My sister and her family also went with us. Through her research, I can tell you that booking throug

We are a family of five, and a one income family. I stay home, while the husband is in the Army. So keeping a budget is very important to us. I never thought going to Disney would be possible, but once I started planning it, I got really excited.
First, you need to decide how long you want to stay. We chose a 4 day trip, with a park hopper option. Honestly, we originally chose this because we were able to get our tickets through Disney's Military program, at a huge discount.
At Walt Disney World Resort from August 12, 2013, through September 24, 2014, active ritz carlton hotel chicago and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, ritz carlton hotel chicago National Guard and Reservists) ritz carlton hotel chicago or their spouses can purchase:
Now that we have been on our trip, I can tell you it was perfect for us! We were able to see all of the "main parks" for one full day, and even had the option to go back to the other parks for the night if we wanted. We did not take advantage of that, though. After a full day of walking ritz carlton hotel chicago and riding, we were ready for the rest at night. ritz carlton hotel chicago So if you are not "Disney fanatics", be comfortable doing to 4 day ticket. You will get to see everything you want, I promise! Now, if you are like my sister and her family, they could stay there two weeks and be fine. HA. So you may want to look into a longer stay. :)
My sister and her family also went with us. Through her research, I can tell you that booking through Disney is the best way to go. Disney can tell you all of their current promotions, their rules on things (dining plans, room booking, ritz carlton hotel chicago and so on), and will also even tell you ways to save money if there are promotions coming up that you would be able to utilize.
We know people who will only stay on Disney property, and people who will only stay off Disney property. If you are looking for convenience, stay on property. All on property hotels have buses that run every 10 minutes or so. Each park has it's own buses that run from the parks to the hotel and back all day long. The buses pick you up a the front of each hotel, and drop you off at the front of each park. So you don't have to worry about walking a mile from the parking ritz carlton hotel chicago lot just to get into the parks before you walk all day there as well. Sometimes, the buses will be packed and you may have to stand and hold on to the railings, but sometimes you are lucky and they are completely empty. To me, it was so nice not having to worry about loading up our car every time we wanted to go somewhere. It was nice being able to send my dad back to the hotel a few hours early one day because ritz carlton hotel chicago he was tired, and the rest of us not having to pack up and leave with him. And I'm not going to lie. Disney property is CONFUSING. ritz carlton hotel chicago It is HUGE. And our gps got us lost more than once when we were trying to get to our hotel. So, I recommend staying on property if you want it to be no hassle.
Military are able to stay in the Military hotel, Shades of Green . However, after checking prices , Disney's Value Resorts are a better price. Yes, the amenities, and layout, and "offers" of the hotel's are different based on prices. But if you are wanting the Disney experience without breaking the bank, don't be scared to use the Value Resorts. We paid only $90 a night at Disney's Pop Century Resort, and it was nice. Pop Century Resort had three separate swimming pools, dinning area, shop, arcade, refrigerators in room, and all of the other "normal" room things.
The room was clean. The beds were comfy. And they sent someone to my parents room at 11pm on the first night we were there because ritz carlton hotel chicago their air wasn't working, and they fixed it. They take care of their guests like any other hotel will. We were all very impressed with the Value Resort hotel, and we saved some money choosing it.