Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Nothing quite beats staying in a Walt Disney World Resort hotel during a vacation in Lake Buena Vista. Not only does it place you right in the heart of the magic, but you are guaranteed the Disney experience throughout your vacation. Whilst this is true, there’s something even more special about staying in a Disney Deluxe Resort. These include:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Riviera Resort (a Disney Vacation Club Resort)
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort (a Disney Vacation Club Resort)
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort (a Disney Vacation Club Resort)
Regardless of the Walt Disney World hotel that you choose to stay in, you’re in for a wonderful time. Guaranteed access to quick-service and full-service restaurants, stunning pool areas, Resort activities that are unique to the theming of the Disney hotel, campfires, movies under the stars, and much more will make your stay in Walt Disney World thoroughly enjoyable.
We do appreciate that staying in a Disney Deluxe Resort comes at a cost. For this reason, some Guests may choose to stay for a part of their Disney vacation in this type of accomodation, and spend the rest in a more affordable location, such as a Value Resort or Moderate Resort. We’ve also done the same, and found that we really do appreciate the time we get to spend in and enjoy a Deluxe Resort.
Here’s our top tips for getting the most out of a stay in one of these beautiful Disney hotels. These will be particularly helpful if you are planning a stay as short as one night.
Early Check-In
Arriving at the Resort hotel as early as you can will allow you to maximise the time you have to use the Resort facilities. Whilst your room may not be available when you arrive, luggage can be left with bell services, and brought to your room once you can get into it. It’s always worth checking with Front Desk to see if an alternative room is available sooner than the one you have been assigned. We recently did this, and received notification on the Disney Genie app that our room was ready by 9:30 a.m.
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Spend Time at the Pool
The day of check-in is often a great day to spend time in the Resort, to get to know your surroundings. The Disney Deluxe Resort hotels have awesome pool areas to enjoy too, so you should definitely plan on spending some time there. You’ll especially want to do this if you are staying at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts; you’ll have access to your very own water park at Stormalong Bay.
If you’re planning on a short stay in a Deluxe Resort, one pool day and one theme park day is a great plan.
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Dine in a Full-Service Restaurant
There are plenty of dining choices around the Walt Disney World Resort, but to help you experience all that a Disney hotel has to offer, we recommend dining in at least one of the restaurants located at your choice of accommodation. These are our restaurant recommendations in the Disney Resort hotels:
- Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Beaches & Cream Soda Sop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Trattoria al Forno at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort
- The Turf Club Bar & Grill at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort (or hop across to Disney Springs for plenty of other restaurants to choose from)
- Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
When it comes to quick-service dining locations, we highly recommend sampling what there is to offer in your Disney hotel. Why not grab breakfast here before spending the day in a Disney theme park? Alternatively, grab dinner to enjoy by the pool, before a relaxing dip to end your Disney day.
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Make use of Early Theme Park Entry
Whilst Disney Resort Guests can only enter each Disney Park 30 minutes prior to park opening, extra time to ride attractions can help you to fit a lot into your morning, providing time to relax later on in the day. This is something that you can use every morning that ties into your stay in a Deluxe Resort, including the day of check-out.
Credit: Disney Photo Snapper
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours
Disney Deluxe Resort Guests can enjoy additional hours in select Disney Parks on certain evenings of the week. Currently, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours are available in EPCOT on Monday evenings, and Magic Kingdom on Wednesday evenings. If you’re planning on a short stay in a Deluxe Disney Resort hotel, try to include Extended Evening Theme Park Hours into your stay. They’re a great benefit to staying in a Deluxe Resort.
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Use All Modes of Transport
A benefit of staying in a Deluxe Walt Disney World hotel is having access to at least two modes of transport. When staying at these hotels, it’s fun to use all transport options, whether you are visiting a Disney Park or another Disney hotel.
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Resort Merchandise
Be sure to stop by your Resort hotel store and pick up an exclusive piece of merchandise to remember your stay by. There are often plenty of choices, including apparel, magnets, mugs, and Disney pins, that are unique to each Disney Resort hotel.
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Which of the Disney Deluxe Resorts have you stayed in? Are there any that are left to tick off your list? We love to stay in these Disney hotels as a staycation during a vacation. It’s a way to keep the cost down, while providing a little extra magic. It also encourages us to take things slowly at least once during an otherwise packed vacation!
