Benefits of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel

Send us a text

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!

Support the show

“Explore the magic of travel with us, Renee and Justin, your trusted Disney fanatics and the Magic Vacation Family! Tune in for tips, tricks, and stories from the parks, the seas, and beyond. Need help planning your next adventure? Visit us at magicvacationfamily.com and follow us on socials @magicvacationfamily for the latest updates and inspiration!”

Episode Transcript

Justin (00:07):
Hey friends, justin here with the PeopleMover podcast,
and welcome to episode numberfour of 2025.
Today, we're going to betalking 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 stayingat a Disney resort hotel let's
kick it off right now.

Announcer (00:25):
Welcome to the PeopleMover Podcast, the length
of the iconic ride and yourultimate guide to Disney World
and Disney cruises.
Whether you're a first-timer ora seasoned fan, we've got tips,
tricks and options to elevateyour magical journey.
Don't forget to follow andsubscribe to our Facebook,
instagram, tiktok and YouTube atMagic Vacation Family for more

(00:49):
Disney magic.
Buckle up and let's dive intothe world of Disney.

Justin (00:54):
Once again, the People Mover podcast is brought to you
by MagicVacation Familycom.
If you're looking for any helpplanning your next Disney
vacation whether it's to DisneyWorld, disneyland, disneyland
Paris or even a Disney cruiseshoot us a message, fill out the
form at magicvacationfamilycomand my wife and I will help you
plan your next trip.
But today we are going to betalking about, once again, the

(01:18):
benefits of staying at a Disneyresort hotel and, as we take a
deep dive into this, it'sprobably going to be one of the
best decisions that you make foryour vacation.
Whether you're a first timer ora Disney pro, there's
definitely reasons to stay onproperty, and we're going to
cover them all right now.
So let's kick it off withnumber one.
First of all, it's got to beconvenient transportation, and
the options that are availableare huge.

(01:39):
So it's one of the biggestperks of staying at a Disney
resort hotel is the Disney'stransportation system.
I mean, this thing is a gamechanger for anyone who doesn't
want to deal with the hassle ofdriving, parking and paying for
rental cars.
You definitely want to stay onproperty.
They have complimentary Disneytransportation.
That means, with your resortstay, you get free access to
Disney buses, boats, monorailand also the Skyliner boats

(02:08):
monorail and also the skyliner.
That means it makes it supereasy to get from your resort to
all four parks, including disneysprings and the water parks,
without having to get into a carpark, walk far distances.
It's just so simple.
In addition, now disney doesnot offer the magical express,
but they do have a relationshipwith Mears, so you can actually
use Mears Connect.
It is a paid service, but ifyou're traveling with a larger

(02:31):
group of people or you justdon't have to have the hassle of
using Uber or something, youcould literally do it for $32
per adult per round trip or $27a child round trip.
And again, this is a superconvenient, easy way to
basically show up, grab yourluggage, hop on a bus.
Now a tip if you are travelingwith younger kids or a larger

(02:51):
group, mirrors Connect isdefinitely the most convenient
and cost-effective way to get toyour resort.
But if you do want to use Uberor 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, butthere are great transportation
options available.

(03:13):
Another huge benefit of stayingat a Disney resort is the early
park entry.
Now, I know 30 minutes doesn'tseem like a lot, but in the
morning you can do 30 minuteearly entry.
So every resort guest gets 30minute early park entry to every
Disney park before the generalpublic.
And this is huge because ifyou're trying to get on popular
rides like Seven Dwarfs MineTrain or Avatar Flight of

(03:33):
Passage, you can avoid thoselong waits.
So, for example, if I look atit right now, seven Dwarfs Mine
Train right now is at 105minutes.
Imagine getting in early andnot having to worry about that.
You get in early.
You maybe wait 20 minutes to goon the ride.
You can then get on the nextride, like Peter Pan's flight.
Or you're going over to AvatarFlight of Passage.

(03:55):
You can then go on Navi RiverJourney right.
Pump out two major rides in thematter of minutes instead of
having to wait hours.
So that is another great optionfor you and it's only available
to you if you are staying onDisney property.
Now, another perk is theextended evening theme park
hours.
Now, considering the fact thatthis is only for guests that are

(04:17):
staying at deluxe resorts, itis great if you are one of those
types of guests, right?
So if you're staying at a placelike the Polynesian
Contemporary Saratoga Springs,you know one of those deluxe
resorts or deluxe villa resort.
They're extending the hours forthose guests.
So, after hours, fun on theselect night.
So it's not every night, butthere are certain parks that are
gonna have this extended access.

(04:37):
But this also means lesscrowded parks, right?
So if you think about it, youdon't have the general public,
you don't have anyone that's ata value or a moderate resort in
the parks.
It's only people that arestaying at those deluxe resorts.
Now, just because you stay at adeluxe resort doesn't mean you
have to go.
So we're talking really minimalcrowds, shorter wait times,

(04:58):
which means you can really enjoythose attractions that you love
over and over and over again.
Another fantastic perk ofstaying on Disney property is
the ability to book diningreservations up to 60 days in
advance.
Now, we really kind of considerthis priority booking, right?
Because resort guests can bookdining reservations 10 days
prior to the guests that arestaying off-site.

(05:21):
So that's the people that havelike a VRBO or they're staying
at a sister hotel, somethinglike that.
They're able to go in 60 daysprior, while those off-site
guests can only go 50 days prior.
This really helps you securethose reservations for
restaurants like Be Our Guest,cinderella's Royal Table or any
like the other character diningexperiences that you want.
Now there are places that doget booked up and we're going to

(05:42):
do a complete episode about allof those locations at all four
parks.
So stay tuned for that.
So make sure you're checkingback.
But definitely highly recommend, make sure you set an alarm so
you can book those reservationsthe second that you're available
to do so.
Utilize myself right.

(06:06):
Go to magicvacationfamilycom,fill out the book, a trip form.
My wife and I can help you withthat 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 yourphone and help you kind of hold
your hand as you're bookingthose so you can make sure that
you're getting the most out ofyour trip.
Now Disney resorts are far morethan just a place to sleep.
They're an integral part of theDisney experience.
So whether you're staying at aDisney's Polynesian Village

(06:29):
Resort or the Disney's Art ofAnimation Resort, each property
has its own immersive theme thatmakes your stay really extra
special.
Imagine being surrounded byDisney magic from the moment you
check in, and I would say iteven starts earlier than that.
It starts the moment that youactually drive underneath the
welcome to Disney World sign.
In addition, make sure you lookfor the fun activities as well.

(06:51):
Every resort has fun activitiesthroughout, so it could be
poolside movies to charactermeet and greets, themed dining
experiences.
I've seen tie dyeing s'moresyou really name it.
There's a ton of things to do,and one of the things that I
highly recommend is do notforget to explore everything a
resort has to offer.
There's more than just theDisney parks, and remember, it's

(07:13):
supposed to be a vacation.
You should be able to have sometime where you get to kick back
and relax and just spend timewith your family at the hotel.
Now, being able to go on ridesis extremely important, right
Part of the reason why you'regoing to Disney, and Lightning
Lane is another reason why.
So, as of 2024, disneytransitioned from their Genie
Plus to the new Lightning Lanemulti-pass system, and, for

(07:37):
resort guests, you can actuallypre-book up to three Lightning
Lane selections per day inadvance.
You can also purchase theindividual lightning lane passes
for the most popular rides,like Space Mountain or Frozen
Ever After.
Now, the pricing for amulti-pass starts anywhere from
$15 to $27 per day per park,depending on, really, what

(07:59):
you're looking at.
They also do have a multi-parkoption as well, while the
individual lightning lane passes, though, can range anywhere
from $9 to $27 for eachattraction.
As we think about vacation, wethink about wanting to have
things be a little more simple,right and with a peace of mind,
with Magic Bands that candefinitely help you out.
So Magic Bands are still afantastic perk of staying on

(08:19):
property.
Now, these are wearable devicesthat are not only your room key
, they're your park ticket andyour method of payment.
Plus.
I also tell people it's kind oflike a souvenir right from your
trip to disney.
I know my son and daughter.
They love wearing theirs aroundthe house and pretending that
they're going to disney all thetime by uh, holding their their
wrist to the doorknob and thenpulling it open.

(08:40):
So, uh, they have quite animagination.
Now they do have MagicBand Plusavailable as well, which is the
upgraded version of MagicBand,which includes interactive
features that light up andvibrate 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 tocarry around a wallet or a phone

(09:00):
.
Magicbands really make it easyto access everything you want or
need throughout the day.
And finally, one of the bestreasons to stay on property is
simply, you're always in themagic.
You're never too far from theparks.
You can always pop back, go toyour room, take a break which is
what we do all the time andthen we go back to a park and
see fireworks or go, you know,go back and do things that we

(09:21):
didn't get to do in the morning.
So, in conclusion, is it worthstaying at Disney property?
Absolutely.
The complimentarytransportation to extended park
hours and the ability to bookdining reservations early.
There is a value to those perks.
Once again, if you need helpbooking your Disney Resort stay,
please reach out to usmagicvacationfamilycom.
My wife Renee and I.
We would love to help you planyour next Disney vacation.