Planning Tips

Top Reasons to Stay on Property at Disney

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Should you stay on property at Walt Disney World?

My recommendation to friends and clients has always been “YES! You have to stay on property!” Don’t get me wrong, there are some other really great non-Disney options in the area, and many are becoming Disney affiliate properties. This means while they’re not owned and run by Disney, they receive some of the perks that Disney resort guests receive.

I’ve stayed primarily at on-property Disney resorts on our trips, but have also stayed at Disney affiliates and had a great experience!

There are a ton of reasons to stay on property, so I’ve pulled together my top few to help you in the decision-making process 🙂 Keep in mind, there are different tiers of Disney resorts with different price points (but all of them receive these perks), so find the tier that fits your budget!

1. Extra Magic Hours

Extra Magic Hours are a window of time in the morning or night when the park is only open to Disney resort guests. EMH are only offered on select days at select parks, so make sure you always check Disney’s website for the latest dates/times!

We always take advantage of this perk, and I encourage my clients to do the same. In the morning, it allows you to beat the crowds AND the heat – a huge benefit if you can get your group out of bed early enough to make it! And there’s nothing better than being the last ones in the park at night. It’s so magical walking down a near empty Main Street!

2. Complimentary Transportation

a. Magical Express: Disney offers a complimentary shuttle service to/from the Orlando airport from your resort. You need to register online in advance of your vacation, but it’s super easy (and free!). On your way back to the airport, you can even check your bags at your resort for your airline so you don’t have to do it at the airport. It takes a bit longer than if you rented a car or took an Uber, but as you would imagine, the experience of riding the Magical Express is, well, magical!

b. Service to/from the parks: Monorail, bus and boat – Disney’s got you covered! No matter what Disney resort you’re staying at, you can get to any of the four parks, two water parks and Disney Springs. They’re service is (usually) very reliable and runs frequently! Now you can track the bus arrival times on the My Disney Experience app!

c. Standard parking at the parks: Complimentary standard parking is included for Disney resort guests!

3. Full Disney Experience

Staying on property at a Disney resort keeps you immersed in the magic throughout your vacation. The Disney level of service is unmatched, and cast members go above and beyond to make sure your stay is extra magical. Every last detail adds that touch of pixie dust – from the special TV channels (we love watching Stacy’s Disney Must Dos!) to the Disney soaps and shampoos – it’s the little things that make your experience at a Disney resort.

What are your top reasons for staying on property at Disney?!

Reviews

Resort Review: Dolphin Resort

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Location: Epcot Resort Area

WDW Park Planners Rating:

Resort Category: Deluxe Resort

The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are two separate properties located next to each other. They are Disney affiliate resorts but are not owned by Disney. The Swan is a Westin property, while the Dolphin is a Sheraton.

That means you can use points to stay at these properties, which is what we did! My husband and I stayed at the Dolphin hotel this past June when we visited Disney for a long weekend. Points don’t get you very far, but every bit helps, right? We used points for 2 of the 3 nights and also received a complimentary room upgrade to a suite.

Take the boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios!

What We Liked

We’re all about location when we go to Disney, and the Epcot resort area is by far our favorite. You’re either a quick boat ride or a 20-minute walk (depending on how tired your feet are) to Epcot AND Hollywood Studios. Having those options saves a ton of time, and honestly, we like walking around those areas! For Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, you’re a bus ride away and receive complimentary transportation on the Disney buses to those parks (which isn’t the case for all affiliate resorts).

The lobby of the Dolphin is awesome – it was recently renovated and is big and spacious. There’s a cool bar in the middle and a yummy little coffee shop that we went to a few times. Between the Swan and Dolphin, they offer tons of great dining options (4 signature restaurants, 5 casual spots, 5 lounge areas, and 3 quick service options). They even have an on-site character meal at the Swan – check out the Garden Grove restaurant which has characters every night for dinner as well as on the weekends for breakfast!

The pool area is shared between the two properties and is a great set up. It’s incredibly family friendly, with lots of games and activities for the kids!

The lobby at the Dolphin is always bumpin! Lots going on – there’s a great bar, coffee shop and retail stores!

Things to Note

One thing to note, especially if you’re traveling with a family, is that the Swan and Dolphin don’t have access to the Magical Express to/from the airport. This was actually okay for us since it was a quick weekend trip (and my husband doesn’t love the Magical Express like me), so we grabbed a Lyft and were at the hotel in 30 minutes. It cost about $30 each way, which isn’t too bad for us Chicagoans!

The Dolphin feels less “Disney” than an actual Disney resort. It’s a conference hotel, so as we were leaving on a Monday, there were tons of business people there walking around, which felt a little strange on vacation. The little touches of Disney that I love – all of the magical TV channels (WDW Today, Disney Must Dos with Stacy, etc.), the Disney shampoos and soaps and the towel characters on your bed (I still love when the maids do that!) – are not at the Dolphin. So, if any of those things are important to you, consider yourself warned!

The room itself was mediocre, especially considering we got upgraded to a suite. The room was spacious and the bathroom was really nice, but the room felt like they hadn’t done a very thorough job cleaning it. We’re barely in the room on our quick weekend trips, so the room wasn’t the end of the world, but, if you’re someone who spends more time in the hotel room you may want to reconsider.

WDW Park Planners Tip:

Spend an evening walking around the Boardwalk area – it’s extra magical at night! The Swan and Dolphin are super close to it, so be sure to make time to enjoy all the Boardwalk has to offer. Adults can visit the dueling piano bar Jellyrolls, while kids can enjoy the “street” entertainers such as magicians or musicians! Be sure to stop by Ample Creamery for some of the BEST ice cream – I’m obsessed!

Planning Tips

Top 5 Annual Passholder Perks

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Is it worth it?

My husband I became Disney World Annual Passholders this past June (before the price hike). During that first trip to Disney as official APs, all we kept saying was “why didn’t we do this sooner?!”

We’re Platinum Passholders, which means we have unlimited access to all 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom) with park hopping abilities – we can hit more than one park in one day. 

When we were thinking about becoming Passholders, we already had two short trips planned to Disney for the year. After quickly doing the math on what Park Hopper tickets would cost for those two trips, the Annual Pass had already paid itself off. So for us, it was a bit of a no-brainer! Throw in all the extra perks, and it was worth the money even more 🙂

For us, these have been the Top 5 Disney Annual Passholder Perks (so far!):

5. Room Discounts

Disney offers special room rates for APs, but not until a certain window of time. It’s usually pretty close to the travel dates, but you can rebook an existing reservation to take advantage of the discount. We saved on our room at the Boardwalk this summer (the room discounts were up to 35% off for the summer offer!). 

4. Memory Maker

For someone who’s family never purchased the Disney PhotoPass packages, this was such a pleasant surprise for us! Being a Platinum AP includes free, unlimited PhotoPass downloads. On our last trip, we really took advantage of the photographers around the parks! They take great pictures (although some were better than others) and it’s nice to have good quality, non-selfie pictures from the vacation. 

3. Dining and Merchandise Discounts

This is a biggie for savings. APs can receive up to 20% off select dining and select merchandise in store and online. While this excludes alcoholic beverages, tax and gratuity, it still adds up quickly in savings! Check out the full list of participating restaurants here.

2. Special Event and Tour Discounts

We’ve taken huge advantage of these discounts already! The savings are substantial for events like Disney After Hours ($30 off the regular ticket price) – we’ve already done Hollywood Studios and are soon doing Animal Kingdom as well. For ticketed events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it’s either $5 or $10 off (more if you buy in advance). The tours are typically 15% off, which we took advantage of when we did the World Showcase: DestiNations Discovered Tour. 

1. Preview Days

Last but not least, APs receive select opportunities to preview new attractions at the parks. The first and only one we’ve been able to take advantage of will be Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. This alone is HUGE. Being able to view the land in advance of it opening to the public, with limited crowds?! Yes, please. 

Even with the increase in ticket prices, I would still recommend becoming a Passholder if you plan on going to Disney World more than once a year. It is definitely worth it from our perspective, and I’ve never heard anyone say that they regret their decision to be an AP! 

See the Pass options on Disney’s website.

Unsure if the Annual Pass is right for you? Send me a message and I’d be happy to help! 

Already an AP?! What perks do you love most?