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I've never been, but I'd look to see what room options that DW offered. If they had a suite of some sort, I'd go with that option over the condo!

I freaking love condos with toddlers. But if I could get a two-room suite type hotel room, I'd do that in a heartbeat!

I would stay on property for sure. I haven't been with kids yet, but it was so easy. You'll also get to benefit from the perks of extended hours.

@sunshineandsushi: haha... I just remembered a post on the blog and filed it away for future reference.

http://www.hellobee.com/2014/09/09/art-of-animation-resort-review/

We are thinking about this too and I am leaning towards a Disney resort with the monorail.

We are planning on a trip next fall and we will be staying on the property. I will never do Disney and not stay on the property. Have fun!!!

Ps: the dining plan is fantastic if you plan to stay at Disney.

@sunshineandsushi: We loved Art of Animation. Great choice! Our toddler especially loved it, so many life sized characters!

We don't have kids yet (#1 coming in August) but we go to Disney a lot (also FL residents, live 3 hours away), and we ALWAYS stay on property... whenever we don't, I regret it the whole time!

That being said, I can definitely see the appeal of having a much larger space in a condo with kids, and I know there are many that are very close by.

BUT, if you're going to spend a lot of time at Magic Kingdom, I think it's really nice to be at Disney resort. If you take the bus from the hotel, they will drop you off right in front of the park. If you drive from offsite, you have to park, then take a tram to the Ticket and Transportation Center, then take a ferryboat or monorail to the park. It takes FOREVER, and especially if you want to take afternoon breaks, catching the bus is so much easier.

Also remember to factor in the cost of parking. We do still drive to some of the parks when we stay on property (i.e., Epcot) because it's usually faster than the bus, but parking is FREE if you're staying at a Disney resort. Otherwise it's $17 a day.

I also find that generally, the Disney resorts (although overpriced) are always extremely clean and safe - you ALWAYS know what you're going to get and if you have a problem, they are going to fix it ASAP. I have stayed at some crappy off-site places that smelled like smoke, stuff was broken, dirty, staff unresponsive, etc.

We spent one night this weekend at All Star Music. It was super overpriced because of Spring Break (I think about $140), but when you factor in 2 days of parking ($34), plus to stay at even a so-so offsite place is probably $70 or $80, and even those places, you don't know what you're getting... well, it made sense for us.

I'll be there in the fall as well! The resort has a ton of advantages. We are staying at a hotel a mile off site for free in points so we will taxi on property everyday and taking the free shuttle back each night. We were seriously considering the resort but my first choice was taken. Heck, I'm still considering booking a resort but most likely I will keep my plans as is. By the way for most people taxi is not an option but we have a little safety vest that takes the place of a car seat so that works for us.

Oh a huge resort advantage is that you get free magic bands and you can book your fast passes 30 days before the general public that has regular tickets- at the 60 day mark.

I think you cannot beat the convenience of staying on site at disney! Free transportation to all the parks, they have a very extensive bus service. And it really does continue the magic!