Here's our experience with the Disney-area hotels.
We used to stay at the Ramada Maingate (now Grand Legacy) when we first started bringing the kids when they were young (starting 2003). The prices then were fantastic, but they continued to raise the price until we were priced out. The pool was good for the kids (although it felt like it was never heated) and the continental breakfast got us by until we ate our early lunch in the parks. My only complaint was how noisy the hotel was. The walls were so thin that we could hear conversations from next door, and when the people upstairs would come in late at night it would sound like a herd of elephants. Yet one year we found you got what you paid for when we booked too late and had to get one of their more expensive rooms. It was like night and day - quiet, clean, more fancy and spacious.
A few years ago we stayed at BWPPI. I loved the location, the sit-down hot buffet breakfast. The room was ok, but we hated the miniscule pool. My biggest beef was that no one told me when I called to book the room that we had to pay to park. Not only that, we also MUST move our car by 3:00 pm the day of check out or be towed! I found that out at check-in. So I had the double-whammy of paying to park at the hotel and at Disney. I'll never stay there again.
We stayed one year at the GCH villas as a treat from a friend who let us purchase her DVC points. That was amazing!
For this summer's trip we booked at a good rate at the Camelot, but when we had to change the reservation a week later we were charged $20 extra a night. Now I'm going to try and find somewhere else that might be cheaper, if I can. This will be our last trip to Disney because of how expensive it is - we've been priced out of going anymore. I'm so sad about it. So much for my college days when we could get in for $18.00! We're using my Disney Visa points for our tickets, which is the only way we can afford the side trip here (we'll already be in California to visit family).