Walt Disney Resort Villas Reviews

Looking for Walt Disney Resort Villas Reviews? The Disney Vacation Club is Walt Disney World’s version of a time share that is good at 7 different resorts on Disney Property. However, you do not have to be a DVC member to stay here. You can choose to rent points from an existing member, or you can pay Disney’s price for the villas. They do offer discounts on the villas from time to time, so you aren’t always forced to pay rack rate when you aren’t staying with DVC.

The Villas come in 4 different sizes:

• Studio
• One Bedroom
• Two Bedroom
• Grand Villa

Price range from $275 to $2500 a night depending on which size you choose.

Most villas do include a kitchen, washer and dryer hook up, and a good bit of space for your family to spread out.

Instead of doing 9 separate posts, I decided to group all the resort information into this post. Click below to read all about it…

Animal Kingdom Villas

Featured review from my reader Tara…

Why did you choose this resort? We were given a gift of DVC points that allowed us to stay in a 2 bedroom for 8 nights.  We never could afford this otherwise so we chose this resort as a once in a lifetime experience for our kids.
What were the resort rooms like?  The two bedroom is slightly larger than 2 bedroom at Saratoga Springs.  Very dark African style decor. Spacious and comfortable.
Were they big enough for your family? Our group was 3 adults and 3 kids (ages 2-9) and the condo was a great size.  Three full bathrooms was a big bonus!
Did you find them to be acceptable? Beautiful and well appointed.  Not sure it gets much better than this!
What were the amenities of the resort like?  Amenities were nice.  Pool and water play area were big hits with the kids.  Arcade was also nice and activity room had board games and projects for the kids.
What was your favorite one?   balcony overlooking the safari with rocking chairs.  Hard to believe you are in the US.
What was the food court like? We did not visit the food court (not sure there is one there?)
Any favorite foods?  Boma Restaurant was amazing for breakfast or dinner.
How were the resort buses? easy to access from lobby area and not too crowded although it was low season (Jan).
What was your walk to the bus stop like? Walk to our room was easily half a mile (no exageration!)  From the elevator we would walk briskly for 7-8 minutes to reach our room  and we were not even staying in the furthest room.  This is how they maximize safari views. I would not recommend this resort for anyone that has difficulty with mobility.
How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? easy access to parks
How far was the walk to the gates? average distance to the gates
How crowded were the buses at any given time? moderate
Would you stay at this resort again? YES!!

Bay Lake Tower

Featured review from my reader Jennifer…

1. We chose Bay Lake Tower as DVC members because it was a new resort and the location. It had just opened in Aug. of 2009 we stayed there in Sept. 2009 and Dec. 2010.

We loved the idea of being able to walk to Magic Kingdom since we love staying there until they close and not having to wait for a bus.

2.We stayed in a 1 Bedroom Villa. I have a family of 4 (2 adults, a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old). There was more than enough room for us. You have a full kitchen with an island and 2 chairs to eat at the island. A dinette with a bench to comfortably seat all of us. A family room with a sofa that pulls out to a bed and 2 chairs and 1 pulls out to an additional bed. You have a large flat screen tv with dvd player. 2 full baths and then a spacious bedroom with a desk and flatscreen tv and dvd player . The master bath has a stand up shower and it is beautiful and a toilet and there is a pocket door seperating that area from the vanity and the jacuzzi tub with jets which my kids loved!! The 2nd bath has a vanity, toilet and tub with a shower combo. There is a laundry closet with a washer and dryer. You have a small balcony with 2 chairs and table. This resort is beautiful. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and the views were amazing. We had a view of Magic Kingdom we were on the second floor so you did see some of the parking lot but the kids loved watching the monorails and going to sleep watching the castle. They still talk about it. We did watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the room balcony and it was so fun. We had both tvs turned onto the Magic Kingdom fireworks so you can hear everything you would here at the park. We all sat on the balcony and loved it. On our second trip we had a Lake view and we were overlooking the pool at Blt and the bay! It was really nice.

3. The amentities, BLT has an amazing pool. They have a play area for the kids with the water that comes out of the floor, there is a small water slide for the kids to go down into the big pool. It has a zero depth which the kids loved. They also had a huge water slide for the adults. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity it was really fast and fun!!! Another nice thing was that you could walk to the Contemporary and play at the beach. We did go to the Contemporary Beach and we watched the water parade at night and it goes right by the beach. It was amazing! There is a special roof top that only DVC members can use when they are staying there on points and watch the fireworks and there is also a bar and light service restaurant (Top of the World Lounge) A staff member at the front lobby will check your stay walk you to a special elevator, swipe a key and send you up. Very special. There are washers and dryers for you to use there also to do laundry. They did have a bar at the pool so you could get drinks. There is no restaurant or shop there to get groceries . You can take a walkway to the Contemporary and you use all of the amentities there which they have a quick service restaurant, Chef Mickeys, shops, groceries and other restaurants. So you do have to take an elevator to the level that the walkway is on and then walk there. So it is just something to keep in mind that there isn’t a place right down in the lobby. It wasn’t a big deal for us.

4. The bus stop, they don’t have one. You have to use the Contemporary bus stop. You have a very short walk to the Contemporary bus stop.

You can walk to Magic Kingdom and it takes about 10-15 min. walk. There are no buses to Epcot. You can only take the Monorail. Which was kind of hard with a double stroller and it was always pretty crowded. They have buses to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. The lines were average. No more than 20 min. Both times we were there we had to stop at the Polynesian too, which was a little long.

5. We have stayed there twice so we love it there. The resort is beautiful and clean. The kids like the pool and we all love being able to walk to Magic Kingdom since we spend a lot of time there. We weren’t rushing out of MK after the fireworks to get in line for the bus so we could take our time. If you can stay there I would definately recommend it.

Beach Club Villas

Featured review from my reader Julia…

The primary reason we chose to stay at the Beach Club was the location.  We had stayed at the Boardwalk our previous 2 trips and we knew how convenient this area by Epcot was.  I had heard great things about Beach Club for families – especially the sand bottom swimming pool so we wanted to experience it for ourselves.    My mom traveled with us and it ended being a little cheaper to stay in a 2 bedroom villa versus 2 regular rooms at Beach Club.  It was our first time staying in Disney Vacation Club resort.  Since it was a 2 bedroom villa it was more than big enough for the 5 of us (myself, husband, mother, 4 year old & 18 month old).  We loved having the jacuzzi tub.  It was so great to use the jets on the tired feet at the end of the day.  Having a full-size refrigerator and freezer was amazing.  It was wonderful to be able to freeze our water bottles over night to take them with us to the parks the next day.  The villas have a washer & dryer and we did use those.  They provided laundry detergent which was a pleasant surprise.  I had packed some and we never had to use it.  We didn’t use the living room area much at all, but it was great that there was so much room for the kids to run around in.  Housekeeping was wonderful the entire week.  We had no issues at all with it.  They even put our dirty dishes in the dishwasher and ran it.  (I was so impressed by that!)  I also loved how they folded my daughter’s blanket in her crib and always did something cute with her stuffed Dumbo.  The only time we had to call on anything was when we first arrived our room did not have a pack & play in any of the closets.  We called almost right away when we got to our room, but then had to call again at night after we had returned for the evening.

Without a doubt the main reason everyone loves this resort is Stormalong Bay.  Since we had little ones we didn’t get to fully enjoy it.  Neither of them could use the slide yet and we mainly stuck around the wading pool area.  There are sand buckets and shovels out and the kids had such a great time splashing in the water and playing with the sand.  And us parents could sit in the water and soak it all in.

We didn’t really eat much at the resort itself.  It is nice that is close to Epcot and also the Boardwalk area so there are a lot of great options close by.  We would only pick up breakfast sometimes from the Beach Club Marketplace.

I love the location of the Beach Club.  We like to walk and it’s great having only a 5 minute walk to Epcot’s International gate.  We also always walked to Hollywood Studios.  It is a little over a mile, but it’s a nice scenic walk.  I really don’t like waiting on transportation, so we never did take the boat to either park.  Our room was located very conveniently to the bus stop.  I don’t remember ever having too long of a wait there, but we are early risers.  Since we were always early the buses were never crowded in the morning.  One morning we had just missed the bus to the Magic Kingdom and the cast member kept my kids entertained by blowing bubbles.  They loved it.  There was also bean bags at the bus stop to play with.  For the return trips the buses were definitely more crowded, but we were always able to get on the next available bus.  The Beach Club is one of the last stops on the return buses so at times we would get off the crowded bus at a different resort and walk back.

Without a doubt I would stay at the Beach Club Villas again.  The only downside is the cost.  :(  We were so spoiled this last trip it will definitely be an adjustment next time.  I will miss the freezer and the jacuzzi tub.

Boardwalk Villas

Featured review from my reader Gina…

The Boardwalk had been one of my dream places to stay since I first visited the resort in 2005. I love the atmosphere, the water surrounding the resort, the activity on the Boardwalk and the close proximity to EPCOT and Disney Studios.

The rooms were nicely themed and spacious. With a two bedroom for four people we had more than enough room to spread out. We had a completely furnished full kitchen, washer and dryer and two bathrooms. A two-bedroom is a one-bedroom with a connecting studio. In the studio portion of the two bedroom, there is a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave. The living area was plenty big and the balconies were a good size. One criticism of Boardwalk is that the rooms can be a far walk from the one set of elevators in the resort. This is true and the hallways are very long. However, you can request a room close to the elevators prior to arrival, or in our case when you are walking down the hall. We were traveling with my father (who was 76 at the time) and he was having trouble with his knee. After we checked in, we got to our floor and after he found out how much further we had to go, he asked if we could get a room closer to the elevators. The bellman took care of it, went and got our keys for our new room and switched us right on the spot.

There is so much to do at Boardwalk, you are never bored. During the day you can take a walk around the resort and check out Beach and Yacht Club which are just a few steps away. The pool is also fun, although the clown slide can freak some people out. It was a little cool while we were there, so we didn’t use the pool, but our rooms were overlooking it.

During the evening, the Boardwalk comes alive with all sorts of entertainment. I love walking down the Boardwalk with an ice cream cone and just soaking up the ambiance. There are jugglers, magicians and musicians all performing. If you don’t feel like walking after a day at the parks, you can rent surrey bikes and travel up and down the Boardwalk.

While there is no food court in the resort itself, there are so many food choices up and down Boardwalk, you never miss it. The Boardwalk Bakery is a great place to stop for a muffin or bagel before the short walk or boat ride to EPCOT or Studios. The ESPN Club serves up an absolutely wonderful Mahi Mahi sandwich in addition to other pub fare and the Belle Vue lounge is a quiet place to have a drink and relax inside the Boardwalk Inn.

The bus stops are right outside the resort and not too far of a walk. I did find that we waited for buses at times. Boardwalk also shares buses with Swan and Dolphin and that made some trips long and crowded, especially the return trips. Since we were only taking buses to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom it was not that bad. Walking or taking a boat to Disney Studios and EPCOT was a definite bonus of staying here. I didn’t mind the bus rides to the other parks so much because of the close proximity of Studios and EPCOT. We didn’t have children with us and were spending most of our time in these two parks. If you are spending most of your time at Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom, it might be quicker to drive especially if you have young children.

I would definitely stay here again. I love the atmosphere and the proximity to EPCOT and Studios. We had a great time and I can’t wait to stay there again.

I will also give big kudos to the staff at the Boardwalk. On my reservation I had indicated that we were celebrating my Mom’s 70th birthday. The reservation clerk gave her a birthday button and said some kind words. After we got to our room, there was a knock at the door. My Mom had a special delivery of a white chocolate Mickey Mouse, four tuxedo-chocolate dipped huge strawberries and a birthday card from Mickey. My mother was convinced that I had sent it up, but it wasn’t me! She was so surprised! It was truly a magical moment.

Old Key West

Featured review from my reader Elizabeth…

Disney’s Old Key West Resort is a Disney Vacation Club Resort. I believe is was built specifically for the Disney Vacation Club, and therefore the accommodations are different than most other Disney World Hotels.

To begin, the rooms are not typical hotel rooms. You can reserve a one, two or three bedroom suite at Old Key West. Every room has a kitchen and living room area. The rooms are also larger than other Vacation Club rooms because they are built more in the style of a town home, than squeezed into a hotel. You get to your room by way of an outside balcony, and this also allows a certain amount of privacy that I find lacking in hallway bound hotel rooms.

In the two and three bedroom suites there are laundry facilities within your rooms. This is convenient, since many families will use their vacation club points to stay there for more than a week. Each room also has its own private balcony that, for the most part, overlooks the golf course or the river that winds through this resort. You can request one or the other when you make your reservation. They make no guarantees, but they will do their best, and most of the time this works.

There is one sit down restaurant and two poolside take-out restaurants at Old Key West. The sit down restaurant is not dramatically themed like other resorts, it is a little pricey (even for Disney), but the food is good. The poolside take out places serve typical Disney fare of burgers, hot dogs and fries. They also have a few salads and other side options.

The main part of the property is the hospitality house. This has guest services, the sit-down restaurant, the biggest pool (complete with water slide), the gym, the spa, one of the take out restaurants, the store, and a bar. Because Old Key West is made to feel like a neighborhood, there is also a community house that has rentals (movies, boats, bikes etc. . .) and lots of free activities. Most afternoons there are family friendly competitions at the main pool. There are also shuffleboard, tennis, and sand volleyball courts around the hospitality house.

There are four pools total on the Old Key West property. The main pool, which has a slide, a kiddie pool and a playground, is good, but can be very crowded when the resort is busy. There is a second pool towards the back of the property that is a similar size, but lacks the slide. This pool also has a take-out food shack.

There are two smaller pools that tend to attract an older crowd. They are quieter and each one has a hot tub and a picnic grills nearby.

Buses are the only way to get to the parks from this resort, but boats can take you to Downtown Disney. There is also a walking path that can take you to Downtown Disney. There are 6 bus stops at this resort, so no matter where you stay at the resort, you can catch a bus easily. No more than a 3-5 minute walk.

My family has been going to Old Key West for years. We began going when we joined the Vacation Club, and continue to go because of the atmosphere. We love it because it is quieter and people “move” in for a longer period of time, but you are still on Disney property and can easily (by bus or boat) get to the action. The kitchens allow you to save money by cooking at home, and the rooms are larger allowing the longer stays to be more comfortable.

Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

Featured review from my reader Jenn…

We really like Saratoga Springs Resort. We are DVC members and it is our home resort. It is within walking distance to Downtown Disney. We usually ask for Congress Park to be closest to Downtown Disney and to have a nice view of the waterway and Downtown Disney. So nice after shopping to be able to walk back to the resort instead of waiting for a bus.

We have stayed in a studio which includes 1 full bath with a shower/tub, a small sink,microwave,small fridge,toaster,and coffee pot. 1 queen bed and a sofa pull out bed. There is a small table with 2 chairs to eat at and a tv center with a tv and dvd player. You have a balcony with a table and 2 chairs. It was perfect for a family of 4.

We also stayed in a one bedroom villa, wich includes full bath with jacuzzi tub and stand alone shower. Also a full size kitchen. The one bedroom is perfect for parties 3 or larger.

They have an amazing pool at the main lobby. It has a huge rock slide and they play movies at the pool at night. They just refurbished a new pool at the Paddock which looks really neat. There are 5 sections to this resort. Each has their own small pool too, which is nice with laundry rooms where you can do laundry and swim. They also have the bikes that you can rent just like at the Boardwalk.

The main lobby has 1 Quick Service Restaurant( Artist Palatte)  and 1 Sit down Restaurant (The Turf Club). A store with merchandise and groceries. The Quick Service Restaurant also has a little bakery which is nice. We enjoy the quick service restaurant. They have a good breakfast and they have delicious flatbread pizza and chicken tenders with homemade chips. There are alot of tables out to sit at and a lot of the tabels have easals with paper and crayons for the kids to draw on. The sitdown restaurant was really good too. They had a huge menu with many choices. Everything we had was delicious.

Each Section of the Resort has a bus stop that you share with all of Saratoga Springs. We have never had to wait more than 20 min. and they usually have several buses running. Just keep in mind that there are 5 stops within the resort. Sometimes the buses are really full. Depending on where you stay the main lobby is within walking distance if you didn’t want to wait for a bus but it is about a 10 min. walk from Congress Park.

This resort is really nice. All of the staff we have dealt with has been great and very nice. If you get the chance to stay here it is fun.

Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs

Featured review from my reader Lisa…

My family decided to stay at the Tree House Villas since we had a current reservation at Saratogoa Springs resort when the Tree House Villas booking window opened for the first bookings we switched that very day.  It was my husband and myself, my Sister, Brother in Law and Niece.  The Tree Houses were amazing!  They were beautifuly decorated and felt like home.  There was so much space.  There are three bedrooms and a sleeper sofa and sleeper chair.  The Tree Houses sleep up to nine people.  We had 5 and I don’t think I would try to sleep more then 6 people total.  I did love that there were two complete bathrooms and a full kitchen.  Not to mention a grill and a table and benches outside.  The Master Bedroom had the best bathroom ever and a great soaking tub.  The 2nd bedroom had a queen sized bed and the 3rd bedroom had a set of bunk beds.  The washer and Dryer were great to have in the unit also.  The Treehouses rent for the same number of Disney Vaction Club points as a two bedroom Villa at Saratogoa Springs Resort.  The boat that went from the Tree Houses to the main building of Saratoga Springs was great.  This is how we got to the food court, Artist Palate, every morning.  Artist Palate offered limited choices, but everything we purchased was very good quility and tasted great!  The boat also went to Downtown Disney.  I think the boat was my husbands favorite part of the resort.  We used the boat more then the buses to get to the main section of Saratogoa Springs, the Park Buses and Downtown Disney.  There are two bus stops that service the Treehouse section.  You must take an internal bus (or Boat) to the main section of Saratoga Springs to get the park buses.  It really added an extra 25 minutes or so on to your travels.  This was the one thing we did not LOVE about the Tree House Villas.  I don’t think we would stay here again without a car, but would deffinatly stay in the Treehouse Villas again.  There was plenty of parking for guests who did have cars.  The bus stops from the parks were about in the middle of the bus stops.  They were not the closest stop, but not nearly as far as the Pop Century bus stops.  But again after you took the bus to Saratoga Springs you had to change buses to get to the Tree House section then walk to your Treehouse.  It was alot with a baby at the end of a long park day.  I think that we had about a 5-10 minute walk from the bus stop to our Treehouse.  The buses never seemed over crowded and I don’t think we ever had to stand on a bus, so this was a great bonus.  The pools at Saratoga Springs are great.  We used the Tree House Villa pool and the main pool.  There is no slide or anything special in the pool section of the Tree House Villa Section, but the pool was never crowded and we loved it.  We all loved the Treehouses and would stay here again for sure.

Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge

Featured review from my reader Shannon…

I am happy to help.  I am a Disney Vacation Club member and have stayed at Wilderness Lodge Villas several times. Despite the hustle and bustle of all that is going on outside, the villas are surprisingly quiet. We actually stayed here during the Christmas holidays and it is one of the most beautiful resorts to visit during this time of year:)

I LOVE the majestic structure of the Wilderness Lodge, and the villas are no exception.  Just off to the right, out a side door, and down a walkway and you find yourself walking into the Wilderness Villas.  The Wilderness Lodge Villas are for Disney Vacation Club members and offer a number of different room configurations to fit just about any size family.  Here you can stay in a studio, one bedroom, or 2 bedroom villa.  Each studio is decorated in the classic rustic national park lodge style and has a queen bed, pullout sofa, kitchenette including a mini fridge, coffee maker, and microwave.  Disney even includes an assortment of paper plates, cups, and plastic cutlery, coffee for your coffee maker, dish soap, and paper towels.  (You can obtain groceries in the gift shop, so it is great to be able to stock up on lunch meats, milk, etc.

The one bedroom also sleeps four, but offers much more room to spread out in.  You get a FULL size kitchen which includes dishes, pots/pans, utensils, glassware, a full refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, etc.  They even give you dish soap for the sink and for the dishwasher.  In addition, you also have a washer and dryer.  They give you one single use box of Tide, so if you are staying longer, you may want to stash some additional laundry soap and dryer sheets with you.  I cannot tell you how nice it is to be able to wash all of your stinky laundry after a long day in the parks.(we bring less clothes this way, which helps when you are flying)  The Florida sun really takes its toll, so clothes can only be worn once before they need to be cleaned.  The master bedroom has a king sized bed and the living room has a pull out sofa for the kiddos.  There is also a DVD player in the living room so you can play movies at night after a long day in the parks.  The bathrooms are designed exactly as you would see in villas that you might see at Saratoga Springs or Beach Club Villas.  The nice feature here is that the whirlpool tub (which is huge) is in with the master bedroom, and has its own double basin sink area, while the shower, toilet and additional sink are separated by a door.  This way, you can lock off the master and have your privacy (tub and all) and the kids can get to the shower and toilet from the living room without having to disturb you.  It is so nice to have 2 separate areas to get ready in when morning time arrives!

The two bedroom feature combines a studio sized room with 2 queen beds (complete with its own bathroom/shower) with a one bedroom configuration.  So, you get 2 bathrooms, washer/dryer, kitchen,a living room area with sofa bed, and 2 bedrooms.  It can sleep up to 8 people and we have used this room when my folks join us. It is a fantastic resort to stay in and the Wilderness Lodge is specifically requested by my family when we stay at Disney.  With the Vacation club villas I can “treat” my extended family to a room with us, or a studio close to us.

I have also stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge Studio rooms, Beach Club (all sized villas), Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Boardwalk Villas.  They all have their own distinct personalities, but the Wilderness Lodge offers one that you won’t soon forget:)

We stayed at the Villas at The Wilderness Lodge back in Sept 2009.  My parents are DVC members and we still havent stayed at all the resorts. I have been wanting to stay at the WL for a long time. So I got to pick the resort for that trip. We (me and my hubby, my sister and her hubby, and my parents) each got our own 1 bedroom villa each. I fell in love with the décor, me and my hubby love the log cabin country feel.  The one bedroom villa was definitely more than enough room for just us two, it had lots of closet space..a full kitchen..living room..and master bedroom with a king size bed, a hot tub and sink area, then the bathroom with a shower..and its own washer and dryer.The lobby of the Villas is very nice..theres a sitting area by a fire place..and then theres also a room where you can play some chess/checkers and just hang out. The lobby is the main resort is just absolutely goregous!! You have the check in/out desk..the store..two restuarants a huge sitting area in front of there massive fire place..then a little walk down a hall you find there little food court..even though it was small..we fell in love with this food court..we definitely took use of it A LOT. We got the refillable mug and used that through out our trip. I fell in love with the Wilderness Salad..it had apples and walnuts and this awesome dressing. And let me tell you I was 30 weeks pregnant when I went I had at least one a day and was so mad when I got back home and was craving that salad! I hope they havent gotten rid of it!

The transportation to parks and downtown disney was fine..we never had any problems..or any major  waits that I can think of. We used he boat a lot to go to the MK and even the Contemporary Resort. I just wish the bus area was covered a bit more..since you do/can get wet if its raining..the walk to the bus stop wasn’t too bad since it seems closer to the Villas than the resort. Walking from the villas to the main lobby was a bit of a hassle but I always enjoyed it.

We are finally going back to Disney in May of 2012 and are staying here again!! I can not wait. We will have our little girl with us and I think this will be a great resort with a child, plus we will be super close to the Magic Kingdom! And this time I hope to get good use of the main pool since it just looks really cool, we only used the pool that was for the villas..it was very nice and very quite. We definitely enjoyed it and my husband and brother-in-law loved the hot tub! Also  I still want to see the gyser go off that’s by the main pool.

My husband, the big kid at heart, enjoyed the video arcade..him and my brother-in-law could usually be found in there! It had a decent  assortment of games. We also enjoyed at night watching the electric water parade go by.i never got to see it so up close. If you stood on the beach between the villas and the main resort it was a perfect spot!

Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.