How do I convince someone to stay off site?

Doug McCoy

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 29, 2017
When my family heads to WDW my Dad always wants to stay and book onsite resorts. He likes the Deluxes so naturally the price of our vacations are very high. My mom and I want to go off site because it is usually cheaper then Disney but my Dad won’t. So, How do I convince someone to stay off site?
 
I guess it depends on who is paying the bill. If your dad is paying, likes to stay deluxe and can afford it, it's basically his choice. If you are paying a portion of the bill, then you should have a say in where you stay. Without knowing your dad, it's hard to give advice about how to convince him to stay offsite. I think that many people would stay onsite in a deluxe resort if they could. I've stayed in a value, moderate, and offsite. I would to stay in a deluxe, but I can't justify paying so much for a hotel room. I'd say if your dad is paying and that's where he wants to take you, go along and enjoy it!
 
youtube is your best friend! start showing him videos of other properties and also give him a detailed budget of both options.
 
When my family heads to WDW my Dad always wants to stay and book onsite resorts. He likes the Deluxes so naturally the price of our vacations are very high. My mom and I want to go off site because it is usually cheaper then Disney but my Dad won’t. So, How do I convince someone to stay off site?
I do agree with a PP it will depend on who is paying. But I do have a caveat. If your Dad is paying but he's also cutting certain things out that you and your mom would like to enjoy based on overall budget (which would be going I'm assuming largely to the Deluxe room prices) then perhaps it's time to have a talk. But if your dad is paying I'd leave most of the talk to your mom. I'd have you be her support rather than you lead.

If, however, you are paying a portion of the costs you may need to make the decision if it's worth the extra $ or if it's worth you staying off site and meeting up with them at the parks. Would that be harder to configure? Yup, but you would at least need to keep that in mind if he's really set on the Deluxe accommodations. Some people do not like the idea of staying in what they perceive to be less.

I, personally, haven't looked into it but if benefits related to onsite (like EMH, 60 day FP) are important to him you may look into onsite but not Disney owned properties that get those perks (I don't have a list of those properties though). Could be the costs are significantly lower (depending on where you stay) but could be a compromise at least initially. Could be that maybe in the future he could migrate to offsite completely.
 


How do you convince someone? Basic sales tactics.

First you have to understand his reluctance to stay offsite. Have you asked him why he only stays onsite? Hard to convince someone if you don't understand what the barriers or motivations are in the first place. Ask the question, and probe for the whole truth, but don't try to argue at this point.

Once you understand the barriers/phobias/misconceptions or any other reasons, then you need to walk away and spend a bit of time to figure out your approach. Sales people don't do this step, they generally already have tactics to overcome barriers and have been honing them for a long time; you probably don't have the luxury to think of every argument, so don't.

Once you have figured out how best to rebut his arguments for staying onsite, have a calm rational conversation about his reluctance and educate him on the many benefits of offsite.

There are really only a handful of reasons we regularly see here in the this forum:
  • Convenience of staying onsite; all-in-one planning and the Disney "bubble", the stinky sweaty buses.
  • Perks of staying onsite; EMH, 60 Day FP, DP etc.
  • Perceived luxury of staying onsite; expensive must be better
There are many, many threads here that discuss these reasons and provide rebuttals. But at the end of the day, since he is Dad, it may just be "my vacation, my rules" if he is paying.
 
How do you convince someone? Basic sales tactics.

First you have to understand his reluctance to stay offsite. Have you asked him why he only stays onsite? Hard to convince someone if you don't understand what the barriers or motivations are in the first place. Ask the question, and probe for the whole truth, but don't try to argue at this point.

Once you understand the barriers/phobias/misconceptions or any other reasons, then you need to walk away and spend a bit of time to figure out your approach. Sales people don't do this step, they generally already have tactics to overcome barriers and have been honing them for a long time; you probably don't have the luxury to think of every argument, so don't.

Once you have figured out how best to rebut his arguments for staying onsite, have a calm rational conversation about his reluctance and educate him on the many benefits of offsite.

There are really only a handful of reasons we regularly see here in the this forum:
  • Convenience of staying onsite; all-in-one planning and the Disney "bubble", the stinky sweaty buses.
  • Perks of staying onsite; EMH, 60 Day FP, DP etc.
  • Perceived luxury of staying onsite; expensive must be better
There are many, many threads here that discuss these reasons and provide rebuttals. But at the end of the day, since he is Dad, it may just be "my vacation, my rules" if he is paying.

^^^ Thi is great advice, OP. If you can give us a bit more information about your dad and why he wants to stay only at on-site deluxe hotels, we can do a better job of helping you come up with arguments to win him over.
 


In case you are unware, the seven Disney Springs Hotels now offer perks like 60-Day Fast Pass+ reservations for stays in 2018.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...ing-now-in-effect-no-packages-needed.3653361/

These hotels are typically priced much cheaper than comparable Disney Resorts. They also have shuttle bus system that runs every 30 minutes. More information on the shuttle buses can be found here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-springs-hotels-bus-information.3653605/

Many people see the Disney Springs Hotels as an intermediate point between on-site and off-site properties. They are located on Disney property and within walking distance of Disney Springs.
 
I stay on-site because I have 3 long paid for DVC contracts. I’ve recently started renting out many of my points - thank you David’s.

I have no problem staying offsite. We are about a 10 hour drive away so we always have a car. As I have an AP and am handicapped the parking is not an issue.

We go multiple times a year so I don’t care about FPs. I am not that enthralled with Disney dining (we live in New Orleans with fabulous dining for a fraction of the Disney cost) so don’t really care about ADRs.
 
When my family heads to WDW my Dad always wants to stay and book onsite resorts. He likes the Deluxes so naturally the price of our vacations are very high. My mom and I want to go off site because it is usually cheaper then Disney but my Dad won’t. So, How do I convince someone to stay off site?
Paying the vacation bill myself (entirely) is the only way I'd try to convince someone to stay somewhere they aren't otherwise inclined to stay. There are valid reasons to choose to stay onsite & deluxe, just like there are valid reasons to stay offsite. Your dad knows what he wants & is willing to pay for it. Unless you plan to pay for him, I don't think it's right to try to talk him out of where he wants to stay.

Btw, there are ways to cut costs at deluxes. At least one travel agency (the one I use) offers a generous agency-exclusive discount that is better than anything WDW offers direct.
 
Last edited:
Great advice from many people who posted.

I just wanted to be devil's advocate for a moment, for some people their enjoyment of the vacation really depends on staying on-site. When you take that away, it becomes just like any other place, at that point someone may want to go to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Niagara Falls, etc. For some people a Disney vacation wouldn't really be a Disney vacation if they didn't stay on Disney property.

If you are paying, and you want 100% control of your money and vacation, then you should consider different accommodations off-site. I don't know all the specifics, but as many people said, if you dad is paying without help from you, then his choice, I just wanted to add... this is with the stipulation that you all can afford it. If you and your mom are worried about overspending due to things like credit card debt or other immediate needs that take precedence over luxury spending then, I would be inclined to say your dad should take that into account. Going into debt or staying in debt for vacation is not good.
 
If money isn't an issue for your father then you will probably have to work pretty hard to sell an off site plan. Here are a couple of off site advantages that jump to my mind:

More space. Off site accommodations will, usually, give you more room for your money. Multi-bedroom suites are usually available for Disney deluxe prices. Once, for a short, last minute visit we stayed in a one bedroom suite, with a basic kitchen, at Orange Lake for less than half of the cost of a Disney Deluxe. Going further, you can rent a multi-bedroom vacation villa with a pool for less than the price of Disney deluxe.

Better amenities. Off site resorts frequently have more amenities than Disney deluxe. Free breakfasts. Equal or better pools. At a vacation villa you will have your own pool.

More food choices. This is a bit more complicated but once you leave the Disney bubble to sleep you also have many more choices for food. Usually better food. For less money. At a vacation villa you have the flexibility to make your own meals. Eat when and what you want. If you have a particular off site resort in mind, you can highlight nearby restaurants.

DW and I spent many years taking WDW vacations at the Boardwalk so I am familiar with the Disney deluxe advantage. We now snowbird near Disney. So I am also familiar with the off site pros and cons. Not having access to 60 day FP and EMH are probably the biggest cons. Taking a bit longer to get into a park is another. But then it is hard to compete with being able to walk to a park.

I think that bankr63 gave you some pretty good ideas about how to go about your conversations.
 
There is only one way to convince someone to stay offsite and that is to get them offsite. I was an always on Disney property person until the bus situation at POR convinced me to only drive from then on. We got a huge deal for WBC for a week and never looked back. Absolutely no comparison. 2BR/2BA for 7-nights, full kitchen, at worst as-good as any Disney Deluxe resort, all for the price of 1-night at a Disney Deluxe Studio room.

But, some people have more money than wisdom and simply do not care about dropping $10k on a vacation. I certainly cannot afford that, so the best deal around is my only option.
 
You don't. Seriously. Give him the pros and cons and if he decides he doesn't want to, then so be it. There's no right or wrong answer. Some people want to stay onsite. Some want to stay off. Some want to stay on, but do off for the money. Some do both. Our own personal choice actually has nothing to do with money really, we want to be offsite. Even if we hit it rich, we'd stay offsite. It's just what we like. We don't buy into the "bubble". Our bubble is not only WDW, but the surrounding area.
 
I'm an on site person as well. We could stay with my in laws that live 20 minutes away for FREE and we pay to stay on site (although usually not deluxe). Some people prefer it and you probably won't change those people's minds.
 
Wouldn't it be funny if your dad was on line, right now, posting somewhere, "How do I convince someone to stay on site?"

We stay on site. And unless you were paying for the trip, AND promised to load and unload, assemble and disassemble, my scooter every time we traveled back and forth to the parks; Oh, and make sure you are ready to have to travel a couple of times a day, because I need to take a break mid-day, I wouldn't agree to stay off site.
 
We have done it all with the Disney resorts and we've stayed Offsite, too.

I have to say although the deluxe resorts are really nice we prefer to save the money there and use it towards better dining like Narcossee's and Victoria and Albert's. Also, we enjoy special experiences like dinner packages for Fantasmic and River of Lights to get reserved seating for the shows. Taking a fireworks cruise is special. Dessert parties can be fun. We enjoy taking special Disney tours, too. We spend the money in a different way, now.

If you stay in a monorail deluxe there is a slight advantage there regarding transportation, but it's not enough of a perk for us to do it for the big bucks.

We are not deluxe resort people. We prefer as much time in the parks, as possible; so, we just want a place to sleep. For a place to sleep I won't spend the bucks for a deluxe. We enjoyed the experience of trying a deluxe but we did it when prices were not like they are today.

Staying Offsite for us means using a car to the parks. The shuttles from offsite resorts are just not our thing; although, I will say the Disney Springs resorts probably have the best shuttles.

Finally, I rather take two trips to Disney World and stay cheaper than one trip at Disney doing a deluxe.
 
Last edited:
Understanding why the deluxe onsite resort is so important to your dad will help. He may have a keen appreciation for the attentive service, feel safer, or just like the whole Disney immersion experience. Once you know just what keeps him tethered there, you may rethink your own desire to go elsewhere, or be able to show him a better option.

our family has developed an outright aversion to hotels, period. When we travel we want the space, multiple private bathrooms, and common areas (kitchen, living room, games/entertainment room, lanai, etc, that come with vacation rentals. While our budget is usually tight, we feel that we live the good life when we can all be under one roof for a week or two, and not slog our way through parking lots, lobbies, and long hallways. We do drool at the "luxury" homes, but are very, very content in modest 4 or 5 bedroom places. If we wanted to spend close to the rate of a Disney luxury resort per night, we could nearly have a mansion! And as close to some parks as on site resorts.

A few years ago, DH and I were fortunate enough to be guests treated to a 2-night stay in the Grand Californian, in a family suite, with concierge level service (or whatever the proper term). It was a thrill to be in our first ever Disney Resort and we loved the lobby, the concierge lounge, walking out one door directly into California Adventure park. However, the room itself was claustrophobic to us and 2 nights was plenty. When I consider that we feel we could live in our rental home forever, and pay only a fraction of the nightly cost, it is a no- brainer for us.
 
It depends on why your dad wants to stay onsite. See, it'd be very hard to convince my mom, dad, brother, SIL, husband or I to stay offsite when we go as a large group because we like the flexibility to come and go as we individually please. We'd be renting a bunch of cars.

Now, my husband and I could be persuaded when we go with just our kids for the extra space but both of us really hate driving in strange cities and enjoy an afternoon break so I can imagine being in the car 4 times a day would break us.

As you can see, money has little to do with it. Find out what drives your dad to like onsite and see how you can mitigate that benefit
 
When my family heads to WDW my Dad always wants to stay and book onsite resorts. He likes the Deluxes so naturally the price of our vacations are very high. My mom and I want to go off site because it is usually cheaper then Disney but my Dad won’t. So, How do I convince someone to stay off site?

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but have you ever tried convincing him to stay moderate instead of deluxe? I have stayed at all levels of resort, and I don't see a huge difference between the deluxe and moderate resorts other than no balcony (and there are a few deluxes like BC where you can have balcony issues anyway) I love the Port Orleans resorts for moderates - great themeing, the boat to DS, decent bus service, etc. Also, have you discussed renting DVC points? That is another option to save some money, but still have a deluxe style resort.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top