Walt Disney World Resorts - staying on property
There are several different types of hotels on WDW property. They fall into four categories:
1) Value (the least expensive)
2) Moderate
3) Deluxe
4) Disney Vacation Club
The Value resorts offer the basic hotel amenities with outdoor corridors with Disney theming throughout the entire resort. Currently (as of June 2013) the value resorts include the All-Star Resorts - Movies, Music and Sports, Pop Century and Art of Animation. These resorts all include a food court as the main dining option.
The Deluxe resorts are the most expensive. These rooms are larger than the Value and Moderate and some include balconies, concierge service, full-service restaurants, and room service. The draw to stay at these resorts is not just the additional amenities but also the fact they are a stones throw away from the parks. The Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are all walking distance to Magic Kingdom AND they are located on the monorail line. The Yacht Club, Beach Club and the Boardwalk are within walking distance to Epcot. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is right next to Animal Kingdom, and some rooms have a view of the African savanna out their room window. The Wilderness Lodge is also part of the Deluxe grouping. This resort is in close proximity to Magic Kingdom.
Then there is the Disney Vacation Club (or DVC). These resorts are "reserved" for Vacation Club members, but can be booked at a premium rack rate for non-DVCer's. It is possible to rent DVC points to stay at these resorts. These resorts include 1 or 2 bedroom villa style rooms with a kitchenette, laundry and generally more room for families. If you are interested in renting points, I would recommend checking out dvcrentalstore.com, dvcrequest.com or mouseowners.com. There are also many other sites/companies that offer this service. DVC resorts include Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, Bay Lake Tower, Beach Club Villas, BoardWalk Villas, Old Key West Resort, Treehouse Villas, The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs Resort and the newly opening Villas at the Grand Floridian (scheduled to open Fall 2013).
Making your choice
There are several factors to keep in mind when making your decision about where to stay either on or off property:
- What is my budget?
- How many people are in your party? What are the ages? Any special needs?
- Do we need more than one room (ex. villa or suite)?
- Which resort amenities are important to our family?
- Do we need to rent a car?
- How are we going to spend our time? All Disney? Visiting other Orlando attractions?
These will all need to be considered when making your decision.
Advantages & Disadvantages of On-site & Off-Site Accommodations
On-site Advantages
- Transportation to and from the airport (Disney's Magical Express), to all the parks and resorts and Downtown Disney, is included with your stay on Disney property. This makes getting around really easy. Disney offers bus transportation to all the parks. Monorail and boat transportation is also available from certain resorts and parks.
- Your family is completely immersed in all the Disney Magic 24 hours a day.
- The Disney service provided by the Cast Members is amazing.
- All resorts are themed, well kept and clean. All have housekeeping and maintenance staff to handle room issues.
- Staying on property will give you the ability to purchase discounted tickets through Disney's Magic Your Way package. In addition, if you stay on property you have the ability to purchase a Disney Dining Plan (which I think is the best way to go for foodies).
- Extra Magic Hours - Disney allows all Resort guests to enter the park 1 hour early or stay at the park 1 hour later on certain days at designated parks. This will allow for your family more time to enjoy the parks.
- Guests have the ability to charge purchases to their room AND have merchandise purchased in parks delivered to their rooms.
- It is definitely more expensive than staying off-property
- Eating all on Disney property can be more expensive than eating off property
- If you are going to non-Disney attractions in the Orlando area, transportation can be more difficult if not planned ahead of time
- I have found that going from resort to resort can be difficult using Disney Transportation if you do not have a game plan prior to leaving (definitely talk to a resort cast member for the best option to get to another resort - very helpful!)
Off-Site Advantages
- You will mostly likely be able to find a resort for a cheaper price for similar amenities
- Better access to all of Orlando attractions (theme parks, restaurants, shopping, etc)
- If you do not want to be immersed in Disney 24/7
- Free breakfast - some non-Disney resorts offer free breakfast - any little bit helps, right?
Off-Site Disadvantages
- Getting to and from the parks and hopping from park to park can be more difficult. If you need a break from a day at the parks, you will have a distance to travel.
- Parking and having a rental car. All non-Disney resort guests have to pay for parking at the theme parks. In addition, sometimes the Disney parking lots are packed and parking can be tricky. I have even heard that Disney will close some parking lots during peak days.
- Off-site hotel concierge may not be as knowledgeable about the Disney parks, including park hours, events, getting from park to park, park to resort, etc.
Hopefully some of these points will help you decide whether staying on or off property is right for you. Christopher and I love staying on property. We feel that if your purposes is to go to Disney, stay at a Disney Resort and live in Walt's dream for your vacation. We have had great experiences at each of the resorts we have stayed at. In the past, we have stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort (Epcot area), Port Orleans - French Quarter (loved - so romantic; Downtown Disney area) and Pop Century (very cool for families; Downtown Disney).
Whatever you choose, your vacation will be magical!
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