Walt Disney World Hotels and Basics on Florida Resort

Staying on-site during your Disney vacation, you have twenty-four Walt Disney World hotels and villas to chose from.

The largest Disney resort and a most popular vacation destination (about 25 million visitors per year), Walt Disney World Resort covers 111.37 square kilometers and contains four theme parks, three water parks, twenty-four hotels and villas and many more - golf courses, a downtown area etc.

Generalities

Climate and geography:

The resort is located in Florida, southwest of Orlando, very close to Kissimmee.

The weather conditions are favorable most of the year. Yet, summers are very hot and humid. Fall is cooler but still humid and spring may get rather hot. Winter might get from cold to nice enough to swim.

Orlando can be prone to the occasional hurricanes from July until November.

Average temperatures:

  • January - March: 74/51ºF – 23/10ºC
  • April - June: 88/66ºF – 31/19ºC
  • July - September: 91/73ºF – 33/23ºC
  • October - December: 78/58ºF – 25/14ºC

    • When to visit

    The optimum time for WDW visit is certainly the one you can afford, so that you can synchronize schedules with all family members.

    Time savers to avoid long lines if you have to go on a busy period:

    • Get the entrance tickets for parks at home – thus you also benefit from discounts.
    • Use FastPass, a computerized system reducing the need to stay in line. The pass requires visiting within a specific time interval, usually an hour/an hour and a half later.

    However, there are certain periods of time that could be more agreeable than others. Thus:

    • Busiest times:
      • Summer time and holiday seasons (Presidents' week in February, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas – New Year);
      • Mid-March through late April.
    • Moderate attendance:
      • The period after Presidents' week through early March;
      • Late April through early June;
      • The beginning of Thanksgiving week.
    • Low seasons: are the best times to get discounts on hotel accommodations within the Disney complex and off-site in the Orlando area.
      • January until President's week in February;
      • Between Labor Day and Thanksgiving;
      • Between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    Busiest days at the parks - correspond to the "Extra Magic Hour" days, respectively:

    • Sunday - Magic Kingdom
    • Monday - Animal Kingdom
    • Tuesday - Disney-MGM Studios
    • Wednesday - Epcot
    • Thursday - Magic Kingdom
    • Friday - Animal Kingdom
    • Saturday - Disney-MGM Studios

    Directions – how to get to Walt Disney World

    By plane: the easiest way to get to Disney World, especially if you live particularly far away.

    The only problem that concerns you is how to get from the airport to Disney World. There are several possibilities:

    • Rental car – not recommended if you stay on-site, as you won't use it (except maybe those who stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is rather isolated).

      • The shortest route - Orlando International Airport's North Exit to Route 528 – Beeline Expressway . Take I-4 West leading to the WDW Exit.

      The best route – OIA's South Exit to Route 417(costs about $2) – Central Florida Greenway - to Route 536 leading directly to WDW.

    • Shuttle

      • First check if your hotel offers free shuttle service.

      There are shuttle vans running about every 15 or 20 minutes around the clock. Cost is approximately $15 – adults and $10 – children (free for children under four years).

    • Limousine service - costs between $75.00 and $85.00. Round-trip rates are generally for up to four or five passengers.

    By bus or by train: convenient for shorter routes, as it usually is very slow and tiresome. Greyhound provides frequent service to Kissimmee (very close to Disney World).

    Bus: Greyhound provides service to Orlando and Kissimmee.

    Train: Amtrak provides service to Orlando twice daily.

    By car: can be rather tiresome. It would be a good idea not to drive more than 350 miles a day in order not to get too tired. The road trip should be planned in advance by consulting a road atlas.

    What else is there to know if you go to WDW

    Tickets - informative lines:

    Theme park tickets:

    Magic Your Way Tickets: $29 – adults, $23 – children between 3-9

    Annual Passes:

    Theme Park Premium Passes: $515 – adults, $438 - children between 3-9

    Theme Park Annual Passes: $395– adults, $336 - children between 3-9

    Other Tickets – single day:

    Water Park: $34– adults, $28 - children between 3-9

    Disney Quest: $34– adults, $28 - children between 3-9

    Tax:

    Rates listed do not include tax. In the United States there is no VAT or other indirect tax. Taxes vary with state, county, city. In Orlando, the sales tax is 6.5%-7%, depending on the county. Together with the resort tax (varying from 5% to 6%), taxes go to a total of 11.5% – 13%.

    Transportation within the resort:

    Buses – are frequent, stop at every resort.

    Monorails – from the three deluxe hotels to the to Magic Kingdom & the TTC.

    Means of transportation start running two hours (early-entry days)/an hour and a half before the park opening times.

    Make sure you pack:

    • sun-protective items;
    • a warmer jacket - for the evening;
    • comfortable shoes – more pairs are better, they should not be new;
    • a backpack.

    Walt Disney World Hotels List

    Accommodation is available in a wide range of offers: twenty-two on-site hotels and a great number of off-site ones, of which the closest in Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista.

    Disney resorts are all themed and divided into price categories as follows:

    Value Resorts

    Disney rating: three magic keys

    Amenities:

    • Themed pools
    • Pizza delivery
    • Food courts

    Value hotels:

    Moderate Resorts

    Disney rating: four magic keys

    Amenities:

    • Themed pools with slides
    • Whirlpools
    • Full service dining
    • Pizza delivery
    • Marina watercraft rentals

    Moderate hotels:

    Deluxe Resorts

    Disney rating: six magic keys

    Amenities:

    • Themed pools with waterslides
    • World class restaurants
    • Whirlpools
    • Room service
    • Valet parking
    • Babysitting service
    • Bell services
    • Concierge available
    • Fitness center/Spa

    Deluxe hotels:

    Home Away from Home Resorts

    Disney rating: five magic keys

    Amenities:

    • Kitchen or kitchenette
    • Multi-bedroom units
    • Spacious suites
    • Valet parking

    "Home Away from Home" hotels:

    Off-site Hotels

    Located close to the Walt Disney World Resort (within half an hour drive from WDW), off-site hotels offer quality and affordable pricing. Nearly every hotel provides frequent transportation to and from Walt Disney World.

  • Some hotels offer Vacation Packages that include:
    • Hotel accommodation;
    • Admission passes to the Disney Theme Parks;
    • Free transportation to WDW Parks;
    • Some packages include free breakfast.

    Off-site hotels main locations:

    • Lake Buena Vista - adjacent to Disney World
    • Kissimmee, along route 192 - at a 15 minute drive from Disney World - small and cheap hotels.
    • Along International Drive within Orlando city limits

    Very Short Parks and Attractions Review

    The Magic Kingdom

    Chronologically, the first section of Walt Disney World was the Magic Kingdom – opened in 1971. Its representative symbol has become one of the most recognizable features of Disney's Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Castle.

    In Cinderella's Castle, character dining is one of the most sought entertainments. Tickets for the Once Upon A Time breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table are Disney's most wanted and have to be booked many weeks ahead.

    Here, rides and attractions such as It's a Small World and Dumbo The Flying Elephant or Space Mountain or Splash Mountain have become classics.

    There are seven fantasy areas:

    • Main Street, U.S.A.
    • Fantasyland
    • Liberty Square
    • Frontierland
    • Adventureland
    • Tomorrowland
    • Mickey's Toontown Fair

    Disney-MGM Studios

    The park was opened in 1989. Its attractions combine the excitement of movies with fantastic shows and thrilling rides. MGM Studios is also is a fully functioning movie and television production center. The Backlot Tour takes you see how movies are made, the work behind every scene, the world of special effects. You may actually see TV shows or movies in production.

    The giant Mickey sorcerer's cap is the symbol of the park.

    Fantasy areas:

    • Hollywood Boulevard
    • New York Street
    • Mickey Avenue
    • Animation Courtyard
    • Sunset Boulevard

    Epcot

    When you see the giant geodesic aluminium sphere, Spaceship Earth, you know at once it's Epcot.

    The park is the second theme park of the resort and was opened in 1982. Epcot stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow".

    Epcot is divided into two areas:

    • Future World – is themed into distinct pavilions with Spaceship Earth dominating. A slow ride in Spaceship Earth will take you through the history of human communication from cave drawings through satellite and TV.
    • World Showcase – eleven nations' cultural heritage is displayed here from a Disney perspective.

    Disney's Animal Kingdom

    The newest and the largest (500 acres) park of WDW, Animal Kingdom was opened in 1998 and is one of the world's greatest animal facilities. Its symbol is the Tree of Life.

    Some attractions: Jungle Safari, Kali River Rapids, It's Tough To Be a Bug.

    Park areas:

    • The Oasis
    • Camp Minnie-Mickey
    • Discovery Island
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • DinoLand U.S.A.
    • Rafiki's Planet Watch