For years, there have been large advantages to staying at Walt Disney World owned resorts: free transportation, higher line-skipping choices, additional hours, and extra. This put up takes a have a look at how perks have modified, whether or not they supply an precise benefit or are merely advertising and marketing, and if on-site lodges are price increased costs. (Up to date January 22, 2025.)
I’ll preface this by saying that we’ve got been advocates of staying within the Walt Disney World “bubble” and are undoubtedly biased in the direction of that. In our On-Web site v. Off-Web site at Walt Disney World article we try to be balanced, however concede that we’re drawn to being contained in the Walt Disney World “bubble,” which presents benefits when it comes to location, comfort, and the sensation of an all-encompassing trip vacation spot.
Nonetheless, that began to vary even pre-closure. We nonetheless love loads of Walt Disney World lodges and do on-site stays, however not strongly advocate them for everybody. Accordingly, what we’re going to do is ask and try to reply an vital query: what if the promoting factors of staying on-site aren’t as beneficial as Disney’s advertising and marketing or standard planning knowledge suggests?
For our 2025 replace, we’re revisiting this from a (principally) constructive perspective. For these conserving rating at residence, that is now the third title tweak to this put up, with earlier entries being “Is Disney World’s On-Web site Benefit Disappearing?” and “Is Disney World’s On-Web site Benefit Disappearing…or Reappearing?”
Tweak is the incorrect phrase. The reply to the primary title was an apparent sure, and the reply to the following incarnation was “it relies upon.” At this level, the query mark has been dropped and it’s an announcement–that issues are getting higher. The that means is just about the alternative of what it was after we first printed this put up.
With that mentioned, your perspective will very a lot depend on your body of reference. In case you’re evaluating the on-site expertise at Walt Disney World of 2025 to 2021, issues are completely getting higher. Nonetheless, when you’re evaluating the on-site expertise at the moment to the one in 2019, it’s nonetheless a lot worse. Watch the commercial beneath you’re within the temper for delicate despair. Severely, don’t say I didn’t warn you:
In any case, there have been just a few constructive developments final yr and this yr, so it’s pretty plain that the trajectory for on-site perks at Walt Disney World is constructive. On-site benefits are persevering with to reappear fairly than persevering with to vanish, as we’ll focus on right here.
Let’s begin with the most recent perk, which is a free water park day in 2025. Walt Disney World Resort resort visitors can get pleasure from admission to Hurricane Lagoon or Blizzard Seashore on their check-in day. Room-only reservations, trip packages and Disney Trip Membership stays on factors will all be eligible–however all visitors have to be on the reservation.
That is excessive on this record as a result of it’s new, not attributable to its precise worth. Exterior of summer time, the water parks recurrently shut at 5 or 6 pm. Not solely that, however on many dates in the course of the first few months of the yr, they’re closed fully attributable to climate (as of late January 2025, Blizzard Seashore has been closed this yr simply as usually because it’s been open).
Except you are taking an early morning flight, there’s a good likelihood that you just gained’t have a ton of time for the water parks upon arrival. Let’s say you land in Orlando by midday–it may well nonetheless take 90-120 minutes to get to your resort, drop off your baggage, then switch over to Hurricane Lagoon or Blizzard Seashore. Longer when you depend on Mears Join. Through the winter months, there’s additionally the chance that you might plan round this perk and nonetheless not be capable of use it if the water parks shut attributable to chilly climate.
We love the Walt Disney World water parks and our favourite time to go to is the final 3 hours they’re open (for decrease crowds). This will probably be a pleasant money-saving perk for some visitors. However its worth shouldn’t be overstated. After a protracted journey day, many individuals will wish to simply chill out by the resort pool till their room is prepared, after which head out to Disney Springs or do dinner after that.
Whereas it’s good in principle, if this have been a actual perk to learn visitors, Walt Disney World would supply a free water park day for visitors to make use of at their leisure in the course of the course of the journey. Disney shouldn’t be doing that as a result of the first aim of the perk is to alleviate the burden on housekeeping groups, which have been struggling to have rooms prepared on time in current months.
Subsequent up is Lightning Lane Multi-Move, which changed the Genie+ system final yr as the most recent iteration of paid FastPass. We’re not going to get into the nuts and bolts of it right here–see our Information to Lightning Lane Multi Move at Walt Disney World for that–however the backside line is that the brand new line-skipping service is very just like FastPass+ with the large distinction being that it prices cash.
Most notably, visitors staying at an on-site Walt Disney World Resort resort are in a position to plan Lightning Lane passes as much as 7 days upfront, for his or her whole keep–as much as 14 days. Off-site visitors can plan as much as 3 days upfront. That is enormous.
Right here’s a partial record of points of interest which have restricted availability beginning 4 days upfront:
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey (no time slots or dates accessible)
- Haunted Mansion (no morning time slots)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (no morning time slots)
- Jungle Cruise (restricted morning time slots)
- Slinky Canine Sprint (no time slots or dates accessible)
- Remy’s Ratatouille Journey (restricted morning time slots)
- Frozen Ever After (restricted morning time slots)
- Tower of Terror (restricted morning time slots)
- Toy Story Mania (restricted morning time slots)
- Na’vi River Journey (restricted morning time slots)
That means that if you wish to skip the traces at the preferred points of interest, you’ll virtually want to be staying on-site or get fortunate with same-day trip reservation refills (hope you will have a robust refresh recreation).
Availability is commonly fully or practically gone as soon as the 3-day mark rolls round. (For causes mentioned in our information above, you’re at a definite drawback when you don’t ebook morning time slots for no less than a few of your Lightning Lanes, so there merely being some availability isn’t sufficient–you need morning occasions to get essentially the most worth out of LLMP.)
One other factor that’s again is the Disney Eating Plan. For a lot of planners, having the ability to buy the Disney Eating Plan is essential from a budgeting and comfort perspective. Whereas we’ve been skeptical of this for years, but it surely’s nonetheless true that visitors discover themselves shocked by meals prices greater than anything at Walt Disney World.
So the Disney Eating Plan reappearing is unquestionably an enormous plus for lots of Walt Disney World visitors who keep on-site. In our view, that most likely overstates the diploma to which that is an precise benefit. The truth is that the overwhelming majority visitors will come out forward from a budgeting or comfort perspective by pre-purchasing low cost Disney present playing cards and utilizing these to pay-as-they-go for meals.
Even previously, the Disney Eating Plan provided the phantasm of comfort and budgeting. That’ll be doubly true with the 2025 Disney Eating Plan attributable to worth will increase–until you will have greater than 2 youngsters or do the Fast-Service Disney Eating Plan. In fact, there are exceptions to this–households of huge carnivores or these keen to “hack” the Disney Eating Plan did come out forward. However for essentially the most half, the home at all times wins.
Subsequent, let’s flip to Walt Disney World’s two replacements for Further Magic Hours: Early Entry and Prolonged Night Hours. Early Theme Park Entry permits all on-site resort visitors and people staying at choose third social gathering lodges to get pleasure from 30-minute entry to any Walt Disney World theme park, every single day earlier than regular working hours start.
We’ve achieved Early Entry dozens of occasions (actually), and our experiences are largely constructive at 3 of the 4 parks. Crucially, Further Magic Hours occurred on choose days of the week and solely at one park on every event. This imply consolidating all on-site visitors at a single park. Early Entry happens each day in any respect 4 parks, and higher spreads out the gang consequently.
In follow, we’ve discovered Early Entry to be far much less busy than EMH. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom, it basically presents a 2-3 trip headstart for on-site visitors and is definitely a fairly important. (Most days, it’s not pretty much as good at Magic Kingdom.)
Early Entry is a big perk, and it’s doubly helpful to have the ability to use it each single day at whichever park you need. Don’t underestimate its worth and skip Early Entry as a result of it’s “solely” half-hour. Be taught technique in our Information to Early Entry at Walt Disney World.
Subsequent, there’s Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours, which happen solely two nights per week in complete–for 2 hours every evening. This profit is solely for visitors staying at Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas (Disney Trip Membership), or different choose lodges (presently Swan & Dolphin and Shades of Inexperienced). Friends staying at Worth or Average Resorts aren’t eligible for Prolonged Night Hours.
This makes Prolonged Night Hours a double-edged sword, with its high quality hinging on resort standing. For individuals who are eligible, Prolonged Night Hours is enormous. Crowds are nearly non-existent, as are traces for many points of interest. It’s means higher than Night Further Magic Hours, which had turn out to be overcrowded attributable to expanded eligibility throughout its previous couple of years. (In reality, the crowds throughout Night EMH are one of many causes we first wrote this put up, within the first place–Night EMH had turn out to be virtually ineffective attributable to overcrowding.)
Sadly, this comes on the expense of Worth and Average Resort visitors who, as famous above, can’t benefit from Prolonged Night Hours. So when you’re a Deluxe or DVC visitor, this perk is implausible. In case you’re staying at a Average or beneath, it’s terrible/nonexistent. See our Information to Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World for extra guidelines, eligibility, technique, and many others.
Two of the latest adjustments concern transportation. As you’re doubtless conscious, Disney’s Magical Categorical airport shuttle service ended. Now, guests arriving to Orlando Worldwide Airport might want to lease a automobile, use Uber/Lyft, or prepare for another shuttle service with the intention to get to their resort. This was an enormous loss for a lot of Walt Disney World guests.
Disney’s Magical Categorical’ closest paid substitute is Mears Join Pushed by Sunshine. See our Information to Airport Transportation for Walt Disney World for different choices. There’s no one-size-fits-all good resolution; it is determined by your social gathering measurement, price range, and different elements.
We’ve used Mears Join many occasions, and have discovered it to be nearly an identical to Disney’s Magical Categorical in pace, high quality, and repair. The largest draw back is that there’s a charge, and that since these are third events, there’s not at all times seamless integration between the resorts and the shuttles within the occasion that a difficulty arises. (Some followers will cite the shortage of bags dealing with, however that disappeared from DME previous to this, so it’s exhausting to tie that to this explicit change.)
On a constructive transportation be aware, Walt Disney World introduced again free in a single day self-parking to visitors staying at Walt Disney World Resort lodges. Complimentary parking was an on-site perk till just a few years in the past, and it was one other immediate for this put up within the first place.
We hated the cost for parking, and thought it was a nasty choice that diminished the differentiation between Disney and its real-world counterparts. We weren’t alone. On the time, the introduction of the parking charge was essentially the most controversial change we had ever seen made by Walt Disney World.
Not solely did our put up garner over 300 offended feedback, however Walt Disney World obtained hit exhausting by unfavorable evaluations on crowdsourced journey websites like TripAdvisor and Google. I had by no means seen followers so mad–though backlash to the following elimination of free FastPass and Disney’s Magical Categorical did exceed that response.
Along with this, Walt Disney World resort resort visitors additionally proceed to obtain complimentary normal parking at Walt Disney World theme parks, which is one other plus. In tandem, these two issues take a number of the sting out of the elimination of Disney’s Magical Categorical–no less than for the visitors who decide to lease a automobile whereas staying on-site. (That quantity will solely develop, as Common Orlando continues to increase and switch itself into an equally-compelling theme park vacation spot.)
Sticking with the subject of transportation, that is one other on-site benefit provided by Walt Disney World…and one which has arguably improved by fairly a bit. Let’s begin with the impartial parts: the monorails and boats are kind of the identical.
On condition that the monorails proceed to age and one boat route has been lower, the argument may very well be made that these have gotten barely worse. Anecdotally, I’m undecided I agree–monorail upkeep has decreased downtime and the one boat route is utilized by a small minority of visitors. Talking of issues utilized by a small minority of visitors, we’re followers of the Grand Floridian walkway to Magic Kingdom–our favourite type of transportation is “ft” and we want Walt Disney World made itself extra walkable. (Which might ease the burden on current transportation.)
As an entire, we view Walt Disney World transportation as higher at the moment than it was ~5 years in the past. The massive factor is the Skyliner, which we view as one of the best transportation choice at Walt Disney World. When there’s a line, it’s consistently shifting and normally a brief wait. Because the opening couple of months, the Skyliner gondola system has been extremely dependable.
We’re enormous followers and strongly favor the Skyliner resorts now. It’s particularly a game-changer for Pop Century; given all the perks and transportation benefits of that one resort, we will simply justify the premium pricing there.
Additionally serving to with previous transportation woes is bus wait occasions, which present up each on digital boards on the bus stops and within the My Disney Expertise app. There’s nonetheless room for enchancment right here, and there have been resort stays after we’ve seen overcrowded and inconsistent bus service. (Specifically, Coronado Springs is an enormous offender.)
Walt Disney World has additionally addressed its bus driver scarcity, which truly predated the closure, by bringing in a 3rd social gathering to help with routes. All issues thought of, we’ve been extra happy by bus service and located it to be extra environment friendly now than it was in 2017-2019. With that mentioned, few issues are as hit-or-miss as WDW bus service. Somebody may have a superlative expertise, and another person an terrible one–regardless of staying on the identical resort throughout the identical dates–just by advantage of luck and timing.
I gained’t embrace Minnie Vans as a transportation “enchancment” since there’s a dear surcharge for these, and we don’t usually advocate them. Plus, when you’re keen to make use of Disney’s Minnie Vans, you would possibly as effectively be keen to make use of Lyft or Uber, which have turn out to be ubiquitous in Central Florida. The convenience of Lyft and Uber is unquestionably an enchancment for visitors, but it surely’s neither right here nor there from an “benefit” perspective because it isn’t a change made by Disney.
Turning again to eating, there may be an on-site benefit on the subject of reserving Advance Eating Reservations (ADRs). Presently, everybody can ebook desk service eating places 60 days previous to the date on which they’d prefer to eat. As well as, Walt Disney World resort resort visitors could make Advance Eating Reservations for his or her size of keep (as much as a 10-day keep) as much as 60 days upfront of their check-in date.
As mentioned in our High 10 Suggestions for Reserving Tough Advance Eating Reservations, this “60+10” window may be extremely advantageous for well-liked desk service eating places or bigger events, particularly throughout busier journey dates. If character eating or extremely themed eating places are vital to you, that is enormous. Even on the 60 day mark, Story Ebook Eating at Artist Level, Akershus Royal Banquet Corridor, Cinderella’s Royal Desk, Area 220, Topolino’s Terrace, ‘Ohana, and others may be scarce when you’re a bigger social gathering.
The excellent news is that ADRs have gotten simpler over the course of this yr, to the purpose that the 60+10 window shouldn’t be actually mandatory for many events or journey dates. We ebook loads of final minute ADRs as a celebration of 1-3, they usually’re not practically as troublesome as just a few years in the past. Nonetheless, when you’re a celebration of greater than 4 folks, the 60+10 window may be advantageous.
Then there’s the largest consideration, which is value. This has at all times been the first promoting level for staying off-site. It’s price reiterating right here as a result of the fee distinction between off-site and on-site lodging has turn out to be far more pronounced in the previous couple of years.
As mentioned in How A lot Does a Walt Disney World Trip Price in 2025?, the common complete worth of a visit this yr versus a comparable trip in 2019 is up by 1000’s of {dollars}. On a constructive be aware, that has already improved since publication, as quite a few reductions have been launched for 2025.
Because of the particular presents, the efficient worth of lodging at Walt Disney World is definitely down considerably in 2025. That’s as a result of most of the identical dates in 2021-2022 had no reductions in any respect for most of the people. As pent-up demand continues to exhaust itself and Epic Universe opens at Common Orlando, we anticipate even higher offers in 2025 as in comparison with this yr.
In different phrases, this one comes all the way down to your body of reference. In case you visited in 2019 or earlier, a 2025 Walt Disney World trip remains to be going to value much more and also you’re going to get much less. Nonetheless, the identical is true fairly of a lot all the things and in all places–inflation, shrinkflation, and skimpflation have hit American shoppers exhausting. Against this, when you visited Walt Disney World in 2021-2022 and are planning a visit in 2025, issues are beginning to look a lot better. As with a lot, it’s all relative!
In case you can afford on-site lodges at Walt Disney World, it’s undoubtedly nonetheless good to remain in a resort with an immersive design, consideration to particulars, and numerous Disney touches. It’s additionally good to have the ability to stroll to the parks, or be a part of the Disney bubble.
For many individuals, it’s not possible to overstate the significance of this. There’s a sure x-factor that the Disney resorts supply that elevates the general expertise into one thing extra particular. That is true for us, and even with all the complaints right here, we nonetheless want staying on-site in Disney-owned properties.
To their credit score, Walt Disney World’s resorts are nonetheless meticulously themed, with a ton of allure, element, and transportive environments you principally gained’t discover off-site. This has lengthy been an enormous promoting level, as your resort keep appears like an extension of the theme parks.
This is applicable principally to the outside grounds and inside frequent areas. With sure current room refurbishments, the sense of theme inside Walt Disney World’s resort rooms has been diminished. We’ve been crucial of this as a result of themed environments are what defines Disney, and are within the wheelhouse of Imagineers.
Most of the new rooms appear to be striving extra in the direction of crowd-pleasing types, with generic fashionable designs, clear and crisp aesthetics, and customarily elegant luxurious (the final one solely applies to Deluxe Resorts). Generally, the rooms are much less enjoyable and have traded distinctive and colourful designs for extra bland and primary ones.
On a constructive be aware, Disney appears to be turning the nook on this. The brand new rooms on the Grand Floridian are an unequivocal improve over their predecessor in each theme and luxurious, and only one current instance of a shift on this regard. It will appear that the worst of this occurred between 2016 and 2019, with the rooms within the final 2-3 years putting the steadiness a lot better. Hopefully that is the beginning of a constructive development and shifts into the ‘on-site benefit’ column over time.
The issue with the earlier transfer in the direction of fashionable and nondescript rooms is that Disney went from a realm with virtually no actual competitors (ornately themed designs) to inserting itself in direct competitors with real-world resort manufacturers by mimicking their model.
This not solely makes for a neater head-to-head comparability when it comes to visitor rooms, but it surely’s additionally a comparability that’s usually not favorable to Disney. I really like loads of issues about Walt Disney World, however don’t view it as one of many world’s nice operators of lodges.
Precise luxurious hoteliers comparable to Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, and 4 Seasons have excessive finish properties close to Walt Disney World, they usually usually surpass even Walt Disney World’s flagship resort on a luxurious entrance. It’s controversial that even the Marriott, Hilton, and Wyndham lodges give Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World a run for his or her cash–and people are sometimes priced beneath Average ranges!
In the case of alternate options to staying on-site, we expect that the true candy spot is on-site third social gathering lodges just like the Swan & Dolphin, 4 Seasons Orlando, and Bonnet Creek Resorts. (See our Checklist of the Greatest Third Get together Lodges Close to Walt Disney World.)
A number of of those have areas which can be pretty much as good or higher than Disney-owned and operated lodges, and are cheaper. Many additionally supply the identical perks as Disney lodges. Swan & Dolphin, for instance, supply Prolonged Night Hours whereas Disney Worth and Average Resorts gained’t have entry to these.
You additionally would possibly think about renting a trip residence, each for the sake of privateness and isolation. (See our Greatest Trip Dwelling Leases Close to Walt Disney World.) These are particularly nice for bigger events, and you’ll actually lease a whole home for the price of a mid-tier Walt Disney World resort room. A few of these include themed youngsters rooms, in-home theaters, recreation rooms, personal swimming pools, plus all the things else you’d anticipate from a home.
One other nice choice proper now’s staying at Common Orlando, which nonetheless does supply most of its on-site benefits and its personal sense of immersion and being within a “Common bubble” (albeit to a lesser extent).
If you wish to go all-out with Common’s nicest lodges which can be in strolling distance of the parks and embrace limitless line-skipping at points of interest through Categorical Move, see our Arduous Rock Resort Evaluation and Portofino Bay Resort Evaluation. Regardless that these are Common Orlando’s costlier lodges, they’re nonetheless priced about on par with Average Resorts at Walt Disney World.
Our Common Orlando Resort Rankings & Critiques covers the professionals & cons of all these resorts, lots of which we love for his or her areas, theme, on-site perks, and worth for cash. Moreover, discuss with Common Orlando v. Walt Disney World Resorts for a comparability between Disney’s and Common’s lodges to see what every does higher.
Finally, that describes our dilemma with lodging at and round Walt Disney World. The rational aspect of my thoughts is aware of that staying off-site supplies considerably higher worth for cash and that the a number of the perks we obtain from Walt Disney World lodges aren’t as beneficial as they as soon as have been.
We do now have a lower cost ceiling for many Walt Disney World resorts (besides Pop Century, Caribbean Seashore, and All Star Films, that are all a bit increased for us now), which generally is a problem provided that room charges have been rising. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless methods to seek out good reductions, and failing that we will both use or lease DVC factors or have a look at the on-site third social gathering choices like Swan & Dolphin, Disney Springs, and Bonnet Creek.
There’s additionally Common Orlando, and we completely love a number of of these lodges. Common can maintain its personal with lots of Walt Disney World’s lodges from a thematic perspective, and most of the facilities at Common are literally superior to Disney. Plus, the perks of staying on-site are far superior and nightly room charges are far decrease.
With all of that mentioned, there’s the emotional aspect of staying on-site. We’ve got nostalgic attachments to sure resorts at Walt Disney World, and luxuriate in their lush grounds, eating, and facilities. We love having the ability to keep late within the parks, even when they’re crowded and all we’re doing is wandering round. We benefit from the seamless expertise of going from the parks to our resort, feeling a short lived reprieve from the true world.
It’s troublesome to place a worth on all of that. Whereas we “worth” it beneath the fee distinction between comparable third social gathering lodges, we regularly bounce via hoops to seek out methods to justify staying at Walt Disney World lodges. I’m not suggesting that is the suitable (or incorrect) method. I do know a part of that is Disney’s emotional energy, and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker lots. I’m not making a judgment both means–it merely is what it’s. Nonetheless, we discover it taking place much less and fewer with Walt Disney World persevering with to lift costs and lower choices–that makes staying off-site a a lot simpler choice!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about lodges on our Walt Disney World Lodges Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, one of the best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the things it’s essential know!
Your Ideas
What do you assume…are the perks of staying on-site as beneficial to you as they as soon as have been, or are you getting much less worth on your cash staying at Walt Disney World lodges? Will you proceed to remain on-site regardless of this all? Have you ever already moved off-site? Different ideas on this? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
