The hotel you choose to stay at can really enhance your Orlando holiday. From a hassle-free journey to the theme parks in the morning to a beautifully clean room to return to in the evening, when you’re spending a large portion of your holiday budget on your accommodation you want to make sure it’s perfect.
A Disney Resort hotel is sure to be one that will make your holiday the best that it can be, so here are 12 reasons why a stay at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will always be worth the money.
1. Close proximity to the Disney Parks
If you want to roll out of bed in the morning and head straight into the Disney Parks as soon as possible, staying at a Disney Resort hotel is your best option. With over 25 Disney Resort hotels spread out across the whole of Walt Disney World Resort, it’s easy to choose a hotel that’s close to your favourite park so you’re never too far away from all the thrills. Some hotels, like Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, are even so close you could have a view of one of the parks from your window!
Being so close to the theme parks doesn’t only have its advantages when you’re hurrying to make it to rope drop though. When you’re returning to your hotel, whether that’s for a quick nap and dip in the pool after lunch or for a good night’s sleep after a full day of fun, you’ll never have too long to wait until you can put your feet up for a well-deserved rest.
2. Free transportation
When you stay at a Disney Resort hotel, there are multiple free options for getting to and from the Theme Parks. Every hotel offers complimentary bus services to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Water Parks as well as Disney Springs (where you can get another shuttle to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water Parks).
Certain hotels also offer additional transportation options, including monorails, boats and the Disney Skyliner.
3. Online check-in
Once you’ve made your Disney Resort hotel booking you can use your Disney booking reference number to link your reservation to your My Disney Experience account. This will make things even easier once you arrive at Walt Disney World Resort as you’ll be able to do online check-in directly on the app. This will tell you your room number as soon as it is ready and you can then even use your phone to open your door!
4. You can make your Disney Park Pass Reservations earlier
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World Resort in Florida before January 9th 2024, you’ll need to make a Disney Park Pass Reservation to enter the Disney Theme Parks on each day of your stay. With a Walt Disney World Resort ticket-only booking, you can only make your Park Pass Reservations once you have paid your balance in full, but with a hotel package you can begin making your reservations as soon as your booking has been confirmed. At the busiest times of the year, some of the parks have been known to reach full capacity, so we’d always recommend making your reservations as soon as possible.
5. Early Entry to the Disney Theme Parks
Every morning, Disney Resort hotel guests can enter the Disney Parks up to 30 minutes before they officially open*. This gives you a head-start on your day to ride some of your favourite attractions with shorter wait times or make the most of there being fewer guests to get some great shots for your holiday photo album (and your Instagram of course).
6. Extended Evening Hours for select Disney Resort hotels
If you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort hotel or a Deluxe Villa, you can maximise your time in the Disney Theme Parks even further with Extended Evening Hours at select parks on select nights*. You’ll be able to experience select attractions, shop for that must-have merchandise and keep on snacking well into the evening once other guests have gone home.
7. You can make your advanced dining reservations earlier
Advanced dining reservations become available for all guests starting 60 days before your visit to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. But, while ticket-only guests need to make their reservations one day at a time, hotel guests can make reservations for the first 10 days of their stay all in one go. This gives you the best chance of getting a reservation at your preferred time for some of the more popular dining locations at the resort like Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park and Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
8. Resort Refillable Mugs
If there’s one thing we love, it’s getting value for money, and purchasing a refillable mug on the first day of your stay will definitely give you that. Once you’ve bought your mug you’ll benefit from free refills of as many soft drinks, coffees, teas and hot chocolates as you can drink, at any of the quick-service restaurants at the Disney Resort hotels, for your entire stay. The mugs are covered in fun Disney-themed designs so this makes for the perfect souvenir to take home with you as well.
9. Additional activities for guests of all ages
The fun doesn’t have to stop when you leave the parks if you’re staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Throughout the day and into the evening there are a number of free and paid activities for guests of all ages to take part in, like quizzes and dance parties by the pool, crafts, scavenger hunts and Movies Under the Stars.
10. You can make your Individual Lightning Lane selections earlier
In addition to the paid Disney Genie+ service, each park has at least one attraction available for Individual Lightning Lane selection. These are currently Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle / Run Presented by Enterprise at Magic Kingdom Park, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
These Individual Lightning Lanes are available for all guests however those staying at a Disney Resort hotel can make their selections from 7am, while other guests have to wait until the park opens. These are available on a first-come-first-serve basis so you can get the best availability when staying onsite.
11. You can charge your purchases to your room
If you have a Disney band linked to your hotel booking on your My Disney Experience account you can use this to pay for your purchases in the parks. This will then just be added to your bill at the end of your stay and you won’t have to worry about carrying around cash or payment cards while you’re enjoying the attractions. This is also a great option for younger members of your party who might not have their own payment cards.
12. You never have to leave the ‘Disney bubble’
Incredible theming and outstanding hospitality are just two of the things that Walt Disney World Resort is known for, and when you stay at a Disney Resort hotel you never have to leave this behind. From the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, there will be Cast Members on hand to add extra magic to your day and help in any way they can. And whether you’re looking for subtle Disney touches at a hotel like Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge or a fully themed room at a hotel like Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, there will always be a touch of Disney magic in the room.
And if that wasn’t enough, here’s an additional benefit to staying at a Disney Resort hotel: book now for select stays in 2024 and you’ll receive up to $2,100 dining and merchandise credit per room, 14 park days for the price of 7, and a Disney gift card worth up to $300 per booking^!
Find out which Walt Disney World Resort hotel is right for you and book your hotel and ticket package today!
*A Park Pass Reservation is required in addition to valid park admission for Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours through January 8th 2024
^T&Cs apply. Subject to availability.
