This site recommends the Polynesian for those who can afford it, and Pop Century for those who can’t. For those who can’t, or won’t, stay at one of these two resorts, here are my suggestions, in order, by price category.
SUMMARY: BEST RESORT CHOICES IN ORDER
- Value resorts: 1. Pop Century 2. All-Star Sports 3. All-Star Music 4. All-Star Movies
- Deluxe resorts: 1. Polynesian 2. Wilderness Lodge and Villas 3. Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas 4. Contemporary 5. Grand Floridian 6. Beach Club and Villas 7. Yacht Club 8. Boardwalk Inn and Villas 9. Old Key West 10. Saratoga Springs
- Moderate resorts: Not recommended for first time visitors (see this for why); 1. Coronado Springs 2. Caribbean Beach 3. Port Orleans Riverside 4. Port Orleans French Quarter.
WHY THESE ARE THE BEST CHOICES
The thumbnail (click to open, when open click again one or two times to enlarge) shows the basis of these recommendations: the resorts grouped by rankings of convenience and kid appeal. See this for more on kid appeal, and this for more on convenience. See this for details on the features of the various resort price categories (Deluxe, Moderate, Value).
REALLY GEEKY SUPPLEMENT
Also see How Many Square Feet in a Square Foot? for a review of Walt Disney World Resort room sizes compared to industry standards.
LINKS FOR WHERE TO STAY
- 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 what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For differences among deluxe resorts, see this
- For differences among moderate resorts, see this
- For differences among value resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Large families should look at this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
