This post will cover some of the perks that comes from staying on property at Disney Resorts. I have mentioned some of these before, but I thought I would collect them in one place. I also know that I will miss a few. So please let me know in the comments what your favorite perks are, or what I have missed.

The Disney Bubble is often used to reference being on Disney property. It describes the immersive experience that is Disney. You wake up to Disney, you eat, sleep and breathe; all Disney. While some people find this a bit much, ole-Grandpa just loves it. It allows Grandma and I to put on our reality avoidance screens and just enjoy being. We find it more enjoyable to sit on our balcony at a Disney Resort watching the world go by, than being at home watching TV. After all, isn’t vacation supposed to be relaxing and recharging?

Split Stays

A Split Stay is where you stay at more than 1 resort for your visit. Why would you want to do that, you ask? There are a host of reasons. For instance you may not manage to get the reservations at your first choice of resort. You may be meeting with family and friends and want to move to a bigger room. Or as in our case, you want to experience different areas of Walt Disney World. Whatever the reason, split stays are great way to extend your Disney experience.

Our next trip with the GrandKids and their parental units, we will be a split stay. We are going to start at Disney’s Boardwalk. From the Boardwalk you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. (I still want to call it MGM!) . We will take the bus to Disney Springs, (Anyone but me want to call it Downtown Disney?). But we will not need a bus for anything else. Besides walking, there are the FriendShips that go between the resort and parks as well. We look forward to going to Hollywood Studios during the day, resting up and heading to Epcot for the evening. We can enjoy Epcot at our leisurely pace.

After Boardwalk we will move to Bay Lake Tower. Here we can walk to The Magic Kingdom. We will take the Monorail and do a bit of Resort hopping to checkout Grand Floridian and Polynesian as well. From here the Animal Kingdom is a short bus ride. Returning in the afternoon we can again, walk to the Magic Kingdom for the evenings festivities.

Disney makes this split stays super easy. All you do is pack up and take your stuff to Bell Services. You can call for a Bell Hop to help moving your luggage if you wish. Once at Bell Services, you inform them where your next stay is. In our case we will take our luggage to Boardwalk Bell Services and tell them we are checking into the Bay Lake Tower. That’s it. Your bags, etc will show up at the new resort sometime after check-in time. You are free to enjoy the parks or whatever your hearts desire. No muss no fuss. It is just that easy. The only downside is your bags may not arrive as early as you do. To guard against this, be sure to pack any necessities, like medication, extra socks, etc in your personal bag . We have never had an issue, but you never know.

Do you have a split stay story? Let us know in the comments.

Water Park Entry

As of this writing, when you check in at Disney Resort, you get free entry into a water park on your check-in day! So show up early, go to the front desk, get your pass. Then head to the water park of your choice. And guess what! If you are doing a split stay you get 2 free entries! Grandma and I are way past the time where water parks hold much interest. The GrandKids, however, are water babies. We will be taking advantage of this perk on our next trip. Grandma and I will stake out a claim in the shade and watch the youngens burn off a lot of energy. We will leave the kid wrangling in the water to the parents.

Grocery Delivery

OK, you got me. This is not an exclusive Disney Perk. Just why would you want to get groceries anyway, delivered or not? You are on Vacation for crying out loud. Besides, most rooms do not have a kitchen so why bring this up? Great questions! First, getting your own food really helps the on the budget and saves a metric ton of time. Grabbing a quick breakfast in the room before heading out is a great way to start the day. Having a ready supply of water and other drinks, priceless. Quick lunch before the pool or nap really sets the stage for downtime. No waiting in line. No fussing with mobile order. No fighting for a seat. What could be better?

Almost all rooms have a refrigerator/drink cooler or you can request one. This means you can have items like as drinks, milk, yogurt, condiments, sandwich fixens, etc right at hand. Perfect for a quick bowl of cereal or a Dagwood sandwich (Extra points for who ever can define this in the comments) . DVC 1 bedroom villas and beyond have full kitchens so you can cook what you have your taste buds set for. We do a good breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, and hash browns, while sitting on our balcony overlooking the pool or park. Often we have a nice sit down dinner in the quiet confines of our villa. Saves time, money and frustration.

Almost all grocery delivery services will deliver to your resort. These include Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, Instacart, and Shipt. You will need your resorts street address when ordering. Your delivery will come to Bell Services, who will hold it for you. You can even have alcohol delivered, but you will need to be there with ID for that. The Disney Tourist Blog has an excellent post on this here: groceries-disney-world-buying-tips. Of course you can use the on resort gift shops for several grocery items, but these tend to have a limited selection and are pretty pricey. We usually skip delivery and make a grocery run to a local supermarket. Nice to get out and about.

Do you have a favorite grocery delivery story you want to share? Let us know in the comments.

Transportation

Before you get your knickers in a bunch, I know that Disney Transportation is open to everyone. However, it does get you directly from your resort to any Disney destination. No parking at the Transportation Ticket Center, grabbing a tram, then getting to a bus, monorail, or boat with thousands of your best friends! Not to mention trying to find your car at the end of the day.

Walking

Many resorts are within walking distance of parks. Beach Club, Boardwalk, Yacht club, Swan and Dolphin are easy walks to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Grand Floridian and Contemporary are a stroll away from Magic Kingdom. I cannot convey the feeling of taking a nice stroll to the theme park. It is almost as good as a nice walk back to the room for a Nap! You do not have to rely on any external transportation schedule. You just go. For Grandma and I this is our preferred mode of transportation. For some, however, walking all day in the park and then having to walk back to the resort is a lot. I get that. We take our time going back and enjoy the landscaping and over all theme of the surroundings. Remember we are Crushing It and going with the flow.

Bus

What article on Disney Transportation would be complete without mentioning the Disney Bus service. Our first venture to Walt Disney World was in the mid 90’s (No not 1890!) Grandma and I were amazed at the bus service. The busses were clean, ran on time and the Cast Members driving them were fantastic. Now over 30 years later the same can be said! Want to go resort hopping? Take the bus to Disney Springs and from there catch a bus to almost anywhere. Need to get back from a park? Go to the bus stop and grab the bus. The bus stops are well marked as to destination. There is even video displays of what bus is coming when. I think the bus service is really an under appreciated feature of Disney World.

OK not to say that the busses are perfect. In the old days the busses had “normal” bench seats. On most of the newer busses, this has been replaced by perimeter seating. Perimeter seating is where the seats line the sides of the bus. This makes it easier to load strollers and electric scooters and such. However, it makes it harder for the rest of us and I think the busses do not hold as many people. Busses can also be crowded and loud.

Monorail

There is a monorail that just goes between Magic Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom resorts. The Monorail loop has stops at the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Magic Kingdom and the Transportation Ticket Center. From the Transportation Ticket Center you can catch another monorail to Epcot. The monorail is a fun way to get around, but be warned. First thing in the morning or last thing after park close, it will be crowded. In fact the Monorail is the first attraction that guests wait in line for. It kinda sets the stage for the day!

Boat

The Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, and the Swan and Dolphin have access to a ferry boat. These FriendShips go between the resorts, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Guests staying at Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge can also take ferry boats to the Magic Kingdom. There is even a boat that goes from Old Key West to Disney Springs. These boats are a lot of fun and something different and a little out of the ordinary. Something very interesting to try.

Skyliner

The newest mode of transportation is a gondola style sky ride called the Skyline. It connects Epcot back gate, Hollywood Studios and the Skyline Resorts. These resorts include the Riviera, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach and Pop Century. The Skyliner is a great add on and the grandkids love taking it just for the ride.

Refillable Resort Mugs

At every resort there are refillable mugs available. These mugs cost $21.99 and can be refilled at almost every quick service location at the resorts. The mugs have an RFID chip located in the base. This tells the sensor in the beverage machines if your mug was activated. If it was activated, you just follow the directions on the screen at the rapid fill location. Mugs stay activated for 14 days following purchase. These mugs can be used for fountain drinks, iced tea, hot tea, coffee and hot chocolate. They are a pretty cool souvenir .

Early Entry

Ok Almost at the finish line. Thanks for hanging in with me! Perhaps the best known perk of all is early entry. Guests at the resort hotels can enter the parks 30 min before anyone else. This is at every park. Now 30 minutes does not sound like a lot of time, but being able to jump the rope drop line by 30 minutes is huge! It can give you a real advantage to getting on popular attractions before the lines get too long. Not all attractions are open at this time and the list does vary, so you should consult the Disney App for the complete list.

In the old days the early entry was 1 hour before opening. However, this was only at one or two parks on a rotating basis. This means that all resort guests were competing for fewer attractions. I think it is much better having 30 minutes at all parks. It really spreads the demand and I find that the lines are much shorter

Conclusions.

I just barely scratched the surface of the advantages to staying on property in a Disney Resort. Do you have a favorite perk that I have not covered? Do you have any transportation stories to share. If so Please let us know in the comments.

Until next time