Essential Guide to the Disney World Hotels

Page 2: Tips for your stay at a Disney World hotel

Here on GoInformed.net and on the Go Informed Podcast you’ll find lots of advice for how to have the best Disney vacation ever. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for news and updates. Here are a few top tips to keep in mind as you decide where to stay, and to help you book your Disney World vacation.

On Go Informed Podcast episode 63, I elaborate on all my top Disney World vacation booking tips. Listen below or on your favorite podcast app.

Book a package that includes your Disney World hotel and park tickets

Note that all of these benefits apply when you purchase your package through Disney, including if you work with a Disney certified travel agent. Packages purchased through a third-party like Costco or Expedia may have different deposit and cancellation policies.

Booking a Disney World vacation package directly with Disney has a lot of advantages. A package means you reserve your hotel and park tickets together.

You can book your package directly on Disney’s website, by calling (407) 939-7675, or through a travel agent.

Reserve your Disney vacation for just $200

When you reserve your room and tickets together in a Disney vacation package, you’ll only need to pay a refundable deposit of $200. The rest of the payment will be due 30 days prior to your arrival.

Assuming your trip is more than 30 days away, you can choose to make payments on your own schedule, with the final payment a month before your stay. If you book your hotel and buy your park tickets separately instead, you will need to fully pay for your park tickets at the time of purchase. This can add up to thousands of dollars in one shot.

If your plans change and you need to cancel your trip, Disney will refund your deposit and any other payments, as long as you cancel at least 30 days prior to arrival.

Potentially save money on your flights

You can also sometimes save money on your flights by purchasing them with your Disney vacation package. If you first just want to reserve your room and tickets, flights can be added later by calling Disney’s reservation line. Note that usually the full airfare is charged at the time you add the flights to your package.

Modify your package if the price drops or plans change

Another great benefit to booking a package in advance with Disney is that you can modify it at any time. This is especially useful if you want to plan far in advance but are worried about locking in a price.

Disney often offers room discounts, which are usually announced about 60-90 days in advance. If you book six months ahead there may not yet be any discounts available. However, if you watch the prices and see the rate go down you can modify your reservation to get the new rate.

You can also modify your reservation to change room type or even which resort you stay in. So if the price drops on your preferred hotel, you can switch over to that resort instead.

If this sounds complicated, consider using a travel agent to help you with your plans.

Use a travel agent to book your Disney World hotel

A travel agent can help you navigate all the choices, determine what’s the best value for your needs, and take care of all the booking logistics.

Almost 100% of the time, working with a travel agent is totally free. Disney and all other travel companies have already built a commission for travel agents into their pricing whether you use one or not.

Travel agents can watch those prices for you. In fact they are usually receiving daily updates from Disney and will know right away if a discount becomes available.

In the event you need to cancel your trip, especially in an extraordinary circumstance like we saw in 2020, a travel agent could be your best friend. They will make the calls to Disney and stay on hold for hours so you don’t have to.

Ask friends or work with a trusted travel company like AAA to find a Disney certified travel agent. (Or contact me for a recommendation).

Split your stay between hotels

If you’d really like to spend a night in a deluxe hotel, but can’t swing paying that rate for your entire vacation, consider splitting your stay. Disney makes it easy to switch between hotels during your vacation.

You can choose to start in one place, stay a night or two, then move to another Disney World resort. Disney will even move your luggage for you while you play in the parks.

You don’t need a car when you stay on-site at Disney World

When you stay on-site at Disney, you don’t need to rent a car. Transportation is provided between the hotels, parks, and Disney Springs.

Uber and Lyft are ubiquitous for all other transport needs. And if you want a car for the day for some off-property sightseeing, you’ll find car rental offices on Disney World property near many of the hotels.

Staying on-site using Disney transportation is all part of the “Disney Bubble”. What is this bubble, and why would you want to stay in it? Here’s a quick synopsis.

Get an Unofficial Guide to Disney World

While this post is pretty epic, it does not give you every detail you may wish to know. I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Disney World. This book is loaded with info to help you choose your hotel and get ready for your vacation.

Look for it at your favorite book store or buy it now on Amazon.

I also highly recommend a subscription to the TouringPlans.com website, which is produced by the same team that brings you the Unofficial Guide. If you have a copy of the book you’ll get a discount on your TouringPlans.com subscription.

TouringPlans.com even has a really cool tool that lets you see the view from every room in Disney World. On episode 29 I show you how to use it to choose your perfect room!

Add Universal to your Disney World vacation

It’s easy to combine Universal with your Disney World trip. Check out my post here to get my advice about the best way to add Universal to your Disney World vacation.

Considering staying at Universal too? Here’s my Universal Orlando Hotel Guide.