While most of the attention when traveling to Walt Disney World is on the four major theme parks, the experiences in the Disney Resorts Collection are often just as meaningful. Even though some may view the resorts as simply a place to “sleep,” these places truly immerse you in the Disney bubble.
Currently, Disney offers several types of accommodations grouped into three categories: value, moderate, and deluxe & villas. Even though each level comes with a different price tag and accommodations, staying in the Disney bubble significantly adds to the immersion of your trip to Orlando, Florida.
Even though each resort offers various themes, perks, food, and entertainment, fans are always wanting more. In this piece, we will identify what the vast majority of current resorts are missing from their stays and determine which steps Disney can take to make these homes away from home even more special.
Increased Character Experiences
Let’s start this wishlist off with an experience currently offered by Disney that is more spontaneous than a set schedule. Oftentimes, guests staying at a Disney Resorts Collection accommodation can run into their favorite Disney pals in the resort lobby.
However, as of writing, this is often an unplanned event and only sometimes listed on the daily schedule. To make these hotels even more special for visitors, guests should have the opportunity to meet their favorite characters on a regular schedule, especially if they do not have the chance to visit the parks on each day of their trip.
While this would not only be a pleasant addition, Disney could take this “perk” to another level. Each of the Disney resorts has a very distinct theme that could open the door for unique character experiences. For example, stepping foot into Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and being greeted by Stitch or Moana would not only be a memorable way to start your trip but also immerse you in the resort’s theming.
Other characters, like Mary Poppins, can “call home” at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Humphrey the Bear could spend time at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
Even though many restaurants at these resorts offer character dining in a formal setting, having more unique character experiences around the resort grounds adds another layer of exploration and Disney magic to the spontaneous moments of your vacation. Oftentimes, the highlight of a Disney vacation is the unexpected.
Increased Perks to Balance Cost of Stay
The next suggestion concerns the price guests pay to stay at these resorts. No matter what level of a Disney World resort you choose, it costs a pretty penny, in addition to park tickets, dining, merchandise, and more.
While Disney already offers some resort perks, such as early entry for all resort guests and extended evening hours for deluxe resort guests, there is another lever Disney could pull to further encourage guests not only to stay on property but also to always have a future stay planned.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney launched the Disney Genie service, which was the catalyst for the first-ever paid “skip-the-line” service. While their neighbors down the street already offered a paid experience, Disney’s original FastPass and FastPass+ were included with your park ticket.
As expected, the Disney Genie service was met with much criticism for many reasons, including putting a once-free enhancement behind a paywall and the overall complexity of the system. Later in July of 2024, Disney responded to this reaction by rebranding the system to Lightning Lane Multi Pass/Single Pass, which followed a similar structure to the original FastPass+ system, albeit still behind the paywall.
However, resort guests have an edge in this system, as they can book Lightning Lane experiences up to seven days before their arrival, allowing them to secure spots on high-demand attractions before non-resort guests.
While this is a nice bonus, especially if there is a recently opened attraction that tops your must-do list, Disney should consider offering resort guests a slight discount on this feature.
It is highly unlikely that this service would ever drop the paywall, given the demand for it, but resort guests should be given a “voucher” for one experience redemption per day of their stay. If Disney wanted to encourage more deluxe bookings, they could allow those guests to add two included “experience redemptions” to each day of their stay.
It would not be a massive upgrade, but it would ease planning for resort guests, knowing they already have a free voucher in their back pocket.
However, sometimes resort guests do not visit the parks. What added perk can they receive?
Fortunately, for the value of a Lightning Lane redemption, guests staying at Disney properties should have the option to receive a free snack, appetizer, or drink at a participating quick-service or lounge. While some resorts, like those in the value category, do not offer lounges, guests in that category can still use that credit at their quick-service, while deluxe guests can receive a complimentary drink/appetizer at select locations.
Checking into your hotel knowing you will have a free drink waiting for you in the lounge or an added skip-the-line pass at a favorite attraction makes staying in the Disney bubble that much more worthwhile.
Unique Rotational Food
This next suggestion is actually already present at some resorts. While special character experiences tied to a resort’s theme are important, adding more unique food offerings would further enhance the experience.
Not only would this encourage resort guests to spend some time visiting other resorts in the area (via Skyliner, bus, or boat), but it would also provide a new experience even after staying at a specific resort many times.
As noted above, resorts like Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and Disney’s Old Key West Resort offer very unique food selections, such as their famous beignets (with a twist) and key lime-flavored Dole Whip, which can only be found at those specific locations. Adding more variety to these quick-service locations and lounges further immerses guests in the resort’s theme.
I recently returned from a stay at the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and left the quick-service location, Roaring Forks, wanting more variety. While I did try their famous bear mousse cake, it left me wanting even more character and flair in the dining options.
Having a wider selection of themed foods beyond the standard fare at most quick-service locations will only improve guests’ experiences.
Improved Food Service Times
For most vacations, a Disney trip revolves around following a well-drawn-up plan. While many often deviate from their plan as the days progress, having a structure is crucial not only for staying focused but also for avoiding being overwhelmed by the crowds and heat.
However, even when staying within the Disney bubble, plans can quickly go awry. Whether due to transportation delays, weather, or other external factors, it is rare for a plan drawn up at home to be followed step by step once you reach central Florida.
Despite this, Disney does not make the planning process easy, especially from a timing standpoint. A major complaint that I have when staying at most Disney resorts is the timing of their food services.
For example, all resort guests can participate in the early-entry period, which begins 30 minutes ahead of the park’s scheduled opening. While Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios typically do not offer early entry before 8:00 AM, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens the gates at 7:30 AM (30 minutes before the 8:00 AM opening).
That means most resort buses will run at 6:30 AM, one hour before early entry. Unfortunately, the majority of the resorts do not follow this trend.
Those looking for a fresh cup of coffee, hot tea, or a small pastry will likely have to wait until 7:00 AM at most resorts and will miss the first bus to Animal Kingdom and, depending on their schedules, potentially the other three parks as well.
While some eateries, such as Contemporary Grounds (at Disney’s Contemporary Resort) and Gasparilla Island Grill (at the Grand Floridian), open before 6:30 AM so guests can grab a quick bite before boarding the bus, most quick-service locations do not begin serving until 7:00 AM. For example, during my recent stay at Boulder Ridge (where the quick-service restaurant, Roaring Forks, does not serve until 7 AM), I purchased a light bite with a drink the night before to ensure I did not miss the first bus.
Guests paying top dollar, either in cash or through Disney Vacation Club points, should not have to plan down to the minute to take advantage of the early-entry perk.
Guests should not expect Disney to serve hot food this early, but a small continental breakfast should be offered, given that bus services have already begun. Guests should not have to spend their early-entry time (or shortly after) waiting in line for coffee at the parks when their resort should be providing this amenity.
Conversely, guests like to experience a similar situation when participating in Disney After Hours, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and Moonlight Magic. These events typically run past midnight, so guests may not be back at their hotel until 1:00 AM.
Even though guests return late at night, not being able to grab a quick drink from the quick service when returning “home” is a big mistake. Guests are paying high prices to stay at these resorts, and having extremely limited “late-night” options (if any) is an area Disney should improve.
Given that these events (especially the holiday offerings) are extremely popular, knowing you can grab a drink from the quick service and a light bite would only enhance the guest experience.
Improved Resort-to-Resort Transportation
The final point is one that has been widely discussed within the Disney community. Earlier this year, Disney eliminated resort transportation by enforcing much stricter rules on how guests can explore “the world.”
The resort buses at Disney Springs (and the nearby boat dock) are now available only to resort guests or to guests with scheduled reservations at a specific hotel. This rule does make navigating the hotels a bit more difficult for non-resort guests, but it also makes it slightly more challenging for resort guests.
Shortly after, Disney also became much stricter about resort parking, allowing guests to park only at the resort where they are staying. Prior to this, Disney took this on a case-by-case basis (at most resorts) based on the current crowds. However, all resort guests can now access other resorts only via Disney-designated transportation, unless they have a reservation and can no longer park in a resort’s parking lot.
This brings us to the suggested improvement. Currently, many resorts do offer many forms of transportation to other resorts. However, not all forms of transportation operate on the same schedule or with the same consistency.
Guests staying at a Skyliner resort can access the accommodations easily, as the Disney Skyliner operates before park opening and after park closing. Additionally, guests staying on Seven Seas Lagoon not only have direct access to three resorts via a walking path but also have access to the monorail, which can take them to other resorts. Crescent Lake resort guests also have direct access not only to many other accommodations, but also to a Skyliner station outside of EPCOT.
However, guests staying at more “isolated” resorts have much more difficult transportation accommodations. As discussed earlier, during my recent stay at Boulder Ridge, the resort-to-resort transportation left much to be desired. Wilderness Lodge offers direct boat service to the Contemporary, but it only begins after 3:00 PM on most days, limiting exploration and spontaneous adventures. Instead, the only way to explore the Seven Seas Lagoon resorts would be to take the bus/boat to Magic Kingdom and visit the resorts that way.
While it is not the most difficult to travel to a park and transfer to a resort bus, given the high price, more resort-to-resort transportation should be offered and easily accessible for resort guests, especially during the “down times” of the afternoon.
Conclusion
Staying on-property during your Walt Disney World vacation enhances the immersion of your trip. However, in an age where prices continue to rise, paying guests should find more spontaneous surprises around their resort.
Whether that be more unique character experiences, more themed food and drink, a slight discount on a beverage, or improved transportation times, any minor improvements will only add more memories to your vacation and encourage you to return.
The post What’s Missing from the Disney World Resorts? first appeared on The DIS.
