There are a lot of perks to staying on Disney property. The biggest benefit is not having to drive to the parks. Disney's elaborate bus system will transport you from any park you want to go to from an hour before the park opens until everyone is out of the parks at the end of the night. Each resort has bus stops where you'll wait till the bus arrives that is going to the park or waterpark you want, or to Downtown Disney. Wait time can vary but is usually not more than 10 or 15 minutes. The length of time on the bus varies depending on what resort you're at and what park you're headed to. Another perk to staying on-site is early entry and extra magic hour. Each day one park opens an hour early and a different park stays open late just for Disney resort guests. For the evening extra magic hour you'll need a wrist bracelet which they begin giving out around 7 p.m. inside the entrance to the park. Be sure you have your resort room key which doubles as your park pass because they'll want to see it before you get a wrist band. One of my favorite perks is having my gift shop purchases sent back to my room so I don't have to lug them around the park all day. Just ask at the checkout counter! Disney allows you to do this up until one day before your departure. If you purchase something in a gift shop on Friday and have it sent to your room, you'll get a voicemail message sometime Saturday letting you know your package has arrived and can be picked up in the gift shop. Disney's Magical Express free transportation to and from the Orlando airport is another resort guest benefit. The Disney Dining Plan offers you all-inclusive food and beverage options during your stay and that too is just for resort guests. Another perk is that at each resort's food court, Disney has a refillable mug you can buy for $12.99 and refill as much as you wish with coffee, tea, soda and water. This savings really adds up when you're vacationing for a week or more.
Another perk is that your room key also serves as your park pass. It's plastic like a credit card and you can use it to charge any purchases in the parks, gift shops and restaurants, as long as you give Disney a credit/debit card for your purchases to be charged to when you check in. At the end of your stay, Disney will charge that card with the total for your purchases and you will get a printout of your charges.
Another perk of staying on Disney property is that once you're name and address is in their system, you've got a chance they'll contact you via mail or e-mail with a code for a discounted room rate.
Where else could you stay and get all these perks?