Where in Disney World to Stay?

by Brandy Metzger

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All Star Vacation Homes

Living Room Area, Reunion Resort

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All Star Vacation Homes

Master Bedroom, Reunion Resort

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All Star Vacation Homes

Water Park, Reunion Resort

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Brandy Metzger

Dining Room Table - Murphy Bed Combo, Art of Animation Resort

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Brandy Metzger

Pool Area, Art of Animation Resort

Planning a trip to Disney World is no small task. There is so much to consider including what time of year to go, how much time you will spend there, which parks to visit and where to stay.

This year I took on the task of planning my family’s vacation to Disney World. I thoroughly enjoy working out the details that go into planning vacations, but this year I became a bit stressed when trying to answer the question “where will we stay”?

I did a lot of research online to try to figure out whether it was better to stay on Disney property or off. I also polled many friends and family members to find out their opinions on the matter. In each case, I got mixed reviews. Some people swear that nothing compares to staying on Disney property, while others find it more enjoyable to stay off- site. With these conflicting opinions, there was only one thing we could do…stay a few days off-site and a few days on-site and decide for ourselves which was best.

Staying Outside of Disney

There are so many vacation properties near Disney World that it was not hard to find wonderful accommodations off site. We decided to spend our first few nights in a condominium in Reunion Resort located 5 miles away from Disney World.

The resort did a wonderful job of making me feel welcome even before we arrived by e-mailing me arrival information and checking in to see if we had any special needs.

Upon arrival, we were able to go straight to the condominium and enter the property using a special code. This was a great way to check-in after our flight and drive from the airport. The condominium was quite spacious with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full kitchen, living/dining area and outdoor patio. In addition to the comfortable set-up of the condo, the property also offered many amenities including a small water park, pools, work-out facilities, bike rentals, golf and planned group activities.

In an effort to save money, my family took advantage of the full kitchen by having all of our breakfasts and dinners at the condominium each day.

Every morning we drove for about 10 minutes to get to the Disney World Parks and paid $15 to park in the parking lot. Then, after a busy day at Disney, we were truly able to relax when we came “home” to our spacious accommodations. My 5 year old daughter especially enjoyed using the pool and water park that was never crowded at the end of the day.

The condominium was a great value at a little over $200 a night.

Staying On Disney Property

There are many options for accommodations when it comes to staying on Disney’s property as well. The value resorts are the lowest priced which makes them very popular for many budget conscious families. We chose to stay in the Art of Animation which is a value resort in a family suite that costs around $300 a night.

Upon arrival at the resort at about 4:30 in the afternoon we were shocked to see the very long line at check-in. I waited patiently in line for two hours before a “cast member” was able to get me checked in. According to the employee, the resort’s computer system was down which caused check-ins to remain at a stand-still for hours.

When we finally made it to our “Cars” themed building, my daughter was thoroughly impressed by the “Cars” in front of our hotel. I must say that Disney does a nice job of expanding upon a theme in their hotel décor. The room was no exception. There were traffic cone light fixtures, a sofa that looked like the back seat of an old car and a bathroom that looked like a car wash. The room was much smaller, however, than the off-site condo. The family suite consisted of a bedroom, 2 bathrooms, a small living area and a kitchenette complete with a table that converted into a Murphy bed.

There was a pool directly in front of our building and also others within walking distance to our hotel. These were all elaborately detailed with decorations reminiscent of the movies featured in the resort.

One very convenient feature of staying on-site was the shuttles that take guests to the theme parks. There is one shuttle bus for each theme park and they run about every fifteen minutes. Taking the shuttle saves a bit of time and also saves you money on parking.

Conclusion

Comparing the two lodgings, I would opt to stay off-site next time we travel to Disney World. You just can’t beat the price for the spacious accommodations while staying a few minutes away from the Disney World Resorts. The money spent for parking every day can be offset by eating a few meals at “home”.

Resources:

http://www.AllStarVacationHomes.com

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/art-of-animation-resort/