On-site: is it worth it?

We’re actually leaving in a week and a half. The first half is the last week of February and the second half is the first few days of March.

The entire trip is 11 days (10 nights) including two days for travel, seven days in the parks and two days resting. So, if we decide to split our time we will have 6 nights in the vacation rental and 4 nights on site.

Long trip, I would consider it then! Mostly if you just want to experience on site as well. Or if a change of scenery is appealing.

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Ok, search the forum for priceline deals. You could get pop way cheap. Do that!!

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I would give it a try

Personally for me there are to major factors for staying on site:

  • location/transport/accessibility (all grouped into one)
  • being in the bubble

The former is obviously a practical thing, which you already brought up with rope dropping. Additionally I want the option to walk to at least one park, but of course, this is an instant cost increase as you have limited options most of which are deluxe resorts. Also, being able to walk or catch a bus or monorail to a park late in the evening is a plus for me.

The latter is hard to put a value on. Personally I’m willing to fork out more per night solely to be within WDW because I love the atmosphere and I like the resorts. It’s a more immersive experience than just “showing up” at the park.

At the same time I completely get the choice of staying offsite, saving money and not really giving up much. It really comes down to a few practical issues and some less-practical, more sentimental issues.

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Have you checked out this thread?

You can probably get Pop cheaper than you think.

I don’t know about the Magical Express thing. It’s worth a call to them. If they won’t do it, then find a flight that lands around the time your husband would be dropping off the car!

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So pre-covid I had a rental car I dropped of and picked up my ME to the resort, but I was meeting my wife and kids who had a flight so I’m not sure that it mattered.

I’m fairly certain that you can schedule ME with a car return reservation. It may not be a policy but call and ask. It’s such an easy accommodation I doubt they give much pushback.

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Thanks! I did call and they said that we would just need to call ME to set up his ride. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thanks for the reminder! I had seen it earlier today and after reading through it just got nervous about how challenging it might be to find the right resort in their system and the fact that its non-refundable. I just wasn’t sure it would be worth trying to get the room through Hotwire. After your comment I went back and re-read the thread again and researched it more. In the end, we decided to go for it and it saved us almost $500! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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That’s fantastic! It can be nerve wracking for sure. I booked just one night using those tips in late January at CSR. My heart was pounding but it worked! Glad you saved so much money! I think you’ll enjoy being on site for a few days.

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So Pop was going to cost you a net $350, but you said you saved $500 using Hotwire. Does this mean doing the split stay will actually save you $150?

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Yes! After showing this to my DH, it didn’t take much to convince him that staying at Pop Century for these days was a good idea. :smile:

This was also after taking into account the savings from returning the rental car early, not ubering to MK on two days and paying for QS breakfast there, no parking fees for three days, and fewer days in the vacation rental.

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Are you getting two rooms on site? I hope so, because staying on site with 7 people at Pop will not be magical at all. I would keep it off site for sure. If, however, you are getting two rooms, it should be okay.

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Yes, definitely two rooms. I can’t imagine trying to sneak in and fit 7 people in one of those rooms. :joy:

Okay. That’s good…because I couldn’t imagine it either…but you didn’t explicitly say, so just wanted to make sure! :slight_smile:

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I’m absolutely going to have to think about this kind of mixed split stay for our next trip. Whenever that might be. We are also a family of 7 and the cost adds up so quickly on site! But I loved it so much.

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I think you’re getting the best of both worlds. Have fun! I hope you can check in while you’re there and let us in on some of the fun! But with 7 of you, it might be a little, wee bit busy! :crazy_face:

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I’m planning on it! We’ll see how good I am at taking notes while rangling everyone through the parks. :rofl:

Before you make a decision on this, take a moment to read this recent posting from Touring Plans:

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Question: How will on-site guest get into the parks for early entry when off-site will be waiting to get in for RD time? I’m sure this has been answered. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone to EMH and had to prove I was a resort guest. I know I still see designated turnstiles for PH, but they let anyone through them.

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