On site vs off site stays

Sometimes the thoughts of doing an onsite stay vs an offsite stay can be over whelming! I have stayed multiple times both ways and there are positive and negatives to both sides! Let’s break it down

On Site

There are 31 resort hotels on Disney World property! There is a wide range of pricing, and varying hotel room sizes! Disney breaks them down into 3 different classes/categories, deluxe, moderate and value. There are perks to each level. 

Value resorts-These are you "money saving" resorts. They have smaller rooms (good for if you're just sleeping there!) They have transportation, but it is usually shared between the value resorts. They are the furthest away from everything. The pools are themed and fun but don't have waterslides or hot tubs. But they are still super fun and immersive! Usually, the dining options at these resorts is only quick service.

 Moderate resorts -These are your middle of the line resorts. They again come with benefits. They are good proximity to the parks. They have good dedicated transportaion routes, and are reasonably close to everything. The rooms are of good size, the pools have waterslides and hot tubs, and the dining options are good. 

Deluxe resorts-These are you more expensive resorts. They come with benefits, most are close to the parks (think walking distance!) They have better transportation routes, and due to the proximity of the parks its close to everything! The rooms are usually larger, the pools have slides and hot tubs, and the dining options are the best, usually with a table service and a couple quick service meal options.

There are some resorts that fall outside of these categories, Fort Wilderness Campground, the deluxe villas (Disney Vacation Club), Shades of Green, Dolphin and Swan hotels. Each of these will have transportation the same as the deluxe, mod and value resorts.  They enjoy some of the same perks as the resorts, such as early entry, extended evening hours, advance booking if using lightning lane, options for dining plans and a pre-arrival option and price for the Disney Band.

When you book onsite you have the option to make it a package. This means that you will put money down on the trip and pay it off over time. Doing your reservation like this means you need to know what you want for your entire trip before booking it ( how many park days, if your doing a dining plan, if your adding memory maker etc.). Disney also does special offers. They usually have some deals when you book packages, or hotel stays over a specific number of days. One of the promotions for 2025 is the "Start your stay with a water park day in 2025". Disney Resorts Hotel Guests arriving in 2025 can enjoy water park admission on check-in day included with your stay!  

Off Site Hotels, Resorts, Condos, Etc.

There are a lot of hotels and condos that you can rent in the Orlando area. Lots are cost effective especially when you're going with a large group of people. This allows you to have a kitchen and cook/prepare meals to bring to the park with you, keeping costs lower. There are a few hotels that are listed on the Disney website that are called "good neighbor" hotels. They are recommended by Disney World! The extra hour perks do not apply to anyone staying off site. You will only be able to be at the park during normal operating hours. The other thing to consider is driving. You will either need to be at a hotel that offers aa shuttle, use an uber, rent a car, or if you drive down to Florida, use your car and park at the theme parks. 

Personally I have stayed both ways multiple times for various reasons! There are lots of good things to consider when looking at the options. Some of the questions I have asked people I have helped book trips are;

1. Does driving in a different country scare/give you anxiety? Florida has a lot of traffic, tolls and can get confusing while driving. 

2. Are you traveling with kids, and do you want to lug them back to a car and fight the car seats? Also are you planning on driving or flying and will you be bringing car seats? One of the major perks for us when we stayed onsite with our then 4 &2 year olds was being able to get on the bus, monorail, boat, etc. was that we didn't have to worry about car seats or even getting the kids out of the stroller on some of the transportation. 

3. Do you want to arrive and forget about driving, parking, etc.? This is how I convinced my husband to stay onsite the first time! We were traveling with our 4 & 2 year olds and telling my husband about doing Disney World this way was the winning ticket! We could arrive at the airport, take our airporter to our resort and not worry about anything driving wise the whole time! 

4. Are the extra hours in the park a game changer for you? I am a park open to close kind of girl! I will plan my days according to the park hours! What gets me the most hours in the park? Some people don't like to plan that way and that is okay too! This is an important question to answer also so you know what your game plan can be moving on to the next planning steps. 

No matter where you stay, a trip is everything you make of it!  

Photo was taken at the Grand Floridian Hotel.