Is it Worth Staying in a Walt Disney World Resort Preferred Room?
I prefer to stay in a Walt Disney World resort preferred room, and here’s why. Just picture this… you have just spent an entire day at Magic Kingdom from rope drop to the kiss goodnight. You take a bus back to your resort, exhausted after a fun-filled day. You just can’t wait to take your shoes off and crawl into that nice comfy Disney bed. You get off of the bus and you have a 10 to 15-minute walk across the resort to your room. Sound like fun? Nope, not at all. Especially after walking all day.
Now let’s say that you booked a Walt Disney World resort preferred room. That walk to your room will be five minutes or less. That sounds much better, doesn’t it?
Location, location, location
There is a reason that preferred rooms are named that way—they are all about location. A Walt Disney World resort preferred room is located in the most preferred area of the resort. They are typically the closest to the main building of the resort. The main buildings house dining, gift shops, and have a bus stop close by. Super Convenient!
Another perk of Walt Disney World resort preferred rooms is that they are also typically closer to the main pool at the resort. While many resorts have multiple pools, one will be designated the “main pool”. These pools are typically the largest and have the most features. At most resorts, you will find the main pool in close vicinity to the main building. For those who spend a lot of time at the pool, Walt Disney World resort preferred rooms are for you.
Even if you don’t spend a lot of time at the pool, preferred rooms may still be for you too. My family usually only plans a small amount of pool time per trip. Because of this, we don’t like to spend a lot of time walking to and from that pool. That is one of the many reasons we choose to book the preferred rooms at Walt Disney World resorts.
Walt Disney World resort preferred rooms vs. standard rooms
While they do usually cost a little more money, the price difference of a Walt Disney World resort preferred room vs. a Walt Disney World resort standard room is typically minimal. The benefits outweigh the price difference in my opinion, especially at the larger resorts. My favorite Walt Disney World resort preferred rooms to stay in are All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, Saratoga Springs, and Pop Century. You can also find preferred rooms at All-Star Sports, Port Orleans Riverside, and Coronado Springs Resorts.
Many may wonder, am I giving up anything by choosing to stay in a Walt Disney World resort preferred room? The answer is, absolutely not! You are only gaining convenience. Preferred rooms are the same size, design, and layout as the rest of the rooms at the resort. They have the same exact amenities and views too. Location is literally the only difference.
Tips for booking a Walt Disney World resort preferred room
When booking a Walt Disney World resort preferred room, I highly suggest looking at the maps for each resort and determining where the preferred rooms are located. Some of the larger resorts, such as Saratoga Springs, have multiple different sections of preferred rooms. You can request to be within a certain section. For example, on my most recent trip to Walt Disney World we stayed at Saratoga Springs for a portion of our trip. We knew we were going to book a preferred villa because we wanted convenience.
For those who may be unfamiliar with Saratoga Springs, it is split up into five different sections, The Grandstand, The Carousel, The Paddock, The Springs, and Congress Park. There are preferred rooms in the Springs section as well as in the Congress Park section. The preferred rooms in the Springs section tend to be the most popular because they are the closest to the main building, the Carriage House as well as the main pool and most of the dining at the resort. It is also close to the club house for those who wish to enjoy the golf course.
We chose to request the preferred rooms in Congress Park. These rooms are preferred because they are the closest to Disney Springs. In fact, it is just a short 5 to 7-minute walk. While quite a distance from the main building, we stayed at this resort during the days that we planned to spend at Disney Springs, so we preferred to be closest to the walking path. What a great decision that was!
How do you know if staying in a Walt Disney World Resort Preferred Room is best for your vacation?
That is an easy question! Contact a travel advisor that specializes in Walt Disney World, like me! I can guide you through the options so you can make the best decision for your vacation.
About the author
Amber Beals
Amber is a registered nurse by trade and Disney lover at heart. Her caring attitude plus her love for all things Disney made becoming a Disney travel planner a no-brainer. Her bucket list includes staying at each and every Walt Disney World resort at least once. And with more than 18 trips to Walt Disney World, she’s well on her way.
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