WDW - Vacation Planning

Staying on-site will give you a tiny, tiny hotel room. For big, big bucks. That's something to consider.

We stayed off. Even with the car, it was a great deal. And a condo. Was not a big deal driving in at all.

I didn't want to stay on-site because I wanted my kids in their own carseats, so we just transferred the seats from the plane right to the rental car. I have no idea how we'd get to the hotel if we had not rented a car. It would need to be something compatible with their seats. I am OK with the monorail but didn't want to use the buses or shuttles with the kids. The kids were in elementary school and one was in preschool at the time, the three of them.

We're booked for the onsite Disney All Star Sports resort in November, it's $88 per night M-Th, and $118 for Friday. Transportation costs a ton (rides to other parks or from the airport), so being picked up and using the park's transportation system is going to work well for us. Good luck!

My vote is on-property too. However, we have also rented a car when we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge mostly because my DH wanted to be able to run out to Target or to a grocery store for supplies if needed, and there is also restaurant in Orlando we wanted to visit outside of WDW. Personally, I don't like to leave the "world" on vacation, but DH feels like he needs the option to get out if he can grab things "cheaper" in the real world. The other advantage was not having to wait for buses getting to and leaving the parks. I have stayed at a Downtown Disney hotel too (adult trip with mom and sister), and did not rent a car. The buses system worked very well, no issues. I'd personally be just fine staying on-property with no rental car, but for my family, having that rental car made things less stressful for my DH and kids.

I would stay on property to avoid renting a car. Transportation to and from the airport and the parks is easy to use, convenient, and just so much nicer than driving, parking, etc. Besides, the money you save on the hotel, you're going to end up spending on the rental car and parking.

We stayed at Art of Animation in February and LOVED it. We had our 3 kids (4.5, 2.5, 7 months) in a familt suite, along with a double stroller, an umbrella stroller, a pack 'n play, and 5 suitcases. It was perfect. A very comfortable room, themed to the nines, very affordable.

We stayed off site in a timeshare. It was a huge mistake for us. We assumed that Calypso Cove would be a nice property because our timeshare company recommended it. Huge mistake!! Hands down the worst place I've ever stayed. We decided that we would never stay off site again.

Besides the awful accommodations, we felt like we spent quite a bit of time in the car and driving through traffic. Plus paying for parking every day. It also was not easy to go back to where we were staying midday for a rest. Once we got back, we stayed put. It just wasn't convenient.

That being said, I have heard people complain out how long it takes to use Disney transportation. So, maybe driving to the property and paying for parking wasn't so bad after all.

Definitely use the Fast Pass system. If you have the Disney app you can even manage them from your smart phone. I didn't really like planning too far ahead, but our experience did get better when I got Fast Passes at least a day before.

We made the mistake of going to Magic Kingdom on our first day. It was totally overwhelming and even now, 4 months later, if you ask my kids they have no desire to go back there. But they loved all the other parks. If we had it to do over, we would have done one of he smaller parks first. I think that would have helped us feel a little more comfortable wit how Disney works and we would have enjoyed Magic Kingdom a lot more.

Another plus for me, was that halfway through the week we took a day away from Disney. But we didn't do any of the other Orlando experiences. Instead we drove down to the Kennedy Space Center for the day. It was a nice break from the Disney overload and one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Even with all of the reading and planning I did, I still didn't feel prepared do the trip. Try to just go with the flow as much as possible and have fun.

If you stay on property do NOT rent a car. No need to. Free transport from and to airport and to parks.

I have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort and am doing so again in november. My parents and my brother have also stayed there and doing so again. It's the nicest most kid friendly themed of the moderate resorts IMO. If you can afford more, go for it! But I can't. Also, it was just remodeled this summer.

We have done both multiple times. I agree with the others if you stay on property you don't need a car unless you're going to other places outside Disney.

Staying on site gives you extra magic hours. Disney transportation is great but you will be waiting if you stay until closing. It took us over 45 mins to get to our disney hotel when we stayed until closing at magic kingdom. Their hotels are second to none and you will have a great time there. Know that there are gift shops and arcades through every hotel. I learned it helped my kids to know they had a set amount for their spending money and when it was gone that was it.

Our family enjoys staying off property for a few reasons. We like having down time from the Disney buzz. We LOVE disney. When we are there we get into the fast paced do everything spirit. We also like to go to our Hilton Garden Inn and have a complete break. Most hotels in the area offer free transportation to the parks and a lot offer to other area parks as well.

There are lots of rental units in Orlando from condo to large houses. The advantage is more space, an opportunity to make lunches to take to the park etc. You would need a rental car and you'll pay parking every day at the park. We did this when we hosted a family from England. It worked well for our circumstance but was certainly more work for me (loved it but not a restful vacation).

Know when you finish your vacation you'll need time to recover and the kids will too. Picture Christmas times 10.

Either way you choose it will be wonderful. We go a couple of times a year. I'm going to work there when my kids are grown. ;)

Blessings!
L.

If you are only planning on visiting Disney then stay on property and enjoy all the conveniences.

If you want to see stuff outside of Disney (SeaWorld, Universal, LEGOLAND) then I would rent a house or condo. There are so many developments around the parks (from 10 minutes and up) that are very reasonably priced. It would give everyone their own bedroom and most have pools. You would need a car to get around but I think the price would balance out or be cheaper outside.

We have owned our vacation villa near Disney since 2009 and we have stayed on property a couple of times.

We stayed at one of the Walt Disney World properties and it was wonderful. Many of the on-site properties include transport to the different parks and extended hours at the parks. They have buses that run throughout the day and night so you can come and go from the parks and your resort. Not all resorts include this though so check carefully if interested. Depending on where you stay you can also get transport to and from the airport to your resort included for free. That is definitely a wonderful perk. If you stay at one of those properties on site you would definitely not need a rental car. Enjoy your visit. It truly is a magical place.

The biggest question is when are you planning on going. If you are going when there are discounts, that changes EVERYTHING.

I have stayed on site and off. Would never ever stay off site again. If you plan only to do Disney down there, a car really would be a waste of money. Sometimes, busses suck and having a car would save you some time. And if you want to get off site for groceries or other places, it would be worth it. But I don't think it is necessary at all.

If you do during any free dining time, upgrading to two rooms at a moderate resort (or doing Port orleans that has room for 5, however that has been excluded in recent discounts) would be your best bet as getting a moderate gets you a better free dining plan.

Are you only planning on going to MK, how long is your vacation? WHere you stay, even on-site varies so much on how long it takes to get anywhere. Google earth Disney and all the resorts, you will be amazed at how far apart 'everything' is. Expect 30-45 minutes to get anywhere on the busses, but like I said, it all depends where you are staying and where you are going. Getting to animal kingdom from the AKL takes about 10 minutes.

Message me with any questions.

We live close enough that we go fairly often so when we go, we stay off site. If you decide you want a name of a place, message me and I'll give you the name. If this were my once in a lifetime trip, I would stay onsite. Depending on the age of your kids and your budget, you may want to look into a suite. Suites are very pricey which is why we stay off site.

If you stay onsite, you don't need a car, but expect to pay more (a lot more) if you forget anything and need to buy it onsite.

Since you've discovered how complicated planning the trip can be, I'll keep my answer very simple: We stayed on-site at Port Orleans. It was awesome. We rode the bus to and from each park, between 5 and 20 minutes. Sometime we waited for the bus, but no more than 15 minutes. The bus was an integral part of the "down" time. My best WDW advice: #1) take a stroller per kid. Our son was 5 and it was a godsend. #2) Start getting into WDW world shape now by walking every day. By trip time, you should be able to walk 3 miles. On each day at WDW, we walked between 5 and 7. Have fun!

I would still stay on the property. Convenience is a BIG deal there. I've only stayed on the property so I have nothing to compare it to. To me though, the fun would be gone after I schlepped the kids back and forth for naps etc, looking for a park each time I had to go etc. I promise, that would be no vacation for you. You'll have a great time!

We wanted to go one time and be done. With that in mind we went for 9 days and stayed on site, this was 2 1/2 yrs ago. There was 7 of us, 4 adults & 3 kids (5, 7, 8). I wanted a separate bedroom area and a small kitchen. I hate hotel stays with little kids. I like to have some separation after a long day, so a separate bedroom was mandatory for us. We stayed at the Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins. It worked out very well, space wise. You do not need to rent a car. The buses, tram and water taxi's are plenty. We didn't have any problems with long waits. We also took a double stroller, which we didn't need at the beginning of our trip but the last 3 days, it came in handy.

You can read all you want but in the end it only helps a little. There is nothing I would have or could have done differently, we all enjoyed ourselves and I'm sure you will too, no matter what you decide.

Staying on property has it's advantages.
You have transportation to all the parks so you don't need a car.
It's just nice not having to search for your vehicle in those huge massive parking lots.
(The lot's have names, you get cute little things like - "This is the Dopey parking lot. All Dopey people please leave the tram here!")
The parks open earlier for those staying on property and you get a shot at first access.
Breaks are easier on property.
You have lunch, go to your room, have a swim, have a nap - then head back to a park (or a different park) and enjoy your afternoon/evening!

For my 30th birthday we stayed at the Polynesian and we just loved it!

With 3 kids and 2 adults, your only option at a moderate resort is Port Orleans riverside unless you book 2 rooms or a suite. (The other moderate resorts and value resorts have an occupancy of 4)

Having said that we love the convenience of staying on site plus our family loves taking advantage of magic hours which are only offered to guest staying on property.

Stay on property. It really adds to the excitement. If you want elbow room, a value resort is not for you. They are GREAT, don't get me wrong, but they are small. So bump it up to a moderate.

If you stay on property, don't get a car. It's a waste of money that you could be spending somewhere else. And if you do decide to rent a car - don't do it at the airport. It's a FORTUNE there. Go to the places right around the MK.

Have FUN!!! And be sure to see Micky's Philharmagic. It's wonderful.

On property. Art of Animation is awesome. Value hotels are great. We have always stayed at value hotels. You spend hardly any time in your room. Why waste the money. Depending on when you go, sometimes dining plan is offered for free!! We got that a few times. Not having to buy food was great. No need to rent a car bus system works well. Have fun.

If you can afford it, do not go with a value hotel. Port Orleans is a step up and a WORLD of difference. You mention wanting a little "elbow room" my guess is you will feel cramped if you stay at the value hotels.

If you don't plan to go other places there is no need to rent a car. Use the Disney buses from the airport (VERY easy) and you are set.

If you think you'd like to go back to your room in the middle of the day to relax and maybe swim that is great but not really an option if you stay off property. Traffic in Orlando can be crazy depending on what time of year you visit.

Have a great trip!