The problem with taking your van to the parks is that you'll have to pay for parking every day ($11 a day can be a bit much) but it's a good thing to have anyway. I would definitely stay at the Nick over a Disney value resort because there are many more things to do for kids. The character breakfasts are a lot cheaper than Disney ($10.95 for kids, $19.95 for adults) and you get to see a lot more characters. I think there were 6 different characters when we were there. And, there are different characters each day so it's never the same character experience. The pools are awesome and they have a cute little mini golf area in case you don't want to swim. I'm sure your kids will enjoy the Nick Hotel more than a Disney resort.
