The Value Resorts at Walt Disney World
Where to Stay Resort Features by Price Kid Appeal Large Families
The Value Resorts Pop Century Movies Sports Music Art of Animation
OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S VALUE RESORTS
I’ve stayed at Disney’s Value Resorts more than a dozen times, and all five over the last couple of years.
These stays confirm the order in which the value resorts are recommended.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is number one among the values.
- After Art of Animation, the rank is, in order, Pop Century, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Music.
You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.
However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.
(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)
THE VALUE RESORTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
There are currently 5 value resorts at Walt Disney World:
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, opened in April 1994
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, opened in November 1994
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, opened in January 1999
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort, opened in December 2003
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, opened in May 2012
The value resorts are the most recent resort class to have opened at Walt Disney World.
They were preceded by the deluxe class, open at Disney World’s own opening, the moderate class, which first opened in 1986, and the Disney Vacation Club resort class, first opened in 1991. See this for what you get by Disney World price class.
In the case of its launch of both the moderates and the values, Disney was concerned not only to successfully compete with off-site hotels (not hard, and devastatingly successful) but also to not lose revenue from guests trading down from the next higher resort price class.
Hence it tried to make pretty sharp lines between resort classes.
The sharp lines at the values–their most distinctively different features–are their larger than life statues of toys, Disney characters, and such, and their just barely life-sized rooms.
You may never stay in a two-bed hotel room smaller than the rooms in the value resorts.
The rooms at the value resorts have 260 square feet.
While this may not seem like much less than the moderates space of 314 square feet, almost all of the difference is in the living space.
The living space of the values is about 80% as big as that of the moderates. Most of this missing space comes from the part of the room you are in when you aren’t in bed!
Some of this is from a narrower room, but most is from a shorter room.
These rooms are fine for first time family visitors who can’t afford a deluxe, as they won’t be spending much time in them other than sleeping.
I can’t recommend them for returning visitors–who are more likely to spend more time goofing off in or near their rooms–unless they have stayed in a value before and hence know exactly what they are in for, or their kids are really little, or their party size is only 3 people.
For more on comparative room sizes, see this.
The family suites at All-Star Music and at Art of Animation are a different story.
They sleep six in two connected spaces the size of two standard rooms, and are quite comfortable.
Compared to staying off-site, the value resorts are distinguished by their higher kid appeal, their convenience, and their access to certain key perks that off-site hotels can’t provide.
Kid Appeal. Several of the deluxe resorts–notably, the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort–have spectacular kid appeal. None of the moderates do.
All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts–have terrific kid appeal.
This appeal comes from the approach to theming they all share: bright and vibrant exteriors, framing much larger than life objects of interest to kids.
These objects reinforce that these resorts were designed for the sake of kids…and not necessarily for adults!
MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For resort reviews, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For the deluxe resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
 |
6 comments
[...] main suggestion is to stay at a Walt Disney World value resort and take advantage of one of the many free dining periods during 2011. Free dining can save your [...]
Please send info. Thanks.
???
Dave-my head continues to whirl! We were thinking of going in Dec but friends who lived in FL both shared it might be too cold to swim, which we want to do plenty of. So now we’re thinking of going the end of Sept so we can cash in on the free dining plan. My question is-how does one get a family suite at all star music hotel? I tried to book it through Disney’s site and they don’t recognize any suites there…thanks!
Carrie, if you don’t put five or 6 people in the reservation request, you won’t be directed to the suites. If this doesn’t work, they may be sold out. Calling WDW or using a travel agent is another option, as is Art of Animation.
[...] 30% off Value Resorts [...]
Leave a Comment | Ask a Question | Note a Problem