Disney Accommodation – on property or off?

Whew!  We’re back in New Hampshire after a week staying just outside of Orlando. It’s nice to be home and I really don’t miss the warmer weather…too much.  As always, our house-sitter did an awesome job. The house did well while we missed some crazy-dangerous cold weather.

Even the cats are still speaking to us.

I’m amazed I didn’t need an ECV (Electric Conveyance Vehicle also known as a scooter), although there were many times I was tempted. I didn’t push myself even on the days when my hip and muscles were swearing at me in seven languages. I rested as needed, I ate fairly well (we won’t count the Wookie Cookie from Hollywood Studios), and even managed to stay hydrated most of the time.

Thank goodness for the My Disney Experience app with the map for the restrooms!

We’ve stayed “off-property” for Disney trips a few times, although not as many as “on-property.”  I must admit, I’m torn between which I like better. I’ll share some of my thoughts and some pros and cons, but ultimately, it’s really up to you which way is best.

Some factors to consider before deciding whether to stay on Disney property or off are time of year, budget, number of people going, and even dietary restrictions.

When staying off-property, we have the flexibility to cook some of our own meals and enjoy whatever amenities are available where we stay. There are Airbnb’s, hotels, motels, houses to rent, timeshare exchanges, and more. For us, we either stay at a timeshare exchange or a specific house in Kissimmee.

We go where we feel safe and comfortable.

Off-property vacations also mean needing a rental car, paying for parking at the Disney parks (unless you’re a Passholder, but Disney has paused that program for an extended period), and dealing with traffic to/from the airport and to/from the parks.

When staying on property, you don’t necessarily need a rental car but you do need transportation to and from the airport and your resort. There are a lot of options, but since it’s the two of us we use rideshares like Lyft. Once we’re at our resort, we use Disney transport (mostly buses, but there is a cool Skyliner, boats, and the monorail for some of the resorts)

I’ll stop here because even I’m finding this post boring!

Llama