On-Property vs. Off-Property for a Family of 6

You've made the leap and have decided to take a Florida vacation to Walt Disney World. Now what?

Deciding where your family will stay can be daunting. There are so many options available:

• Walt Disney World Resort (Value, Moderate, Deluxe)
• Swan & Dolphin Resorts
• Shades of Green - For Military Families
• Area Hotels
• Area Resorts & Condos

A simple Google search will result in finding a blog dedicated to each WDW property, its benefits, and why one is best over the other. The main budgeting reasons many recommend WDW properties are:

• Extra Magic Hours (where resort-only guests get more time in the parks)
• Free Parking (at hotels and parks)
• Disney Dining Plan (meal plan for eating in the parks)

Our first challenge when booking a room is our family size. Most WDW resorts can't accommodate a family of six in anything I would consider economical (options and prices here - start at $270 in the value resorts) nor can Shades of Green military resort (starting at $275/night for a family suite-yikes!). Even with Disney's spring-time offers, the cost/night is just far more than we want to pay for someone else's bed! That said, you do have to take into consideration the other factors that will cost you when staying off-property.

Google, "Orlando condo rentals," and you'll find thousands of options which is more than a little overwhelming. When you're searching for a property, take into consideration all of the amenities you want it to have(here are a few):

• Private Pool
• Pool Heat
• Furnished Kitchen
• Themed-Bedrooms
• Number of Bedrooms
• Distance to Parks
• Resort Amenities
• Wireless Internet

Ultimately, we decided to stay off-property. Not only are the accommodations more spacious for us, the amenities can't be matched staying in a hotel-like atmosphere. We can more cheaply eat by making our own food than eating in the parks and because we're traveling with such a young group, EMHs aren't going to be vital for us. Paying for parking is no fun, but since we only have four days in the parks, the $68 that will cost us is negligible. 

Next post will detail where we're staying and how to find the vacation rental of your dreams! Have any of you with a 5+ family members stayed on-property? Where did you stay?