The hotel you choose to stay at can really enhance your Orlando holiday. With a hassle-free journey to the theme parks each morning and a beautifully clean room to return to each evening, the right hotel makes all the difference, and when you’re spending a large portion of your holiday budget on your accommodation, you want to make sure it’s perfect.
A Walt Disney Resort Hotel is sure to be one that will make your holiday the best that it can be, so here are 12 reasons why a stay at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 2027 will always be worth the money.
1. Close proximity to the Disney Parks
If you want to roll out of bed in the morning and head straight into the Disney Parks as soon as possible, staying at a Disney Resort hotel is your best option. With over 25 Disney Resort hotels spread out across the whole of Walt Disney World Resort, it’s easy to choose a hotel that’s close to your favourite park so you’re never too far away from all the thrills. Some hotels, like Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, are even so close you could have a view of one of the parks from your window!
There's even more choice coming in 2027, as Disney's Lakeshore Lodge, the newest Disney Resort hotel, opens on 1 July 2027, with complimentary water taxi transportation to Magic Kingdom Park.
Being so close to the theme parks doesn’t only have its advantages when you’re hurrying to make it to rope drop though. When you’re returning to your hotel, whether that’s for a quick nap and dip in the pool after lunch or for a good night’s sleep after a full day of fun, you’ll never have too long to wait until you can put your feet up for a well-deserved rest.
2. Free transportation and parking
When you stay at a Disney Resort hotel, there are multiple free options for getting to and from the Theme Parks. Every hotel offers complimentary bus services to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as Disney Springs.
Heading for a splash? For Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, hop on a bus to Disney Springs and change to the Typhoon Lagoon bus. For Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, ride the bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and change to the Blizzard Beach bus there.
Guests at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort, Disney's All-Star Sport Resort and Disney's Coronado Springs Resort can enjoy a direct bus to Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, and a few more hotels add direct water park buses during the summer.
Certain hotels also offer additional transportation options, including monorails, boats and the Disney Skyliner.
3. Online check-in
Once you’ve made your Disney Resort hotel booking you can use your Disney booking reference number to link your reservation to your My Disney Experience account. This will make things even easier once you arrive at Walt Disney World Resort as you’ll be able to do online check-in directly on the app. With Direct-to-Room service, the app will tell you your room number as soon as it is ready and you can then even use your phone to open your door!
Arrived before your room is ready? You can still enjoy areas of your hotel, such as the pool, with an active MagicBand, so your holiday can begin the moment you arrive.
4. Disney Dining Plans
If you’re staying in one of the incredible hotels that Walt Disney World Resort in Florida has to offer, you can also include a Disney Dining Plan for a set price. This is an efficient way to save money on your holiday whilst also trying the selection of tasty treats on offer! For 2027, there are three plans to choose from.
If you're looking for something simple, we recommend the Quick-Service Dining Plan, which offers each member of your party aged 3 and over: 2 quick-service meals, 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic (for guests aged 21 and over) drink per meal, and 1 selected snack each night of your stay as well as a resort-refillable mug.
If you have a larger appetite, tuck into the Table-Service Dining Plan (previously known as the Disney Dining Plan). With this, each member of your party aged 3 and over will receive each night: 1 quick-service meal, 1 table-service or buffet meal, 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic (for guests aged 21 and over) drink per meal, 1 selected snack and a resort-refillable mug.
New for 2027, the Deluxe Table-Service Dining Plan is perfect for foodies who love a sit-down meal. Each member of your party aged 3 and over will receive each night: 1 quick-service meal, 2 table-service or buffet meals, 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic (for guests aged 21 and over) drink per meal, 1 selected snack and a resort-refillable mug. Some dining experiences use 2 table-service meals, so this plan is a lovely choice if you'd like to add a few extra-special meals to your trip.
Find out more in our Walt Disney World Dining Plans guide.
5. Early Entry to the Disney Theme Parks
Every morning, Disney Resort hotel guests can enter any of the four Disney theme parks 30 minutes before they officially open, including on your check-in and check-out days*. This gives you a head-start on your day to ride some of your favourite attractions with shorter wait times or make the most of there being fewer guests to get some great shots for your holiday photo album (and your Instagram of course).
6. Extended Evening Hours for select Disney Resort hotels
If you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort hotel or a Deluxe Villa, you can maximise your time in the Disney Theme Parks even further with Extended Evening Hours at select parks on select nights*. You’ll be able to experience select attractions, shop for that must-have merchandise and keep on snacking well into the evening once other guests have gone home.
Eligible hotels include Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Riviera Resort, and Disney's Lakeshore Lodge will join the line-up when it opens. Guests staying at the Walt Disney World Swan, Walt Disney World Dolphin and Walt Disney World Swan Reserve can enjoy Extended Evening Hours too. You'll find the dates and parks on the Walt Disney World Resort calendar, with Extended Evening Hours usually taking place on two nights each week, with extra dates added at some parks.
7. You can make your advanced dining reservations earlier
Advanced dining reservations become available for all guests starting 60 days before your visit to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. But, while ticket-only guests need to make their reservations one day at a time, hotel guests can make reservations for the length of their stay (up to 10 nights) all in one go, 60 days before they arrive.
This gives you the best chance of getting a reservation at your preferred time for some of the more popular dining locations at the resort like Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park and Oga's Cantina at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The same early booking window applies to experiences in the Enchanting Extras Collection, like dessert parties and animal encounters. Plus, you'll get early access to buy tickets for special after-hours events, like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Disney After Hours, before they go on sale to everyone else.
8. Resort Refillable Drink Mugs
If there's one thing we love, it's getting value for money, and purchasing a refillable mug on the first day of your stay will definitely give you that (if you have a dining plan, you'll get one of these included!).
Once you've bought your mug, you'll benefit from free refills of as many soft drinks, coffees, teas and hot chocolates as you can drink, at any of the quick-service restaurants at the Disney Resort hotels, for the length of your stay (up to 14 days).
The mugs are covered in fun Disney-themed designs, so this makes for the perfect souvenir to take home with you as well.
9. Additional activities for guests of all ages
The fun doesn’t have to stop when you leave the parks if you’re staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Throughout the day and into the evening there are a number of free and paid activities for guests of all ages to take part in, like quizzes and dance parties by the pool, crafts, scavenger hunts and Movies Under the Stars.
10. You can make your Lightning Lane selections earlier
When you stay at a Disney Resort hotel, you can make your Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass selections earlier than ticket-only guests! Before you even arrive at Walt Disney World Resort, you can purchase your Lightning Lane passes up to 7 days in advance of your stay, plus choose your experiences and arrival windows, for the entire length of your stay (up to 14 days).
Lightning Lane passes are entirely optional, and are purchased per day, so you can choose to have them for every day of your stay, a few select days, or none at all!
Lightning Lanes passes and experiences are subject to availability and are first-come-first-served, so those additional few days are definitely worth it! Guests staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin can enjoy this early booking window too.
11. You can charge your purchases to your room
If you put a card on file when you check in for your hotel reservation, you can use this to pay for your purchases in the parks. This will then just be added to your bill at the end of your stay and you won’t have to worry about carrying around cash or payment cards while you’re enjoying the attractions.
This is also a great option for younger members of your party who might not have their own payment cards. It's also an easy way to pay for tips if you're using a Disney Dining Plan. You can use the My Disney Experience app to keep track of all your charges throughout your trip.
12. You never have to leave the ‘Disney bubble’
Incredible theming and outstanding hospitality are just two of the things that Walt Disney World Resort is known for, and when you stay at a Disney Resort hotel, you never have to leave this behind.
Morning to night, there will be Cast Members on hand to add extra magic to your day and help in any way they can, and you can even say "Hey Disney!" to the in-room voice assistant for extra towels or a little character fun.
And whether you're looking for subtle Disney touches at a hotel like Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge or a fully themed room at a hotel like Disney's Art of Animation Resort, there will always be a touch of Disney magic in the room.
Travelling as a bigger group? The Family Suites at Disney's Art of Animation Resort sleep up to 6 guests, and the Deluxe Villas offer separate bedrooms and a fully equipped kitchen, so there's plenty of room for everyone.
Bonus: Free water park fun on your check-in day in summer 2027
Arriving in summer 2027? Guests staying at eligible Disney Resort hotels can enjoy complimentary admission to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park or Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park on their check-in day, with Disney's Lakeshore Lodge joining the list when it opens.
If you don't need to drop off your luggage, you can head straight to the water park, even before you've checked in to your hotel. It's a refreshing splash of a start to your holiday!
Find out which Walt Disney World Resort hotel is right for you and book your hotel and ticket package today!
*Valid park admission required
