Is Disney World’s On-Site Advantage Disappearing or Reappearing?!
For years, there were big benefits to staying at Walt Disney World owned resorts: free transportation, better line-skipping options, extra hours, and more that justified the higher cost. In this post, we’ll take a new look at how perks have changed and whether on-site hotels are still worth the premium pricing. (Updated September 17, 2023.)
I’ll preface this by saying that we have been advocates of staying in the Walt Disney World “bubble” and are definitely biased towards that. In our On-Site v. Off-Site at Walt Disney World article we attempt to be balanced, but concede that we’re drawn to being inside the Walt Disney World “bubble,” which offers advantages in terms of location, convenience, and the feeling of an all-encompassing vacation destination.
However, that started to change even pre-closure. We still love a lot of Walt Disney World hotels and do on-site stays, but no longer strongly recommend them for everyone. Accordingly, what we are going to do is ask and attempt to answer an important question: what if the selling points of staying on-site are no longer as valuable as conventional WDW planning wisdom suggests?
This is a question we originally posed a few years ago as Walt Disney World hotel prices began to soar and the advantages offered by on-site perks were less noteworthy. Since reopening, we’ve revisited this topic a couple of times for different reasons. That started with the end of Extra Magic Hours and free FastPass, as well as the suspension of the Disney Dining Plan.
For our Late 2023 update that looks forward to planning your 2024 Walt Disney World vacation, we’re revisiting this from a positive perspective. There have been a few positive developments last year and this year, and we’re also granting greater weight to various considerations that we previously glossed over. This has us asking ourselves: is Walt Disney World’s on-site advantage starting to reappear?
Let’s start with the Disney Dining Plan as that is finally returning in early 2024. For many planners, being able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan is very important from a budgeting and convenience perspective. While we’ve been skeptical of this for years, but it’s nevertheless true that guests find themselves surprised by food costs more than anything else at Walt Disney World (see the fascinating survey data about halfway down this article).
So the Disney Dining Plan reappearing is definitely a big plus for a lot of Walt Disney World guests who stay on-site. In our view, that probably overstates the degree to which this is an actual advantage. The reality is that the overwhelming majority guests will come out ahead from a budgeting or convenience perspective by pre-purchasing discount Disney gift cards and using those to pay-as-they-go for food.
Even in the past, the Disney Dining Plan offered the illusion of convenience and budgeting. That’ll be doubly true with the 2024 Disney Dining Plan due to price increases–unless you have more than 2 children or do the Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan. Of course, there are exceptions to this–families of big carnivores or those willing to “hack” the Disney Dining Plan did come out ahead. But for the most part, the house always wins. We look forward to the Disney Dining Plan returning, but it wasn’t the benefit that some cracked it up to be.
There’s also the Genie+ line-skipping system, which replaced the free FastPass ride reservation program. (See our Guide to Lightning Lane and Genie+ at Walt Disney World for full details, recommendations, and everything you need to know for making most of that line-skipping system.)
There are two components to this: Genie+ Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes. The latter offers on-site guests the “benefit” of being able to purchase Individual Lightning Lane access at 7 am instead of park opening time, which is when everyone else can buy access. Certain Individual Lightning Lanes do sell out prior to park opening time, so that window is beneficial for headliner attractions–but even that is seasonal. If you’re visiting during busy holiday travel dates, it matters. If you’re going in May or September, not so much.
It would be beneficial if on-site guests could book Genie+ ride selections early, but that is not how this works. Everyone is able to book Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations starting at 7 am. That could always change down the road, but for now, that’s how the system works.
There’s no sugar-coating this one. Losing free FastPass+ was a colossal blow to all visitors of Walt Disney World, but especially on-site guests. One of the very best on-site advantages at Walt Disney World was the expanded FastPass+ booking window; that was a significant headstart and allowed on-site guests to scoop up most of the best ride reservations before their trip.
However, that could change once again in 2024, with another much more significant shift in the off-site vs. on-site calculus as advance ride reservations are coming to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World in 2024. As compared to the return of the Disney Dining Plan, this has flown relatively under the radar, but we view this as a much bigger deal.
The reason advance booking of Genie+ Lightning Lanes has been “under-discussed” is because Walt Disney World hasn’t really said anything aside from “it’s happening.” There are absolutely no details about how it’ll work, whether it’ll cost more, or even if there will be an on-site advantage to Genie+ advance booking.
We’ve heard a range of rumors over the last few months, and honestly, none of those have done anything to reassure us. It sounds like this was a mandate from on high in response to negative guest feedback, and the announcement came before the details were worked out. If what we’ve heard is accurate, some specifics are still up in the air. (Suffice to say, you shouldn’t be surprised if Genie+ advance booking does not launch right away in January 2024.)
One thing that does seem reasonably likely is that there will be an on-site advantage with advance booking of Lightning Lanes. For one thing, because there was in the past with FastPass+ and what we’ve heard suggests this will replicate some of that system (except costing money). For another thing, because hotel occupancy is starting to decrease, so restoring this perk–even at a cost–would help resolve that. So consider this one a tentative on-site advantage that’ll arrive at some point in 2024.
Next, let’s turn to Walt Disney World’s two replacements for Extra Magic Hours: Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours. Early Theme Park Entry allows all on-site resort guests and those staying at select third party hotels to enjoy 30-minute access to any Walt Disney World theme park, every day before normal operating hours begin.
Early Entry means that Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios (for example) open daily at 8:30 am and 8 am, respectively, to resort guests, and 30 minutes later to off-site guests. The logical criticism here is that morning Extra Magic Hours was an hour long, so this is half the time, and thus, half as good.
We have done Early Entry over one-dozen times (literally), and that has not been our experience at 3 of the 4 parks. Crucially, Extra Magic Hours occurred on select days of the week and only at one park on each occasion. This mean consolidating all on-site guests at a single park. Early Entry occurs daily at all 4 parks, and better spreads out the crowd as a result.
In practice, we’ve found Early Entry to be far less busy than EMH. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom, it essentially offers a 2-3 ride headstart for on-site guests and is actually a pretty significant. (Most days, it is not as good at Magic Kingdom.)
We’ve used Early Entry to accomplish both Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash at DHS, all three headliners at EPCOT, and pretty much everything in Animal Kingdom. Early Entry is a huge perk, and it’s doubly beneficial to be able to use it every single day at whichever park you want. Do not underestimate its value and skip Early Entry because it’s “only” 30 minutes. (In case you can’t tell, we are huge fans of Early Entry–it’s bigger than many fans think.) Learn more strategy in our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World.
Next, there’s Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. This benefit is exclusively for guests staying at Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas (Disney Vacation Club units), or other select hotels (currently Swan & Dolphin and Shades of Green). Guests staying at Value or Moderate Resorts are not eligible for Extended Evening Hours.
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours occur only two nights per week in total–typically Mondays at Epcot and Wednesdays at Magic Kingdom. This runs for two hours each night, but this is only a perk for those who book more expensive hotels (or the Swan & Dolphin, which are often priced on par with Value or Moderate Resorts). This makes Extended Evening Hours a double-edged sword, with its quality hinging on resort status.
For those who are eligible, Extended Evening Hours is huge. Crowds are virtually non-existent, as are lines for most attractions. It’s way better than Evening Extra Magic Hours, which had become overcrowded due to expanded eligibility during its last few years. (In fact, the crowds during Evening EMH are one of the reasons we first wrote this post, in the first place–Evening EMH had become almost useless due to overcrowding.)
Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of Value and Moderate Resort guests who, as noted above, cannot take advantage of Extended Evening Hours. So if you’re a Deluxe or DVC guest, this perk is fantastic. If you’re staying at a Moderate or below, it’s awful/nonexistent. See our Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World for more rules, eligibility, strategy, etc.
Two of the most recent changes concern transportation. At the beginning of last year, the Disney’s Magical Express airport shuttle service ended. Now, visitors arriving to Orlando International Airport will need to rent a car, use Uber/Lyft, or arrange for an alternative shuttle service in order to get to their resort. This was a huge loss for many Walt Disney World visitors.
Disney’s Magical Express’ closest paid replacement is Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine. See our Guide to Airport Transportation for Walt Disney World for other options. There’s no one-size-fits-all perfect solution; it depends on your party size, budget, and other factors.
We’ve used Mears Connect many times, and have found it to be virtually identical to Disney’s Magical Express in speed, quality, and service. The biggest downside is that there’s a fee, and that since these are third parties, there’s not always seamless integration between the resorts and the shuttles in the event that an issue arises. (Some fans will cite the lack of luggage handling, but that disappeared from DME prior to this, so it’s hard to tie that to this particular change.)
At the start of this year, Walt Disney World brought back free overnight self-parking to guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Complimentary parking was an on-site perk until a few years ago, and it was another prompt for this post in the first place.
We hated the charge for parking, and thought it was a bad decision that diminished the differentiation between Disney and its real-world counterparts. We were not alone. At the time, the introduction of the parking fee was the most controversial change we had ever seen made by Walt Disney World.
Not only did our post garner over 300 angry comments, but Walt Disney World got hit hard by negative reviews on crowdsourced travel sites like TripAdvisor and Google. I had never seen fans so mad–although backlash to the subsequent elimination of free FastPass and Disney’s Magical Express did exceed that response.
In addition to this, Walt Disney World resort hotel guests also continue to receive complimentary standard parking at Walt Disney World theme parks, which is another plus. In tandem, these two things take some of the sting out of the elimination of Disney’s Magical Express–at least for the guests who opt to rent a car while staying on-site. (That number will only grow, as Universal Orlando continues to expand and turn itself into an equally-compelling theme park destination.)
Sticking with the topic of transportation, this is another on-site advantage offered by Walt Disney World…and one that has arguably improved by quite a bit. Let’s start with the neutral components: the monorails and boats are more or less the same.
Given that the monorails continue to age and one boat route has been cut, the argument could be made that these have gotten slightly worse. Anecdotally, I’m not sure I agree–monorail maintenance has decreased downtime and the one boat route is used by a small minority of guests. Speaking of things used by a small minority of guests, we are fans of the Grand Floridian walkway to Magic Kingdom–our favorite form of transportation is “feet” and we wish Walt Disney World made itself more walkable. (Which would ease the burden on existing transportation.)
As a whole, we view Walt Disney World transportation as better today than it was 5 years ago. The big thing here is the Skyliner, which we view as the best transportation option at Walt Disney World. When there is a line, it’s constantly moving and usually a short wait. Since the opening couple of months, the Skyliner gondola system has been incredibly reliable.
We’re huge fans and strongly favor the Skyliner resorts now. It’s especially a game-changer for Pop Century; given all of the perks and transportation advantages of that one resort, we can easily justify the premium pricing there.
Also helping with past transportation woes is bus wait times, which show up both on digital boards at the bus stops and in the My Disney Experience app. There’s still room for improvement here, and there have been hotel stays when we’ve noticed overcrowded and inconsistent bus service. (In particular, Coronado Springs is a big offender.)
Walt Disney World has also addressed its bus driver shortage, which actually predated the closure, by bringing in a third party to assist with routes. All things considered, we’ve been more pleased by bus service and found it to be more efficient last year and in 2023 than it was in 2017-2019. With that said, few things are as hit-or-miss as WDW bus service. Someone could have a superlative experience, and someone else an awful one–despite staying at the same resort during the same dates–simply by virtue of luck and timing.
I won’t include Minnie Vans as a transportation “improvement” since there’s a pricey surcharge for those, and we don’t generally recommend them. Plus, if you’re willing to use Disney’s Minnie Vans, you might as well be willing to use Lyft or Uber, which have become ubiquitous in Central Florida. The ease of Lyft and Uber is definitely an improvement for guests, but it’s neither here nor there from an “advantage” perspective since it isn’t a change made by Disney.
Turning back to dining, there is an on-site advantage when it comes to booking Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs). Currently, everyone can book table service restaurants 60 days prior to the date on which they’d like to eat. In addition, Walt Disney World resort hotel guests can make Advance Dining Reservations for their length of stay (up to a 10-day stay) up to 60 days in advance of their check-in date.
As discussed in our Top 10 Tips for Booking Difficult Advance Dining Reservations, this “60+10” window can be incredibly advantageous for popular table service restaurants or larger parties, especially during busier travel dates. If character dining or highly themed restaurants are important to you, this is huge. Even at the 60 day mark, Story Book Dining at Artist Point, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Space 220, Topolino’s Terrace, ‘Ohana, and others can be scarce.
The good news is that ADRs have gotten easier over the course of this year, to the point that the 60+10 window is not really necessary for most parties or travel dates. (We’ve done very well 1-2 days ahead of time throughout 2023, but we’re also a party of 2 and are flexible.) The bad news is that the return of the Disney Dining Plan means ADRs will almost certainly become much more competitive in 2024, making this a bona fide on-site advantage once more.
We view dining as a big component of the Walt Disney World experience, so this is a big deal to us. However, it doesn’t matter to everyone, so your mileage may vary. Also, there are tricks (see that tips post) for scoring last minute availability–but they don’t work as well as booking during the 60+10 window.
Then there’s the biggest consideration, which is cost. This has always been the primary selling point for staying off-site. It’s worth reiterating here because the cost difference between off-site and on-site accommodations has become much more pronounced in the last few years.
As discussed in How Much Does a Walt Disney World Vacation Cost in 2023?, the average total price of a trip this year versus a comparable vacation in 2019 is up by thousands of dollars. On a positive note, that has already improved since publication, as over a dozen different discounts have been released for 2023 and 2024.
As a result of the special offers–which include room discounts of up to 35% off and free dining gift cards of up to $200 per night–the effective price of accommodations at Walt Disney World is actually down considerably in 2023. That’s because many of the same dates in 2021-2022 had no discounts whatsoever for the general public. As pent-up demand continues to exhaust itself, we anticipate even better deals in 2024 as compared to this year.
In other words, this one comes down to your frame of reference. If you visited in 2019 or earlier, a 2024 Walt Disney World vacation is still going to cost a lot more and you’re going to get less. However, the same is true pretty of much everything and everywhere–inflation, shrinkflation, and skimpflation have hit American consumers hard. By contrast, if you visited Walt Disney World in the last two years and are planning a trip in 2024, things are starting to look much better. As with so much, it’s all relative!
If you can afford on-site hotels at Walt Disney World, it’s definitely still nice to stay in a resort with an immersive design, attention to details, and various Disney touches. It’s also nice to be able to walk to the parks, or be part of the Disney bubble.
For many people, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of this. There’s a certain x-factor that the Disney resorts offer that elevates the overall experience into something more special. This is true for us, and even with all of the complaints here, we still prefer staying on-site in Disney-owned properties.
To their credit, Walt Disney World’s resorts are still meticulously themed, with a ton of charm, detail, and transportive environments you mostly won’t find off-site. This has long been a big selling point, as your resort stay feels like an extension of the theme parks.
This applies mostly to the exterior grounds and interior common areas. With certain recent room refurbishments, the sense of theme inside Walt Disney World’s hotel rooms has been diminished. We’ve been highly critical of this because themed environments are what defines Disney, and are in the wheelhouse of Imagineers.
Many of the new rooms seem to be striving more towards crowd-pleasing styles, with generic modern designs, clean and crisp aesthetics, and generally elegant luxury (the last one only applies to Deluxe Resorts). In general, the rooms are less fun and have traded unique and colorful designs for more bland and basic ones.
On a positive note, Disney seems to be turning the corner on this. The new rooms at the Grand Floridian are an unequivocal upgrade over their predecessor in both theme and luxury, and just one recent example of a shift in this regard. It would seem that the worst of this occurred between 2016 and 2019, with the rooms in the last 2-3 years striking the balance much better. Hopefully this is the start of a positive trend and shifts into the ‘on-site advantage’ column over time.
The problem with the previous move towards modern and nondescript rooms is that Disney went from a realm with almost no real competition (ornately themed designs) to placing itself in direct competition with real-world hotel brands by mimicking their style.
This not only makes for an easier head-to-head comparison in terms of guest rooms, but it’s also a comparison that’s often not favorable to Disney. I love a lot of things about Walt Disney World, but do not view it as one of the world’s great operators of hotels.
Actual luxury hoteliers such as Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, and Four Seasons have high end properties near Walt Disney World, and they generally surpass even Walt Disney World’s flagship hotel on a luxury front. It’s arguable that even the Marriott, Hilton, and Wyndham hotels give Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World a run for their money–and those are often priced below Moderate levels!
When it comes to alternatives to staying on-site, we think that the real sweet spot is on-site third party hotels like the Swan & Dolphin, Four Seasons Orlando, and Bonnet Creek Resorts. (See our List of the Best Third Party Hotels Near Walt Disney World.)
Several of these have locations that are as good or better than Disney-owned and operated hotels, and are less expensive. Many also offer the same perks as Disney hotels. Swan & Dolphin, for example, offer Extended Evening Hours whereas Disney Value and Moderate Resorts won’t have access to those.
You also might consider renting a vacation home, both for the sake of privacy and isolation. (See our Best Vacation Home Rentals Near Walt Disney World.) These are especially great for larger parties, and you can literally rent an entire house for the cost of a mid-tier Walt Disney World hotel room. Some of these contain themed kids rooms, in-home theaters, game rooms, private pools, plus everything else you’d expect from a house.
Another great option right now is staying at Universal Orlando, which still does offer most of its on-site advantages and its own sense of immersion and being inside of a “Universal bubble” (albeit to a lesser extent).
If you want to go all-out with Universal’s nicest hotels that are in walking distance of the parks and include unlimited line-skipping at attractions via Express Pass, see our Hard Rock Hotel Review and Portofino Bay Hotel Review. Even though these are Universal Orlando’s more expensive hotels, they’re still priced about on par with Moderate Resorts at Walt Disney World.
Our Universal Orlando Hotel Rankings & Reviews covers the pros & cons of all those resorts, many of which we love for their locations, theme, on-site perks, and value for money. Additionally, refer to Universal Orlando v. Walt Disney World Resorts for a comparison between Disney’s and Universal’s hotels to see what each does better.
Ultimately, that describes our dilemma with accommodations at and around Walt Disney World. The rational side of my mind knows that staying off-site provides significantly better value for money and that the some of the perks we receive from Walt Disney World hotels aren’t as valuable as they once were.
We do now have a lower price ceiling for most Walt Disney World resorts (except Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and All Star Movies, which are all a bit higher for us now), which can be a challenge given that room rates have been increasing. However, there are still ways to find good discounts, and failing that we can either use or rent DVC points or look at the on-site third party options like Swan & Dolphin, Disney Springs, and Bonnet Creek.
There’s also Universal Orlando, and we absolutely love several of those hotels. Universal can hold its own with many of Walt Disney World’s hotels from a thematic perspective, and many of the amenities at Universal are actually superior to Disney. Plus, the perks of staying on-site are far superior and nightly room rates are far lower.
Beyond that, there’s a burgeoning vacation home rental industry, cheap Airbnbs, and robust slate of new off-site hotels near the parks. We should be further investigating all of that, as some great deals abound. The Central Florida accommodations market is incredibly competitive outside the Disney bubble, and that’s reflected in pricing and amenities.
With all of that said, there’s the emotional side. We have nostalgic attachments to certain resorts at Walt Disney World, and enjoy their lush grounds, dining, and amenities. We love being able to stay late in the parks, even if they’re crowded and all we’re doing is wandering around. We enjoy the seamless experience of going from the parks to our resort, feeling a temporary reprieve from the real world.
It’s difficult to put a price on all of that. While we “value” it below the cost difference between comparable third party hotels, we often jump through hoops to find ways to justify staying at Walt Disney World hotels. I’m not suggesting this is the right (or wrong) approach. I know part of this is Disney’s emotional power, and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker a lot. I’m not making a judgment either way–it simply is what it is. However, we find it happening less and less with Walt Disney World continuing to raise prices and cut offerings–that makes staying off-site a much easier decision!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think…are the perks of staying on-site as valuable to you as they once were, or are you getting less value for your money staying at Walt Disney World hotels? Will you continue to stay on-site despite this all? Have you already moved off-site? Other thoughts on this? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Ill be one more voice in the “worth it” camp if you’ve got kids who use car seats and you’re not driving. The Disney transportation is the perk for us that makes the difference. Not having to bring the expensive car seat through bag check or lug the heavy thing through the airport to gate check… priceless.
No matter how unpopular Disney gets with its fanatics there will always be a new 4 or 5 year old being brought by parents. If you are new and have no comparisons to the ways it was it must still be ok. People will do almost anything for their kids . The complaints are all from people who want it the way it was. Cheaper less busy easier to navigate!
Maybe! But Disney is now into premium cost territory, I just got a quote for a vaca package to Bora Bora, including flight and meals for less than what I have booked at French Quarter. My gripe is with the value of the experience, to spend the trip in an overcrowded park which is now the norm?
I’m curious with some of these comments. While I agree Disney keeps pushing, ask yourself what business is not? Everywhere I go they are pushing us. Buy a video game, would you like insurance on that for $5? At the restaurant, would like sauce for $2, sweet potato fries for $3.50, or would you like a side with your chicken fingers? (already @ $13 with no side just fingers.) How about renting a tux? Oh we charge $10 for dry cleaning etc. WTH? Isn’t that part of the rental?
Disney is no different. Please show me a hotel in North America that does NOT charge for parking? Universal Orlando was the worst 10-15 years ago with this. I told them I am not paying and they took it off.
Regarding crowds. Disney has always been crowded so I do not understand those comments. I remember lining up for 3 hours to get onto Spaceship Earth back in the 80’s. Or 2 hours to get on 1,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Fast forward to today, different attractions same crowds. No?
Go to Bora Bora for sure! We are going to Disney World because our kids are super excited and our youngest was an infant when we were Annual passholders at Disneyland so he has no memories of it. So we are going to DW for his birthday. After this we are going to Europe and other amazing world destinations. Check back in on Disney World after that and see about a second trip there. If you can do Bora Bora for the same cost wow that’s an experience worth doing!
From my perspective, the complaints about parking, package fees, etc. are relevant to the original question of the blog post. Is the value of an on-site stay being eroded? The fact is that the Disney rooms cost about 50-200% more than competing local options. It was easier to accept that upcharge when the rooms were charmingly themed and the rate felt all-inclusive. Once our attention is drawn to numerous incidental fees, the perceived value of the Disney room rate strips away. I do agree with observation that Disney has always been crowded. I can remember waiting 4 hours for Splash Mountain when it was the newest ride.
Standing in line for two or three hours ??? Oh, No, No, Ain’t gonna do that, No sir-rie.
WOW !!! This brings me back to a forum of around a year ago
Is Disney eroding Fan Goodwill?
I think we got the answer !!!
The people on this topic bemoaning the evils of Disney with their threats of never going there again over the cost, quality of their resort room, “too many strollers,” and being in crowds or waiting in a line (seriously?) remind me of the ones who say they’ll move to a foreign country if their favorite politician loses an election, but they’re still here. They may hate WDW today, but they’ll go back especially the ones with kids or grandkids.
However, if that’s how you honestly feel then please go vacation elsewhere, you have helped thin the crowds for those of us that travel from well beyond Florida’s state line to enjoy Disney World. I live in Texas so going there for a week or ten days is a treat for me and my family. As non-locals we aren’t privvy to the discounts the locals get, nor to we have annual passes, but the benefits of a WDW vacation outweigh the cost, in my opinion. We book our vacation well in advance and if we get fast passes to a ride then great! – but if we don’t we either get in the stand-by line or go in a different direction and still have fun because the schedule for us at WDW is NO schedule – – hakuna matata 🙂
As far as dining goes, we are in Disney World, not NYC so seeking out fine dining is not on the top of my priority list, which is one less item to reserve or schedule. We eat when we are ready not when the calendar reminder/alarm on my phone goes off, an I am quite happy with a meal from Columbia Harbor House or Pinocchio’s Village Haus.
My husband and I like to cruise (with RCI not Disney 😉 ) and when we sail out of Port Canaveral we always piggyback a few days at WDW before or after the cruise so we can get our temporary Disney fix; will be there in June staying at an onsite Disney resort, and cannot wait!
Agree! I am perplexed why so many people are reading Disney blogs and bother commenting when they feel so ripped off by Disney?
I used to love Disney, but not anymore…
I hope that someone from Disney follows these blogs and perhaps takes the negative comments into consideration. People have raised valid points here.
Or we can all keep drinking the Disney kool-aid and declare everything Disney does as wonderful and perfect.
Everytime I stay at Universal, I get a survey, I always fill it out honestly and I know for a fact that Universal pays attention to these surveys. They actually called me about a suggestion that I made. (I gave them permission to call when I filled out the survey) in all of the years I stayed at Disney, I don’t recall ever getting a survey.
They sometimes have survey takers when you enter the parks and when you are leaving the parks. We once had a very rare yet important issue with the Baby Care center when we were traveling with grand-kids, and I vowed I was going to add it to the survey when I got home. As we were leaving the park, what luck as to spot a survey taker with her tablet ready to go, and I gave her my two cent’s worth on the treatment we got at the Baby Care center. Also, I have always received a survey in my email after my Disney vacation. I only stay on-site so of course they have my email address. If you don’t stay on-site they don’t know you were there.
I don’t recall ever getting a survey, but maybe I have. It has been 3 years since I last went to Disney. What impressed me about Universal is that they followed up on the survey, so I know that they actually look at it.
Judy,
My family has the same vacation values as your family! We should travel together! From WI, we get there 3-4 times a year, have annual passes, and belong to DVC. It’s still a magical place and we have never ma0de a negative comment. Life is waaaay too short. Happy Disneying
Gerhard,
And magical vacationing to you as well! 🙂 Disney is not just a place, it’s a state of mind. I’m convinced it’s in my blood. I have pictures of my dad (he’s turning 90 this year) and his brothers from the 1930s carrying Mickey Mouse sand pails, and I have my dad’s Big Little Disney books from the 1930s-40s that he bought when he was a kid growing up near Chicago. He took us to see all the Disney movies new and re-release at the theater in the 60s and 70s, and growing up in W. Texas we were closer to California so we drove to Disneyland. So yeah, either you love it or not.
Well said Judy
One factor to include is that Disney is now charging for those who stay onsite, but drive their own vehicles or get a rental car to have onsite (It still doesn’t apply to DVC resorts). True, such guests can still park for free at any of the parks, but that benefit is no longer the pure upside it used to be.
Add to the pool of disadvantages that there are people that abuse the FP system by booking leading reservations and room only reservations which are then cancelled inside the 30 day mark (so FPs will remain), and with Disney (still) doing essentially nothing to those scammers, and you can say that staying onsite is even more worthless.
Pretty sure that practice will be out to sleep shortly and we will then find those abusers on here whining about it.
Disney has recently addressed this. FP reservations are now cancelled with room cancellation.
Courtney,
Yeah that’s what i heard too and that was at least a month ago.
As an Australian travel agent, I’ve been selling all the Disney resorts for 25 plus years. As a generalization, many clients initially want to stay in a Disney resort, but after comparing costs with cheaper, off site properties, rarely end up booking them, even taking into account the on-site perks. I’d say less than 5 percent end up staying in a Disney property. I usually recommend one of the Buena Vista properties to be the best alternative, as guests still have access to the transportation system plus will make our client’s dollar go further. I didn’t realise recent room refurbs have made the rooms more generic – thanks for that info. As a Disney super fan, I personally would be disappointed not to experience that Disney themed bubble if I had splashed out on staying at an on-site property.
As a New Zealander planning a trip to either Disneyland or Disney World in 2020, we already have major international flights to take into consideration, an exchange rate that’s not in our favour – looking at onsite prices just makes an already insanely expensive holiday even more expensive. I can stay offsite and save significant money, plus get a free breakfast if I choose wisely (which is nothing to sniff at). If money was no object then sure, gimme that sweet Disney theming, but given where I live then no, the onsite perks are NOT worth it.
Truthfully, my tipping point was 6 dollars. I know, it seems silly to have a 6 dollar tipping point when our family has been staying at onsite Deluxes, year after year, but there it is: the unmitigated greed of Disney Inc. charging a 6 dollar fee for handling packages at bell check.
The hotels are already very overpriced for the services and amenities offered, particularly when factoring crowd levels, and this small, greedy and mean fee feels like a slap in the face to our family.
Congrats, bean counters, you’ve made another .00002 cents per share for your wall street shareholders. Slow. Clap.
But we’re done—and our family has been going to Disneyland/Disneyworld since both parks opened. We may stay offsite, go to MK for the day, Universal a day or two, but no more week long vacays for us and our 2 daughters’ families.
I couldn’t agree more with your sentiment, Kim. I’m a Disney lifer. At 45 years old, I’ve been traveling to WDW and DL for 40 years. Now, I have my own family and We go to Disney at least once/year. Usually twice.
I’ve recently started doing honest tallies of every expense she staying onsite each trip and I’ve found the nickel and dining from Disney to be absolutely ridiculous. I just find it hard to believe after spending over 65k on vacations in the last 20 years alone (I had a Disney wedding too) that there are no loyalty programs no, return customer appreciation or perks! I get discounts for being a good customer at my local oil change place but, Disney? They don’t have any respect for us! We are taking one last trip this summer. Then, I’m done with Disney.
We love staying onsite but the increases in all areas has increased to the point I wonder if Disney is not pricing itself out? We have been for yearly for past 20 years and constantly price increases. We may need to plan to vacay another place.
We stayed off site about 50/50 last year. Had a great stay at Westgate using Airbnb and a horrible stay at another… Being Passholders, it is great for us to drive eight hours to Florida and enjoy 7-10 days (often times I take the kids myself while my husband stays behind at the hotel and works then we go back and swim and return later for dinner and rides together). I feel cheated with the reduced hours closing at 8 or 9 just so Disney can upcharge these VIP events. I agree the extra magic hours used to feel so special. Now it is hardly worth it to go back in the evening, especially how challenging it is to get to MK and the mass exodus after fireworks.
We are taking our family later this month for our daughter’s 6th birthday and staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Not sure if we will fly or drive yet. I booked our Fastpasses at 34 days out because I forgot and honestly don’t care much as it is so time intensive and we just went last month. Flight of Passage and Mine Ride were all available as was Slinky Dog. First time ever for me to grab the last two (Our kids are too young for Flight of Passage I think but height wise they COULD ride), and I think it will be a lower crowd time after Easter.
I think I’ll still book with the passholder discount but still stay off-site other times because of the more generous condo accommodations to be had…. I like Disney Jr on tv for the kids, housekeeping, food courts right there and feeling like I can make a call and things will get taken care of… Stuff sometimes not possible at an off-site rental.
I also feel as a Passholder, they need to do more for us as it doesn’t feel very special just an occasional magnet!
In 2018 CEO Iger’s salary was 65 million. He really might be trying to keep out the rig raff!
As a shareholder they were asking to vote yes to increasing salary benefits. I voted NO!
It’s actually riff-raff…
They should just do that and be honest and upfront about it. Raise ticket prices to $600.00 a day per person and renovate all of the hotels to deluxe resorts starting around $750.00 per night.
That way, no one who makes under $500,000 a year will be able to afford Disney. That is where Disney is headed and what they want anyway.
Couldn’t agree with you more on the new rooms! They feel like nice random hotels now so why not just stay there, save money & get points. This year we’ve stayed at the Double Tree (which was great with the separate bedroom ) & The B – both were great and way less expensive than Disney hotels. Used to be an only on property family but not anymore.
My wife and I attended Walt Disney World the year it opened and The Magic Kingdom was the only park. We’ve visited 10+ times over the years, most recently in 2016. Now we’re Floridians but we’re done with WDW. It no longer matters if you stay on- or off-site. Here’s why:
1. Spending vacations standing in lines all day is not fun.
2. We once considered WDW a good value. It hasn’t been that in years. Constant price increases have made it grossly over-priced, especially for kids.
3. Having to pay $20+ to park your car as a WDW hotel guest is nothing but robbery.
3. Far too many strollers. I’ve seen kids 7 or 8 years old being pushed in strollers. Ridiculous.
4. Far too many hoverounds with discourteous drivers who speed through crowds nearly hitting people.
5. Mediocre food at premium prices.
Walt Disney World has morphed from “The Happiest Place on Earth” to “The Greediest Place on Earth”. Walt and Mickey would be ashamed.
ThankYou for having the courage to state the TRUTH, which unfortunately will probably be censored.
Playing devils advocate.
1. That can be avoided with planning.
2. Compared to what these days? I’m Canadian things like this are expensive and a RIP off all over. 2 nights for family of 4 at great wolf Niagara with meals runs into $1500+. So by comparison Disney is still a value and they know it.
3. True.
4. Ultra true. Never seen so many “disabled” overweight pigs. They seem to walk fine up to the trough for beer and buffet table.
5. True but it’s the same everywhere these days.
#4 hahahhhhhh! We feel the same way!
Oh my. Calling people “pigs” just because they don’t fit your definition of what disabled looks like … I don’t fit that definition either. I look fine. I look like I should be able to run a mile, but I can’t. I don’t just have chronic pain, i have constant pain. I have a spine that when I was in 33, on a mri, looked like I was at least 65 and not doing well. I’ve had surgery, shots, therapies, medications and yet here I am, needing more. Ever been on medication that messes you up? Ever hear of side effects? Nobody likes hoverounds – Disney should help disabled people more, not less. I don’t use them unless I just can’t walk and not at Disney because they don’t help my condition. However, I don’t get to ride half the rides, need to sit often and can not stay in the parks that long and guess what, I’m paying on-site prices, usually deluxe or moderate, just like everyone else who stays on property, so cry me a river as they say. So if I ever have to take a medication that slows down my metabolism and makes me gain weight, then I’ll be sure to remember the kind hearted people such as yourselves. (*sarcasm)
Kay, you clearly missed the point. For people who require the device I do not have a problem. However, when I witness families abusing them day in and day out, I have an issue. And in those cases we are not talking about medication that makes you gain 50 pounds. We are talking over indulgent lazy people. We always joke when we come down as Americans are eating themselves to death. Out of control portion sizes, increased sugar and poor choices at the buffet.
We all have pains and various conditions. i could easily get on a scooter for my own issues but I CHOOSE to move because as we become more dormant as we age, well the body just shuts down. When I see a “disabled” person virtually run to the trough, it is truly sad. Perhaps if they walked more regularly . . .
I don’t think it’s fair to assume we know why people are using ECVs. My mother had her right femur and tibia shattered at the age of 16, when a drunk driver t-boned her car. She has lived for 50 years with metal rods replacing her bones. As a single mom, she powered through the pain after her office job, working her 2nd job as a bartender to make sure our bills were paid. These efforts finally led to a knee replacement, and now she’s experiencing trouble with her hip. She can walk, limp-free, through a typical day, but long walks and many forms of exercise cause her severe pain. Over the years she has gained weight as a result of not being able to exercise without such pain. You might see her and assume she is just a lazy pig, because she can manage the walk from the ECV to the ride vehicle, or to the dinner table. The 20,000+ steps our family takes in a typical park day would just be too much. I can assure you, it’s far more inconvenient to have to traverse Disney World with these vehicles than without. My mom hates using the ECV, but our joy in having her on the trip far exceeds the inconvenience of the dirty looks, rude comments and people who try to cut in front of her without so much as a glance at oncoming traffic. Maybe there are people out there who just don’t want to walk in the heat all day, but it seems unfair to judge without knowing their circumstances.
Kay, I know that you are trying to make a point, but I really don’t need to hear your medical history!
Kelly, I am not talking about people like your mother. I am talking about the people we see every time we go down that each family member takes turns riding the vehicle. We see them throughout the day. They must think people are stupid to not notice it. I even made a comment to one family after a 10 hour day the mom who was ” oh me I can’t walk with my blood clot leg” was suddenly cured and running around. I said oh your clot is cured and she didn’t know what to say. Just went very red and put her head down.
We know USA is 20 years behind when it comes to accessibility and rights for the disabled. So when people abuse it, it makes things worse for the people who truly suffer. The same can be said for the abuse of disabled parking permits. What a joke!
I love the atmosphere and theming of the onsite deluxe/moderate resorts so much. Thats why I am a DVC member. If I wasnt a DVC member, I would continue to stay onsite even if all the perks are removed.
We are dvc as well so staying off site does not make sense. However when and if we give up dvc I wont stay on site. Just too many deals out there and basically nicer accommodations and extras. New dvc hotels for the last number of years are generic hotel decor. Rivera looks horrible for the pricing.
We have been visiting Disney for a a couple of decades now, usually twice a year. We always favored staying on site because there were some real advantages, but not anymore.
The whole app, with its 60 day Fastpasses, and 180 day dining reservations, has really screwed Disney up for people like me. I don’t want to plan and schedule each hour my vacation starting 6 months in advance. That’s not a vacation, it’s a rat race. When you couple that with Disney’s price increases and extra charges, it just becomes an expensive rat race. Disney has managed to take the joy out of a Disney World Vacation.
Universal is the answer. Stay at one of the hotels that include express passes, and you will have a nice relaxing vacation that allows you to decide what you want to do day by day. I like the Portofino, you get express passes and the transportation is superb. The hotel is nicer than anything at Disney, and much more reasonably priced.
My wife and I are Universal annual pass holders because we have been visiting 3 times a year. We never bought Disney annual passes, we no longer go to Disney and we haven’t for about 3 years.
This is the article that you should be writing, is a Disney vacation even worth the expense, effort, and aggravation required. Are there better alternatives?
I’m really starting to feel like I’m in a rat race. I’ve been planning our first DW trip for months and still have months to go and yes it’s very frustrating booking dining way before park hours are released or we have our fast passes. It feels overwhelming and less and less like a vacation. I’ve actually stopped calling it a vacation and am calling it an experience because it really isn’t a vacation. The crazy amount of planning and then the up at 5 or 6am to be at the parks well before rope drop is definitely not relaxing. We are stuck in this vacation since our kids are super excited but our next theme park visit will be to Universal and Discovery Cove. I love the idea of their unlimited express pass and being able to enjoy the day and not have to plan every minute months beforehand. We are adding extras like a Happily Ever After, Wonderland Tea Party, and the new Captain Hooks Pirate Crew just to give us a chance to relax.
I can see how you see it that way. However for those of us who have been at it for years, the planning becomes second nature. You learn what times to have meals and that wont affect park hours. You learn how to utilize fast passes and navigate crowds. You learn how to relax in that chaos and have down time. You learn not to do everything in one trip. You learn to spread your spending g out. For example maybe less days and more VIP experiences. In effect saving time and some money. It’s not a rat race but rather a journey.
I booked 5 days at Universal in September just last weekend… What days am I going to Islands of Adventure? What days am I going to Universal Studios? Where am I going to eat? When will I be hungry? What rides do I want to go on? When? … I truly don’t care! Universal affords me the type of vacation where I don’t have to figure all of that out months in advance. I can figure it out day to day after I get there.
It would be ridiculous to have to figure out how what park on what day, what rides a when, what restaurants and when, etc months in advance. But if I had booked 5 days at Disney instead of Universal, I would have to do just that.
Disney could easily fix this. You should be able to get Fastpasses in the park on the day of, and dining reservations should be made thru guest services. Get rid of the advance Fastpasses and 6 month in advance dining reservations.
Kill the damn app! I can spend an entire day at Universal without looking at my phone or using the Universal app. Try doing that at Disney!
We have been to WDW 5 times in the past 7 years, and have stayed off-site 4 of those trips. We are heading back in August, and it was a no-brainer for us to stay off-site again. We love being able to stay in a condo (hotel) as opposed to tripping over each other in a regular hotel room and having to tip-toe around at night or in the morning while the kids are sleeping. We prefer being able to grab a quick bite for breakfast in our suite as opposed to being part of the cattledrive at the breakfast buffets on resort, and we have found that all of our off-site hotels have actually been physically closer than staying on Disney property. Once we factor in the cost savings it doesn’t make sense to stay on resort. I will miss the 60 day FP+ booking window, but we tried to book the quietest week possible and are putting our hotel savings towards attending an early Halloween Party. We have done this 3 times and find it’s a great way to get on some of the longer wait rides.
Another factor to consider, for those that value it, is availability of the DDP.
What is DDP?
Disney Dining Plan
Disney Dining Plan
This is all leading to a point of critical mass, the economy does not have to crash to elevate overcrowding, Disney is on there own path to self destruction. How long do you think guests are going to continue to pay ever increasing cost for ever diminishing returns? Not much longer in my estimation. Truly Sad!
Valid point. I think we are paying the same for an on site Value vacation package for 4 days as we did for a week on site Value about 5 years ago. We didn’t go last summer (2018) because it was our 10th anniversary and we went to Hawaii. Just for giggles I recently priced a week in Maui at the resort we stayed at with a week at Disney. To keep the comparisons relevant, I chose the same days, and the same air carrier. Maui was only $1200 more, and the only lines for the week would be flight boarding and rental car.
Can I ask where you stayed in Maui?
My family and Love WDW and have often stayed at the The Yacht Club which is our preferred location. We have been going at the same time every year, but price increases for the last 2 years have just been to high. In addition, the free DDP has disappeared for the same weeks, so the hike now seems huge. A real shame, but I am just not willing to spend so much on one vacation. We stay off-site and actually now spend less at WDW as we don’t done there for dinner so often.
I have found that staying in a Deluxe Resort at Universal (Like the Portofino) with tickets and express passes costs the same as staying in a intermediate hotel at Disney or less depending on which hotel you choose.
4 days at the Royal Pacific, (free express passes) with park tickets and airport transfers costs about the same as 4 days at Pop Century with tickets.
Universal is a much more relaxed vacation for those of us who don’t want to plan the minutia of our vacations months in advance.
I really think two minor changes would vastly improve the guest experience at Disney. First, you should have to physically visit the attraction to get a Fastpass, just like the old days, and secondly, you should have to call or visit guest services to make a dining reservation.
End everyone’s reliance on the app! People walk around staring at their phones all day at Disney, checking their schedule, trying to get Fastpasses, or trying to get dining reservations. The app just adds another pain point that distracts from the fun and adds to the “rat race” feel of Disney.
I hardly ever look at my phone at Universal, because Universal hasn’t set up their entire park experience to rely on their app.
It’s not really about the money for me, it’s about the rat race that Disney forces you into… While charging a high price.
I live in New Hampshire, I have visited Orlando 8 times in the last 3 years… All at Universal. I have no interest in going to Disney until something changes.
We have been to DW twice in three years and are planning on visiting in the late fall. Both times we stayed off site and we will this time too. We also drove down. I want soooo bad to stay on site but I just can’t justify it no matter how I try. We stay at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms. Both times we went we were able to get a really nice three bedroom condo for less than $900 for 7 nights (plus free parking)! There’s also a new upgraded pool and splash pad at Windsor Hills which we are looking forward to this fall. If we were to stay onsite it would be at least double that price for a very basic budget hotel room crammed with five people. I just can’t justify it….I really really want to but I can’t! By paying a lower price we have been able to go once a year or year and a half plus buy tons of souvenirs (at the Character Warehouse of course) and eat meals onsite when we want to. We also take mid-day breaks and come back in the evening. The resorts are really close to DW so it’s easy to do. I highly recommend it to families who think they won’t every be able to visit Disney World. If you can’t drive use Uber.
I also really want to stay onsite, but can’t justify the cost. I have tried last time to get free dining, but nothing was left. We stayed at Windsor hills, and then bonnet creek twice in the last 4 years for much less including renting a car and parking at the parks
I loved staying at the resorts but can’t justify it any more it’s just to much money we are staying off property from now on it’s so sad but way to much money with the ticket prices keep going up.
Disney has designed the whole park experience around there app for a reason………..To Distract you from the fact that that your smack dab in the middle of an Overcrowded Mess!!!
I used to stay on site at Coronado from 2004 – 2010, when the internet was not what it is now, not having built in transportation seemed daunting and I was nervous to stay off site. After two good experiences in Dolphin (which was particularly great to have during the Food & Wine festival) and one very bad experience at Caribbean Beach, moved to staying at the Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) hotels. What a great upgrade. Still had so much of the convenience of Disney, scheduled hotel buses that would go directly to the hotels or the Disney buses to the Springs from which you could walk to your hotel. As for staying at a Deluxe hotel, I would never be able to afford it, but the hotel restaurants and lobbies are not private spaces, and you can access them whether or not you are a resort guest. I go to the Grand Floridian at least once each trip.