d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
By Dave Shute
OVERVIEW: WHERE TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Stay in Disney’s Polynesian Resort if you can afford it, or in a standard room at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort if you are on a tight budget.
If neither of these works for you, see Next Best Resort Choices.
STAY AT A WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT
You should stay at an official Walt Disney World resort hotel, as doing so gives you special privileges that your itinerary takes advantage of.
- Being able to pre-book as early as seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, compared to three days for almost everyone else, helping you get low wait access to the most popular rides.
- Access to free extra time in every park every morning that most other guests can’t use via Disney World’s new Early Theme Park Entry program, which replaces its old Extra Magic Hours offering. (Those staying in the most expensive Disney hotels also get extra evening access.)
- Reliable park transportation with proper hours.
- Earlier access to the most popular dining reservations.
- Access to the Disney Dining Plan which can save some families a bit, and lets others control their budgets.
- Free parking at the theme parks and the hotels, and no resort fees.
- Fun theming and good convenience
CRITERIA FOR PICKING AMONG DISNEY RESORTS
This site selects from among the 25 or so possible Walt Disney World resort hotels based on two criteria:
- Appeal to kids (for obvious reasons) and
- Transportation convenience, because of all the trips you will be making back and forth from your resort to the various parks, attractions and shows.
KID APPEAL
Kid appeal is principally visual, and it means whether the look of a resort has features that speak to kids of whimsy, playfulness, and adventure, signaling that that this resort was designed for them! (And not necessarily for their parents…)
The resorts with kid appeal are, in order
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- (Near-tie with #1) Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Polynesian Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- (Near tied) Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All Star Music Resorts.
None of the other resorts has enduring, whimsical kid appeal. See this for more on kid appeal.
CONVENIENCE
These resorts noted above with kid appeal break into two categories.
- The first 3 are classified by Walt Disney World as “Deluxe” resorts, and
- The rest are classified by Disney as “Value” resorts
(See this for details on what you get in each resort category.)
Because the price difference between these categories is so high, separate hotels are recommended within each of the two categories. (Other categories exist, but are not recommended for first-time visitors–see Where Not to Stay for why.)
Within the kid-appealing Walt Disney World resorts, the tie breaker is transportation convenience, particularly to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot theme parks, as you will be making more trips to these parks than any others.
Of the three kid-appealing deluxe resorts, the Polynesian is far and away the most convenient.
- It is one of only three resorts served by the resort monorail that directly connects to the Magic Kingdom, and the only one of the kid appealing resorts to do so
- Is the only resort within easy walking distance of the Epcot monorail that directly serves Epcot, and
- Is the only resort for which you can take the express monorail back from the Magic Kingdom, walking from where the monorail stops at the Transportation and Ticketing Center back to the hotel–and saving often 10 to 30 minutes.
Among the Walt Disney World value resorts with kid appeal–the All-Star Music, Movies and Sports Resorts, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort—Art of Animation and Pop Century tie as convenience winners, but the choice is not so clear cut.
Collectively, transportation is less convenient at the All-Stars than at Pop Century and at Art of Animation. What really sets Pop Century and Art of Animation apart is their access to Disney’s Skyliner gondola transportation to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
See this for more on convenience.
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258 comments
Hello Dave! I was just curious if you were going to be putting up a new review for All Star Music? We are staying there in March, and I would love to see some recent pics and hear more about it. Also, is there a coffee pot in the Family Suites?
Hi Jennifer! Yes, there is a coffee pot in the Family Suites. I will be putting up a new review of Music and standard rooms there in later June or early July, but not of the Family Suites.
However, there’s a review of them (with lots of photos!) from less than a year ago here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/09/05/review-the-family-suites-disneys-all-star-music-resort/
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Ok – another ? If the free dinning pkg is offered 12/6/2013/12/14/2013 I want to stay at Animal Kingdom – Can you please tell me which rooms and part of the trail to request for the Pool view bunk bed rooms – and are they really noisy and busy? Also the standard rooms can you tell me which part of the hotel to request the best room and location for both? Thanks
Hi Rhonda, you’ll be able to book a pool view bunk bed directly, so you don’t need anything else for that. This will put you away from the pool noise–whihc is OK anyway. At the time you reserve–and when you do online check in, which you can do beginning 60 days out–ask for a higher floor, closer to the main lobby.
For standard rooms, ask for the same thing, though for these roms, near the lobby is more important than the higher floor.
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TRAVEL from the Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom – how long would you say the ride is to go to MK on the bus? I have before park opening buffet reservations at 8:20 and I heard the ride from AK is pretty long. Also how long is it from AK to Epcot? Ak to HS thanks you very much for your help!!!!!
Um, Rhonda, why would you even do that? You’ll be wasting as much as an hour at the time that the parks are the least crowded…? (Walk from the meal to the buses, wait for the buses, bus time, walk into the next park and through the turnstiles…)
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Confused w/your answer 🙂 Though, I believe my question was confusing. My question is how long is the bus ride from AK to MK? I do have 8:20 reservations for a character buffet at mk because I want to sign my son up for something at 9:00 – we are staying at this park the whole day, we will not be park hopping. My next question was how long are bus rides to each of the other parks. AK to Epcot? AK to HS. Thank you soo very much for your knowledge of the parks and answers so quickly.
Rhonda, I think I get it now–you meant AKL, not AK, right? I thought you were talking about having breakfast in AK the park, and then taking a bus from there to MK!!
AKL is about a 15-20 minute ride from everything else except AK. But Disney runs special buses to early morning meals. Ask the AKL lobby concierge the day befroe about when it runs and where to get it!
Is this answer perhaps more heplful 🙂
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As for my very first ? re: the rooms – I actually booked through a travel agent will I still be able to book online 60 days out? and what you are saying the pool w/bunk bed rooms are away from the noise? and the standard rooms are on higher floors?
Do you think there might be free dinning? I read in a different post from someone and you that you thought they might at least offer a discount…any more news on that for 12/6-12/14/13
Yes you can do on-line check in 60 days out. I suggest the higher floors for both room types because for the pool rooms there’ll be less noise, and the standard rooms will have better views.
If there is free dining in December–and I doubt there will be, but there’s a ton of speculation out there–it’s unlikely to cover your arrival dates, because of Pop Warner week, which is pretty much always excluded from such deals. See this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/05/30/pop-warner-week-at-walt-disney-world/
New at this Disney lingo 🙂 You are pretty good at reading between the lines. I did mean AKL in all questions re: the rides. This was very helpful – thank you!!
So you don’t even think there might be a % off discount on these dates???
🙂 I really should spell everything out and not use abbreviations. Yes I do think there’ll be a room rate deal for your dates, but it likely at
AKLthe Animal Kingdom Lodge will only cover standard view rooms…Thank you for your website, even a Disney semi-pro like me still finds great and extremely useful information here.
We are planning to travel with two kiddos – age 3 and almost 2 at the time of planned travel (first week of February). We picked the date due to the low crowds in the park. We took our first born to Disney when he was 6 months old and stayed in the Polynesian with him in January. Now that we’re looking to bring him and his younger brother, the Wilderness Lodge, we think, would be more ideal. We plan to spend more ‘down town’ with them at the resort.
We plan to continually visit DisneyWorld and our only reason to try Wilderness Lodge is it’s slightly cheaper than Polynesia, still a Deluxe Resort, and has more kid appeal/activities for my 3 year old than Polynesian would. We can also afford to stay an extra night at Wilderness due to the price.
My husband would still prefer the Polynesian due to it’s awesome location to the monorail and TTC. We plan to continually return to Disney with out kids as they grow older about every 1-2 years, so returning to the parks isn’t a big deal.
Are we better off staying in Polynesian with the little kiddos for this stay and eventually try out Wilderness when their out of strollers? Or choose Wilderness for the kids appeal and stay longer and book Polynesian when they are older?
You know Rachel, I’m actually a bit with your husband on this–rare, as my usual response to these debates is suggesting a skillet to the husband head.
I think the kids will appreciate Wilderness Lodge much more when they are older–say 5 and 6 or even older (my “kid appeal” rating are designed for kids 8 and older).
This is because the theming of WL is based on a pretty specific vernacular of national parks and the mountain west with which they may not yet have had enough visual experience to appreciate.
And BTW, if you are willing to consider “experiments in convenience”–what about a family suite at Art of Animation? See https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/06/10/review-the-family-suites-at-disneys-art-of-animation-resort/
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Dave – we talked about your idea and decided to try out a family suite at the Art of Animation. We can stay for an entire week at AofA for the price of 3 nights at Polynesian. After reading and looking at pictures of the WL, it will be way over our kids heads at this point. Thank you again!
Great, Rachel–even at almost $300 a night, you really get a lot in the Art of Animation family suites that you don’t get elsewhere…
I’m planning a trip to WDW 12/7/2013 – 12/14/2013. Flight is already purchased, no changing dates. I’m renting a car so travel convenience is not an issue. I have read your reviews of possibley no free dinning on these dates – BUT do you think room discounts will be offered AND WHEN DO YOU THINK THEY MIGHT BE OUT?
Looking at Caribbean Springs/preferred rooms as the standard rooms are already booked,
Wilderness Lodge standard room,
Looking at AKL standard room,
OKW cheapest rooms
I’m praying for discounted rooms as I do not want to be in the middle of POP WARNER teens in the value resorts. Thanks for your help……
Chris, my bet is that we’ll see room rate discounts for then–but I don’t know when they’ll come out. August at the earliest, but maybe later.
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I meant Caribbean Resort in the previous post, but we might do Coronado Springs if the price is right. NEED A DISCOUNT FOR MY DATES 12/7/2013 – 12/14/2013 – free dinning would be better. thank for your help….
My daughter and her husband and two children (will be almost 4 and 5-1/2 when we go), and sister are planning to go to Disney in February 2014. We are considering the Art of Animation Suite, but wondered if areobeds would fit in the room since there are only three different sleeping surfaces. Do you have a better suggestion for lodging?
Thanks.
Jackie, there’s room for a single-sized air mattress in front of the mini-kitchen. See the red thingy in the image. People in the fold-out couch will have to step over it to get to the bath…
There aren’t any inexpensive options that have 3 beds appropriate for adults. Any two bedroom villa would work, but the least expensive of those–at Old Key West–will be more than twice as expensive. For more on OKW, see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/04/29/review-disneys-old-key-west-resort-2/
If budget is not an issue, then see this for more ideas: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/20/deluxe-options-for-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/
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Hello,
Where should I stay?
M.
Hey M–see the top of the page–the Polynesian or Art of Animation!
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Hi Dave,
I have a standard room booked @ AoA for next August 16-23 2014. We are going with our two younger children (8 year old girl and 11 year old boy). My question for you is this…typically there is a discount available for these dates but standard rooms at AoA are not included. I am pondering changing my reservation and staying at Wilderness Lodge (I think our kids would LOVE it there), and this would be included in the discount, if they offer it and would only be about $500 more which is totally doable. This will most likely be our only visit for a long time so I want to make the best of it. What do you think?
Thanks!
Hi Rachel!
For sure Wilderness Lodge is a much better choice than a standard room at Art of Animation.
But I’m not following your pricing. In August 2014, Little Mermaid standard rooms will be $123/weeknights and $146 weekends. Wilderness Lodge rack rates then are $325/$347, and so even at a 30% discount will be more than $700 more expensive…
To me this is still way worth it…but it’s not my money!
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Thanks Dave,
But, I wondered about the beach club as its in a good location, what do you think?
Your site is great, really helpful! 🙂
M.
Hi, and thanks!!
The Beach Club has a wonderful location for Epcot, a good location for the Hollywood Studios, and a lousy location for the other two park. So if your trip is focused on Epcot, it’s a wonderful choice.
Most trips, though are focused on the Magic Kingdom, making other choices much better–e.g. the Polynesian, which is wonderful for MK, good for Epcot, and lousy for the other two parks.
For more on the Polynesian, see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/06/17/review-disneys-polynesian-resort-2/ and for more on the Beach Club, see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/10/11/review-disneys-beach-club-resort/
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Dave, So my husband and I are completely conflicted about where to stay for our March 2-8 2014 Disney Vacation. A couple of questions: If we did a split stay at Pop and Wilderness we are thinking about only doing a dining plan on half the stay and just paying out of pocket the other half. Is staying half the week at Wilderness Lodge worth the forfeit of convenience of having a dining plan for the whole week. Our son that will be coming along will be 5 yrs old at the time of travel. Also, what do you think a family of 3 would pay out of pocket for food for the week ? The Dining Plan for the whole week, even with the split stay is going to run us about $ 904.00. Do you think that is comparable to what we would pay any way out of pocket ? If we decide against the split stay we are very conflicted about whether to stay at Riverside or Coronado Springs. I want to for my son to still feel like he is at Disney even after we leave the parks. Help !!! We have contemplated this at neausium . Thanks!!!
Hi Nicky!
This is complicated. The dining plan no longer saves much, if any, money–and certainly not if, without it, you would not have done as many table service restaurants.
For a 5 year old boy, there’s certainly some great table service experiences to pursue–Chef Mickey’s, Hoop Dee Doo (two credits) and Crystal Palace, for example. Moreover, the dining plan itself doesn’t cover all your costs every day–you’ll pay out of pocket for tips and alcohol, and likely will average another half counter service a day out of [pocket too, especially if you grab a two-credit meal like Hoop Dee Doo. Plus at some points your son won’t want what’s on the kids menu, so will create a cash charge there.
So view the dining plan as a completely separate issue from where to stay.
Given that, I’d absolutely do the split stay! He will have a better experience…
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Hi Dave! Thank you for this wonderful site!! I’ve just spent the last 3+ hours reading it through. Really helpful and resourceful information, however, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed!! I’m a newbie with this family planning stuff and really don’t want to mess up what deserves to be awesome!!
We were thinking about visiting the 12/1/13 through 12/6/13. I had no idea I needed so much “planning” time! Should we hold off and wait to go next December instead? Will be going with my husband and my 2 awesome stepsons, 12 years old and 16 years old, and they have varied interests in art, music, adventures, and typical teenage boy things. Would you still recommend the Polynesian &/or Art of Animation, or a split stay at other places? Seeing that they are a bit older I don’t want to end up in the wrong place for the boys. This is our first big trip as a family as well as our first trip to Disney. We are hoping to spend 6 thousand or less all together, if that’s even possible (wondering if a meal plan would fit best for us)?? Any advice you could pass along I’d sure appreciate…Thanks so very much!!
Hi Elizabeth and thanks!
The main thing that will mess you up because of your “late” start 🙂 is dining–but for kids that age, the dining character meals and dinner shows don’t matter that much. So you could stick wiht your visit this year.
Moreover, given their ages and interests, there may be better hotel choices–e.g. among the deluxes, the Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodges and among the Values All-Star Music. Links to reviews of all these are on this page.
Six thousand is do-able, especially if you stay at a value. See this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/what-to-budget/estimating-budgets/designing-your-walt-disney-world-vacation-to-a-lower-target-budget/
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Hi Dave,
We are planning a family trip for mid-May 2014. We are bringing three kids who will be age 6, 4, and 1. Trying to decide between a standard view room at the Wilderness Lodge and a standard view garden wing room at the Contemporary. I think the majority of our time will be spent in the Magic Kingdom. What do you think is our best bet? thanks
That’s a tough call, but I’d go with the Contemporary. Rooms at WL are quite small, and I fear they will be cramped with the crib.
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Hi Dave- Looking at booking our first trip to Disney between the time frame of Jan-March 2014. Family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids, girls ages 6 and 3). When is the best time to go and what are your top 3 places to stay at? Budget friendly of course :). Also at these ages what are the parks we should focus on while there? Last thing. Is the dining plan worth it at these ages? They honestly eat like birds …whats the benefits of the dining plan? Thanks for all the help! 🙂
Hi BG–all your questions (plus some you didn’t ask) are adressed on the home page and it links–see https://yourfirstvisit.net/
I love to stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge it is a Beautiful Resort close to the Magic Kingdom. Since it is not on the Monorail Line the price point is a little lower.. Water Taxi access to the Magic Kingdom. A great pool and fantastic restaurants. Especially Whispering Canyon Cafe..
Dawn I love it too! See https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/10/31/personal-favorites-the-deluxe-resorts/
See – I am back already! We are staying at Wilderness Lodge and are not renting a car (other members thought it was not needed for them), so what time do we need to be at the boat dock on Sunday,Nov 24th to be at MK at rope drop (8AM) with your vast experience and analytical mind. We are thinking 6:30 – which is 3:30 for us! Yikes!
Thanks,
Wendy
Wendy, check the night before at the concierge for boat start times. There’s two: WL-MK, and WL-FW-WL-Contemporary-WL etc.
Usually the MK boat doesn’t start running til 30 mins before opening. The boat to the Contemporary starts much earlier, typically 6.45 but I’m not sure how early it’ll be that morning. Assuming the MK boat starts at 7.30, I would be at the boat dock by 6.55 and take the first boat that shows up! If it takes you to the Contemporary, just walk to MK from there.
6.30 is TOO early…
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