The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World: 1. The Best Resort Hotel Bargains

By Dave Shute

This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: THE BEST RESORT HOTEL BARGAINS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

This site provides precise instructions elsewhere on where to stay at Walt Disney World. These instructions are designed for typical first time family visitors who are not sure whether or not they will ever return.

This page continues a series on where to stay at Walt Disney World for a subset of first time visitors: tightwads.

MORE DETAILS ON THE BEST RESORT HOTEL BARGAINS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTEL BARGAINS

Some Walt Disney World resort hotels are bargains compared to the other options within their price classes. Sometimes just a bit… and sometimes quite a lot!!

The best bargains are these:

Value Resorts: Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

You won’t pay less for Pop–it’s in the middle of the value price range, but it is a little better than the less-expensive All-Stars value resorts. See this for more.

Moderate Resorts: Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

You actually pay a little more–$5 or so more a night— for Coronado Springs than for the other moderate resorts.

However, for this you get the only moderate with a spa, only moderate with a health club and only moderate with substantial room service. See this for more.

Deluxe Resorts: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

The Wilderness Lodge is the most kid-appealing of the Walt Disney World resorts, but is also the least expensive of the deluxes.

For example, during the value season, the least expensive time of the year, a room there will cost you as little as $240 per night, compared to $365 per night at the Polynesian during the same season—almost 50% less. (Both prices pre-tax.)

Wilderness Lodge prices are this low because its guest rooms are the smallest of all the deluxe resorts, and because it is less convenient than the rest of the deluxes. (It is tied with the Animal Kingdom Lodge for both these measures.)

That said, it is probably the best-loved hotel at Walt Disney World (the Polynesian being a close second) and well worth a visit!

(Shades of Green is a deluxe hotel run for the US Military with great prices for eligible guests–or those accompanying eligible guests. See this for more.)

Disney Vacation Club Resorts: Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

Studios and Villas at Old Key West are the cheapest of those available at the Disney Vacation Club Resorts, while its One-Bedroom and Two-Bedroom Villas are far and away the largest and most livable of all the DVC resorts. See this for more on the DVC resorts, and this for more on Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

Deluxe Suites:

The least expensive one-bedroom suite that hold more than four people is the “One Bedroom Suite” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, at $760/night (plus tax) during the 2010 Value Season.

This suite hold 6 people, so at full capacity, this is less than $130 per person per night. $160-$210 per person per night is more typical for one bedroom suites at Walt Disney World.
This suite includes concierge service, two queens in the master bedroom, and a sleeper sofa in the parlor.

The least expensive two-bedroom suite that can hold more than 6 people is the “Two bedroom Suite” at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, at $1285/night (plus tax) during the 2010 Value Season.

This suite holds 9 people, so at full capacity it costs just a tad more than $140/night per person. $200-$300 is more typical for two bedroom suites at Walt Disney World.
This suite includes concierge service, a king in the master bedroom, two queens and a “junior daybed” in the second bedroom, and a sleeper sofa in the parlor.

See this for more on suites at Walt Disney World.