I always swore I'd never stay offsite. However for our trip this past Oct/Nov a coworker had time share points she couldn't bank and was going to lose if she didn't use them. She offered me a week in a one bedroom condo at any of the Westgate properties for just $400.00, plus a $50.00 trade in fee. So we paid just $64.00/night for a fully equipped one bedroom condo that was just one mile outside the WDW gates. We loved it so much, that as soon as we got home, I immediately started looking for an offsite deal for my upcoming May trip and then canceled the onsite trip I already had booked. I was able to get a one bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for just $89.60 per night (going through Vacation Strategies). So for about the same price of a Value resort, I can have a one bedroom condo with a fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, jacuzzi tub, two TVs, etc, plus several nice pools with slides, hot tubs, two lazy rivers, and a mini golf course and still be physically on property and closer to the parks than alot of the Disney owned resorts. Unless I choose to go offsite to eat, shop, or over to Universal, I won't have to cross under that Welcome to WDW sign the whole week.
I see your point in a way, but then again in my case I prefer to rent a car anyway. I hate waiting then, dealing with the crowded buses full of screaming kids and don't have to worry about not having a seat at the end of a long day. I also love just being able to jump in the car and be at a park or resort in ten minutes or less, without having to wait for a crowded bus. I also like having a car to make a run over Walmart for a few groceries, to the outlet mall, and since I also have a Universal AP, over to Universal. I also have a WDW AP, so parking is free at both parks. I don't have a good sense of direction and always carry my GPS, but Disney makes driving so easy down there you really wouldn't need one. Signs are everywhere. I may eat lunch in the parks, but really prefer a nice quiet dinner offsite. Meals are alot cheaper offsite. Last Oct/Nov we canceled Cape May Clam Bake and instead did an all you can eat seafood buffet down there that had all you could eat lobster, as well as tons of more seafood. It was my birthday, so we each got a certain amount off and it came out alot cheaper than Cape May for more variety and better food. I'll be at Bonnet Creek in May and paying $89.60 per night for a fully equipped one bedroom condo within the Disney property and will be closer to some of the parks than if I was in a Disney owned resort. Plus will have a bedroom with a king size bed, a couch in the living room that folds out into a bed, two TVs, a jacuzzi tub, a huge shower, washer/dryer, a nice balcony, and a fully equipped kitchen with all dishes, microwave, blender, dishwasher, etc, plus will have a choice of several nice pools with pool slides, several hot tubs, two lazy rivers, a mini golf course, lots of resort activities, and if I'm not in a mood to drive, could use the BC shuttles to get to the parks. I can't see getting a third the space in a resort that's not near as nice for about the same amount of money, when both resorts are about the same distance from the parks. Actually one of the companies I requested a quote from offered me a two bedroom for the same price as the one bedroom, but he was just a tad higher (around $100.00 per night vs the $89.60 I'm currently paying) and we didn't need a second bedroom.