You are going to Disney and you are wondering, should we stay out of the Walt Disney World Park or should we stay"on-property"? What does staying on property or off property mean anyway?
There are 32 resorts and hotels located on the Walt Disney World property. Of those, 24 are owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. The Disney resorts are classified into five categories: Deluxe, Moderate, Value, Disney Vacation Club Villas, and Campground. In order to receive all of the benefits of staying on site you need to stay in one of those 24 Disney owned properties.
Benefits:
Magical Express service: Round trip airport transfers and luggage delivery.
Extra Magic Hours: You can enter certain parks one hour earlier in the morning and stay up to three hours later to play after park closing time.
Dining Plan: Choose from three different dining plans with wine and dine and Platinum and Premium add on options. Save 40% on meals during your stay!
Key to the World Card: Your room key, park tickets, meal plan and charging privileges all on one card that is a keepsake souvenir.
Disney Transportation: Bus, boat and monorail service inside the park from your hotel to all of the theme parks, no need for a rental car or tram, you will be dropped off at the park gates.
I find there is often a misconception that staying off-property is more convenient and less expensive. People often say "well the place I am staying at is only 3 miles from Disney." OK, let's first address that issue. When a hotel or condo advertises that it is "only" three miles from Disney, it typically means that it is 3 miles to the entrance of Walt Disney World. At its peak, the WDW resort occupied approximately 30,000 acres or 47 square miles, about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan.
Some of the land has since been sold off and is now closer to 42 square miles. The point is that Walt Disney World is enormous! Many people think of the Magic Kingdom as being synonymous with Walt Disney World. Thus, the misconception that staying 3 miles from WDW means you are 3 miles from the Magic Kingdom. Often people translate that into meaning that within say 15-20 minutes they will be riding Dumbo, ahh only 3 miles. That is not the reality.
Here is the reality. Once you pass through the main gates to WDW, you have a 15-20 minute car ride to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. From that point when driving you must park, then board a tram to the ticket and transportation center and then you can choose to wait for monorail or boat transportation to take you to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. Interesting fact: Did you know that the entire Disneyland Park can fit inside the Magic Kingdom parking lot with room for several hundreds of cars for additional parking?
Once you get to the gates of the Magic Kingdom you will need to pass through security and enter the main gates. If you have not purchased your tickets yet you may find yourself waiting in a long guest services line waiting to buy your tickets. Depending on the time of year and the crowd level, staying 3 miles from WDW could translate into being anywhere from 2 hours to 45 minutes from arriving at Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom.
What are the options for staying out of the park? Perhaps you have family in the area and you plan to stay with them. Perhaps you want to stay in a condo because you want more room and space. Perhaps you want to stay in an off-site hotel because you found a "cheaper" rate. Or perhaps you want to divide your stay between Disney and other Orlando attractions like Sea World and Universal.
Did you know that you can pre purchase a ticket to visit Universal Studios? This ticket will include admission to both parks at Universal Studios as well as round trip transfers from your Disney hotel to Universal and back. You can still stay on-site at Disney and visit Universal easily. Round trip transfers to and from Sea world can also be easily arranged.
Many people say they need a really inexpensive room rate. Did you know that prices for the Disney value resorts during value season are as low as $82 per night for four people? Well, people will say, we need a suite. Did you know that the All Star Music Resort has family suites start at $184 a night and sleep up to 6 people?
I often hear that "We want a 2 bedroom condo." Disney has studio, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom villas. "We like our privacy and want our own condo or house." Did you know that you can stay in a 3 bedroom Tree house that is freestanding with a BBQ grill, a deck a full kitchen, a master bath and is still on Disney property? Or you can stay in a free standing cabin at Fort Wilderness. You can even camp in a tent on Disney property! Staying on-site is not necessarily more expensive than staying off-site.
You also save money on rentals cars, gas, parking fees and most importantly, you save time! Time is money. You save frustration and stress, who wants that on a vacation?
Don't get me wrong, once you are inside a park in Walt Disney World you will have a magical time, I am trying to enlighten you to the reality of the differences of staying on site vs off site. Choose wisely and evaluate all of the options, personally we always choose to stay inside the park in a Disney owned property, it is the most economical and stress free way for our family to enjoy a Disney vacation.
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