Hey, Jessica! My family and I have stayed mostly at the WDW resorts, but we also have stayed in a hotel outside of the property. I'm not going to kid you...it's just more trouble to stay off property. There are more steps to take. For instance, when you exit a park, Disney transportation is only a few steps away to take you to your resort. When you're staying off property, you must first take some type of transportation to your car. Then, you load everyone in the car to head back to your hotel. Other hotels and resorts may have transportation to the WDW property, but they can't get as close to the gates. They have designated spots in the parking lot, and in turn, you must load the Disney transportation (tram, monorail, boat) to get back and forth to the parks. In addition, their times are not as convenient nor run as frequently or consistently as Disney transportation. (Have you noticed my obvious bias for Disney resorts?)
Depending upon your situation with your current reservation, I would recommend comparing your hotel choice with that of a
Disney Resort....especially since you'd like to return for nap time! If you do choose to stay off property, plan on spending approximately 30 minutes (depending on crowds and where you're parked) getting from a park exit to your car and then add on travel time. In addition, it may take you a similar amount of time using transportation provided by off-property hotel.
If you need to stick with your current reservation, I would advise staying at the parks and letting the little ones nap in the strollers and turn in early each night. Otherwise, you might be disappointed in the amount of time you're wasting traveling back and forth to your hotel. If you have more questions, please let me know. Best wishes as you make your plans, and I hope you have a wonderful day and a magical vacation!