I Played Pickleball for the First Time at Walt Disney World

It's about time we address one of the most popular sports sweeping across the U.S.

No, it's not football. It's not basketball.

Yes, it's pickleball!

Believe it or not, between 2020 and 2023, participation in pickleball grew 224% in the U.S. That adds up to over 13 million pickleball players! Pickleball has even received endorsements from stars like Tom Brady and Leonardo DiCaprio, making this sport even more popular.

So it should be no surprise that you can play pickleball at a number of Disney World resort hotels! But which ones can you play at, and how do you go about reserving your time to play at the hotels? We visit the Disney World hotels almost weekly, and we had the chance to try our hand at pickleball recently!

Here's everything you need to know about pickleball at your Disney World hotel.

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What is Pickleball, Anyways?

One of the youngest sports invented, pickleball was created exactly the way you'd imagine: by two bored guys who had nothing else to do.

In all seriousness, in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, Joel Pritchard and his buddy Bill Bell found themselves with an old badminton court and an incomplete set of rackets – but they wanted to play something. So they improvised and took ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball, played around with the height of the badminton net, and found that a 36-inch net was perfect for the ball to bounce across the court.

And thus, pickleball was born.

Think of pickleball as a mix of tennis and table tennis, but traditionally played on a badminton court, which is much smaller than a tennis court. And don't underestimate its popularity. Two professional tours were established in the U.S. in 2019. Shortly after, two professional leagues were established.

Pickleball might just be here to stay.

How to Play Pickleball at Your Disney World Hotel

Here's what you need to know about playing pickleball at your Disney World hotel.

While there are no pickleball courts at the Disney World hotels, you can play pickleball on the tennis courts
All courts and equipment are only available to current guests staying at any of the Disney World hotels. That means that if you're staying at Pop Century Resort, you can head over to the BoardWalk Inn and play!
If you're a hotel guest, you can access courts and equipment using your MagicBand or a valid resort ID
Using a court is free of charge and are available on a first-come, first-served basis
Courts are generally accessible from 9:00am to 10:00pm
DVC members may check out equipment free of charge. For all other hotel guests, a small fee applies to equipment rental
Each hotel has different rental locations. Each location is listed on the court's sign, but if you need more help, the Cast Members at the front desk can assist you
You are able to bring your own pickleball equipment to avoid a rental fee
Tennis shoes or sneakers are required to play on the courts

Where to Play Pickleball

There are several Disney World hotels where you can play pickleball.

Remember, while the courts and equipment are available only to guests staying at the Disney World hotels, they are available to guests staying at any of the Disney World hotels. That means that you can stay at any Disney World hotel and still have access to the following courts.

Here's where you can play pickleball at Disney World.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village

Over at Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Villas, you'll find two hard courts located near the shuffleboard and basketball courts. You can also rent pickleball equipment at Community Hall.

Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas

Disney's BoardWalk Inn has a total of two courts located near Community Hall. You can also rent pickleball equipment at Community Hall.

Additionally, the BoardWalk Inn offers free pickleball lessons to resort guests on Fridays starting at 9:00am. Make sure to pre-register at Community Hall or the Screen Door General Store.

The Campsites and Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

Over at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, you can find two courts at the Meadow Recreation Area. You can also rent pickleball equipment at the Bike Barn.

Additionally, Fort Wilderness offers free pickleball lessons to resort guests on Mondays at 10:00am. Make sure to pre-register at the Bike Barn before 7:00pm on the Sunday prior.

Disney's Contemporary Resort

The Contemporary Resort has one court adjacent to Bay Lake Tower. You can also rent pickleball equipment at Community Hall or Boat Nook Marina.

Additionally, the Contemporary offers free pickleball lessons to resort guests on Wednesdays at 9:00am. Make sure to pre-register at Community Hall.

Disney's Old Key West Resort

Old Key West Resort has a total of three courts. Two courts can be found near the Hospitality House and one court can be found on Old Turtle Pond Road. You can also rent pickleball equipment from Conch Flats Community Hall or Hank's Rent ‘N Return.

Additionally, Old Key West offers free pickleball lessons to resort guests on Thursdays at 9:30am specifically at the courts by the Hospitality House. Make sure to pre-register at the Community Hall or call 407-827-1183.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Saratoga Springs Resort has two courts in the sports courts area. You can also rent pickleball equipment from Community Hall or Horsing Around Rentals.

Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts

Both the Yacht and Beach Club resorts share one court located near Admiral Pool. You can also rent pickleball equipment from the Yacht Club Front Desk, Ship Shape Massage Salon Fitness.

What's it Like to Play Pickleball?

I have a confession to make: I've never played pickleball in my life.

That is, until I wrote this article.

I also don't have the best hand-eye coordination. However, you'd be surprised that even for a person like me, pickleball is easy to pick up compared to sports like tennis or volleyball. Unlike a tennis racket which must be held in a specific way, there's no specific hold for a pickleball paddle. Pickleball also mainly uses an underhand movement when serving, making it much easier than tennis.

The ball used for pickleball is also a large plastic ball with holes, making it move slower through the air than a traditional tennis ball. All of these characteristics make pickleball easy to learn – and have fun with – than many other sports. It's also a great way to get a solid workout!

If you haven't tried playing pickleball, you don't know what you're missing.

I certainly didn't know until I tried!