Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

(This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World)

INTRODUCTION TO THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO WHERE TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

This site provides precise instructions elsewhere on where to stay at Walt Disney World. These instructions are designed for typical first time family visitors who are not sure whether or not they will ever return.

This page summarizes a series on where to stay at Walt Disney World for a subset of first time visitors: tightwads.

TOP FIVE TIPS FOR DEALS AND BARGAINS ON WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS

[Read more →]

OVERVIEW: KIDANI VILLAGE AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM VILLAS FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas (a Disney Vacation Club resort) is a wonderful place for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay.

For typical first-time visitors, I don’t recommend the Disney Vacation Club resorts. That said, these “DVC” resorts can be a great choice for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Among the Disney Vacation Club resorts, Kidani Village ranks second or third, depending on room type.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

[Read more →]

This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World

THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF-SITE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: OVERVIEW

I’m fairly firm elsewhere that you should stay at an “official” Walt Disney World resort. (See this for a list of these.)

There are many reasons for this instruction. For tightwads, the most relevant are that

• Staying in an official resort lets you use Disney’s Magical Express for airport to resort transportation, and Disney’s transportation system for on-site transportation, and thus avoid ground transportation and rental car costs, and
• If you do all the meals in the suggested itineraries of this site, you will save a little money by signing up for the Disney Dining Plan, which is only available if you stay in such a resort

However, some of you will pay no attention to my advice, and others will have really good reasons to save money by staying offsite.

Particularly good reasons would include

• Those who both are driving to Walt Disney World, so will have no use for the Magical Express, and have no intention of doing anything close to the number of recommended meals of this site, and thus won’t benefit from the Dining Plan
• And/or large families who can’t find affordable enough choices among this site’s options for large families looking for low-cost accommodations at official Walt Disney World resorts

Given that, below I share some thoughts on staying off-site.

THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF-SITE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: OFF-SITE HOTELS

[Read more →]

OVERVIEW: THE DISNEY RESORTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

At several points in this site’s instructions for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World I note that they should stay at Walt Disney World resort hotels—for example, in Where to Stay.

In other places, at times I refer to “official” Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

This page means to make clear which hotels count towards this instruction, and which don’t.

Where I want people to stay is those Walt Disney World resort hotels that are owned and operated by Disney, and—and this is the important thing—that offer all of the key benefits available to guests staying at a such a resort.

These key benefits include:

• Early access to FastPass+, the key tool for reducing waits. Guests at Disney-owned resorts can start booking their FastPass+ 60 days ahead. Everyone else except those at the Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels have to wait til 30 days ahead
• Disney’s Magical Express—free transportation from the airport to your hotel, and back again
• Extra Magic Hours: early openings, or late closings, of Walt Disney World theme parks, when only guests at Walt Disney World resorts and a few others can enjoy the rides and attractions
• The Disney Dining Plan, a prepaid meal plan. Visitors with younger kids eating all of the meals in one of the itineraries on this site may save a bit of money from signing up for this plan
• The Disney transportation system, a fleet of buses, boats, and monorails that transports guest from the Walt Disney World resort hotels to the theme parks and Downtown Disney, and back again

Other benefits are also available to guests at Walt Disney World resort hotels—room charge privileges, package delivery, etc., but the five above are the key perks that are the basis of the recommendation that first time family visitors stay in an “official” Walt Disney World resort—that is, in Disney owned and operated resorts.

WHAT ARE THE DISNEY OWNED AND OPERATED RESORT HOTELS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD?

[Read more →]

This is part of The Comfortable Guide to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: THE MOST COMFORTABLE PLACE TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: RECOMMENDATIONS

This site provides precise instructions elsewhere on where to stay at Walt Disney World. These instructions are designed for typical first time family visitors who are not sure whether or not they will ever return.

This page continues the discussion that begins here of where to stay at Walt Disney World for a subset of first time visitors: those seeking the most comfortable visit.

It is part of a series about the most comfortable way to visit Walt Disney World.  Its companion series is about the most inexpensive way to visit Walt Disney World,

I am publishing both series at the same time so that they also help those who are looking for bargains and deals on some things, so that they can spend more on others!!  Links to everything in these two series are at the bottom of the page.

MORE ON THE MOST COMFORTABLE PLACE TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: RECOMMENDATIONS

This site suggests elsewhere a standard room at Disney’s Polynesian Resort for first time visitors who can afford it. The Polynesian is one of the three most kid-appealing Walt Disney World resorts, and is far and away the most convenient.

There are more expensive Walt Disney World resort hotel standard rooms, but not better ones for first-time family visitors.

However, for some families, even rooms as large as those at the Polynesian—and the rooms in its newer section are the largest standard Walt Disney World resort rooms—may be crowded, cramped, or short on privacy.

[Read more →]

This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World

THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO GETTING WALT DISNEY WORLD DELUXE RESORT ROOMS AT ROCK BOTTOM PRICES

I am writing this from a one-bedroom standard view villa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Kidani Village.

As I write this, it is one of the times of the year that it is value season, the lowest price period at Walt Disney World.

During the value season, this room costs, including tax, $540 a night.

I’m paying $297. That’s 45% off. And—with a little more advance planning—I could have paid about $250. And I might have been able to pull off a trickier way to get it for even less.

Anyone could do this. Here’s how to get Walt Disney World Deluxe resort rooms at rock-bottom prices.

MORE ON GETTING WALT DISNEY WORLD DELUXE RESORT ROOMS AT ROCK BOTTOM PRICES

[Read more →]