Disney World Resorts: Which is Right for You?

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With four theme parks, two water parks, a massive shopping district and so many restaurants and entertainment options, a trip to Walt Disney World is the ultimate family vacation. To truly immerse yourself in the magic, staying on-property at a Disney Resort is a game-changer. But there are more than two dozen options; navigating the choices can feel overwhelming. Here, a Disney regular lays out the choices in the four distinct Disney hotel categories:: Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas.

Highlights: What You’ll Learn about Walt Disney World Resorts

Comprehensive Resort Tier Breakdown: Drawing from my years of professional family travel writing and countless stays on property with my daughter, I break down the exact differences between Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa properties so you can match your budget to your family’s vacation style.
Real-World Transportation and Location Insights: Learn how transit options like the Monorail, watercraft and the Disney Skyliner can truly impact your daily park schedule, based on my first-hand experience navigating these routes with kids in tow.
Insider Money-Saving Strategies: Discover practical ways to maximize your budget, including my go-to tips for experiencing high-end Disney Deluxe Villas without paying full rack-rate prices.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a post written by Gwen Kleist.

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Walt Disney World Value Resorts: Budget-Friendly Disney World Resort Categories

Walt Disney World Resort Guide - All-Star Sports Resort common area — Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort common area. Photo credit: Karyn Locke

Why Choose a Walt Disney World Value Hotel

Let’s be honest: if you’re only crashing long enough to sleep off a day at Magic Kingdom, don’t overspend on square footage. Disney All-Star resorts and Disney’s Pop Century Resort get the job done without breaking the bank.

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At a Value resort like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, expect to find the chaotic, high-stakes energy of a food court at 7AM. Kids buzz with anticipation beneath towering, 50-foot retro bowling pins while parents clutch much-needed cups of coffee, dodge stroller traffic and inhale the sweet scent of Mickey waffles under fluorescent lights.

Choosing a Value property gives you:

Fun, kid-friendly theming: Oversized, bright, and unapologetically playful room exteriors.
Essential room layouts: Compact rooms opening to exterior corridors.
Quick-service dining: Expansive food courts and pizza delivery (no upscale table service restaurants).
Themed pool complexes: Heavily themed pools designed for younger kids (no hot tubs or water slides).
The lineup: All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resorts; Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (featuring multi-room family suites and the largest resort pool on property); and Pop Century Resort.

SheBuysTravel Tip: If you choose Pop Century Resort or Art of Animation Resort for the Skyliner, keep an eye on afternoon weather alerts because the system temporarily pauses during thunderstorms and switches over to backup buses.

Moderate Resorts: The Sweet Spot for Disney Hotel Categories

A lobby and bar with a Christmas tree and wooden chairs. — Lower level of Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Photo credit: Jenna Clark

Amenities and Vibe

Stepping up to a Moderate Resort gets you more breathing room, a more subdued aesthetic and gorgeous landscaping that feels like a true getaway.

Imagine the cool, Spanish-moss-draped stillness of an early morning walk through Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. The warm, powdered-sugar aroma drifts off a fresh batch of beignets before the midday Florida humidity sets in.

Moderate properties hit the sweet spot for families by offering:

Upgraded space: Noticeably larger rooms than Value tier properties.
Sophisticated common areas: Classier, grown-up resort aesthetics.
Full-service dining: Most properties feature an on-site Table Service restaurant alongside the food court.
Advanced pool features: Main pools equipped with actual water slides and some with a relaxing hot tub.
The lineup: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and Riverside, and The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.

SheBuysTravel Tip: If you stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter, you can easily walk over to its Riverside area to use the larger main pool complex and full-service restaurant.

Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts: Value vs Moderate vs Deluxe Disney Hotels and Luxury Perks

Walt Disney World Resort Guide Polynesian Village Resort Cabins — Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort has gorgeous, on-water cabins. Photo credit: Karyn Locke

Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts: Prime Locations and Perks

If your budget has some wiggle room, the Deluxe tier is where Disney really shows off.

There is nothing quite like stepping out onto your Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort balcony at dawn. You can listen to the low, rustling brush of savanna grass and catch the surreal sight of a giraffe or Ankole cattle grazing just yards away while the rest of the resort sleeps.

Beyond those wildlife encounters, the upscale properties deliver:

Unbeatable proximity: Walk to the parks or ride the Monorail (all but Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge) directly from your hotel lobby.
Spacious interiors: The largest standard hotel rooms on property, featuring indoor hallways and private balconies.
Top-tier aquatic centers: Massive pool complexes like Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. Resorts that function as a mini-water park.
Signature dining: Multiple upscale, award-winning table service restaurants on-site.
Disney World Resorts in the Deluxe Category: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Save hundreds by booking a standard or pool-view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort instead of a savanna view; you can still see exotic animals from dozens of incredible public viewing platforms and outdoor lookouts around the lobby.

Walt Disney World Deluxe Villas: Finding the Best Disney World Resort for Families

Walt Disney World Resort Guide - Grand Floridian Resort lobby — Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort lobby. Photo credit: Karyn Locke

Maximizing Space with DVC Rentals

When you need a real kitchen for midnight snacks, a washer to tackle mid-trip laundry, or a separate bedroom so the kids actually go to sleep, stepping up to a Deluxe Villa is a total sanity saver.

SheBuysTravel Tip: When renting DVC points for a Deluxe Villa, book as early as 11 months out, especially for high-demand properties like Disney’s Beach Club Villas or Disney’s BoardWalk Villas.

These properties blend high-end Deluxe resort amenities with the comforts of home:

Flexible room configurations: Ranging from cozy studios to sprawling multi-room units.
Full home amenities: Equipped kitchens, multiple full bathrooms, and private in-room washers and dryers.
Extended family capacity: Perfect for accommodating larger groups under one roof.
The lineup (Disney Vacation Club): Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary; Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge; Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo House and Kidani Village); Beach Club Villas; BoardWalk Villas; Old Key West Resort; Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa; Polynesian Villas and Bungalows; Riviera Resort; and The Villas at Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

SheBuysTravel Tip for Deluxe Villas: You don’t necessarily have to pay full rack-rate prices to stay here. Because Disney ties these properties to the Disney Vacation Club (DVC), you can save significantly by renting DVC points from existing owners through trusted rental agencies (read more in Is David’s Vacation Club Rentals a Legit Disney Deal?).

Final Verdict: Which Tier Fits Your Family?

Walt Disney World Resort Guide - Grand Floridian Resort rooms exterior — Grand Floridian Resort rooms can be in an area with a garden or water view. Photo credit: Karyn Locke

Go with a Value Resort if your crew lives for rope-drop, and you only need a clean place to crash after park close.
Choose a Moderate Resort if you want a relaxing atmosphere, upgraded pool amenities and a bit more room without paying top dollar.
Opt for a Deluxe Resort if you value prime park proximity, luxury theming and incredible dining.
Finally, pick a Deluxe Villa if you need multi-room space, a kitchen and laundry facilities for a seamless, extended family stay.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Take full advantage of early theme park entry by tackling the most popular headliner rides in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland before off-site visitors are let through the turnstiles.

Walt Disney World Resorts Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest Disney World Resort?

Disney’s Value Resorts offer the lowest nightly rates on property. While basic and compact, they provide clean, fun rooms and all standard Disney perks.

Which Disney Resorts have the best pools?

Deluxe and Moderate resorts take the lead for pool amenities. Moderate properties feature main pools with water slides and hot tubs, while Deluxe resorts offer top-tier aquatic features.

Which Disney Resorts are on the Monorail or Skyliner lines?

Monorail: Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort offer direct Monorail or walking access to Magic Kingdom; Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort provide Sjyliner transport straight to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

What is the main difference between a Deluxe Resort and a Deluxe Villa?

While Deluxe Resorts offer high-end hotel rooms with interior hallways and balconies, Deluxe Villas (part of the Disney Vacation Club) function like upscale vacation rentals. They range from studios to multi-room units and include kitchens and multiple bathrooms, making them ideal if you’re traveling with extended family and want shared common space.

What perks do you get for staying at a Disney World hotel?

On-site guests enjoy 30 minutes of early theme park entry every day, complimentary resort transportation, and the ability to book dining reservations and Lightning Lane selections earlier than off-site visitors. That early park entry perk alone makes staying on property well worth it.

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SheBuysTravel writers have been where you’re going. We share our ground-truth experience to save you time, money and energy, making your trips easier. Been There. Bought That. Since 2006.

3 responses

Peg P

September 26, 2017

We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter last year and it’s a resort we won’t ever stay at again! I’m even hesitant to stay at Riverside because of our experience at FQ.

We woke up between 6-7 every morning (and no, we didn’t want to get up that early) because we could hear every time and neighboring room flushed a toilet.

The food was not good. I threw out the beignets I’d been looking forward to because they just didn’t taste good. And all too often the soda machines would be out of soda or ice. One time, all three machines were out of sodas.

And for many parts of the day, FQ shares a bus with RIverside. Riverside is HUGE resort, so there are four bus stops. The bus picks FQ guests up first on the way to parks, which means you’re on that bus for all those stops at Riverside. And it stops at Riverside first on the way home from the parks, so you’re (again) on the bus for all those stops. And the bus gets PACKED!

It only has one pool (most other resorts have the main pool and smaller quiet pools). So if you have kids, that’s fine. If you prefer a quieter, kid-free pool, you won’t find that at French Quarter.

Anonymous

August 14, 2017

1

Cindy Richards, Empty Nest SheBuysTravel

June 21, 2017

5