Planning a trip to Disney World can be an overwhelming task. In addition to figuring out the theme parks, FastPasses and dining reservations, you obviously need to figure out a hotel to stay at. Sure, you might be able to save some money by going with one of the many off-site hotels, especially if you have some points saved up. But we believe that staying at a Disney resort is a significant part of the Disney World experience. From getting picked up at the airport by the Magical Express to the excellent guest service that Disney is known for, staying on-site ensures you have a seamless and immersive time during your vacation. But how do you choose which Disney resort to stay at? We provide 5 quick tips to help you make your decision.
DISNEY WORLD RESORTS
But before we share our tips, let’s quickly run through the resorts and categories. The higher tiers are more expensive, but come with more room space, amenities and other benefits.
VALUE RESORTS - CHEAPEST
MODERATE RESORTS
DELUXE RESORTS
DELUXE VILLAS - DISNEY VACATION CLUB
- Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
- Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Beach Club Villas
- BoardWalk Villas
- Old Key West Resort
- Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Riviera Resort
- Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Villas at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Don’t forget that whatever category you choose, you’ll still get the standard Disney resort benefits. These include a 60-day window to make your FastPass reservations (compared to 30 days), access to Extra Magic Hours, free Magical Express transportation to and from the airport, and more.
TIP #1: CHOOSE A RESORT BASED ON YOUR PARK PLAN
The biggest factor when we are figuring out how to choose a Disney resort is our theme park plan. If we’re going to spend a lot of time in the parks, we typically pick a cheaper hotel. On our first Disney trip together, we spent 4 of the 5 days at the parks. We left early to get to the parks for rope-drop so we could get on the popular rides before the crowds and lines grew. We stayed late for Extra Magic Hours to maximize our time in each park. On the day we didn’t go to the parks, we explored Disney Springs and other resorts. Basically, we were only at the hotel to sleep. So for that trip, we chose the cheapest Value room, which was at All-Star Music Resort during our dates.
On other trips, we chose to take a more relaxed approach. Instead of getting up early and returning late from the parks, we may sleep in a bit and lounge around the hotel. These trips are when features and amenities like larger rooms, pools, restaurants and activity schedules are worth paying for. If you’re planning a more resort-based trip, we recommend considering a Moderate or Deluxe hotel. We have loved staying at Old Key West for our slower-paced Disney trips. (Read on to find out how we get discounted stays at Disney Vacation Club villas like Old Key West without being DVC members!)
TIP #2: CHOOSE A RESORT BASED ON YOUR BUDGET
Once you have an idea of which category makes sense based on your park plan, pick a resort in that category based on your budget. While each category has a general price range, you’ll find varying rates among those resorts. For example, within the Value hotels, the All-Star resorts tend to have the cheapest rates. Animal Kingdom Lodge is also known for having more affordable rates in the Deluxe category.
USE THESE SITES TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY TRIP!
- Mousesavers: This is a great site with a plethora of information on how to get discounts at Walt Disney World. One of our favorite resources is the list of all the rates at each resort based on the time of year. This can help you plan a trip during a cheaper time of year, or give you a preview of what to expect if you’re going during the holidays.
- Undercover Tourist: We’ve bought park tickets and hotel reservations numerous times through this website. They offer discounted prices and have fantastic customer service. All your tickets and reservations work just as they would if you buy them directly from Disney and integrate with the My Disney Experience app.
- David’s Vacation Club Rentals: If you’re planning on staying at a Deluxe resort, consider renting DVC points. This is a great way to stay in a Deluxe Villa at a heavily discounted rate. We’ve used David’s Rentals several times before and have never had a problem. Due to the nature of the DVC reservation process, you will need to make a nonrefundable payment once your stay is confirmed. But this is a significantly cheaper way to stay at some of the top properties. Just be aware that DVC rooms don’t get daily housekeeping, but have plenty of other amenities to make your stay feel more like home.
TIP #3: CHOOSE A RESORT BASED ON LOCATION
Within your budget, the location of the resort may also help you make a decision for your trip. If you’re just looking for the lowest rate, then this may not be a huge factor. But we’ll still give you a tip if you go with an All-Star Resort. Many times, one bus will serve all 3 of these resorts. Typically, the order will be Sports, Music and Movies. The nice thing with Sports is because it’s the first stop, you’ll be the first to get off if you’re returning from a park on a shared bus. However, if you’re leaving the resort, you may need to stop at the other 2 All-Stars before heading to your destination. You could have the opposite issue with Movies since it’s the last stop when you’re heading back to the hotel.
During our stay at All-Star Music, we were typically able to avoid shared routes and usually got a bus dedicated just for our resort due to the crowd levels at the time. However, one night, we were leaving Magic Kingdom and noticed the Music line was incredibly long. The Sports line was very short though, so we took the bus there and walked over to All-Star Music. So if you decide to stay at an All-Star and you don’t care about theming, we recommend Music due to its central location between the other two resorts.
LOCATION & TRANSPORTATION
Speaking of buses, resorts have other types of transportation available based on their location. Is your trip going to focus mainly around Magic Kingdom? You may want to consider a hotel on the monorail loop: Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Contemporary. (You’ll also be able to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks each night from these resorts too.) The Contemporary, known for having the monorail go through the hotel building, is also walking distance from Magic Kingdom. Wilderness Resort is one of several hotels that also offers boat transportation to Magic Kingdom.
Maybe you’re going for an Epcot festival and your trip will revolve around that park. Consider a stay at the Boardwalk, Yacht Club or Beach Club to walk right into Epcot. If you want quick access to the Skyliner for rides to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, choose a resort with a station such as Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century or Art of Animation. If Disney Springs is more your jam, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and the Port Orleans resorts offer boat transportation there.
TIP #4: CHOOSE A RESORT BASED ON PARTY SIZE
Another thing to consider when choosing a Disney resort is the size of your party. Larger families may want to pick a resort that offers bigger room and suite options. If you’re traveling with another family, renting a DVC villa with multiple bedrooms and splitting the price could potentially be a cost-saving option. Of course, a tiny room may be all you need if you’re traveling with just another guest.
When David ran the Disney World Marathon in January 2020, we spent 2 nights at 2 different resorts. He flew down on Thursday with his mom and stayed at All-Star Movies for the first 2 nights. As a teacher, Karen couldn’t join until Saturday. So that morning, David and his mom checked out of All-Star Movies and met up with Karen at Old Key West in a 1 bedroom villa. With plenty of sleeping arrangements available, the 3 of us were able to spread out comfortably. If your party will change in size during your trip, a split reservation may help you maximize space while saving some money.
TIP #5: CHOOSE A RESORT BASED ON THEME
Lastly, pick a resort theme that appeals to you! If you have younger kids, hotels such as Art of Animation and All-Star Movies have huge characters that they will love. For animal lovers, considering a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a no-brainer. This resort has live animals right on property, so it’s like staying right on an African savannah! Do you enjoy camping and want to stay in an RV or tent? The Fort Wilderness campsites are calling your name. From fancy to rustic to tropical, there is a theme for everybody!
SO WHICH RESORT WILL YOU PICK?
Of course, none of our tips may matter to your situation. If you have a large budget and want to stay at the best hotel while spending all day at the parks, go right ahead! But we’re assuming many of our readers are looking for ways to maximize their travel budget. And Disney World is a destination where if you don’t watch out, your expenses will rack up quickly.
During our trips, we usually spend at least one day away from the parks and visiting other resorts. Resort hopping is a great way to check out what the other hotels offer and help you make a decision for future vacations. While some amenities like pools are only available to resort guests, you don’t have to stay at a particular hotel to walk around or enjoy their restaurants. In fact, one of our favorite things to do is visiting the Polynesian for dinner and then watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks on its beach.
Which Disney resort is your favorite? Which one is on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments below and check out our other posts on Disney World. We hope this helps you choose a Disney resort for you next magical vacation. Thanks for reading!