Disney World Adds Free Resort & Room Amenities for Young Families

Over the course of the last year, Walt Disney World has been making improvements to shake the allegations that the parks & resorts are catering less to middle class families with young children in favor of the growing legion of Childless Disney Adults. The latest example of this is new and upgraded free room amenities that are valuable for parents, babies and toddlers.

These additions are a mixture of permanent changes and temporary offerings as part of Cool Kids’ Summer. As you might recall, last year’s Cool Kid Summer was an “event” that was hastily thrown together as Walt Disney World tried to market to families and combat mainstream media reports that Walt Disney World was “turning its back” on middle class families.

Despite being a mash-up of marketing, discounts and temporary character offerings, the first Cool Kids’ Summer was largely a success. For 2026, Walt Disney World is building on that foundation with even more additions. Although the ride reimaginings and other substantive additions are what’s garnering headlines, Disney has also introduced more ‘quality of stay’ upgrades for young families that are worth discussing.

As basic background, Cool Kids’ Summer at Walt Disney World runs through September 8, 2026.

At the parks, the primary seasonal offerings for Cool Kids’ Summer are the dance parties or interactive activations, if you’d prefer (I very much would not). These include GoofyCore Hall at EPCOT, Jessie’s Roundup at Magic Kingdom, Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live at Hollywood Studios, and Bluey’s Wild World at Animal Kingdom.

Confusingly, only GoofyCore Hall and Jessie’s Roundup are temporary; the other two will continue beyond September 2026. (And frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jessie’s Roundup becomes permanent; the Diamond Horseshoe dining capacity is no longer needed.)

Surprise character appearances were a big part of the first Cool Kids’ Summer. The punched above their weight, and ended up being way better in actuality than they sounded on paper. This returns again for 2026. You can expect to see more free-roaming characters throughout the day, but especially during Early Entry.

We covered this (and more) at length in Walt Disney World Is Finally Starting to Get Character Experiences Right, which was basically about Cool Kids’ Summer.

Beyond the in-park component, a major and comparatively overlooked component of Cool Kids’ Summer is the programming at select resorts. Let’s start with what Walt Disney World is officially promoting as part of the seasonal event at the resorts:

Cool Kids’ Summer 2026 at WDW Resorts

For summertime only, guests staying at select resorts will have even more experiences and amenities designed for families with young children, including scheduled visits from favorite Disney pals like Mickey and Minnie. Here are the special resorts with Cool Kids’ Summer enhancements:

• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside

At these four Value and Moderate Resorts, you’ll be able to enjoy even more Disney-themed activities, including character visits with set appearance times to help you plan your day and an expanded itinerary of things to do with your family throughout your stay at these four resorts.

Here’s more of what Walt Disney World is promising at Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans Riverside:

• If you’re traveling light, Walt Disney World will make it easy by providing complimentary items to help care for your little one during your stay. From bottle warmers and infant bathtubs to diaper disposal units and nightlights, the essentials will be ready and waiting as a part of the special summertime offering.
• For the summer season, young book lovers will get to enjoy special libraries curated by Disney Publishing. Kids can dive into stories starring beloved Disney Princesses, heroic characters, and more.
• On select evenings, families can also wind down with a cozy pajama party that includes story time and a fun “create your own bedtime story” activity.
• During the summer season, guests can head to their resort pools to enjoy high-energy entertainment and interactive games the whole family can join.
• On select summer nights, guests are invited to gather around the campfire for toasted marshmallows and a spirited Disney-inspired sing-along, ending the day with a little extra summer magic.

At the time of publication, Cool Kids’ Summer just kicked off and we haven’t yet had the chance to experience the special libraries, pajama parties and bedtime stories, pool parties, or campfire and sing-alongs. We have, however, gotten a taste of other Cool Kids’ Summer offerings at the hotels, both last year and in 2026…

The first enhancement is set character appearance times and an expanded itinerary of things to do with your family throughout your stay at these four resorts. Having set schedules at the resorts for character appearances is nice, and makes for easier planning.

This is as opposed to the Character Caravan, which is still a thing but random and not daily at every resort. This is probably a positive from the perspective of guests who actually care about characters being able to schedule their days around meeting them, but it does remove the “surprise and delight” element from the Character Caravan.

I’m a huge fan of Character Caravan, which is a hidden gem many Walt Disney World fans don’t even realize exists. (For more, see Little Things We Love at Walt Disney World: Character Caravan.)

WDW Resort Amenities for Young Families

Walt Disney World has also updated its free hotel amenities for families with young children, expanding and refreshing the options. Note that this is not part of Cool Kids’ Summer, and as such, should be available across all Walt Disney World resorts.

The biggest change is replacing traditional toddler bed rails with new cushioned bed bumpers. I’m not completely sure of the brand, but they reminded me of the Hiccapop Foam Bed Bumpers, with a denser feeling than typical Walt Disney World pillows.

This change actually happened several months ago, or at least started. The cushioned bed bumpers were available as of last November in at least some of the resorts.

Families staying at all Walt Disney World Resort hotels can now request these cushioned bed bumpers designed to help prevent young children from rolling out of bed during the night. The old school bed rails have been discontinued and are no longer available.

Unlike the older removable bed rails previously offered by Disney, the new bumpers slide underneath the fitted sheet and create a padded barrier along each edge of the mattress. These are quite secure, and offer a sufficient barrier so that even toddlers who are Simone Biles in their dreams should stay in the bed. You might still throw a spare pillow or two on the floor just to err on the side of caution.

To each their own, but we prefer the cushioned bed bumpers to the old school bed rails. The latter could be challenging to install, and these strike me as every bit as secure. I know there are strong opinions about all of this stuff, though.

Cushioned bed bumpers are among a full slate of amenities available to guests staying at Walt Disney World resort hotels, which also include the following:

• Bottle warmer and sterilizer
• Diaper genie
• Infant-sized bathtub
• Bathroom stepping stool
• Night light
• Pack ’n Play travel crib

Also upon request, you can get a proper mini-fridge as opposed to a beverage cooler. Recent room redesigns have been accomplished with storage in mind, and most strollers should fit comfortably under the beds as a result.

All of these free amenities are great, but we’ve found that the biggest make-or-break for us is floor space.

During our first visit to Walt Disney World with our daughter Megatron, we did a split stay in the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside and the Garden Wing at the Contemporary. All of the Royal Rooms had two beds, whereas our Garden Wing room had one King bed.

Going directly from one to the other threw the size disparity into stark relief. Standard rooms at Moderate Resorts are approximately 314 square feet in size, whereas standard rooms at the Contemporary are 420 to 437 square feet. (See Hotel Room Sizes at Walt Disney World for more.) Room sizes can be inconsistent and vary based on floor, accessibility, etc–especially in the older hotels, but the point stands.

It was a spread of at least 100 square feet and one fewer bed taking up floor space, and we absolutely felt it! Before being parents, this didn’t really matter to us. Just like anyone else, we preferred larger rooms, but were perfectly fine with Values or Moderates and didn’t “need” a larger room, more luggage/storage space, etc.

Having a kid is a gamechanger in this regard. Logic would dictate that adding one baby or toddler that’s 10-20% of the size of an adult human would increase your luggage by 10%. That is very much not the case.

Megatron is not a light packer, and this one baby doesn’t just need as much stuff as one adult, but in fact, more than both of us combined. Suffice to say, I now completely understand why storage space and square footage are such big deals for families.

Now that she’s a toddler, we pack less for Megatron but still value the floor space. She needs time for unstructured play over the course of the trip, and it’s nice to be able to do that first thing in the morning while we’re getting ready, after naptime, etc.

As a result of this, our favorite room types have become those that have one bed that converts into a table or, ideally, a couch. The latter frees up more floor space (although Megatron does love a good table for coloring, building blocks, etc), which offers maximum flexibility.

This is essentially the DVC style studio, but it’s also available in the ‘Under the Sea’ Little Mermaid-Inspired Rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. We really love those rooms, and view them as a top pick for families with small children not wanting to upgrade to family suites or pricier accommodations.

If you’re on a tighter budget, Pop Century and all three All Star Resorts feature standard rooms with the Murphy bed and table combo. Despite these rooms being smaller than those at Moderate Resorts, they can feel larger thanks to the fold-up bed.

Finally, if you’re planning a trip during Cool Kids’ Summer, it’s worth noting that the Deep Discount on Rooms Starting at $99 Per Night at Walt Disney World offers exceptional pricing on the Cars Family Suites at Art of Animation, as well as standard rooms at All Star Sports and Port Orleans Riverside.

Plus, Deluxe Studios at Saratoga Springs and Savanna View Rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Any of those options are strong overall picks for families, with Riverside having the weakest rooms but nevertheless being a great resort.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of the new or recently-changed resort amenities for young families? Thoughts on Character Caravan or anything else discussed here? What’s your ideal resort or room type when traveling with toddlers or babies? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!