Disney - stay on property or not?

We are planning a trip to Disney for next February. Trying to decide whether to stay at one of the Disney value hotels or rent a townhouse in Vista Cay. I actually like the idea of having our own car and not having to worry about the shuttles. My main concern is are the perks for staying on Disney property really worth it?

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

No doubt...........stay on property!!!! It is the BEST!!! Now that I've stayed on Disney property I would NEVER stay anywhere else again. I love it!!

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

I personally love the perks of staying on site - but many like staying off property. Some things to consider.

If you are going during a very busy time in February and staying offsite. If the parks are close to capacity - those off site visitors will be the 1st to be denied entry. If you stay onsite you have a better chance of getting into the parks.

If you stay off site - you have to pay to park each day (you only have to pay once even if you park hop as long as you retain your receipt).

Hours in Feb can be shorter than other times of the year - so you will lose out on the extra magic hours so it really depends on your personal preference.

Also if you plan to return to your resort mid day - staying on site just makes it easier.

I think the on or off site is really a personal preference. My family once stayed in a house with friends of ours and we didn't have a great experience. It was a gorgeous house - but the commute was a pain, and there were issues with the rental.

I like staying on site. I haven't found a huge price difference to make it worth it for us. I also like the dining plan - which you can't get if you are off site. While we used to rent a car even when we stayed on site. Last trip we tried ME and it even though we rented in the past we did use the buses and monorails on prior trips - it was much less stressful this last trip to not have to worry about car seats, returning the rental car, having to go to baggage claim (versus your bags showing up in your room).

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

My opinion is to totally stay IN Disney!

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

On property. The Magic Express will retrieve your luggage from the airport and deliver it to your hotel room. For FREE. That in itself is a great perk when traveling with kids. Imagine just walking off the jetway to your deluxe motor coach without having to lug the luggage. Love this convenience!

Also, the hotels off property lack that Disney magic, IMO.

We also rent a car when we get to Disney as it makes getting to other hotels for dining much easier.

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

Posted by Hofstra26

No doubt...........stay on property!!!! It is the BEST!!! Now that I've stayed on Disney property I would NEVER stay anywhere else again. I love it!!

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

Posted by Serendipity

My opinion is to totally stay IN Disney!

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

On! On! On!


I gave a detailed answer on the travel board.

Feel free to FM me if you have any questions or would like my help booking/planning.

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

We have yet to stay on site - we are saving it for when both kids are big enough to enjoy a full Disney vacation.

We own a timeshare so we stay off site and rent a car. We also go to other parks not just Disney so this works great for us.

But we definitely want to stay on site at least once and get the full experience!

Re: Disney - stay on property or not?

I think it depends on if you plan on doing parks every day your away. If you are all about doing the parks then I would say on property. If you're fine with doing Disney 1-2 times and then maybe doing Seaworld or Legoland, then off property would be best. We always stay at our timeshare and I honestly have no desire to stay on site. But I'm also not a Disney fanatic.