To Stay on Property or Off. That is the Question (part 2)

Lobby wall in the Art of Animation resort

Now for the reasons you should really consider staying on property:

It's not as expensive as you might think. While it's true that some are (the Deluxe resorts, for example), not all are. And you can usually get some good deals, depending on when you plan on visiting. If you go on their site (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/), you can check out what specials they're offering at any given time. Some of the specials are for a short window of time, some are for months. But they usually have quite a few to choose from to help you be able to afford a stay at the "happiest place on earth."

Even if they look a little more expensive than off-site hotels, look at the whole picture and not just the room cost. There are hidden things that make the room cheaper than you might think. For starters, unless you really want to rent a car, if you stay at a resort on the Walt Disney World complex, you won't need to! Just hop on the Disney Magical Express at the Orlando airport and you will be magically transported directly to your resort. And if you fly on certain airlines (Delta, Alaska, American, JetBlue, Southwest or United) Disney will even pick your luggage up for you at the airport and deliver it to your hotel room (though expect to wait a few hours after arrival for it to show up). Plus, on the day of your departure, you can check your bags at the hotel to avoid standing in lines at the airport to check them! And you can always rent a car for just a day if you want to leave the resort to go to Universal Studios or Sea World. Better to pay for one day than for several! 

And it's not just getting you to your resort from the airport (and back again) that makes not renting a car possible. If you stay at a Disney resort, they'll provide transportation from your resort to any of the 4 theme parks, the 2 water parks, and Disney Springs. For some of the resorts, you can have a choice between taking the bus, a boat, or the monorail. For others, you can take a bus or monorail (or boat to Disney Springs). And for the value resorts, some of the moderates, and Animal Kingdom Lodge, there are buses to take you to any of the parks you'd like to visit. So not only are you saving on the cost of a car rental for a week or so, you're also saving the roughly $20 parking fee at each park. BIG savings!!

But there are other reasons to choose a Disney resort. If you have kids, they will LOVE the swimming pools at most of the resorts. They're fun and themed and are a treat in and of themselves. 

Port Orleans - French Quarter 

Not only are they themed, but they'll come with slides, spraying water, and a child's water play area. It's really great for beating that Florida afternoon heat! We'd go to the park early, leave a little after noontime, then return to the park around dinner. During the hottest part of the day, we'd cool off in the resort pool (with plenty of sunscreen, of course!). It's easy to do when you're staying on property and not too far from the parks.