Staying OFF-PROPERTY can be a cost-effective way to enjoy Disney World without paying Disney World prices, but there are some tips and realities you need to be aware of before committing to this type of lodging.
©Marriott
Good Neighbor Hotels are nearby hotels that are usually more affordable than Disney-owned hotels but are still partnered with Disney World to provide quality services, such as transportation and early entry to the theme parks in some cases. Over 40 hotels from major brands like Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and many more make up the list of Good Neighbor Hotels, and we spent hours upon hours conducting research to discover some secrets general tourists might be missing.
One of our reporters spent hours examining each and every Disney World hotel — both Disney-owned and Good Neighbor Hotels — looking at special quirks, specific offerings, and reading all the fine print that’s usually glossed over. In her studies, she found some pretty important secrets that we’ve felt compelled to reveal!
You can’t always trust non-Disney shuttles
Non-Disney shuttles may NOT always be your friend. Several Good Neighbor Hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from the Disney World Resort, but sometimes they aren’t easily accessible.
Parks Shuttle
For some of these hotels, shuttle schedules can be SUPER limited and may only take you to certain parks instead of all of them. Some hotel shuttles may drop you off well AFTER park opening or pick up way BEFORE park closing. Some shuttles don’t do drop-offs while others don’t do pickups — forcing you to plan alternate means of transportation.
Uber at EPCOT
If you’re staying at a non-Disney hotel, just be very, very careful. Relying on those outside shuttles can be a BIG mistake if you have a big to-do list and are trying to stick to a time-based itinerary. You’ll want to visit the website of your Good Neighbor Hotel to find shuttle specifics, or call and ask questions if those specifics are hard to find.
The hidden fees will get ya
ALWAYS CHECK FOR RESORT FEES!!! While some Good Neighbor Hotels don’t have any resort fees, others do, so booking will require a little bit of scouting.
©Disney
When we were doing our hotel homework, we searched for dates, selected a room, got the final pricing, and examined all the fine print details. Right before you check out, you’ll usually see things fully priced out — including those pesky resort fees.
©Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando
The trick is to go all the way to basically almost booking a reservation to make sure you’re seeing accurate pricing. From there, you can make an informed decision. These checkout pages also feature loads of other useful tips, like cancellation deadlines, refund policies, important operational hours, other “hidden” fees, and more hotel information. If you’re dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars on a room, it doesn’t hurt to spend a couple of minutes to verify what you’re paying for.
Dining options can be rough
Sometimes, on-site dining for some of these non-Disney hotels is VERY limited. Some might include free breakfast and a grab-and-go “restaurant”, others might also have a pool bar, and some of the higher-end options might feature various restaurants. It all depends on which of the 40+ hotels you choose.
Delta Orlando
The important thing to remember is that these are NOT the Disney-owned hotels when it comes to food. If you’re banking on a food court that even the lowest tier of Disney World hotels have, you might be out of luck. Hot food, restaurants, and plentiful dining options are not a universal feature of Good Neighbor Hotels. While some hotels do have some wonderful dining options, there are many that will leave you out to dry. We also recommend checking out your hotel’s dining details to see what they offer, because it may be VERY different than what you’re used to if you were used to a Disney World hotel.
Breakfast is included in your stay at some Good Neighbor Hotels.
As a bonus secret, it’s important to note that amenities aren’t always printed in black and white. Some hotels might not have certain amenities on their own, but may have relationships with neighboring hotels that have special perks. For example, the Swan Reserve has access to the Swan and Dolphin hotels’ amenities, but you do need to make the 5-to-7-minute walk there. In our studies, there were other non-Disney hotels that had similar situations — maybe they didn’t have an elaborate pool, but they had a partnership with a hotel next to them that had something cool that you could access.
Ultimately, it always comes down to doing research of your own! Our reporter spent hours looking at every hotel, but if you narrow down your preferred choices to just one or a few, it shouldn’t take you nearly as long to see what’s available to you and which hotels make sense for your budget, needs, and itinerary.
We’re constantly examining the Disney World hotels and staying at them ourselves to get a better understanding of what you can expect during your next vacation! We’ll continue to relay all the latest Disney World hotel (both Good Neighbor AND Disney-owned) updates, tips, and reviews, so keep it posted right here at the Disney Food Blog to stay in the know!
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My son & I were in Orlando to take in a college bb tourney his Alma mater was playing in. Planned to hit the parks but didn’t want to pay to stay on property. Like you, I did a little research & found some partner hotels. We stayed at Signia by Hilton & it was fantastic. Hotel was clean & modern. Several restaurants on property or at neighboring Waldorf. Outstanding pool area with a lazy river. Location was perfect…centrally located so furthest park was 20 min shuttle ride. The shuttles were also top notch…full sized tour bus which ran every couple hours. We drove ourselves to the ESPN facilities literally eight minutes away. While we LOVE the theming & immersion of staying on property, my wife and I are seriously considering staying here on our next trip.
You won’t save a ton of money staying at the Swan or Dolphin as their resort and parking fees are high and really add on to the room and taxes. But sometimes you can get a good deal, especially if your dates are flexible. The only downside to staying there is that you will want to walk to Yacht or Beach to take bus to MK as their bus drops you off at the Ticket Center. Upside is you can take the boat or walk to Epcot and HS.
We also like the Flamingo .crossing hotels, but their downside is that you need a car and will have to pay parking fees. However, even adding parking fees in daily, these hotels are half of what you pay in the Disney bubble. The other downside is no restaurants inside these hotels, so plan to eat lunch and dinner in the parks or at a restaurant nearby.
When my husband and I go alone or with older grandchildren, we always stay offsite. If we go with young grandchildren, we stay onsite.