Hello! We are planning a first-time trip to Disney World with our 7 year old this August. We'll have our car so we can be as mobile as we want to be.

I am trying to decide whether I want to stay on Disney property for all the transporation conveniences and general magic OR rent a condo off property through VRBO. We are always condo people because we like to cook our own breakfast and lunch and then go out to a nice restaurant for dinner that offers local, sustainable fare and good drinks. So I can see us eating breakfast in our room, taking snacks to the parks, eating a quick lunch at the park, and then going out for dinner at one of the better restaurants around Orlando or Winter Park. And then finally heading back to the property for a late night walk / fireworks / more rides /etc.

My daughter loves Star Wars and some Pixar but is not really into princesses any more.

Given this, would you guys still recommend that we stay on property? Or is it going to be a bit of a waste of money? We are willing to spend some $$$ but always seek to use our money wisely so we can keep going on great trips in the future.

Thanks!
Erin
Greenville, SC

Just make sure you rent in a safe location.

I would sty on the property if only for the in park transportation and early admission.

Given what you describe (and particularly if you intend to do stuff outside of Disney), I don't think staying in the park is a must-do. However, if you are only visiting Disney, then it makes more sense to stay in a cheaper lodging option in the park (one of the All-Star resorts, for example, or even the Dolphin or Swan if you can get a good deal). Just remember that the new Toy Story Land will be open in late June, and that will be mobbed. If you plan on visiting those attractions, having early admission is a huge plus. It's also a plus for Pandora at Animal Kingdom since the lines for Flight of Passage can be 3+ hours without a FastPass+.

Disney is making all these decisions harder by starting to charge for parking if you stay on-site ($13--$24 PER NIGHT). Frankly, given the almost empty parking lots I see at the Disney resort hotels, I think this is an unconscionable money grab that really takes away some of the benefit of staying onsite for those driving in, but they are trying to push people onto the Magical Express since it's offered for free. What they are missing is that not all of their customers fly in; some drive and need to park and don't take advantage of Magical Express anyway. So there's a real inequity there. If you are not staying on-site, then you pay $22--$45 per day for theme park parking alone. Parking at Disney Springs continues to be free. So you'll have to balance these costs.

Finally, Winter Park is a slog from the parks; I-Drive is still a half-hour drive in traffic, so if you plan to cast your dining net further afield beyond Lake Buena Vista's chain restaurants, you will be spending a lot of time driving if you stay at a Disney property.

I think you answered the question when you talked about leaving the park, going somewhere else for dinner, then going back to the park afterwards. That's a lot of back and forth, and frankly I wouldn't do that. I'm unclear with all the interesting dining choices on Disney property, mostly with easy transportation to and from, why you'd not want to take advantage of that.
I'd think it might be different if you wanted to actually cook meals in at night, but I'm not sure I get the idea of just having a condo to have breakfast in.

Something to consider:

I see you are from SC so maybe it wouldn’t matter to you, but I doubt you spend all day every day outside.

August at Disney is HOT. I’m pretty sure I wrote a trip report here for that, you may want to read it. Staying on property would be much, much easier, because you may want to take a break from sun and clean up for dinner. And also, you would waste valuable park time if you weren’t in the park during the evening. If you leave and find a restaurant like that, you could conceivably “lose” your entire evening, which would be a bummer, because of the fireworks and tolerable weather.

Have you been to WDW before? Because if you stay on property, you get to sign up for your fast passes 60 days prior rather than 30 days prior With a 7 year old, in August, fast passes would be my #1 priority.

I’m a foodie too, so I can understand where you are coming from, definitely. But WDW does have great food options and there are a lot of places that would be part of the Magic for your kid. The hotels on property also have cool theming and pools. I think I’d go for convenience just this once.

I am assuming you did not rent one of the Disney villa properties with the full kitchens because there were none available or they were too expensive, correct?

Thank you all for the feedback. I’m definitely leaning toward a Disney property. I’d love to have one with a kitchen but they all seem to be quite expensive.
I’ll look for something that at least has in-room microwave and fridge. Any suggestions on where I can find that setup?

Family suites in the Art of Animation and some of the All-Star resorts have kitchenettes (at least microwave and fridge). Check those prices. I think that's probably where you'll end up. The Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge (and I think all "Villas") also have kitchenettes, but they start at something like $400 per night, while family suites at Art of Animation start at $342 a night, and family suites at All-Star Music start at $242. As you see, none is exactly cheap, and you can almost always do significantly better off-site with regard to price. I do think that Disney Springs offers a lot of really good dining now, albeit at prices that are a bit higher than off-site restaurants. But given the time you save going there, it may be a decent trade-off; kids menus are almost always available. You could also pick up an Uber at Disney Springs and go to one of the nearby chain restaurants in Lake Buena Vista for not a lot of money.

>> going out for dinner at one of the better restaurants around Orlando or Winter Park.

I would stay on site if possible. The traffic all around that area is bad and you would waste quite a bit of time going back and forth.

There’s a lot of great information on My Disney experience. YouTube and Pinterest.
I’ve joined some Facebook groups too. Lots of info there too. We are going in Feb, 2019. Tons of planning, gets a little overwhelming!
Have a great trip!

Another very helpful site filled with information is disboards.com
https://www.disboards.com/

My advice would be:
Stay on a Disney resort property so that you have access to the fast passes.
Do not rent a car. It is a waste of money. Use the free transportation available.
Winter Park is too far. The I-4 is a mess and traffic is awful.

You can still use Fast Pass if you don't stay on site, but you can only book them 30 days in advance. Staying on site you can book them 60 days in advance.

I'm not sure if you've considered Disney Dining Plans, but they offer a kids eat free deal this summer. If you buy a plan the child gets one for free.

We ended up choosing to stay on property at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The nightly rate was under $300 so I was happy. We'll have our car with us so we can still leave the property if we want to. Seems like the best of all worlds. Thanks to all for your advice!

I would be very interested in whether or not, and how often, you actually LEFT the park.

Don't be surprised when you have to pay a nightly rate to park. Disney started adding that fee this year. And I'd add one piece of advice. When going to the Magic Kingdom, always take the bus; don't drive. If you drive, it takes at least twice as long to get to the park because you have to park and then take a boat or monorail to the park entrance. Buses stop within easy walking distance of the front gates. This applies only to the Magic Kingdom. You may find it easier to drive to all the other parks, and certainly Disney Springs.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is wonderful. Two great restaurants on site: Jiko and Boma. Enjoy