My family and I just returned from an ah-mazing Disney World vacation! We had an absolute blast and I’m very excited to share my latest and greatest travel tips. This trip was a bit different because we did not stay on-property. I know… gasp!! Let me tell you, we still had a wonderful time (and may prefer staying off- compared to on-property!). So, let me share with you the benefits of staying off-property for a Disney World vacation!
Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me briefly tell you about our off-property accommodations. This trip, we rented a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhome in the Storey Lake Resort in Kissimmee, FL. I’ll write an entire article on Storey Lake in a future post, but, in short, it is an up-and-coming vacation resort that is a quick, 15 minute drive to the Disney World property. Storey Lake is a community of vacation homes with accommodations ranging from condos to single houses. You can rent directly through Storey Lake or book from individual property owners on sites like Airbnb.
Without further delay, here are the benefits at we experienced at Storey Lake after staying off-property for our Disney World vacation!
#1: Cost
Cost was the number one reason for us staying off-property this vacation. We loved our stay at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn in February 2019 and looked into booking the same room this year. Unfortunately, even with a 30% discount, the cost of a one-bedroom deluxe villa was over $700 PER. NIGHT. Crazy!
Needless to say we couldn’t afford that Disney World Resort Hotel price tag and decided to check out Airbnb offerings. For $139 per night (yes, you read that correctly!), we secured that luxurious 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse at the Storey Lake Resort. We got the most bang-for-our-buck by staying off-property. As a result, we were able to splurge on souvenirs and food!
#2: More Convenient Amenities
As with most of the Storey Lake townhomes, the property comes equipped with a private pool, full kitchen, and full-sized washer and dryer. The kitchen afforded us the ability to easily prepare breakfast while the washer/dryer made laundry a breeze! This saved us precious time so we could either stay longer in the theme parks or even put our feet up and relax.
#3: More Space
The 4 bedrooms in our off-property townhouse meant we each had our own space. My son had a perfect set-up with bunk beds and my husband and I enjoyed a California king sized bed in the master suite! Added bonus… the extra bedrooms meant I could escape my husband’s snoring at night 😉 Yay for a wife win!
The 3 bathrooms allowed us to spread out and easily get ready in the morning! Since we didn’t have to share, we didn’t need to coordinate our bathroom schedules.
#4: Ability to Completely Relax
I love being in “the Disney bubble” at a Disney World Resort Hotel, however, I find I’m exhausted all the time. I don’t have my own space in a hotel room and I found that my mind is constantly thinking of FastPasses, ADRs (advanced dining reservations), etc. Relaxing just isn’t typically a part of my Disney World vacation! However, being off-property removes the constant “Disney” aspect of the trip, so I can relax and recharge. Plus, being able to spread out in that spacious townhouse helps!
#5: Having a Car at the Theme Parks
Disney World transportation is notorious for having delays and causing frustration. Since we stayed off-property, we were self-sufficient traveling to, from, and around the Disney World theme parks. Thus, we rarely needed to rely on Disney transportation. This made park hopping a breeze!
My family and I truly enjoyed our Disney World vacation and really liked the benefits of staying off-property. We will definitely be looking into booking similar accommodations for our next trip!
With all of that being said, there are a few challenges to being off-property that I’ll detail in next week’s blog post.
Until then… Cheers!!