The Benefits of Staying On-Resort

Although we both stayed off-resort when we went with our families as kids, we made the decision to stay on-resort as adults on both our 2012 and 2014 trips; on both trips we stayed at Disney’s All Star Resorts. Through our own research and experiences, we've realized many benefits of staying on-resort and have found some great tips & tricks that we wanted to share!

1.       One of the first perks of staying on resort you’ll need to know is that you can schedule your Fast Passes up to 60 days in advance of your arrival through the My Disney Experience App/Website. Fast Passes allow you to go into an express line for certain attractions and shows and bypass the regular line. If you decide to stay off resort you still have the benefit of using the Fast Pass system and My Disney Experience App but are able to book your Fast Passes only 30 days in advance. While this may work great for some, you run the risk of having a limited choice of Fast Passes available for the more popular attractions as only a limited number are made available for each time period throughout the day. We’ll have a more in-depth post on Fast Passes soon! We discussed which attractions we wanted a Fast Pass for at each park (you’re entitled to pre-book 3 Fast Passes per day) and when we hit the 60 day mark we booked our Fast Passes for the preferred window of time for each day of our trip – we even managed to get a Fast Pass for the brand new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom!

  

Booking Fast Passes through My Disney Experience

2.       The next major benefit you’ll have by staying on-resort is access to Disney’s Magical Express. Disney offers its on-resort guests free transportation both to and from the Orlando International Airport to your resort. Quick Tip: if you’re booking through a travel agent, be sure to check with your agent that you are reserved on the Magical Express as you aren't automatically reserved.

Ryan & Ellen on Disney's Magical Express 2012

3.       Another great feature of staying on-resort is access to Disney’s transportation system. Their transportation system makes getting from your Walt Disney Resort to each of the four parks, water parks and Downtown Disney a breeze! While we've read a lot of negative comments online about the transportation system, we've never had a bad experience with the buses (we haven’t had the need to take boat or monorail transportation yet)! The buses depart approximately every 15 to 20 minutes, although we only wait 5 or 10 minutes the majority of the time. Because you’re staying on-resort, you’re never too far from any of the parks so a quick hop on the bus and you’re at the park before you know it – hassle free! You can go back and forth from the parks to your hotel and visc-versa as often as you like. Having this system available to guests allows a worry free day at the park. You won’t have the fear of losing your keys and can enjoy an adult beverage (or two) if you so choose!

A worry-free ride on a Disney's Transportation Bus

4.       The benefits of staying on resort aren't just limited to transportation. All Disney resort hotels have amazing amenities. So far, we've stayed at the All Star Movies and All Star Sports resorts. Both are value resorts but offer everything we need! Both have 2 pools - one larger pool near the front of the resort and another smaller pool towards the back of the resort. Both pools are in-theme with each resort. There are always pool activities with a cast member leading fun games and activities for kids. Quick Tip: we found the smaller pool at the back of the resorts to generally be less crowded. Although it’s smaller and further away from the main lobby, it feels more relaxing and secluded.

Enjoying a quiet swim in the smaller pool at Disney's All Star Sports Resort

5.       Disney’s All Star Movies Resort & All Star Sports Resort are great for photo opps! Disney goes all out with their themes and includes many larger-than-life decorative characters throughout the property. While Movies has more character and film based photo opps with large replicas from features such as Toy Story, Herbie Fully Loaded and Fantasia, Sports has larger than life sports equipment which also makes for a great photo. While some people enjoy the more refined style of Disney’s moderate and deluxe resorts, we really enjoy the fun and playful design of the value resorts.

So many photo opps at Disney's All Star Movies Resort!

6.       Every Disney resort offers dining options within the resort. While the value resorts have quick-service options (burgers, salads, pastas, etc.) the moderate and deluxe resorts have a wide variety of quick service and table service dining options that relate to each resorts theme. While you can have a pizza ordered to any old hotel room, there’s nothing quite as fun as having a Disney pizza delivered to your room after a long day at the park! 

Disney pizza delivered straight to your room!

7.       Another great feature of staying on-resort is having the ability to interact with Disney cast members outside the parks. On our most recent trip to the All Star Sports resort, our concierge cast members were so friendly & helpful! They printed off our boarding passes for our flight the day before we left and assisted us with booking transportation off-property to Universal Studios. 

8.       If and when you purchase a souvenir at any of the Disney parks or Downtown Disney, you have the option of having it sent back to your resort gift shop at no additional cost so that you don’t have to carry it around the park all day! Quick Tip: be aware that gifts sent from the park to your resort gift shop usually arrive the next day after purchase, so we don't advise using this feature on your last day!

9.       Speaking of resort gift shops, the gift shops at the resorts are jam-packed with all things Disney! Many items are things you can find in the Disney parks and at specialty stores like The World of Disney and Mouse Gears, while other items, such as sports memorabilia, are specific to each resort shop.  While you can find the majority of items found in the resort gift shops at the park, staying on-resort allows you the luxury of picking up a last minute item before you leave or... more impulse shopping!

10.   Maybe saving the best for last, a major benefit of staying on-resort at Walt Disney World is access to Extra Magic Hours! Guests staying on-resort are able to enjoy the parks past regular hours when the park closes to all other guests. You can find a schedule of Extra Magic Hours at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/ & plan accordingly. Animal Kingdom almost always has Extra Magic Hours in the morning which is great for an early morning ride on the Safari.

      Even if you decide to go to Walt Disney World and stay off-resort, there is no doubt you will still have a GREAT vacation that will create lasting memories. Staying on Disney property just works best for us and gives us the options that we want for our own Disney experience. In our opinion, the more Disney magic, the better!