Just behind "when is the best time to go to Disney?" the question I'm asked the most is "so, where should we stay?" This question is always hard for me to answer. Budget, of course, will be the biggest factor. Disney is VERY expensive, prices go up every year, and vary by seasons, holidays, and weekend vs weekday. If you are on an extremely tight budget, I'll cover a few options at the end for staying off property. I'm mainly going to focus on the three categories (four with DVC Villas) of resorts on the Disney World Resort property.
Value Resorts are the lowest prices offering and are perfect if you want to stay in the Disney "bubble" and take advantage of the perks of being on property but don't have a huge room allowance in the budget. On the opposite spectrum, Deluxe Resorts and DVC Villas are for those with a large budget and want to take advantage of better resort offerings, food options, and more convent locations along with broader amenities and extras. Moderate Resorts fall in the middle of the budget range. You will get better food and pool options than Value level resorts, but still nowhere near as close to the amenities and offerings of Deluxe Resorts. We've stayed at all resorts types, and will give you the basics of each.
All Properties Offerings
All categories offer free transportation from the resort to the parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. The difference comes in with the modes of transportation. Up through 2020 guests flying into MCO could take the free Magical Express bus from the airport to your resort. Disney and Mears (the bus company) did not reach an agreement and terminated this free service on January 1, 2021. Bus transportation is still offered, but there is now a per person fee. This was a huge shock to many frequent guests. Another option to get from the airport to the resort would be to take a Lyft or Uber. Depending on the size of your party, this is probably a more economical option. If you are driving or renting a car, all Disney resorts once again offer free overnight parking. There were a few years under the Chapek Reign of Terror where you had to pay to park. It was nice to see that Disney listened to guest outrage and has gone back to free parking.
Next to free transportation, the biggest perk of staying on property at a Walt Disney World resort is Early Theme Park Entry. Every single Disney owned property, along with several Good Neighbor partner hotels, are eligible for this extra benefit. Just by staying at a Disney owned resort, you get to enter all four theme parks 30 minutes before the park officially opens. This can make a huge difference if you have early risers and want to rope drop the park to get to one or two popular rides before the lines really start forming.
All resorts have multiple pools. Pools are heated year round to 82°. They all offer Cast Member lead activities including trivia, pool races, and games. No need to bring your own towels as pool towels are provided. All resorts will also have food options. The Value Resorts have cafeteria style options while the Deluxe have sit down table service meals. Some of our favorite restaurants in all of Disney World are at the resorts, not the parks.
If you are planning on eating at some of the more popular dining spots in the parks, staying on property gives you the ability to book Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) 60 days in advance and for your entire trip. Example, say you are staying June 1-7. You can make all of your reservations for the entire week on April 2. Off property, you can still book 60 days in advance, but only one day at a time (must go to the app and book each day at exactly the 60 day mark).
Lastly, if you will be using Genie+ or buying Individual Lightning Lane rides, Resort guests can make their selections starting at 7am. If you are not staying on Disney property, you must wait until official park opening time to make your first selection. If you are trying to score a hot ride during a busy time time of year, this extra time can make quite a big difference in ride time availability.
Value Resorts
Value resorts are just what the name implies. They are basic resorts that serve the main function of getting you a room on Disney property. They are a no-frills, budget conscious, family friendly option. The resorts are set up in a motel-style with entry to the rooms coming from the outside vs an interior hallway entry. The theming is large and over the top with larger than life characters. I actually love all of the ginormous characters at All-Star Movie Resort. And it's fun putting on your own TV show. Check out our full review of the Value Resorts.
The resorts in the Value Resort category include the following resorts:
-All-Star Movies
-All-Star Music
-All-Star Sports
-Art of Animation
-Pop Century
The rooms are the smallest on property. All standard room will sleep up to 4 guests (with a very few only sleeping 2). Rooms are offered as standard rooms or preferred rooms with the only difference being simply location. Rooms are basic layout with a bed and a queen size table bed. Bathrooms are basic with a shower and toilet behind a door and sink in the common area. All-Star Movie also offers Family Suites that can sleep up to 6. If you have a larger party and/or want to splurge a bit while still staying within a tighter budget, Art of Animation resort has really cool themed Standard Rooms and Family Suites. Choose from a Cars theme, Lion King theme, or The Little Mermaid theme room. Family Suites at Art of Animation have two separate room to offer the parents a little more privacy. The big draw of these family rooms are that they have two bathrooms!!!
Transportation at all Value Resorts is bus only, with the exception of PoP Century, which is the only Value Resort on the Skyliner loop. Disney's Skyliner will take you to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios while soaring in the sky.
Food options at Value Reosrts are cafeteria style food courts. You can find your standard kid friendly chicken tenders, pizza, burgers, etc. for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a variety of grab and go options along with some hot dishes such as the fan favorite Mickey waffles. There are not sit down table service options at Value Resorts and you won't find Character Meals here. They are there to serve the purpose of, well, food, at a price that is reasonable for theme park pricing.
Value Resorts each have multiple pools. They are nothing fancy, just pools.Extras are limited at Value Resorts, but offer campfire activities at night and movies under the stars. They also all have an arcade and playground. When you check in, make sure to get info about resort activities. They are a fun way to enhance your stay and still have something fun to do on non-park days.
Moderate Resorts
One step up from the Value Resorts are the Moderate resorts. These resorts have slightly more spacious rooms for about $150-$300 more per night. Theming is more refined. I'm not going to lie, we have only ever stayed at one Moderate Resort, which is Caribbean Beach Resort.
Resorts in the Moderate category include:
-Caribbean Beach Resort
-Port Orleans- Riverside
-Port Orleans- French Quarter
-Coronado Springs Resort
-The Cabins at Fort Wilderness
Rooms at these resorts have theming that would appeal more to adult taste while still reminding you that you are at Disney and are kid friendly. If you need to sleep 5 people, there are some select rooms at both Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Riverside (only Riverside) that offer a 5th child size sleeper. Coronado Springs does have a newer tower that has 1-bedroom and executive suites that sleep six and eight respectively. However, once you get to these rooms, you are talking over $1,000 per night. At this price, I might recommend looking into renting DVC points and staying at a Deluxe Villa if you don't need the 6-person sleeper.
All Moderate Resorts offer bus transportation to the parks. Port Orleans also offers water boats to and from Disney Springs. Caribbean Beach does have a Skyliner stop to get to EPCOT and Hollywood Studio. We were very fortunate to be assigned to the building closest to the Skyliner the last time we stayed there. Caribbean Beach is a HUGE resort that is very spread out. If you are staying on the further side, it would definitely not be worth the while to walk all the way to the Skyliner stop.
Pools are also amped up a notch when you go from Value to Moderate. The theming is more detailed and intentional than the pools at the Value Resorts. There are also poolside bars for food and drinks.
When you upgrade from Value to Moderate, you also get a whole slew of extra activities. Just like Value Resorts, you get an arcade, Campfire Activities, and Movies under the Stars. Nightly room rates increase, but you get a lot more options along with an upgraded room. At Port Orleans, you can take a horse drawn carriage ride or rent bikes or surreys to ride around. At Coronado Resort, you can make Spanish mosaic art work to take home with you or take a painting class. Caribbean Beach Resort, Fort Wilderness, or Port Orleans offer fishing excursions. Read our full review of Moderate Resorts for all of the extras and where to find them.
You will notice that Moderate Resorts offer a few sit down table service meals as options in addition to quick service and grab and go options. This is another added benefit of staying at a Moderate level Resort. We ate at Maya Grill at Coronado Resort one year and it was wonderful. Keep in mind that ADRs for table service meals are strongly recommended. At Port Orleans- French Quarter, you can find the best beignets outside of New Orleans. And they are Mickey shaped, which actually might make them taste even better.
Still on the fence about booking a Value vs Moderate Resort? Check out our Moderate Resort guide with input from our friends who love them!
Deluxe Resorts
Deluxe category Resorts are the top notch at Disney World. What do realtors say? Location... location... LOCATION. These resorts are positioned to be in prime locations, and you do pay top dollar for that convenience. Standard rooms at these resorts typically start at $425 per night in the off season and only go up from there. It's not uncommon to spend over $600 per night for rooms at the Deluxe level resorts. With the sharp increase in price tag comes significantly better dining options, larger rooms, more amenities, and awesome locations. Here's a picture from our room balcony at Bay Lake Tower (BLT) overlooking Magic Kingdom.
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a separate category, but all DVC properties offer the same perks as Deluxe Resorts. All DVC properties are Deluxe, but not all Deluxe Resorts are DVC. DVC is Disney's timeshare type of option. Disney allots a certain number of DVC rooms to be available to the general public to rent, just as you would a regular hotel room. DVC Villas come in size options of studio and 1-bedroom through 3-bedroom Villas. 1-bedroom and up come with a washer and dryer in unit and have a full kitchen.
I'm not going to list all of the Deluxe Resorts here, because there are simply too many. Check out our Deluxe Resort Full Guide for a full list and more information.
We are DVC members and have stayed at many Deluxe Resorts. One of the reasons we love these properties is where they are located. If you stay at Beach Club, Yacht Club, or Boardwalk, you can literally walk to EPCOT (and Hollywood Studio if you are ambitious). All of the resorts on the monorail loop in front of Magic Kingdom are Deluxe Resorts. Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village offer options of Savannah View rooms where African animals are right outside of your balcony! As stated earlier, these premium locations come with a premium price tag.
Deluxe Resorts offer the largest room sizes. Resort rooms are set up like any other resort but offer larger square footage. DVC Villas are all unique to each resort. If you really need space to spread out (and just have tons of money laying around that you don't know what to do with), check out the 3-bedroom Grand Villas. While we know we will never ever be able to stay in one of those, it is fun to go and tour them. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Transportation options are ample at Deluxe Resorts. All still have bus options. Some are walking distance to the parks. 8 of them offer water boat transportation. Beach and Yacht Club and Boardwalk are right beside of the EPCOT Skyliner entrance. Saratoga Springs Resort (SSR) is walking distance to Disney Springs.
Pools at these resorts are top-notch. Beach Club and Yacht Club share one huge 3-acre waterpark area called Stormalong Bay, complete with a sandy area to build sand castles. Boardwalk has our favorite water slide. SSR has multiple pools, but the main pool is beautiful with a pretty good slide. All pools have food and bar options so you don't have to leave the pool area.
Now, let's get into my second favorite thing about Deluxe Resorts (only behind location)... the FOOD! Y'all, when I say there is some amazing, high quality dining experiences at the resorts, I'm not kidding. Victoria & Alberts at Grand Floridian is a AAA- Five Diamond Restaurant. There's a dress code and everything. Looking for good food that's not quite as formal? We stumbled upon Yachtsman Steakhouse at Yacht Club last summer by accident. It's one of the top steaks I've ever had in my life. Sanaa at Kidani Village has amazing Indian inspired African dishes. I know it may sound strange, but everything at this restaurant just work. Their bread service comes with different varieties of flat breads and several dipping options. Don't think Disney is forgetting about the kiddos. Several Deluxe Resorts offer Character Meal Dining options. Ok, it's not just for the kiddos. I get way more into the characters than my kiddo. Make sure you make advanced dining reservation for all table service meals including character dining 60 days in advance.
The extras are abundant when you stay at Deluxe level resorts. Like the Value and Moderate Resorts, all Deluxe Resorts have an arcade. They all also offer Campfire Activities and Movies Under the Stars at night. Grand Floridian has a spa (heck, it's in the official resort name). Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower guests have access to beach volleyball and basketball courts. Lake front resorts offer pontoon boat/ Sea Racer for rent. Saratoga Springs is located on a golf course. For those of us who are not golfers, Boardwalk is located near Fantasia Mini Golf. Boardwalk, SSR, and Old Key West have bike and Surrey rentals. If you think walking miles a day around the parks isn't enough exercising, then you can check out the fitness centers at the resorts. Fishing is also available at all of the Magic Kingdom resorts except Grand Floridian (but it's just a quick walk over to The Poly if you want to fish). Boardwalk Inn has lots of cool entertainment right on the Boardwalk. And if staying on the Monorail loop, you can watch the nightly Electrical Water Pageant. Basically, if you want it, they've got it.
At time if this writing, Deluxe Resort guests can take advantage of Extended Evening hours. This perk give you extra time in select parks at night and is ONLY available for Deluxe and DVC guests. Every Monday, EPCOT is open an extra 2 hours after regular park closing. Magic Kingdom is open an extra 2 hours on Wednesday nights. Look at this completely empty Magic Kingdom after midnight!!! Please, if you have littles, don't force them to stay out this late when they are obviously exhausted and ready for bed. I promise the time will come when they are teenagers and love to stay up late without a fight. If you family are night owls, then I 100% recommend these evening hours as a way to take advantage of mostly walk on rides. Currently, these Extended hours are only offered at MK and EPCOT.
If it's within your budget to stay at a Deluxe Resort, then I highly recommend it. If not, that's ok. There are no bad resorts on Disney property. If you think a Deluxe Resort might be right for you, check out our full Deluxe Resort guide.
Off Property
Ok. We will be the first to acknowledge that Disney is expensive and staying on property may not financially be an option for some families. There are a whole slew of resorts, condos, hotels, and private homes for rent in the area. We have stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and Holiday Inn Club Vacations: Orange Lake in the past. We actually just stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations over spring break this year with my BFF and her family. Here's a photo-dump of the condo. Both of these are timeshare/condo style options. We did a 2-bedroom at both locations. They were both spacious, clean, and had plenty of pools and activities to keep us entertained on our non-park days. The cost is significantly cheaper than Disney prices. I'm talking, like, 2/3 cheaper than renting a 2-bedroom Villa on Disney Property. Wyndham Bonnet Creek is literally steps away from the Disney property line. However, you miss out on all of the on-property perks and you must be able to get yourself to and from the parks (no free bus transportation). There are also your regular chain hotels and motels within a short drive. If you can't fathom spending $150 per night at a Value Resort and have a car, check out a nearby hotel. Or if you have a large group and need the space of multiple bedrooms and $1500+ per night is not an option, check out renting a house or condo for the week. Disclaimer: always know there is a personal safety risk of renting from a private individual. Use home renting services at your discretion.
I hope this helps to give you a starting point when trying to plan your Walt Disney World Vacation. For help booking a room or Disney Vacation Package, check out Jillian with Destination Dreaming Travels. She's a FREE travel agent waiting to help you book your most magical vacation ever.
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