Beginner’s Guide: Where to Stay (Part One: An Introduction)

With 20 resort hotels (soon to be 21 with the new Riviera coming soon) owned by Disney and a handful not owned by Disney, there are plenty of options when it comes to staying at Walt Disney World. You can also find even more options off property, but most likely require finding/paying transportation to the parks. I've mainly stayed at the Disney hotels so I'm going to focus on those with the biggest plus being that they're close to the parks and provide free transportation.

non-Disney hotels on property (think big name hotels)
  • Most provide transportation to the parks (some make you pay) often dropping you farther away from the front gate
  • Many have pools and restaurants (that’s about it for recreation, maybe more at the bigger resorts)
  • Regular boring hotels, no theming, no magic
  • Okay for money saving but by far not the best option in my books
Disney Hotels
  • Transportation to and from the airport along with transport to the parks and Disney Springs is included
  • All have pools and restaurants that fit with the theme of the resort
  • Wide range of resorts with different amenities and prices
  • Extra Magic Hours (parks open early or stay open late just for guests at Disney Resorts)
  • Ability to reserve FastPass+ reservations 60 ahead of arrival as opposed to 30 for those not staying at a Disney Resort (select resorts not owned by Disney also have this)
  • Guaranteed admission to the parks (except when a park reaches maximum capacity)

Disney Resort Hotels
The hotels are split into three categories (deluxe, moderate, and value) based on how much they cost and the amenities they have. Campground and Disney Vacation Club are two other categories, but for simplicity I’m lumping them in with value and deluxe respectively.
Value resorts are the least expensive ranging in price from $100 to $150 depending on the resort, room, and time of year. These resorts have standard rooms with two double beds or small family suites that sleep up to six (suites are actually over $200 a night though). The campground has cabins in addition to campsites (sites are $50 to $175 a night depending on type of site and time of year) that sleep up to 6, also in the $200 range. Each resort has a quick service restaurant, pool areas, arcade, and laundry facilities.
Moderate resorts range in price from $200 to $300. Rooms have two queen beds and many have mini fridges. They have all the amenities that the value resorts have plus more. The main pool has a water slide and there are often more things to do at the resort, like bike or boat rentals. They also have a table service restaurant along with the quick service.
Deluxe resorts have a wider selection of room sizes and many also have Disney Vacation Club Villas. Some villas can even sleep up to 16 people and can be booked if not occupied by DVC members. But with the nicer and larger rooms come a larger price tag, in the range of $300 and up, with the villas being the most expensive. Like all resorts, these hotels have pools, but the deluxe resorts have more deluxe pools and more recreational activities. These resorts also have more table service dining and more upscale dining.


I will do a quick overview of each resort with as much detail as I can in future posts. Though I've stayed at quite a few resorts and visited most of them, I can't give a complete review of all the resorts since I haven't stayed at all of them yet. 

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