Disney World hotels can be exciting and magical. But they are far from perfect.
Grand Floridian Resort
And this is true for ALL levels of resorts, too — Value, Moderate, AND Deluxe. While you think your Disney hotel might include it ALL — there are some surprising things that you just aren’t going to find at Disney World hotels that you may find elsewhere.
So you might think — “Wait, Disney doesn’t live up to other hotel’s standards?” And the answer is a mixed bag. Disney hotels tend to offer remarkable customer service, fun theming, easy access to the parks, great dining options, pools, and more.
But it can still be surprising to find that certain amenities are lacking in Disney World resort rooms:
Clocks
Most hotel rooms have a bedside clock that lets you set an alarm. But surprise! There aren’t any clocks in Disney World resort rooms! Disney got rid of the alarm clocks some time back, but when’s the last time you used an actual physical clock anyway? That’s why we have smartphones…right?!
No clock!
So if you’ve got a Disney World resort booked, make sure you have a way to set an alarm so you can get up early to nab those Rise of the Resistance boarding passes and get to the parks for rope drop! And don’t forget — you can get a wake-up call from Mickey Mouse himself by following the prompts on your room’s phone!
Click Here For Our Top Tips To Grab A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass
Bedside Lamps
If you want to read before bedtime, don’t count on having a bedside lamp — some Disney hotel rooms just don’t have them.
Lamp in Gran Destino Tower Guest Rooms
If that’s a deal-breaker, be sure to ask specifically about that when you choose a resort. Granted, many of the rooms that don’t have lamps do have small lights above the bed that work just as well.
Click Here To Learn More About The Polynesian’s Moana-Themed Rooms!
Individual Amenities
Remember all those little bottles of H20 soaps, body washes, shampoos, and conditioners that you used to get at Disney World resorts in your room? Well, some resorts have switched to big bottles of refillable toiletries.
Refillable Toiletries
These options have replaced the little bottles that you’d stock up on before heading home from your trip at most Disney World hotels.
Learn More About Disney Switching Over To Refillable Toiletries
Mini Bar
As many of you know, hotel rooms often have some sort of mini bar situation. This offers expensive but quick options when for things like liquor, water, candy bars, etc. But guess what folks, you won’t find them in your Disney resort room. But many rooms do have mini fridges. And if you find that your room doesn’t have a mini fridge, call down and ask if they have one for you. They just might be able to bring one up for ya! Other rooms, like suites, offer larger fridge options.
Mini Fridge
But if you love the idea of just grabbing something to snack on or drink from the room mini bar, you’re going to be out of luck.
Click Here To Learn About Reservations for the new Moana-themed Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort!
Bottled Water
Some hotels offer free bottles of water to guests, but Disney World resorts do not. If you need bottled water in your room, we recommend bringing your own bottled water (it will be cheaper buying it at a grocery store than at Disney World).
Bottled Water
In the parks, we also recommend taking advantage of free water — because what’s better than FREE?
Here’s Where You Can Get FREE Water Right NOW in Magic Kingdom!
Outlets
Okay, we have a LOT of stuff that needs to be plugged in, and some Disney resort rooms are seriously lacking in the electrical outlet area. We often need WAY more than what’s available. At least many rooms have been upgraded to have USB ports now, too, so that helps!
Riviera Outlets
So if you need to plug a lot of stuff in, consider bringing a mini power strip, mobile chargers, ect.
Here’s How To Charge Your Phone In Disney World (Now That FuelRods are Too Expensive)!
Outside Patio or Deck
If you’re thinking of sitting outside on a patio or deck just outside your Disney World resort room, you’ll need to know that not all rooms have a patio or deck.
Copper Creek Villas Patio
Looking for a full list of hotels with patios and decks? Here’s a great resource from Disney.
Start Your Vacation Planning TODAY! Here Are the Latest Deals and Discounts
Interior Doors
Now, when it comes to interior doors, you will find that some Disney World hotels have them and others only have exterior doors that lead directly to the outside.
Door at Gran Destino Tower
If this is important to you, make sure you call and ask the hotel prior to booking to make sure you have the option!
See What’s New at Disney World’s Resorts!
Microwave
One thing you’ll notice that’s missing from most Disney World hotel rooms is a microwave. However, almost all DVC villas have a microwave, so if you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member (or have rented DVC points), you’re good to nuke whatever food your heart desires.
Microwave in Riviera Villa
Otherwise, don’t expect to be able to reheat any leftovers in your hotel room.
Click Here To Learn About EPCOT’s DVC Lounge
So, you may find a few surprising things missing from your Disney World hotel room! Hopefully, this helps you prepare in advance for what you will want to pack/bring to be the most comfortable during your Disney World hotel stay.
Click Here To Find Out Which Hotels Fall Into the ResortPark Pass Availability Group
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I was surprised staying at animal kingdom lodge that they didn’t have an iron and ironing board , just a steamer which doesn’t do the trick for me at least
I must be an outlier, because I still use the alarm clock and turn off my smartphone before bed. Why risk running down the battery? And leaving it charging all night isn’t good for the battery, either.
I know some resorts have coffee makers in the rooms, but some don’t. We stayed at All Star Sports in March 2020 and I thought I had read that they had coffee pots, so we brought ground coffee and creamer with us. However when we got into our room there was no coffee pot, and I later checked the resort amenities to find I had mis-remembered. The creamer ended up going to waste. 🙁
I love staying at Disney properties, but I’m increasingly amazed at the things you don’t get for the price. I’ve been shocked to discover several DVC rooms don’t even have an end table for each side of the bed. I’ve had to use my suitcase to put my phone, book, and tablet on. Not to mention there’s only about a foot of space between the bed and the wall on that side. We’ve also learned that bringing extention cords is a necessity to ensure that phones and my husband’s CPAP can be plugged in nearby. Unfortunately, a lot of the USB outlets are really loose, so your charging connection fails overnight.
And, if we’re only going to get towel service once before we leave, could they at least provide more than one towel hook? The bar over the toilet is habitually mounted so low that your towel touches the tank – gross.
It’s really annoying, and disappointing, especially considering how much our investment in DVC cost. And I know the non-DVC rooms are really expensive! We treated ourselves to the Grand Floridian once, and yeah, no microwave and our phones fell out of the USB outlets every night. 🙁
As Dawn above noted, furniture and plugs are a problem. We stayed at The Polynesian in a DVC room last year, and we were surprised to have no drawers or anything to put clothes or anything else in, we ended up lining up our suitcases along the walls. We loved the room, but the DVC rooms really are not as nice as the ones you get otherwise. So much has changed. I love the individual amenities so I can take them home and use them and remember our trip. I typically don’t use the refillable ones, because I’ve seen what people do to them at the gym! Less and less for more and more money.
Just stayed at the Beach & I was surprised that there was no folder that had resort info… list of on site restaurants, amenities, TV station directory, important phone numbers , room service menu., & etc.
Maybe all this stuff is digitally available on the TV?
The only folder in the room was general theme park stuff.
I was disappointed to find out rollaway beds were not available at Art of Animation. The Family Suites are great, but 3 beds for 5 people (two parents, two teenagers, and a grandpa) are not a comfortable mix.
Just got back from a stay at the Contemporary and was surprised to find no microwave in the room. Figured it didn’t hurt to ask so we called the front desk and they brought one to our room!
I am currently in the middle of a 14 night stay at Beach club with my spouse and 2 teenage boys. I am so disappointed the the carpet has been removed from the rooms and housekeeping doesn’t sweep everyday as part of the process. So much sand everywhere from the pool! No carpet also results in less of a sound barrier between the room with connecting door. The doors remained short to allow for the previous carpeted floor. It’s as if the three toddlers who are up yelling and screaming at 6am in the room next door are in the same room with us! Finally, the redesigned room has a night stand with two drawers and a chest for food and mini fridge but no dresser for our clothes!! 4 people rummaging through suitcases for 2 weeks has made our room a mess and so much more work for me! I guess the imagineers never actually stay in the hotel rooms for any length of time with their families because these are basic necessities for any hotel room. Total fail here.
Grab bars in the shower – I have fallen once