Offsite or Onsite?

[zsmommy85]

We are a family of 7 and plan on going for 4 days. We will be driving down and deciding whether or not to stay on site. We do not have a lot of money but really want to take our kids to Disney. I have a 8, 6, 4, 3, and 1 year old at the time of travel. We are planning to go during spring break as that is one of the only times I have off. Would it be better to stay onsite at like All star Music or stay off site? We went down there a year and half ago, just DH and I and we stayed at the Best Western and didn't mind the bus ride to the parks but that may be more difficult with so many kids. I see that All Star Music has some bad reviews, and it is more expensive than staying off site it seems.

 

[wdwrich]

Staying off site will get you a bigger place for less money, but you have to do the math both ways to see what's best for your family.
Staying off site, you will probably want to rent a car/van and will then need to pay for parking ($20) each day at the parks. Honestly, I can't imagine using the off site hotel shuttles with small children. You also won't be able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at the parks.
On site gets you free Disney transportation (including to/from the airport), no rental car and no parking fees, but will probably cost more for your room(s).

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Staying off site will get you a bigger place for less money, but you have to do the math both ways to see what's best for your family.
Staying off site, you will probably want to rent a car/van and will then need to pay for parking ($20) each day at the parks. Honestly, I can't imagine using the off site hotel shuttles with small children. You also won't be able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at the parks.
On site gets you free Disney transportation (including to/from the airport), no rental car and no parking fees, but will probably cost more for your room(s).

They're driving down, so some of that is not significant.

The big thing to consider is how you'll want to operate the logistics of naps/breaks, in my opinion. You've got a big age range, and you'll need some down time in your day. Bus back to AoA or ASMusic might be more convenient than getting back to the car, driving back to off-site, and then maybe coming back later. (You only have to pay parking once in a day, but.)

Based on the ages, another thing to consider: Are there any points in time you might want to divide and conquer? Your 4, 3 and 1 might need a midday nap. Your 6 and 8 year olds might not. On-site, it's easier to hop the shuttle back to the hotel with the breakers, and leave a parent with the go-ers. That, I think, would be my big deciding factor -- if I thought splitting up, or having the older kids stay longer/stay later, was something we might do, I'd choose on-site all the way!

 

[wdwrich]

Darn- missed the driving down part. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[tobikaye]

I would price out resorts onsite and offsite, but make sure to add in $20/day for parking on days you go to a WDW park. Then you can see if the price is there or not to make it worth staying onsite. MK parking is the only park where it can be a hassle to get to/from the parking lot. At the other three parks, it can actually be easier to just drive sometimes.

Other things to consider would be space for sleeping/naps and meals. You mention the Best Western, but have you checked in to condo or vacation home rentals? They may give you necessary bedrooms for different sleeping habits plus a full kitchen. Some vacation homes even have their own private pool.