Staying at a Walt Disney World resort can work out as more expensive than staying off-site – but trust us, it comes with some seriously magical, cost-saving perks.
From stunningly themed hotels (some, like the All Stars, come with giant Disney props, while others are a beautiful tribute to times gone by) to beautiful grounds and unbeatable convenience, Disney resorts also come with a surprising number of free perks that many guests don’t even know about.
From transport to water park access, here are some free things you can enjoy just by being a Disney resort guest for the UK.
1) Ride Disney’s Transportation System – for free!
One of the best perks of staying in a Disney hotel? For the whole length of your stay, you don’t need to touch a steering wheel.
Disney’s transportation network is huge, seamless, and completely magical:
🚍 Buses that run regularly between hotels, parks, and Disney Springs
🚤 Boats that glide across the lakes and waterways – an unexpectedly peaceful way to travel
🚝 The Monorail, looping around the Magic Kingdom resorts and gliding over to Epcot
🚡 The Disney Skyliner – these are cable cars that connect resorts like Pop Century, Art of Animation, the Riviera and Caribbean Beach to Epcot and Hollywood Studios
No parking, no navigating highways — just hop on and go. Every resort guest can use all of this for free, no matter which hotel you’re staying in. If you do need to venture off-site occasionally, we’d recommend hiring an Uber or a Lyft, or checking out an organised tour to somewhere like the Kennedy Space Centre – if it’s just for the occasional day trip, it usually works out more cost effective than hiring a car.
2) Enjoy free water park access
As a Disney resort guest from the UK, one of the best bits of magic you get is free water‑park access for the duration of your stay when you book a seven or 14-day park ticket. Disney loads a complimentary ticket for either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach into your My Disney Experience account, so you can make a splash your holiday.
- Typhoon Lagoon brings shipwrecked theming, a lazy river, palm trees, and that famous tidal wave.
- Blizzard Beach is a tropical ski resort gone delightfully wrong, complete with snowy slopes in the sunshine.
Note: these two parks usually open on alternating schedules, so they’re rarely open at the same time. Be sure to check which park is open on the day of your visit so you can plan accordingly.
We’re big fans of Disney’s water parks and length-of-stay access means you can keep cooling off, riding slides, or floating down the lazy river throughout your holiday — all included in your ticket.
3) Visit Disney Springs – no ticket needed
✨ Walt Disney World’s shopping, recreation and dining area Disney Springs is completely free to enter — and it’s one of the loveliest places to spend a few hours without touching your park tickets.
Take a boat or bus from your resort and wander around:
- beautifully designed shopping areas
- lakeside bars
- top-tier restaurants like The Boathouse, Summer House on the Lake, Raglan Road, and more (read our reviews)
- live entertainment around every corner
Parking is even free if you’re driving, but most resort guests prefer the free buses.
Note on transportation: While Disney provides buses (and, in some cases, boats) from your resort to Disney Springs, you usually cannot get free direct transportation from the theme parks. To catch a bus to Springs, you often need to go via your resort first.
A word of warning: although it’s free to visit, your wallet may start tingling once you walk past those shops!
To find out more, read our piece Is it worth going to Disney Springs?
4) Free resort activities and entertainment
Many Disney resorts offer complimentary activities that guests often miss entirely:
- Evening campfires with marshmallow toasting
- Outdoor movies under the stars
- Beautiful walking trails, lakeside paths and quiet spots to unwind. You can often find a map of these nature trails or ‘hidden Mickey’ challenges in your resort shop, just by asking.
- Seasonal crafts or games, depending on your resort’s schedule. We even got to play miniature golf for free at the wonderful Fantasia site, after catching a boat to the Swan and Dolphin hotels – but do ask if this is included in your package.
Activities vary by hotel, but your daily resort activity sheet (available in the lobby or on the resort TVs) will show everything happening during your stay – and much of it doesn’t cost anything. We’d particularly recommend the outdoor movies – it’s a lovely way to unwind if you’re not at a park.
5) Free dining and the resort refillable mug
🍽️ Every year – normally around Easter – Disney releases its famous Free Dining Plan deal. When you book a qualifying Disney resort package, the regular Disney Dining Plan (which lets you pre-pay for meals at Disney) becomes free.
We think this is one of the best Disney deals around. Our calculations show that, thanks to this deal and room availability, there were savings of up to £5,600 at Coronado Springs compared with last year. See our piece on Is now the best time to book a Disney World holiday for more information.
A few things to note:
- The free dining deal doesn’t include table-service meals — you’ll get two quick-service meals plus a snack per day.
- Adding table-service meals for a fortnight’s stay typically costs just under £1,000 per person extra.
- Even if the free dining deal isn’t running when you visit, it’s worth keeping an eye out for this deal next year.
We have lots more information about the Disney Dining Plan on our site – read Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it in 2026? and Our honest experiences using the Disney Dining Plan.
And one extra perk: your resort mug!
- If you’re on a dining plan, you get a Resort-Refillable Mug for the length of your stay.
- The mug can be refilled unlimited times at your hotel’s self-service beverage stations with soft drinks (including coke or refreshing Minute Maid lemonade), coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. We do wish Disney offered a mug recycling scheme for the end of your stay though – we have a cupboard full of mugs at home!
6) Free access to Disney’s miniature golf courses
Walt Disney World has two fabulous mini-golf courses. They are: the Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course, which is next to Blizzard Beach, and the Fantasia Gardens course, which is next to the Swan and Dolphin hotels (accessible via a boat from Epcot’s International Gateway entrance).
UK guests often get length-of-stay access to these sites included in their tickets… check when you book your seven or 14-day Magic tickets to be sure. This is really important because we DID NOT realise this on our Disney holiday and actually paid for our first round of golf at Fantasia (around $50 for the three of us), before working it out in time for our second round.
Mini-golf is a great way to get some downtime from the parks, although bear in mind that – if you don’t have a car – Winter Summerland can be a bit tricky to get to if Blizzard Beach is closed, as the easiest way to access it is via the Blizzard Beach bus.
Bonus tip: stay hydrated in the parks for free!
That Florida sun can be intense. So remember, free iced water at Quick-Service locations is available to all guests in the parks, not just Disney resort hotel guests. Anyone can ask for a cup of ice water at any Quick-Service counter – it’s part of Disney’s standard service. If you bring your own bottle or flask, you can keep it topped up with water to stay refreshed in the queues.
So do the freebies make an on-site stay worth it?
Staying at a Walt Disney World resort may cost more upfront, but the free perks — from transportation to water parks, Disney Springs, resort activities, and the dining plan with your mug — add real value and extra magic to your holiday.
If you want the full Disney experience, staying on-site is a great way to make your trip more convenient, relaxing, and memorable. And sign up below to get more magical tips delivered straight to your inbox.
