A Peek into the Disney Resort Guide

By The Backseat View

Like most life choices, choosing a Disney Resort comes down to money. The bigger your budget, the better your resort. After experiencing almost all the resorts, these are my personal preferences. We will look at my top favorite resorts in each category, Deluxe, Moderate, and Budget, before reviewing the other resorts. For those in a rush, the Polynesian, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Pop Century are the best in each category. The Skyliner connects four hotels, resulting in longer waits than the monorail with three hotels. The Monorail zipping me back to my hotel in a few minutes beats the Skyliner. For more Disney tricks, don’t miss my 45 Disney Tips for a Magical Vacation, Insider Guide to Disney Dinning, and the Ultimate Guide to Itinerary Planning. Let’s peek into the Disney Resort Guide to find you a resort.

“Think Happy Thoughts!” ” Off to Neverland” Peter Pan

Disney Resort Guide

Deluxe ($500/night & way UP)

All the Disney Deluxe resorts offer Deluxe Villas with more space, which are Disney time-shares. If you can’t book the suites or villa, it’s for time-share Disney owners. Deluxe resorts are the BEST options in Disney, and personal opinion decides your favorite. Theme Park view rooms are not worth the money. Resort prices can double based on demand. The Deluxe resorts have Extended Evening Hours for certain parks from 9-11 pm on specific nights.

The Polynesian

The Polynesian Hotel is my favorite. The laid-back tropical theme sets the vacation off properly. Ohana stays booked, with everyone loving Polynesian food. The outstanding transportation options are monorail, bus, boats, and walking paths. The Polynesian is Old Paradise, and there’s nothing better than watching Disney fireworks from the beach with my Dole Whip. If money is no object, starting at $800/night, this is the Disney of your dreams.

The Grand Floridian is the classiest resort, with a live pianist in the lobby. Christmas is my favorite, with a life-sized gingerbread house. It’s ideal for families, with the easiest access to Magic Kingdom by monorail, boat, or walking. Fabulous dining options complete this Flagstaff resort. Starting at over $900 a night, this is all about status, not the resort.

Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is unique, with a safari theme and a savanna of animals. It has the best dining options in a resort with Sanna, Boma, and Jiko. With only bus transportation, it barely loses to the Polynesian. Disney knows this is the best so the rooms start at $600 up to a three queen bed suite at $2,500/night.

The Wilderness Lodge

The Wilderness Lodge ($600/night with villas over $1k) is modeled after Yellowstone and Old Faithful Inn, and I love it here. It’s impressive with the lobby’s 80-foot fireplace, waterfalls, and my favorite Disney pool. The restaurants are fantastic, including Whispering Canyon and Storybook Dining at Artist Point with The Seven Dwarfs. Boat and bus transportation are fine. The two-bedroom villa looks over the water and is defined as deluxe quality. It loses to giraffes and monorails by only an inch.

MODERATE

Port Orleans French Quarter

The Disney Port Orleans French Quarter is MY HOTEL. You will find me here because I don’t have deluxe money. The cobblestone streets, jazz music, and moss-draping trees embrace New Orleans charm. The resort feels intimate with the beautiful fountains, wrought-iron details, and smaller buildings. It’s a boutique resort, so walking to the bus and food court is quick. It was only two minutes on my last trip. The Mickey beignets in the Scat Cat’s Club Cafe are worth the trip alone. The dragon swimming pool is fun for the kids. The plain pool is quiet and empty, which is perfect. The food options are average, and bus transportation can get tricky when they combine Riverside and New Orleans stops. This is my go-to resort because it’s small, less walking, less people, has one bus stop, and it is easy to navigate. It runs around $360/night.

Art of Animation

Disney’s Art of Animation brings Nemo, Lion King, CARS, and Little Mermaid to life. Animation offers family-themed suites and standard rooms. The suites, with a private room and a little kitchen, are worth every dollar. The pool is the largest in Disney World. Food court dining is balanced out by the Skyliner option to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. This is your resort if you have CARS fans or need extra space. The Nemo suites are closer to dining and the bus stop. The suites cost almost $600/night.

Caribbean Beach

The Caribbean Beach Resort is island-themed and a dupe of the Polynesian. The advantages of dining options, pools, and Skyliner are that it is close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Ask for rooms in Jamaica or Aruba that are closer to the Skyliner. The Hub of the Skyliner is here, so it’s the best option for all the hotels connected to the Skyliner. The resort has a few pirate-themed rooms with long walks. However, this resort is massive, with six island-themed villages, and you need a bus ride to the food court. An extra mile to get to the pool or food court is too much. It runs $360/night.

Budget

Pop Century

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is a great budget and family favorite. It has a great location, pricing, and several pools, and the Skyliner transportation option balances the food court dining. However, expect what feels like a mile hike to the Skyliner, dining, and the bus stop. It costs around $250/night.

The Little Mermaid budget hotel rooms in Disney’s Art of Animation are a long walk to the bus and $100 more expensive than Pop Century per night.

All-Star Music has the cheapest family suites in Disney at around $378 for three queen beds.

Camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness has rave reviews, but I don’t camp. The fantastic Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is also a dining option.

The other resort options:

Deluxe

Boardwalk Inn

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn is an entertainment-packed boardwalk that I love. It’s hard to put a finger on the feeling. Strolling the boardwalk is reminiscent of the bygone era of Atlantic City boardwalks. The transportation options include bus, boat service, Skyliner, and a walking path. It’s close to Epcot, has a great pool, and good food options. The Boardwalk is a fun evening, and everyone should visit once. It’s a close call, but for $900 a night, I want the monorail or giraffes.

Old Key West

Old Key West Resort is one of my favorites for its tranquil, laid-back vibes. The two-bedroom villa felt like the largest in Disney, like an apartment. It’s the feel of the resort that stays with me. The resort resembles Key West cottages, and it’s charming. If you hate elevators and hotels, then rent the cottages. As a deluxe resort, it lacks dining and transportation options with long walks around the resort. However, it only loses to the monorail by an inch, with rooms starting at $600.

The Riviera

The Riviera Resort is a European, opulent, classy, smaller resort. This is Disney’s newest hotel with villas, mainly for Disney Vacation Club Members (time-shares). The Skyliner connects to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and the dining is excellent. Toppilini’s restaurant is fine dining with a character meal, so it’s hard to get reservations. The resort excels at all levels, but it feels boring. I expected more WOW from Disney for around $800 a night.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is famous for the monorail soaring through the lobby. It is located next to Magic Kingdom, and Chef Mickey’s dining keeps the resort packed. I’m not a Contemporary girl. I don’t love this resort. There’s also the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary, which is mainly for the time-share Disney owners.

Saratoga Springs Resort is a horse-themed, sprawling resort. It’s been renovated, but the resort and buses were crowded with five resort stops. It felt like a conference center, not a fun Disney hotel. It’s within walking distance to Disney Springs. The one, two, and three-bedroom villas are nice. The bus trips to the park are easily an hour due to all the stops.

The Yacht Club and Beach Club share pool amenities like a slide going through a shipwreck in the pool, and Stormalong Bay has a lazy river. There’s a walking path to the Boardwalk, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. I like the Beach Club’s fun feel better than the Yacht Club’s country club vibe.

Moderate

Disney Coronado Springs embraces a Mexican design but is a functioning convention center. The 50-foot Mayan pyramid pool is fabulous, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that the place is massive. You could easily walk a couple of miles before entering the park. We requested a room near the pool and a bus stop, so the resort worked for me.

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort- Riverside is fine if you can’t get into New Orleans since they are sister resorts. It’s a sprawling resort, and I don’t love it for whatever reason that even I can’t figure out. I don’t like all the transportation stops and average dining. The resort is divided into the Rustic Alligator Bayou and the Magnolia Bend Mansions.

The Fort Wilderness Cabins combine nature with a hotel room. It’s perfect for outdoor activities like fishing, boat rentals, and room to play.

Budget-friendly options:

There are four motel-style resorts: Pop Century, All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Movies. They are located out of the way from most parks, mainly bus transportation and only food court dining. All-Star Sports is my least favorite due to the large number of big groups for youth sporting events that stay here. They all have long walks to the bus stop and dining but run around $200/night.

Not Owned by Disney

This is a sketchy can of worms with several hotels on Disney property that are not operated by Disney. Personally, I’m staying in the MAIGIC.

The Swan & Dolphin is beautiful, but there’s nothing Disney-themed about it. It has ALL THE PERKS of free Disney transportation, THE EARLY THEME PARK ENTRY, and EXTENDED Evening Hours. The evening events are only given to the Deluxe resorts and you can use your Marriott points and catch this hotel on sale.

Shades of Green requires a military member to travel with your party. The resort is nice and provides larger suites for families. It’s affordable, has a good location, and is similar to budget-friendly hotels.

Bonnet Creek

Bonnet Creek is my favorite of the non-Disney options due to the three-bedroom suites, which have two full bathrooms and a full kitchen. I stay here when Universal is my primary goal, and I throw in a couple of Disney days for extra fun. The resort is massive, so rooms are open at the last minute, and suites start at $500/night.

Disney does a fantastic job at all its resorts, so you will enjoy any option. If you want a ballpark figure for a week in Disney at a moderate resort, I plan $6 to $7k, depending on Disney deals. Don’t miss my 45 Disney Tips, Inside Guide to Disney Dining, and the Ultimate to Itinerary Planning. Thank you for reading my Disney Resort Guide. I’ve included more family vacation ideas below.

“Laughter is Timeless, Imagination has no age, and Dreams are Forever.” Walt Disney