When it comes to hotel accommodations and Disney World, there are typically two schools of thought: you either stay “on-site”, or you don’t. Disney World currently offers over 25 different resort options at varying price points on its property. Each resort has its own unique theme and vibe, and of course each one has that extra Disney touch.
But for every hotel on Disney property, there are probably a dozen MORE hotels to choose from off-site throughout the Orlando area. And depending on what your priorities are while you’re on vacation, it can be a tricky decision for whether or not you should stay on-site or not.
Today, we’re going to break down the biggest benefits you receive when you stay on-site at a Disney owned and operated resort hotel.
Off-Site Benefits
First, let’s establish the fact that there are definitely benefits to staying off-site. The biggest difference that you will probably notice is price. Disney charges a premium to stay in its resort hotels, and even their Value Resorts may end up costing more than staying in a relatively nice Off-Site hotel.
There are other benefits to staying Off-Site, depending on what your preferences are. If you want the comforts of home, a vacation rental may be best for your family. If you plan on seeing some of the other attractions in the Orlando area, it may be easier to navigate around the area and escape the “Disney bubble” if you’re staying elsewhere.
But the focus of today is to break down the benefits you as a guest receive by choosing to stay at a Disney World hotel. Keep in mind that some of these benefits might not make a huge difference to your family, while to others they may mean the world of a difference.
Complimentary Transportation
One of the biggest benefits to staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, especially if you only intend on staying on Disney property for your entire stay, is the complimentary transportation provided by Disney. It is extremely easy to get around from the moment you hop off the plane at Orlando International Airport (at least until this service ends on 12/31/2021 😢).
Disney’s Magical Express is Disney’s free bus transportation to and from the airport. They also used to pick up your luggage for you when you arrived and brought to the airport when you departed, so you could skip baggage claim and the checked-luggage line altogether!
Once you are at your hotel, you can choose from a plethora of transportation options. Each hotel offers bus services to the four theme parks as well as Disney Springs. Beyond that, certain hotels offer the monorail, Skyliner, boats, and even walking paths to get to the parks and Disney Springs. For most parties, there is no need for a car whatsoever when staying at a Disney Resort.
Keep in mind that you can get Uber and Lyft to travel from point A to point B, and Disney has their own ride share service called Minnie Van (though it hasn’t returned since the 2020 closures), but those services will charge you a fee. Something to keep in mind!
Four words: Early Theme Park Entry
Starting October 1st, Early Theme Park Entry will allow Disney Resort hotel guests and those at select other hotels to enter any of the four theme parks of Walt Disney World up to 30 minutes before Park opening. This offering replaces the popular Extra Magic Hours Disney World Resort guests could enjoy before the closure of 2020.
This means you get MORE bang for your buck when it comes to your park ticket. More time in the parks means more time to get on those popular rides, more time to munch on some yummy Disney snacks, and more time to grab souvenirs.
Using your MagicBand is easier than ever when staying on-site
If you book a room at a Disney World Resort hotel, you can make your vacation more convenient by getting a MagicBand. Though this device used to be complimentary with your package, guests may still want to purchase a MagicBand nowadays to take some of the stress out of their trips.
This wearable technology can be used for multiple purposes: it serves as your park ticket, room key, and credit card where you can make food and souvenir purchases and it will charge directly to your room.
If you choose to stay off-site, you may purchase a MagicBand ahead of time or when you arrive to the parks and link your park ticket so you can use your MagicBand for park entry, but you would not be able to take advantage of the room charging function, and of course you could not use it as a room key.
Disney has also introduced MagicMobile, a smartphone and wearable smart device option that performs the same functions as a MagicBand. However those familiar with MagicBands may want to stick with the lower-tech and higher-familiarity option.
You never leave the Disney bubble
This is probably the most polarizing “benefit.” Some folks really don’t want to be immersed in Disney 24/7 while on vacation. On the other hand, lots of parties are traveling to Disney World specifically because they want to be completely surrounded by the magic. If you find yourself in the latter category, then there’s really no contest: staying on-site is for you.
There’s nothing quite like the level of service provided by Cast Members at Disney World, so to receive this level of care morning and night can make a big difference.
These are the major differences to consider when deciding if you want to stay at Disney World Resort hotel or not! We hope this gives you more context when booking your hotel accommodations!
Do you prefer to stay on-site or off-site? Why is that? Let us know in the comments!
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I’d like to point out that all the stuff that are considered perks are not free. They are rolled into the room price, the ticket price, and the price for everything you buy while you are there. Disney gives away nothing. And when Disney ends perks it is not lowering the price of anything as a result. So…..the money you paid for those things now just increases their profit margin and does nothing for you. I have to wonder if the anger over these losses will result in any change of heart on Disney’s part. I doubt it. They figure DVC folks have to go to WDW and the newer guests won’t miss what they never had. But. Once you lose the love of the customers, that is hard to replace.
We have always stayed on-site except for the last time we visited. While Uber can be convenient, it’s just not the same. We don’t visit Disney every year which makes it very special and therefore we will stay on property going forward for the atmosphere and the transportation. I do feel like they are starting to cater to the tech generation and removing any flexibility or spontaneity.
I won’t repeat what other’s here have posted, but I generally agree that the perks are not worth the price anymore. I’d like to say, Disney cast members do provide GREAT service in almost all cases, but with the cut back in housekeeping services, when it’s a “No Service” day, it’s Bad Service in my book. Just to be clear, I’m not complaining about housekeeping, I’m complaining about management decisions.
I also noticed you didn’t mention the coming “Extra After Hours” that paying to stay in a deluxe resort will get you. Just another step towards segregating the “haves” and the “have nots”.
Broke, it gets you broke. There are no perks to lure me on property these days. Even if I flew to Orlando, the cost of Ubering everywhere from an offsite hotel room would still come in FAR under the cost of being on property. They’ve just gone above and beyond what makes sense. I’d rather be a little inconvenienced than have to sell a kidney to be there. I can see if it’s a once in a lifetime trip, but for people like me that have ridden down a couple of times a year for the last 25 years, we’ve been there, done that, so we can’t justify the same old trip for more and more money every single time. It starts to lose it’s shine.
If we can’t stay on property, then we don’t go! It’s so nice to park your car when we arrive and not get back in it till we are on our way home. Expensive? Yes bit worth it to us.
Isn’t it interesting and quite sad that most of the things you mentioned will no longer be complimentary? The transportation to and from the airport, help with luggage, the magic bands, and 30 minutes early in the park; that may allow you to ride one or two rides before the park opens to other guests. Really? Does the free transportation to the theme parks offset the high prices of Disney rooms? And I wonder, how long will it be before Disney starts to charge for that transportation?
Airbnb for $79 a night with a full kitchen and multiple bathrooms. Uber $30 each way so $60 and not a bus. And drop you off right at your place of stay. Bus service you may be walking another 10 to 15 min to get to your room and carry a kid or 2 that far at the end of the day is not fun. That’s $109. Again, more room and up to 6 or 9 people can stay there. Would be 2 or more rooms with that many.
That doesn’t sound like enough of a difference to warrant the high Disney Hotel prices. I can have an entire “Disneyfied” house minutes from the parks with my own pool for less than staying at the All Stars.
So… Basically the only perk right now is transportation!
After October 1 you can get into the parks 30 minutes! That is all!
Again not worth it they have taken away ALL perks to stay on property at OUTRAGEOUS prices!
I stayed at Pop Century for a short weekend getaway. My family and I went to the Magic Kingdom on July 23, 2021. THERE IS NO EARLY THEME PARK ENTEY!!! The Pop bus was the first to arrive at MK only to have to wait till 8:00am to pass over a check point. Then waited to get through security. Then waited to get through ticket area. It was about 8:30 when my we made it to Adventureland. ONLY TO COME ACROSS ANOTHER ROPE WHICH DID NOT DROP TILL 9:00am. So SURE we where in the park a half hour early but Bob Chapek doesn’t let you ride ANYTHING until the park officially opens! SO BEWARE NO EARLY ENTRY!!!
@Jen K, apparently the early admission doesn’t start until October 1st