“Hotels Are for Sleeping and Nothing More” — And That’s Why I’ll Never Book a Deluxe Disney World Hotel Again

Hotels have been a major part of Walt Disney World since the very beginning, as the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts opened with the resort on October 1st, 1971. Over the years, nearly 30 themed Disney hotels have been built across several resort tiers — with countless others planned and left on the drawing board for various reasons — all of which have become beloved by generations who’ve visited.

Over the last 30+ years, I’ve stayed at various levels of Disney myself, and getting lost in the thematic magic of the Disney bubble is a major part of the appeal of a Disney World vacation to me. However, not everyone feels like that. Recently, we reached out to our readers asking about their dream Disney hotel stay over on our Facebook page, and one answer caught us off guard.

When prompted about their dream hotel stay, many readers gave answers that seem expected. Reader Alexandra told us, “Either Wilderness Lodge, because I think the theming is amazing and love a boat ride to MK or Beach Club because we love the Skyliner, EPCOT, and Stormalong Bay!!”, while reader Robert expressed a near 50-year-old dream, writing “The Contemporary — been wanting to stay in the main building since I first saw it in 76.”

Other readers gave answers like the Polynesian Village Resort…

… the Animal Kingdom Lodge…

… and the Riviera Resort.

However, reader Mark gave a very different response. He bluntly wrote, “I don’t have one, hotels are for sleeping and nothing more… put me on a semi-comfortable cot in a bare room and I’ll be happy… I’m spending my Disney vacation, y’know, at Disney.” While that thought process certainly doesn’t apply to every Disney Adult, myself included, I would be wrong to say it doesn’t make sense for some Disney World guests.

Many of the pros to staying at a Deluxe Tier Disney hotel — including larger rooms with more spacious accommodations, large themed pool areas, varied dining options, and intricately detailed properties that can be just as worthy of exploration as the resort’s theme parks — are beneficial to those who are going to be spending time at their hotel. For these guests, splurging a bit on a Deluxe hotel makes sense.

However, those who plan to go hard at the theme parks — we’re talking going from rope drop to close — likely won’t enjoy many of those pros. In fact, if one is planning on not taking advantage of these amenities, they can become a con in the sense that they’re some of the main reasons that Deluxe Resorts cost so much more than Disney’s Value Resorts. So, for guests simply looking for a bed — or a “semi-comfortable cot” — it probably makes sense to do a lower-tier Disney hotel.

Furthermore, many perks that would be valuable to guests solely focused on visiting the parks, including complimentary transportation and Early Theme Park Entry, which allows guests to get a “30-minute jump on their Disney day” at all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks, are available to Disney Hotel guests at all tiers.

However, it should be noted that one major perk that would be valuable to “rope drop to close” theme park guests who want to spend their “Disney vacation, y’know, at Disney” is exclusive to Deluxe Resort guests: Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. This perk allows guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels or Disney Deluxe Villas to “enjoy extended evening hours—experiencing select attractions, shops and dining after regular park hours—in select theme parks on select nights.”

In the end, determining if a Disney hotel splurge is truly “worth it” is entirely dependent on what kind of vacation a guest wants to have at the “Most Magical Place on Earth. Stay tuned to AllEars for further Disney travel tips, and if you’re interested in sharing your thoughts on this, or any other Disney or travel-related topic, follow us on the AllEars Facebook to join in on the next conversation!

I Can’t Be the Only Disney Adult Who Thinks About This Abandoned Hotel in the Middle of the Night

What tier of Disney hotel is most “worth it” to you? Let us know in the comments below.

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