood memories there. I've been to Disney 16 times in my lifetime (I'm notw 33). And out of those 16 visits, one was off property and it was terrible! You just can't beat a Disney resort and the feeling of going "home". No one does vacation and happy like Disney!!! I've since corrupted my DH and we love the Poly. We honeymooned there!!! But, we also really enjoyed the YC on our last visit.

We love to immerse ourselves in the whole Disney experience and take advantages of all the perks of staying on property. To us, the resort is part of your vacation!!!

[disneylizzy]

We have never stayed on property...but we would really like to!

Now that the family is no longer there, we are looking forward to taking a fully immersive Disney trip! (Someday )

I hope you can do it someday too! The value resorts are fairly inexpensive depending on what time of year you go and you still get all of the disney perks. Of the values, we really like the Pop Century.

Good topic, disneylizzy!
We always stay at the Disney resorts, for the same reasons you do. You have to totally immerse yourself in the experience. When we're at Disney, we want to feel like we're there 24 hours a day for the whole trip. It would just feel weird to not stay in a Disney resort. Besides, no other hotels can match up to Disney as far as customer service, extra little perks, and attention to detail. Plus, you get to use the free park buses 'n stuff. That comes in real handy when you do the parkhopper option on your park tickets.

While we don't use the buses (we prefer to drive, but parking at the parks is free when you're a resort guest) we have used the magical express to get back to the resort (after a cruise) and it is just so organized! I totally feel like when you get outside of disney property the "real world" starts coming in, so when we stay we like to stay on property and not leave until the vacation is over.

We always stay on-site. My parent's started taking me when I was 3 years old. We stayed at the Poly, so I have very fond childhood memories there. I've been to Disney 16 times in my lifetime (I'm notw 33). And out of those 16 visits, one was off property and it was terrible! You just can't beat a Disney resort and the feeling of going "home". No one does vacation and happy like Disney!!! I've since corrupted my DH and we love the Poly. We honeymooned there!!! But, we also really enjoyed the YC on our last visit.

We love to immerse ourselves in the whole Disney experience and take advantages of all the perks of staying on property. To us, the resort is part of your vacation!!!

I'm sure staying at the Poly for your honeymoon was special & it would be hard to stay somewhere else after that. I agree about the feeling of "home" at a disney resort.

[jlpeaches255]

We have done both.
When we have gone with our extended family (15 or more people) We rent a house. In September we are staying at the ASM and it will be the first time staying on property with our kids. I can not wait for them to have the total Disney experience!!

[Len90]

We always stay on property for multiple reasons:
1. The all around theming of a Disney resort can not be topped. I have stayed in hotels in other major cities and they all tend to lose sight of the theme somewhere. Disney on the other hand makes sure that EVERYTHING fits together and immerses you in that magical experience.

2. The disney CM's offer excellent customer service.

3. The Disney Transportation. You don't have to walk far to get into the parks as they leave you off close to a theme park entrance. They also make it where you don't need to worry about driving anywhere on property and then worry about parking a car

4. The Extra Magic Hours. I honestly think the night time EMH's are the best thing Disney has done in recent years. The parks are a lot emptier which gives you short wait times for the attractions. Secondly you can also accomplish a lot more at night especially in the summer time. The parks tend to get VERY hot during the day and cool off at night. It really is a pleasure to be able to walk around the park without dripping sweat.

5. When you get in on a promotion it ends up being extremely affordable. In fact, I think it becomes a better option to stay on property once you have a promotion. You will be able to take advantage of the Magical Express, Disney Transport, Extra Magic Hours, and the disney experience at a lot more affordable price.

Those are my five reasons for staying on property.

[Debbiedeb]

I prefer to stay on WDW property, I like leaving the rest of the world behind. WDW resorts add to the magic of the whole experience. Not that I've ever done this, but you could just enjoy the ambiance of the resort and not go into the parks. Being an artsy person I like being surrounded by a theme and I pay attention to the little details. 9 more days.....

[NaCler]

Well... I think Len and everyone before this post have summed it up nicely. But, I think another good reason is that the Disney hotels (except for the Deluxe resorts at peak) are very fairly priced. Especially if you live in Florida or you are an annual pass holder. I've seen the Value resort rates as low as $60/night and Moderates around $100/night. You can hardly beat that even by staying off-property, farther away without all of the transportation options. Plus, if you book another vacation before you leave, you receive additional discounts. Definitely worth it in my book when you take into account everything that has been posted about them so far.

[disneylizzy]

We have done both.
When we have gone with our extended family (15 or more people) We rent a house. In September we are staying at the ASM and it will be the first time staying on property with our kids. I can not wait for them to have the total Disney experience!!

I can see how if you're with a big group that renting a house might be the way to go. But then again, you can never get away from the people in your group! lol

That Sept trip sounds great! I hope you guys really enjoy your stay. Are you staying at All Star Movies or Music?

Well... I think Len and everyone before this post have summed it up nicely. But, I think another good reason is that the Disney hotels (except for the Deluxe resorts at peak) are very fairly priced. Especially if you live in Florida or you are an annual pass holder. I've seen the Value resort rates as low as $60/night and Moderates around $100/night. Definitely worth it in my book when you take into account everything that has been posted about them so far.

Absolutely. I think the cheapest we've stayed was at a value for $49+tax. You can't even stay at a Super 8 for that price these days, and if you could, you'd still rather stay at disney!

[jlpeaches255]

We have done both.
When we have gone with our extended family (15 or more people) We rent a house. In September we are staying at the ASM and it will be the first time staying on property with our kids. I can not wait for them to have the total Disney experience!!

I can see how if you're with a big group that renting a house might be the way to go. But then again, you can never get away from the people in your group! lol

That Sept trip sounds great! I hope you guys really enjoy your stay. Are you staying at All Star Movies or Music?

Yeah those big houses are a blessing and a curse. They are a good deal but then have to do all your own housekeeping and when a group that big thinks that only the three people named "Mom" have to do all of the work it can be frustrating!


We will be staying at the All Star Music. Shhhhh the kids still don't know.