The short answer is….. it depends. On your specific budget, plans, and travel arrangements. The nomads all agree that on property is the best option in many cases. Let’s dive into why that’s the case and when it’s best not to!
Budget
Listen, I know planning a Disney trip is an expensive and confusing undertaking, but let’s start out simple! Having a vacation budget is important even if you are a “winging it” type of planner. There are currently over 25 resort properties to choose from with categories of value, moderate, and deluxe. There are plenty of resorts that fall under each family’s specific budget. So before you panic, let me break down the resort categories…
Value Disney World Resorts:
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Moderate Disney World Resorts:
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort- French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort -Riverside
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Deluxe Disney World Resorts:
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – click to learn more!
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Deluxe Villas:
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas & Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House & Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort villas
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Riviera Resort Villas
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Villas
I know it looks like a lot, but hang in there. A simple breakdown is that value resorts can range in the $150-300 a night range, moderate at a $250-400 a night range, and deluxe at a $600 – 1000+ a night range depending one the time of year. Each resort bracket comes with its own special perks and amenities that fall well within the Disney standard of excellence. Moving up from value to moderate and moderate to deluxe offers more amenities and perks throughout your trip.
Travel plans
If you are flying into Orlando I would almost always recommend staying on Disney Property. The price of a Disney resort may seem off putting but there are a lot of factors to consider. Staying on property eliminates the need for a rental car. Disney resorts will take you via bus, monorail, skyliner (see image below), or boat to and from all theme parks and the Disney Springs shopping district, a perk only offered to guests staying on property. Using Disney transportation also saves you from paying the 35-50 extra dollars a day on parking! Another great saving!
Stay in the magic
The Nomads like to refer to this as “the Disney bubble.” Staying on property keeps you surrounded by the Disney magic and never lets you see the outside world (unless you want to). Kids and adults can visit characters on site, eat at themed restaurants, and shop all under the Disney umbrella. They offer campfires and Disney movies in the evenings as well as fun kids activities out by the pool. Different resorts have different offerings so make sure you take some time to explore other resorts even if you aren’t staying there!
Maybe I shouldn’t stay on property?
On property is our choice for the most part, but there are some instances where finding a place near by is the right choice. If you are driving down and will have your own car, there are many awesome hotels very close to parks or in the Disney Springs area that would offer a much cheaper stay and some even with park transportation! Another reason to consider off property is if you are traveling with a larger group. There are some awesome airbnb properties very close to parks that would sleep a large number of people for much less! While Disney properties are able to accommodate larger groups, we understand it’s not always in every party members budget to do so. So this could be a more cost effective move for those wanting to spend their money in other places!
What if I want to do more than Disney?
Good Question. If you are staying on property and would like to venture outside of the Disney bubble, you can always rent a car or Uber to your desired destination. I know that seems obvious, but hear me out… The Uber game around Disney parks is STRONG. They have cars always minutes away and even ones with carseats. You might be thinking that you don’t want to waste money on an Uber, but actually depending on where you are headed to cost of the round trip Uber is around the same if not just a little more that you would pay for standard parking at a different theme park!
The Neverland Nomad 