Benefits of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel

Discover the invaluable advantages of staying at a Disney resort property. From convenient transport options to magical dining experiences and exclusive access to parks, we explore the many reasons why staying on-site enriches your Disney adventure.

• Exploring the perks of Disney's comprehensive transportation system 
• Understanding early park entry and its advantages 
• Highlighting extended evening park hours for deluxe guests 
• Discussing priority dining reservations for resort guests 
• Experiencing the immersive environment of Disney resorts 
• Detailing Lightning Lane access and ride experience enhancements 
• Appreciating the convenience of Magic Bands 
• Emphasizing the closeness to the parks for easy access 
Magic Vacation Family is here to help you book your Disney Resort stay—reach out for assistance!

Chapters

• 0:07 Benefits of Staying at Disney Resort
• 9:01 Convenience and Value of Disney Resort

Transcript

Justin: 0:07

Hey friends, justin here with the PeopleMover podcast, and welcome to episode number four of 2025. Today, we're going to be talking about a topic that we get asked about all the time, which is is it worth staying at a Disney property? So today, benefits of staying at a Disney resort hotel let's kick it off right now.

Announcer: 0:25

Welcome to the PeopleMover Podcast, the length of the iconic ride and your ultimate guide to Disney World and Disney cruises. Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned fan, we've got tips, tricks and options to elevate your magical journey. Don't forget to follow and subscribe to our Facebook, instagram, tiktok and YouTube at Magic Vacation Family for more Disney magic. Buckle up and let's dive into the world of Disney.

Justin: 0:54

Once again, the People Mover podcast is brought to you by MagicVacation Familycom. If you're looking for any help planning your next Disney vacation whether it's to Disney World, disneyland, disneyland Paris or even a Disney cruise shoot us a message, fill out the form at magicvacationfamilycom and my wife and I will help you plan your next trip. But today we are going to be talking about, once again, the benefits of staying at a Disney resort hotel and, as we take a deep dive into this, it's probably going to be one of the best decisions that you make for your vacation. Whether you're a first timer or a Disney pro, there's definitely reasons to stay on property, and we're going to cover them all right now. So let's kick it off with number one. First of all, it's got to be convenient transportation, and the options that are available are huge. So it's one of the biggest perks of staying at a Disney resort hotel is the Disney's transportation system. I mean, this thing is a game changer for anyone who doesn't want to deal with the hassle of driving, parking and paying for rental cars. You definitely want to stay on property. They have complimentary Disney transportation. That means, with your resort stay, you get free access to Disney buses, boats, monorail and also the Skyliner boats monorail and also the skyliner. That means it makes it super easy to get from your resort to all four parks, including disney springs and the water parks, without having to get into a car park, walk far distances. It's just so simple. In addition, now disney does not offer the magical express, but they do have a relationship with Mears, so you can actually use Mears Connect. It is a paid service, but if you're traveling with a larger group of people or you just don't have to have the hassle of using Uber or something, you could literally do it for $32 per adult per round trip or $27 a child round trip. And again, this is a super convenient, easy way to basically show up, grab your luggage, hop on a bus. Now a tip if you are traveling with younger kids or a larger group, mirrors Connect is definitely the most convenient and cost-effective way to get to your resort. But if you do want to use Uber or Lyft or some sort of ride share, feel free to do so. We do that as well. So we kind of do a mix of one, half the other. It's really up to you, but there are great transportation options available.

Justin: 3:13

Another huge benefit of staying at a Disney resort is the early park entry. Now, I know 30 minutes doesn't seem like a lot, but in the morning you can do 30 minute early entry. So every resort guest gets 30 minute early park entry to every Disney park before the general public. And this is huge because if you're trying to get on popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Avatar Flight of Passage, you can avoid those long waits. So, for example, if I look at it right now, seven Dwarfs Mine Train right now is at 105 minutes. Imagine getting in early and not having to worry about that. You get in early. You maybe wait 20 minutes to go on the ride. You can then get on the next ride, like Peter Pan's flight. Or you're going over to Avatar Flight of Passage. You can then go on Navi River Journey right. Pump out two major rides in the matter of minutes instead of having to wait hours. So that is another great option for you and it's only available to you if you are staying on Disney property.

Justin: 4:10

Now, another perk is the extended evening theme park hours. Now, considering the fact that this is only for guests that are staying at deluxe resorts, it is great if you are one of those types of guests, right? So if you're staying at a place like the Polynesian Contemporary Saratoga Springs, you know one of those deluxe resorts or deluxe villa resort. They're extending the hours for those guests. So, after hours, fun on the select night. So it's not every night, but there are certain parks that are gonna have this extended access. But this also means less crowded parks, right? So if you think about it, you don't have the general public, you don't have anyone that's at a value or a moderate resort in the parks. It's only people that are staying at those deluxe resorts. Now, just because you stay at a deluxe resort doesn't mean you have to go. So we're talking really minimal crowds, shorter wait times, which means you can really enjoy those attractions that you love over and over and over again.

Justin: 5:04

Another fantastic perk of staying on Disney property is the ability to book dining reservations up to 60 days in advance. Now, we really kind of consider this priority booking, right? Because resort guests can book dining reservations 10 days prior to the guests that are staying off-site. So that's the people that have like a VRBO or they're staying at a sister hotel, something like that. They're able to go in 60 days prior, while those off-site guests can only go 50 days prior. This really helps you secure those reservations for restaurants like Be Our Guest, cinderella's Royal Table or any like the other character dining experiences that you want. Now there are places that do get booked up and we're going to do a complete episode about all of those locations at all four parks. So stay tuned for that. So make sure you're checking back. But definitely highly recommend, make sure you set an alarm so you can book those reservations the second that you're available to do so. Utilize myself right. Go to magicvacationfamilycom, fill out the book, a trip form. My wife and I can help you with that and we help you along the way. We'll give you all the advice, everything you need to do, help you set the reminders in your phone and help you kind of hold your hand as you're booking those so you can make sure that you're getting the most out of your trip.

Justin: 6:20

Now Disney resorts are far more than just a place to sleep. They're an integral part of the Disney experience. So whether you're staying at a Disney's Polynesian Village Resort or the Disney's Art of Animation Resort, each property has its own immersive theme that makes your stay really extra special. Imagine being surrounded by Disney magic from the moment you check in, and I would say it even starts earlier than that. It starts the moment that you actually drive underneath the welcome to Disney World sign. In addition, make sure you look for the fun activities as well. Every resort has fun activities throughout, so it could be poolside movies to character meet and greets, themed dining experiences. I've seen tie dyeing s'mores you really name it. There's a ton of things to do, and one of the things that I highly recommend is do not forget to explore everything a resort has to offer. There's more than just the Disney parks, and remember, it's supposed to be a vacation. You should be able to have some time where you get to kick back and relax and just spend time with your family at the hotel.

Justin: 7:26

Now, being able to go on rides is extremely important, right Part of the reason why you're going to Disney, and Lightning Lane is another reason why. So, as of 2024, disney transitioned from their Genie Plus to the new Lightning Lane multi-pass system, and, for resort guests, you can actually pre-book up to three Lightning Lane selections per day in advance. You can also purchase the individual lightning lane passes for the most popular rides, like Space Mountain or Frozen Ever After. Now, the pricing for a multi-pass starts anywhere from $15 to $27 per day per park, depending on, really, what you're looking at. They also do have a multi-park option as well, while the individual lightning lane passes, though, can range anywhere from $9 to $27 for each attraction.

Justin: 8:08

As we think about vacation, we think about wanting to have things be a little more simple, right and with a peace of mind, with Magic Bands that can definitely help you out. So Magic Bands are still a fantastic perk of staying on property. Now, these are wearable devices that are not only your room key, they're your park ticket and your method of payment. Plus. I also tell people it's kind of like a souvenir right from your trip to disney. I know my son and daughter. They love wearing theirs around the house and pretending that they're going to disney all the time by uh, holding their their wrist to the doorknob and then pulling it open. So, uh, they have quite an imagination. Now they do have MagicBand Plus available as well, which is the upgraded version of MagicBand, which includes interactive features that light up and vibrate and also will interact in certain areas of the park, while adding an extra layer of kind of fun to it as well. So tip if you don't want to carry around a wallet or a phone.

Justin: 9:01

Magicbands really make it easy to access everything you want or need throughout the day. And finally, one of the best reasons to stay on property is simply, you're always in the magic. You're never too far from the parks. You can always pop back, go to your room, take a break which is what we do all the time and then we go back to a park and see fireworks or go, you know, go back and do things that we didn't get to do in the morning. So, in conclusion, is it worth staying at Disney property? Absolutely. The complimentary transportation to extended park hours and the ability to book dining reservations early. There is a value to those perks. Once again, if you need help booking your Disney Resort stay, please reach out to us magicvacationfamilycom. My wife Renee and I. We would love to help you plan your next Disney vacation.