Benefits to Staying at a Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World is a top choice on my list of places to vacation; I have visited Disney on over 20 different occasions, from when I was a newborn to most recently on my honeymoon. When I was younger, my dad would typically house us in one of the many hotels in the Orlando area. His reason for selecting a hotel other than an on-property Disney Resort was because it appeared to save a bit of money - which is always a good thing considering how expensive a Disney World vacation can be.

But, when I was about seven years old, we stayed at one of the Disney hotels and ever since then, I've considered myself a bit of a Disney Resort snob. We have not even thought about staying off-property since, and I'm not sure if I would go to Disney if I were not able to stay on-property. I would wait until I was able to get in to a Disney Resort (they book up quickly), and continue to save for a magical vacation because there are a number of benefits to staying on property.

Of course, hotel price is (and should) be a major concern when you budget for your vacation. Disney has that covered no matter if you have a tight budget or all of the money in the world to spend. Disney has varying rates depending on their "seasons" - value, peak, and holiday. Value seasons can be one of the best times to go as the crowds are low and the rates are very affordable, but those times typically fall during school periods - so, it may not be ideal for a family with children.

With resorts starting as low as $89.00 a night for value season (sometimes lower, depending upon deals) and going as high as you can possibly imagine (there are special rooms, suites, and vistas that can run thousands of dollars a night), there is something to suit everyone. You can still find hotels in the area surrounding Disney World for $20.00 (or more) less per night, but when you consider driving to Disney and then paying for parking, those extra costs add up quickly and can easily become more than the little bit extra you will pay to stay at Disney.

The Disney Resort pixie-dust magic begins as soon as you step off of your plane in to the Orlando International Airport. Any Disney guest staying on-property can take advantage of Disney's Magical Express. This special service begins when you check in at the Disney Resort counter (easy to find from any terminal; just follow the Disney signs.) After checking in with the passes you will be sent in the mail (from Disney, prior to your vacation), you will be greeted by your first cast members. (This is what Disney calls their employees.) The cast members will usher you in to a line for a bus that will pick you up and take you directly to the lobby of your Disney hotel.

We have arrived in Orlando at all hours of the day, and even during mid-afternoon when the check-in for this bus service is jam-packed, the longest we have waited is 30 minutes for a bus. I would much rather stand in a line, chatting with people that are heading to Disney and those who work there, than having to head over to a car rental desk and pick up a car, then figure out how to get to my hotel. Once you are onboard the large, comfortable tour bus, a DVD containing tips for your vacation will play and build up your excitement even more. Before you know it, at the end of the DVD, you will be arriving at your Resort.

The best part about this service? You do not have to mess with baggage claim at all. When you are sent your bus vouchers in the mail, you will also be sent bright, yellow tags to attach to your luggage. The Disney Resort staff will get your bags from the plane and have them delivered to your hotel within a few hours. So, if there is nothing you immediately need out of your luggage, they will take care of it all for you. Or, if there is a bag you do not want them to pick up, you can just not attach the yellow tag, pick up your bag at baggage claim, and then head to the Magical Express counter to check-in. We have done this both ways; when we fly in during the morning, afternoon, or early evening, we let the Magical Express pick up our luggage for us. By the time we get checked-in, walk around our hotel, get something to eat, and head to a theme park or to Downtown Disney (for some shopping and dining), our luggage is always in the room. But, if we are taking a late flight in to Orlando, as we did on our honeymoon, we pick up our bags ourselves and take them with us to the check-in counter. We have never had problems either way.

On the day of your departure from Disney, you will also be picked up at your hotel at a designated time (they will put a note on your door the day before check-out) and taken back to the airport. On that day, many airlines allow you to check-in for your flight in your hotel lobby; if you do that, you can also check your bag there and they'll take care of getting it to the plane for you. Or, if you have a later flight and want to hold on to your bags, but still have some time to hit up a few last minute rides at a park, you can have your luggage stored at your hotel's Magical Express counter (typically, located right outside the hotel lobby's front doors.)

Also, all vacationers staying at a Disney Resort typically have one of the parks available to them an hour before the park opens to the general public, and additional hours at one of the parks every night (also only available to Disney Resort guests). An hour or two may not sound like much extra time, but if you plan wisely you can get on a handful of the major theme park rides before the lines start forming during regular park hours. During a Christmas visit in 2007, my family and I arrived at the Magic Kingdom at about 4:00PM. On this day, the park closed its gates to the general public at 7:00PM but stayed open to resort guests until 9:00PM. With just those two hours and much smaller crowds than during regular operating hours, we were able to see and do in a five hour time frame what used to take all day to accomplish.

On-property guests also enjoy a free transportation system; this includes riding the monorail (connecting all Magic Kingdom Resorts to Magic Kingdom), a boat system (wherever applicable), and a bus system available at any Disney location. If you stay at a Disney Resort, you can lounge a bit in the morning, get something to eat at your hotel, and hop on to a bus instead of worrying about finding somewhere to eat in the area of your hotel, driving to one of the parks, and wasting time in a parking lot looking for an open space. Buses run continuously from every hotel to each park and vice versa. I think the longest we have ever waited on a bus from one of the hotels was 20 minutes, and that was just because it was pouring rain outside. Getting on a bus is much less stressful than dealing with driving to a park and fighting with traffic in the morning and at night.

So, say it is July and it is 102 degrees in the shade; you arrived at the park at 8:00AM and it is now 1:00PM. The kids (and you, too) are hot, tired and the crowd is horribly unbearable. You consider going back to your home away from home to rest a bit and cool off. Your thought process runs something like this: 30 minutes to get back to the parking lot to locate your car in a herd of thousands of other cars; 30 minutes to drive back to the hotel - if you don't stop along the way to get a bite to eat (add on another hour). You rest for an hour or two and now you and your family want to go back to the park. You have to drive back to the theme park, park your car again, and make your way back through the park entrance gates.

If you are staying at one of the Resort hotels, you can use the Disney transportation system, and take a short ride back to your hotel. Now, you can relax for an hour or two (cool off with a refreshing dip in a Disney-themed pool) and then take a short ride back to your selected park. One of the best parts of staying on-property - at the end of a long day you get on board a Disney bus and collapse; when you get to your resort you roll off the bus and into your bed. Beats making your way back out to one of the largest parking lots in the world, locating your car (hopefully, you can find it) and then getting into the longest of lines just to get out of the parking lot; once finally out, you get to drive all the way back to your hotel.

Also, each Disney hotel has a food court, and many have their own formal restaurants. Unlike staying at most off-property hotels, you never even have to leave the property to get something to eat. Need a snack at 11:00PM? No problem; run to the main building and pick something up. No matter if you eat at one of the food courts or at one of the many 5-star restaurants, you will never experience bad service or poor quality food.

When staying at a Disney Resort, the magic never ends. The service at all resorts is 5-stars - no matter which level you stay in (value, moderate, or deluxe). They treat you as if you are the only guest at the complex. The ambiance is, well, it is Disney magic! Every thing at the Resorts is Disney themed - pools, rooms, bedspreads, food, etc. You can not get that ambiance at an off-property hotel. The variety of hotels is endless; whatever your preference, you can find something to suit you perfectly. Another great treat? Every time we have stayed at a Disney Resort, we typically get some surprises in the mail before our vacation - vouchers for a free game of putt-putt at one of the Disney-themed courses, a certain amount off a meal at a specific restaurant, a free collectible pin at Hard Rock Cafe, etc.

The best thing to do is to get online (disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index) and view each hotel; you will certainly find what you need and anything that you could possibly dream of having to make your Disney vacation magical!