When it comes to booking a Disney vacation one of the biggest questions is, should we book a Disney hotel or not? Disney vacations are not cheap but when it comes down to it whether booking a vacation at one of their hotels vs. not might just depend on the type of vacation you are wanting. Of course there are obvious things like you are closer to the parks so it is a very convenient location, the theming keeps you in the Disney bubble but we'll just look at what is included as that is really the make or break it. In order for you to make your own informed decision, here are what you get on site and questions to ask yourself to make the right decision for you.

Disney wants you to be happy as happy people spend more money and if you have no barriers to spending then you not only will lose track of your spending, you will spend more so Disney wants your butt in one of their rooms. Due to this they have come up with lots of amenities that will make you feel the value of staying in one of their rooms.

Perks: (due to COVID some of these have changed in 2021, reconfirm before booking)

1. Before you begin, the Disney website makes it super easy to book everything - hotel, tickets, and Dining Plans. The payment plan is straight forward so you know when your final bill is due.
   
2. As you are staying at a Disney hotel you get to book FastPass reservations 60 days and Dining 190 days prior to your arrival. This is huge as places like Beauty and the Beast Castle or Space Mountain fills up so fricken quick that if you don't have this access there is no way you are getting in unless you are lucky.
   
3. Once the final bill is paid then (if you live in the USA) your Magic Bands and luggage tags are delivered to you a few weeks before your trip. If you don't live in the US then the Magic Bands will be at the resort when you check in. You will however get travel tags that match the colour of the Magic Band you picked.
   
4. Magical Express - no car rental, cab, or hassles of finding directions. Everyone gets on the coach, it is Disney themed so you feel like you are getting to the park early. If you are travelling domestically and put the yellow baggage tags that came in the mail on your luggage, Disney will even collect your bags for you. Kids will usually be enthralled with the excitement of this instead of asking "are we there yet" while you are driving. This is Disney's first step - you arrive destressed and happy (this service ends 1-Jan-2022)
   
5. the MyDisney App is now your room key. Get to the front desk and don't want to wait in line? Not a problem. Head straight to your room that is listed in the app, turn on Bluetooth, swipe it as the door, and voila! you are in your room. You'll still have to get your wrist bands but the front desks are 24/7 so you can get settled and then head on down to get what you need
   
6. As mentioned you get your choice of free Magic Bands ($13 savings) per person and you have the option to upgrade to a collectors / specialty band for a discounted rate. You also get to customize (i.e. add a name or word on the inside of the band) for free which can come in handy if you are travelling with multiple people. (Disney is moving more into using the App so soon you may not need magic bands so I would assume they no longer provide them for free)
   
7. you have access to the Extra Magic Hours (read my article on that for more information)
   
8. various transportation between the resorts and parks right from door to door
   
9. free resort package delivery (buy something in the park and it is delivered to your Hotel's gift shop the next day)
   
10. room charging privileges (just tap your magic band and it goes onto your room account to be paid at the end of the trip)
    
11. free airline check in (domestic flights only) at kiosks in the hotel lobby
    
12. Minnie Van's (operated by Lyft and driven by Cast Members) are only offered to guests saying on site as they can get you closer than a regular Uber or Lyft (you do pay a bit more though for this)
    
13. if you book a Club Level room then you get even more amenities
    
14. character wake up call
    
15. if you purchase a Memory Maker and are staying offsite, you may not be able to use all of the items connected to it

What is a Good Neighbor hotel? These are offsite hotels that Disney has approved as meeting their Disney standards for quality service, are AAA approved, are within a certain distance to the parks, most include a complimentary breakfast, and feature a staff member who is trained in Disney. Staying onsite just may not be in the budget and there is nothing wrong with that. If you have stayed at Disneyland's Good Neighbor Hotels, they have different perks than the Disneyworld offerings. To check out available Good Neighbor Hotels check the list out here.

1. is there a free shuttle to the parks? if there is a free shuttle, how often does it run? where does it drop you off (it won't be at the park gates...). If you miss the shuttle what are the other transit options?
2. if we have a car rental, does the hotel have parking? how much does parking cost (at our hotel & at Disney)? Do we need a car seat? Can we bring our own? Is the insurance covered under our credit card or do we need additional? Are the tolls included (in Florida the highways are tolled)? how much is gas?
   
3. how far is the hotel from the parks?
   
4. how far is it from the airport to the hotel? what transportation options are there?
   
5. how often do the kids take naps (if any) or need to rest?
   
6. how well do the kids do in the heat or with crowds?
   
7. is the price worth the hassle (re: transit time, additional costs, flexibility, etc)?
   
8. do we just want to make this a Disney vacation or do we want to do other things as well?
   
9. how much cheaper is an off-site hotel vs. an onsite hotel? if it is not a lot, do the additional perks make a difference?
   

When it comes to our stay's, at Disneyland we generally stay at a Good Neighbor hotel as they are usually within walking distance (Our go to was the Carousel Inn & Suites for its Disney history and fantastic location but it was purchased by Disney in 2015 and demolished sometime between 2016 - 2019 for a failed Disney project. Our next options would be the Tropicana or Camelot due to how close they are to the park entrance). Disneyland does run coaches from LAX and John Wayne airport for a fee so check to see if Super Shuttle is cheaper or if the hotel you are looking at offers a complimentary shuttle.

For DisneyWorld we prefer to stay on site as we find a lot of off-site properties that run complimentary shuttles only run one in the morning and one in the evening (well before the fireworks) so timing is a pain plus and additional cost I'm sure and we like the perks, the reduced travel time before hotel / parks, and the Disney bubble.