15 Things People Don't Realize About Disney World Hotels

[@MrJeromeRN]

I watch every DFB video planning the fictional magical vacation to Disney World I have always wanted. Maybe when I retire my husband and I will make it a bucket list trip.

[@FriendLikeTasha]

If your flexible with dates & snag a promotion it can actually be much cheaper to go than many people realize! Don't wait for retirement.

[@dfbbreea]

I LOVE planning fictional trips, too! We’re birds of a feather! 🐦

[@beeronica7171]

You can do it!! I never thought it was possible, but with some planning and taking advantage of deals, I was able to take a trip with my son!! Don’t wait for life to happen

[@RedUnited30]

These videos have helped me plan multiple trips since 2017. Took the entire fam (kids, grandparents, some aunts and uncles and cousins) last year and used tips from DFB for choosing dining and when to try certain rides. Everyone said it was well planned and all had fun. No one had to worry about anything. They just trusted the process and I took care of everything. All thanks to DFB.

[@DFBGuide]

This is SO wonderful to hear! Thank you!

[@pippayoutube8569]

Het meisje 😊😊p😊😊 op😅rrr😮te sorry if w😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@ellieplanit]

Yes!! I started watching DFB in 2017 too, I think!

[@iamlsusam]

30 years ago booking a DW Hotel included park access and extra hours privileges!!

[@miranimal]

My wallet says pop century, my feet and itinerary say a monorail resort, but my heart strings keep pulling towards Animal Kingdom Lodge

[@dfbbreea]

Oof. Ain’t’ that the truth?

[@candycemonroe7345]

I'm debating a hotel only trip to akl

[@shanel0179]

I love Pop and stay there every time

[@birbluv9595]

Thank you, AJ and Breea and the whole DFB team. I always learn something new from each of your videos!

[@DFBGuide]

Thank YOU so much! These comments really make us so happy!

[@erinmichaels8195]

We are getting ready to go to Disney this summer and we always stay at Caribbean beach. We drive so I always bring breakfast stuff to eat in room. Saves money and time because we can just eat and go to the parks and not have to spend time finding breakfast and waiting. I also bring snacks for the room and for park bags.

[@FriendLikeTasha]

Same! I always have grab n go breakfast type items & snacks in the room..so in the mornings we get right going!

[@erinmichaels8195]

@@FriendLikeTasha it really does help!

[@nicholasticali6123]

Imagine spending 7k on rooms for a week and them telling you that you didnt spend enough to stay two extra hours in the park

[@lousavaria9885]

RIGHT!!

[@nanahimuro]

Animal's voice as an alarm clock is hilarious to me. It sounds like it would be effective, at least!

[@DFBGuide]

Effective is one way to put it 😂

[@esciteach7997]

for everyone; we stayed at Port Orleans (see 22:00) it took us 20 minutes from our actual room to bus/main entrance to park.. For Real. Then your destination (say Magic Kingdom) was a 30 minute trip on the bus. Bus makes other stops on the way and takes time for those with special needs (limited mobility and wheelchairs . . .). Four times we arrived at bus stop to go to a park and a bus had just left and the next bus came 18 minutes later. Must allow 50 minutes or more.

[@FriendLikeTasha]

Yes. I'm always sure to point that out to clients when it comes to certain resorts. Skyliner & boat resorts with that additional transportation other than buses can be great.

[@Jiffie]

I love these videos but could you add timestamps and video chapters so I can find certain points easier? ❤️

[@MichelleRegan-vd8dl]

Additional note on Skyliner downtime that I wish we had known before our trip: Busses are rapidly deployed but from Epcot they run to and from the main entrance NOT the International Gateway. We were ready for the rain but not for that extra walk lol. And we could not find a way to monitor Skyliner shutdowns via the app, which would be very helpful.

[@FriendLikeTasha]

Yes. That can be unfun if you didn't know in advance. International gateway entrance is skyliner & boats only 🙌

[@candaceigh]

Saratoga Springs CP here! The Artist’s Pallet has so many breakfast grocery options. Big boxes of cereal, bagels, donuts - everything, so I was glad to see that in the video. The boats are great for Disney Springs but the wait between each one is excruciating in this heat.

[@annapascucci5289]

Omg we loved being woken up by Animal! We started the day with a laugh

[@lirr408]

Big fan of Fig Newtins too. I love spending time at the hotel and just have a hotel day. My first day is travel to Winne Dixie to get food for the week. Great video as always.

[@tmsala59]

Always Enjoy Your Videos, AJ! You And The DFB Crew, Rock! Heading To WDW This Christmas! Thanks To Your Recommendation Of Small World Vacations, Brandi Who Has Set Up My Trip! Staying At All Star Movies, Dalmatian Preferred Rooms!💖

[@DFBGuide]

YESSSS!!! So great to hear!!! We love SWV! What an exciting time to go!!!

[@jenniferbarney4220]

AJ's Merry Band of Soda Goblins -- now there's an awesome idea for a tshirt!! 😂

[@Floridaparksafterdark]

Great info as always AJ and team! Thank you! ⭐️🎉❤

[@DFBGuide]

Thank you!

[@malhalsey4994]

Disney hotels should add the babysitting service that Swan and Dolphin have! This makes it even more of a vacation for the parents. :)

[@stephanievitale-ur1vo]

I didn’t know they had that. I am a early childhood teacher and would love to do that

[@brittanykerkhoven8531]

What does that consist of? And how much?

[@slark3493]

Or you can bring a grandparent! That’s what we do :)

[@apfelbasket]

I enjoy the resort restaurants. Good food & a break from the park.

[@dfbbreea]

💯

[@amydoran9987]

We love the food courts at contemporary we have it on our food schedule for our travel departure day. We stay at wilderness lodge. We love their quick service too.

[@nickallain]

The construction noise at Port Orleans seemed to start at 7am each day. It wasn't bad at all even though we were right next to it.

[@nestface4705]

cant wait. im at disney music hotel form sunday for 2 weeks

[@mandymire6714]

still waiting for more “Perfect Day in ____ (park)” videos!! the mgk video was my absolute favorite :)

[@kristinavalcarce2404]

I'd love to see a Perfect Day in Disneyland!

[@Happy-wm1tn]

Thank you again AJ. Just to add to your list of construction, we got an email about Everything Pop Dining will be going under refurbishment at the end of July through September. They did say Mobile order and drink stations would be available as well as some seating.

[@mela1580]

Fun fact; hotel management companies rarely own the properties they operate. The big names like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Four Seasons, etc. are hotel management companies. The Swan & Dolphin are operated by Marriott, not owned by them.

[@monicastrom2757]

That is only 1000 a day.

[@lmcq7872]

Can you do an up to date video on the food offerings at Coronado Springs please! Love your videos helping me plan for our 2025 trip from the UK!

[@shellycalhoun7194]

If you are inside the cancellation window can move your reservation to a future date without penalty?

[@DisneyFrenzy2584]

We love All Star Music and Movies! I would rather stay there to stay on property then shell out the money for one of the deluxe resorts if there isn’t a great offer! ❤❤❤ thank you for the video AJ!

[@lovingit824]

Oh no! When does the pool reopen at all star movies? I’m going mid to late April! 😮

[@itzlidiebugxoxo]

Love it guys!! And just a quick question do y’all have an quick service vid?? I forgot if you did or not

[@stephanievitale-ur1vo]

Never have to worry about monorail crowdness. I can’t afford them! My kind of resorts are all star movies or music. More in budget. I’m a teacher! But I would love to work for DFB guide! I’m a hardcore Disney fan! My inner child which I’m working on nurturing loves Disney! Wish I could go soon!

[@jerbear21]

You’re a teacher, you’re going in September, it’s gonna be your honey moon. 😅 that’s how much I’ve seen your comments

[@Michelleybellin]

30 seconds in, and I'm ready to defend Maine's honor! 😂

[@DFBGuide]

HAHAHA

[@Justicia007]

Love Maine, Vacation land!!

[@ashleygrove983]

LOL, I think the cancellation policy is so that you can't cancel the trip when you don't get any lightning lanes for your trip. You are then trapped going and not being able to ride anything.

[@kd-CarvingAway]

Thank you so much for the updates. These help me/us so much. Regarding the extended park hours, we'll be staying at the Wilderness Lodge in Sep, does the Disney transportation (ie - the ferry) support those late nite hours?

[@eliseg0001]

Someone asked on PlanDisney and they said yes “The basic rule for Disney Resort Transportation is that the different modes will run for up to an hour after the posted park closing. That would include the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. As an example, if the Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours were posted as ending at midnight, the buses from the Magic Kingdom, the monorail loop that runs around the Seven Seas Lagoon, and the boats heading to Fort Wilderness and Disney's Wilderness Lodge would run until 1 am.”

[@gagelewis6264]

Is the swan hotel resort included in the water park package?

[@nickpavlidis5735]

Question: what if you arrive at your hotel around 9.00pm to 11.00pm, does that mean you miss out on this opportunity to visit a water theme park or do you go to one for free the next morning?

[@richardsavaglio523]

From what I was told yes you loose out

[@caraoleary3789]

soda goblin....lol I'm going to use that!!!

[@TheCommonGentry]

so for the refillable mugs: if you have a dining plan, can you use you mug at the unlimited refill QFR?

[@TheCommonGentry]

question about cancellation: what about family emergencies and death in the family. does disney give exceptions for that?

[@CarissaHelmer88]

So my experience you can't cancel but they will let you change it to a later date.

[@ellieplanit]

Us Diet Coke goblins don’t joke around when it comes to refillable fountain drink options

[@noraelliott7304]

You have mentioned in the past as well as in the episode about going to the waterpark before check-in. I wiuld like to know how that works. We have been to Disney World multiple times and because we are from Canada there is a bit of fiddling around to get our Park Passes set up. Is this a USA based perk or is it a Disney Hotel feature? Do you have to pay to get into the water park or is it tied into your reservation? We will be going to Disney World again and I am curious.

[@dfbbreea]

Hi! All great questions! In 2025, Disney is going to offer a NEW perk to all their hotel guests (no matter whether they’re staying in a Disney value/moderate/deluxe resort) that allows you to go to one of the Disney water parks for free. The CATCH is that you can ONLY use this perk on the first day you check in to your hotel. That’s why you might want to either drop your luggage off at the front desk of your resort and THEN head immediately over to the water park. Because even if you’re room’s not ready for you to move into just yet, you’ll STILL be able to use that water park privilege ALL DAY LONG on check in day. So the SOONER you can get to the water park to start using it, the better! If you don’t end up using that perk - either because you won’t have time OR you’re staying somewhere else off-property - you’re still more than welcome to pay for a water park ticket if you still wanna experience a water park day.

[@noraelliott7304]

@@dfbbreea Thanks for the info. Good to know.🇨🇦❤️🎆

[@Mellys1980s]

The water park is insane bc arrival day is a cluster and most folks don’t arrive till 3-4pm .. it just something they invented to say they “did a freebie”

[@KilroyWasHere0]

Maybe I am missing it somewhere else in the comments, but is that TOM ARNOLD at the 11:16 mark?!?!?!?

[@user-zt6bu2nb5z]

Is there a reason there isn’t more room service?

[@dfbbreea]

A lot of those room service perks got stripped after the pandemic. We’ll let you know if/when they return!

[@LeapyearLady]

These resorts look cool but I'm still not sold on the Disney resorts. I'll be staying at the Dolphin at the Swan and Dolphin resort in 2025. It's cheaper and I still get most of the perks. Stayed at the Drury in 2023 and loved that one too.

[@dfbbreea]

We love those, too!!

[@JanelleBey]

Do the parks have their own refillable mugs?

[@dfbbreea]

Not at the moment!

[@annlavine3576]

about the hotel cancel policy What if the flight is cancled

[@eliseg0001]

Policy sounds like no exceptions. Trip interruptions would be covered by insurance through a travel credit card or 3rd party

[@RedSoxDad19]

The free waterpark day is kinda useless IMHO, we'd rather hit up Disney Springs for the day and grab a Gideons Cookie for first park day the next day. MUCH rather have them bring back 2 snacks on the DDP and/or resort delivery for things you buy in the parks!

[@ahwhite2022]

I struggle to forgive Disney for ruining the morning extra magic hours. I loved the lesson it taught kids about the advantages of getting up early and how the early birds gets the worm. I have family that still rave today about how cool it was to be able to hit the most popular rides, which had 2 hour+ lines in the afternoons, multiple times jn a row in the morning. And, admittedly, I like to get the indirect credit for dragging their whiney butts out of bed.

[@krisrhood2127]

Can you keep the mugs?

[@wardactivity]

Yes

[@Pretear521]

Does the hotel on Disney properties hold our luggage while we go to the water park waiting for check in?

[@Mary-dt2ty]

Yes

[@Sarahmint]

Like what? That they give you early access to the parks in the morning?

[@timjordanart]

We are going in 2025 and love the idea of free Waterpark ticket on check in day! I'm at odds however how to pull it off as best as possible. (We will be driving in from GA) With check in being at 3pm, do we check in, drop off our things, get ready and head over there? or drive down to Orlando early to go to the Waterpark first at an earlier time before 3pm and get a longer stay? is that even allowed? Do they need proof we have checked in or will they allow us in because we are going to check in? Also will we have to pay for parking at the park? Hopefully you guys at DFB can break this down in a video, I love your thoughts and investigations throughout Disney Vacations.

[@dfbbreea]

All great questions! Honestly, if you wanted to, you could just go to the water park FIRST thing. Since you can keep your luggage in your car, there’s really not a huge need to swing by your hotel and drop it off at Bell Services (unless you need something refrigerated for the time being). You can still check into your hotel via the My Disney Experience App, too - saving you even more time!

[@dfbbreea]

OH - and, yes, parking is FREE at the water parks!

[@timjordanart]

@@dfbbreea Oh yeah that's true, checking in with the App. Good idea!

[@timjordanart]

@@dfbbreea Great! Thank you so much!

[@kellyoyen3421]

I just got done with work so that's why I'm just leaving a comment. I had sn AWESOME time at the firemens dance Saturday night and my aunt Jody and cousin Quentin are back so hopefully that are some AWESOME videos this week so I van show them to my aunt Jody

[@BillWilt-lp8pq]

when will the 2025 book come out

[@texasburbs4380]

Oh how I wish more people would use babysitting services....LOL!

[@docvose]

Diet Coke!!!!! Another reason to love Disney World is the exclusivity of Coke Products.

[@ziggy4465]

While I’m still a huge Disney fan and a DVC member, not visiting the theme parks anytime soon. DVC has different cancellation policies that are more in line with the old resort policies. The parks themselves have become rundown and are missing the old magic they used to have. In the 1990s, the parks were meticulously maintained. You never saw a construction worker, you never heard a construction worker. Items that required repairs or refurbishment were done OVERNIGHT. No one was inconvenienced on their vacation. Lines, they only had them on weekends, holidays, and over the summer and they never exceeded 60 minutes. Line skipping (really line shortening) options were free of charge. Most of the time, we didn’t need to use them. With all the modern advancements, you would think that Disney would come up with a system that maximizes park goer enjoyment. They haven’t done that in a long time. Love these podcasts, keeps me up to date on the action without the frustration. Eventually I’ll start going to the parks again, but it probably won’t be until I move back to Orlando in a few years.

[@dyrussdiscord7349]

77 days till my trip

[@nobreyner60]

Then can he get the money from the neighbor?

[@aaaaaaaaaa97]

The island tower hotel is ugly and unimaginative. They built a regular hotel because it is cheaper but it ruins the whole vibe Polynesian had going. So happy they scrapped building a regular looking bland hotel in for wilderness resort.

[@CrownS-n-LessonS]

I would h8 to be on vacation or in a hotel with some of these ppl commenting! Yikes!!! Pull ur drawls out ya behind they seen to be too tight!! This is a fun vacation vlog not an English course or preschool for babies that cry bc u don’t agree with EVERYTHING she says… P.S. ur families don’t want u to come with them on vacations either they told me to tell u 😂😂

[@RhodeIslandDude]

Whenever I go to the parks, I take my resort refillable mug, and I refill my soda at the restaurants I go to it saves me money. 😊

[@crabbypapa3862]

I take it you are referring to restaurants where you have the option of refilling yourself? Last I heard the chip in the mug only allows the mug to refill for a certain amount of time.

[@RhodeIslandDude]

I love glow. Gorgeous ladies of wrestling. 😊

[@CarolCityCane305]

Disney has no all inclusive resorts that’s BS

[@zerokool327]

damn, im early.

[@nicka113]

WDW and American food in general is awful. Happy to be back from a 14 night trip, no more chicken strips and hot dogs or pasta covered in marinara or "Italian" as you would call it.

[@CarissaHelmer88]

Sounds like you went to the wrong restaurants.

[@edolls]

oop im early

[@shanestuddard2606]

The word Yummy. Does that really represent a professional review of food? Can we please choose other words that adequately describe dining choices?

[@TheMIkenet]

No

[@ibeg4sushi]

“We” can go make our own channel. AJ and her awesome team do an incredible job at everything they do. And what they do is yummy. Disney is yummy. And having a fun time is so very, very yummy indeed.

[@kellydeal72]

Lighten up Francis……

[@tiffanyblitz]

It's not the Michelin Guide ... It's vacation fun. Yummy!

[@quijames777]

@@kellydeal72right 😂😂😂