What are the Disney hotels like in Orlando? This is one of the questions asked by most tourists planning a trip there. That’s why we’ve prepared this guide with lots of information and tips.
Benefits of Disney hotels
To start this article on what are the Disney hotels like in Orlando, it is important that you know that Disney hotels are divided into three categories: economy, moderate and luxury. The division is made mainly according to the cost of each one.
Despite the difference in price, there are several common benefits between the hotels. First of all, there’s the transportation at Disney hotels. They have free shuttle buses to take tourists from the airport to the hotel, at half-hourly intervals. There are also shuttle buses that take you to the Disney parks in complete safety.
Another great benefit is overtime in the park. If you’re staying at the hotel, you can enjoy the Disney parks an hour before they open and an hour before they close. This way, you can go to several attractions that are very crowded, with huge queues. All you have to do is check the Disney app to see when and in which park the extra hour will be available.
Plus, you get the benefit of the Fast Pass in advance. The Fast Pass is a great way to avoid queues during your day at the park. Basically, you can skip the queues for three attractions in the park. You need to book in advance the rides you want to skip and the day you need to do so.
Anyone can use the Fast Pass, but if you’re a Disney guest, you can book much further in advance than everyone else. So, if an attraction is very popular, it may sell out quickly and you won’t be able to avoid the queue.
Last but not least, being inside a Disney hotel is truly magical. The entire space is themed and very well decorated. You even wake up to find a character at breakfast. And you also receive a MagicBand, a Disney digital bracelet. With it, you can access the parks and even your hotel room.
Disney hotels
Having all these benefits comes at a cost, after all, staying at Disney hotels is much more expensive than other Orlando hotels in general. Some are as much as three times the price of an equivalent hotel. But even so, spending your days in Orlando inside Disney will make your trip even more special.
Check out some of the hotels there:
The budget hotels: The budget hotels are perfect for those with children. Almost all of them are themed and decorated with the main Disney characters. In addition, the hotels are colorful and many have a great swimming pool for the family. This is the case with the Art of Animation hotel, which has rooms decorated with various characters such as Aladdin and many others.
There’s also All Star Music, which focuses on Disney music for its decoration; Disney All Star, which focuses on movies; All Star Sports, which focuses on sports, and Pop Century.
The moderate hotels: The moderate hotels cost a little more than the economy ones. Many of them are located on the Disney Boardwalk, an area with several hotels, restaurants and stores around a beautiful artificial beach. Moreover, the area is behind Epcot Center park, meaning you can access it on foot.
Examples include Caribbean Beach, a park that explores the region’s beach climate; Fort Wilderness, a hotel that resembles a campsite, with a rustic atmosphere; Coronado Springs and the Port Orleans resort. Although more expensive, the moderate hotels are much less themed and colorful than the more economical ones, which are the children’s favorites.
The luxury hotels: Luxury hotels cost around 650 dollars a night. One of the most popular is the Gran Floridan, which has a sensational swimming pool and you can walk from it to the Magic Kingdom. There’s also the Polynesian, the Yatch Club and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is the hotel closest to Animal Kingdom. The place is set up like a safari and you can see some of the park’s animals from there.
Tip: to get to know some of these hotels better and also enjoy great food, you can book a meal at them, even if you’re not a guest.
How to save money on hotels in Orlando?
In order to travel cheaply in Orlando, a good cost of accommodation is essential. There are hotels within the Disney area, but, as you saw above, they can be a bit pricey.
The most popular areas for tourists to stay in Orlando are International Drive and Lake Buena Vista. International Drive is the city’s main avenue, which gives access to the most diverse tourist attractions, as well as stores and malls. This area is also close to the Universal and SeaWorld parks.
Lake Buena Vista is a small town in Florida, just outside Orlando, where part of the Walt Disney World Resort complex is located. The city is full of roads linking its main tourist attractions. This is also where most of the Disney hotels are located.
Generally speaking, the further south you are, the closer to Disney you’ll be, and the further north, the closer to Universal and SeaWorld you’ll be. If you want to see hotel options covering these two regions, click here and see a map showing all the hotels.
How to find cheaper bookings?
If you want to know what the best hotel reservations are, you need to use this Hotel Search Engine. It will show you all the available offers and you can choose the one that fits your budget.
We always use this comparator and get unbeatable prices. Another advantage is that you can check the opinions of who have already stayed at the hotels, helping you decide which one is the best.
Using this reservation comparator, you can cancel your chosen hotel for free at any time. Most hotels on this search engine offer free cancellation! This helps you to save money, as you can book well in advance, guaranteeing the best prices. If you can’t go on your trip, just cancel and there will be no inconvenience.
Good and cheap hotels we’ve stayed in
- Hotel Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort: the hotel we stayed at inside Disney and we thought it was EXCELLENT. It has free transportation to all the parks and you can walk to Disney Springs.
- Hotel Meliá Orlando Celebration: the hotel we stayed in next to Disney and we thought it was WONDERFUL.
- Hotel Celebration Suites: the cheapest hotel in Orlando and a favorite with tourists who want to save money. Great location near Disney.
Save money on your trip to Orlando:
Saving money: do you want to plan your trip while making the most of your budget? Be sure to read our article on how to travel to Orlando cheap, with all the tips to save the most, while still enjoying it!
Tickets: find out where to buy your Orlando tickets in the cheapest and safest way – for theme parks, museums and ticket combos. You can save up to 40%!
Car: if you are thinking about renting one this is the best website. It compares the price at all rental companies and finds unbeatable prices. You can save up to 30%!
Mobile chip: We always use this chip. It’s electronic (eSIM), you install it instantly and you can use your cell phone’s internet anywhere in the world.
Hotels: our article on where to stay in Orlando. You will find out the best area, the hotels that we have stayed there and how to save a lot on the hotel.
Travel insurance: medical care in another country is very expensive and it is extremely important to take out travel insurance for any trip abroad. This is the website we always take out our insurance on. Reliable and at a good price.
Transfer: do you need one, from the airport to the hotel? Find out here how to book and for the lowest price!
