After an exhausting day riding Dumbo and pounding out 20,000 steps, a good night’s sleep is just what the doctor ordered. But where should I stay?
Staying on resort property comes with perks. An excellent concierge desk can assist with dining reservations, reservation changes, and other park bookings. When you have an issue with a reservation, your concierge can smooth the waters for you. We once drove over to Disney Springs for a dinner reservation only to be turned away by parking attendants. When we returned to the Boardwalk resort, a quick trip to the concierge resulted in a cancellation of our existing reservation and a new reservation at a lovely restaurant at the Boardwalk resort. If we had been off property we would have ended up at the local McDonalds all while paying the convenience fee to the original restaurant for the no-show on that reservation.
Staying on property also means you can enter the parks early or stay late if Disney is offering “Extra Magic Hours.” Maybe this doesn’t matter, but if you really want to ride Flights of Pandora and not stand in the queue for 2+ hours, that Extra Magic Hour is key.
How do the resort hotels differ? Read on.
California
The California resort has 3 Disney branded hotels. At the top end is the beautiful, but hyper expensive, Grand Californian. This lovely hotel is built in the style of traditional California Mission Architecture. As you walk the grounds, you’ll enjoy shade from California Redwood trees. The Grand as it is called, has its own private entrance into California Adventure. When the World of Color water show is running, you can reserve a room overlooking the park with a ringside view of the nightly spectacular. There is a series of nice pools with sun-drenched pool decks to enjoy. You can enjoy drinks delivered to your lounge chair while channeling the Beach Boys. But all this beauty and convenience comes at a price.
Next door, the Disneyland hotel is the original park hotel. If you have little ones who dream of Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, this hotel’s décor is just for you. Like the Grand, the Disneyland hotel has a really nice pool facility. Both hotels have a suite of restaurant options as well.
Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is their answer to a less expensive resort stay. While rooms cost much less here, you’ll still drop a significant chunk of change on this property. They have a pool, but it’s much more basic that at the sister hotels. If you are on a budget but want the convenience of staying on property, the Paradise Pier is your best bet. Last minute reservations are easiest at Paradise Pier also.
Florida
With over 42 square miles, Disney World offers a bunch of different hotel options. There are over 25 places to rest your head around Walt Disney World with more properties coming soon. 9 of these properties are part of the Disney Vacation Club, a fractional use program where members can redeem points they have purchased for a stay. Vacation Club (or DVC) properties range in size from studios (a fancy term for a hotel room) to multi-room suites with full kitchens. There are some specialized properties as well. Disney’s Polynesian Resort has a series of multi-bedroom overwater bungalows where you can lounge on your private deck and watch the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom. Saratoga Springs Resort has several multi-bedroom tree house villas. Over at Copper Creek, you can book a rustic cabin which will fill your dreams of the great National Parks of the West.
You can stay in the middle of the action at the Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas. From these resorts you can walk to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. You can watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from Bay Lake Towers, the Grand Floridian, or the Polynesian. You can wake up to giraffes and zebra grazing outside your window at Animal Kingdom Lodge. You might want the ease of walking into Disney Springs in the evening. If that’s the case, Saratoga Springs is your place. Browse around and you’ll find the perfect resort.
You don’t have to be a member of the DVC Group to reserve a space. Disney has rentals available at all the DVC properties on a space available basis.
Turning to hotels, some of the DVC properties also have conventional hotel rooms. Animal Kingdom Lodge and Grand Floridian both offer hotel space. Almost all the DVC properties have hotel wings for nightly stays.
For more budget conscious travelers, Disney offers some nice properties geared to families on budgets as well as big groups, all decked out in Disney charm. Disney’s All Star Resort, Art of Animation, and Pop Century are excellent choices for these travelers.
Finally, there are 2 hotels operated by Marriot Hotels that are actually on-site and can be booked directly through Disney. The Swan and Dolphin were built through an off-site contract many years ago and offer nice rooms and good conference facilities. They can be booked either directly through Walt Disney World or through Marriott.
There’s even a campground for those RV drivers out there. If you want to combine your Disney trip with a longer road trip, check out the campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Lodge. The campsite offers a range of hook up sites as well as tent and pop-up sites. Bonuses include evening wilderness camping experiences like making smores and campfire stories. And it’s serviced by the Disney Bus Transportation so you don’t need a separate vehicle to move around the larger property. You can spend the night under the stars and then jump on the bus to Animal Kingdom in the morning. Super fun!
If you really want to drop some cash on a special place, Disney has developed a Star Wars themed experience hotel that opens in March 2022. It’s a multi-night experience and is extremely pricey. But if you geek out to all things Star Wars, a stay here might be a dream come true.
In later blogs, we will discuss some of the fun unique aspects of different properties. Of course, you can always stay off property. In Florida you would need a car to access the theme parks if you stay off property. But the cost savings might be worth it.
In California Disney offers deals at several hotels close to the parks. Called, “Good Neighbor” hotels, these properties work with Disney to fill their rooms with park guests. Many of these hotels are within a walk to the parks. Several include park admission. They are often cheaper than staying on property. Check the Disneyland Website for details.
Whatever your budget or interest, you are sure to find just the right place to rest your feet and dream of Mickey.