Here’s What You May Not Know About Staying at a Disney Resort

Planning a Disney trip can be very exciting, but is also overwhelming. To save money, many people choose to stay outside of Disney without really knowing all there is to know about staying at a Disney Resort. Here is a list that can help you decide whether or not you want to stay in a Disney Resort, and some helpful hints too!

9. Tip Mousekeeping Daily

When staying at a Disney Resort, your room gets cleaned by their housekeeping, which is called “Mousekeeping”. There could be a different person cleaning your room each day, so rather than tipping at the end of your trip, make sure you tip each day so the person cleaning your room that day gets it. My rule of thumb is $2-$3 per day.

8. Wake up calls

Rather than setting your alarm each morning, why not get your very own wake-up call by a Disney character? I have done this twice and both times I was greeted with a morning call by Mickey and Minnie. It really set the tone for the rest of the day, and made me even more excited to go to the parks!

7. Ticket and entertainment assistance

A benefit to staying in a Disney Resort is that you can get all the help you need with tickets and entertainment. Your Resort can help you with entertainment such as if you wanted tickets to Drawn to Life, simply go to the desk area for entertainment and someone there can help you purchase them. It is very convenient for those that don’t know what they want to do until they get to the Resort.

6. Free transportation

Every Disney Resort has free transportation, whether it is through bus systems, boats, monorails, or Skyliner. These transportation works between parks and resorts, and some even work between resorts as well. The monorail itself has access to the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary, and the Polynesian, with a drop-off at each hotel and the Magic Kingdom. You can take boats to different areas as well. Saratoga Springs and Old Key West as well as Port Orleans have transportation from the resorts to Disney Springs.

5. Grocery/Package delivery

Many people don’t know this, but you can ship your packages and groceries ahead of time to your Resort and have them waiting for you when you check-in. I have had a full week’s worth of groceries delivered for my stay at All-Star Music once, and everything was right in my room when I checked in. They even put what needed to be refrigerated in the mini-fridge as well! Groceries aren’t all they do though. You can ship anything ahead of time to be ready for when you get there. I know someone who shipped their wedding dress because they were getting married on-site, and once I even shipped a textbook that I needed for school so I can get some school work done while on vacation.

4. Laundry facilities

This may seem like no big deal but for those that plan on staying a week or more, knowing that there are laundry facilities changes everything. You can pack fewer clothes (meaning more room for souvenirs!) and you can return home with a fresh set of clothes as well. If you are staying in a one or two-bedroom at a Deluxe Resort, there is even a washer and dryer in your room!

3. Pizza delivery

It’s 10 pm, you just want to get back to your room but you are starving after spending all day and night at the parks, but you don’t want to deal with the crazy lines that inevitably happen at this hour when everyone has returned. What do you do? Order pizza delivery! When you stay at a Disney Resort, you are given information on how to order pizza delivery straight from your resort’s quick-service restaurant. We did this once and were able to get home after a long day, settle in, and had our pizza delivered to us after a half-hour of calling in. It was magical!

2. Decide if the Disney Genie is right for you

Disney’s complimentary FastPass system is gone. Is the new Disney Genie+ right for you and your family? Guests can pay $15 per person, per day to access former FastPass attractions via what is called the “Lightning Lane”. Using the My Disney Experience App to make attraction selections one attraction at a time. There is also individual Lightning Lane attractions that are not available via the Disney Genie+ but will cost an extra “a la carte” type of few per person to skip the attraction wait.

1. Early Morning Magic

One of the absolute best things about staying at a Disney Resort is the ability to use Early Morning Magic! With Extra Magic Hours now gone, Guests can take advantage of entering the Disney Parks each day, every day, 30-minutes before the non-Disney Resort Guests. This means that you can go and ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Peter Pan, and more all before the Park opens to all Guests.

BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!