Resort-Hopping at Walt Disney World

When people think about Walt Disney World, you think of the different parks, park hopping, rides, meals and a full day of walking and being out and about. But there is a different way to be out and about on a Disney trip. This is where I introduce you to: resort hopping! Each resort has a unique theming, and it’s own vibe where you feel like you’re in a different place each resort you step into. While you can’t use certain things like the pools when resort hopping, you are welcome to walk around, check out the shops, or my favorite, eat and have a drink! One of the most important things to keep in mind if you are going to resort-hop is to have a plan. With 32 resorts, it may be hard to narrow down the resorts you want to go visit. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning to resort hop: transportation, starting early, staying organized!

Make sure you know how you’re going to resort hop! The great thing about Walt Disney World is, wherever you are, there will be an easy form of transportation. My group decided we would resort hop in the Magic Kingdom area so that we could easily take the monorail from place to place. The monorail serves the Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and the Polynesian Resort. We started our day with a stop at Enchanted Rose Lounge in the Grand Floridian for a few drinks and an appetizer. After chit chatting and watching the water parade on the Seven Seas Lagoon from the window, we walked over to the Polynesian Resort to get ready for our next stop at Trader Sam’s. The great thing about this location is you can either take the beautiful walkway from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian or take the monorail!

The next important thing to keep in mind when resort-hopping is timing. The first time we went on our resort-hopping adventure, we started way too late into the evening to properly enjoy everything we wanted to do. After our drinks at the Enchanted Rose and Trader Sam’s, our next stop was going to be the Contemporary Resort, which is a quick ride on the Monorail. We enjoyed our time so much in the outdoor patio of Trader Sam’s that we lost track of time (which is totally fine!), just be sure to alter your plans to make sure you’re within operating hours of the restaurants or lounges you’d like to visit.

Finally, it’s very important to stay organized. We made the choice to stay within the Magic Kingdom area and it worked out perfectly because we were able to enjoy our drinks in each place and use the quick transportation available to us. After enjoying our drinks within the Magic Kingdom area resorts and scratching the Contemporary Resort due to timing, we decided to take the Monorail to Magic Kingdom and take the bus to Port Orleans for some beignets. This is where it’s important to stay organized and keep watch of time! This was a spur of the decision and while those can sometimes make the best memories, it wasn’t a great one because we didn’t check the appropriate times for the location that serves beignets. We got to Port Orleans and the cafe was closed! If I were to do this again, we would definitely stick to getting drinks like when we started out in the Magic Kingdom area and wrap it up. You can definitely do a snack or restaurant focus on a different resort-hopping experience. 

Sure, plans can change or things can go one way or another when you’re actually there but laying out a plan with transportation and knowing closing times is key when it comes to resort-hopping to get the most out of your day! Walt Disney World has so much to offer both in and out of the park so no matter what, you’ll be sure to have fun!