I bet at this point in your Walt Disney World Planning journey your contemplating whether you want to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Property or not. Today we are talking the benefits of staying on Walt Disney World Property.
Last time, we talked about the 4 main differences between the resort categories at Walt Disney World. If you haven’t read that article yet, click here!
Today, we dive into a topic that we frequently get questions on which is what is the benefit of staying on property? By the way, on-property means you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel and off-property would be a non-Disney hotel.
I know it’s tempting to find a cheaper rate at a hotel that’s just a few miles away and sometimes you can save a little money with this option. However, the advantages of staying on property far outweigh the disadvantages. And to be honest, you can stay at a Value Resort for about the same price that you would pay at a hotel off-property.
Let’s get into it. Here are the 5 benefits of staying on property:
Early Access to FastPass+ Planning
FastPasses are a great way to avoid waiting in extremely long lines for your favorite rides. If you are staying at a Disney World resort, you can schedule your FastPasses 60 days in advance. This is 30 days sooner than guests who are not staying on property. So, If you are trying to get on the most coveted rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog or Flight of Passage, this could be the difference between you having to wait in a 2-hour line or not.
Extra Magic Hours!
This is a special benefit for guests where you can have extra time at an alternating theme park each day either before the park opens or after it closes. Be sure to check the Walt Disney World Resort website for Park Hours while planning your trip so you know the days that you can utilize those special hours.
Complimentary MagicBands
Each guest on your reservation will receive a complimentary MagicBand. MagicBands can be used to:
● Unlock your Disney Resort hotel room
● Enter theme parks and water parks (with valid admission)
● Charge food and merchandise purchases
● Connect PhotoPass images to your account
● Check-in at FastPass+ attraction and entertainment lines
Complimentary Transportation
All Disney resorts have complimentary shuttles to and from the theme parks and Disney Springs. In addition, you will have access to Disney’s Magical Express. The Magical Express is one of my favorite benefits of staying on property. If you’re flying into Orlando International Airport, the Magical Express can pick you up and take you to your resort as well as deliver your luggage to your room so you don’t have to worry about picking it up.
Disney Dining Plan
When you stay on property and purchase theme park tickets, you are given the option to purchase the dining plan. The dining plan allows you to have your meals paid for in advance, so you don’t have to worry about budgeting while on vacation.
I want to mention another benefit when it comes to dining which is that you can make all of your reservations 180 days in advance. I know what you’re thinking, but Alma, anyone can make their dining reservations 180 days in advance. Yes, you are correct. However, there’s a big difference here.
For example, if you’re staying on property for 6 days, you can book all of your reservations for those 6 days 180 days from your check-in date. If you are staying off property for 6 days, you can only book your reservations 180 days in advance from each day of your stay which means that instead of having to wake up to make those reservations for 1 day, you would have to wake up early and make those reservations for 6 days in a row. Reservations open at 6 am Eastern time which is 3 am in my time zone, so I like to avoid that for more than one day in a row! Having this benefit also gives you a little advantage in getting those hard to get reservations.
There’s so much to do!
Another benefit of staying at a Disney resort is that there are so many different activities available depending on the resort you choose.
- Playgrounds
- Pool games
- Movies under the stars
- Crafts
- Campfires, you name it Disney has it all!
So those are all the benefits of staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel. if I missed anything that you think should be included, please let me know in the comments below.
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See you in the parks,
Alma