5 Reasons to stay Onsite At Disney (or Offsite)
Should you stay on property at Disney World, or offsite at another resort or at an Airbnb? If you’ve been to Disney before, you know what I know. It’s awesome. It’s expensive. There are great reasons to stay onsite at Disney, but there are also great reasons to stay offsite. Here are a few thoughts to help you make your decision.
Bungalows at Disney World’s Polynesian Resort—one of the most expensive and hard to book rooms at Disney World
5 Reasons to Stay Onsite
1. Proximity
This is a no brainer. It’s closer to the parks. Less time driving, more time Mine Train-ing. If you stay on property, you also spend less time in traffic with all the poor, unfortunate souls in Orlando or Kissimmee that have to go someplace else besides Disney.
We have three young children, so being close to the park also means we can take breaks fo naps and to get out of the sun. If you want to rope drop and see the night show, you might want to stay somewhere close.
It also means that you may be able to see the parks from your resort. Why is that important? It might mean a free view of a firework show from a Magic Kingdom area resort, or just being able to see Galaxy’s Edge from the Coronado Springs Tower. It reminds you of the magic while you’re not there.
Fireworks from the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World
2. Parking and Transportation
Walt Disney World no longer charges guests for parking at the resort or at the parks. A lot of other resorts charge for parking, and then you’re paying for parking at the parks. That ends up being like $50 a day. And we have a baby, so we always get preferred parking (I hate folding up strollers for the tram or running from the back of the parking lot).
Then, the onsite properties also offer busses, or boats, or monorails, or even Skyliners to get you to the parks. Plenty of options if you don’t want to worry about the car. This is especially helpful at night when you’re tired, or you drank, or you can’t find the car (though the app now has a parking location feature). Some offsite resorts offer shuttles to the parks, but in my experience, the scheduling is hard.
The Skyliners at Walt Disney World.
3. Perks
Staying onsite also comes with perks the normies offsite don’t get. First, you get extra hours in the park. All resorts can get in early to the parks, and deluxe and DVC resorts can get extra hours after close.
Staying onsite also gives you early access to dining reservations. And if the dining plan ever returns (fingers crossed), this is historically only available to onsite guests.
Finally, only onsite guests can sign up for Lightning Lanes before the park opens. That’s a big deal if you’re there for Guardians (my favorite), Tron, Flight of Passage, or Figment (just kidding, but….also my favorite).
4. Theming
If you’re going to Walt Disney World, you probably like Disney (or whoever is making you go does, but if you’re reading blogs about Disney, who are you kidding?). The Disney resorts are Disney themed. Some more than others. Some have characters. Some have themed rooms. There are hidden Mickeys everywhere. Onsite, you are still in the magic after you leave the park.
Two exhausted princesses at a Port Orleans Riverside Resort Royal Guest Room. They loved the theming.
5. Service
Last but not least, Disney knows what they are doing. The customer service is better than just about anywhere. They want you to stay in the magic. Whether its help with your tickets, surprise upgrades, general friendliness, or the amazing Disney smells (not kidding. This is a thing) it’s almost always more awesome here.
On this note, I need to end with one of our personal favorite parts of the Disney resorts that doesn’t get enough notice: THE LIFEGUARDS. We have three kids of varying swimming abilities. The friendliness and attentiveness of the lifeguards allows us to ACTUALLY relax at the pool. Once you’ve seen these lifeguards pacing back and forth ready to jump in for your doggie paddling kiddo (or even a lost flip flop), you know you can trust them.
Lifeguards at the Caribbean Beach Resort pool at Walt Disney World.
But we’ve also stayed offsite at Disney World many times, for good reason.
Here are some of those reasons.
5 Reasons to stay Offsite at Disney World
1. Price for Lodging
First, the no-brainer. Offsite resorts cost far less, usually, for the same amount of space. You can save hundreds per night. And if you stay in Airbnb, you can have an entire 5 bedroom condo with cool Disney theming for the price of a tiny Disney hotel room. If money is an issue, stay offsite, especially if this is your first trip. Then you can just keep increasing the awesomeness for each subsequent trip. If saving money at Disney World is a top priority for you, check out this article.
Good Neighbor Hotels at Disney
Also, there are resorts called Good Neighbor Hotels. Good Neighbor Hotels are hotels near Disney World that aren’t owned by Disney, but they share a lot of the same benefits of Disney hotels. These perks change regularly, but currently they include early park admission, booking through Disney, and connecting to Disney packages. We like to drive, so if they ever offer free parking at the Parks, that would be a game changer for us.
Here’s my review of the newest Good Neighbor hotel, Drury Plaza Orlando- Disney Springs area. We just stayed there a few months ago.
And here’s my review of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, it’s really close to Disney Springs.
2. Space
This is basically the same thing as price. If you have a bunch of people, either you need to cram them into a small room and get a rollaway or cribs, or you need to drop insane amounts of money for a suite or villa. Insane amounts of money.
Offsite you can book a two-bedroom suite with a pull out couch in the living room. You can put the baby in a different room from the seven-year-old that likes to wake up in the middle of night and tell you all her fears…hypothetically.
Extra space increases considerably if you book an Airbnb or VRBO condo. You can get some awesome condos with bedrooms for everyone for the same price as even a value Disney resort. This is a great option if you’re staying with multiple families (and hypothetically, to hire a babysitter to watch everyone’s kids in one place). Everybody stays then carpools to the fun. You don’t have to meet in the lobby and organize. At this point, you’ve saved thousands per night. And I haven’t even mentioned the convenience and money-saving ability of having breakfast in the kitchen before you head to the parks. Finally, some of these condos have some of the coolest theming and amenities that your kids will love. For a VRBO rental in the Disney World area, head here. As an affiliate, I may earn and take my kids to Disney.
Check out this amazing offsite condo at Windsor Hills. Amazing theming and a water park in this three bedroom condo that costs less than a value resort!
3. Price for Food and Souvenirs
I keep having to remind myself that there are good restaurants outside the Disney bubble. I don’t know what they are (unless it’s Cowfish at Universal), but I’m sure they exist. And they have things called grocery stores in places besides Lake Buena Vista. As I mentioned above, if you get a suite with a kitchenette or a condo with a kitchen, you can really cut down on the eating out. We’re not morning people, so having cereal ready with milk in the fridge saves us a lot of park time and money. I repeat, you can save a ton of money. It may just keep you in reality.
4. Proximity to Non-Disney Areas
I know this seems counterintuitive, since it’s farther from Disney, but farther from Disney usually means closer to other things. If you want to go to Universal, or Lego World, or somewhere really special like the American Girl store, you’re closer.
My daughter posing with Mary Ellen at the American Girl store in Orlando a few years ago
5. Hotel Rewards
If you travel other places besides Disney during the year and rack up Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, or IHG points, staying at one of those resorts could make a big difference. We’re about to stay at both the Waldorf Astoria and the Hyatt Grand Cypress for free in the next few months. In fact, if you already have points built up from your other travels, you could stay for free. If you want the best of both worlds, stay at one of the 3rd Party on property resorts that you want to gain or use points for. Or you can rack up points through credit card welcome offers. I have a section on credit card points in this article about saving money at Disney.
Conclusion
So take your pick. There are good reasons to stay onsite or offsite. Or do both, (though I recommend doing the offsite first, so you don’t feel let down). Figure out what works for you. Or again, try both. The bottom line is, there is much more Disney experience and opportunity onsite, but you can save tons of money and have more space offsite. Here are some of the best resorts to stay at offsite.
