The Tightwad’s Guide to Staying Off-Site at Walt Disney World
This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World
THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF-SITE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: OVERVIEW
I’m fairly firm elsewhere that you should stay at an “official” Walt Disney World resort. (See this for a list of these.)
There are many reasons for this instruction. For tightwads, the most relevant are that
- Staying in an official resort lets you use Disney’s Magical Express for airport to resort transportation, and Disney’s transportation system for on-site transportation, and thus avoid ground transportation and rental car costs, and
- If you do all the meals in the suggested itineraries of this site, you will save a little money by signing up for the Disney Dining Plan, which is only available if you stay in such a resort
However, some of you will pay no attention to my advice, and others will have really good reasons to save money by staying offsite.
Particularly good reasons would include
- Those who both are driving to Walt Disney World, so will have no use for the Magical Express, and have no intention of doing anything close to the number of recommended meals of this site, and thus won’t benefit from the Dining Plan
- And/or large families who can’t find affordable enough choices among this site’s options for large families looking for low-cost accommodations at official Walt Disney World resorts
Given that, below I share some thoughts on staying off-site.
THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF-SITE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: OFF-SITE HOTELS
1. Target your search in the Highway 192 and/or the Downtown Disney Resort Areas.
You can find great hotels all over the place in Orlando, with hundreds within a reasonable distance of Walt Disney World.
The value of targeting these two areas is simple: from almost any place in Walt Disney World, you can find directional signage to 192, and directional signage to Downtown Disney.
Walt Disney World is much more complicated than many first time visitors imagine, and your first few days of finding your way around will be made simpler by this signage.
- The street address of hotels on 192 will include either “Highway 192″ and/or the words “Irlo Bronson Highway.”
- The street address of hotels in the Downtown Disney Resort Area will include “Hotel Plaza Boulevard.”
2. Expect to pay half to a third less than what you would pay for roughly) comparable official Walt Disney World resorts
“Comparable” here means in terms of room quality.
The more inexpensive off-site hotels are likely to be older, less impressive, less delightful, and much less well landscaped than the Walt Disney World resorts. That said, they are quite a bit cheaper.
For example, I am writing this from an efficiency room at the Howard Johnson Maingate East (see photo).
For $42.50 a night I have much more space than at Disney’s Pop Century resort, which had a value season rate of $82 a night the other night when I stayed there (both rates weekday pre-tax).
My efficiency also includes a mini-fridge, a two-burner stove, a microwave, a sink, and utensils to support the kitchen, none of which comes in a room at Pop Century. (Rooms at this Howard Johnson without the kitchen are going for $32.50 a night…)
Now, to be clear, the rooms at Pop, while quite a bit smaller, look much better, have better pools, landscaping, and overall delightfulness, and come with the benefits of staying on-site.
But for many, and especially those with cars, half the price will win!
3. Buy and use Testa and Sehlinger’s The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011
This book includes the most comprehensive guide anywhere to off-site hotels at Walt Disney World. Pages 254-278 (in my edition; pagination of its “Hotels Outside Walt Disney World” section may vary by printing) alone are worth the price of the book for intending to stay offsite.
Use its material on prices, quality, distance etc., to develop a target list of hotels in the 192 and/or Downtown Disney Resort Area geographies.
4. Work at finding a discount.
This material continues here.
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6 comments
We are a LARGE family looking for a home to rent and any other advise or insider advise on special events or using a travel agent. There are 17 of us. My parents, my sister and her family, my 2 brothers & their wives, and me & my family (3 generations). We are now in TN but are floridians and my father actually worked on building Disney World as a concrete mason. We went a few years ago but now the whole family is coming. It’s unusual for us to actually stay in the area in stead of just a day trip we did as kids. I’m in charge of making the plans & would really like to WOW them. I’m not sure if we can even stay at a DVC because of the number of people but would love to stay on site. We want to stay together. we also have to stay in budget and a home seems the best value. Are there any you recommend? Should we use a tavel agent & who? plans are to come the 2nd or 3rd week of FEB 2011 (based on brother’s school shedule) I’d appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Kary McGee
Kary, a couple of thoughts:
First, the second week of February is much better than the third, as it lets you avoid President’s day, a crowded and expensive time to go. See this for more. The earlier in February the better.
Second, have you looked into a couple of Treehouses? Each treehouse gives you two bedrooms, each with a queen, a third bedroom with two bunk beds, and sleeps three more in the shared kitchen/dining/living space.
With two, you end up with 6 bedrooms–4 with queens, two with two bunks each, and 2 more shared sleeping spaces, sleeping in total 18.
You end up short one private room for a couple–at least one couple would need to sleep in the shared space–but its close.
By having a couple of people become passholders, and getting these at passholder rates, you could possibly make this work. Check out this on savings you can get as a passholder. Depending on when in February you go, and assuming you can get a passholder discount, you can expect to pay about $400-$600 a night for each Treehouse. (2011 rates won’t be out until August, and passholder discounts for Feb may not be out until November or December.)
The material on large families that begins here may also help.
My guess is that your best move is with a travel agent. I work with Destinations in Florida Travel.
Hope this helps!! Dave
Staying at a Disney resort is a magical experience, especially for a first visit to Disney World. However, for a large or extended family we found a rental home to be the perfect solution. In fact, we liked it so much we bought it! (See disneyarearentalhome.com) When we travel with two or three we will still stay in a Disney resort or the Dolphine, but a loaded up house is great for 6-12 people.
Hey John, thanks for weighing in! I’m with you that there are no good onsite answers for large families or groups on a budget! See this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/special-circumstances/special-circumstances-large-families/
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We will be at Disney on April 6th. We are staying off-site and had questions about Parking. Can I park at one of the resorts and take the Disney bus? For example we have reservations at the Contemporary for Chef Mickey can we leave our car there at go straight to the park?
Kari, that’s considered bad form, as you are then possibly keeping someone with a later reservation from parking for their meal…
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