6 Obscure Rules You DIDN’T Know About Disney World Hotels

There is nothing quite like that feeling when you  crawl into your bed at your Disney World hotel after a long day in the parks. The instant coziness that you feel is unmatched!

You may be aware of some of the rules while you are staying at a Disney World hotel, but there are a few rules that you may not know about…yet.

Disney World hotels provide lots of perks including Early Entry to the theme parks and easy access to the Disney World Transportation system. You will be able to enjoy the beautiful hotel property and hang out by the pool. However, there are also some rules that you may not even know about that you will need to follow during your stay.

Must Be Present to Have Alcohol Delivered

While this rule does make sense, it may not be something you think about until you are in the situation. You can easily order groceries to your hotel via a delivery service, and Bell Services can accept the delivery on your behalf. However, if your order contains alcohol, they will not be able to accept the order.

You will need to be present and show your ID to the delivery driver to receive your order. This doesn’t mean you can’t get alcohol delivered, but make sure you plan ahead and know that you will be available to meet the delivery driver.

You Can’t Dry Items on Your Balcony

You have likely seen this happening at most Disney World hotels, but did you know it is against the rules to dry your bathing suits or towels on your balcony? The rules state that “hanging any clothing, towels, bedding or other similar items over or on balconies at a Disney Resort hotel or from fire suppression sprinklers” is not allowed.

Most of us have probably seen guests drying things out, but technically it is not allowed. We recommend hanging these items in your bathroom if you are trying to dry them.

No Plastic Straws

This rule is only applicable to one Disney World hotel. However, it is definitely an obscure rule. This rule is for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and states that plastic straws are not permitted.

In fact, plastic straws aren’t allowed at a few places: Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the water parks. Disney World has not been providing plastic straws or plastic lids for a while now, but their rules specifically state that plastic straws are prohibited at Animal Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the water parks. This rule is in place to protect the animals who call those areas home.

Can’t Stay For More Than 30 Days

We probably all wish we could just up and move to Disney World, and stay there forever. We could spend our days poolside and have easy access to all the parks. Plus, you get to interact with the amazing Cast Members each day and have lots of food options only a bus ride away. Aside from that being incredibly expensive, there is also a rule that you can’t stay at a hotel for more than 30 continuous days. There go our dreams of living at Disney World forever.

This rule is in place for a couple of reasons. For one, it allows the hotel the chance to perform maintenance, but it also keeps Disney World from being considered a permanent residence. Florida law defines a “transient public lodging establishment” as units that are rented out for less than 30 days.

Food Courts Aren’t Always Available

This may seem like another obvious one, but when you are visiting Disney World, sometimes vacation brain gets the best of you. The parks may end up being open very late, or you may be attending an after hours event. You may find yourself hungry afterwards, only to discover that the food court is closed. While you will find that the food courts in the hotels have pretty good hours, they are not open 24/7.

In general, you will probably find that the food courts open somewhere around 6:30AM-7AM and close somewhere around 11PM-11:30PM. However, times vary across the different hotels and we always recommend checking the times while you are at Disney World. If you are someone who is hungry at odd times of the day, we recommend having a couple of snacks on hand in case you get hungry when the food court is closed.

Leave the Pool Toys at Home

A pool day is always lots of fun while you are staying at a Disney World resort. However, if you are hoping to bring your favorite inflatable pool float or swim noodle, you better leave them at home.

The only pool floats that are allowed at Disney World hotel pools are Coast Guard-approved flotation devices. These are things like life jackets that are used for personal flotation. You can’t have any “non-Coast Guard approved flotation devices or swim noodles” at any Disney World hotel pool.

While there may be rules you need to follow while staying at a Disney World hotel, the rules are in place to ensure everyone has the best experience possible.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney World news!

Read about our experience staying in a two-story Disney World hotel room!

Are there any other obscure rules you have encountered at a Disney World hotel? Let us know in the comments!