Disney Places to Stay

So you have found the perfect flight and set aside a budget for your Disney trip. Now, its time to decide where you are going to stay.

The biggest question is, should your stay on-site or off-site. Here is a list of pros and cons for both options:
PROS
On-site
*Access to extra-magic hours. If you stay at a Disney World resort you will get early or late access to one of the parks each day. This can be a huge bonus for your holiday. The biggest benefit comes for parks like Animal Kingdom. On days that AK has extra-magic hours you have a much better chance of getting on one of the new rides in Pandora. If your heart is set on riding a very popular ride and you can't get a fast past.... this is your only chance. Another bonus is that the parks tend to be much quieter during extra magic hours.
*Experience the magic all the time. At a Disney resort, you get to be part of the magic 24 hours a day. This can be a great benefit as you can still enjoy a bit of Disney even on non-park days.
* Free transport. Guests staying at a Disney resort can get free transport from the airport using Disney's Magic Express. During your stay, you can use free buses and boats around the parks and resorts.
*Enjoy all the extras such as free movies and games at the resorts.
*Free parking at the Disney Parks. That will save you $14 per day.
*If you book tickets with your hotel rooms, you can start booking fast pass reservations 60 days in advance.
*You can book your dining reservations 180 days from the start of your trip for your whole vacation.

Off-site
*Cheaper options. The biggest pro to staying off-site is the price.You can get some amazing deals for an off-site property. Search the net on websites such as Booking.com and Hotels.com for the best deals.
*Off-site properties often have small kitchens giving you the chance to cater for your family and save money.
*It's easier to get to supermarkets and cheap restaurants from an off-site hotel.

CONS
On-Site
* Price. You are going to pay for the privilege of staying at a Disney Resort. Value resorts start at about the $90 mark but can run as high as $130 for a night. Note that Disney does not charge for parking or resort fees so take that into account when looking at prices.
*Rooms in value resorts are small and can get very cramped for a large family.
*You get a small fridge in a value resort and no coffee machine
*Distance to other restaurants and the lack of cooking facilities means that you will be eating at Disney prices for most of your meals. That can get very pricey.
*Deluxe resorts can cost over $1000 per night.

Off-site
*No extra-magic hours. In the case of popular rides, extra-magic hours may be your only chance to get on the ride.
*Charge $14 per day at Disney parks for parking. That can get pricey.
*You can only book fast passes 30 days in advance.
*Distance to the parks. You might get a great price but you probably won't be able to pop back to the hotel for a nap in the middle of the day.

So those are the points that I think you should consider. For this particular vacation we are staying both on-site and off-site. The first few days will be at a Disney resort and the second week will be at a Timeshare Villa. Timeshare is great idea for large groups. In the second week we will have family meeting us in Orlando and for a group of 9, a villa is the best option.

Let me know if you can think of any other important points. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment below. Please check out my Facebook page. Like, if you like the content.