Hi Arika! That is a fantastic question when planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation! I think I can answer it with some great news!
Yes, you are welcome to dine at any of the Disney Dining restaurants within the many resort hotels even if you are not a registered Guest of that hotel! For example, Chef Mickey’s is located in Disney’s Contemporary Resort hotel. You need not be a Guest of that hotel to enjoy dining at the restaurant!
A few years ago, my family was staying with my in-laws, who live outside of Orlando. We decided to make a reservation for the Grand Floridian Café which is located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. We drove over, parked at the hotel, and enjoyed a great dinner and shopping at the resort before returning to my in-laws. It was a perfect way to enjoy an evening!
Also, keep in mind that you may park at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel free of charge as long as you are there to enjoy the dining, shopping, entertainment, or recreation available at the resort!
Finally, Arika, while walk-up dining is possible at times, I strongly recommend making advanced dining reservations! You can make dining reservations up to 60 days prior to your desired dining date!
Happy Planning!
Jonathan
FAQs
A: Yes. All Guests have complimentary access to our network of monorails, buses and boats. If you would like to visit multiple parks, enjoy a nice dinner at one of the Disney Resort hotels or shop at Disney Springs, you can leave your car parked in the theme park lot and use our transportation network.
How does Genie Plus work staying off property? ›
While you have to enter a theme park to activate Genie+, you do not have to stay in the park. Once you have entered a park for the day, you can leave and make Lightning Lane selections from anywhere — Downtown Disney, your hotel room or a restaurant. Of course, you'll have to hop back into the park in time to ride!
Can I park at a Disney Resort if I'm not staying there? ›
Will Guests visiting Disney Resort hotels during the day be charged for parking? Complimentary standard self-parking is available for Guests visiting Disney Resort hotels for the day to enjoy select dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation experiences.
Do you get free parking if you stay at a Disney Resort? ›
Disney Resort Hotel Parking
If you are a Guest staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you receive complimentary standard parking at Disney theme parks for the length of your Resort stay.
Can you visit Disney resorts if you are not staying there? ›
Most areas of the resorts are available to visit, but although Disney resort hopping is allowed, typically pool hopping at Disney World is not. You will not be able to go to the pools at the Disney resorts as a non-guest because they require a room key (MagicBand or MagicBand+) from people staying at that resort.
Do Good Neighbor hotels get extra magic hours? ›
Extra Magic Hours
This allows you to experience select attractions within both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, outside of normal operation hours, before the public. If you're staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel, you don't get this special perk.
How to avoid parking fees at Disney World resorts? ›
Overnight self-parking is complimentary to Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels at Walt Disney World Resort. Complimentary standard parking is available to Guests staying at The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.
Can you eat at Disney resorts without staying there? ›
Do I need to stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel to eat at the hotel restaurants? A: No. The restaurants at the 3 Hotels of the Disneyland Resort are open to all Guests.
Can you park at a Disney Resort if you're not a guest? ›
It is not allowed for guests who are not staying at the Resort to park and use other means to enter the Parks. Disney Security is very diligent at checking every car that enters the Resorts to help create a safe environment for all guests.
Can you bring food into Disney? ›
Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverage items into the park for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers and do not require heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration or temperature control and do not have pungent odors.
I am happy to help you consider how to book your magical Walt Disney World vacation! The short answer to your question is that yes, you can first book a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel stay, and then later book your Disney theme park tickets.
How to park at Disney for cheap? ›
The best way to get the cheapest parking at Disneyland is with a Magic Key. The top tier Magic Key, the Inspire Key, includes FREE parking while the Believe Key includes 50% off parking. The Enchant Key and the Imagine Key both include 25% off parking. All of these discounts exclude each passes blockout dates.
Do you have to stay at the Disney Resort to use the bus? ›
Before we get started, you should know that Walt Disney World's on site transportation system has no requirement that you be staying on property or at a particular resort. And most of the transportation options on site are free.
Is there free transportation from Disney resorts to parks? ›
Complimentary Resort transportation begins 45 minutes prior to Disney theme park opening time and up to 1 hour after Disney theme park closing time. Additionally, buses operate until 11:00 PM from the Disney Springs area.
Can you ride the monorail without a ticket? ›
Can anyone ride the monorail at Disney World? Yes! The Walt Disney World monorail is completely free and is open for any guest to ride without a ticket. Just know that you may have to pay for parking if you're looking to park and ride.
Do Disney buses go from hotel to hotel? ›
Disney Transportation does not offer direct resort-to-resort transportation. The strategy that you would use would be to board a bus at either resort, then travel to either Disney Springs or a Disney Park, get off the bus, and then board a bus headed toward the other resort where the rest of your party is staying.
