So you’ve made your choice to go on a family vacation to Walt Disney World.  You want to experience the total package – staying on Disney property so that you are in the middle of the magic the entire time.  But where to stay?  The choices can be overwhelming especially if you do not have to be overly budget conscious.  What’s the difference between a value and a moderate resort?  Why is room placement important?  Is there really a benefit to staying at a deluxe resort?  We will explore these and other factors to help you to make the best hotel/resort descision for your family.

What’s in a resort?  Well, clearly not all resorts are created equal even within the same price range!  For example, Disney has four value resorts:  All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies and POP Century.  All of the rooms in these resorts are identical. Their square footage is the same and they are very basic:  Two double beds, a small table and chairs, a dresser, a tv, a bathroom.  They each have a food court, an arcade and two pools.  So what makes the difference?  Well, for starters, the three All-Star resorts share a bus.  All-Star Sports gets picked up first and so by the time it hits the third resort, you may not even get on the bus or might have to wait even longer for another bus to show up!  POP Century has it’s own busses so you are most likely guaranteed a spot on any bus that comes along.

All-Star Music is the only resort that offers family suites.  All of the resorts have connecting rooms, but the suites at the All-Star Music offer sleeping for six people and two bathrooms.  Of course the price is higher for these rooms, but for a room that size, it’s still less expensive than booking two separate rooms.

The moderate resorts are a step-up from the value resorts not only in their pricing but also in the hotel theming.  While the All-Star resorts are bright and cheery, they are also a bit cartoonish – a perfect haven for the kids!  The moderate resorts consist of: Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach Resort, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.  The rooms at these resorts (with the exception of the cabins) are all slightly larger than the All-Stars and they each have their own busses.  The theming at these resorts is also more intense (in a good way) and more appealing to the adults in your party!

One of the biggest perks to stepping up to a moderate resort is that the resort in itself has more to offer.  Some have more than one restaurant, they have sandy beaches, lakes, etc.  You can go fishing or on carriage rides.  You can rent bikes.  They offer more recreation for your family and their pools have water slides.  If you don’t plan on spending every day in the parks and want a day to relax at the hotel, then a moderate resort might be best for you.

The Cabins at Fort Wilderness can sleep up to six people and each has their own kitchen so that you can have a home-away-from-home experience.  This resort is quite possibly the best bang-for-your-buck in the moderate category because the Fort Wilderness Resort, as a whole, offers the MOST recreational activities of any Disney resort.  There are pools, lakes, petting zoos, Hoe-downs, barbeque’s, campfire sing-a-longs, dinner shows, horseshoes, shuffle board, bike rentals, electric car rentals, walking trails, this resort has it all for the outdoorsy family!  Transportation to and from this resort not only includes busses, but also boats.

Yet another thing to factor in to your equation is the resort size and room location.  Picture yourself at the end of a long day of walking the parks and you get back to your hotel and you have a fifteen minute walk to your room!  It can be horrifying!  On one trip, we stayed at a deluxe resort and our room was in the far corner of one of the building’s wings.  There was a certain painting on the wall that we would quite literally drag ourselves to because we knew then that our room was near.  Now, granted, the room had a magnificent view, but looking back, it wasn’t worth the walk at the end of the day.  I couldn’t imagine doing that with little ones!  Keep in mind that you can make a room request – usually in the week before your arrival.  Once you book your hotel, get familiar with the layout of it, request a map and make an informed decision about a room request.  It’s not a guaranteed thing, you can make the request but sometimes they are not able to accomodate you, but it never hurts to ask!

For those of you with no budget restrictions, there are the deluxe resorts.  These include:  The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, The Wilderness Lodge, The Yacht Club, The Beach Club, the Boardwalk Inn,  Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Polynesian Resort and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Yes, they are all deluxe and yes, they are all magnificent, but even in this high-priced category, not all deluxe resorts are created equal.

To coin a phrase: Location, location, location!  While most of the deluxe resorts have prime real estate within the Walt Disney World Resort, some are better than others.  There are three resorts that are on the Monorail loop and within close proximity to the Magic Kingdom.  They are the Grand Floridian, The Polynesian, and the Contemporary.  Guests staying at these resorts will have the benefit of not only having the Monorail stop directly at their resort but also being able to see the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks from their hotel and the Electric Water Pageant every night.  The Boardwalk Inn as well as the Yacht and Beach Clubs are within walking distance to Epcot (though boat rides are available).  You can also see the fireworks from Epcot from most of these resorts, as well.  The Wilderness Lodge is just a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom, too.  However, the Animal Kingdom Lodge (which is magnificent with it’s free roaming animals on the savannah) is the furthest away of all of the deluxe resorts and only has bus service.

Each of these deluxe resorts hold several restaurants from counter service to five-star dining.  The atmosphere and theming are top-notch whether it’s Victorian themed or the Atlantic sea shore of the 1920′s, there is no shortage of awe as you tour these hotels.  You are truly immersed in the theme (story) of the resort from the moment you walk through the front doors and the service is amazing.  Each resort has a minimum of two pools and the pool that the Yacht and Beach clubs share is an attraction within itself!

Some key points to take in to consideration when chosing your resort should be, first, your budget.  There’s no sense in pining away for a deluxe resort experience if you are on a value resort budget.  For me and my family, we are only in our room to sleep.  The rest of the time we are in the parks from the time they open until after they close. So while we normally only have a value resort budget, we’re okay with that because I could not justify spending over 0 a night for a bed.  If price is not an issue, then you should consider the location; what do you want to be near?  If you are a huge fan of the Magic Kingdom, then you might possibly want to be as close to that as possible.  Do you not really want to ride the busses?  Then you’ll want a resort on the monorail loop.  If location is not a big deal, then what are your family’s interests?  If you are a lover of the outdoors, then the Wilderness Lodge or the cabins at Fort Wilderness would be perfect for you.  If you want to be pampered, well, there is no topping the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

The main thing to remember is that as a Disney resort guest you are not only paying for staying on Disney property, you are paying for the full blown Disney experience.  From extra magic hours in the parks, to preferred parking in the parks, to free transportation, a stay at the Walt Disney World Resort makes a magical vacation even more magical – if that’s even possible!

I’ve yet to hear anything bad about any of the Disney resorts although I am sure that even they are not perfect.  Take it from someone who has stayed at both value resorts (three of them) and deluxe resorts (three of them), there really isn’t a “wrong” hotel to stay in.  When I go with the kids, the value resorts work fine, when I go without them – and yes I do go without them – I splurge on a deluxe room.  As with everything that Disney does, they have a resort that works for every family.  Enjoy!

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