Going to Disney World. Should we stay at a Disney resort or somewhere off-site?

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mary k

Hey if you can afford it-I heard it's pricey. There are a couple reasonable hotels a couple miles down further from WDW. Have fun!

CorPseBRideLuVR

I would personally recommend staying at the resort only because transportation is a lot easier. Off-site works just as well, but Disney offers many different resort options depending on what your budget is. It also helps to make the experience more magical!

Tifa L

Definitely stay at a Disney Resort! It is so much closer by all the parks, plus they're super nice! They all come with a fantastic pools, and some are right next to some great restaurants! Just go to this website below and it will tell you everything about Disney World and their wonderful Resorts!

Check it out!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index

- Tifa

btlrboyz

i like staying onsite--xtra magic hours--free parking--very convenient~~~

The Pink Airplane

I would highly recommend staying on-site. There are places to eat (usually food courts that are, I must say, pretty darn good and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner), shopping, themed swimming pools, and free bus service to all Disney parks and water parks. And the cost isn't as bad as you think.

Here are some links with more info about all the resorts on Disney property:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm#value
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm#moderate
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm#deluxe

Also a list of ratings and feedback about the resorts:

http://allearsnet.com/reviewpost/showcat.php?cat=3

I hope you enjoy your trip.

itchianna

Disney Resort, even the value resorts come with: dinning plan option, which save a fortune; free transportation to and from airport, parks, Downtown Disney and Boardwalk. Huge money savers, not to mention the frustration of fighting traffic and getting lost.

rstout44

This is a really common question, here are some pros and cons:

Staying on Disney property pros:
1. Well obviously you are closer to the parks, a couple of resorts are even in Walking Distance, Beach Club and the Contemporary come to mind!!
2. Extra Magic Hours, if you stay on property Disney will let you into a different park a bit earlier or later every day.
3. If your going to go to Orlando and Disney is all you want to do you can actually survive without a rental car for your stay and use Disney transportation to shuttle from Hotel to park etc etc
4. Magical Express..free transportation from the airport to your resort
5. Discounts on tickets and Dining packages, if your staying on property you get a bit of a better break on park tickets and you can add a dining plan where 2 meals and a snack are covered for about $40 a day per person..
6. Disney Magic..the resort hotels have excellent guest service and theming which you are not going to get up the road at the Holiday Inn.

Staying on Disney property cons:

1. many will argue that Disney resorts are more expensive than off property resorts, its really up to you to crunch the numbers and think about what else you want to do on vacation to determine if the pros outweigh the consâ€¦

dreamqueen

If you can afford to stay at a resort you should definetly do it. I ahve gone to Disney and done both. The resorts make your experience more magical and fairytale like.

Lana

I think you should stay at a Disney resort. They have ones to fit a budget. Plus the bus transportation they offer is really nice and easy to get from one park to another. The pools are really nice and the different themes they have are awesome.

L s

You can save alot by getting a hotel of the site..within a couple of blocks very nice ones have fun..

www.plan-a-magical-vacation.com

Definitely at a Disney Resort! They have all budget levels.

See the link below - it shows the perks of staying onsite.

Have fun!

Mildred Weatherby

This all depends on how much of a Disneyesque stay you want. If you are planning a week trip to Florida with only one day at Disney, then I probably would not suggest it. But, if you are planning on visiting the parks for a few days, then it would be worth it. The hotels are a little more expensive, but the Value Resorts (All-Stars, and Pop Century) are reasonable. The hotels all have that extra "magical" touch to them, and the kids will find them quite extraordinary. This is why I prefer to stay on-property; the "magic" is just wonderful. Added perks include using Disney transportation for free (buses, boats, monorails, etc.), and on select mornings and nights, the parks stay open earlier or later for Disney resort guests only.

jane32147

Disney resorts on site offer early entry and last stays depending on where you stay... For the money you pay for the theme park, why waste it on hotel room? 193W has hotels as low at $29 a night that are decent. Some offer transportation, some offer discounts to other things...

When I go on a vacation my first idea is... what do I need in hotel room? Am I using it to live in or to sleep in??? If to sleep in... go cheap.. to live in go with classier upscale. Hope this helps!

patti_jim_reynolds

It is SOOOO much better to stay on site. For a family of 4 it's appx. 1600 for a whole week stay at a value resort which has tons more stuff than you will ever find at a cheap hotel off site. Not to mention right now if you book a package, you get free park hopper plus water parks and more....definitely a good deal!! Transportation to all the parks and the airport as well. My favorite part was the 24 hr pizza delivery and childcare services:)

Plus think about all the other stuff you'd have to deal with if you stayed off site. Rental car to get back and forth for a week($300+),gas prices, parking fees everyday($15/day), higher price for park tickets with no free ungrade to boot! Not to mention figuring out how to get back and forth from the airport and no extra magic hours either.

I stayed off site the first time I went. After staying on-site at Pop Century last year, I will never go off-site again! So much less stress and the resort was so much fun! A total vacation! They took care of everything and it was cheaper and less of a hassle staying on disney property.

mcc

Why I stay on site - transportation, early and late hours, and the ability to go back to the hotel to crash for a bit in the middle of the day - and then go back and hit the parks for the evening and light shows. Nothing quite as nice as buying things at the park and having them delivered to your hotel so you don't have to carry them.

If you are off site - you may or may not have transportation and it may not be able to return you in the middle of the day and then back again should you need a break.

IF you drive you will be stuck in traffic and if you're with kids and they are exhausted - you can't go out and come back without paying for parking again.

The money you might save (and keep in mind that some of the cheapest hotels are really dirty - some aren't but unless you know someone to steer you anyone can post a pic on a website that looks good.) you'll spend in driving around for food, waiting in line to park etc etc.

Golfer

I've stayed on site, off site, and off site in a house (rental villa). A lot of this decision depends on what your planning on doing and the age of your children. With small kids, I'd stay in the park and plan on going back for a nap at 2PM. Even if your kids are out of the nap stage, there's lots of walking and it gets tiring for all ages. Watch the other children in the park when 5:00 PM shows up. Half are crying and none of the parents are having a good time either. Nap from 2 to 4 then hit the parks again until closing.
If you are planning on going to Disney, Universal and/or other parks, a hotel and rental car are nice but a villa is really the way to go (if your staying for a week or more). You can get a 3 bedroom condo or single family for about the same as a decent hotel room. Check out http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/florida/central-disney-orlando/kissimmee#2541
We stayed in Emerald Isle 4 years ago and it is very nice. Also, you can negotiate the pricing directly with the owner and you'll save money if you want to make your own dinners.
There are lots of other sites with villas and condos but vrbo is the one we went through.
By the way, if you stay on-site and want a cheaper place, I would suggest All-star-movies or Music. Pop Century is neweer and noisier and I've heard all-star sports tends to be noisy too (well, they are all noisier than the mid priced but you can ask for a quiet area when you make the reservation. All Disney rooms are small (even the higher priced ones) but the mid-price are worth the extra if you can afford it.

Do it for Johnny! (Maddie)

At Disney. At the value resorts it can actually be pretty inexpensive (All Star resorts and the Pop Century resort). I believe it is an absolute must to stay on Disney property, it really gets you in the Disney mood.

zuly_c

Disney has hotels for all budget. I think you should stay at a Disney resort. They are close to the attractions and every hotel is has different theme. So much fun.
Also, you can use the bus system to go to the parks and back.
Check this website www.touringplans.com or get this book "The unofficial guide to Disney World". It has information about hotels in the area. I got it a couple of years ago when I went to Disney and it was very useful.

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