Extra Magic Hours and 60-Day FastPass+ benefit to continue into 2019 for Disney Springs area hotels

Sep 05, 2018 in "Walt Disney World Resorts"

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Posted: Wednesday September 5, 2018 1:37pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Guests of the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels will continue to be able to take part in the Extra Magic Hours benefit at Walt Disney World Theme Parks throughout 2019.

Alongside the Extra Magic Hours benefit, Disney Springs area hotel guests will also have 60 Day FastPass+ benefits. Guests with a Walt Disney Travel Company package including a stay at one of the hotels, and theme park admission, will be able to link their hotel reservation on MyDisneyExperience.com, and with a linked, valid theme park ticket, these guests can utilize a 60-day booking window for FastPass+ selections.

The Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels are: B Resort & Spa; Best Western Lake Buena Vista; DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando; Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace; Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista; Holiday Inn Orlando; and Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista.

The Disney Springs area hotels began offering EMH and 60 day FastPass+ in 2018.

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seascapeMar 04, 2019

Wyndham Bonnet Creek is a timeshare resort. Therefore, they can not just decide to pay Disney the money Disney requires the hotels to pay. Disney is not just giving the 60 day window and extra hours for free. It is costing these hotels real money. It is definitely worth it for both sides because the hotels will be more desirable and Disney will make some extra money. Now, if Wyndham can figure a way to add this cost to their maintenance fees they would probably jump at it as would Orange Lake and any other timeshare resort.

MisterPenguinMar 04, 2019

There's an active thread here rather than bumping a dead one... https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/more-offsite-hotels-to-offer-extra-magic-hours-and-extended-fastpass-booking-window.953423/

tedsgibsonMar 04, 2019

But why not Wyndham Bonnet Creek??.

The_JobuSep 06, 2018

I just booked the Disney Springs Best Western. The EMH is nice, but the main reason was because it had the lowest parking and resort fees. Some of the other hotels come out to almost $50 a night on add-on fees you dont see in the booking price.

BrerJonSep 06, 2018

This is a very sensible strategy. They've established that people will pay ridiculously over inflated costs for Disney rooms, and EMH plays a minor role in that decision, but the prices are way too high for thousands of families who traditionally would have stayed in Kissimmee or I-Drive instead. By offering the EMH carrot, then just like the Magical Express takes them direct from the airport, you're steering guests who can't afford Disney hotels to still be based in that part of town instead of further north. That means more time in Disney parks, and most crucially more time in Disney Springs. Disney has spent so much money on Disney Springs, it can be a real cash cow if there's a heavy stream of customers, but if stores shutter it costs them big, so there's more need than ever before to ensure the nearby hotels are full. It's a win win for the hotels, and for Disney, and an aggressive attempt to shift the centre of gravity from I-Drive to LBV.

Much-Pixie-DustSep 05, 2018

And you get Hilton Honors points towards future trips.

beachlover4444Aug 28, 2018

From Hilton Disney springs the bus was easy going to parks. Then when we left we usually took Disney busses to a Disney resort property then caught the bus from there to Disney springs

beachlover4444Aug 28, 2018

I’m thrilled I work for Hilton and the property across from Disney springs will get it. I used to still stay on property but now that they’re charging for parking and I can get this perk too why bother.

GoofGoofAug 25, 2018

I think with everything opening in the next 5 years they are going to need that room capacity unless they start building more rooms and fast. It’s similar to the Universal model or the Swan/Dolphin plan under Eisner using 3rd party vendors. Also similar to Disney Springs now. Rent and royalties are steady streams of cash flows while the volitility from the ups and downs of tourism and the economy is someone else’s problem.

MisterPenguinAug 25, 2018

If you're looking for the company's angle on this, keep in mind that Disney gets a lot of money from these hotels for being officially on their property. Rental of land. Taxes to Reedy Creek. Disney has an incentive to keep these hotels full over the ones outside their zone. And with their own resorts being full so often, they'd rather have guests feed the Disney Springs resorts than area Orlando hotels.

GoofGoofAug 25, 2018

I think we are getting close to a period where that on-site 60 day FP is going to become really valuable. It was virtually impossible to get FP for FoP at 30 days or closer when Pandora opened and it’s still very hard over a year later. I haven’t followed it as close this summer but I’m sure even Toy Story Land FP is hard to get. When things like SW, Rat, Great Mickey Ride, GoTG and Tron open they will all have the some similar level of frenzy (with SW significantly greater). I think Disney knows this and will probably jack up the cost to its “good neighbors” when they see how valuable it is.

Kman101Aug 25, 2018

It's a money grab I'm OK with. It benefits them and guests. They offered it before but then stopped. I was glad to see it brought back. It's a nice gesture. I just dislike the idea that you can book a FP 60 days out period.

GoofGoofAug 25, 2018

I have to assume this is purely a money grab for Disney. These hotels must be paying more for the right to offer this. If they weren’t during the trial period they probably are now and/or will be in the future.

JoeCamelAug 25, 2018

Maybe that is the end game, you have everyone in the FP line BUT now they are paying to stand in the same line that was once free. Remember when people said they would never sell the parks twice in a day? It is what happens now.