is it worth staying on property

[hyechica81]

is it worth staying on disney property if you are only doing 1-2 parks plus disney springs, we come to florida in january for a week and stay off property this vacation we just did we only did one park plus disney springs, i haven't been to disney since the 1990s when i was a teenageer its just my husband and I. next year we plan on doing 2 parks plus disney springs.
is it worth it to stay on property for week if only doing 2 parks or would our money be better spent going to more than 2 parks?

 

[Smiley/OCD]

The question is, IMHO, if you can afford it, stay on property. I’d rather wait an extra year and pay to stay on property than off property. I’ve stayed on property for one night when I was dropping off my DD in the college program…but again, it’s just me.

 

[tpoly88]

is it worth staying on disney property if you are only doing 1-2 parks plus disney springs, we come to florida in january for a week and stay off property this vacation we just did we only did one park plus disney springs, i haven't been to disney since the 1990s when i was a teenageer its just my husband and I. next year we plan on doing 2 parks plus disney springs.
is it worth it to stay on property for week if only doing 2 parks or would our money be better spent going to more than 2 parks?

Ill agree with the other reply that it is worth it to a point. i wont spend $750 a night to stay in the poly or GF. Given that you are going next January there may be some discounts. Also look if you are a Bonvoy member, the Swan and Dolphin have some nice rooms for not the high price most times. Easy walk to Epcot and HS or take the boat. Another option is the garden wing of the contemporary. one of my favorite as the rooms are big and quiet, plus walk to MK. Does get busy in the morning to take the monorail though. There is just something "more" about staying on property. not sure what you want to spend.

 

[Skibum1970]

Cost vs experience, in some ways. Staying offsite, you have to pay for parking at Disney World parks and deal with traffic getting into/out of the parking lots. Plus, some offsite hotels charge for parking. Still, it can be less expensive staying offsite. Not sure what offsite hotel you use but the All-Star hotels are as nice as most similarly priced offsite without breaking the budget.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

If you plan to do Lightening Lanes, it's worth it to have that 7 day booking window vs 3 day to book the rides you want. If you don't plan on using LL much, I don't see huge advantages, especially if you plan to just hit a park and stay till you leave it for the day with no hopping or going back. The extra morning half hour, yes half hour is not that much of an advantage and makes you get the park at an ungodly hour(still are lines at 7'30 in the morning). And the evening hours are no advantage at all imo. Tried it at Epcot and they were letting those without the extra hours still get in line 20 mins after it was supposed to start.

 

[aliceismad]

I think it depends on your wants and when you are going. Are you going at a busy time of year and want to hit a lot of attractions at the parks? If so, having access to earlier lightning lane booking might be helpful.

If you’re going at a slower time of year and are happy to meander the parks and take in the ambiance, spend more time eating/drinking, etc. then on site may not matter as much.

Also what is your touring style? Mornings and evenings have shorter lines and cooler weather. We like to take a mid-day break for naps or pool time, which would eat up way too much time if we stayed off site. If you are going to drive a rental car or take the shuttle to the park and stay all day, this may not matter to you, especially if it’s only a day or two at the parks. Being at parks open to close is too much for us after a day or two.

The convenience of transportation is nice on site. Driving in Orlando on my vacation is not my cup of tea. If you’re planning to drive to the parks, make sure you factor in parking fees.

For emotional reasons, staying in site is worth it for us. We love the hotels and being “in the bubble.” Financially it’s not really worth it, but for us it’s worth it when you factor in convenience and time.

 

[donaldtoo]

On our honeymoon in Dec. of 1988, we stayed off property. We only had 2 park days, but, back then, there were only 2 parks…!!!
We never stayed off property again.
Since we started taking family (with 3 kiddos) trips back in 2001, we’ve stayed at POR, ASMusic, Pop, AoA, AKL (Jambo House) and OKW.
Until Oct. of 2023, all our trips had multiple park days. Regarding the above mentioned trip, we were there (AKL) for 5 days, but had only 2 park days. On our most recent trip in June/July of 2024, we were there (OKW) for 6 days, but had only 3 park days.
Those last 2 trips also included our 2 young granddaughters.
It was still worth it to us to stay on property, because we found plenty of ways to keep busy at the resorts, DS, etc.
I can’t ever again see us not staying on property…!!!

 

[wannabeBelle]

As everyone else has said, it depends on what you are looking to do. I love staying on site and certain hotels have some nice advantages in terms of you can walk to some parks, or have access to different forms of transportation. Saving on the parking fee and not having to deal with traffic are two more positives to consider. Marie

 

[tanc]

The only hotel I think that is worth the price is either POFQ or the pop. The gondola is nice but I also found the bus and resort size at POFQ perfect.