Planning on staying at a Disney World hotel?
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Once you’ve figured out your budget — and maybe even picked your hotel! — you’ll want to know what’s included in your stay. After all, you get quite a few perks on property! Now, some benefits such as an early FastPass+ booking window and Extra Magic Hours have been eliminated due to limited operations — but there is still plenty to enjoy!
Free Transportation to the Parks
One of the most obvious features of your Disney World hotel stay is the free transportation to the parks. Depending on your hotel, you could have access to the parks via bus, boat, Skyliner, or monorail — or a combination of a few of ’em!
Disney Skyliner flying high above Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
It’s complimentary, quick, ‘n’ easy. However, you will want to plan ahead for any delays that could arise. Disney suggests giving yourself an hour to take Disney transportation from one part of property to another (and we second that!).
Check Out Our Full Guide to Disney Transportation!
Free Parking
If you choose to drive, your Disney hotel stay will qualify you for free parking at the theme parks. Now, standard parking is $25 per day, so that can add up to some BIG savings! And if you want to upgrade to prime parking, you’ll be able to do that by paying the difference.
Magic Kingdom Parking
Do keep in mind, though, that you’ll have to pay for overnight parking at your hotel. That costs anywhere from $15 to $25 per night, depending on whether you’re staying at a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe resort. So this perk could cancel out with your parking costs — or it could help ya save just a bit!
Learn More About Free Parking!
Early Theme Park Entry
If you’re an early riser, you may want to take advantage of the Early Theme Park Entry perk for hotel guests. This “replacement” for Extra Magic Hours will be instated to celebrate Disney World’s 50th anniversary, and it’ll let hotel guests into the theme parks half an hour before opening every day.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
As of now, Early Theme Park Entry has been instated and we are still waiting on more details.
Learn More About Early Theme Park Entry!
Discounted MagicBands
MagicBands used to be complimentary for Disney World hotel guests. They’re no longer free, but those hotel guests can get some of ’em for as low as $10 or $15, depending on what is available — which can be significantly cheaper than what they’re sold for in the parks.
MagicBands
If you don’t want to pay the 5 bucks, though, you can opt for a complimentary Key to the World card or Disney’s new (free!) MagicMobile service. It’s up to you!
Check Out Some Discounted MagicBands!
Complimentary Activities
Sure, there’s lots to do in the parks, but there are also oodles of activities at your hotel! And lots of ’em are free: we’re talking pools, Movies Under the Stars, recreational activities, fitness centers, crafts, lawn games, and more. (You can even watch an Electrical Water Pageant!).
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
On top of these freebies, there are other activities that you can pay a little extra for. You can go horseback riding or rent a boat at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, ride a Surrey bike at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, or rent a cabana at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We’ve got a full list right here for ya — just keep in mind that some are temporarily unavailable due to limited operations.
Check Out MORE Complimentary Activities!
Laundry Room
If you’ve got a long trip to Disney World planned, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s a quick and easy way to do your laundry. Self-serve laundry facilities are available at each hotel! You can even use the LaundryView technology to keep track of your clothes while they’re getting cleaned.
Laundry at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Deluxe Villas also have an in-room washer and dryer (with a complimentary box of single-use laundry detergent!) to make laundry day EVEN easier. So if you want to pack light, rest assured that you can rewear some outfits.
Learn More About Hotel Laundry Services!
In-Room Amenities
All Disney hotel rooms include complimentary Wi-Fi, a coffee machine, a mini-fridge, a safe, and toiletries (think lotion, bar soap, and shampoo). You can check out our tour of a standard room at Disney’s Pop Century Resort to get a lay of the land!
Beverage Station
If you’re trying to figure out what to pack for your vacation, this may help ya narrow down what you need to bring. Plus, the mini-fridge makes food storage WAY easier!
Check Out a Standard Hotel Room Tour!
It helps to know everything that comes with that Disney hotel price tag, so you can make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. We’ll keep bringing you more Disney tips and tricks, so stay tuned to DFB!
Here Are the BEST Disney World Hotels!
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I can’t seem to find the $5 magic bands – what am I doing wrong?
Lauren, I’m having the team double check. I also don’t see anything available for $5. Ten dollars is the lowest I see when I look at prices for my fall trip. I’ll update if the $5 is correct, but I suspect a recent increase in MagicBand prices is to blame for this confusion.
While you may park for free at the Parks, you ARE paying to park at your resort, so this is NOT actually a perk, I’d say.
You forgot one perk that gets missed a lot but can really help in planning. If you stay on property you can book all your reservations 60 days prior to arrival. Off site guests can only book 60 prior to that day. This has made a huge difference in getting the times and locations of reservations that we wanted.
If you are touting a Laundry Room, Shampoo and Soap as a reason to stay at a Dis hotel, things have gotten REAL BAD, and are getting worse for on site guests!!