Stay off site or on to save money?!

[Kasarahh]

Hello, new here! First post, so looking to get as much help and incite as I possibly can. I've never been to DW and planning a trip Sept 14-18 or 19 2014.
We recently decided we're also moving to Tennessee from Pennsylvania June 2014, so our budget just took a big hit.

I'm trying to decide if staying off site at a "Choice Hotel" and just buying the park tickets will be cheaper then staying on site at POR.

We have 5 in my family, my husband and I, a (at the time of travel) 5yr old, 3 yr old, and 2 yr old. I was counting on the free dining discount in September when we go and planned to upgrade to the deluxe dining so we wouldn't have to worry about food expenses. I've figured it out to be a $647 dollar difference, not counting food for staying off site.

In your opinions, would it be smarter to stick with on site rather then staying off site and having to pay for the food right out??

Any other ideas would be helpful.
PS- We're driving. Also, is it possible to find discount tickets and where can I find them?

 

[1000HappyWishes]

Technically, you could stay on-site at a cheaper value resort at WDW, as your two year old wouldn't count as a person by Disney's standards. You could get a pack-n-play for him and you could all stay in a value, which normally sleep four, but your 2 year old won't count as a room resident yet. Well, at least until they hit three.

 

[nalajms]

You really have to do the numbers. It depends how good of a deal your off site hotel is compared to the on-site offers.

You can book the Disney room and wait for free dining and cancel at any time. Also, paying for the upgrade to deluxe might not be worthwhile unless you really eat a lot and willing to plan out all your table service meals! When we buy deluxe dining, I always feel like we schedule things around meals.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I agree that you really need to do some number crunching and see what works out better for your family. Also consider your vacation style/preferences, what type of trip you want/what your park touring plans are, and whether or not transportation will be a factor. Since this is your family's first ever Disney vacation plus you plan on going during a time period when free dining will most likely be offered and the resort rates are lower (fall season), staying onsite may work out well for you budget wise if you stay at a value resort with free dining. This is because during your time of travel your youngest child will be two years old and will not need a park ticket or count towards your room occupancy which will allow you to stay in one room during your trip since you will be considered a family of four plus a baby. I would also reconsider upgrading to the deluxe dining plan which may be a bit much with several young children as that includes three meals (table service or counter service) and two snacks per day which is a lot of food and potentially a lot of dining reservations to keep up with; plus you have to also factor in the additional cost of gratuities for each table service meal. If you decide to stay at a value resort, I would stick with the free quick service dining plan or upgrade to just the regular dining plan with the one table service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack per day. As far as getting discounted park tickets goes, if you get the free dining package the hotel and park ticket portions of your package will not be discounted. If you wanted to get your park tickets discounted you can purchase them separately through an authorized seller such as Undercover Tourist then book your Disney resort hotel with a room only discount promotion (depending on what Disney offers) and pay out of pocket for your meals instead of getting the dining plan. But again, since this will be your family's first Disney trip and you are traveling when free dining will most likely be offered it may be more practical for your family to just take advantage of the free dining promotion this time around. Good luck with your plans