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“Onsite guests are always going to get perks - and pay for it with resort costs that are too high to justify otherwise.”

Well worth the cost to stay on property, IMHO.

I’ve been many times and enjoyed each visit.

Stayed on property each time.

Cost a little more than staying on I-Drive somewhere but consider the benefits:
1) At the beginning of the day, don’t have to fight massive traffic on the highway to get to the park
2) Don’t have to park out in the parking lot’s boondocks and wait in the heat for a shuttle to take you to the park.
3) You get early access to the park
4) You can stay in some very nice on property hotels (Wilderness Lodge, The Boardwalk, The Grand Floridian, The Contemporary), and if you want a lower cost option (nosier and not as well made), you can stay in those hotels as well—and they cost as little as off property hotels
5) When younger, had smaller children and could easily take them back to the room via the in-park monorail for an air-conditioned break and nap and return when refreshed
6) Today, old guys like me can easily stop in the middle of the day and return to the room via the in-park monorail and take an air-conditioned break from the heat, crowds, noise, etc.
7) At the end of the day, burned-out and tired, don’t have to wait for a crammed shuttle to cart you off to the parking lot where your car has been baking all day—just catch the air-conditioned monorail and be dropped off at your hotel lobby
9) Don’t have to fight massive traffic leaving the parking lot
10) Don’t have to fight traffic on the highway to the hotel
11) Can watch the fireworks from the balcony of my room, while relaxing in my robe and having a drink

Staying off-property does not allow for any of those perks, and given the heat and humidity and crowds and such, a mid-day break does wonders for the Disney experience.

So, I consider the perks worth the cost.

I’ve done both, but after pricing it out this year, I can’t afford on-site (especially when a timeshare trade will cost less than $200, and I’ve got the time to trade). The objections to off-site are overblown, especially in an off-peak time:

1) Never had any problems with traffic getting in, especially if I’m arriving early for rope-drop (which I do).

2) Getting my tickets from AAA, which gives me access to their reserved, up-front parking lots.

3) EMH is the big loss, but you get around it by avoiding that particular park that day.

4) As much as I would drove to stay on site, for a family of 5 the options start at expensive and rapidly move to ridiculous. On the other hand, I will be staying in a 2BR condo with plenty of living space, a full kitchen, and laundry.

5, 6) I prefer scheduling a sit-down lunch to rest/recover, this avoids the there-and-back trips to the hotels and back through the gates. If we do get an on-site trade, I may consider park hoppers to do one park in the AM, an early afternoon break, and a second park (using the FP+) in the late afternoon/early evening.

7) See #2, and with kids aged 9, 7, and 7, with the latter two being autistic and on fairly rigid schedules, we won’t be staying until closing on any day.

8) There is NO point 8. /MontyPython

9, 10) See #7

11) If you have a park view, which is even more expensive than a regular room.

I mean, if money was no object, I’d be staying in a deluxe resort, or better yet, one of the DVC units. But it is, and I know exactly what I am trading off to stay off-site. And I’m OK with that.