What is the mix of Disney / non-Disney Guests?

[Westcoastwild]

Do you have good experiences with only a 30-day jump on FPs? That and parking are the things I worry most about when considering off site stays. I always go on site for those, mostly the FP+ window.

Matt

I can't speak from the perspective of an offsite person, but I booked less than 30 days in advance and got all of the fps I wanted. I mean, if I did it now, I wouldn't expect to get pandora, but I'm not so sure I'd get those 60 days out either. Some were not at ideal times but I don't have a hard core touring style and I'm really flexible. And then I also rode almost all of the "eticket" rides a second time through standby because there were times that there were really short lines, like at closing or after a rain storm.

Maybe character dining would be tougher, but that would be because some people can plan their trips 6 months out and I can't! I think the only time I'd be seriously worried about getting fastpasses or ADRs is if I was going during a very busy holiday period, but that's usually not my thing anyway:

 

[bryanb]

Disney does so much marketing trying to convince people to stay onsite. They have work very hard to keep those occupancy rates at those very high prices.

I know several families who visit often, and for them the stay at Comfort Inn, or Best Western, or Gaylord Palms, or renting an AirBnB living room is a cherished part of their vacation experience. One of them stayed at an All-Star only once, and that was because it happened to be usually cheap during that time.

They think that onsite hotels are flaunting money and completely impractical.

Personally I love earning loyalty points for Starwoord stays, which is why I'll sometimes go for the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista (themed pool, fitness center, complementary water, etc.) which is sometimes half the price of a value. Or the Swan, which is often half the price of a Deluxe and still has that great location plus EMH admission.

 

[Klayfish]

Do you have good experiences with only a 30-day jump on FPs? That and parking are the things I worry most about when considering off site stays. I always go on site for those, mostly the FP+ window.

Matt

Yes, very easy. We never stay on site. We're heading down this Thursday, so our 30 window opened about 3 weeks ago. The only ride I wasn't able to get a FP+ for was the brand new FoP. Everything else...7DMT, FEA, RnR, Na'vi, etc...was no problem. I can get most of those 24 hours out, let alone 30 days.

 

[Srbright]

I'm now a local but when I had to book rooms I would use sites like Hotwire often and as I was doing 12 or more trips a year you get to know exactly what hotel you would get based on all the amenities,so even though ...

Ah, then likely it's been a while since you had to do this. The cheapest on hoteire wasn't much different than Travelocity. Yes, it said $41/night but then there was $9.71/night in tax (higher than on Travelocity) and $20/night in "resort fee" payable to the hotel =$71/night.

If I add in free parking at the parks ($14/day) and magical express value ($18/ night) it goes up to $103/night. Which isn't far off from my $122/night im payinh.

YMMV

Stacy

 

[jsmla]

I do a balance of on and off site depending on the situation. I can book a 2BR condo in Kissimmee for $46/night, including taxes, no parking or resort fees. I have an AP but, in fairness, will bump the nightly fee to $66.

We'll be staying at Pop in February for the Princess Half Marathon and one night there $218/night so $152/night difference. Even if I had to,rent a car I'd still save over $100/night. With a condo I also have the option to prepare simple, healthier meals and save even more. If this were my trip (DD is the runner, the planner and an onsite purist.) we'd be at Cypress Palms.

I almost always travel at slower times and am absolutely stunned at the onsite prices for Presidents Day week/Princess Half dates.

 

[randumb0]

Do you have good experiences with only a 30-day jump on FPs? That and parking are the things I worry most about when considering off site stays. I always go on site for those, mostly the FP+ window.

Matt

You can get a FP for any ride that you want within less than 30 days if you are willing to keep checking for availability. Parking is never an issue

 

[randumb0]

Ah, then likely it's been a while since you had to do this. The cheapest on hoteire wasn't much different than Travelocity. Yes, it said $41/night but then there was $9.71/night in tax (higher than on Travelocity) and $20/night in "resort fee" payable to the hotel =$71/night.

If I add in free parking at the parks ($14/day) and magical express value ($18/ night) it goes up to $103/night. Which isn't far off from my $122/night im payinh.

YMMV

Stacy

There are a few of the higher end hotels on I Drive that can be had for $50

 

[keishashadow]

Think about how big the ttc parking lot is. That's how mang non resort guests are there roughly. I'd say it's close to 50/50

We usually rent a car & prefer to drive even to MK where it can be a draw as to commute time from onsite resort...at least we have a seat until we get to TTC.

You can get a FP for any ride that you want within less than 30 days if you are willing to keep checking for availability. Parking is never an issue

Depends on season & the attraction. 7DMT & Pandora, Frozen @ Epcot are still tough grabs based upon trying to switch things around for upcoming trip.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Perceiving that a majority of guests are staying at WDW resorts is an output of the "Disney bubble" experience and good old human psychology. It is in our human nature to think that those around us are having the same experience as us.

 

[Coral Reef Diver]

I've stayed off-site and gotten some great bargains. Otherwise, we could never afford WDW. But after our first trip staying on-site, I'd never go back to off-site lodging. Staying off-site is an on-again, off-again Disney experience for me. Staying on-site, the Disney experience never stops, and we are blanketed in the warm feeling that is Disney. The CMs are a big part of that. We now get a seven-day Disney experience, rather than seven one-day Disney trips.

 

[Juliet0778]

I've stayed off-site and gotten some great bargains. Otherwise, we could never afford WDW. But after our first trip staying on-site, I'd never go back to off-site lodging. Staying off-site is an on-again, off-again Disney experience for me. Staying on-site, the Disney experience never stops, and we are blanketed in the warm feeling that is Disney. The CMs are a big part of that. We now get a seven-day Disney experience, rather than seven one-day Disney trips.

That's how I felt after our on-site too. We just got back from Trip 2 onsite. I know it's a ripoff, but I adore the convenience and truly feeling immersed in Disney the whole time.

 

[jsmla]

Perceiving that a majority of guests are staying at WDW resorts is an output of the "Disney bubble" experience and good old human psychology. It is in our human nature to think that those around us are having the same experience as us.

I think that perception may also get a boost here on the DIS. My experience here is that most are die-hard onsite fans.

I do enjoy being onsite but the prices have reached the point to where I actually feel foolish for paying them. I still do it on occasion but my Disney bubble feeling is somewhat diminished by the nagging (and growing) suspicion that I'm being ripped off.

Then again, I'm spending almost $400/night to stay in a room with no TV or AC in the middle of the Grand Tetons, a place that, frankly, alarms the heck out of me. $200 for Pop looks like the bargain of the century in comparison.

 

[dreiwhit]

Do you have good experiences with only a 30-day jump on FPs? That and parking are the things I worry most about when considering off site stays. I always go on site for those, mostly the FP+ window.

We always stay off-property. My father-in-law with either get us a week in a condo for free if he has points, or I can get a week in a condo for $349 a week through my employer.

We've never had a problem getting FPs at the 30 day mark. Parking isn't a problem at WDW. However, there have been times I've had to park a little further away than I would like at some condos. But, I was able to park.

Our "commute" times to WDW run around 10-15 minutes.

We looked into staying at a value resort when we went to WDW last November. Including tickets and free dining, the value resort was $4400 for a week. Our tickets, off-site condo, parking and food ran less than half of that.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We used to do the Skyauction thing-under $400 for the week. Once you added $20/day to park and fuel costs, we added another $150.
Decided to buy a bare bones DVC on the resale market, now we don't have to worry about the parking costs and have better amenities onsite for roughly the yearly cost of the Skyauction/parking fees.

I'd agree the number of offsite vs onsite is somewhere in the 25% range. Many onsite folks don't visit parks daily, some DVCer's don't visit the parks at all during their stay.

 

[CAS239]

Do you have good experiences with only a 30-day jump on FPs? That and parking are the things I worry most about when considering off site stays. I always go on site for those, mostly the FP+ window.

Matt

Aside from FoP I can get anything else at 30 days, usually. 30 days 7dmt and FEA can be a little tough, but everything else is easy

 

[SimonSez]

No, most are not.

Disney has 25K guest accomodations. If you figure 3 per room, that's 75K a day. The Magic Kingdom averages 50K visitors a day by itself. You still have 3 other theme parks and 2 waterparks to go.

I would guess only 20 percent of the crowd are hotel guests.

This is why EMH are so nice

 

[SimonSez]

Yes, very easy. We never stay on site. We're heading down this Thursday, so our 30 window opened about 3 weeks ago. The only ride I wasn't able to get a FP+ for was the brand new FoP. Everything else...7DMT, FEA, RnR, Na'vi, etc...was no problem. I can get most of those 24 hours out, let alone 30 days.

Then why are we getting up at 7am when our window opens and jumping on the computer lol Well we did get FOP... Sorry Klayfish, not trying to be a smart mouth, we had the advantage of 60 days so you did very well with your picks

 

[Shanti]

You can get a FP for any ride that you want within less than 30 days if you are willing to keep checking for availability.

Except Flight of Passage.

 

[jsmla]

DH has an old 10 Day non expiry ticket attatched to his name and I've been using it to check FP availability 30 days out. FoP is the only attraction for which I've never seen availability. Some of the times (esp for Frozen) are not ideal but there was availability for everything else that I looked for. I don't do character meets so not sure on those.

I'm onsite next trip (Free Dining + the opportunity to get 0% Disney Visa financing for a good part of my AP cost made this a good choice for an onsite visit.) so I should be able to get a FastPass for FoP this trip, thank goodness.

I don't feel like repeat visitors have to pick one way or the other. I actually like mixing it up a bit.

 

[Gentry2004]

Exactly why I never stay on site. The value resorts are so over priced.

I can pay Disney say $140 a night for a value resort, or I can stay at an equivalent 3 star hotel off site for say $50 a night. Or take that $140 a night and stay at a 4 or 4.5 star off site.

Not to mention there's way more off site hotels vs Disney hotels, and then you have people that stay at universal hotels who come to Disney

Or do what we do and pay $120/night for a 3br townhome w/private pool offsite! I'm not a big fan of hotels, basic or luxury, because I don't want to be in one room with everyone, even a big nice room. We tried AoA suites once but they are still small, and pricey for what you get.