One of the hardest things about planning a Disney World vacation is choosing where to stay.

Whether you opt to stay on-property at Disney World’s hotels, stay nearby at Disney’s Good Neighbor hotels, or book a VRBO, it can be a pretty tough decision to make! While there are no wrong answers, many Disney World visitors believe that staying on-property can be a crucial part of the Disney World experience. When choosing whether or not to stay on-property, or choosing WHICH Disney World hotel is best, many who are planning trips tend to allow rumors they heard through the grapevine affect their choice. Not on our watch! 

This post will highlight some of the biggest lies that everyone tends to believe about Disney World hotels, as well as an explanation as to why the beliefs are wrong. Let’s jump right into it!

1. You must be staying at a resort in order to eat there.

If part of your decision to stay at a certain hotel is to have the opportunity to dine at a certain restaurant that’s located at that hotel, don’t bother! Anyone can dine at a hotel restaurant, even those who don’t have park tickets, much less a hotel reservation.

So, if you thought you’d have to splurge on a room at the Riviera in order to score a Topolino’s restaurant reservation, rest assured that that is not at all necessary! You can make a Topolino’s reservation while staying in your own bed at home, as far as Disney is concerned.

2. You have to be staying at a hotel in order to do the activities.

At most of the Disney World hotels, you’ll have the opportunity to do both free and paid activities, from movie nights, to arts and crafts, to making s’mores around a campfire. You totally don’t have to be staying at a resort in order to participate in these activities! We’ve totally made s’mores with the crew at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort without staying there.

While you DO have to be staying at a resort for the pool and pool activities, most of the other activities will welcome you to the fun!

3. You can get Extended Evening Hours as long as you stay at a Disney World resort.

Extended Evening Hours take place in select parks on select nights throughout the week and allow guests to stay for more fun in the parks even though they’ve closed to day guests. While many assume that since they’re staying at a Disney World resort, they’re eligible for Extended Evening Hours, this isn’t the case.

Only Deluxe Disney World Resort guests can stay for Extended Evening Hours. While anyone staying on-property can snag 30-minute early entry in the mornings, not everyone can stay later.

4. Deluxe resorts are the way to get the best experience.

Listen, y’all. We won’t deny that the Deluxe resorts aren’t a surefire way to make you feel fancy schmancy and have an elevated experience. However, you can have a similar experience elsewhere. For example, we love staying in the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort because it truly has a deluxe feel to it — for a wayyyy lower cost, as it’s a Moderate resort.

We’ve even had stays at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, which is a Value resort! See what’s best for you and your crew based on theming, number of guests, and available transportation before you splurge on the Deluxe resort.

5. Value Resorts Are Always Cheaper

On the other end of the spectrum from the aforementioned lie is the idea that Value resorts are always cheaper. We know of so many folks who only browse the Value resorts, thinking that those stays will always be the cheapest option. However, there are numerous Moderate resorts that have similar, and sometimes lower, price points.

Particularly, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort tends to be more expensive than Moderate resorts like Disney’s Port Orleans Resort.

6. All Disney World Hotels Offer The Same Perks.

While all Disney World hotels offer free transportation to the parks and early entry each morning, that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The Monorail and Skyliner are only available at certain resorts, and some resorts have longer bus loops within the resort so you might not even get to the park faster.

On top of this, not all hotels have table service restaurants, gyms, playgrounds, and more. Really dive deep into the hotel descriptions on the Disney World website when booking so that you know exactly what amenities and perks you’ll have!

We hope that debunking these Disney World Resort myths can help you out with your decision on where to stay at Disney World, IF you choose to stay at Disney World. We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news and advice, so follow along and join in on all the fun!

Looking for more advice on where to stay at Disney World? Click here!

What’s YOUR favorite Disney World resort? Let us know in the comments!