We have been heading to Disney since JustaBXgirl turned one. Yet, we have only been staying in Disney Value Resorts for the last two. I had always assumed that staying on property would cost too much. And trust me, this mama is not into spending too much money. Somehow, after all of my comparing and crunching numbers, I realized that it would be cheaper to stay on property than off of it. And staying on property includes so much more pixie dust!
What’s the pixie dust that I speak of? Well, first shuttle service from the airport to the resort and back is included. Oh, and if you check your luggage then you can have it delivered directly to the resort. And when you’re ready to leave you can check the bags at the hotel and pick them up at baggage claim when you get home. You know how I mentioned crunching numbers earlier? Let’s start crunching them together…A roundtrip shuttle from MCO to a Lake Buena Vista area hotel will run about $40 per adult and $30 per child. So right from the beginning staying on property saves me $70! If there are more than two of you in your family your savings are even more.
When you book your package you also get Magic Bands for the family! You get to select the color and the inscription. This is a $15 a band value. There I go saving more money, I’ve already saved $100 for my family before we leave and I’ve saved me time from having to find and book a shuttle service and pick up bands. Based on when you book your package you Magic Band will be delivered home or they will be ready for pick-up when you check-in. I’ve been reading blogs that offer tips on how to customize the Magic Band. Looking forward to trying that out on our next trip.
Once you do arrive on-site the pixie dust hasn’t ended. When you stay on property there is a good chance that you will have the opportunity to take advantage of extra hours at least once throughout your visit. This means more times in the parks with fewer people!!! Trust me, you want to take advantage of that when you can. You also can take advantage of the shuttle services that will get you to the parks and to Disney Springs. We go during the off-season and never have to wait long for a park shuttle so if you go during peak season I bet they come even more frequently.
But what does it really cost? Sure, you get some perks but you’re probably paying for them anyway! Right? WRONG!!!! Again, we go off-peak so our prices might not be yours. The thing is though that no matter the season the Value Resorts are still comparable to Good Neighbor and other near hotels. When we go in January to celebrate JustaBXgirl’s birthdays, I normally pay around $125 or less. Now, again, I didn’t learn this until two years ago so I can tell you that I have paid more than that to stay at a less convenient property and have to pay for transportation.
I also love the designs of the Value Resorts. We enjoyed the All-Star Movies Resort for JustaBXgirl’s 5th birthday. The photo opps were abundant but for her 6th birthday, we LOVED the All-Star Sports Resort. Not only were there countless photo opportunities but there was also plenty of places for the birthday girl to play. We haven’t decided yet if we will go back to Sports or try a different Value Resort. Right now, we are leaning toward returning so we can play some more ping-pong. Crazy, that I now realize we were having so much fun playing that I never took a photo of us!
That’s another great thing. There are options. Disney has a number of Value Resorts to choose from and they all cost about the same so if you try one and it doesn’t quite fit, you can try another on your next trip. We haven’t tried the meal plans yet, but I hear good things so maybe next year, I will be able to tell you about those!
