We're planning a trip to Walt Disney World in September and were wondering whether we should stay at an on-site hotel? We have kids (12 and 10) but obviously they won't need nap times during the afternoon, so a hotel nearby is not important.

What are the other benefits of staying on-site? Any help would be much appreciated. This is our first trip to Orlando/Disney.

Thanks.

Benefits of staying on site:
WDW Transportation - it is so convenient. Runs all day, every day. You won't have to worry about the hassles and expense renting a car and parking.
Early entry - Each day, a different park is open an hour early to resort guests (except for Animal Kingdom which is always open early).
E-nights - Every month, a few dates are selected during which the Magic Kingdom stays open 3 hours later for resort guests. This is a great feature which allows you to ride the most popular rides with little wait.
The sheer magic of Disney - if you want to just feel like you are in the middle of it all, stay on site. It is the only way to experience true Disney magic.
Make sure you get a Magic Kingdom Club card before you book anything. It entitles you to 10% off Disney resorts, select restaurants in the parks, park passes, and shopping in Disney Marketplace. We saved several hundred dollars on our last trip with the care. If you work for an organization with 500 employees or more, you can get it for free; check Human Resources. If not, you can get a 2 year card for $65. Details on how to get it are on Deb Wills' site at www.wdwig.com. I am currently working on trips 19 and 20 in November and January, so please feel free to email me with any questions.

I've been going to WDW with my son since age 9 (he's 15 now), we wouldn't dream of staying anywhere but on WDW property. The WDW hotels are just so whimsically decorated, have beautifully landscaped grounds, and the pools are generally fabulous (some resort pools would qualify as full blown water parks in some states!)

The convenience can't be beat. WDW (bus, boat, or monorail) transport is efficient & frequent. Some resorts (eg Yacht & Beach Club, Boardwalk) are a lovely 5 minute walk from Epcot. The monorail loop resorts get you to MK nearly that fast, also. No hassles, no cares.

Also, staying at a WDW resort allows you get a "length of stay" pass, for unlimited comings & goings to the parks & attractions. It's a lot less confusing & less restrictive than the alternate array of ticketing schemes WDW has devised.

PS -

your kids may not "need" an afternoon nap, but don't overlook the rejuvenative benefits of the whole family taking a 1-2 hr "pool & spa break" in the afternoon. Impractical if you're off-site, a snap if you're on WDW property. September can still be pretty hot.

We took pool breaks nearly every day - it's wonderful to be able to do it without hassles.

Yes, yes, afternoon pools breaks are the way to go. My husband and I were there last Sept and found that there were fewer people in the parks early - then about 11 am everyone showed up - so we'd leave and hit the pool for a few hours and then clean up and hit the parks again -- when all of those other people were very hot and tired and were heading home. . . On property is also the way to go.

I am one of the few who votes in favor of off-site, and I'll tell you why it worked out best for us. We went last fall for first time, and I did tons of research on how to make it the trip of a lifetime. We are a family of two adults and 4 kids (ages 7-10) and my parents went also. We chose to go in the off-season (first week of November) so that crowds would be minimal (they were). We decided we wanted 5 Disney days and 1 day at Sea World. Our children are not great eaters and we knew we would be tired of eating out all of the time, so we decided we wanted a kitchen to do some quick dinners in. We also wanted a place with a little more space than two adjoining hotel rooms. After checking the on-site places that met our needs, it would have been way too expensive. We decided to rent a home. They are very reasonable. We rented a 4 bedroom house with private heated pool for $100/night. I researched the location very carefully and we could be from the garage to the parking lot in 5 minutes. We went each day when the parks opened, and (with the exception of Epcot when we took a mid-day break) stayed almost til closing time at 7PM. I know we lost a little of the "magic" but we had way more space and lots of money left in our pockets! It might not be what you are looking for, but it fit our needs perfectly. There are many websites of home rentals, and I talked to the owner (in NC) a number of times to get to feel comfortable with the whole situation. Regarding the Disney transportation, any multiday pass entitles you to use any of their transportation between parks and the resorts - you do not have to be an on-site guest.

Definitely stay on site, with or without kids.
Great variety of prices and resorts to choose from.
I have stayed 3 different on site places. The townhouse villas near the old WDW shopping complex, a little off the beaten track. Very roomy and room to spread out.
The Polynesian , which is on the monorail. You can zip in and out of the parks with minimal effort.
The Carribean beach is on the bus route, reasonably priced , budget lodging but nice.
I would recommend a Monorail hotel for your first visit there. Grand Floridian is supposed to be top notch but I have never stayed there.
You wear out quickly in these amusement parks, kids of all ages need to take a break. Naps, pool time, down time are very necessary.
You will be able to do more touring and get more out of your park passes if you take a mid day break.
You wont have the hassle of parking your car, driving in traffic.
YOu get special privileges, early entry to the park is invaluable to get into attractions that are crowded later on.
You get advance booking privileges if you want to see any shows such as the Hoop De Do, ( which is terrific).
Do not let anyone tell you proximity to WDW is not important. It is a huge complex, spread out over many miles.
Stay on site, park your car and forget it.

I have been to Disney three times and will admit that staying on site is definitely convenient and magical but so is any vacation to Florida! Staying off site can be just as fun! If you're on a budget there is no need to go broke just to stay on site. On the other hand, if money is not a major concern and you are comfortable with the prices stay at a Disney hotel! Either way I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.

Been goin to Disney since I was 7....Honeymoon and other special occasion included in a 15 trip resume!!!
I have stayed off site once...AND ONLY ONCE!!!!!!
Disney now has budget priced hotels in the All-Star resorts which are Motel 6 type...Even if u spend a little more u will thank Yourself for staying onsite!!

I'll disagree on one point about staying on-site. We stayed on site and rented a car and were thankful every day, for several reasons. It was a nice break from Disney to get away from WDW for dinner. Disney food leaves much to be desired, but Orlando has a dizzying array of restaurants. Also, you get a parking pass when you stay on site, so you can drive to the parks. It is nice to have some things in the car if you need it in an emergency(like a change of clothes). Also, if the kids melt down, you don't have to wait for a bus and try to calm them while others are around. You just put them in the car and get out of there.

I agree with prior poster who recommended Deb Wills wite at www.wdwig.com, for more on pros & cons of on-& off-site. In recent years, my family has spent a few days at WDW, and because we go in late August we get lower rates at the All-Star, then we move off-site to our timeshare & do Universal, Sea World, & maybe just spend a day shopping or lazing by the pool. We always drive so we have our own car. If the main purpose of this trip is to do WDW, then I recommend staying on site & using WDW transport to get everywhere.

We've been 5 times in the last 5 yr & agree w/ all the people above on staying on property. However, the rooms at WDW are over priced for what you get (small rooms, basic cable, no coffee makers in rooms)but the convenience and perks (early admitance to parks, great pools, priority seating at character meals, etc.)will make you glad you did. IF you take one bit of advice: Get to the parks when they open (hr early for guests) and you can go on most of the popular rides (one park per day obviously)by noon and be at the pool by 1 or 2 and back to another park in the evening when it calms down again.

Debs disney page and Joanne's Disney pages are both good for tips and hints about WDW. My site is still indevelopment and the information Unit on WDW is not complete, but I list some of the same benes to staying on site. (http://btsalltravel.tripod.com)

If you are on a tight budget, you may consider off site. If you are just on a budget or have money to spare, you have to stay on site. There is no comparison.

Mark Buterbaugh

Fodor's,

Here's another travel agent trying to steer people to his website and grab some business.

We went to WDW two years ago in May. With kids ages 10 and 8 at the time.
We spent 4 nights at Dixie Landings and then 2 more nights at a Quality Suites
to try to cut some costs. Although I thought the off-site motel was fine-
pool right outside the door, restaurants close by, free cocktail hour and breakfast- the kids still fondly remember Dixie Landings. They loved the pool, and the buses, and the boat ride down to Downtown Disney. Most of all- my son the picky eater loved the cafeteria where he could pick his own food and get unlimited refills in the Disney mug. I also spent a lot of time researching websites before we left and would agree that WDWIG is very helpful.

It basically boilsdown to money and perks...youre on site, youre close..you can enjoy early entrance, and leave your vehicle parked...however, if youre wanting the most for your money, choose an off site motel/hotel...the rates are cheaper...youre only going to be sleeping there, and spending the majority of your time in wdw, so you dont need a lot of extras, and there are some close enough to make the drive negligible...and if you really want to see the wdw hotels..take some time when the park is busy, and tour thehotels!..its a treat..have fun!

Hi Pam,
If budget permits, I would suggest on site. The transportation from hotel to park is effortless. Although, if you are planning to do some things outside of WDW then I would suggest off site for those. It's easier to get around to Sea World, Discovery Cove (just opened), Universal etc.
My boyfriend and I went this past June and we stayed off site which we found much cheaper. We found it very easy to drive to and from the parks and the hotels are competitive with price so you can get a good deal.
Another major upside to staying off site is the food is much cheaper than in the parks and you have a choice of everything.
A down side to staying off site is that it takes 20 min to get back to the hotel instead of 5 min. and yes, the "Disney Magic" does not follow once you leave the park.

I vote for off site!! Why? We got a luxurious suite (private bedroom for us parents..major plus for a little romance) for $150 per night (it's on sale for $119 / night on their web site now) with an awesome waterslide and full buffet breakfast for the whole family at the Caribe Royale (4 star hotel) and I swear it's just as close as the Disney hotels to the theme parks. Even if you're not renting a car, you can get free shuttle to and from Disney resorts. I did lots and lots of research before our trip in 1997. We also wanted to do Universal Studios which we found even more exciting than WDW so that's another reason staying off site worked for us.
We loved it so much, we're going back to the Caribe Royale this October for our 10 day trip.