Not All Disney Hotels Have Elevators—Here’s Where You’ll Need to Take the Stairs
Imagine. It’s 5:30 p.m. or so and you’ve been traveling all day. You finally made it to your Disney World Resort and received the text that your room was ready. With suitcases in tow, you’re off to get settled. After getting turned around a time or two, you find your building. This is it—in just a few minutes you’ll be in your room. Whew, it’s hot and the walk to the room already has you dripping sweat like you’ve been in the gym for an hour. All you want to do is get your stuff to the room, crank up the air-conditioning, and have a moment to regroup.
Now, where is the elevator? Five minutes later, you’ve circled the entire building twice and checked all the little walkways that lead to the center. Okay, you’re obviously missing something as you start to look for the little elevator logo on the room directionals. By now, you’re frustrated. How could you get this close to your room and not be able to find the elevator? AGH.
The problem? Not all Disney Hotels have elevators, and it’s not necessarily the kind of thing that’s advertised. I know because this happened to me once many years ago. It was not a good start to my visit and, at the time, I thought I would never stay at that resort again! Thankfully, the resort was kind enough to move me to a lower level. They moved me to a lower level after I reloaded my car, drove back to the front of the resort, and waited in line (again) to see if I could move. It was my first time staying at Disney’s Caribbean Beach and I felt like such a rookie. How did I not know the resort didn’t have any elevators?
Thankfully, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is the only resort that doesn’t have elevators. However, all of the buildings in Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans Riverside, and most of the buildings at Disney’s Old Key West do not have elevators either. Since that rookie visit, I’ve stayed at all three resorts in buildings with no elevator. As we continue, we’ll look at what you can expect or what you should avoid if these accommodations won’t work for you.
#1 Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
When you book a room at Disney’s Caribbean Beach, there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll get a room on the second floor. The resort is comprised of five villages, each with multiple buildings offering two floors. I’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach a couple of times since that first stay, and have always received a second-floor room assignment. Thankfully, these days I travel lightly.
All wheelchair accessible rooms are located on the first floor. If you have a mobility or accessibility need, you’ll need to have it noted on your reservation. If you have a stroller or are visiting with small children, you can request a first-floor room, but there are no guarantees. It might be difficult to fold your stroller each night and get it up the stairs, especially if your children have already fallen asleep.
Here is a photo from when we stayed in the Under the Sea rooms in the Trinidad section of the resort. We had eighteen stairs total which was comprised of two landings on the way up.
#2 Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside
Last year, we requested a room in the Alligator Bayou section of Port Orleans Riverside. We mainly stayed here to take photos of the room. Previously, I avoided this section of the resort because I knew it didn’t have any elevators. We ended up with a first-floor room, but I remembered to take a few photos because I wanted to eventually write this article.
The stairs in these buildings didn’t have any landings. It was a straight 17 steps from the bottom to the top. So this is what you’re working with if you end up with a second-floor room assignment.
#3 Disney’s Old Key West
Lastly, only a few select buildings at Disney’s Old Key West have elevators. On my last stay here, I was traveling for several weeks and had many items that could not remain in the car. It was an ordeal to get everything up to the room on that first day. However, on this visit, I was traveling alone and everything went smoothly once I was settled.
I really love staying here. But I wouldn’t do it again, by myself, unless it was a short trip with little to no luggage.
Of course, you can always request bell services at any of these resorts. I walk around Caribbean Beach pretty regularly and see many guests receiving luggage assistance. They have a van to take people to their room and help with the luggage.
It seems, though, that the tone at the moderate and value resorts is self-service. I hate to say it but all the resorts used to really cater to guests arrivals and departures, but somewhere along the way it feels like that kind of service fell by the wayside. At least, it does from my experience.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article provided a little guidance on finding the room that works for you. If you’re considering staying at a resort that’s spread out over sizeable grounds, you might enjoy these articles in our walking series:
- Walking Distances to the Rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach
- Walking Distances to the Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside
- Walking Distances to the Rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Want to save time and energy on your vacation? Get a copy of our 5 best transportation tips for Walt Disney World.
In the Comments
Have you ever received a room assignment in a building with no elevator? Let us know how you managed in the comments below or on our social media.
