Walt Disney World is home to 25 Disney resorts that feature resort amenities that go far beyond your typical hotel. The hotels offer unique dining, included-in-the-price activities, easy access to transportation to the theme parks, and great pool areas. So many Walt Disney World guests rush to the theme parks, but the hotels on-property provide some of my favorite Walt Disney World experiences.
Even with all my trips to Walt Disney World, I am always finding new unique experiences at the resort hotels. The sheer number of different hotels means that on each visit there is something new and interesting to experience beyond the theme parks. Let’s dive into those specific elements and what I think many miss when visiting Walt Disney World. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including new Halloween cocktails and expanded Visa Card perks.
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Disney World Guests Miss a Ton of the Best Offerings at Disney Resorts
I grew up visiting Disneyland in California. That resort is very compact with all the rides, restaurants, and official hotels fit tightly into a small walkable area. At that resort it’s easy to rush from one major ride to another and power through the days enjoying every activity. At Disneyland, our visits were never about the hotels because all we do there is sleep and shower before getting back to the parks. We chose to stay at the walking distance hotels near Disneyland. When we first visited Walt Disney World, my family took the same approach and we walked away still favoring Disneyland. In the following trips, I found that what my family had missed was that so much of the Walt Disney World magic is outside the theme parks.
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What I have found now is that I love Walt Disney World for the experiences outside the theme parks more than the rides inside the parks. The scale of the property and the variety of experiences that are offered are so impressive. There are hotel rooms for every budget that all deliver unique Disney theming and restaurants for every taste. Plus, beautiful settings to relax and recuperate between park days and before returning to life in the real world.
I have stayed at hotels across the entire price range that vary from highly themed to elegant. Across the board, Disney brings an impressive level of quality. I’ve said this before, but I am amazed by the high quality of the cheapest rooms that are actively sold at $99 per night at different points throughout the year. Disney delivers a superb hotel experience across the nearly 27,000 owned hotel rooms.
Today I want to highlight some of the perks and unique offerings across the resorts that I have enjoyed recently and spotlight the specific offerings with stories and examples rather than just presenting the list.
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Themed Resort Settings
There are so many different unique offerings across the different resort hotels which all provide distinct settings and recreation offerings that vary. From rooms with a view of the savanna and animals just outside your window at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge to huge playful characters at the Art of Animation, there is such a range of offerings.
During a recent stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge I got to take in some of the incredible detail of the huge African art collection located at the hotel. It is one of the largest private collections of African art in the world. The hotel offers a daily tour of the pieces with specific stories revealed by cast members on the international program from countries in Africa.
On the other, very Disney, end of the spectrum, I couldn’t walk out of my Pixar Cars-themed room at Disney’s Art of Animation resort without having a little kid zooming past me rushing up to take a picture with or get close up with one of the full sized characters from the movie. That resort brings the movies to life for kids and lets them stay within their favorite spaces. We recently got a chance to check out the changes coming to rooms here.
Resort Activities
Disney offers a variety of resort activities across the different hotels that you can check out on the activity schedule. Many of these are included with your hotel stay. Others are an affordable additional charge.
We just shared the updated look at the Fall 2026 free hotel perks released and the paid activities released. Some of the highlights of the free activities include an aqua fitness class at Old Key West Resort, Bayou Bingo at Port Orleans Riverside, a silent disco at the All-Star Movies Resort, and more.
During my recent stay at Art of Animation we also checked out the Big Blue Pool Party and nighttime pajama party with Mickey Mouse and friends. When we were stopping in, Pluto was out in his pajamas, coloring with the kids. This is the perfect example of an intimate character moment that can only happen at the resorts.
We also went over to Port Orleans Riverside to enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride and try out some other fun activities. The carriage ride is a unique experience to the resort that perfectly encapsulates the change of pace from the rushing at the theme parks to slowing down at the resorts.
We also took part in a mosaic making at Port Orleans Riverside. We made a fleur de lis and Mickey Mouse head. Super cute! This was part of a hosted media experience to show off some of these resort activities.
They also have Surrey Bike rides over here, but I don’t know if that is something I would recommend unless it is into the winter and out of the intense heat.
At a number of resorts there are also other great activities including different outdoor activities, campfires, fitness facilities and family entertainment offered throughout the resorts.
Unique Dining
Speaking of Port Orleans, I love stopping off at the French Quarter where there are delicious Mickey Mouse beignets. They also have seasonal offerings and a beignet ice cream sundae. These are the best beignets at Disney World and they are tucked off and away in this charming resort. You might run into the charming cast member giving out Mardi Gras beads when you first walk in.
On the same trip I also checked out the Crew’s Cup Lounge recently at the Yacht Club. This great lounge option is easy to pop into because it doesn’t take reservations. You’ll find perfect shaved prime beef sliders here. Finding a little spot like this is another perfect example of the hidden gem dining options you’ll find at the hotels that is so easy to miss if you stay off property.
There are many different character dining offerings at Walt Disney World, but one of the most relaxed offerings is located at the flagship resort. 1900 Park Fare is a great character dining that features comfortable seating and good food. The location is easy to access for guests not staying here too by taking the monorail from Magic Kingdom.
Another breakfast buffet that we love is Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The breakfast food here is fantastic and I love the mix of American staples and some more unique African-inspired dishes also. Read our full Boma review here.
Nothing tops sitting at the California Grill looking out over Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom while the sun is setting and then stepping out on the deck to watch the fireworks after dinner. Check out this view in the photo towards the top of the article.
Best Pools
The best days outside the theme parks have to include a trip to the resort pool. There are so many different pool areas with varying types of amenities across the resort.
I love the huge Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation for the space to splash around for kids. That said, the smaller Cars-themed pool area is also super cute at Art of Animation with the Cozy Cone Motel themed seating areas.
There are also other great pools with huge colorful centerpieces at the other value resorts. I think that the All-Star Resorts pools have some of the best pops of color that really make it feel like you are still at Disney.
The Port Orleans Riverside pool area is also a favorite with a great water slide and unique pool layout to make it fun to swim around.
One of the best pools at any resort at Walt Disney World is the Stormalong Bay pool area that is shared by both the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts. The pool area is huge and offers a ton for kids including a massive pirate ship water slide.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has a sprawling pool area that feels the most non-Disney while still keeping you in the bubble. The pool area is big and also features multiple hot tubs. This area feels the most calm and removed from everything else.
Transportation Offerings
One of the key reasons that I love to stay on property at Walt Disney World is because of the constant ease of access with transportation. Disney offers buses, monorails, boats, and the Disney Skyliner to connect resort properties.
The monorail is the most globally known as the iconic Disney World transportation system. It helps that it goes directly through one of the hotels. That said, Disney’s Skyliner is quickly becoming my favorite of the ways to get around Walt Disney World. There is something novel about the small space with great views out across the different resorts and theme parks.
The transportation is great when it is just your own family, but it also leads to interesting conversations with other guests when the cabin is filled. The only downside of the transportation is the potential lines and crowds to get back from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios to your hotel right at park close. Try to avoid being in that rush if possible. Wait times can get long at the transfer station, but when we ran into this the line was still always moving.
The boats around the resort are also some of my personal favorites. I love the boats that cross from the Grand Floridian and Polynesian over to the Magic Kingdom, but also the Riverside boats to Disney Springs and the boats around the EPCOT Crescent Lake resorts. Watching the cast members working on these vessels makes me want to retire to be a Disney World boat captain. They are living a great life out there!
Even at resorts that just offer bus transportation, it is so easy to get around because the buses come so frequently. The bigger the resort, the more buses that they are running to it. In fact, I have often had a better experience with buses at the All-Star resorts than at the Deluxe Resorts. During my recent trips I have never ended up waiting long to hop on to a bus even if I just missed one. They come often.
Theme Park Perks
While I was focused in on enjoying the resorts, they do also unlock specific perks at the four Walt Disney World theme parks and water parks for guests. All Disney resort guests get access to a thirty minute Early Theme Park Entry period at all four Walt Disney World theme parks every single day.
Guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort and Disney Deluxe Villa Resort hotels get access to Extended Evening Hours on certain nights every week which allows for three extra hours at the theme parks when the parks are quite empty.
At certain times of the year, there are also water park arrival day perks. Guests checking in to the hotel get complimentary access to the two water parks. Disney has confirmed that this offering is coming back in summer 2027 for resort hotel guests. No start date has been announced yet. This perk is now over for summer 2026.
Disney offers different resort room types that vary for all travel parties. They have great options for young families, multi-generational groups, and luxury travelers. Our travel partner is ready to help you get your Walt Disney World vacation booked. They have access to all of the different resort types and tickets at a discount so that you can save and stay in the magic. Click here to price out a Walt Disney World vacation.
I am a big believer in the Walt Disney World resort hotel experience. We visit Walt Disney World numerous times each year. Recently we were hosted for a media trip that specifically focused on the resort experiences. Some of the activities mentioned here were part of that experience.
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