Is it really worth it?

[Lmerch44]

We had learned our lesson years ago by staying in a 'cheap' hotel off property. Overall there was just something lacking in the vacation. Leaving at night and going off to our hotel on Main Gate just wasn't all that much fun. We love staying on property, have tried all the resorts. Staying on property keeps you in the spirit of things all the time. We go back at the end of the day and have a snack, walk around the resort, talk about our day. One night we discovered a wonderful firworks show that was being presented for some sort of celebration for the Contempory resort. Purely by accident and it was the best we'd ever seen. Another night we were able to walk through the lobby of the Grand Floridian and watch as a bride had her wedding pictures taken. I could go on and on about this. But my point is, if you like to be immersed in the Disney experience, staying on property will do that for you with lots of little surprises all along the way.

[julielizabet]

Well, I think it's a chicken or the egg type situation. I have stayed off property and if I can help it, I never will again. Time is money, and even though we weren't "far away," the time we spent commuting, parking, tramming, breaking down strollers, etc. was just NOT WORTH IT. It was an entirely different vacation for us, and even though we had a 2 BR 2 BA, full kitchen, beautiful porch, lovely pool time share, it just wasn't worth it.

I highly recommend staying on-property. I've gone at the exact time you'll be there and even with the marathon crowd, it's walk-on for most rides and the rates are lower. I think you'll find you may spend more time at your resort if you're at a resort you love. Nothing beats staying on-property. It's a whole different world.