Ultimate Guide to Disney World Hotel Perks & Benefits
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive compensation when you click on links and actions are tracked by means of a code in the links.
A complete guide to Disney World area hotels to help you make an informed decision about where to stay on your vacation.

When you start planning a Disney World vacation, the first piece of advice you’ll probably run into is “stay on property“.
While I completey agree, trying to figure out what resorts are actually “on property” and what hotels offer what perks and benefits is MASSIVELY CONFUSING.
So I created this guide to hopefully help you understand the different categories of hotels that are found in and around Walt Disney World in Florida so you’ll know exactly what to expect on your trip!
Disney World Hotel Categories

For the sake on trying to understand the perks and benefits offered by Disney World area hotels, I have split them up into five distinct categories:
- Disney Resort Collection
- “On Property” Hotels NOT Owned by Disney
- Disney Deluxe Resorts
- Good Neighbor Hotels
- All other Orlando area hotels & short term rentals
I’ll go through these categories one by one to explain what benefits you’ll get (and what you WON’T get) when you book a stay at these hotels.
Disney Resort Collection

The Disney Resort Collection are hotels owned and operated by the Walt Disney World Travel Company. They are all located within the boundaries of Disney World and offer the most perks and benefits of all area hotels.
First, here is a complete list of the 25+ Disney-owned resort hotels:
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

You might notice that sometimes there is more than one hotel listed for the same property (e.g. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge). I’ll explain the reason why in the next section.
First, I want to share the perks and benefits offered by EVERY hotel on this list. Disney offers these benefits to make these onsite hotels more appealing to guests that others, and most people who stay here aren’t even aware of all of these!
1) Early Theme Park Entry

I’m starting with this perk because it’s the one I use EVERY time I’m at Walt Disney World.
Disney Resort Hotel guests can enter and start riding select attractions at each theme park 30 minutes before other guests every day.
There are cast members (Disney-speak for employees) who will scan your ticket or Magic Band to confirm that you are in fact a Disney resort guest before allowing you access to rides during Early Entry.
This perk lets you get a head start on the crowds for the day and shouldn’t be underestimated!
I often can get in three rides during Early Entry because of my data-backed touring strategy (click here for my complete Disney World Guidebook with multiple touring plans for each park). Note that not all rides are open during Early Entry so you’ll want to be prepared with a plan going in.
2) Seven-Day Advance Lightning Lane Booking
The next most valuable perk is the ability to make your Lightning Lane advance selections seven before before you check-in for your resort stay.
If you aren’t staying at these resorts (and a few others in the next category) you won’t be able to make your selections until three days before the first day on your park ticket.
This early booking window offers a HUGE advantage in getting reservations for the the most in-demand rides. Here are rides that regularly sell out of Lightning Lane passes more than three days in advance:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Seven Dwarves Mine Train
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
This advance booking window allows you to get the most value possible out of Lightning Lane Multi Pass since you’ll get reservations for the best rides. Click here for my complete guide to using the Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World.
3) Free Regular Transportation Around Disney World
Many first-time visitors get confused about this perk because so many non-Disney hotels advertise “free transportation” as well.
Don’t be misled – only Disney Resort Hotels offer regular and direct transportation to all four theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs.
Each Disney resort has a bus, boat, monorail, or Skyliner that will drop you off right at the gates to the parks. How this differs from non-Disney owned hotels:
- Non-Disney hotel buses can NOT drop you off at Magic Kingdom. They will instead drop you at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and you will have to take the monorail or ferry boat to Magic Kingdom.
- Non-Disney hotel buses will often drop you at the TTC for access to the other theme parks as well. You’ll have to take the monorail over to Epcot and bus to Hollywood Studio and Animal Kingdom.
- That free transportation often ends up being only once or twice per day and you need to sign up for a spot on the bus in advance. This isn’t practical for families with small kids who want to head back earlier in the day.
It’s good to know what to expect from both Disney transportation and non-Disney hotel transportation so you know what you’re paying for.
The official line from Disney is that you’ll never wait more than 20 minutes for a bus, but in my extensive experience it is on average less than 10 minutes (though in rare and unlucky circumstances it is over 20 minutes).
4) Ability to add a Dining Plan
The only way to add a Disney Dining Plan to your vacation is by staying at an onsite Disney Resort Hotel. Many people like the Dining Plan for the “all inclusive” feeling it provides as well as the ability to pre-pay for most of your dining in advance.
Starting in 2026, if you add a Dining Plan to your Disney resort reservation and have kids on your reservation, the kids dining plans will be included at no additional cost. This is a brand new perk we’ve never seen before so if you have kiddos under 10 and are considering a trip, I suggest getting in touch with my vacation planner partner Siera via this form to see how much money this could save you.
5) Free Parking
If you aren’t staying at a Disney-owned resort you’ll have to pay $30 per day to park at the theme parks. Many people forget to factor in this additional cost when comparing the price of staying at a Disney resort vs an off property hotel.
It is again free to park at al Disney hotels as well (they briefly charged a daily parking fee a few years ago).
Click here for my full guide to parking at Disney World.
5) Free Water Park Admission on Check-in Day

This perk is new in 2025 and is returning in a modified way in 2026.
On your check-in day only every person listed on your reservation gets free admission to both Disney World Water Parks – Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.
Starting in 2026 this perk will only apply durign the summer months – but for the rest of 2025 it is every day.
I am a huge fan of the Disney water parks and think this is an excellent perk. Here are two hacks to best take advantage of it:
- I stay off property on my arrival day so I can go straight to the water parks on the next day when I officially “check-in” for my Disney vacation. My favorite hotels are those I book for free with Hyatt points I transfer from my favorite travel rewards card.
- Or I book a “split stay” at two different Disney resorts so I get free water park admission in the middle of my trip. I love getting to experience two different resorts.
6) The Rest of the Perks
There are even more perks and benefits of staying at a Disney Resort Hotel that I’ll list below:
- Early access to dining & activity reservations: 60 days in advance can start making dining and activity reservations. But when you are staying at a Disney resort, you can make your reservations all at once for your entire stay – up to 10 days into your trip. This gives you earlier access to reservations later in your trip AND you don’t have to make reservations day-by-day like you do if staying off property.
- Free luggage transfers – If you’re moving between Disney resorts, you can call the Bell Services desk at your resort and ask them to pick up your bags and move them to your next resort for you. Just allow time for the bags to get picked up (or drop them off at the front of your resort yourself) and tip $1-2 per bag. Bags won’t arrive until usually after 4 pm so be sure to have everything you need with you.

- Resort refillable mugs: When you stay at a Disney hotel you can purchase a special mug that allows you unlimited refills of coffee, soda, tea, and hot chocolate for up to 14 days of your trip. It can used at any resort but not in the theme parks – get all of the details on this popular mug here.
- Ability to make charges to your room: This is dangerous perk, but when you are staying at a Disney resort hotel you can use your Magic Band to make charges back to your hotel “folio”. Then all of the charges will hit at one time, and you caneven use discount Disney gift cards to pay off the charges at your hotel.
- Free daily resort activities: All Disney resorts (even the cheapest ones) offer free daily activities like afternoon pool parties with games, free marshmallow roasting, and poolside movies most nights.
- Free towel rental at the water parks – Towels cost $2 each to rent at the Disney World water parks if you’re not a Disney resort hotel guest .
- Free transportation to Urgent Care facilities: Unfortunately my sister had to use this perk on her last trip when my niece came down with strep throat on vacation. Click here for more details on this amazing perk.
- Character visits to resorts – Look for a sign in the lobby or food court of your resort for days and times. This is a new perk and we have no idea how long it will last – but it is really fun while it’s here!
Disney makes staying at one of their own resorts a unique experience – you definitely feel like you are staying within the “Disney bubble” your entire trip.
Now on to other categories of hotels in and around Walt Disney World
On Property Hotels Not Owned by Disney

This is the most confusing category of hotels because while they are technically found “on property” they do NOT offer the same perks and benefits of the Disney Resort Collection Hotels listed above.
Within this group there are some hotels that offer different benefits than others, so let’s start with those non-Disney resorts that offer the most benefits.
The Swan/Dolphin & Shades of Green
This is a group of four hotels that are located in prime locations on Disney World property. In fact they are closer to the theme parks than many Disney-run hotels, but they are NOT owned by Disney.

These three hotels are owned and operated by Marriott and are located in between Epcot and Hollywood Studios:
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
Click here for my full review of these unique hotels.
A fourth hotel, Shades of Green, is located close to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It is actually owned and operated by the US Department of Defense, and only current and former members of the US Armed Forces (and their families) are eligible to stay here.

They offer some (but not all) of the perks and benefits of the Disney hotels. These include:
- Free Regular Transportation Around Disney World – these hotels actually use Disney transportation buses and boats with one major difference – buses from the Swan and Dolphin will drop you off at the TTC, and not at the gates to Magic Kingdom.
- Seven Day Advance Lightning Lane Booking Window – these four hotels are the only ones not run by Disney that offer this valuable perk. This may be a reason to prefer a stay here over other nearby resorts.
- Early Entry – these hotels and some other non-Disney hotels are included in Early Entry.
- Early access to dining & activity reservations – make reservations for up to 10 days into your stay 60 days before check-in
It’s worth pointing out some of the perks that you don’t have when you stay at one of these four resorts: no dining plans, no free water park entry, no refillable mugs, and no free parking (click here for the current parking fees at the Swan and Dolphin).
The Disney Springs & Bonnet Creek Hotels

This is another group of hotels located on Disney World property that are not owned and run by Disney.
The most important perk that these hotels offer is access to Early Theme Park Entry. This is a huge perk that could be a reason to prefer a stay at one of these hotels.
Note that while these hotels offer transportation to the theme parks, it is NOT run by Disney. That means it will be less frequent and you may have to make a reservation to use it, making it far less practical.
You’ll pay for parking at these hotels AND at the theme parks, so be sure to factor that additional cost into your stay. This can be an additional $75 per night total, which is significant.
Also watch out for the “resort fees” at these hotels! This will set you back an additional $15 to $45 per night of your stay. Be sure to research the current parking and resort fees BEFORE you book a stay at one of these hotels.

Here are the “on property” non-Disney hotels that offer Early Entry:
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Four Seasons Resort Orlando
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa
- Shades of Green® on Walt Disney World Resort
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Waldorf Astoria Orlando
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
- Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
Disney Deluxe Resorts

I am listing this as a separate category but it actually includes resorts from a few of the previously listed categories.
The one perk that all resorts classified as “Deluxe” get is Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.
This can be a highly valuable perk if you are able to use it! On select nights of the week, one Disney theme park will stay open for an additional two hours just for guests of these Disney Deluxe Resorts. Other “after hours” events charge $150+ per person, the value of this perk can be excellent.
The current schedule for extended evening hours can be found here on the Disney World calendar.

Below is the full list of Deluxe Resorts, but first note that many of these can be booked by renting Disney Vacation Club points, my favorite way to save money on a Disney vacation. These are the resorts that include “villas” in their name and are they are found at many (but not all) of the hotels in the Deluxe category.
You can stay at some of these for under $200 per night when you rent points which is incredible considering all of the benefits! Click here to sign up for my email list and get my free 18-page guide.
Disney Deluxe Resorts
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort (The extended evening theme park hours benefit applies to Disney Vacation Club Cabins only.)
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Other Select Hotels
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green® on Walt Disney World Resort
Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels

Many first time visitors book what is considered a “Good Neighbor” hotel and think they are getting access to some of the Disney benefits listed above – sadly they are not.
The only qualifications to becoming a “Good Neighbor” hotel are:
- Having a “desk” that offers help planning your Disney vacation
- Some kind of transportation to the parks
As I mentioned above, this “transportation” could potentially be highly impractical, such as only offering one time per day and dropping you off at the TTC instead of the actual theme park. There could also be a per person charge for the bus service.

If I were to stay at these resorts I would either have a rental car or plan to use Uber or Lyft to get around Disney World.
The only big benefit to these hotels is that some can be booked with points earned from everyday spending on my favorite travel rewards card. I often stay at one of these resorts on my arrival day since I can stay there for free with points – especially if I am arriving late or have to depart early.
Some hotels do offer a free breakfast that can save you quite a bit if you are traveling with a bunch of hungry teens.
Click here to see a list of the current Good Neighbor Hotels
All Other Places To Stay In Orlando

There are literally thousands of places to stay in the Orlando area from five star resorts to motels to vacation rental homes with 10 bedrooms.
My preference is almost always to stay at a Disney Resort Collection hotel for all of the perks and benefits mentioned above.
But if you are traveling with multiple generations or families that want to stay together, sometimes a vacation rental makes more sense. In this case I use VRBO since you are guaranteed to have a place entirely to yourself.
I hope this lengthy post helped you better understand what Disney area hotels offer what perks. Any questions? Leave a comment below!