In the past 6 years I have only stayed in #WDWResorts because for me, the proximity to the park alone, was the best selling point. But after visiting a few properties and learning more about the resorts, I wanted to share why convenience is just one of the many factors you should consider, when booking your next trip to Orlando!
Now, not every resort is going to bring this much joy, so those that have bought timeshares in similar resorts may be looking for a way out, which is understandable if it is eating at their finances. If this is a reality for people out there then they may look at ways to get out of westgate timeshare or a timeshare in a different location so they can be free and enjoy resorts like this one! It’s a process but it can be worth it.
#1 Location, Location, Location
When you think about the hassle of driving to the parks everyday, paying for parking or staying at a non #WDWResort and paying extra for the shuttle – the fees add up and the time lost, will cost you a lot at the end.
It’s like booking that inexpensive airline ticket, but they charge you $ 75.00 per carry-on luggage, so at the end, you end up paying more for it and not having the comfort and flight/airport flexibility that other airlines will give you!
For me, it’s all about location! The proximity to the parks and complimentary transportation resort guests enjoy, make the trip not only more enjoyable but also more affordable at the end, since some hotels charge up to $ 120.00 per family for access to shuttle to the parks alone!
#WDWResorts offer multiple forms of transportation, from buses, which run on an ongoing schedule (even on Extra Magic Hours) and the boat rides from select hotels, which are my absolute favorite way to go to Epcot!!
For more information on availability, hours and transportation schedule, please check HERE.
# 2 An Option For Every Budget
From value properties to DeLuxe Resorts, there’s an option for every budget!
I’ve heard people say “I didn’t book a WDW resort because of the price”, but that’s because they don’t know the wide price range that will meet even the most modest budgets!
Here is a quick overview:
Value Properties
There are currently more than 25 Disney Resort hotel locations to pick from when staying at Walt Disney World Resort, from budget-conscious value Resort hotels to luxurious deluxe Resort hotels.
Value Resorts:
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
The Value Resorts are where you get to enjoy properties such as The Disney’s Art of animation Resort, which we recently visited!
The Value Resorts have:
- The largest pool outside the water parks
- Cars and Finding Nemo Suites
- And so much more….
Moderate Resorts:
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
We stayed at Disney Port Orleans Resorts and I will be sharing my full review with you soon, but for now, you get to enjoy some of our favorites:
- The Boat Rides
- The Restaurant BoatWrights and the unforgettable Shrimp and Grits!!
Deluxe Resorts:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
We have stayed at the Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn and Grand Floridian and I can assure you, each resort has character and unique features worth checking out! Animal Kingdom is next on my list!!
Deluxe Villas:
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Located close to all the magic of the theme parks, Disney Deluxe Resorts are designed to deliver an amazing experience at Walt Disney World Resort. Each Disney Deluxe Resort is uniquely themed with style and architecture – and offers a wide variety of benefits, amenities and services that will make your Disney vacation extra magical.
Enjoy near-perfect proximity to Epcot at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Savor an elegant escape at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Or delight in the ultra-modern design of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Whichever Disney Deluxe Resort you choose, you can look forward to a soothing escape from the energy of the theme parks-and from the everyday-even though you’re mere moments away.
We’ve stayed at the Disney Boardwalk Villas and the spacious room and all the amenities made this resort top on my favorite list!
#3 Extra and Extra Extra Magic Hours (NEW)
“Extra” Extra Magic Hours – Guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels will also have the chance to enjoy “Extra” Extra Magic Hours-available exclusively in Pandora – The World of Avatar from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, May 27 to July 4, 2017. More HERE!
Extra Extra Magic Hours 11-1 AM due to Pandora Opening From May 27th- June 5th for Animal Kingdom Resort Guests ONLY!
#4 Dining Options
So many dining options in each resort, #WDWResort guests enjoy the opportunity to try different restaurants and have access to the resort’s dining areas, giving them so many dining options that other guests don’t have.
Non Resort Guests don’t have access to amenities, just dining areas. Resort guests enjoy a wide variety of dining options right there, in their own resort!
- Like the Sanaa Restaurant at Animal Kingdom Resort:
- Cape May Character Breakfast
- Authentic Dishes at The Flying Fish
- The Magic of the AbracadaBar with drinks that change colors and walls that transform every time you look at them:
#5 Extended Magic
There’s nothing like the feeling of arriving at a #WDWResort and being received with Welcome Home!
That’s what you’ll hear from the time you arrive at the airport and have access to the Magical Express Shuttle to the Happy Greeting at the front door, the very helpful front desk and concierge and you get the ability to have it all connected to your magic band! Yes, it’s that simple!
Their mission is to make your trip magical, pleasant, comfortable and reduce the time used to get to activities – other than changing into your shorts and heading to the parks or floating at the pool!
Your check out is automatically prepared and delivered to your door and your flight is confirmed and boarding pass printed, all to help you worry less and enjoy more!
It doesn’t get any more magical than that!
If none of the above convinced you, the My Disney Experience site will help you experience resort features to help you navigate through your trip planning; anything from your resort reservation, fast passes and special meals reservation to meal planning and other amazing options that you have access to, while using the app.
These are just a few reasons why my family and I will not plan a family trip to Orlando without staying at a #WDWResort!
I will be sharing more information and features I love on future posts! Stay tuned!
Have you stayed at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts? What is your opinion? As usual, give us a Trendy Shout!
It’s so cuteeee and looks homely (if that’s even a word LOL) . I like the blue exterior.
Thank you for these tips. We are going to plan us a trip for 2018 for the girls and these will be great options. Thanks. – yolonda
I love staying on property! I lived in Orlando for many years and we would do “staycations” and stay at the different Disney resorts! Each one is so unique and fun in its own way
What a truly magical place to stay! I love all the photos, definitely makes me want to stay at WDW Resort.
I have always wanted to go to WDW but we never had been able to. This is totally a bucket list trip and of course I would LOVE to stay in the resort. I Wouldn’t have it any other way after this post.
I like how convenient they are for getting to the park. I also like that they have so much to do too.
That is all the reason I need. These places look and sound amazing.
What a beautiful resort. Can’t wait to go there!
Wow! Thumbs up for this. I love all of these photos. Its really awesome. Such a cool place to visit.
Oh how I wish I had a Disney trip planned. I have always loved staying at the Yacht Club, as well as the Grand Floridian.
We’re exploring our options, while we’re planning our Disney trip. These are great tips as we plan currently. Thank you for sharing all of your good tips and why we should stay in a resort.
What a beautiful place to stay, and that food looks amazing! I wish I could visit there very soon.
We have always said that when we make it to Disney, we will stay in a WDW resort. For one, out of the convenience, but also the other things you mentioned. It sounds like it would really add to the whole experience.
This all looks like a dream place to stay! We have plans to go to Disney World next year and want to stay in one of the resorts so this post is really helpful in my planning! Thanks!
If I ever get the opportunity to go back to Disney, I will stay on property. Staying on property allows you the option of going back to rest if needed or eat meals that you can prepare. We didn’t stay on property a few years ago because my husband had a friend who lived in Florida. So we stayed with his friend but we ended up doing a ton of driving and by the end of our trip we were tired.
We love Disney so much and we’ve been there three times in the last two years. It’s really the best memories for the kids.
What a beautiful resort. The thought of going on a boat ride seems very relaxing.
I wouldn’t mind staying in such an awesome place. It’s nice that you have everything you need plus it’s a Disney resort so the fun doesn’t stop once you leave the park!
I would definitely stay there no questions asked. I am a huge Disney fan and so is my daughter and staying in a WDW resort is the best choice! It’s the full Disney experience!
You don’t have to convince, I will definitely prefer to stay there when we’re on vacation. I think it’s awesome to be able to enjoy everything Disney while you’re there!
Also being a movie buff I really like the sound of the movie resort. Plus how freaking gorgeous are the WDW Resorts? x
I am glad that there is an option for every budget because it means you don’t have to miss out on the fun regardless of your income x
The food would be enough to convince me to stay. What a place!
Katja xxx
http://www.katnapped.com
My children would absolutely LOVE to stay at a place like that! I think, after going through the expense of getting to Walt Disney World that it totally makes sense to stay in a resort there too. 🙂
I would love to go to Disney World one day and if I do I am definitely staying on property!! Great post!!
So many pros for staying with WDW Resort! I especially love the AMAZING dining options (you can’t go wrong with such goodies!).
Disney world is so unique and wonderful. Staying close to the fun is just the best. And hoping from one resort to the other for different restaurants is awesome
We never stayed at a WDW resort before, but these are great things to consider. We’re planning to go back later this year.
Resorts are the way to go! Everything looks so incredible and cozy
Port Orleans is one of my favorites. I love being able to take the boat to Disney Springs!
Wonderful advice! There are so many things to love about staying at a Disney resort and you’ve nailed the big ones. I love that it gives you the true Disney experience for your whole vacation, not just when you’re in the parks. Now if only I could pick a favorite, lol!
I’d love to stay at a Disney resort for my next park visit. You can’t beat the convenience of transportation and it seems like there are quite a few nice places to stay.
I have been saving to go stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. We are hoping to go next Winter. I am in love with the decor here. Your room looks amazing.
This looks like an amazing place to stay. I love how close to the park it is. You would save so much time.
Looks so magical! Makes me want to go on vacation right now!
These pictures make me long for a trip to Walt Disney World. I’ve been to Disneyland and DCA many times in the past but never to Disney World. I’ve also never stayed at a Disney hotel, not even at Disneyland. The price was always so expensive compared to off property hotels. At Disney World, I think an on property hotel makes more sense since the parks are so scattered around.
We stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort last year in a Finding Nemo suite and this year in a Cars suite. LOVED it. I also love Pop Century.
I can’t deny I’d one day love to stay in one of the higher end places!
I am sold! If I ever visit the US and go to one of the parks I will definitely stay on site! So many pros!
We always stay on property. Our favorite is Port Orleans French Quarter. We’ll be staying there again when we make it back to Disney. I love it!
We have never stayed off property. I love staying at WDW resorts and the deluxe are obviously a favorite, but I may try and stay off property just once for a different perspective.
We are a HUGE Disney family! Even though you have 5 reasons- we usually only need one- It’s Disney! 😉 Great post!
Resorts are the only way to go if you’re headed to Disney. They are absolutely dripping with fairy dust. It just makes then entire experience more wonderful.
I 100% agree you should stay at the resorts. Many moons ago, before we had kids, my husband and I went to the Food and Wine Festival and really thought about staying off-site. Then we found out you could actually use their dining plans for the festival, so there’s a lot of bonuses to staying. Even if you don’t have kids or need a character room. 🙂
I’ve never stayed at one before – but I did stay next door to one in Hawaii and totally POUNCED on their buffet! 😉
If you can afford it, you should always stay at one of the resorts when you take a Disney vacation. It enhances the experience a hundred fold.
When we went to WDW last year, we stayed at a WDW Resort and I am so glad that we did!! It was definitely worth it with all of the added perks and made our experience so much more enjoyable 🙂
We always stay at the resorts when we go to Disney. There’s no better way to fully immerse yourself in the experience!
We are doing to Disney in January, and I was planning on staying at a hotel near by. This definitely has me second guessing my choice. This looks amazing!
I have not been to Disney World as of yet but I am compiling a list of places to stay so that when we do go I know what to look for. This post helps so much.
I can imagine that if you are travelling all the way to a WDW resort, then this would be the icing on the cake, especially for the little ones. I can’t wait to take mine!
I would never NOT stay in one. This year we are staying at the Yacht club and I can’t wait 🙂