To us, staying off property is such a downer. Aside from EMH, transportation, package delivery, Magic Band charging, etc., the BIG difference is BEING THERE 24x7. Leaving the Kingdom and reentering the mortal world every night is downright depressing; I feel like we're missing out.
On property EVERY time.
While we like the convenience and perks of onsite, we don't mind staying partly offsite one bit. The Orlando area has some really nice options. In some ways, I find the variety of multiple locations more interesting than the sameness of a whole week in one hotel room.
Especially when it = saving $100+. We've also had some very enjoyable offsite meals. I don't even mean very high end places, just non Disney food. I dunno, sometimes we find the onsite dining a bit depressingly overpriced. In the non-WDW world, we don't generally go to AYCE buffets, and while WDW's QS aren't all bad, many are a bit underwhelming.
Over many trips, we have stayed just about every where. On a recent trip, I was super impressed with a Residence Inn over by Universal. The room was just super. The place was super clean, our room was a short walk, we had a real fridge/kitchenette, and the room had awesome details. Like lots of desk space, bathroom counter, and a nightlight.
Sometimes, I confess, I find the lack of amenities at the WDW value hotels slightly depressing. Like the way the super low-flow sink, low lighting, no shave mirror, and scratchy towels. Why do the towels have to be scratchy?
For about the same price ($35more), the Residence Inn studio room is TWICE the size (539sq feet), super clean, attractive lobby, 24 hour hot beverages (convenient located), parking, and that includes a nice quality breakfast. (The All Stars non-suites are 260sq feet, or 520 for a suite that's twice the price: $300+).