I am planning my first disneyworld vacation for my grandchildren and would like any info on what to expect and if the savings of staying outside a Disney resort would be a good bet.|||I would definitely suggest staying on Disney property as it makes the entire trip so very Disney, To begin with, if flying in, you can use Disney's Magical Express for transportation to and from your resort, so a rental car would not be needed. As to the resorts themselves, they are all themed differently and come in various price levels, so you'll be able to find one that fits your budget. Thirdly, all resort guests staying on site have the opportunity to use the extra Magic Hours, which extend park hours to all Disney resort guests. Some evenings that can amount to an additional 3 hours. To me, the biggest perk though is the location. If staying on site it's so easy to escape the parks midday and return to your resort for a mid day swim or just relax. No parking hassles. No need for a vehicle as Disney provides free transportation to all areas of it's property. Numerous of the Disney resorts are located close enough to their respective parks to walk to them, thus no need at all for transportation to them. Plus you have access to all the other resort amenities, the pools, swimming, golfing, boating, fishing, etc. At the end of your stay, I think you would agree that a stay on property is definitely worth the few extra dollars you might save by being off site.|||Staying on Disney property, either at a Disney resort or in the sister hotel community of Lake Buena Vista, will really add to your pleasure. If you've never been, it is hard to imaging how geographically HUGE WDW is, but it can be a long drive (thirty minutes to an hour during busy times) just from the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom to the WDW exit. If you stay 'on campus' then you don't need to drive at all. The WDW Transportation System consists of buses, ferry boats, and the monorail system and will take you everywhere on WDW property, so instead of driving around getting lost, you can spend that time having fun with the kids.
The down side of this is that food costs a small fortune on campus. Ideally you can stock up on some groceries for your hotel room and have an alternative to those $5 bagels and $12 hamburgers. Getting a room with a fridge and microwave can be a mighty good investment -- you save by fixing some of your meals right in the room and you also get a bigger, nicer, more conveniently located hotel.|||It's a thousand times better to stay on property, everything is nice and runs together you just arrive from the airport and if you choose you don't have to leave the gates till you go home, there are also at all of the resorts third party companies that send transportation to places like Universal if you want to go there.
the on properties are all themed some of them are done well and are very classy others are very tacky and stuff.(just find one you like)
and to all of the disney parks is free transportation to get to almost anywhere at disney world.|||It is definitely better to stay at one of the Disney resorts. It is more convenient, you can get into the parks earlier and you can stay later. You can take advantage of their free transportation from park to park. The parking at your resort is free. Sometimes you can get really good deals on the Disney hotels. I found that a lot of the hotels around Disney are the same price as a Disney resort and they're further away from Disney World.|||Its best to stay on site because you get more perks. You could get the dining plan only available to guest who stay on disney property which would save you 30% on food. (it save me and my family about $400) The dining plan could let you eat as you want without worrying about the bill at the end. And you get extra magic hours where a park opens an hour early or closes 3 hours late which only people staying on property could get. You get bus rides to and from the parks and a bus ride from the airport they pick your stuff up from baggage claim so you get off the plane and get on the bus. And when you returning drop your bags off at the resort check in in your hotel and you wont see your bags till you arrive at your final destination and its all free. Staying off site may save you a couple of $100s maybe but staying on site is worth it. Immerse yourself in all things disney it'll make you're first time an enjoyable 1. Have fun|||I did the Disney College program and worked there for 6 monthes. I ate slept and lived disney for 6 monthes not ever leaving the orlando tourist trap. If you intend on renting a car no what what your decision may be, and would like to save on money, i suggest you stay outside Disney. a very nice place many people who are familiar with disney, which is considered cheap, is West Gate Towers, on Route 192. I recomend looking them up. But if you dont need a car, staying inside the Disney resort is extremly helpful. Disney's Magical Express picks you up from the airport FOR FREE. Disney Cast members get your bags for you from the terminal and take you to your hotel. From your hotel busses take you everywhere on disney property for free. there are boats, monorails, and busses, at many of the hotels which take you directly to parks. As a resort guest, you have the advantage of using Extra Magic Hours, which are either very early in the day (7 am) or very late (sometimes midnight to 3 am at magic kingdom). also with staying at the disney resort and having a car, you don't believe you pay for parking. Currently with the struggling economy Disney is giving very good deal which include Disney Dining Plans (DDP) DDP with very much worth it, if you use it wisely. You get a certain amount of snack "snacks" for your whole trip. a bag of chips or fruit which is on 1.50 is one snack, but so is other more expensive items which cost 5$. Be wise and use snacks on more expensive things in the parks, and pay cash for cheaper items.|||I would definately say to stay on the parks, especially if this is your first time and the kids as well. There is so much magic with anything disney. The experience of staying in one of their themed hotels makes everything so much more magical.
Transportation is also another thing to factor in. If you are staying off property, you have to rent a car, pay for gas, pay for parking, take the tram from the lot to the park, blah blah blah. It is so much easier to wake up in the morning, put on those mickey ears, and hop on the bus. The bus drivers are usually fun and interact with the riders.
As far as meals, if you stay on property, you have the option of adding the dining plan. This is a MUST for anyone who doesnt feel like paying an average of $150 for a meal. Dining plans run around $80 a person, per night. That particular package includes one counter service, one sit down and one snack per person per night. An example of the pricing....my Fiance and I visited WDW last July. We ate dinner one night at Coral Reef in Epcot ( a MUST for anyone visiting disney). Our bill totalled $164. all we put out was $32 for the tip. That meant we had $132 to spend on something else.
In my opinion, stay on property. In the long run, you will have saved money. My fiances family decided against staying on property when we all went, and at the end of the week they had figured that they had spent roughlty $5,000 on food for 3 people.|||Well I can say this, it would be nice to stay on Disney property if you can. But if you are on a budget and want to save some money (my cousin did this) there are motels that are in Kissimmee that are like 1-5 miles from the Disney parks. She went on Expedia and made reservations for a decent motel ( one that had free breakfast in the morning, free parking, free wifi and was close to all the parks for like $240 for 5 days). Not motels are decent so check them out and read reviews before deciding. But she didn't want to spend $100+ a day on a room because they were hardly going to be in it and she has 5 children so $ was tight.
Anyway they had a wonderful time and was able to save $ so they could do more activities. Like I said Disney is wonderful to stay at of course ....you get free rides to all parks and extra perks like extra magic hours and your just immersed in Disney 24hrs a day (Which is very exciting!!). But Disney can get expensive so it's just about what your budget is and what you really want. Whatever you decide I hope you have a great trip!!|||Well i've been 2 disney before and personally its more convenient to stay in Disney especially if you have grandchildren so it's easier to get to the theme parks. The cost of staying inside disney arent that high, depending on the hotel you choose to stay in. Over all, staying in Disney is a good bet. Hope this helps!|||Your question identifies the crux of the matter. Is staying onsite worth the increased costs?
If you can afford it, do stay onsite, if that is a hardship, staying nearby is not a hardship.
Tripadvisor.com, a free site to join, search Orlando for places to stay, and reviews of WDW hotels and specials that may be going on right now.|||stay out of disney.. the hotels in disney are used so much that the rooms aren't cleened very good. thats why the hotels are so cheap! i would prefer going to a hotel out of disney.. have a great trip :)
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