Accommodation and Hostels in Walt Disney World
This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room:
|
Budget |
Less than $150
|
Mid-range |
$150?$250
|
Splurge |
$250 and up
|
One of the most important choices you must make when planning a Walt Disney World vacation is whether to stay on-site at one of the famed Disney resorts, or off-site at one of countless less expensive but more traditional hotels.
For many visitors, a vital part of the Walt Disney World "experience" is staying at one of the 24 Disney-owned and -operated resorts. Each and every one of the Disney resorts is strongly themed, impeccably maintained, and a vacation experience all to itself. Although none of the resorts can really be called cheap?in fact, most of them are luxurious and priced accordingly?the least expensive resorts have rooms for as little as $82 a night in the off-season.
Perhaps the greatest perk of staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort is the monorail station located conveniently in the atrium.
There are a number of perks that are available only to Disney resort hotel guests:
- Free shuttle to and from Orlando International Airport with Disney's Magical Express
- Your Key to the World card serves as your room key, park ticket, and room-charge card all in one
-
Extra Magic Hours ? Extra morning and evening hours at selected parks
- Free and convenient access to the parks via Disney transportation: motor coach, monorail, or water taxis
- Your hotel is only a quick trip away, allowing you to leave the parks when the crowds (or the sun) get to be too much and take a nap or go for a dip in one of the hotel pools
- Free parking at the parks if you choose to drive
- Guaranteed admission to the parks (during the busiest of peak times, a park may (rarely) fill up and even guests with tickets may be turned away, but Disney resort guests will still be able to get in)
- Eligibility for the Disney Dining Plan, which can save money on dining throughout the property
- Ability to make advance dining reservations for your entire trip as early as 180 days before you arrive
- Disney Cast Members available to answer your questions
- Free package delivery from Disney-operated retail stores to your hotel
- Free taxi service to the golf courses, if you don't have your own car
- Unique Disney-style resort entertainment and theming
On the other hand, staying off-property can have its own perks. Lodging and food costs are indisputably cheaper?often significantly so, with frequent discounts. You can book condos or home rentals for large groups, which allows you to cook meals making dining costs even cheaper and lodging costs very cheap. Many off-site resorts do have shuttle service to the Disney parks, although the service can be limited, potentially inconvenient, and may carry a fee.
One possible compromise between the two approaches is to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan or Walt Disney World Dolphin, which offer a more traditional hotel experience with most of the Disney resort benefits available. Another option is to stay at a hotel in the Downtown Disney Hotel Plaza; they're fairly generic and have few Disney amenities, but they're just across the street from Downtown Disney.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Walt Disney World