I feel that the vacation style #1 is suited better for older people, or people with young kids. I'm 23, have no kids, and would feel crazy going back to a resort to SWIM everyday, or take a nap. I don't need a three+ hour break everyday, and honestly, the park tickets are expensive--I'm not going to waste them by going back to bed after 4 hours.
You may not need a break. But you’re also probably neurotypical and able-bodied. “Older folks” aren’t the only ones for whom slowing down and/or taking midday breaks are important, so have a care about making these kinds of assumptions. My partner and I are 30 somethings and the stereotypical same-sex couple with no kids and extra disposable income. But we also both have ADHD and anxiety, as well as physical challenges (in my case, anemia and a circulatory disorder, in hers cystic fibrosis), and commando touring in standard Florida heat with typical Disney crowds would be the death of us. It’s not pleasant at any age, as an understatement, dealing with that kind of overstimulation when your body is also overwhelmed physically.
I grew up staying at the Swan/Dolphin, rope dropping and taking midday breaks, though, and that's just what I'm accustomed to doing. Even as a young teen I hated the idea of commando touring rope drop to close, and greatly enjoyed resort time and relaxing around the Boardwalk area. And as adults on a couples trip, for us spending all day miserable and overstimulated in a park to get our “money’s worth” would be a waste. It would not be quality time for us. So that means we’re staying at the Poly on a fabulous TA discount, staying for a week, and baking plenty of resort time into our schedule. We chose the Poly for ease of transportation and the great location, so that a quick escape is only a monorail or boat ride away. Our short list included BC for similar reasons. We will lean on Lyft/Minnie Vans as needed for the rest. Being an urban dweller neck deep in the rat race who is used to the quirks of public transit in day to day life, I don't find Disney transportation to be especially terrible.
FWIW, I don’t begrudge the offsite folks, especially those with large families. Personally I would never stay at a Disney value for what they charge given the lack of amenities for the price--my family's style of travel definitely is not from the "the hotel is just a place to shower/sleep" school. But at the same time, on my last trip, when my mom and I took my teenage cousin for her first WDW trip (she’s a Florida resident), staying offsite at the Sheraton Vistana resort was an emphatic reminder that offsite just is not for me. Granted it was last minute and over a holiday weekend, so it’s maybe unfair to blame our issues with being offsite. And even a bad day at WDW is better than being at work! But it was just not the same level of enjoyment, to put it mildly. We had to commando for lack of time, and there were several times I nearly had toddler level meltdowns from being overwhelmed. The Vistana was extremely close to the parks, and probably better located than some Values/Mods for proximity, so location wasn't the issue. The issue I find with trying to break during offsite stays are the logistics involved. Typically you have one rental car--what if only some of the group wants to go back to the resort? Someone's got to stay with the kid. Yes, taxis and Uber are an option but on top of the rental car price and parking costs, suddenly the cost savings isn't all that big any more. That trip also made me realize just how much I value the Disney Bubble. Fighting traffic to get out every night was a horror show between road work and Memorial Day weekend crowds and the entire opposite of magical. And I mean, our condo was nice and comfortable but it was such a let down going back to a boring looking timeshare resort every night that resembled any generic Sun Belt condo development. Some people scoff at this and think it's silly, and that's fine, you do you! But there's just a lot of "intangibles" involved that added up to me not having nearly as much fun as our on site stays, and that's why finances willing I'll always choose that. I do agree that there is a gray area between the two extremes in the OP though. There is no one perfect style for everyone.