Wondering what the difference between Value, Moderate and Deluxe Disney Resorts are? The biggest factor in deciding where you want to stay is how much you are willing to spend. Disney breaks their resorts into 3 categories: Value, Moderate and Deluxe.
Value Resorts
The Value Resorts are the 5 cheapest hotels at Disney. You have All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, Art of Animation and Pop Century (where I’ve stayed).
$154 t0 $249 a night depending on travel dates. Suites are more expensive.
Moderate Resorts
The moderate resorts are Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside, Fort Wilderness Campground and Fort Wilderness Cabins.
$230 to $325 depending on travel dates.
Deluxe Resorts
The deluxe resorts are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, Boardwalk Inn, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Riviera Resort, Wilderness Lodge and Yacht Club Resort.
$406 to $3k+ depending on travel dates.
More facts to consider
Room Size
The rooms at a Value Resorts are going to be smaller. A room at Pop is just 260 square feet, where a room at the Grand Floridian is 403 square feet. How important is elbow room to you?
Resort Size
The more rooms a resort has the more people it has, the longer you might have to wait for Disney transportation, their food court, etc etc. Keep in mind that Disney does have more buses for the larger resort. Pop has 2,880 rooms but they are constantly running busses. The longest I waited on a bus was 10 minutes and often we would pass a bus going to Pop on the way to our destination. So it isn’t like they only have one Magic Kingdom bus.
Transportation
Do you plan to use Disney transportation? A lot of resorts have other transportation options than just a bus. The Grand Floridian, The Contemporary and The Polynesian are all on the Monorail Loop. This means that you can directly board the Monorail train from your resort. You can then take the monorail directly to the Magic Kingdom or to Epcot (you will have to change monorail trains to do this).
Wilderness Lodge and the Wilderness campgrounds both have boats that take you to the Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn and Disney’s Swan and Dolphin are all within walking distance of Epcot (or by short boat ride) and actually have their own entrance to Epcot called The International Gateway. They also have boat rides to Hollywood studios.
Pop Century is the only resort that never shares a bus. All other resorts either share a bus with other resorts or have multiple internal stops within the resort. Now that doesn’t mean that every single bus is shared, it is just known to happen.
The Skyliner services Pop Century, Art of Animation, Riviera and Caribbean Beach.
Restaurant offers
Are you looking to stay at a resort that has it’s own sit down restaurant? The values only have food courts (which I enjoy) but do not offer any sit down restaurants (such as ‘Ohanas at The Polynesian). If that is important to you, then that is something to consider when choosing your resort. Values also do not have room service (but do have pizza delivery).
Pools
All resorts have pools, but they do vary considerably. Value resorts pools are nice, but they do not have water slides like the moderate and deluxe resorts. Most resorts do offer multiple pools with different features. You must be staying at that resort to use their pools.
Beds
The beds at the moderate and deluxe resorts are larger and more comfortable than the beds at the values.
Another Option
Don’t forget to browse Disney timeshares for sale by owner on the secondary resale market for some great deals. You may be able to afford a Deluxe or Moderate resort on a Value budget. Timeshare units typically come equipped with a kitchen and private bedrooms as well.
See this list of the top 5 Walt Disney World Resort pools.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
Art of Animation doesn’t share a bus. And while it doesn’t have a slide, it does have a zero-entry pool which is good for little ones, the elderly, and handicapped.
While the Deluxe resorts have multiple transportation options, they’re also the closest to the parks. That factors into my decision when planning a trip after many uncomfortable & packed LONG rides on Disney buses to/from our resort. I don’t want to spend half the day on buses. And we take mid-day breaks to go back to the resort to swim, avoid the heavier park crowds, & relax for a few.
I have stayed at pop century twice, this year my third, I bring 13 people..mostly kids and pop century is all that we need…we are at the park from open to close, where we stay is less than 5 min. To bus, eating and main pool right there…staff great, rooms redone so am looking forward to that…I have NO negatives at all….I pay for parks, not a room that I hardly stay in..
The Polynesian, Grand Floridian also have boat transportation to Magic Kingdom
Amen. We stayed at port orleans which was least expensive available 25 years ago last time we visited. Just not in room much agreed. We are doing movies this time. Its a clean room and thats what matters
Good luck! We just got back from a trip to Disney where we stayed at All Star Movies. NEVER AGAIN! I can honestly say it was the worst resort experience we’ve had at Disney. Hope yours goes better!
What was it that was bad? Was looking into possibly that resort for my next stay, so would love your input. Thanks in advance
We stayed at Movies in Oct2019, and plan to stay there on our next trip. The room has been updated, so no carpet. It was sleek and minimalist. Furthest building from the dining hall, it was still a short walk. We had a better stay at Movies than we did at Caribbean in 2017.
We have been many times and we always stay in an All Star. Now, I have never been when it was full of teens who were there for sporting events and such so that would make a difference. We have always enjoyed it. As our kids got older and bigger, we could get two adjoining rooms so we had two bathrooms and everyone had their own bed cheaper than one room at a moderate and even there you only have one bath. Besides, our main purpose there is for the parks, not the hotel.
I find that the style of the bus stops differs between the hotel levels. At the value resorts, the walk to the bust stop is LONG and you wait in a line that has no cover. This means you are standing in the sun or the rain. At the moderate resorts, your walk to the bus stop is moderate, but the bus stop itself is undercover. At the deluxe resorts (well at least at Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodges) the walk to the bus stop is short. Also the walk to the bus stop is covered as well as the bus stop itself. These differences are important if you are visiting during the summer months.
I have only stayed at Disney one time and we stayed at Old Key West. I thought it was really nice- but I never see it mentioned on any board that talks about places to stay.
We just went to WDW for an 8 day / 7 night graduation trip for our teens. We stayed in the Art of Animation Lion King suite and it was perfect for us. We had 6 people and we were only out in the parks all day. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was good! We didn’t swim, it was pretty chilly and a bit rainy, but the pool areas were beautiful! Our kids, even though they are 17 and up loved taking photos around the resort with all the great themed statues!! I am planning a trip this fall just to check out resorts and my husband and i plan to return next fall for our 25th anniversary! We are going to splurge and stay at a deluxe resort club level!! I’m so excited!! ILOVEDISNEYWORLD!!
Take the tours whenever possible… they are amazing and really add a lot to the experience!!
forgot to mention… Art of Animation has free drawing classes in the lobby several time a day!! Like at the Animation Academy in Hollywood Studios. I could do that all day!! It’s great for the whole family and it’s a free souvenir!!
Wow guys that was really informative. Any advice , we are looking to travel 1st week in December to experience the Christmas theme. We are a family of 4, two kids ages 11 and 13. We are on a tight budget and would love to explore as much as we can?
Seriously? 10$ a day for internet?
That’s just insulting.
We visit WDW 3-5 times a year &
I’ve never paid a dime for internet. I don’t stay at Value resorts but Moderate & Deluxe have free wi-fi.
We just booked at the new Art of Animation Resort and all the rooms there have free wifi and refigerators. They also offer family suites that sleep up to 6.
Kristy
In my experience, those rooms are also double the cost of other value resorts.
So you may get those perks, but you certainly pay for it.
I booked my trip to Disney World last month and while talking to the cast member I received some interesting information. I was told that all the value hotels now have free refrigerators and that all the hotels now have free wifi as well! He also said that they are in the process of upgrading all the moderate hotels to queen size beds instead of full =)
Hi Everyone,
i am planning a trip with a large group 20 adults and 4 kids under 3 y/o. Were OG’s of Disneyland but first timers at WDW. We’re a disney loving family and so excited. Any suggestions as to wheres a good place to stay with this large a group. Room sharing is ok with us too. And the dining plans everyone talks about, where can i get more info on those? Thank you!
I would call one of the travel agents at destinations florida.
You will pay less with them than anywhere else and they can help you make all the decisions!
We have been to Disney World with our twins starting when then where six. We have stayed st the Polynesian every time because of the monorail and view of the fireworks from the lawn. It is a little more expensive but it was a quick trip on the bus from the other parks too. We never waited more than 10minutes. As for strollers, you can rent them there or I think their is a website to have one at your resort. If you fly, you can gate check one and they put it on the cabin do it is ready for you. What we did was ship umbrella strollers to the resort. They we gave them to people coming in. Honestly it was not expensive. Another tip, since would be to ship a box of goodies like water, snacks, and whatever you need like ponchos. Again, not expensive but saves money in the end. Send anything 7 days again no later with all you information and resort. All will be put in your room.
All Star Music has family suites sleeps 6.
We usually stay at pop century on oyr trips, but last time we went (november 2011) we stayed at caribbean beach because of the dining plan (because they had a free dining offer running). Our family didn’t want all counter, but the 1 counter and 1 sit down a day. We then chose caribbean beach here is what i thought:
LIKES
1. enjoyed the rooms ( stayed in the pirate rooms) did not seem that different to me size wise than the ones at pop century .
2. fride was included
3. offered a sit down resteraunt
4. a waterslide at the pool
DISLIKES
1. it seemed to take forever for or bus to come in the mornings. If you look at a map of teh resort there is a area called trinidad south that is where we stayed. It was the farthest from the amin building and somethimes the bus would be all full by the time it arrived or we would have to stand.
I think that is my only dislike about this resort.
almost choose the carribean beach.
Glad I picked pop century
Don’t know about moderate and value, but all Deluxe resorts have free wifi in the rooms now. Wish they had microwaves, though – nice to be able to cut a meal expense by putting a Kouzzina doggie bag in the mini-fridge, but not so nice to have to eat cold lamb meatballs at lunch the next day.
Thank you for this! I’m planning to do to Disney for the 1st time this fall. My husband is a repeat visitor and he wants to stay at a hotel with monorail service — and now, thanks to this post, I know exactly which ones have that.
we currently have a pirate room at CBR for 3/3 – 3/10. Cost with 5 day tickets and Free dining is around 2800.00. Traveling is my mom 65, me 40 and sons 7 and 13. I am seriously considering changing to Pop or the new refub rooms at Movies. Your thoughts please…..
Sassy,
We stayed at Movies this year and Pop last year and they are fine. I ran the numbers and you would save about $400 if you went down to the value resort, but upgraded to the Plus Dining Plan (1 table service, 1 counter, 1 snack).
There are a few things to consider though… The pool at Caribbean Beach is much nicer. For the savings you could add the Water Park Fun and More option and be able to get access to the water parks AND Disney Quest. But if you have not been to Disney World before, or if you don’t go often you are going to spend most of your time in the parks and might not want to take the half day to go to the water parks… That would mean the cool Caribbean Beach pool is a plus.
Now for the downside… The Pirate Rooms are Disney’s way of taking lemons (rooms no one wants because they are too far out) and making lemonade (cool themeing means Disney can charge more and STILL book these rooms more than they used to be.) BUT with your mom being older, that walk to the food area or main pool might be a factor.
Personally I would probably downgrade to Movies, but do a preferred room and have the extra money for other things. Maybe Pirate’s League? Or extra spending money?
Good luck and have fun!
Michele
Swan and Dlphin are not owned by Disney.
We love love love Pop Century! We get a free refigerator because hubby is a diabetic with insulin.
Is there any reason that most websites are leaving out the Swan and Dolphin?
We stayed at the Grand Floridian when we went last October..I would say another difference between the levels of resorts is the level of peace and quiet. The GF was extremely quiet and laid back. There were kids and families around (though not as many due to season) and the pools usually had a handful of swimmers. But there were many times when we felt like we had the resort to ourselves. Many times we were the only ones on the beach or in the smaller pool. It was SUPER relaxing and becuase we never had to wait in lines at the hotel, share an overcrowded pool, fight for a beach towel or chair ect ect ect.
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cabins at Fort Wilderness! It is the only place my hubby will stay. There was plenty of room for myself, hubby,, 2 kids and my mother-in-law. The convenience of having a full kitchen is a nice perk. Our last trip we spent less than $80 on groceries and had leftovers to take with us when we left to visit my brother-in-law. We ate breakfast in the cabin & brought sandwiches into the parks with us. It’s also nice not having connecting neighbors where you hear doors slamming and voices in the hallways…the peace and quiet allows my kids to be able to fully decompress & have a nice place to rest during the day. We had a golf cart while we were there, so I can’t comment on the bus system.
A couple of things to note:
Internet – several resorts, including the Contemporary is testing out free wi-fi.
Buses at Pop Century – Pop Century doesn’t currently share a bus, however, that may change once the Art of Animation opens as it is right next door to Pop. This may be worth noting, especially if you’re planning a 2012 (or later) trip.
We’ve always stayed in value resorts. They’re perfectly fine for us. We figure we’re there more for the theme parks than the hotel anyway. So a little crowded room isn’t horrible.
We now have too many people for the value. So we’re moving up to moderate. We’re trying the Port Orleans Riverside in October. Hopefully it’ll be worth the extra money.
As for fridges, I found a place that rents everything (and I mean, EVERYTHING) person might need. The fridge is pretty affordable, compared to the hotel. I can share the website if anyone wants.
As for a toaster, we took a toaster last time. We just made sure to unplug it every morning, after we were done using it. I thought housekeeping would say something but they never did. And it was out in the open.
Please share the website and do you know if they rent strollers?
We prefer the moderate resorts, its just the two of us for now and we dont want to stay at the value resorts and be so far way from the parks. We also tend to associate the value resorts with families, large groups, and noise.
We prefer Port Orleans and usually stay at Riverside but were going to switch to French Quarter for our next trip because we learned they upgraded to queen beds. But we found out we are expecting and since we live on the west coast we opted for Disneyland this year, since I dont want to fly all day while pregnant.
I’m reflecting on all the on site places we have stayed through the years, and this is as good as place as any to chime in on them! I’ll start with the top resorts and work my way down. My very first trip to WDW we stayed at the Contemporary with a ground level lake side room. It was a nice large room and the view was incredible! So convenient being right there on the monorail too! Several years after that we stayed at the Polynesian. It was fabulous as well! One of my daughters ranks this as her fave! The monorail transportation is very nice, especially if you are on the resort line! The T&TC line can be a nightmare! Another higher end resort we stayed at, that is probably still my favorite was the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. I loved having a full kitchen and the resort was so secluded and just wonderful. Great entertainment for the kids and we enjoyed going to MK by boat!
The kids went with Grandma on one trip and stayed at the Caribbean Beach and gave it rave reviews as well!
We’ve made the rounds through the All Stars and Pop Century and they are all basically the same, just a different decoration!
The next trip will be one for my daughter and her husband to be. We will be sending them on a luxury honeymoon (our whole family chipping in) with a stay at the Grand Floridian and a cruise on the Dream. I can’t wait to hear all about it!
I am sitting on the edge of my seat to read the reviews of the resorts that our couponing friends write!
We have also stayed at all 3 levels of resorts, as our children have become adults we have decided that the value resorts are no longer a choice for us, but I would like to mention that there are 2 moderate resorts, Port Orleans French Quarter and Coronada Springs, that have Queen Beds standard in their rooms instead of Full Beds found in the other moderates. This is a huge deal to my family and has made an easy choice for us in deciding whether to spend the extra money for a deluxe resort or to go with the moderates. These resorts also have “table service” resturants (at Riverside for PO) as well as the great food courts.
Art of Animation is available to book as early as June 1, 2012! Suites for up to 6 people or Standard rooms for up to 4 people. Finding Nemo will be done first, followed by Cars toward the end of summer.
We have stayed at the Poly, the Grand Floridian, the AK Lodge and will stay at Port Orleans in June. The Poly is beautiful, as is the Floridian and the AK Lodge. There are many inportant things to consider. We could see the Lagoon Parade and Wishes from our beds/balcony at the Poly and GF. The monorail and the ferry boats are so conveinient. The price between the MK resorts and the AK Lodge isn’t great enough to compensate for the wait time for the bus and then the bus ride back to the AK Lodge, which is significant. 20+ mins. While the AK Lodge is beautiful and very family friendly, it is so far away from the MK. Our babies were 1, 5 and 7. And not to fuss, but my parents took the 18 month old back to the AK Lodge for the night so my DH and 2 DSs could enjoy MNSSHP one evening and they had to ride the bus, of course. The problem was, aparently men no longer have manners. On a packed bus, no “man” was willing to give up their seat for an older woman with a baby. She was getting off to wait 15+ mins for another bus when 1 person gave their seat. My boys, now 9 and 6 would never sit while an adult female stood w/ a baby, nor would I!!! Grow some manners!
We’ve stayed in value and deluxe. I have to say, we’ve become a deluxe snob family. This last trip I tried to be cheap and stay at POP and it was horrible. The hotel itself was ok but the buses packed and slow. We have older children and we did stay until park closing BUT Pop was the only bus terminal with a line of people. These lines were usually longer than the desinated area and would go PAST the lines for other resorts. We waited over 30 minutes without seeing a bus after Fantasmic. The line went past two other terminals and even passed the information booth a the front of HS. We took a cab back to the hotel.. Had we waited for a bus it would have taken us HOURS. All of the resorts had no lines and empty buses.
I’ve stayed in all 3 levels. I’ve stayed in Pop Century, All Star Sports, Port Orleans, Riverside, and the Beach Club. There are really nice things about each resort.
I take my 7th grade class each fall and we always stay at All Star. It’s great for our group of about 35 13 year olds. We usually stay in the baseball building and swim in the baseball pool. The food court is great for breakfast or snacks. We eat our other meals in the parks.
With my family or friends, I’ve stayed both at the All Star and Pop. I liked Pop better, but it still has the same basic feeling and is very Disney. It’s great fun, but it’s not quiet and/or private.
I’ve stayed at both Port Orleans and Riverside and LOVE the moderate resorts. They are so much more quiet, more lushly landscaped, and private while still maintaining the Disney magic. They do have better pools and they also have nice food courts. In comparison, the value resorts have a more “Wal-Mart” feel while the moderate resorts have a “Macy’s” feel.
I was lucky to stay at the Beach club once. It was incredibly beautiful and had one of the most magnificent pools ever. It has a pool with a real SAND bottom – not concrete. SO cool! However, there is no food court, no quick service dining of any kind. EVERYTHING is expensive and top-of-the line. I would not pay to stay in a Deluxe resort myself. I was able to stay there in a special situation and did not have to pay for the room. Now that I’ve stayed in a Deluxe resort, I would probably not choose to do so again.
I loved the moderate-level resorts. Maybe it’s that I’m a moderate-level person! I have older children and don’t need the OBVIOUS Disney theming found in the value resorts. I certainly appreciate the more private entrances to the rooms, lushly landscaped grounds, and more subtle but wonderful Disney theming.
However, I’ll continue to stay at All Star Sports each fall with my seventh graders and love the trip! We’re considering staying off property this year if it saves money, but I’m just not sure about that decision.
Ugh don’t do it. It’s not worth the transpo time in dollars saved!
Don’t do it – not worth it and you lose the magic!
Thanks! ! We are hoping to plan our trip soon and I’ve been struggling with where to stay. Ihave a 6yr 9yr and 16 yr old plusmy hubby is disabled. This is great info! Thanks!
You may want to consider a resort on the monorail lline. Due to cancer treatment side effects I have to use an ecv and found it wonderful that staff would call ahead and someone would be waiting with a ramp.
Actually, Beach Club does have counter service right by the pool- Hurricane Hannah’s and you can walk to Epcot in 5 minutes for all.kinds of options.
In response to the dining and refrigerator info – Some resorts that have quick serve dining (Polynesian – Captain Cooks, Grand Floridian – Gasprilla’s, Wilderness Lodge – Roaring Fork, etc) have toasters to use. They also have nice but inexpensive dining options. We typically use the dining plan (one quick serve, one sit down) and take breakfast items. We usually take cereal, bowls, spoons and purchase milk at the resort. It saves money and a TON of time.
As far as the room size goes – we are a family of 5. There is only one value resort that has a family suite for us and it is still tight. Our options are very limited to be able to get into one room. So far the Contemporary and Grand Floridian have been the most comfortable for us – we have stayed at all the deluxe and also Port Orleans Riverside. Also, Contemporary (concierge level) offers free internet and desk top computer.
Rooms at the Poly slept 6 people comfortably on our last trip. There are 2 queen beds and a pullout sofa, and larger-than-usual (even for a deluxe) rooms in Tokelau building. Wifi is free in all deluxe resorts now, too.
You can’t bring a toaster? aw man…
For the toasters and things, at the value resorts at least they have toasters and microwaves for use in their food court. For the refrigerator we tend to skip it and bring a collapsible cooler that I fold up in the luggage. All we need to refrigerate though is a small half gallon of milk and the occasional juice.
Another thing to consider is the quality of the counter service location at your resort. Especially if you are travelling with the Disney dining plan. What I mean by that is the value resorts have incredible food courts with lots of choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. As you move up to the deluxe resorts the food court offerings are much more limited, maybe 4 or 5 choices for lunch and dinner and 3 or 4 for breakfast. And Fort Wilderness Campground (where the cabins are) does not have ANY counter service breakfast option. That means you either need to have something in the cabin or find a counter service breakfast in the parks.
I have blood sugar problems (hypoglycemia) and needed to have a fridge to store yogurt and other foods just in case my blood sugar dropped. If you have a medical reason in your family, the daily rate (or at least when we stayed a year ago) is waived.
Hi, I have a question about the mini fridge. I’ve read that you shouldn’t bring things like toasters and stuff to plug into outlets because it can be a fire hazard…and would they even let you bring one if they sell them at the resort for a rental fee??? I’d love to know how Disney feels about this and if it’s something that could potentially hurt others with the fire hazard thing. It would be awesome if it’s okay and safe to bring our own mini fridges!!! That would save a decent chunk of money and we could probably find a bigger one than the dorm size ones they rent!!! Thanks for answering our questions!!! :)
I’ve brought mine and I’ve also participated in a fridge swap on the Disboards which is where someone passes the fridge on to the next person. It was fun!
We have brought ours on every trip. I always ask ahead of time. Its different than a toaster oven that gets super hot! They also will provide one free of charge if you or your child has medication that needs to be refrigerated. A friend of mine had a child on ammox on their last trip and they got a free fridge!