The Benefits of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel Through 2026

2026 Disney Resort Hotel Benefits

Disney has shared that the following new and existing benefits will be extended to their resort hotel guests in 2026:

• New for 2026: 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).*

• Complimentary theme park transportation via monorail, boat, bus, and Disney Skyliner   

• Free standard parking at hotels, theme parks, and water parks   

• Early access to dining reservations and Lightning Lanes for your entire stay, as well as advanced access to purchase tickets to select special events.   

• Specific to the Summer of 2026: 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.  

• Early Theme Park Entry: Guests can enjoy up to 30 minutes early entry on every day of their vacation at every park.

• Specific to Select Resort Guests: Guests of Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts can enjoy extended evenings in the theme parks on select evenings.

*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.

Of course, that’s not all. Guests of Disney Resort Hotels can also consider these other perks:

• The proximity of your hotel room to the theme parks.
• Staying at a Disney Resort saves you time.
• Many standard rooms can sleep up to five guests.
• Fun-themed Resort Pools
• Resort Recreation Offerings
• Surprise Character Encounters at the Resorts

Below, we’ll discuss a few of these options in detail and why they matter. Note that these options are specific to 2026. We have a separate guide with every vacation offer released for 2026.

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.

Early Theme Park Entry 

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

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

Unfortunately, this benefit is only for guests of deluxe and deluxe villa resorts. (If you’re staying at a value or moderate resort, you do not get this perk.)

Select parks offer extended theme park hours on select evenings. These hours allow deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests to remain in the parks for up to two hours after the park officially closes to the public. Typically, we see these hours offered twice weekly. Most of the year, Magic Kingdom participates in extended evening hours on Wednesdays and Epcot on Monday evenings. However, these scheduled evenings often shift to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios during the holiday season.

If you’re eligible for these hours, you’ll want to include them in your itinerary. We have a separate article that discusses extended evening hours at Disney World in detail.

Proximity to Resort from the Parks for Breaks

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. You can get back to your resort for a break and return later if desired.

If you were staying off-site, you would have to travel from the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Then, you’d have to tackle the parking lot to find your car, or worse, 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?

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. 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. But these times will probably be trivial in the overall scheme of things.

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 won’t have to experience it when you stay in the Disney bubble.

Many Standard Rooms Sleep Up to 5 Guests

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

The Pools at Disney Resorts Are Fun!

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? 

See our guide to the best pools at the Disney Resort Hotels for more specifics.

Dining Options Galore

Most Disney Resort Hotels have numerous dining options. However, those staying at a value resort are limited to the food court, but even they offer a multitude of options. For example, Coronado Springs, a moderate resort, has eleven restaurants. Furthermore, if you’re staying in a resort area like Magic Kingdom or Epcot Resorts, you’ll have even more options nearby.

Resort Recreation

Disney Resorts offer some of the best recreation activities around! Each resort has a full activity schedule with daily things to take advantage of during your day. 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.

MagicBands+

If you elect to purchase a MagicBand+, 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.

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.

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.

Water Parks Access For Summer Check-in Dates

Guests can enjoy complimentary access to a water park (based on availability) on their check-in day. As mentioned earlier, this perk will be limited to specific dates. We’ll update with those details when more information is released.

Resort Airline Check-In for Select Guests Flying Select Airlines

Disney is currently testing a resort airline check-in service that’s similar to what was formerly offered. Right now, the service is only available at Disney’s Value Resorts to guests who are flying Southwest Airlines. We hope to be able to expand on this point in the future. But until then, you can read about the testing phase here.

Final Thoughts

Staying at a Disney Resort has its benefits, and we hope to see even more as time progresses. For more details on planning a Walt Disney World vacation, you might enjoy our complimentary self-paced planning course. Sign up below for instant access.