Planning a vacation at Walt Disney World is not for the faint of heart. Figuring it out is like putting together a complicated jigsaw puzzle full of tiny pieces One of the trickiest items to decide before heading to Mouse Land is choosing where to stay.
Separated by price and amenities, there are three different types of resort tiers at Walt Disney World: value, moderate, and deluxe (including deluxe villas). Value resorts are the lowest in price, having the most basic of amenities with rooms typically the barest and the smallest. Moderate resorts tend to have the largest property footprint with more amenities than value resorts. Deluxe resorts are definitely the nicest and luxurious, and not surprisingly, the most expensive.
Value Resorts
For guests looking for the most economical option, choosing a value resort is a good option. Value resorts are quite large but offer the smallest rooms on property. Resorts at the value level offer quick-service dining only - what you won’t find are any dining options requiring an advance dinner reservation. The value resorts are where a lot of the dance, cheer, and sports groups book, so do be aware that it can be noisy. If you have the ability to increase your budget a wee bit, opt for a preferred room as it offers some conveniences, such as being closer to the main lobby, transportation, and swimming pools.
Disney value resorts include:
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Start Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Size: Value rooms are around 260 square feet, so they are on the smaller side. They have a separate vanity and shower/water closet area as well. A few of the value resorts (All Star Music and the Art of Animation) offer family suites, and they are the priciest options in this tier.
Amenities: The value resorts will have internet access, complimentary transportation to the parks, arcades, a gift shop, housekeeping services and a laundry. One of the best amenities to enjoy are their pools. While they will have large feature pools, you won't find any waterslides or hot tubs at value resorts. The best feature pool at a value resort is the Big Blue Pool at the Art of Animation. It is the largest hotel pool at Disney World and features giant characters from the "Finding Nemo" film.
Dining: The value resorts will have a food court type of dining venue. There are no fancy restaurants requiring advance dining reservations.
Transportation: All of the value resorts have access to Disney coach transportation that goes to all four theme parks, the two water parks, and Disney Springs. Guests staying at Pop Century or Art of Animation get access to the Disney skyliner that heads over to Epcot or to Hollywood Studios.
Moderate Resorts
Moderate Resorts are great for those guests who are seeking a middle of the road budget option with a little more “oomph” than the value resorts. These moderate resorts sit on the largest amount of property which can mean some walking from where you are located to the resort pool or main building. For example, Caribbean Beach sits on 85 acres of land.
Disney moderate resorts include:
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Size: Moderate resorts are a bit more spacious than value resorts. The rooms, on average, are about 320 square feet. The resorts have several different room type options. There are nature views, water views, and some offer a 5th sleeper option, allowing a family of five to sleep in one room. Just like the value resorts, moderate resorts have the preferred room option, and it is highly advisable to splurge a little bit on those. Some resorts have rooms with special theming. For example, Port Orleans - Riverside has royal rooms that are decked out in a Princess and the Frog theme with enchanting headboards that light up. Coronado Springs Resort also has a unique twist with their Gran Destino Tower rooms, which are a bit more spacious than other rooms (around 375 square feet), and are more along the lines of a deluxe resort room option.
Amenities: Moderate resorts have all of the value resort amenities plus some fun extras. Some offer campfires and bike rentals. You might find jogging trail options too. The pools at moderate resorts are fun - there is some unique theming going on too. For example, a pool at Coronado Springs is themed as a Mayan Temple. Over at Caribbean Beach, the Fuentes del Morro Pool is themed to a colonial Spanish fortress and has two waterslides.
Dining: As far as dining options go, guests have a quick-service food court option. Moderate resorts also have at least one table service restaurant, with the exception of Port Orleans - French Quarter (but Boatwright's Dining Hall over at Port Orleans - Riverside is just a short walk away).
Transportation: Each resort offers something different. At Caribbean Beach, guests can take a Disney coach to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks, and Disney Springs - but they take the skyliner over to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Coronado Springs only offers a bus system to everything on Disney property, but the Gran Destino Tower gets its own dedicated buses and usually doesn’t have to share them with other guests. At Port Orleans (both Riverside and French Quarter) guests can take a coach to all four theme parks and to the water parks — and another transportation option is a boat ride over to Disney Springs.
Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas
These resorts are the most luxurious resorts on property. The lobbies are stunning, the grounds are well-tended, and the level of service is superior. The resort size tends to be smaller, so less walking when returning from those long park days.
Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World include:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Deluxe Villas at Walt Disney World include:
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Price: The biggest price range is in the deluxe tier because there are so many different resorts and room types. Some of the budget friendlier deluxe resorts usually are Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodge (if you forego the savanna view rooms), and the Wilderness Lodge. Typically, the most expensive deluxe resorts will be the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and the main tower of the Contemporary. The middle tier of the deluxe resort options typically include the Beach Club, Yacht Club and the Boardwalk.
Size: Rooms at deluxe resorts are larger than their value and moderate resort counterparts. They typically range from 375 to 450 square feet. The rooms are more luxurious with higher end furnishings in the sleeping and bathroom areas. One thing to note: all of the deluxe resorts feel very hotel-ish with doors opening up to corridors and not to the outside. The two exceptions are Saratoga Springs and Old Key West, which do have doors opening to the outside. Disney Deluxe Villas are great options too — offered in studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom options. The one, two, and three bedrooms villas feature a fully equipped kitchen, and a washer and dryer. If you want more space to spread out, a villa option might be just the ticket.
Amenities: The deluxe resorts are really set apart from moderate and value resorts when it comes to amenities. They have awesome pools (many with cabana rentals), splash pads for the wee ones, gym, basketball courts, tennis courts, spas at some of the properties, and so much more. Arguably the best pool at Walt Disney World is shared between the Beach Club and the Yacht Club and is called Stormalong Bay. Spanning three acres, the Stormalong Bay area features a variety of pools, including one that is sand-bottomed, a shipwreck-themed waterslide, three hot tubs, and a lazy river. Stormalong Bay is scheduled for a refurbishment closure starting in January through June 2025, so be aware of this.
A special exclusive perk for deluxe guests is the Extended Evening Hours, which is extra time for guests in a theme park after regular closing. During your stay, check with guest services at your resort to see where (and when) extended evening hour are being offered.
Dining: There is no comparison between the caliber of restaurants at deluxe resorts compared to moderate and value resorts. Each deluxe resort has multiple table-service options, and some even have character meals (super convenient if you want to attend a character breakfast at your resort before heading off to a theme park). Considered the culinary crown jewel at Disney World, Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian has won the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award every year since 2000.
Transportation: These deluxe resorts are as close as you can get to one of the four parks, some are walking distance while others are a short boat, bus, monorail, or a skyliner ride away.
There are three “monorail” resorts: the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and the Polynesian. These three monorail resorts plus the nearby Wilderness Lodge offer a boat option for guests wanting to get to the Magic Kingdom. There is also a walking path option over to the Magic Kingdom for guests who are staying at the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary.
For the Epcot resorts: guests staying at the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club, can take the skyliner or a boat to Hollywood Studios - and walking works too. Guests at the Beach Club are literally a hop, skip and a jump from Epcot's back entrance called International Gateway. Guests staying at the Riviera Resort can take the skyliner to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, making it so convenient. For all of the Epcot resorts, if guests can’t take the monorail, skyliner, walk, or travel via a boat, then hopping onto Disney coach to the other theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs is the best mode of transport.
Global Wishes highly recommends clients stay on-property at Walt Disney World because of all the extra touches and perks.
Besides being truly inside the Disney bubble, one of the most important perks for on-property guests is getting a leg up by purchasing and then booking Lightning Lane passes (both MultiPass and SinglePass) seven days in advance of checkin. Those not staying on-property have to wait until three days in advance of checkin, which is not ideal for getting the desired Pass selections.
Another important perk of staying on-property is the ability to book advance sit down dining reservations for the entirety of the vacation stay. Guests staying on-property can book dining reservations 60 days before their vacation arrival checkin date and up to 10 days of their vacation. Guests staying off-property are penalized by having to wait and book their Disney Dining reservations 60 days before each of their preferred dining dates - so no booking all their advance dining reservations all at once - and getting up early multiple mornings to book ADRs can be a pain.
There is certainly something for everyone at Walt Disney World, and resting one's weary head on a comfy Disney pillow at an on-property resort after long days at the parks is definitely the way to go. Should you need any planning assistance, please reach out to Global Wishes as we'd be happy to assist booking a magical Disney World vacation for you.
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