Is there a big difference in staying at a Disney hotel rather than an off site one?

I think the benefits of staying onsite are huge! And the prices between the Disney Value resorts and the nearby offsite resorts are not usually much different.

Some of the perks:

*Airport transportation: If you are flying in, Disney provides free transportation between the airport and your Disney resort. You have to use a paid shuttle or taxi for most offsite resorts

*Park transportation: When you stay at a Disney resort, you get free, regular, convenient, and reliable transportation from your resort to the front gate of the parks, and back. The buses run at least every 20 minutes, and start running at least an hour before the parks open until at least an hour after they close. When you stay offsite, your options are to take a scheduled shuttle from one of the resorts, which are known to be rather inconvenient in terms of their timing (they run only a few times a day, usually starting after the parks open and ending before they close) and their dropoffs (in the parking lots, which is still quite a walk to the gates). They have also been known to leave people behind at the end of the day. Your other offsite option is to drive yourself. This can be a hassle, and also will cost $17 a day in parking

*Extra Magic Hours - each day, a park opens early or remains open late just for Disney resort guests. This is a great way to experience some of the attractions with a smaller crowd.

*Dining plan - you can only get one if you stay onsite. Sometimes these are offered for free, which is a great deal.

*Fast Pass + - resort guests are able to make Fast Pass reservations before other guests.

Off site shuttle service is HORRID>

Add in cost of parking each day if you drive. Cost of taxi if you don't drive

TOO much travel time back and forth to hotel/Disney

NO magic hours

NO dinin plan

Safe, Clean, Family friendly Disney desgined resorts. Must better service from staff

Safe reliable bus service

DIsney Value resorts can be just as cheap as some off site hotel.

I have stayed off site twice and at a Disney resort 4 times.

I will NEVER ever stay off site again. TOO MUCH hassles staying off site.

At each quality range, you get a less expensive deal offsite. Where offsite really becomes better is when you do condos or time-share rentals that allow you to get much bigger places with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms and a kitchen. That level inside Disney is really expensive.

However, when you stay offsite you NEED A CAR and you will have to pay to park it every day at Disney World. Especially at the lower end of the hotels, that parking fee and car rental can more than make up the difference in the offsite/onsite price comparison.

In addition, you do not get to use the Extra Magic Hours if you stay offsite. You also cannot use the dining plan. Now, if you are budget conscious then the dining plan is not necessarily something you want anyway. It is really geared more toward people who want the all-inclusive kind of experience where they don't have to "worry about" how much dining costs. It is not really a budget option (unless it is free, of course).

Because those magic wristbands give the Disney property guests the right to cut in line in front of guesst who are staying off property.

One of them Mickey brings you breakfast. I'm just not saying which one.

If you stay in the park, you don't have to wait in lines to get in the park each day. Usually you get to do more park related activities that come with the hotel.

There are budget hotels at Disney. Nice thing about staying at Disney is their bus system. You never have to drive if you don't want to. I have never priced off site hotels, but I'm sure they are cheaper. Cheaper is not always better though.

Also staying on site gives you the WHOLE Disney experience, the fun doesn't end when you leave the park. All of their hotels are wonderfully themed, the moderate and deluxe hotels are ,of course, over the top beautiful. You'll be in awe if you stay at one of their moderate or deluxe hotels. Disney knows how to treat their guests! =)

We have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge twice and loved it. The savannah view rooms are amazing as you can sit on your deck and watch the exotic animals. We would spend half the day at the park and the other half shopping at Downtown Disney and enjoying the hotel.

Can't wait to go back! =)

There are a ridiculous number of very low priced hotels near Disney World but if the price gets too reasonable, LOOK OUT! Most of them are pretty horrible. I've only found one low priced hotel near Disney that was nice, clean and had a respectable crowd staying there. Here's a video I did of it last year:

On property you don't have to pay for parking

transportation is free and reliable

Off property cheaper hotels

but you have to drive and pay to park or rely on spotty service for transportation

its a lot more expensive staying on site than off site but the quality is very similar