First Timer going in October...

[mickeymousemom]

If you want the full bucket o' Disney magic, then you really should stay onsite. As far as it being more expensive, this is not necessarily true. If you're trying to save some money, then by all means, try the value resorts. POP Century is the newest and Allearsnet.com has pictures of all the resorts. You should be able to get a value resort for well under $100 a night, as low as $79/night. There are other offsite resorts that are more than this. As nice as they may be, your kids should absolutely love the theming at any of the value resorts! Busses will be your mode of transportation to the parks, unless you drive(or rent a car). We stay at Port Orleans Riverside and take the bus all the time. My almost 3yo DD thinks its a ride and ever since we first stayed onsite(she's been 5 times since she was born ), she even gets excited about the busses at home. If you've never been to WDW, or went as child, you can't imagine how different things are. The whole resort is amazing. The magic you feel is wonderful! Yes, you(might possibly) encounter some UN-magical things while there(like rude guests and the rare rude Castmember)...ignore it and go on as it rarely happens! Also, WDW is HUGE. You can't fathom everything it's about until you are there! Regardless of that, TAKE YOUR TIME...enjoy all the details around you. It's this that makes your trip worthwhile(and lessens the chance for a meltdown). As your kids get older, and you decide to visit again, then do things you couldn't do on this trip, etc. If you should stay onsite(which, again, I highly recommend) then take your little ones back to the resort mid day for a nap or at least a resting period. You won't regret it!
As far as the Park Hoppers go, I recommend these also. You can take the monorail from the MK to Epcot and back again(which the kids will love and you can do without a hopper also) and if you go back to the room for a rest, then you can go to another park in the afternoon. I would hate to be at WDW without them.
As another poster mentioned, Allearsnet.com is a great place to get more tips, see dining menus, pictures of resorts and more. Its pretty easy to navigate, just look to the top and to your left for where you might want to go within the site!
BTW, When are you going in October? We'll be there the 22-28th. October is a great time to go! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[adhelove]

Yes you can still go in Oct with the free dining pass which is great. If you check in on Sept 30 you can go the first week in Oct and you eat for free. You don't have to stay at the deluxe resorts to enjoy the early entry, late nights and easy transportation. We love all of the All-Star resorts and have had one of the best bus services there. We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Carribbean Beach, Riverside, and Coronado and the best buses were at All-Star and Riverside. Carribbean Beach was awful so was Coronado due to how huge the resorts are. The All-Star have their own per each resort and since everyone likes to stay where it is cheaper they are always fast with their buses. We are going Sept 30 and this is our 10th trip with two kids and their favorite to stay is All-Star. We are at the movies this time for the second time. The weather is great and the crowds are so light it is great with the kids. We also love the park hopper but if your kids are young you don't have to have it. Hope this helps.
adhelove

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

We are planning to go Sept. 30 till Oct. 7 and taking advantage of the free dining plan, there's always a chance of a hurricane then so we will purchase trip insurance, as we did last year. We had rain at some point everyday (sure glad we brought the rain ponchos) but we managed to have a great time we got to do everything we planned on doing even spend a whole day in the waterpark. The dining plan works great and when it's free it's even better. We have used always used hopper passes except for our last trip we were trying to cut corners so we could fit in a 2nd trip last year. I felt more relaxed not trying to get too many things in when only attending a park for half a day. We have been to Disney several times and did'nt feel the need to try get everything in as we used to. If it seems crucial for you to see fireworks, or a parade or an outside show at a particular theme park, you may want a hopper in case it is rained out you can come back another day or night to see it. If you don't purchase the tickets with the hopper option you can add it on when you get to disney, they always make it convenient for you to spend more money, and we can't help but do it. Linda

 

[clonetothebone]

If you are only going for 5 days I would say that I would skip the park hopper. The parks won't be open as late then as they are in the summer and by the time you transport back and forth you've burned up a lot of touring time. We used them the first time and have them again for our trip in June but we are there for 9 days/8 nights when the parks stay open late so makes sense for us. Not sure if it would in your case. Anyway you do it you'll have a great time. Disney is the best!