Pros & Cons of Staying OFF Property

Hello Companions! 

Susan here! Natalie started this series with the pros and cons of staying on property, but I get to end the series with the pros and cons of staying off property. As much as I love staying on property, I also more frequently stay off property. To me, it is a happy balance for myself and for my family.

Pros 

1. Cheaper. It is MUCH cheaper to stay off property, by a LARGE margin. If you are trying to keep your expenses down, this is definitely a way to do it. This pro does have some cons attached to it but for the most part, even with that, it is cheaper to stay off property. 

2. Variety of Food. You have the feeling of freedom to eat wherever you want. Since there is generally a big box store around the corner, you can buy a snack, breakfast, lunch and drinks for the price of ONE Disney meal. Although, I LOVE Mickey shaped items sometimes you want to skip the lines and save money on your own food. Also, even if you are eating out, generally it is cheaper OUTSIDE of Disney. 

3. Location. You can GO wherever you want. If you needed a break from the Disney experience, (which, is not the case for me but it is for some people.) you can take a break. Also, since Disney has A LOT of stuff around it, sometimes you just need to go to a game or the beach (near Disneyland) or Universal (Orlando & LA) or the Crayola Experience (Orlando). Also, some adults may want to just decompress without the mouse, and well, you can do that if you are off property. (I'm not one of those adults! hahahahah!)

4. Space. You get more bang for your buck staying off property. With things like air bnb, timeshares and even multiple room hotel rooms, you get your own space. When we stayed off property, each couple and the kids got their own room and their own bathroom and a full kitchen. (We had 6 adults and 2 kids) The largest room we could have gotten during the time we were there was a 2 bedroom. I know that Disney does have a larger 3 bedrooms villa but it just wasn't available, affordable or convenient. If we wanted to stay together, we needed a different plan. Staying off property allowed us to be together without being in each other's faces. 

5. Flexibility. Do you see a theme here? You are able to do what you want, when you want. I get that this kind of fall into 2 & 3, but it is more than that. For some people, they want a more spontaneous experience instead of a planned one. When you stay off property, YOU get to plan or not plan anything you want. You get the flexibility of doing it on YOUR time, YOUR way. Staying off property most of the time allows you to have the "local" experience more freely than staying on property.

Cons

1. Car. If you are staying off property, the likelihood of needing a car is higher and in my humble opinion, mandatory. Although, there are a lot of shuttles to take you to and fro on property, the reality is that generally it is not that convenient coming off property. Meaning you have to spend the cash to rent one (and in our case two) for the few days you are at the parks.

2. Not as magical. I feel like when you leave the Disney property, some of the magic leaves with you. It might be a "Susan" thing but I love feeling completely immersed in the experience. I get it, not everyone will feel like that but for die-hard Disney fans, it sometimes bursts your bubble to leave.

3. Magic Bands. (I get it, this is specifically for Disney World but it is THAT much of a game changer that it is #3) The fact that you get a magic band "free" as your room key is well, just genius. The fun things the magic band can do for you is just worth its weight in gold. Although you CAN get the magic band not staying on property, it isn't free nor can it do as much. Magic bands can be used for a room key, your form of payment, your ticket and your fast pass. You get THREE MONTHS when staying on property (which is TWO months ahead of people staying off property) to add your fast passes. We frequently struggled putting stuff on our itinerary just due to lack of interest or the time frame. Also, I don’t believe we could put our form of payment on there either which is not as convenient as just scanning the band. 

4. Magic Hours. Guests that are staying on property can get extra time at the park. When you are staying off property, it is generally not an option. Although, I love the crowd. I know a lot of people don't feel that way. I will say there is something about knowing you rode the right first that day that is accelerating!! (I'm looking at you Natalie!)

5. Parking. Paying for it is a BEAST! At Disneyland and Disney World, it is $25 A DAY* That is NOT an expense anyone remembers when going to Disney, but the unexpected cost can add up. For our two car loads for 5 days, ended up being an extra $250! Not only that, you STILL need to get on a tram and sometimes a boat or a monorail (depending on what park you are at) to finally get to rope drop. It is NOT convenient AT ALL nor do you WANT to do that BACK after the park is closed. I get it, if you drive you might have to pay for parking at the hotel but A LOT of Disneyland/Disney World guests don't rent a car when staying on property because of the amazing shuttle, bus, monorail and boat systems. Also, the pain of parking is remember WHERE you parked after a long day at the park and getting BACK on the tram back to the parking.

*Parking prices as of 05/07/2020 at 10:12PM

At the end of the day, you work with what you can. Sometimes I get lucky and stay on property and sometimes I get lucky and stay off property...either way...I am lucky to be at Disney.

That's it for me Companions! Do you have strong feelings one way or the other about staying off property? What did I miss? Comment below! :)

Your Castle Companion, 

Susan 

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." 

- Walt Disney

Don't forget to hit that subscribe button under The Castle Companions title up top and hit those three lines on the side from our home page to become a follower of this blog! If you want even more check out our Facebook & Instagram pages! 

@thecastlecompanions