Where To Stay Deciding where to stay when you go to Disney World is a big decision. You have two options: on site or off site.

On Site

Staying on site means you are going to be staying on Disney owned property. This includes the myriad of Disney resorts from the All Star Resorts to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Contemporary Resort. Each has its own unique theme and feel. Staying on site will generally cost you more than staying off Disney property. Cost aside, staying on site means you will be feeling the Disney magic for the duration of your stay.

The drawbacks to staying on site are that it will cost you much more than a comporable hotel in the surrounding area. Disney's All Star resort is the cheapest Disney resort, and runs in the price range of $70-100 a night. The rooms are similiar in size to a room found at your typical Motel 6 or Days Inn. For the same money, you could stay at a more luxurious off site resort. Cost aside, staying on site forces you to pay Disney prices for food and souvenirs unless you can provide your own transportation. In addition, some resorts have issues you need to keep in mind such as being far from bus stops and the constant Disneyana reminders.

Off Site

Staying off site means staying at the local hotels, resorts and motels that surround the Walt Disney World property. Each off site hotel is different and usually is owned by a major brand, from Holiday Inn to Days Inn to Ramada. While there is no general theming to these hotels(or at least, nothing different in theme that you might find in the chain's same hotel in Knoxville, TN or Boise, ID), they do tend to give their best effort to making the guests feel like they are staying in a "tropical" area.

The principle reason for staying off site is the cost. Off site hotels are MUCH cheaper than any Disney owned hotel. If you take a Disney owned resort and compare the room size and cost to any off site hotel, you'll find the off site will be tremendously cheaper in probably every case. In addition, you can find great deals on sites like Priceline or Hotwire that can offer even deeper discounts.

Off site hotels often offer guest ammenities such as pools, tennis courts, gyms and bars right in the hotel, whereas in Disney resorts, you will have to travel a bit more to gain access to these ammenities. Some hotels offer kid programs while others do not, so sufficient research is needed to assess what type of a place you'll need. Moreover, off site hotels have easier access to cheaper food, other attractions, souvenir stands and shopping centers.

The chief drawback to staying off site is you'll be farther away from the parks. Where people staying at Disney resorts can take a monorail or bus to their resort from the park gate for an afternoon break, off site guests must go to the parking lot, drive out to their resort and then drive back later, re-park and re-enter the park. Additionally, there is a parking fee to drive a car into Walt Disney World where on site guests do not have this fee. Aside from the hassles of being farther away, off site guest have no access to Disney programs such as Character Charavan or Early Entry(when it is in use).

Conclusion

In the end, where to stay is your decision and everyone's situation is different. Families that small children who enjoy the Disney characters and theming and who are less favorable to having to drive may want to consider staying on site. Guests who are going to use their hotels for just places to sleep may find staying off site not to be an issue. Additionally, one guest might like being immersed in the Disney theme throughout their trip while being in the park for the day is enough for another guest.

The best tip is to weigh the pro's and con's of each and see where your scale is tipping.