Disney Travel Tips
#1 honeymoon spot in the US. More hotels than any city in the US except for Vegas. The vacation spot your kids are begging you to take them to. And…the best place to vacation. Period.
Okay, I will concede that the last statement was less fact and more opinion. I’ve been to Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971. And in many of those years…many more times a year than once.
So when it comes to planning a Disney vacation, I humbly consider myself a pro. I thought I might offer some travel tips to my place throughout the year. If you have specific questions, be sure to e-mail me and I’ll post an answer here on the blog. Please put DISNEY TRAVEL in the subject line.
Okay, so let’s tackle one of the first questions people always ask me. Where should we stay? Or more specifically, should we stay in one of the Disney hotels, on property?
Disney has hotel accommodations for just about everyone. You can spend anywhere from $59 – $500/night for a room. The hotels, even the budget ones, are beautifully designed and there are little details (like the hidden Mickeys) that you just won’t find anywhere else.
But that’s not why you should stay there. While you can certainly find someplace cheaper to stay (remember, hotel rooms in Orlando are a dime a dozen and there are plenty of low rent options) you just can’t beat the perks of staying on property.
Here’s a very partial list:
- Free Magical Express transfer from the airport to your hotel. WDW is actually about 30 minutes away from the airport.
- Extra Magic Hours – on certain days, as a resort guest — you can arrive early to certain parks, or stay late, after the park closes. There are Extra Magic Hours at one of the 4 parks every day. This means you can avoid the lines of the “big” attractions and save those for the much less populated Extra Hours times.
- Free transportation all over the Disney property. There are many bus, boat (big and small) or monorail options.
- Babysitting and childcare options – if you are traveling with young children but want some grown up time — you can use in-room care or at several of the resorts there are “overnights” with the likes of Goofy. What kid wouldn’t love that?
- Free parking at all 4 parks for resort guests, if you decide to rent a car.
- Guaranteed theme park admission at the crazy busy times, like Christmas or Thanksgiving (avoid these like the plague unless you have to travel then). Even if the park is filled to capacity (and they deny any more admissions) you’ll get in before anyone else does.
There is a magic about staying on property. The cast members go out of their way to make your stay special. The decor means you are immersed in Disney 24/7 which is really wonderful.
I’d highly recommend you stay on property — it means you are surrounded by the Disney magic for your entire vacation. It really will feel like you’ve gone to a wonderful new world.
