Are you planning a Disney World vacation?
Disney’s Contemporary Hotel
You’ve probably put a lot of thought into how long you plan on visiting Disney World and which park tickets you need. However, when it comes to accommodations, are you considering hotels based on their popularity like so many other folks do? Well, we’re here to tell you that the most popular hotels are often NOT the hotels you want to be staying at. However, we’re also about to tell you where you should stay instead.
So here are the hotels we’d tell you to skip and the alternatives we’d recommend.
Skip All-Star Resorts and Stay at Pop Century or Art of Animation Resort
Now, don’t get us wrong, the best part of staying at Disney’s All-Star Resorts is the price. These are the cheapest rooms on Disney World property. However, you’ll be taking buses for all your transportation needs from these resorts and the lines for those buses can be very long. You’ll also occasionally have to deal with large groups, especially when there are cheerleading and dance team events happening at Disney World.
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Instead, we recommend paying a little extra for either Disney’s Pop Century Resort or Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. These resorts are still considered “value hotels,” meaning they’re still cheaper than other hotels on Disney World property.
Pop Century
Both resorts still have that value resort over-the-top theming.
Art of Animation
They also offer an extra transportation option for traveling to and from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios: the Skyliner. You can also travel easily to other Skyliner resorts, meaning you’ll have more dining options.
The PROS And CONS Of Staying At Disney World’s Value Resorts
Skip Caribbean Beach Resort and Stay at a Port Orleans Resort
If you’re thinking about booking a moderate hotel and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort seems to appeal to you, we have to warn you about something. Caribbean Beach Resort is HUGE. That means that you could be doing a lot of extra walking to and from your room to get to the hotel’s main lobby, Skyliner station, or bus stops. At the end of the day, the walk back to the room will feel EXTRA long.
Caribbean Beach Resort
For similar vibes, but a smaller property, we recommend staying at Disney’s Port Orleans –French Quarter or Port Orleans — Riverside Resort. The theme is very Louisiana (plus the food is EXCELLENT) and both properties are small enough that you won’t have to waste extra steps to get to transportation.
Port Orleans — French Quarter
You can also get boat transportation to and from Disney Springs from here. Plus…Mickey beignets — need we say more?
FULL ROOM TOUR: Is Disney’s Port Orleans — Riverside Hotel Actually a Mini Fort Wilderness?
Skip EPCOT Hotels and Stay at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
Who SAYS you have to stay at a Disney-owned hotel? The EPCOT area hotels are nice — don’t get us wrong, and the location can’t be beat: you can walk to EPCOT and the EPCOT Skyliner station. But what if we told you you could get all that for what is generally a cheaper price?
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Well, you can, you can stay at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, which is ALSO in the same area, and get the same perks as you would at the Disney-owned deluxe hotels in the area, including Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours.
Swan & Dolphin
You also get access to even MORE great dining (Rosa Mexicano, Todd English’s bluezoo, and more). It generally costs less to stay here than at the other EPCOT resorts, and if you’re a Marriott Bonvoy rewards member, you can also earn and use points for stays at these hotels.
3 Reasons Why We Stay at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel Again and Again in Disney World
Skip Riviera Resort and Stay at Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs Resort
The Riviera is an absolutely beautiful resort with beautiful grounds and theming. But its standard rooms are some of the smallest rooms we’ve seen in Disney World, which is a shame considering this is considered a deluxe hotel and those rooms are on the expensive side. If you only have a few people in your group, it might be fine, but there is a better option.
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Instead, we’re going to send you to a moderate resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, which is SO underrated. The vibe here is still European, but leaning more towards a Spanish vibe. If you’re looking for that same level of European elegance that the Riviera has, though, you can’t beat the Gran Destino Tower.
Coronado Springs
You’ll find larger rooms that cost less here. Plus, the dining options are spectacular. Three Bridges Bar & Grill is also woefully underrated, as is Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood.
FULL TOUR of a Deluxe Club Suite Room at Gran Destino Tower in Disney World
Skip Grand Floridian Resort and Stay at Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the most expensive hotel on Disney World property. However, there’s not a lot about it that’s very FLORIDA, and if that’s the vibe you’re looking for, you might be disappointed. This hotel has Mary Poppins-themed rooms, after all. So if you’re looking for something distinctly Florida-themed, this isn’t it.
Grand Floridian Resort
If you want that real laid back Florida vibe, stay at Disney’s Old Key West Resort instead. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s got that Key West theme that you’re looking for. This hotel also has some of the largest rooms on property, so that’s a bonus, too.
Old Key West
You’ll want to be sure to stop by Olivia’s Cafe for some Key West-themed eats and then hop on a boat to head to Disney Springs for some shopping.
PHOTOS: Go Inside an Old Key West Deluxe Studio Hotel Room in Disney World
So before you book that super popular Disney World hotel, be sure to ask yourself what you really want in a hotel and a hotel room.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
4 Hotel Rooms in Disney World That Are Only 127 Steps Away from the Skyliner
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Riverside is huge like Caribbean. Stay at the Frech Quarter. Much smaller and better.
Man, I HEAR YOU about Swan And Dolphin, I really do! But… it’s painfully obvious that Disney is not responsible for the upkeep. It feels appropriate for the price you pay in terms of quality. I LOVE the location, and THAT is the only reason to stay here.
My sister and I are both in our 60’s and we stayed in the Pop Century and loved it! We stayed in the 80’s building and found it wasn’t far from the front desk and restaurant or the parking. And we loved the Skyliner. Why pay more for a room you just sleep in? The only way I’d pay more is if American Disney Parks had totally themed rooms like Tokyo Disney Land and Sea.
As DVC Members, our “home” is Bay Lake Tower, attached to the Contemporary. The bus zone is convenient to AK and HS, with 2 monorails to EPCOT and a short stroll to the Magic Kingdom. Hidden away upstairs is the Top of The World DVC Lounge. Over in the Contemporary is the California Grill (we’ll return when they dump the prix fixe) and downstairs is Steakhouse 71 (though we still call it The Wave). We have no plans to stay anywhere else.
Riverside is lovely and feels quieter than French Quarter.
Don’t do Key West if the size of the place is an issue. You just about need a car to get around and it felt not very Disney when we stayed.
Swan and Dolphin are beautiful, and are moderately priced. However, you have to pay daily for parking AND your walk to your room is much further away than any other resort. I believe we paid $30 a day for parking last year! We’ve only stayed there twice, but both times it was very noisy in our room. Disney needs to work on soundproofing their rooms better.
We now only stay at the cabins in Ft. Wilderness. It’s always quiet and you are literally about 10 steps from your car to the front door, and it’s very room and has a full kitchen! An added benefit is that people often decorate the outside the cabin and it’s really fun to see that.
I disagree about skipping the Riviera. One of the best things I love about it, and my favorite part of any DW trip, is the ability to see fireworks from your room balcony from many of the spaces (I make sure to book early and request sich a view). The ambience is great but it’s secondary to me. There really is nothing more convenient, transportation-wise. The place only has 300 rooms, and its transportation is exclusive, not shared with any other resort, so you can be pretty much guaranteed you won’t have to wait long foe your ride home. And once on, you go straight there without shopping anywhere else.
Our home resort is the Boardwalk and we LOVE the location. Walking to Epcot or to the skyliner and the boats to Studios and Epcot are great to use. We stayed at Yacht and Beach Club and that’s now a favorite but the DVC rooms are tucked way in back. Can’t beat the amenities there. However, the Polynesian is still #1!!