Hey Howdy Hey Mark and welcome to planDisney!
Thank you for stopping by with your question about the details of preferred rooms at the Walt Disney World Resort. I will be happy to give you more information so you can decide on your hotel accommodations and get to the excitement of planning your days in the parks.
When staying with Disney Resorts Collection hotel accommodations, there are many resorts and room types to consider. Preferred rooms essentially are ones that are close to the action. Either at transportation stations or the main hub of the resort you will be staying at. They are very identical to every other room they just have special locations. Some resorts at Disney can be really spread out and you may find yourself walking a quarter mile or better to get to the main hub for dining options or transportation if not utilizing this option.
Resorts such as
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort or
Disney's Coronado Resort are amazing to visit and stay. They are also a few of the more spread out resorts and my understanding is preferred for conventions which can handle a large number of people. I have stayed at these resorts both with and without family and can honestly say that when traveling with little ones, I would gladly pay extra for the preferred room so we don't have to walk that far to get to dining and shops, areas that we would visit consistently. With an adults-only trip or a trip with older tweens and teens, I don't think it matters nearly as much as you are not taking as much with you to the parks as you do with little ones.
Staying at any of the Disney Resorts hotels comes with
many perks. One of the biggest is a little extra time in the parks. All Disney Resorts and other qualifying resorts can take part in
Early Theme Park Entry to get in the parks 30 minutes early to experience a few attractions before the general public. Guest staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or other qualifying resorts can take advantage of
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, where Guests can visit select parks on select nights and stay and extra 2 hours after the parks close for more time with their favorite attractions. Make sure to check the park calendar for the details as evening hours do vary.
Mark, I hope you now have enough information so you can better plan your upcoming vacation. If you have any other questions let us know, we are always happy to help!
To Infinity and Beyond,
Nick