9 Ways Being a Disney World Hotel Guest Can Benefit You in 2024

Debating whether to stay in a Disney World hotel for your 2024 trip? Well, there are some important things you NEED to consider.

Of course, there’s the issue of price. While some are more economical than others, Disney World hotels aren’t necessarily all that cheap. So less expensive prices at other hotels might tempt you to stay off-property (or maybe even at the nearby Disney Springs hotels). But you might find that a stay in a Disney World hotel in 2024 is worth the cost once you consider all of the perks and advantages it can give you!

Here’s a peek at some of the ways that staying in a Disney World hotel could benefit you in 2024!

1 — Disney Dining Plan

Starting on January 9th, 2024, the Disney Dining Plan will be available once again for qualifying Disney World guests. For those unfamiliar with it, the Dining Plan is basically a way to pre-pay for your meals in advance for your trip, making it feel more all-inclusive.

Two Dining Plans (Quick Service and Standard) will be returning. Essentially, you pay a certain amount for credits that you can then redeem toward certain snacks, meals, etc. to pay for your food.

But there’s a catch. Not everyone can purchase a Disney Dining Plan. The Dining Plan is available as an add-on to Disney World Vacation Packages, which are made of two things — a hotel stay and theme park tickets (there are some special rules that govern Disney Vacation Club Members and Annual Passholders). In other words, you will NEED a Disney World hotel reservation if you want to buy the Disney Dining Plan.

A Dining Plan is by no means necessary for your trip (and some people have shared why they totally won’t be buying one), but if you are interested in buying one then that hotel stay will be a requirement you’ll want to keep in mind.

Click here to see the PRICING revealed for the Disney Dining Plan

2 — Early Theme Park Entry

One special perk for those staying at Disney World hotels is Early Theme Park Entry. Anyone staying at a Disney World hotel (and select other qualifying hotels — like the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista) qualify for this perk. With Early Entry, those who qualify can enter ANY Disney World theme park of their choice 30 minutes EARLY (before it opens to “regular” guests).

Only select rides are available during this time, but it can still be a great way to hop on some of those popular attractions before the big crowds arrive. Just note that in 2023, a Park Pass is also required for the park you want to visit. In early 2024, however, Park Pass reservations will be going away for those with date-based tickets — learn more about that here.

Click here to learn all about Early Entry

3 — Extended Evening Hours

Another perk a Disney World hotel can get you is Extended Evening Hours. But this is a more exclusive perk than Early Entry. Extended Evening Hours are available for those staying at Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas, and select other qualifying hotels (like the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels).

With this perk, those who qualify can stay in select parks on certain nights BEYOND their regular closing hours to other guests. Again, Park Pass rules currently apply but those are changing in 2024.

Not all rides are open during Extended Evening Hours. And it isn’t offered at all parks or on all days — but the ability to stay in the parks beyond their closing times to hop on some rides without the full-sized crowds can be a major advantage.

Click here for our full page about Extended Evening Hours

4 — Genie+

Genie+ is the paid service that has replaced FastPass+. While the standard Genie+ service lets you pay to use the Lightning Lanes (and skip the standby lines) at many rides, certain very popular rides are NOT included in the regular Genie+ service.

Instead, some of the super popular rides are only available via Individual Lightning Lane. With that service, you pay individually for the ability to skip the line once at a specific ride. Individual Lightning Lanes is where being a Disney World hotel guest can really come in handy.

Regular theme park guests can make their first Individual Lightning Lane selections/purchases at park open, but those staying at a Disney World hotel can book that first Individual Lightning Lane at 7AM. That can be a nice advantage to have for especially popular rides. Plus, the extra planning time can ease your mind, giving you one less thing to do when the park opens.

Genie+ is set to change a bit in 2024 in ways that might give guests the chance to do a bit of pre-planning before they arrive for their vacations. Disney hasn’t said what these changes will entail, so it’s possible that some of the rules identified above will change, but we’ll be on the lookout for details!

Click here to read more about the upcoming Genie+ changes

5 — Transportation Perks

One of the biggest advantages of staying at a Disney World hotel has to do with transportation and accessibility to the parks. All Disney World hotels provide FREE transportation to the Disney theme parks — whether that’s via bus, Skyliner, monorail, or boat. That alone can be a major perk, taking away the need to drive to any of the parks during your vacation.

If you do choose to drive to the parks, know that Disney World hotel guests also get FREE parking at the theme parks.

Disney World hotel guests also get FREE overnight self-parking at the Disney World hotel they’re staying at (a.k.a. no parking fees to worry about on that final hotel bill).

And some hotels come with the especially nice perk of being within walking distance of certain parks. For example, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort all connect to Magic Kingdom via a walking path.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (along with the non-Disney-owned Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Swan Reserve) are all within walking distance of EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Booking a hotel within walking distance to the park you’ll be spending the most time at can be a MAJOR advantage, especially if you’re traveling with little ones (or older ones) who will need to head back to the hotel for a mid-day nap, or those who simply want the ability to roll out of bed and quickly head to the park without too much of a delay.

These hotels can also come with high price tags though, so keep that in mind.

If you want easy access to some Disney World parks via a mode of transportation that isn’t a bus, staying at a Skyliner resort may also be a good idea. These hotels (Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort) are all connected to each other, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios via the Skyliner (and the Skyliner can be a ride in and of itself!).

While hotels close to but not owned by Disney may offer transportation to/from the parks, be sure to look and see how frequently that transportation is offered each day, how long it’ll take, etc. You may find that the free transportation offered is not particularly helpful for you and your group, potentially making a Disney World hotel worth the cost for the convenience alone.

Check out our full page about Disney World transportation vehicles here

6 — Earlier Access for Dining Reservations

If you stay at a Disney World hotel, you’ll also get an advantage when it comes to making Dining Reservations. Anyone (regardless of whether they stay at a Disney World hotel or not) can make dining reservations up to 60 days in advance.

BUT guests staying at a Disney World hotel can make dining reservations for the ENTIRE length of their stay (up to a 10-night stay) up to 60 days in advance. That means you’ll get to book your Dining Reservations for some days a little bit in advance of other guests.

While that might not be a huge deal for many restaurants, it can be helpful if you’re trying to score a spot at really popular dining locations, like Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Click here to see some FAQs about Dining Reservations in Disney World

7 — Could Get Access to the NEWEST Rooms

A number of Disney World hotel rooms are CHANGING to get updated theming and other new touches. Plus, brand NEW hotel spots are set to open in 2024 too. If you book a stay at one of these locations in 2024, you could get access to some of the newest rooms available.

First, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is getting a brand new Disney Vacation Club (DVC) tower which is set to be completed in 2024. This will have new rooms with waterfront views of Seven Seas Lagoon, new dining and recreation offerings, and more.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is in the middle of a transformation too, with some of its rooms still in the process of getting new furniture and decor.

Another hotel that’ll be changing soon is Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. That spot is set to have over 350 refreshed cabins which will replace the existing ones by the end of 2024. These will be modern cabins with a kitchen, private patio, and more.

Room changes are also underway at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa where some rooms are being updated with new furniture and color schemes. (We’ve already seen some updated rooms open to guests and lots of the DVC rooms have been updated with a Mary Poppins Returns theme).

At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, the rooms are also getting an update with some adorable Donald Duck-themed touches. (We’ve seen some available already.)

Rooms have also been updated at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort. They look somewhat similar to the new ones at All-Star Movies and Music where there are 2 queen beds, one of which is a Murphey bed.

There are updated rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as well. These are in the Trinidad section and are themed to The Little Mermaid. Plus, a Cast Member informed us that some other rooms in different areas of the hotel are getting other updates to have a refreshed look.

While some of these updated rooms may already be available, we still wanted to note them here as more and more of them may be available for booking/their refurbishments may be fully completed for those 2024 trips.

Click here to check out 6 Disney World hotel room ESSENTIALS you can get on Amazon

8 — Access to NEW Additions

In addition to new rooms, staying at some Disney World hotels could give you easy access to a number of new additions coming to spots in or near those hotels.

For example, over at Disney’s BoardWalk, 2 NEW restaurants are set to open in 2023 — The Cake Bake Shop and Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs. If you book a stay at the BoardWalk Inn, Beach Club, or Yacht Club (or Swan and Dolphin or Swan Reserve — non-Disney World hotels) you could have walking access to those new dining spots!

If you stay at a hotel with easy access to Disney Springs, you could have access to 2 new restaurants that are also set to open in 2023 — EET by Maneet Chauhan and Summer House on the Lake. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (Riverside and French Quarter), Disney’s Old Key West Resort, and Disney’s Saratoga Springs have boat access to Disney Springs. Plus, you can walk from Old Key West to Disney Springs (though it’s a bit of a walk) and you can walk from Saratoga Springs to Disney Springs too.

If you opt to stay at a resort with easy access to Magic Kingdom (Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian — via monorail/walking, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge or Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground — via boat), you could have quick access to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when that rethemed attraction opens in late 2024.

If you opt to stay near EPCOT (in a resort that connects via a walking path or Skyliner), you could have quick access to the updates in World Celebration (CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza) as well as the new Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana attraction — both are set to open in 2023.

Plus, you could easily stop by the park (or maybe even walk just outside of your hotel room) to see the NEW fireworks set to come to EPCOT in 2023 as well.

And if you opt to stay in a hotel with walking or Skyliner access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you could get quick access to the park once the NEW scenes debut at Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. The new scenes are supposed to debut in 2024.

Basically, there are lots of new things coming to the parks, and staying at a Disney World hotel near those specific parks could give you a slight advantage.

Click here to see the opening timelines confirmed for Disney’s BIG upcoming projects

9 — Access to Hey, Disney

And finally, staying at a Disney World hotel could get you access to one of Disney’s newest technological features — Hey, Disney! Hey, Disney is a voice assistant powered by Amazon’s Alexa.

The device and its service can help you set alarms, get certain items sent to your room (like extra towels), answer questions about the parks or bus schedules, and enable some special experiences with some of your favorite characters.

The service has been rolled out slowly to a few different Disney World hotels over the past few months, and we expect more of Disney World’s hotels could get these devices in the future. You can also get the service to use on your own Amazon device at home.

To see FULL details about Quincy’s prior experience with Hey, Disney! and 36 things that SURPRISED her about the service, click here.

Those are some of the major ways that staying at a Disney World hotel could benefit you in 2024, and they’re serious factors to consider when booking your next trip!

To see more about Disney World’s hotels, click here to see a full list of them, or see our picks for some of the BEST Disney World hotels here. Stay tuned for more tips.

Do you like staying at Disney World hotels or not? Tell us in the comments.

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