Touring Walt Disney World Resorts

My fabulous travel agency, Diserella Travel hosted a mini training session on Walt Disney World property at the end of February, specifically to get familiar with Disney's resort hotels. I had the pleasure of participating and it was so informative. I just wanted to share my experience and some photos here for my wonderful readers.

We spent 2 jam packed days walking and talking about the Walt Disney World bubble, clients, and what kind of experience each hotel offers. Now, I knew a fair amount about many of these resorts going in, but I felt like my knowledge was tiny compared to what I received during this weekend. The sheer scale of them is not to be underestimated. If you have only been at the parks, just know there is SO much more to the Walt Disney World resort area.

I especially enjoyed exploring the diverse dining and shopping options you can only experience at the resorts. It's totally worth it to take some time to "resort hop" at these gorgeous properties. There is so much to do without ever crossing the gates of one of the parks, so much to eat, so much cute merch and many fun experiences to be had. Resorts can be visited by the general public and this is how we got to see as much as we did, the key is knowing how to get to each one.

We took every kind of transportation imaginable, besides a plane around the resort property on this trip. Boats small and large, trains, gondolas buses and cars. The first day was dedicated primarily to the Skyliner resorts, the hotels that have transportation to and from the parks in the unique gondola in the sky system that's based at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. As someone afraid of heights, this was a growth experience for me. My sister had to talk me through my first leg of the Skyliner, and my lovely team of fellow agents helped me with the rest. By the end of the day I'd ridden most of the routes, including the tallest that goes to Epcot's International Gateway, and had begun to enjoy it. I love how convenient and quick the Skyliner is, and the scenic element it adds to every resort its present in.

I particularly fell in love with Art of Animation. Y'all know I'm a sucker for theming and have the taste in activities of a kid. So giant animated characters, bright colors and artistic nods to the artists that shaped Disney were so my style. I was also impressed by the Riviera resort's beautiful details, including "The Library" a hangout spot full of dark academia vibes and quiet workspaces. Two very different resorts, but I greatly enjoyed them both.

We ended this day at Whispering Canyon Cafe, after walking around the very impressive Wilderness Lodge. Not along a Skyliner route, we took an Uber over to this homey feeling hotel that I noted, reminded me of architecture that can be seen around my homeland of the Ozarks. I was pleased to identify that Wilderness Lodge is also directly inspired by Yellowstone Lodge, a gorgeous classic American hotel inside the borders of Yellowstone National Park. (I visited the restaurant as a kid and ate a grilled chicken dinner that felt tre fancy for my 12 year old self) From Wilderness Lodge my team boarded a boat that carried us over the peaceful waters of Lake Buena Vista and back to the start of our route.

On the second day we visited the resorts surrounding Disney's Boardwalk. If you've never been to Walt Disney World, or have visited but not specifically looked into the Boardwalk area, you might not know that Disney has second entertainment and dining district that doesn't require a ticket. This smaller-than-Disney-Springs area boasts some all-time classics like Jelly Rolls dance club, and Beaches and Cream Ice Cream Parlor, and one of Disney's newest delights, the luxe Cake Bake Shoppe. On this day my new dream stay became Disney's Boardwalk Inn that sits in the middle of all this action and reminds me of the beachside hotels I stayed at as a kid on Galveston Island, but with more Disney whimsy.

We wrapped up this day by checking out some Monorail resorts, resorts that sit along the iconic train system of Walt Disney World. Though, we walked to the first one, the Contemporary. The Contemporary seemed like the ultimate location for maximum convenience. So close to the parks you can see fireworks at night, lots of food and shopping and the Monorail comes right inside your hotel to pick you up. Though the ultimate Disney hotel, came after a short trip from that lobby train.

Disney's Polynesian Resort is an absolute dream property for many Disney fans. This resort has a vintage feel on top of the island centric design. Though the Grand Floridian is the flagship resort at Walt Disney World, I could see the argument that the Poly is even more iconic. My biggest takeaway from this visit was that I should be suggestion the Poly's quick service dining to all my park guests going to Magic Kingdom (So there's a free tip for you, if you like that and want more book a trip with me by emailing suzannah@diserella.com to start your consultation process, it's no cost to you!) because the food we ate here SLAPPED.

We had an excellent and productive chat about marketing, clients, and what platforms make planning trips most effective over a huge serving of Mickey beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. A hotel that swept me away to staying with friends near New Orleans and visiting the French Quarter's shopping and dining. Then, we parted ways for the weekend. Man, it flew by and left my head brimming with new information and beautiful sights. I can't wait to use the wealth of knowledge I gained to plan magical vacations for my clients.

If you're skeptical about staying on site at WDW because of the cost let me tell you from firsthand experience, the convenience of transportation, the best parking experience, unmatched, beautiful pools, boutique experiences only available at the resorts more than make up the cost. If you want to have the most relaxing, efficient vacation at Walt Disney World, stay in the magic. If you want to see me get detailed about more of the resorts I visited follow my agent facebook page here. I barely scratched the surface here. And if you're planning a Walt Disney World Vacation, I'd love to be on your team. My pay is already included in your package, so use the services you're paying for and work with a travel advisor who has already learned the big amount of info necessary to make a Disney trip fun! I bet I visited a resort that'd be perfect for you!

A special thank you to Rachel Welch, a fellow agent that contributed photos to this post! And to Diserella Travel/Melanie Pendrak for hosting such an informative experience at the resorts!

The Contemporary's 4th floor Monorail station. I love the huge amount of light in this area!

Art of Animation features larger-than-life characters from classic Disney films. (and THREE themed pools)

I love seeing the Skyliner overhead throughout the resorts along the route, it adds such an element of magic knowing you are just a ride away to the parks.

Lunch at the Polynesion! I had the coconut meatballs, and they were lovely. It's not a meal at this resort without those iconic noodles in the bottom left though.