Disney Resort Hotel Benefits: The Perks of Staying on Property Explained

1. Complimentary Transportation
2. Early Theme Park Entry
3. Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (Select Resorts*)
4. Early Access to Dining Reservations
5. Early Access to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass
6. Complimentary Parking at the Resorts and Theme Parks
7. Proximity of the Room to the Parks for Breaks
8. Staying at a Disney Resort Saves You Time
9. Many Standard Rooms Can Sleep up to 5 Guests
10. Fun-Themed Pools at the Resorts
11. Plenty of Dining Options
12. Resort Recreation Offerings
13. Discounted Magic Bands
14. Being in the Disney Bubble
15. The Disney Dining Plan
16. First Day Water Park Access (See changes below for 2026.)
17. Airport Luggage Program (Select Resorts**)

*The extended evening hours offering is only extended to guests of deluxe and deluxe villa resorts.

**The airport luggage program is currently only available to guests staying at value resorts. We discuss the benefit in detail further below.

We’ll explore each of these in more detail shortly. Before that, here’s a quick look at what’s changing in 2026.

2026 Resort Benefit Changes

Disney has announced a few updates to resort guest benefits for 2026:

• Free Dining Plan for Kids:  Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel will get a free dining plan for their kids (ages 3-9) when purchasing a dining plan with their package for others in their party (ages 10 and up).*
  • This limited-time offer can also be combined with other select discounts and promotions.

• Summer 2026 Complimentary Water Park Access: Disney Resort hotel guests can get free water park admission on their check-in day (subject to availability). Additional details, including specific dates, will be shared at a later time. 

*The free dining plan for kids is a special offer. It requires that you book a Disney Resort Hotel and that everyone in the room, ages 10 and up, purchase a dining plan. The great part about this special and limited-time offer is that, per Disney, you may still be eligible to take advantage of other deals offered in 2026. The fine print of the offer reads: This offer can be combined with other select discounts and promotions.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the benefits listed in this guide apply to both 2025 and 2026. For more details, see our complete guide to 2026 Disney Resort Benefit changes.

#1 Complimentary Transportation

Disney offers resort guests free transportation to and from the hotels to its theme parks and other destinations. Depending on which resort you choose, you’ll have access to one or more of the following forms of transportation:

• Buses
• Monorail
• Watercraft
• Skyliner

While Disney transportation is available to anyone visiting Walt Disney World, resort guests have a considerable advantage. Hopping on a bus and traveling to and from the theme parks is a huge convenience and often a relief.

You won’t have to worry about where you are going, how you will get there, relying on GPS, or anything else that comes along when traveling. In most instances, you can locate the bus stop nearest your room and wait for the next bus to arrive.

Of course, you’ll want to consider which resorts offer various perks, like Skyliner or Monorail access. If you’re itching to stay at a hotel with these options, consider our guide to the Disney Hotels with the Best Transportation Options.

#2 Early Theme Park Entry

In recent years, Disney World began offering early theme park entry for resort guests. This benefit has been extended through 2026. Early theme park entry allows guests to access the theme parks 30 minutes early. This benefit applies to all resort guests and is available daily at all four parks. 

So, no matter which park you visit, you can enter 30 minutes ahead of the crowd. Of course, you’ll want to get to the parks early enough to take advantage of this offering. We recommend getting to the park of your choice at least 30-45 minutes early with a plan to head straight to an available attraction during that time.

Related: Hotels Eligible for Early Theme Park Entry

If you’ve ever visited Walt Disney World, you know getting those dining reservations booked well in advance is essential. Advanced reservations for meals can be booked up to 60 days in advance. (This is a significant change from the former 180-day mark you might have had on a previous trip.)

What’s the benefit here? Resort hotel guests can make reservations 60 days in advance for the entirety of their stay. Have a week-long trip planned? Then, you can make all your reservations at 60 days out. You’ll have a jump-start on every guest checking in a day later and a considerable time ahead of anyone visiting from off-site.

While this might not sound like a huge advantage, it is for those difficult-to-get reservations. So mark your calendar and don’t miss these extra few days! Reservations become more challenging to secure with each passing day. However, Disney has implemented some changes to the reservation system that have made it easier for guests to secure some of those hard-to-get reservations.

Bonus Tip: The same practice applies to Disney’s Enchanting Extras, such as cabana rentals and fireworks cruises. You might be surprised at how quickly some of these activities fill up! You can find the Enchanting Extra Collections on Disney.com.

#5 Early Access to Lightning Lanes

This new benefit is for guests of Disney Resort Hotels, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, the Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green Resort. Guests of these resorts can purchase passes up to seven days before their stay. Lightning Lane passes will be available for the days that you have valid theme park admission, beginning at 7:00 a.m. (Eastern).

Therefore, seven days before your trip, you can select your first three (3) Lightning Lane Multi Pass attractions for each day of your trip. You can also purchase up to two (2) Lightning Lane Single Passes per day, where applicable.

We have compiled a one-stop Disney World Lightning Lane Guide covering the entire process. We highly recommend reading that guide and familiarizing yourself with the process well beforehand. Having a plan and selecting these experiences before your trip will be a huge advantage when touring. A Disney World vacation is an investment for your family, and if you plan ahead, you’ll reap the benefits.

#6 Complimentary Parking

If you’re staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, you have the benefit of receiving complimentary parking. This benefit is not only offered at your hotel, but is extended to all of the theme parks. The only time you would pay for parking is if you use valet service or upgrade to priority parking at the theme parks. (This was not the case a few years ago. You formerly had to pay to park at the resort hotels.)

This is an incredible benefit because parking charges formerly ranged between $15.00 and $25.00 per night, depending on the resort category. This benefit will also encourage more guests to stay on-property rather than off-property.

When driving to the parks, you’ll show your Keys to the World card or MagicBand at the gate, and cast members will let you continue to the parking lot. This advantage is significant because if you stay off-site, you’ll likely pay for parking at your resort hotel and at the parks. You could easily incur parking charges of $60.00 a day when staying off-site!

#7 Proximity to Resorts for Breaks

Spending the morning in the hot Florida sun might make you want to return to your resort mid-afternoon for a break. And who can blame you? Especially if you’re going to return in the evening for fireworks. A huge advantage of staying at a Disney Resort is that you can reasonably return to your resort. For instance, if you are visiting the Magic Kingdom, the bus stop is outside the park’s entrance.

However, if you were staying off-site, you would have to travel back to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Then, you’d have to tackle the parking lot to find your car or wait for the off-property shuttle to pick you up. Meanwhile, if you stayed at a Disney resort, you’d probably be napping in your room—or maybe at the pool. Who knows if you’ll even return to the parks after a bit of relaxation time?

#8 Staying at a Disney Resort Saves Time

If you don’t know your way around the Lake Buena Vista area like the back of your hand, staying on Disney property will save you time. It’s true. Sure, there could be times when you feel like you waited forever for a bus or when you don’t know how to use complimentary transportation to get to Epcot from Magic Kingdom. These times will likely be trivial in the overall scheme of things.

You also won’t get stuck in traffic like the people waiting to pay at the park entrance. Disney buses have their own entrance lane for accessing the parks. If you’re headed to Disney Springs, a separate bus lane begins as you approach the venue. It’s a massive time-saver for the bus routes on crowded evenings.

Plus, you’re on Disney property, which means minimal traffic lights and large open roads with multiple lanes. Traffic tightens when you leave the property, and those long Florida traffic lights are everywhere. Not to mention, with so many tourists, Orlando traffic has become a bit of a nightmare. Thankfully, you’ll never experience it when you stay on the property.

#9 Many Rooms Sleep Up to 5 Guests

Are you a party of five that includes at least one small child? Many Disney Resort rooms have options with an individual pull-down bed accommodating a small child. For example, the bed in the photo below is an option for a 5th guest at Disney’s Caribbean Beach.

Unfortunately, this benefit isn’t available at every single resort. We recommend checking with your travel agent to see which resort works best for you! See our guide to Disney Resort Rooms with a fifth sleeper for more details.

#10 The Pools are Awesome

All of the resorts at Walt Disney World have incredible pool areas! You might pick one of the resorts with a waterslide or keep it casual at a value resort. Don’t get me started on Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club. It’s more of a water park than an actual pool.

Disney also has you covered if you don’t like the crowds and fuss of a larger pool. All the resorts have quiet pools in addition to the feature pool, except for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. But we’ll let them slide because their extra acreage is home to savannas with African animals. How cool is that? 

Related: List of the Best Pools at Disney World

#11 Plenty of Dining Options

You will have plenty of dining options at a Disney Resort Hotel. However, those staying at a value resort are limited to the food court when dining at the hotel. But even they offer a multitude of options. If you were to stay at a moderate resort like Disney’s Coronado Springs, you’d have plenty of options. For example, Coronado Springs has eleven restaurants.

Additionally, the deluxe resorts have excellent dining options. Those who want something different can take a bus to Disney Springs. However, it might be hard to choose with so many options. Consult our list of the best restaurants at Disney Springs to learn more.

#12 Resort Recreation

Another perk of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort is having many things to do! Each resort offers free recreational activities to take advantage of during your stay. One of those things is the Movie Under the Stars program. Movies are held nightly at or near the resort’s feature pool. So, pull up a lounge chair, grab some popcorn, and settle down for a unique Disney movie experience. Maybe they’ll play Star Wars or one of your family’s favorites.

#13 Discounted MagicBands

Magic Bands were formerly provided to resort guests. Unfortunately, that perk ended some time ago. However, Disney offers a discounted “pre-arrival” price for Magic Bands to guests staying at their resorts. You can select colors and character designs or add your name. Here’s how it works:

Guests who have a Disney Resort hotel reservation or an Annual Pass may receive a special pre-arrival price on a customized MagicBand+ if they purchase through My Disney Experience before their arrival. Resort Guests qualify for the discount 6 or more days before their Resort hotel reservation. Annual Passholders are eligible to purchase a specially priced MagicBand or MagicBand+ per Annual Pass

Do you need a Magic Band? With so many people using My Magic Plus on their phones these days, a Magic Band is not a necessity. However, it is excellent for scanning photos, charging purchases to the room, accessing the parks, and opening the room door. I still use mine and enjoy the convenience.

#14 Being in the Disney Bubble

While it’s not some mysterious, foreign planet as it sounds, staying in the Disney bubble has perks. From the moment you step on the property, you feel like you’ve entered a self-sufficient city that does things a little differently than everywhere else.

You’ll have easy access to dining, transportation, pools, and many other things we’ve already discussed. In addition, Disney is well-manicured, and you can expect touches of magic you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the one all-inclusive thing that sets a stay here apart from anywhere else.

#15 The Disney Dining Plan

The Disney Dining Plan is a huge perk for those who like the convenience of pre-paying for meals. If you want to save money, however, you’ll need to do the math to see if it works for you. Again, most guest who purchase a dining plan are doing so to have the expense taken care of before their vacation. There is something to be said about not having to swipe your payment method at every meal. See our guide below for details, and remember that in 2026, children can get a free dining plan with the purchase of an adult dining plan, per Disney’s terms and conditions.

Learn More>>Understanding the Disney Dining Plan

#16 First Day Water Park Access (2025)

In 2025, guests can enjoy complimentary access to a water park (based on availability) on their check-in day. Per Disney, this new benefit is only for registered guests on the resort reservation. It is only good for guests who arrive early enough to use it on their check-in day.

Related: Disney’s Water Park Perk for Eligible Resort Guests

*As noted earlier, this resort benefit will be available for select dates in the summer of 2026. As of this update, Disney has not released those dates.

#17 Airport Luggage Transfer (Select Resorts and Airline)

In 2025, Disney announced a new airport pilot program called Airport Luggage Transfer from its value resorts to the Orlando International Airport. This benefit is only specific to those staying at Pop Century, Art of Animation, or the Disney All-Star Resorts (Movies, Music, Sports). It is also very specific to those flying Southwest Airlines. Here’s how it works:

Airport Luggage Transfer allows guests to check their luggage at the resort. Then they take care of the rest. You can go about your day and head to the airport at your convenience. You won’t have to check your luggage when you arrive at the airport because it’s already been done. You’ll pick up the luggage when your flight lands. It’s so simple, and you won’t have the headache of trying to keep up with everything.

We have an overview with specific instructions: Airport Luggage Transfer Program Now Available for Select Airline at Disney’s Value Resorts

What Resort Benefits Are Out

Before we wrap things up, I want to discuss a few critical changes to the resort benefits you’ll need to be aware of when planning. The items listed below have all ended.

• First and foremost, FastPass+ is long gone. Its replacement, Genie+, is gone now, too! Talk about things getting confusing! These items are now known as Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass, which allow guests options to pay to skip the standby queue. Guests can still access standby lines for attractions. However, now you have to pay to enjoy shorter lines. So, you’ll want to get familiar with how this system works moving forward.

• Secondly, Disney’s Magical Express ended some time ago. Disney formerly offered complimentary transportation from the airport to your Disney Resort hotel and back again. Some guests now use MearsConnect to travel to and from the airport to the resorts.

• Lastly, Extra Magic Hours, as we knew them, are no more. Instead, Disney implemented the early theme park benefit we discussed earlier and has announced the benefit will be extended at least through 2026.

• Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the return of being able to purchase an item in the parks and have it delivered to your room. This huge perk made it convenient to purchase an item and then pick it up later at the hotel. You didn’t have to worry about carrying it around all day or remembering to go back and buy it at the end of the night.

*If you don’t want to carry your park purchases, my suggestion is to have Disney ship them to your home. They will likely arrive about the same time you do! Several people have mentioned doing this with their lightsabers instead of dealing with them on a plane. Sometimes, spending a few extra bucks is worth the convenience.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, staying at a Disney World Resort offers many benefits. From complimentary on-site transportation to the early theme park benefit, you’ll want to take advantage of these perks. For some, this might be a good time to weigh staying off-site versus on-site. Of course, choosing a resort is just the beginning. These guides can help you plan the rest:

• Disney World 2025 Monthly Planning Guide: This guide highlights things you’ll want to know for each month of the year.
• Disney Hotels Ranked: A complete ranking of the best Disney World resorts, from budget-friendly to deluxe.
• Walt Disney World Resort Reviews: Browse in-depth Disney hotel reviews with details and photos.
• Best Disney World Hotels for Families: Our top picks for family-friendly Disney resorts, including those with toddler-friendly amenities.
• The Best Pools For Kids at the Disney World Resorts: See which Disney World resort pool makes the top of our list for the little ones.
• Best Non-Disney Hotels Near Disney World: Great off-property hotel options just minutes from the parks.

If you have a Disney Visa, you might also like our guide to Disney World Perks for Disney Visa Cardholders.

More Planning

Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.