Staying At WDW

Walt Disney World is a huge complex of resorts. For this particular trip we are not staying on WDW property. My favorite resorts to look at and plan for another trip are the Contemporary (my boyfriends absolute favorite!), Pop Century, and the All-Star Movies. I'd like to look at more upscale resorts but I simply can't afford them at this time. Since we have 9 people going to WDW with us this November we opted to rent a house which is a much more budget friendly way to enjoy the trip. We rented a house through a vacation home rental company and managed to snag a 6 bedroom 5 bathroom house with a pool & spa for a little over $1500. Now that doesn't include our tickets but if you split the cost between 9 people it's not much.
I like renting a house because you get more privacy, a full kitchen (make food to save money!), our own private pool & spa, and we have more room to relax. I would like to stay at a WDW resort because of the excellent service, themed rooms and the proximity to the parks. I also think staying on site would just be a lot of fun! Each option has it's own perks and let downs. I chose a house this time based on cost and we were able to have my sister and boyfriend along for the trip. Another option we considered but quickly threw out was a hotel room with a kitchenette.
There are many options to choose from when traveling to WDW. You must figure out what your needs are before you can make the right decision. You'd have to consider the following to make an informed decision; Budget, Party size, special needs of any member of your party, proximity the parks, options you'd like to have available to you.
Our party size is 9 people. My mother will be in a wheelchair, my son is young so he will need down time throughout the trip. Our budget will be very strict, we must stick within out budget or else we may go further into debt. Obviously with the our constraints a house would be best. We can cook some meals at the house, keep snacks readily available, we have a pool & spa for relaxation and fun, and the house is large enough that my mother can sleep when she needs to and can have more room for when she decides to stay at the house while we're at the parks.