I decided to do a real life comparison of staying on-site at Walt Disney World vs staying off-site for our family to give some idea why I think staying off-site is so compelling. I understand that it's not for everybody, but I hope it at least helps make it more reasonable.
First, some background. We are a family of 5. We like to go in May, which is generally considered low or mid season depending on who you ask. We home school so we can beat the rush of summer crowds and the summer heat. Also, for this trip I decided to look at taking a big trip to Orlando of 2 weeks. That doesn't mean we'll go to the Disney parks for 14 days, though. We'll do Sea World and take some days just to relax and swim at our resort (where ever that turns out to be). I didn't worry about pricing tickets since it'll cost the same either way.
So let the challenge begin...
First up, let's go to the Disney web site and see what we can get. After I disregarded all the deluxe resorts, which were starting at $370/night, my choices were narrowed down to Port Orleans, Riverside at $155.00 per night. That comes to $2,170.00 for the 2 weeks. Amenities include: two double beds, table and chairs, ceiling fan, vanity area with two sinks, and bathroom, views of a garden, courtyard, woodland, or parking area. Non-smoking and disabled-accessible rooms are available, in-room wall safe, voice mail, and coffeemaker, hairdryer and iron and ironing board are available upon request. You also get a first class resort. The theming is amazing! Old Man Island is a wonderful swimming pool. The last time we stayed here we spent a whole day of our vacation at the resort. So, this is not a bad deal at all. Also included are some extras like Extra Magic Hours and free transportation. (Although rumor has it that Disney is cutting back on buses to save fuel costs causing many guests to start using their own cars.) I added in the basic meal plan since I figure it's probably the cheapest way to eat if you're staying on-site. This may not be the case, but I'm not sure how you can do much better.
So how does off-site compare? I didn't want to spend a lot of time looking, but within about 15 minutes I was able to find this house using one of the links on my page of links to sites that list off-site rentals. The cost for this house is $109.00 per night in May. That makes the total $1,526.00. Amenities included are: 3 bedrooms (Queen bed, twin/single), 3 bathrooms, private pool, 42" flatscreen tv, PS/2 game station in kids bedroom, full kitchen. Windsor Hills, the community where this townhouse is located, also has a great community pool, playground, free cinematic theater, and is literally 5 minutes from Disney.
The extra money you spend on gas and parking is more than offset by the money you save on food. It's harder to budget for food, which is one of the things a lot of people like about the dining plan - it's a set amount already paid for (or at least it used to be). Anyway, I budgeted for breakfast at home, a CS meal at the parks and eating out for dinner. In all, If figure it costs us about $1,300.00 less to stay off-site.
You have to decide for yourself if the difference in location, ambiance, and extras is worth the difference in cost. For us, it's a no-brainer because we actually prefer the location. Like I said, I understand that many people don't want to have a "house" when they on vacation. They want maid service. They want to be on Disney property and they don't want to drive. However, we like having a kitchen so we don't have to eat Disney food 3 times a day. We like driving so we don't have to wait for buses. We like having our own private pool so that we don't have to pack up and go to the pool - although it's nice to have a really cool community pool to go to also. Someplace like Windsor Hills is really having your cake and eating it, too.
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