In recent years of Airbnb gaining popularity, lots of people want to know whether Airbnb can be good for a Disney World vacation. The short answer—it can, for the right person.
In this post, I’ll mostly write for people who have never used Airbnb before, or at least aren’t experts. If you are an expert, you’ll hopefully find some good tips in here, but you’ll have to look past the more basic material.
We’re going to start with an introduction to Airbnb and a brief “who it’s good for” section. Then we’ll cover pros and cons of Airbnb near Disney World before closing with our tips for booking.
What Is Airbnb?
Airbnb is a website that allows people to list their apartments, vacations homes, or any other properties for short-term rental (or long-term, occasionally). Airbnb hosts can also rent out just a room instead of an entire home, but this post isn’t concerned with those listings.
For example, when we visited London recently we really wanted to stay in the Shoreditch neighbhorhood. There aren’t a ton of hotels in Shoreditch, but we were able to find a one-bedroom apartment on Airbnb.
The apartment looked like any lived-in apartment—closets full of clothes, a fully equipped kitchen (don’t eat your host’s food without permission), pictures of the host, etc. When we arrived, the host told us she’d be staying with a friend nearby and we could contact her she needed anything.
She rents out her personal apartment on Airbnb to earn some extra money, staying with someone else when the apartment is rented out. That’s a typical Airbnb experience, but stays near Disney World tend to be a little different.
As Always, Disney World Is Different
We’ve stayed in a few dozen Airbnbs around the world, including two long-term stays near Disney World, and Disney World stays are definitely different.
While you can find plenty of Airbnb listings near Disney World that are apartments belonging to actual people, it’s more common to find vacation homes, including in cookie cutter communities that are exclusively or primarily rented out.
When booking, you might find that the community you’re looking at has some of the things you’d expect to see at a regular hotel, like a shared pool / hot tub, a fitness center, or family friendly amenities like a game room, arcade, or movie theater.
Some vacation home services just list their homes on Airbnb. (If you’re planning to stay in a vacation rental, make sure to compare prices and terms on different sites, including Airbnb.) Other times, people will buy themselves a home in Florida and rent it out on Airbnb eleven months of the year.
This doesn’t impact your planning too much, but if you were thinking “I could never stay in someone else’s apartment,” then Airbnb might still be good for you because lots of these places aren’t real apartments. Of course, you’ll be relying on your own inspections of the listings to identify these. Well, sometimes the resorts are just obvious:
Who Is Airbnb Near Disney World Good For
For some travelers, Airbnb is definitely not worth considering. If you need “the Disney bubble,” for example, you won’t find that with Airbnb. (To be fair, Airbnb hosts competing for Disney World guests do often go all out. You’ll find Frozen themed bedrooms and Mickey Mouse decorations in many of them.)
But Airbnb is particularly good for some travelers…
For budget travelers, Airbnbs tend to be good value. They actually won’t always be the cheapest option, but they’re on the lower end of prices and tend to be nicer than the cheapest hotels/motels in the area.
If you are staying for more than five days, Airbnb is a great option. Having a place with a kitchen, at a decent price, and not being pressured to constantly be on Disney property from 7AM to 11PM makes for a great Airbnb stay.
Large families might find Airbnb particularly appealing. It’s common for Airbnbs to have multiple bedrooms at prices below what you’ll pay for a Disney hotel room. A large group that would need three or even four Disney hotel rooms will probably save a lot via Airbnb. Small families might find good deals, but more likely a small family will wind up with a few empty rooms.
If you’re driving, you won’t have to worry about taking an Uber to the parks from your Airbnb every day. You will have to pay for parking at the parks, though.
If you have an annual pass for Disney World, an Airbnb stay is great for a bonus trip. If you’re driving, your annual pass will cover the parking fee at the park. Since you’re a frequent visitor, you can get by on one trip without Early Entry or the “Disney bubble.”
Upsides of Airbnb Near Disney World
We’ll start with the upsides of staying at an Airbnb before moving onto downsides.
Airbnbs Are Bargains Relative to Disney Hotels
This is the big one. Airbnb prices near Disney World have definitely increased over the past few years, but you’ll still usually spend less money at an Airbnb than you will at a Disney hotel and any decent off-site hotels.
As a rule of thumb, a good Airbnb is going to cost about as much as a Disney World value hotel. That’s an Airbnb with a “Superhost,” five stars, and a few minutes from Disney property.
If you go a little farther from property (a fine option if you’re driving, less desirable if you’re paying to Uber), then you’ll find prices 40% to 50% lower than the prices of the value resorts.
The real advantage for price is for larger groups. If you have six or eight people, you’ll find an Airbnb to be a much better price than Disney accommodations.
Airbnbs often also have weekly, monthly, or long-term stay discounts. You can find entire months at Airbnbs near Disney World for less than $2000—the cost of a few nights at some Disney hotels.
Airbnbs Have More Space Than Most Disney Hotels
A typical Airbnb is going to have much more space than a room at a Disney hotel. Large families in particular may find themselves much more comfortable in an Airbnb with separate bedrooms, a living room, and a dining area, than in a hotel room.
Airbnbs Usually Have A Kitchen
Disney Vacation Club properties have different sizes of kitchens, as do some other Disney rooms, like the cabins at Fort Wilderness.
Most Airbnbs are apartments, which means they come with a full kitchen. You’ll need to get groceries, but if you bring your own lunch and make dinner at home a few nights, you can definitely save on the cost of your Disney trip.
As we said, some non-apartment properties list on Airbnb, too, so you’ll want to make sure your listing specifies and has pictures of a kitchen if you need it.
Hosting the family for Christmas at our Florida Airbnb
Parking Is Usually Included at your Airbnb
This is on the border of upside and downside. Disney charges a parking fee at their hotels, but hotel guests don’t have to pay for parking at the parks. Most Airbnbs in the area include parking, but you’ll have to pay for parking at the theme parks unless you have a Disney World annual pass.
Downsides of Airbnb Near Disney World
There are a few downsides to Airbnb for a Disney trip because Disney hotel guests get a pretty large set of perks. Keep in mind these are downsides compared to Disney hotels. Many of these downsides would also apply if you were staying at a non-Disney hotel, too.
Moreover, these downsides really vary in impact. Not having Early Entry might push you to spend $20 per person each day on an Individual Lightning Lane, for example.
You (Probably) Won’t Have Free Transport to Disney World
There actually are a vacation home communities that have shuttles to Transportation and Ticket Center at Disney World. But mostly, if you’re at an Airbnb you’ll have to get to and from the parks on your own, usually by driving or via Uber.
We have a Guide to Driving and Parking at Disney World and a Guide to Using Uber at Disney World.
Like the other downsides—this is an upside sometimes. If I need to go to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom for rope drop, for example, I much prefer Uber or driving to rolling the dice waiting for a Disney bus. After a long day at the parks, driving back to an apartment is often less stressful than waiting in a long line for a bus.
You Won’t Have Early Entry
Early Entry allows guests of Disney hotels and select other hotels to have exclusive early access to every park each day, typically for an extra 30 minutes. It’s a pretty good perk and one of the reasons we strongly recommend staying at a Disney hotel.
You can put something of a monetary value on this perk. For example, Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios has an Individual Lightning Lane that costs around $20 per person. Typically, I either ride it during Early Entry or I pay the $20. This means not having Early Entry costs me about $20 per person on days I visit that park.
Of course, some people don’t like getting up early. And not everyone is about that rope-drop-to-park-close-rides-all-day life. If you’re planning a more casual Disney World trip and manage expectations accordingly, you’ll do just fine without Early Entry.
Yea Early Entry is fun, but have you tried sleep?
No “Mousekeeping”
Some Airbnbs have housekeeping or offer it for an additional fee. For the most part, you’ll have to clean up after yourself. Keep in mind that hosts review you, too. While you probably won’t be able to leave the Airbnb in the same condition you found it, you shouldn’t leave major messes (no dirty dishes, for example).
Unexpected Cancellations
Airbnb hosts can cancel at any time. This is reason enough for some people to avoid the service.
We’ve never had an Airbnb listing cancelled after booking. While I’ve heard that Airbnb will help you find alternative accommodations in the case of a short-notice cancellation, it’s not as if they have a secret hoard of apartments last-minute. You’ll be dealing with whatever hotels and Airbnb options are available.
Host cancellations show up in reviews of properties. If you search reviews for “cancelled,” you should be able to see whether the host has ever cancelled a reservation. One of the qualifications for Superhost status is that the host have a cancellation rate of 1% or less.
Airbnb Scams
The most common type of Airbnb scam involves someone listing a fake apartment and then relocating you at the last minute to an undesirable accommodation.
Keep in mind this is not the same as Airbnb hosts who actually have multiple listings in the same area and may offer or request that you switch accommodations. As we said, Airbnb hosts can cancel at any time, and to avoid that they may offer you an alternative space.
It’s common for one host to have multiple listings near Disney World. Many people own property in Florida and have it managed by a third party on Airbnb. Or people who live in a single community may use the same property manager for their Airbnb listings.
Back to scammers, though. Scammers are sophisticated and always trying to improve, so there’s no foolproof way to avoid them.
The best tips we can give is to look for consistency, honesty, and completeness in the photos, reviews, and descriptions. A property with five photos that doesn’t include all the indicated rooms and three generic reviews is more likely to be a scam than a property with 20 photos of every listed amenity and 50 non-generic reviews.
Tips for Booking Your Airbnb Near Disney World
We’ll close with a few tips for booking.
Start Searching Now
If you’re considering it, run a search now. You’ll see what prices and availability look like. Search for your dates, but also search for a week or two from today to see what short-term availability looks like.
Search for “Disney World, Orlando, FL”
This search typically covers the area nearest Disney World and should be sufficient coverage for most guests. Keep in mind that Airbnb locations on maps are not exact and can be miles off. This is why in a few tips we’re going to recommend you search reviews to confirm the true distance from the Airbnb to the Disney parks.
We’ve stayed in the Windsor Hills area (Crestwynd Bay, specifically) and enjoyed it. Celebration is also near to Disney World, and a good option since many Disney fans want to visit the area anyways (but you’ll pay a premium for that location).
Use Your Filters
We always search for “Entire Place” in “Type of Place” because we don’t want to be renting a room from someone, we want the entire apartment.
We also always start by searching with the “Superhost” filter on. Superhosts are Airbnbs best hosts. We’re always open to non-Superhost stays, too, though.
Click Through for Full Price
Nightly rates are deceptive because they don’t include taxes and fees. While these can provide a good guide, you’ll want to always click into the listing to get the actual price.
Compare Prices on VRBO (And Elsewhere)
Many people list on both VRBO (a similar site) and Airbnb. Vacation home communities also often have their own websites. Prices off Airbnb will sometimes be lower.
Don’t Assume Anything
It’s easy to forget to confirm things you take for granted booking hotels. Is there a king size bed or just three twins? Is there a big screen TV in the living room or just small ones in the bedrooms? What’s the parking situaiton? Hotels typically include fitness centers and pools, and if you want those, you’ll want to confirm your Airbnb has them!
Reviews are the Gold Mine
Searching reviews—whether it’s of Airbnbs or hotels or rental car agencies or restaurants—is one of the best ways to get useful information about them. An Airbnb will always say “easy to get to…” or something like that. But reviews will often be more specific—“drive took 20 minutes because of traffic,” “just five minute drive down one street,” etc.
So whatever you care about in accommodations—noise, neighborhood, kitchen—search the reviews for what you’re looking for. The searches are simple searches, so you’ll need to search “oven” to see reviews using the word “oven.” You don’t search “how good is the oven?”
I care about travel times and parking, so I’d search for “parking,” “drive,” “disney,” “magic kingdom,” “epcot,” etc.
I also search for “cash” because Airbnb hosts really shouldn’t ask for cash to be exchanged, and reviewers often give others a heads up about this (I’ve occasionally booked listings where the listing said cash was required for something, but that’s rare).
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.