disney econo hotels vs outside suites
 

Hi All,

Anyone willing to give an opinion about
staying at say Disney All Star Movie Hotel
vs Hawthorn Suites/Seaworld? Price about the same. Traveling with 7 & 11 yrs olds.

Thanks

I've stayed at the Allstar and found it very low-rent. Don't know the Hawthorn, but I would guess it's a bit more upscale. You're paying extra at Allstar to be "on the property." Of course at the Hawthorne you won't be surrounded by Disney kitsch, which may or may not appeal to you. Hope that helps.

Hawthornes have free hot breakfast and some have happy hour snacks, etc. Save a bunch with kids!

i've stayed both on-site and off-site and here's my opinion...off-site is tempting if it is a lot less money, but staying on property can definitely be more convenient. if the difference is significant, and the hotel is still close (like in the "downtown disney area") than i'd say go for that, but be sure to get specific details about transportaion between the hotel and disney parks. sometimes hotels will say they have buses, but what they mean is that they have one in the morning and one at night. staying on property guarantees constant and reliable transportation throughout all of disneyworld, not just the four major theme parks. it also allows you to get into the parks earlier, if you and your kids will be up and ready to go any earlier than 9ish.

also - the downtown disney area off-site hotels are within walking distance to downtown disney, and from there you can catch buses to the rest of disneyworld. i know the grosvenor is one of them, don't know about the hawthorn suites.

ps - the econ hotels (movies music sports pop century) have really great themes, and larger than life attractions which are really fun for kids - much more exciting than off-property standard hotels

If you will spend most of your trip at WDW, then stay on site. The convenience factor is significant. If you will spend more time at other Orlando places such as Universal and Seaworld, then the off site hotel would be more convenient.

Having a choice between staying on site or off site, staying on site always wins out.

You are just so immersed in the whole Disney vibe staying in Disney.

I've stayed at the All Star Music, All Star Movies, and Pop Century and liked all three.

Check out www.Mousesavers.com for a discount code for Disney hotels. I've stayed as cheap as $49 per night.

I agree that the convenience, alone, of staying on the property should weigh as a major factor in your decision.

How much is that proximity and the transportation options which come with it really <b>worth&lt;/B. in terms of time, money, and peace of mind?</b>

My husband is a Disneyworld fanatic - I've been to WDW 5 times, in the last 5 years. I've NEVER been to Seaworld. We would organize a mutany but how do you attack a man who finds so much joy in a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream bar?

Do you have your own car? If not, are you depending on the hotel shuttle? If so, is there a charge (per person or per room per day?) for the shuttles? We stayed one place where the last shuttle was the same time as Epcot's Illuminations, we ended up paying for a cab back to our hotel. Traffic around Disneyworld can be dreadful during peak times.

We've never stayed at the Hawthorn Suites but we have stayed off property: Hampton Inn &amp; Holiday Inn Maingate East. Staying at the WDW value resorts does offer some real benefits. If you are flying and staying at a WDW resort, they offer &quot;Disney's Magical Express&quot; which is a free bus service to and from the Orlando Airport. If you drive, you have free parking at the theme parks. Also you have use of the Disney transportation w/in the parks. This means you don't have to rent a car while you're there. Even if you have your own car, you absolutely do not want to park near the Magic Kingdom if you are going at a busy time. Walt's dream was that people would feel they were being transported away from the hassles and worries of daily life to a magical place. If you drive, you have to park and take either a ferry boat or a monorail to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. During busy times, the wait can be up to an hour just to get to the front of the park. Then you get in the line for security, followed by the line to get into the Magic Kingdom. Disney busses take you right up to the gate. The other parks have more direct parking.

Disney resort guests also have use of the &quot;Extra Magic Hours&quot; (EMH) - extra time at a certain park each day. Actually, you usually have a choice of two parks. This is of more value during off-season times. The EMH park can be packed even when it's not the EMH time. Many WDW veterans actually avoid lines by choosing a park other than the EMH park.

Your kids are probably going to love the theming at the All Star Movies. allearsnet.com gives good pictures of the Disney resorts.