There are dozens of Disney hotels to stay at in Walt Disney World, and everyone’s got their own favorites.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve asked YOU, our readers, about whether certain Disney attractions and restaurants are overrated or underrated, and today we’re tackling Disney World resort hotels! Will Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel be voted as totally underrated? Or will Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and its tasty beignets be overrated? YOU voted and now we’ve got the results!
A few weeks ago, we put up a few polls on our Instagram asking you whether certain Disney World hotels were overrated or underrated, and THOUSANDS of you responded! Some of your answers totally surprised us, but others were definitely understandable. Let’s start with some value resorts!
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort — overrated or underrated? You may be thinking “it’s just a value resort, nothing special.” But there are many family suite-style rooms, Disney icons that are larger than life, a unique food court, and some seriously cool pools. When you take all of that into consideration it makes sense why 61% of you think that Art of Animation is underrated!
From the incredible theming in the Cars section of this resort, to the Big Blue Pool, and all the cool animation facts spread throughout the Resort, we totally get why many of you feel this is an underrated resort. Sure, it’s not as fancy as something like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (more on that hotel in a minute), but it’s colorful, fun, and full of amazing photo ops.
Whether you’ve got kids or you’re a child at heart, this is a resort that is fantastic to stay at and even fun just to walk around.
Click here to check out the holiday decorations at Art of Animation!
Okay, so Art of Animation may be underrated, but what about the Disney’s All-Star Resorts which include Disney’s All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Music Resorts? Are those also some underrated spots to stay at? 40% of you thought so, but 60% said no way! In this case, OVER 14,000 of you let us know that you feel the All-Star Resorts are totally overrated.Â
Again, these are value resorts so if you’re expecting something a bit more refined, this is not the best bet for you. Because of their value resort prices, these hotels are also often quite full — especially when there’s a sports or cheerleading competition going on at The ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
Kids will likely find the over-the-top decorations here to be quite fun and the resorts can be great in a pinch when you’re looking for somewhere relatively inexpensive to stay at, but it’s certainly not a deluxe experience. The food courts in the hotels sometimes have some fun cupcakes or other items, but overall they serve pretty standard food court food that’ll do the trick but won’t have you amazed.
Overall it seems most of you feel like these hotels are just overrated.
Click here to see when All-Star Movies will be reopening!
Things were much more even, however, when we asked about Disney’s Pop Century Resort. About 13,000 of you said this hotel was underrated, while just over 11,000 voted for overrated.
While Pop Century is a value resort, its rooms have all been refurbished giving them a much more modern look, which adds some value to this hotel experience overall. And while some things, like the food court here, can be a bit more basic in terms of options, it seems the overall feel of the resort, its fun decor, and other aspects pushed it just slightly into the underrated category.
The fact that it is a relatively short walk away from Art of Animation probably also helps, as it gives guests staying at this hotel a whole other resort full of options in terms of shopping, dining, and even walk-around entertainment value.
Click here to see the holiday decorations at Pop Century!
But, what if you don’t want the traditional hotel experience? What if you want to enjoy some time in the great outdoors. Well, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground may be just what you need, and according to OVER 18,000 of our readers, this resort is totally UNDERRATED!
If you aren’t a big camper, you may have never even considered staying at this hotel, but this spot really has a LOT to offer, so we can totally see why so many readers felt it was underrated. If you visit during the holidays or Halloween, you can drive around and check out ALL of the amazing decorations that the campers put up near their campsites. You can also go horseback riding, take archery lessons, go on a fishing excursion, enjoy some fried chicken, and more!
Many may discount this hotel as one that’s just a campsite, but it really is more than that. If you’ve never stayed or visited Fort Wilderness before, it may be something you want to check out in the future.
From the wilderness, we move over to the French Quarter. If you’ve never woken up at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and walked just the few steps over to the main check-in building to stuff your face with ALL the beignets you can eat, have you really lived? We think not! And apparently, quite a few of you, 77% in fact, think that this resort as a whole is totally underrated!
French Quarter is one of the smaller hotels in Disney World, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Its small size actually means it feels much more quaint, sometimes feels less full, and is more convenient to get around. The rooms are pretty spacious, there is a beautiful waterway in the back of the resort with boats running to Disney Springs, and you can even walk all the way over to Port Orleans Riverside.
French Quarter is not open at the moment, but we are definitely hoping this resort will reopen soon so we can enjoy some delicious beignets and a peaceful walk around the hotel.
Okay, so many of you feel French Quarter is underrated, but what about Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa? 58% of you actually felt this hotel is overrated!
We found this somewhat surprising since the resort has a walkway to Disney Springs, which makes it really easy to stop by and get in some of your favorite snacks and meals from those delicious Disney Springs spot.
Saratoga Springs isn’t exactly an inexpensive hotel, though, and it doesn’t really have any big Disney theming so perhaps that’s why some felt that this hotel isn’t quite what others may hype it up to be.
Click here to see what’s new at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort!
The results were very different, however, for Disney’s BoardWalk Inn where 70% of you felt like the resort is underrated!
BoardWalk definitely has quite a few unique benefits including its location on Disney’s BoardWalk, with easy access to several restaurants. It’s also a relatively short walk away from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and has boat access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios also.
It has also got a pool with a signature (but somewhat creepy) slide! The resort’s iconic clown slide is undergoing refurbishment at the moment though and it appears the clown may be saying goodbye, so we’ll definitely keep an eye out for updates on that! Also, it’s worth noting that the BoardWalk Inn remains closed, but the Disney Vacation Club Villas at the BoardWalk are currently open!
Click here to see what’s new at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas!
Finally, we’ve reached our results for two of Disney’s most iconic resorts! First, we’ll tackle Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It’s unique look and monorail access make this hotel one of Disney’s most special options for your stay. But, despite all of these things, 56% of our readers who also feel like the Contemporary Resort is overrated! WOW!
The rooms at the Contemporary will certainly cost you a pretty penny, so if you simply feel that its benefits are not worth that high price, we can understand why you would feel this spot is overrated. But, for others, we’re sure that the walking access or monorail access to Magic Kingdom are priceless.
But, the results for our poll on Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa made it clear that a “deluxe resort” designation doesn’t necessarily mean a resort is all it’s built up to be. In fact, 65% of our readers told us that they feel the Grand Floridian is just overrated.
Again, while for some the monorail access and now walkway access to Magic Kingdom may make this a total win, for others the price just isn’t worth it, and we can understand why that would be. Again, like the Contemporary, a night here is flat out expensive most of the time. And while the classic, sophisticated, and just beautiful look of the hotel overall is wonderful, its benefits may just not be enough to justify that high price for some.
Well, those are the results from our polls. Where do you fall on these questions? Is the Grand Floridian a family favorite for you that you’ll always love, or do you agree with our readers that it’s overrated?
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Let us know whether you agree or disagree with these results in the comments below!
Adrienne says
In my humble opinion, Saratoga Springs is overrated because of the horrible transportation. Yes, you can walk to Disney Springs, which is great. However, you have to take a bus to every theme park. Also, the resort is so big that it takes about twenty minutes to meander through the resort on the bus before you are even off to the parks. Not to mention the fact that busses are often full after the first two or three stops. Seriously, it is a transportation nightmare! Who am I kidding though, I will take a day at any Disney resort over a regular day.
Ken says
Fortunately for me and my family, we have had the good fortune to stay at most of the resorts at the World when prices were more reasonable. For my vote, (excluding the pricing concerns), the best room on property is at the Contemporary Resort Tower facing the 7 Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. With the fireworks outside your balcony, and the Water Pagent on Bay Lake, walking or Monorail Service, and boat access, if you can stay on the Concierge level (14th floor) it does not get any better. Wilderness Lodge Villas are great to. If you want a quieter retreat, Old Key West gets my vote. I too was not impressed with Saratoga Springs… too big, too spread out, a long walk to Disney Springs, too small of a pool and the bus transportation is a long wait and ride to anywhere. Polynesian was great 20 years ago when it was quiet and quaint, but when DVC moved on site it became too busy for me. Many years of staying on the ground floor allowed the local ducks to visit our room for a snack. Animal Kingdom Katani Village was ok, but too far away from everything and with only bus service, a long wait to and from anywhere…. Q. How can one participate in one of the DFB surveys if you do not participate in Facebook or Twitter. I like to fly under the radar and those social sites scare me. Thanks
Kelly Jeanne says
GF is definitely overrated! I’ve stayed there twice, Club Level both times. While the rooms were nice, especially the Main Bldg one, I wouldn’t hurry back. I will stay at Wilderness Lodge any day over the GF
Debbie Snyder says
We stayed at the Grand Floridian in 1989. It was for our sons 12th Birthday (Christmas Day). At that time It was the most magical vacation we have ever had. We revisited about 5 years ago and some of the things I expected to happen now did not happen. Both visits we paid for an expensive plan. In 1989 we received real presents on our bed every night. From 24 inch Mickeys to Grand Floridian duffel bags, vintage Mickeys all seven days there were wonderful surprises. Our last visit we received chocolates on our pillows. We had our Grandchildren and I was so disappointed for them. Our first visit to the Grand Floridian was simply Grand! I don’t think I will send the money again due to it definitely not being the same.