Can't Decide Where to Stay at Disney World

My husband and I have done both, the first time we went we stayed off site. I would NEVER stay off site ever again. The time to get in and out of the park, the transportation/parking and traffic are a total pain in the rear end. When we booked the second time, it was a whole package with meals, room and park passes and worked out so much better.

We too were worried about how difficult it might be to get out of the Disney property to go to Sea World or another attraction, and in the end, we loved our hotel and the "all Disney all the time" thing we never actually left.

Good luck!

Hi!
We are going to WDW in November. And honestly I have been to WDW Many Many Times with my parents growing up and never stayed on property. But since I've been married with kids we have never stayed OFF property and would never ever stay off property if going to WDW. Your vacatin starts at the airport with Magical Express and ends at the airport with Magical Express. We've never stayed at a value, only at a moderate, Carribean Beach and then in 2003 we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and this year in November we are staying at Animal Kingdom.
But if you have a lot of questions and can't decide, join this group on Yahoo Groups, here is the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheMouseForLess/

You can ask a ton of questions and get a ton of help!!
Also, www.tourguidemike.com is an awesome site to help plan your days while your there.

And okay, another thing. If your going to WDW and need to book your vacation, book through a company that only does WDW, like The Magic For Less Tavel, they are awesome. They saved me $1,000, just by leaving on a Sunday versus a Saturday. So that pays for our airfare and disney dinning plan.

If you need any more help, please just e-mail me privatley, I'd be more than happy to help you out!

Katie,
To be honest, the experience is more "magical" if you stay at one of the Disney resorts. You don't have to worry about transportation at all while you are there. There is always a bus, boat or tram that you can take to get anywhere you want to go. The buses are not equipped for carseats, they don't have seat belts. You would have to hold him on your lap. I have two girls, 3 1/2 and 9 months. We went with the older one a year and a half ago and it was wonderful. She absolutely loved the themed hotel and taking a boat and the tram. If your husband hasn't been yet, I recommend staying on the Disney grounds.

Hello, when we went to Disney we stayed off site. It was really nice. It was a 4 bedroom condo with private pool and hot tub. We shared the condo with my husbands cousin and it was fine. But , we drove down so we had a car handy. If you are flying then you need to factor in the cost of either renting a car or taxi to get to the parks. With what your saying the difference in price it might be about the same to stay right on the resort. I think when we go again we will definitely look into staying right on the Disney. Driving really took a lot out of us and we were all in the same car and it was really difficult. I would never drive down in the same car with another family again.

This was my first trip to disney too and it was great. I can't wait to go again. Your husband should have a great time. Make sure that you stay at least one night to watch the fireworks. They were great.

We went in October when my son was 2 1/2 and stayed on site-- which I HIGHLY recommend. Parking at the parks is a pain and you will walk forever just to enter the park. Disney is exhausting and the extra time added to your day by being off-site might push you to your breaking point. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom lodge which was wonderful. It has a queen size bed and bunk beds and a fridge in the room. The shuttle from the airport does not have carseats, however, it was short and I felt safe-enough with my son sitting next to me. The resorts have a ton to do, so if you chose not to go into the park for a day there is still plenty to do, plus by staying in the park you have the option of spending only part of the day inside a theme park, or going back to your room for a break/nap.

We have a great time, although I was exhausted when we got home!

Good luck.