Forget the Annual Passes unless you will be visiting WDW for at least 8 days within a 365 day period. Otherwise, the park hoppers are usually easily the best deal.
For a trip of a full week or longer, staying offsite can save you considerable $$$. And we LOVE the added luxuries (separate bedroom & bath for the kids, inroom jacuzzi, washer/dryer & full kitchen) at the nicer offsite resorts.
Most of the time, we stay offsite, not wanting to pay Disney's inflated rates for longer trips with our family size (5 people who only fit in Deluxe or Home Away From Home). We sometimes add a couple of nights at an onsite at the end of the trip, sometimes not. Newer offsite resorts have gotten quite luxurious and the ones we've enjoyed have been far, far superior to Disney's All Stars, at similar prices.
Now for a shorter trip, such as yours, staying onsite at a value or moderate (depending on your family's size and children's ages) may simply make more sense, especially since you won't have a car. You will likely barely spend any time in your room at all, on a short first-time visit, so don't bother with a deluxe, if your family will fit into a value room. The onsite transportation is fairly convenient, given that it comes frequently (not as convenient as a rental car at your room but not bad, since most parking lots are spread out from the rooms anyway - offsite does better with this too). If you want a pleasant ambiance, go with a moderate - nicer landscaping, slightly larger room, hot tub and slide at the main pool areas and more theme than gaudy primary colors and oversized coke cups!
LOL! These are JMHO and others may differ!
