Choosing where to stay at Walt Disney World can quickly turn into a question of how much you are willing to spend. Disney separates its hotels into several categories, with Value, Moderate, and Deluxe Resorts making up the three primary levels for traditional resort accommodations. It would be easy to assume that moving up those categories automatically means moving up to a “better” resort.
We don’t think it is quite that simple. While there are benefits of staying at any Disney Resort, there are some differences. A Deluxe Resort might provide more amenities, better transportation options, larger rooms, and a prime location. That doesn’t necessarily mean you will get enough use out of those advantages to justify paying the higher nightly rate.
For some Disney Adults, a Value Resort might actually be the best choice. Others might find that the Moderate Resorts provide exactly the right balance between price and amenities. Some vacations absolutely justify spending the extra money for Deluxe.
The trick is figuring out which one describes your vacation.
Value Resorts: Spend Less On The Room And More On The Vacation
Disney World’s Value Resorts represent the least expensive of the three primary resort categories.
Disney Value Resorts:
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort (only has bus transportation)
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort (only has bus transportation)
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort (only has bus transportation)
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
The word “Value” sometimes carries an unfair implication that these resorts provide an inferior Disney World experience. That isn’t necessarily true. Value Resorts can make a tremendous amount of sense for Disney Adults who spend most of their vacation away from their hotel. If you attend Early Theme Park Entry, spend the entire day in a theme park, and don’t return until late at night, how much are you really going to use all those additional amenities at a more expensive resort?
That becomes an important question.
The Pros Of Disney Value Resorts
Price is obviously the biggest advantage. Spending less on accommodations can leave considerably more money in the vacation budget for dining, drinks, merchandise, special experiences, or even an additional night at Walt Disney World.
Value Resort guests still receive many important benefits associated with staying at a Disney Resort hotel, including Early Theme Park Entry, complimentary Disney transportation, and the ability to purchase Lightning Lane passes earlier than guests staying off property.
Transportation isn’t necessarily as limited as the “Value” designation might suggest, either. Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort have Disney Skyliner service to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
That can make either resort surprisingly attractive for Disney Adults planning to spend considerable time at EPCOT, particularly during one of the park’s festivals.
The Cons Of Disney Value Resorts
You are giving up some things in exchange for the lower price. Rooms tend to be more basic, dining options are limited to quick service spots, and the resorts don’t provide the same breadth of amenities and recreation you will find as you move into the higher categories. Transportation can also be heavily dependent upon buses, depending upon which Value Resort you choose.
Value Resorts also tend to feature louder and more overt Disney theming. Some Disney Adults love that atmosphere. Others might prefer the more relaxed and sophisticated environments available elsewhere.
None of those drawbacks automatically make a Value Resort a bad choice. If you’re barely going to be at the resort anyway, paying hundreds of dollars more per night for amenities you aren’t going to use doesn’t necessarily make your vacation better.
Moderate Resorts: The Middle Ground Can Be A Sweet Spot
Moderate Resorts occupy an interesting position. They cost more than Value Resorts, but without providing every perk associated with Deluxe Resorts. That might initially make them seem like an awkward middle ground. For the right Disney Adult, however, that middle ground is exactly what makes them appealing.
Disney Moderate Resorts:
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (only has bus transportation)
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
The Pros Of Disney Moderate Resorts
Moderate Resorts generally provide a more relaxed atmosphere, additional dining and recreation options such as Sebastian’s Bistro and Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood, more elaborate pool areas, and landscaping that makes the property feel like a destination rather than simply somewhere to sleep. They can be particularly attractive to Disney Adults who want to spend some time enjoying their resort without making the hotel the centerpiece of the vacation.
There are also some notable transportation advantages within this category. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort provides Disney Skyliner transportation to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts offer boat transportation to Disney Springs.
Those benefits could make a particular Moderate Resort more convenient for your vacation than a more expensive Deluxe Resort located elsewhere.
The Cons Of Disney Moderate Resorts
Moderates can sometimes fall into a difficult pricing position. Once discounts and seasonal pricing enter the equation, you might find the price creeping close enough to certain Deluxe accommodations that upgrading becomes tempting. Conversely, the difference between a Value and Moderate could represent hundreds of dollars over an entire vacation.
Some Moderate Resorts are also enormous. Depending upon your room location, simply walking to the lobby, dining locations, transportation, or other resort amenities can become part of your daily routine. Moderate Resorts therefore require the same value calculation as every other category: What are you getting for the additional money, and will you actually use it?
Deluxe Resorts: You’re Paying For More Than A Fancy Room
This is where the conversation gets particularly interesting. Disney’s Deluxe Resorts typically provide larger rooms, more extensive dining choices such as Boma – Flavors of Africa and Steakhouse 71, additional recreation, and some of the most desirable locations on Walt Disney World property.
Disney Adults staying at eligible Deluxe Resorts also receive access to Extended Evening Theme Park Hours on scheduled nights.
The advantages are real. The question is whether those advantages are valuable enough for your particular trip.
Disney Deluxe Resorts:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (only has bus transportation)
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
The Pros Of Disney Deluxe Resorts
Location can be one of the biggest reasons to spend the extra money. Being able to walk from Disney’s Contemporary Resort to Magic Kingdom can completely change a Magic Kingdom-heavy vacation. Staying at Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, or BoardWalk puts EPCOT within walking distance and Disney’s Hollywood Studios within walking or boat distance.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, and Grand Floridian Resort & Spa provide monorail access, while Wilderness Lodge offers boat transportation to Magic Kingdom.
Deluxe Resorts also tend to shine when you actually intend to spend time at the resort. Restaurants, lounges, recreation, elaborate pools, and more sophisticated common areas can transform a non-park day into an enjoyable part of the vacation. They are also great for resort hopping.
For the Disney Adult who enjoys a slower vacation, those things have genuine value.
The Cons Of Disney Deluxe Resorts
There is one enormous drawback: price. You’re paying a premium for those additional amenities and, perhaps even more importantly, location. That investment becomes harder to justify when you’re spending practically every waking hour inside the theme parks. Imagine paying significantly more to stay within walking distance of EPCOT and then spending most of your vacation at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. You purchased an incredible location without taking advantage of it.
Likewise, a beautiful pool, excellent restaurants, lounges, and resort recreation don’t provide much value if you never have time to use them.
The Deluxe Resort might objectively have more to offer. That doesn’t automatically make it the better choice for your trip.
Disney Vacation Club Villas – The Non-Traditional Choice For Most
We don’t address Disney Vacation Club resorts and rooms often here at MouseHouseNews.net. These villas are available to the public, but are generally the home base for Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. They are usually used by families that have a stake in the timeshare, but there are a growing number of Disney properties that fall into this category.
Deluxe Villas (Disney Vacation Club):
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Rooms at these locations have slightly different rules. For instance, there is not regular housekeeping service in these rooms. Since they are considered timeshares that are your “home away from home”, most of these rooms come with vacuum cleaners and washer/dryer units. There are also kitchens (or, depending on room size, kitchenettes) that are not usually available in regular rooms. Also important to note: check-in starts at 4 PM instead of the 3 PM you see at the regular Disney resorts.
More Expensive Doesn’t Always Mean Better For Your Vacation
This is why MouseHouseNews.net doesn’t believe Disney Adults should begin the resort search by asking, “What’s the nicest resort I can afford?” Instead, ask a different question: How am I actually going to spend this vacation? If you’re hitting the parks from Early Theme Park Entry until closing, a Value Resort might be exactly what you need. If you want a little more relaxation, atmosphere, and resort time without paying Deluxe prices, Moderate could be your sweet spot. However, if you’re planning midday breaks, resort days, nice dinners, late nights during Extended Evening Hours, or lots of time at a nearby theme park, paying for Deluxe accommodations could completely change the experience.
There can even be situations where a less expensive resort has the transportation advantage for your itinerary. A Disney Adult planning several EPCOT festival evenings might get more practical benefit from staying at Caribbean Beach or Pop Century and using the Skyliner than staying at a more expensive resort that requires bus transportation to EPCOT.
That’s why comparing Disney Resorts purely by price misses the point.
Don’t Pay For Amenities You Won’t Use
Disney World vacations already give you plenty of opportunities to spend money. Your resort should earn its portion of that vacation budget. Before upgrading from Value to Moderate or Moderate to Deluxe, look at what the additional money actually buys you. Then determine how often you expect to use those benefits.
Transportation matters. Location matters. Dining matters. Pools and recreation matter. Room size matters. Extended Evening Hours might matter. The importance of each one depends entirely upon the way you visit Walt Disney World.
A Disney Adult who loves spending evenings around Crescent Lake has completely different resort needs than someone who arrives for rope drop every morning and returns to the hotel at midnight.
Neither person is doing Disney World incorrectly. They simply shouldn’t necessarily book the same resort.
The Best Disney World Resort Is The One That Fits Your Trip
There isn’t one Disney World Resort that is objectively best for everyone. Disney’s Deluxe Resorts offer amenities and locations that can absolutely justify their premium prices. Moderate Resorts can provide a compelling combination of atmosphere, amenities, and cost. Value Resorts can allow Disney Adults to stay inside the Disney bubble while directing more of the vacation budget toward the experiences they value most.
Sometimes spending more really does make your Disney World vacation better. Sometimes it just means you paid for things you barely used. Before you plan your Disney vacation, don’t simply ask which Disney World Resort is the nicest. Ask which resort will make your particular Disney World vacation better.
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