Congratulations, you decided to take your family to Disney World. Great! Now what? Buckle up, because that is just the first of many decisions you’ll make when planning your trip. One of the most important, and challenging choices is whether to stay offsite or at a Disney resort. The best choice is going to vary depending on the needs of your family. Here are a few factors to consider to help you make your decision.
What is your budget?
Budget is one of the main considerations when deciding whether to stay on Disney property or offsite. Many people automatically assume that it will be cheaper to stay offsite, but Disney does have some reasonably priced rooms. Accommodations and food can certainly be less expensive outside of Disney property. However, it’s not always the most cost-effective option.
It’s important to establish an approximate budget for your trip, and consider any extra costs you may incur by staying offsite. Those costs can include:
- Rental car
- Rideshare costs
- Resort parking
- Theme park parking
How many people are you traveling with?
A major factor you will want to consider when deciding whether to stay on Disney property is the size of your travel group. Many Disney resort rooms only sleep up to 4 adults and a young child.
There are still plenty of options for larger families. Here are some good choices for onsite resorts that will sleep 5 or more adults.
Value
- Art of Animation: family suites (sleep up to 6 adults)
- All-Star Music: family suites (sleep up to 6 adults)
Moderate
- Coronado Springs: a variety of suites (sleep 6-8 adults)
- Cabins at Fort Wilderness (sleep up to 6 adults)
Deluxe
Most Deluxe resorts offer suites and/or villas that are great for large groups. A few of our favorites:
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn: rooms, suites, studios, and villas (sleep 5-9 adults)
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort: villas (sleep 5-12 adults)
Another option for larger spaces onsite is to rent Disney Vacation Club points.
In terms of offsite options for large groups, a great choice is to rent a condo or home. Having a kitchen also allows you to prepare some of your meals at home and save some money. We chose to rent a house through VRBO last year with a group of 10. We were in a resort community about 15 minutes away from Disney and had a ton of space to spread out. I will admit, I was concerned about having major FOMO at the idea of not staying at a Disney resort. In the end, it really was the best choice for our group during that trip. And our vacation was still just as magical.
Transportation
One of the huge benefits of staying at a Disney Resort is the convenient use of their transportation services. Even though the complimentary use of Magical Express is no longer an option, you can still have a pretty seamless transition from the airport to your resort.
Once you are on Disney property you can use the busses, monorails, ferryboats, or Skyliner to get around. Personally, I love the fact that I don’t have to drive or park at all on my entire vacation when staying onsite.
Many offsite hotels offer free shuttles to the parks. It’s important to check out the details of the shuttle schedules to be sure that those will work with your plans. Renting a car, or rideshare services are also an option.
Extra Perks
In recent years, the perks of staying onsite have been reduced. The free use of Magical Express has ended. The Disney Dining Plan is not currently being offered. In addition, guests staying at a Disney Resort no longer receive complimentary magic bands.
Even with those reduced offerings, there are still many little perks and benefits that onsite guests receive. These include:
- Early Theme Park Entry
- Extended evening hours for Deluxe resort guests at select parks on select evenings
- The ability to book Individual Lightning Lane selections at 7 am rather than at park opening
- Discounted magic bands
- Disney Dining plan (when available)
- Ease of charging to the room
- Ease of taking a midday break
- The magic and theming of being inside the “Disney Bubble”
Do you plan to visit other Orlando attractions?
One more thing to think about when making the choice to stay onsite or offsite is whether or not you plan to visit other Orlando area attractions. If you plan to visit Universal Studios, SeaWorld, or any other attractions, it could make sense to stay outside of Disney property. Universal Studios offers a lot of great benefits to guests staying at their resorts. They also offer a good range of hotels at various price points.
Conclusion
Making the decision to stay onsite or offsite can be difficult. If you take the time to think about what is most important to you for your vacation. Overall, here are my recommendations.
You may want to stay onsite if:
- You plan to spend most of your time in the Disney parks
- You don’t want to rent a car or worry about driving
- Disney theming is important to you
- You don’t want to cook or clean on your vacation
You may want to stay offsite if:
- You have a strict budget and want the least expensive option possible
- You will have a car or don’t mind using rideshare services
- You are traveling with a big group and want lots of space to spread out
- You want a kitchen to prepare your own meals
- You plan on visiting other Orlando area attractions.
Truthfully, no matter which option you choose you will be in store for an incredible experience. Happy planning!