lake compounce: Stay inside the park at the Value hotels, the (disney all stars) or stay outside at the Hyatt regency, gaylord palms (or something similar). Will be going in July, this is the second time going, what do you recommend?|||I vote for on site ionly f you can get a good rate that complete trounces any others. With the ages of your kids, on-site may not be as big of a deal as a good pool and I'm not big on the pool areas of the values. I do know that Gaylord Palms has been offering some good deals lately - you may want to check to see if these are extending into July. I think on site is great for the transportation, to be totally immersed in Disney, and for some great atmospheres....I'm just not convinced that the values provide that and, for the rate you'll pay, you could get a nicer lodging experience. Yes, the trade off is driving more but if you're driving to other parks regardless it seems this is not quite the issue it may otherwise be. As much as I love the World I'd vote off site.....|||Staying inside the park and outside the park are really two separate experiences. If you have small kids, and/or if your focus for the trip is Disney, you will be much better off staying inside the park even if the accommodations aren't as luxurious. You will more than make up for it in reduction of hassle getting to/from the park (shuttles, etc. no parking), and other package offerings such as early admission passes, character breakfasts, special features at the resorts, etc. Think about the convenience of being able to leave and return during the days, especially with little ones for naptime, etc. or even splitting up with some staying at the theme park while other family members take a break at the hotel--that would be next to impossible if you are staying across town. If you want to see the rest of Orlando, stay outside the park and do Universal Studios and/or other area attractions instead. I would highly recommend this option if a) you've been to Disney before b) your kids are tweens/teens c) you would like some variety to the trip. You will probably save money that way as well. Stay somewhere on or around International Boulevard, and you will be in the heart of all other attractions besides Disney.|||Stay in the park at the value resorts. You get so many amenities and perks from the Disney resorts it is worth it. I however with the ages of your kids I would say the Pop Century resort, or go up a step to the moderate resort level, like the Caribbean Beach Club. Those resorts are much more apprecieated by older visitors. As I said, you get so many perks. Your kids will most certainly take advantage of the extra magic hours, where one park is open late and one early for resorts guests only. Free transportation to all the parks, and free transportation to and from the airport. Hope this helps, have a great trip.|||INSIDE THE PARK! It is such a pain to get around when you are outside Disney property. If you do a Disney resort you will be picked up at the airport, you can charge to your room and have any packages bought in Disney delivered to your resort. You can do extra hours at the parks. Which is a great time to get on rides. You can add on the dining package which I highly recommend. We did the regular dining package it saved us money and was plenty of food for us. Your vacation will be so much better, save time if you stay in Disney|||The best reason to stay on Disney Property is that you get to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. It is well worth it. The value resorts are nice for families. We have stayed at one twice. Another good reason is that the transportation to the parks works fairly well. If you are driving or rent a car, you park for free at the parks. Which is about 10 bucks. We have only stayed on property for these reasons. When we go to DW we like to immerse ourselves into it. You can only do that if you stay on property. Have fun!|||Stay onsite!!! Staying at a Disney resort (even a Value) is definitely worth it. The rates are excellent, and you get free transportation (you don't have to pay to park). Catching a bus and getting around via monorail, boat, etc is much better than driving, parking, etc. :-)|||^^^ I agree with doc and ark ^^^ The Gaylor would be nice but staying on Disney property is much better. It comes down to your decision ask the hotel you want to stay at if they have free shuttles to the parks. Taxi can get costly. So is parking at each park.|||Stay onsite. You get the extra magic hours. You also get easier access to the parks. You don't want to park again and drive back into Disney World again and again. The hotels are also a lot nicer on site.|||if ur kids r THAT old, stay at Gaylord Palms. GREAT hotel!|||Are you planning on renting a car? If you are, this is what I reccomend. Stay at the Disney value resorts. Staying at a Disney resort is not only fun ( they're fun to walk around and look at ) but it saves you money in the long run. Parking at Disney is expensive. DIsney has four parks. If you go to each of those parks every day with your rent-a-car, you have to pay for parking every single time you go in. There's no sticker that says "I already paid for parking today!" - you have to pay every time. Granted, you could always park in one place and hop on the busses once you're in there, but it's so much easier to just not even bother. Disney resort guests also get awesome perks. They get to get into the parks early, stay in the parks late, and get dropped off at the Magic Kingdom gate instead of the Ticket and Transportation center. That means no crowded monorail. They can also use their room keys as credit cards, and if you buy something you can have it sent to your room. Also if you buy a refillable mug, you can fill it with anything you want for free the entire time you stay in the hotel. Soda, coffee, water, tea, milk, anything. There's also tons of awsome resteraunts near Disney. There's some great ones near Universal, too, but Universal is only about 7 exits up I-4, and they stop charging for parking after a certain time. ( I want to say around 6 ). Also, if you stay on Disney property, you can take the busses to whatever Disney park you want and not have to pay ANYTHING for parking. Definite PLUS! You'll still have to pay for parking at Universal, but Universal takes one day, maybe two. It's way better than paying out the butt like you'd pay at Disney if you drove to each park. That's my reccomendation. If you're really set on staying OUTSIDE of Disney, you could always drive to Downtown Disney, park there, and catch the bus from there to avoid paying for parking. However, it's really more of a pain in the butt than necessary. Since you're going in July, remember that a lot of the parks fill up to capacity on the 4th of July. Be careful! Below are some links I think that will help you make your decision. Good luck!