If it’s your first visit to Disney World, there are some mistakes you’ll want to avoid when booking your hotel stay!

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

There are quite literally dozens of hotels in Disney World, and while it may be easy to choose one based on its pricepoint or a fun theme, there’s SO much more to booking than just those surface-level things. We’ve stayed in Disney World Resorts hundreds of times, and we’re here to help you out — this is WHY first-timers keep booking the wrong Disney World hotel (and how you can avoid doing just that!).

I’ll start this list with the caveat that some of these problems may apply to you, and some may not. You may find that a certain hotel is worth the long bus ride or the hefty walk to the lobby and pool, and that’s totally okay. We’re just here to warn you about some of the problems that people encounter when they haven’t stayed at a Disney World Resort before.

They Choose Resorts That Are Too Spread Out

If you’re planning some long days in the theme parks, you’re probably going to need a resort that doesn’t make your step count even more difficult with a long slog back to the hotel room at the end of the night. And unfortunately, there are several Disney World Resorts with this problem.

Coronado Springs map

Some of the hotels on the property are fairly compact, while others are spread out over many acres and dozens of buildings. Those larger resorts often have internal bus loops, so even if you don’t have to trek back to your room from the lobby, you may be sitting on a bus waiting through several different stops before you can get off. The Resorts that are the biggest offenders of this are Caribbean Beach Resort, Coronado Springs Resort, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, and Port Orleans Resort — Riverside.

Old Key West

Now, if you have a vehicle that you’re planning on driving to and from the parks, these resorts might not be a bad option (you could just park near your hotel room). But for those hoofing it on foot and relying on Disney transportation, it’s an entirely different ball game.

They Choose a Room View OVER a Room Location

When booking your hotel room at your chosen resort, you may find that there are multiple room type options for you to choose from. Several resorts offer rooms with specialty views, like “water view” or “theme park view.” And while some of these views can be really great, others probably aren’t worth it.

Savanna view

A theme park view room is spectacular if you want to watch fireworks from your balcony at night, and a savanna view room is a real treat at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, but other than that, we don’t often push people to get specialty views since they can add a lot to your overall cost. However, we DO encourage you to upgrade to a better room LOCATION if it’s possible. 

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Some of the hotels offer preferred location rooms, and these will be closer to the lobby, the pool, the transportation, and/or the dining. Sometimes these can cut out a half-mile’s worth of walking at the end of the night when you get off the bus, especially if you’re staying at one of the Value Resorts. If you’re going to splurge, this is worth it for many folks.

Not Truly Enjoying Your Fancy Hotel

When booking your Disney World hotel, you’ll quickly learn that there’s a wide price range between the cheapest option and the most expensive. If you decide to go with a Deluxe Resort, you’ll be paying more, but your hotel will also have more to offer you. Deluxe Resorts often come with nicer pools, fitness centers, higher-end dining options, and a more luxurious experience in general.

Grand Floridian Resort

One mistake first-timers often make is that they book the fancy hotel with the great amenities and then pack their schedule so full of theme park visits that they never get to actually enjoy their resort. It’s totally fine to go to the parks every day of your trip, but if you’re only using your resort as a place to sleep at night, then you could save a TON of money by doing a Value Resort or Moderate Resort instead.

Copper Creek Villas

Now, don’t get us wrong, even if you’re just sleeping at your hotel, the Deluxe hotel rooms are typically a lot nicer, and those resorts tend to come with better locations and transportation options. It’s up to you to price it out and decide what your priorities are.

Going in Blind with Transportation Options

For those who are first-timers to Disney World Resorts, transportation can be super overwhelming. Only a select number of hotels have access to the Monorail, the Disney Skyliner, or boat transportation. In fact, the vast majority of the time, you’ll be using a Disney bus to get where you want to go.

Disney bus

The Monorail is available at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village, and Contemporary Resorts, while the Disney Skyliner only goes to the Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, Art of Animation, and Riviera Resorts (although you can access it by walking to the EPCOT station from some other nearby hotels). Several other hotels have boat access to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, or Disney Springs. You’ll want to check your resort’s transportation availability before you travel so you know how to get around.

Lack of Elevators

Finally, something that’s important to know when choosing a hotel is the availability of elevators. Caribbean Beach Resort doesn’t have elevators in any of its buildings, and Port Orleans Resort — Riverside and Old Key West Resort are lacking elevators in some of their buildings.

Caribbean Beach Resort

If you’re using a wheelchair, scooter, ECV, or stroller in the parks, this could present a problem when going to and from your hotel room. This can also be an issue if you plan to bring a hefty amount of luggage with you — carrying suitcases up and down stairs is not a lot of fun.

Port Orleans

So there you go — some things to double-check and research before booking your first-ever Disney World hotel stay. And if you’re planning a trip, we recommend booking through our friends at Small World Vacations. Their planning services are complimentary, and they’re experts with years of experience planning vacations!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World updates.

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The post Why Disney First Timers Keep Booking the Wrong Hotel first appeared on the disney food blog.