Staying at a Disney World hotel gives you several added perks!

All Disney World hotels offer early entry into the parks, free transportation, and the option of purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. Disney’s Deluxe hotels offer those benefits AND Extended Evening Hours for select parks on select nights. Staying at a Disney hotel can also make you feel even more immersed in the magic. Back in February, Disney announced another perk that will be available to Disney World hotel guests, but we’ve found a bit of a problem with it.

Disney will be offering FREE admission to its water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) on the day of your check-in to your Disney World hotel! You and the rest of your party can head right to whichever water park happens to be open that day and start your vacation poolside. This perk begins on January 1st, 2025, and ends on December 31st, 2025.

The free ticket is only available to those who are listed on the hotel reservation, so make sure that you put down everyone who will be staying with you.

This sounds like an awesome deal! But here’s the thing, the one-day ticket is ONLY available on the day you check in. This means that if you arrive late in the day, you may not have time to enjoy the perk. The water parks tend to close earlier than the regular parks, and many people don’t get to Disney World until later in the day since check-in is after 3PM.

This can be a big problem! We want you to be able to enjoy this perk if you’re staying at a Disney World hotel. So here are some things to consider:

It is not required that you check in before going to the water park. As long as your reservation is linked to your Disney World app and includes everyone in the room, you should be able to enter the water park for free. Pack a small bag with your swimming gear and dive in!

Plus, you can even check in to your hotel over the app, So you can lounge by the wave pool, sip on a drink, and check in simultaneously!

Another suggestion, albeit potentially more difficult, is to plan your travel accordingly IF stopping by the water park is a priority for you. This may not be possible for everyone since flights only leave at certain times, unplanned circumstances happen, etc. Unfortunately, this might be one of the only ways to guarantee you can take advantage of this deal.

We hope you’re able to make your day at the water parks happen. If you need help planning your vacation, we recommend checking out Small World Vacations! They can help plan your entire trip and save you time and stress doing it.

If you do make it to the water parks, then we hope you have a blast! The deal works at all of Disney World’s hotels including DVC resorts! Here’s a full list of the hotels:

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

This is one problem we hope is able to be solved! This is an amazing deal that we don’t want you to miss out on.

For more Disney news, keep following DFB!

What to Do If You Can’t Get the Disney World Hotel Reservation You Wanted