So, you are in the beginning stages of planning your first Disney World vacation or (maybe not your first). You are already overwhelmed. Where should I stay? Should we have a dining plan? Are we going to visit all of the parks? What are my must do attractions? And the list goes on and on. Let’s face it, Disney is not a cheap vacation and you want to get the most bang for your buck! So in this post, I am going to focus on tips to help you choose the right resort, but look for future posts on tips and tricks to help you plan the best Disney World vacation for your family that you can actually enjoy!
Price:
Let’s be honest here, price is ultimately a deciding factor for most of us when deciding where to stay. I am a big advocate of staying on Disney property. I feel like if you are going to pay the price for the tickets, you might as well stay on site to take advantage of some of the onsite perks like getting into the parks earlier. Deluxe resorts also have after hours at certain parks on certain evenings so that is also something to consider. More time for your park ticket!
Now there are some pros to staying off-site. When I was younger, we took two Disney vacations and stayed off-site both trips. The trips were still memorable! Benefits to staying off-site: Usually this saves you some money. You will typically get more space including a kitchen, which can be super helpful. This is something I miss a bit in the resort rooms. So you have the options to eat at your place and potentially save a bit of money on food. You are also going to have more space if you go the Vrbo route. Maybe actual bedrooms and such. There are bedroom suites at some of the Disney resorts but they do come with a higher price tag. Just keep these things in mind when planning.
Disney breaks their resorts into categories: campgrounds, value, moderate and deluxe and deluxe villas. You can check out the resorts and prices during your travel times here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/. I highly suggest checking out the website and looking through the pictures to get a visual. If you see a resort you like or that is in your budget, its always good to look it up on YouTube as well. There are several reviews that will give you a video walk through.
Transportation Options:
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…
Okay, this is a HUGE deciding factor for my family. Probably the top priority we look at when choosing our place to stay. With four kids, we are taking a double stroller. We are not huge fans of emptying the stroller out and tearing it down to board the busses. Our first trip as a family, we only had two kiddos, but still had a large double stroller and we grew to not be so fond of the busses 😂. The busses are a wonderful amenity but just a bit harder when you have a large party with accessories with tired kiddos after a long Disney day. So we opt to stay at a resort on the monorail loop (these resorts also have walkway paths to Magic Kingdom we love and take advantage of) or with access to the skyliner. It’s wonderful to have these quicker forms of transportation for taking those midday breaks when everyone is ready for a rest or some pool time.
So it is important to determine which parks you will be visiting and what modes of transportation you want to take. It is helpful to check which park location the resort you are considering is in. Like I mentioned earlier, the the resorts on the monorail loop have walkway paths to Magic Kingdom, but there are other resorts that have walkways to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. When staying on Disney properties though, you have access to some sort of free transportation to your hotel. You are also free to use the Minnie Vans service and uber at an additional cost.
Theme:
I mean let’s face it, it’s Disney and Disney does everything a bit big and over the top. However there are some resorts more themed than others. Or I should say more over the top. Big Character Statues, and themed rooms. Art of Animation is probably the most well known for this. I mean there are Little Mermaid Suites, Cars Suites, and more. The pool here is the cutest EVER! My kids loved going over to this pool when we stayed at POP Century. Now some of the resorts have undergone some updates and renovations. In my opinion, the value resort are more themed and over the top rooms while the moderate and deluxe resorts are more modern and subtle themed resorts. So you have to decide if that is a big factor to you. Are you going to be spending a lot of time at your resort? Rest days in between park days? Or are you simply using your resort as a place to sleep, eat some and then spend the majority of your time in the parks?
Pools:
All of the resorts have pools. It is just a matter of looking through the pictures to see what you want out of the pool area. Most, if not all deluxe resorts have water slides in their pool areas as the Value resorts do not. Some pools are more decked out than others. My girls are content with any pool of water to swim in and play for a bit to beat the Florida heat. All pools have sideline activities that the employees put on.
Party Size:
Your party size can play a key roll in choosing which resort to stay in as well. Most value resorts are suitable up to a party of 4, except Art of Animation has family suites that will sleep up to 5. Your party size is anyone that has a ticket, so anyone three years old and up. So if your party is larger than 4, you will be required to rent more than one room to accommodate. You are not guaranteed conjoining rooms but can put in that request. The moderate and deluxe resorts have rooms to accommodate parties of 5 and 5 and up. They have some one and two bedroom suites. Suite rooms usually have more than the beverage cooler as well. Typically they have mini refrigerators and microwaves all the way up to full kitchen. So compare the price and amenities of two value resort rooms vs a moderate/deluxe suite.
Food:
All resorts have some type of restaurant option within it as well. Most are like a cafeteria type option and the moderate/deluxe have some finer dining options. No matter where you stay though, you are able to visit other resorts to eat at the different restaurants. All rooms also have a small beverage cooler or mini refrigerator and you are able to place grocery orders that can be delivered right to the bell hop services. Keep in mind, the beverage coolers do not get super cold. I would not recommend keeping yogurt, cheese and things that can spoil easily in them. I will have another post in the future on food hacks, some of our favorite snack and meals and character dining.
Final Thoughts:
I hope some of these pointers give you some ideas about what to think about when choosing your resort. Bottom line, you are still going to be at Disney and have the time of your life! If you have any concerns, it is really important to note those to the front desk and they are usually very quick to address any concerns. Have so much fun! Let me know below what your favorite Disney resort is and why! 😁
