Annapolis Family Photographer | Where to stay in Disney
Im so excited to give you all another week of Disney Planning from my wedding assistant Melissa! Some of you may ask why Disney? Well, I’d say about 80% of my clients have been to disney or are planning a Disney Trip, and many of them are always talking about how to plan, where to go, etc.. So here you go!
Choosing where to stay at Disney World starts out with choosing if you want to stay on property or off of it. Staying off property does not always mean you will be saving money, and sometimes it means spending valuable vacation time stuck in traffic or extra lines.
Staying off property
Staying off property can mean saving a decent amount of money to either save or spend on other areas of your vacation. Hotels in the area are easily bookable and great for those last minute trips, however booking in advance can get you great discounts! Staying off property also means that you will need to either rent a car or look into public transportation, but occasionally hotels offer shuttles to the various theme parks.
Here is a link to the Lynx bus schedule of the area http://www.golynx.com/core/fileparse.php/97651/urlt/LNX_Lft_DisneyArea_WEB.pdf
Here is a link to preferred non- Disney hotels in the area
When booking off property remember these things
-Once on Disney property you can use all transportation to get from one park to another
-You WILL spend more time in local traffic and will need to get up earlier to get to park opening
-You could save THOUSANDS staying off property
Staying within the resort (on property)
The benefits of staying on property are substantial!
-You have quick access to hotel front transportation to anywhere on the resort, including to and from the airport (MCO).
-You have the ability to add pre-paid dining to your vacation
-You have 60 days (as compared to 30) prior your trip to book your fastpasses (your ticket to “skip the line” for an attraction)
-You have access to extra magic hours at the parks (hours before or after regular hours that only Disney resort guests can use)
-Your in park purchases have delivery to your hotel room
-Free parking at the parks and at the hotel (regularly 15 a car for non-resort guests)
However the downfall is that many find staying on property to be out of their budget. Let us look at the sticker price of each resort and ways you can save on your perfect room.
-Deluxe Resorts
These hotels are the best of the best at Disney. Many have direct transportation by boat or monorail to the resorts or 10-15 minute walking trails to resorts. These hotels can fit larger parties and average $318 a night.
-Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas
-Beach Club Resort & Villas
-Boardwalk Inn & Villas
-Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower
-Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
-The Polynesian
-Wilderness Lodge & Villas
-Yacht Club
-Moderate Resorts
These hotels are the most bang for your buck. They have the beauty of Deluxe resorts, but a few less amenities to save you money on your stay. These hotels fit single families and average $162 a night.
-Cabins at Ft. Wilderness
-Caribbean Beach Resort
-Coronado Springs Resort
-Port Orleans French Quarter
-Port Orleans Riverside
Value Resorts
These hotels make it easy for you to afford a stay on Disney property and average $85 a night.
-All- Star Movies
-All- Star Music
-All- Star Sports
-Art of Animation
-Pop Century
Other Resorts
These resorts vary in price and quality and some are even Vacation Club only.
-Old Key West
-Saratoga Springs
-Swan & Dolphin
-Ft. Wilderness Campsites
All hotels have the same sort of idea, fun and beautiful grounds, pools, gift shops, arcades and food courts/ restaurants. But you might ask how you can afford to stay at one of these places! That is easy, Disney runs MANY discounts throughout the year that help you afford the stay. It could be free tickets to the parks, free dining or up to 35% off your room stay. You can only choose ONE deal during your stay so do the math and see what saves you more!
Here is a link for past Disney discounts given http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/
Also here is a site where you can save lots of money by renting DVC points from Vacation Club owners and staying at Deluxe resorts for bottom dollar! https://www.dvcrequest.com/
Choosing where to stay should not be stressful (as none of your planning should) but look around the area and the Disney site and find what resort seems right for your family and choose that way! And next time we will discuss making your daily Disney plans for your trip!
Annapolis Family Photographer | Where to stay in Disney
