Where Not to Stay
By Dave Shute
OVERVIEW
This site recommends you stay in the deluxe resort Disney’s Polynesian Resort if you can afford it, or at the value resort Disney’s Art of Animation Resort if you cannot.
Three other resort categories exist:
- Disney Vacation Club Resorts
- The campsites and cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- The moderate resorts
While wonderful for trips after your first, none of these other categories is recommended for your first family trip.
THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resorts are expensive, and neither as convenient nor as kid-appealing as the Polynesian, their price comparator.
Their distinctive characteristics (for rooms other than studios) are extra space and full kitchens. These just aren’t of much value to first time visitors who aren’t sure if they’ll ever return, who will be spending most of their time outside their rooms!
(A couple of exceptions: the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Jambo House Villas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge have terrific kid appeal. Kidani Village has substantial kid appeal, but a little less than Jambo House.)
They do make sense for large families, and/or those seeking spacious accommodations. See this for large families; see this for more on the DVC resorts. For the most comfortable options, see this.
FORT WILDERNESS
The campsites and cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort are neither as convenient nor as kid-appealing as Disney’s Pop Century Resort or the moderates, their appropriate comparators.
THE MODERATE RESORTS
The moderates unquestionably are much more appealing to adults than Art of Animation (and the other value resorts).
Their rooms are almost 2 feet longer and a foot wider than at the values, and the bedroom spaces are actually larger than those at some Disney deluxe resorts: see this.
Moreover, at most of the moderates you now get queen beds–a welcome change from only a few years ago, when they all had full beds (Some Caribbean Beach rooms still have full beds).
The moderates have more amenities than the values, and, to an adult’s eyes, much better landscaping and exterior design.
Even so, the moderate resorts are not a better choice for your first family trip than the values, even if you could easily afford them. The issue is that alternatives have a lot more visual kid appeal.
If you could afford the moderates, a more kid-appealing and convenient itinerary would be to spend the first 5 nights of your trip at the wildly kid-appealing value resort Art of Animation, and the last 3 at Disney’s stunningly kid-appealing deluxe resort the Wilderness Lodge.
This approach costs you ~$150 more (total!) than staying at the moderates for 8 nights, but is much more convenient and kid-appealing.
(Note: do not reverse the order here–don’t go to the Wilderness Lodge first, and then to Art of Animation–or you will hear no end of complaining from your family…!)
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
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111 comments
Hey guys, I’ve been to CSR over 13 times and have never had service suffer because of a convention. It is what they do and they are very good at providing service. If you have any issues, you should visit the concierge desk at the main lobby and express your concerns to them or the manager. Try to find a CM who has a brass pin near the top of their Disney badge. Those are cast members who have been recognized for seniority or other accomplishments.
Fred I stayed at the Coronado Springs and hated it!! We walked too far for busses then waited forever for them. I would advise you not to stay there.
Tina, your point applies to all the large moderates–CSR, POR and CB….
Hi Dave,
I know a lot of your site is geared towards families, but I love all of your information (I wish I would have found it before my fiancee received vacation time for Nov 1-11 at his new company…yeah he can’t change it now). I always try to book a vacation for us over his birthday (Nov 11) and even living near NJ I didn’t know about Jersey week (I live just above Philadelphia).
That being said…we are very active adults, been together for almost 9 years, so I definitely want a smidgen of romance, but I don’t want it to deter from our adventure. Neither of us sit still very long, lol. So I was contemplating Coronado Springs as it is the most reasonable of the Moderates (I was originally going to do the All Star Sports until talking to a friend who just went and stayed at the Pop Century and said the busing was dreadful at the value resorts). Years ago (like 14 years ago!) my last time to Disney I stayed at the Dixie Landings as a kid (which I know is now Port Orleans Riverside), I don’t want to stay there again as I want us to both get a new experience. He has never been to Disney really at ALL (just Epcot at 16) and I haven’t been since I was 13.
What would your thoughts be on the Coronado Springs for two adults? I definitely don’t think I can make the jump to a deluxe resort (I’m a massage therapist running her own business), so the moderates are the most I can handle. I picked up a GREAT discount through a travel agent that my fiancee found through someone he works with. $3853.74 total for airfare, upgrade to the Disney Deluxe dining plan (we like to eat comfortably on vacation…thats our romantic part) at Coronado Springs.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the package before I book it.
Thanks for such an information site!
Hi Michelle! Thanks for the kind words about the site. I think CS is a good choice, but that POFQ is much more romantic–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/06/26/the-most-romantic-walt-disney-world-resorts/
CS’s romantic cred will be diminished if it is hosting a convention–it’s the only moderate with a convention center.
The buses are just as bad at CSR as they are at the values, but in a different way. The issue with the values is the crowd at the one stop–at the moderates, that there are 4 to 6 stops to get you all the way around. POFQ is the best of the moderates on this dimension as well.
The best way to test the value of your deal is to compare it to what it would cost if you booked it on your own–you can do that through using Disney’s online booking engine…just quit before you enter your credit card 🙂 See this: http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/_framework/components/processEngine?startOver=true&gatewayID=landing
From the photos of POFQ it looks a bit more kiddie than CS and romantic definitely isn’t our reason for visiting Disney lol, we’ll be sweatballs by the end of the day. I will call CS, I wonder if they will tell me by phone if there will be a convention there during that time.
As for price, I couldn’t find the free dining plan on Disney until I just did some searching around. And her prices beat Disney by a good $500 or so, which is a giant savings.
I will definitely discuss with the fiancee the POFQ versus CS as that is around a $400 difference as well, CS being the cheaper.
Got it! I misunerstoodulated your question…
Just called and they couldn’t tell me over phone but I found this: http://coronado.forumotion.com/t1242-csr-convention-list 😀 I know it might be missing a few, but looks good to me. So I think CS will be our spot.
Thank you again for all of your wonderful information here! I will be bookmarking and having your site available during our vacation 🙂
Thanks again Michelle and have a great time! Come back here when you are done and let me know how it went!
Hi Dave,
We stayed at Wilderness Lodge 2 years ago and are trying to book up something for oct 2013. We would like a villa this time as we are staying for a fortnight and a room would be a bit too cramped for that long. The only places we are being offered, with all the offers, are Saratoga Springs and Old Key West. We aim to visit all the parks with our 9 and 7 year old children but we are stuck on which one to go to. Do you have a particular favourite in your opinion?- and why?! We would so appreciate your help! Thank you
Hi Sally, between the two I’d advise OKW.
They are close to each other and essentially un-themed, so there’s no distinction on kid appeal or convenience.
OKW however has much larger living spaces, so that’s why it gets the nod between the two. See this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/01/17/review-disneys-old-key-west-resort/ and also this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/10/17/personal-favorites-the-disney-vacation-club-resorts/
I am a Disney Vacation Club Owner & the reason they are not showing availability for All of the Villas is because they go up to the owners first before they are put into inventory. They are smaller so the inventory is lower. It should open up with in 7 to 11 months prior to your arrival. So if you are currently booked, keep checking with them for availability and you can possibly change resorts once it opens up. Saratoga Springs & Old Key West open up first because they have larger inventory. I hope this helps. I agree that Wilderness Lodge is a great choice for a Villa.
Great point, thanks, Dawn!
I’m honeymooning in disney in april. My soon to be husband has never been. With budget we can afford a standard view room and animal kingdom or we could go to one of the moderates, possibly CS. Which of these two would you recommend for a first time visitor/honeymoon trip?
Hi Aimee, I’d recommend the standard AKL room. If you need to go to a moderate for prices, then Port Orleans French Quarter is the most romantic of the mods…see https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/06/26/the-most-romantic-walt-disney-world-resorts/
Hey Dave,
Great site — very helpful. We’ve been to WDW 5 times. Stayed at WL –awesome; CSR — nice but long walks to get to resort amenities; CBR — kids loved this — we stayed in Jamaica building which was quiet, but only a few minutes walk across the lake to the main pool/store, POFQ — delightful and romantic and so easy to get around, and PORS — great pool, no complaints. We’ve never had a bad stay at any of the resorts.
Going back in December and staying at the Cabins with six; me, hubby, adult daughter, teen daughter and her two teen friends. Chose Cabins over AOA which gave us free TS dining instead of just QS dining plan. Can’t afford the upgrade to deluxe resort. Rented a golf cart. What do you think of the Cabins? I’m a little nervous! 🙂
Hi Jan and thanks!
The Cabins are very different–you’ve probably already seen this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/10/26/review-the-cabins-at-disneys-fort-wilderness-resort/ but read it if you haven’t. The inside is charming and livable, and you also get a great deck and a charcoal grill. Fort Wilderness itself has lots of charms–campfires, horse rides, quiet walks. They are inconvenient, which your golf cart will help with a bit. And the full kitchen is a nice luxury, even if with your dining plan you don’t get much value out of it.
Have you done Hoop Dee Doo Revue? If not, it’s worth it…
I think the appeal depends on your child. We went on our first disney vacation with my daughter shortly before her third birthday and stayed at the grand floridian, it is still her favorite (she is 6 now). We have had annual passes since then and went on multiple trips and have stayed at all the deluxe resorts, POFQ and Pop once. She did not like pop at all, she thought the pool was boring and the walks too far. Her second favorite resort is POFQ. I think that it is the CM’s at the Grand Floridian and POFQ you can’t beat the service at these two resorts:).
Karen I completely agree with you that it will vary by child! My advice is based solely on visual appeal, and is based on the “average” child—your mileage will differ!
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hi excellent info .first timers from india just planning with 2kids a teen and age 5 .very excited but apprehensive too pl guide for 10 day trip on a budget. 18april2013 onwards .Weather food deals stay packages pass deals act.. also nearest int. airport from delhi and connecting flights.Thanks in advance regards
Sonny, I’m sorry but I don’t track flights/airports. For the key points on everything else, start here and work your way through it: https://yourfirstvisit.net/
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Have stayed at Pop Century before; but now planning on taking a trip (on a budget) with daughter/son-in-law (20’s) and spouse and 20 yr old son. Want to use the Disney shuttles to/from parks and stay at less expensive place that is geared more for us older kids! Any suggestions? Thanks so much!
Lois, if I am reading you correctly, you are talking about staying off site–as you won’t find anything on site that’s more than $5 a night or so less than Pop. If so, there’s no “Disney Shuttle” that goes to off site hotels. Such hotels have their own transport, which can be great or horrible.
So after you’ve targeted some, you’d need to call the hotels and get them to fax or email you their shuttle schedules to compare. Pay particular attention to how early and late they run, and how frequently.
I’m sorry, but I don’t have any recommendations for off-site hotels, as there’s hundreds of them and I can barely keep up with the on-site hotels! Suggest you buy a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2013 It’s got a ton of pages on the off-site hotels.
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Dave,
I really have enjoyed your site. We are going to WDW Decemeber 15 2013. We will probably do Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom but we also want to do Universal. Would it be better to find a place that’s in the middle of the two. Or stay onsite at disney? We are doing the value hotels because both our kids are in college so we won’t be in the rooms but to sleep!
Thanks!
Hi Pam, and thanks! The best approach if you can afford it is to stay at Disney while there, and at Universal while there. Universal hotel guests get stunning privileges in its parks–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/12/17/where-to-stay-during-your-visit-to-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/ The problem with Universal is that it has no value or moderate options, but even a one night Universal hotle stay gives you two days of perks…Staying in between will save you money, but that’s the only payoff…
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Dave,
My fiance and I are planning to have our Honeymoon in Disneyworld. We are thinking of 11/12-11/23 but we are flexible (wedding is 11/9). I just know that it’s cheaper to fly out during the week. Since it’s our honeymoon, I was considering getting a room with a concierge/club level/view but a lot of those hotels are pretty pricey. Do you think it’s worth the money for those extras? We would like a more adult hotel with less kids/noise. Are prices generally cheaper that time of year? I would appreciate any recommendations for hotel/dining plans/etc. Thank you for your help!
Hi Holly! That’s a great time to go–see weeks #6 and 11 on this page: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/09/19/2013-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/ Prices then are pretty low–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/09/04/walt-disney-world-2013-price-seasons/
The club level question is highly debated. I’d skip it and spend the money on fancier meals, a fireworks cruise, etc, but others swear by it. See this post from Steve at Tikiman–he’s talking about the Poly, but his points apply everywhere: http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/planning-quick/quick-club-level-concierge
You can’t find a hotel without mobs of kids at Disney World–that’s like looking for a zoo without animals! Any of the deluxe resorts can be romantic, but especially the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, BoardWalk Inn, and Beach Club. See thisfor links to more on these: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/04/26/walt-disney-world-resort-hotel-reviews/
For dining, check out this page: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/where-to-eat/dining-alternatives/the-comprehensive-guide-to-walt-disney-world-dining/
Hope this helps!
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I LOVE this site!
We are planning on bringing our 3 year old to Disney World in May 2013.
We will be first time visitors from South Africa, could you please recommend resorts that would blow a 3 year olds’ mind and his mom and dads’… of course!
Thank you so much!
Hi Julie and thanks!
That’s actually a tough question. It’s easy to “blow” both 🙂 with an 8 year old, but some of what will knock an 8 year old out is too sophisticated for a 3 year old. The Wilderness Lodge is an example of this. See https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/08/25/review-disneys-wilderness-lodge/
If you were from Duluth, Minnesota instead of South Africa, the easy answer would be the Animal Kingdom Lodge– https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/10/13/review-jambo-house-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/ Exotic animals for the kids, and stunning architecture for the parents. But for you, its African theme may be too much of a busman’s holiday.
If he is a fan of Nemo, Lion King, or Cars, then he’ll be delighted. There’s otherwise not much that will blow the parents away, but the suites are very livable–for the money, more livable than any other options at WDW. See this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/06/10/review-the-family-suites-at-disneys-art-of-animation-resort/ and the floor plan above.
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I have been reading so much information on your site and find it extremely helpful. My husband and I are looking to make our second trip to Disney Dec 31, 2013 – Jan 4, 2014 and will be traveling with our 10-yr old daughter and 17-yr old son. Our dilemma is that we only want to incur the expense of a standard room but need separate beds for our children. Can you explain the “pull-down” bed which can be found at Port Orleans-Riverside and if there are weight limitations? We stayed at Pop Century during our first visit and have no complaints other than we wished the rooms and beds were bigger. Also, does the higher crowd tend to thin out after New Year’s Eve?
Hi Gail and I’m glad the site is helping!
For details and images on the fold down murphy bed, see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/11/04/the-murphy-bed-5-person-alligator-bayou-rooms-port-orleans-riverside/
If the bed’s too small, the next best option is a Family Suite, of which those at All-Star Music are the least expensive–see https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/09/05/review-the-family-suites-disneys-all-star-music-resort/
Unfortunately, Disney World will be wildly crowded through January 4th…
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Hi Dave
My husband and I spent our honeymoon almost 40 years ago at Disney World. We would like to celebrate our anniversary by taking our 3 children and their spouses and our 4 grandchildren (ages 1-40) to WDW. We would like to stay together but we also need to be close to the hotel for children naps. We will stay 5-7 days and want to remain in the same hotel. What would you recommend. We are looking at some time in the fall. Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Donna, if I’m counting right you have 12 people.
There’s only one room type that sleeps 12–two in a king bedroom, 4 each in 2-queen bedrooms, and the other 2 in a fold out couch. These rooms, called Grand Villas, cost an arm and a leg, and are tough to reserve (that is there aren’t many and they book up fast.)
You can find them in all the DVC resorts except for the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club. For rankings of these DVC resorts and links to reviews whihc include floor plans of their grand villas, see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/special-circumstances/special-circumstances-large-families/more-on-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/the-disney-vacation-club-dvc-resorts-at-walt-disney-world/
Otherwise you’ll need two spaces (at least). For ideas in the deluxe resorts, see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/20/deluxe-options-for-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/ and for less expensive options see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/15/lower-priced-options-for-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/
Hope this helps! And if it does…
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Hi Dave!
I have been planning our first trip to Disney for the last two months and can not seem to stick with any plans! It is so overwhelming! I am such a “planner” so trying to narrow down everything from where to stay, where to eat, and “must have” experiences has been mind boggling! My husband and I are planning to stay 8/5/13-8/13/13. Initially I made reservations to POR but do not feel the kids (8 & 4) will get the full disney appeal as it seems targeted to older kids and grown ups. I was thinking of staying off site but that also will take away from the fact that this is a “DISNEY Vacation”. Now after seeing what you had to say about split stays I think I have found a solution to my problem! We are thinking maybe Pop for 4 nights and Poly for the other 4. I am wondering if this plan is more ideal than my previous ones. My only concern is not knowing what to expect at a Value seeing as though you usually get what you pay for. We also will not have a car. Would you recommend the dining plan? Also any sit down dinner experiences that are worthwhile for first timers? Thanks in advance for your help!
Hiya Christina!
First, POR is widely loved, so you won’t have a bad time at all if you end up there.
Second, you will have a more kid appealing and fun visit if you do the split stay. With the ages of your kids, consider Art of Animation Little Memraid and Wilderness Lodge instead of Pop and Poly. AofA is here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/09/23/review-standard-little-mermaid-rooms-disneys-art-animation-resort/ and WL here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/08/25/review-disneys-wilderness-lodge/
You will likely never stay in a smaller for person room than at AofA (or any of the values) but since you are doing it early, with the peak excitement, you’ll be just fine…and if you do feel cramped, you’ll know you are going to a bigger room with bigger beds soon!
And yes, there’s several meals I strongly recommend. See, for example, the itinerary here–the dining is at the top of each day on the image https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/06/summer-itinerary-for-walt-disney-world-v2/
The dining plan is optional–it helps with budgeting, but no longer saves much money. And no, you don’t need a car…
Hope this helps, and if so…
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Thanks so much for your response Dave! This site has been a life saver! So after discussion with the husband a split stay is not ideal, seeing as though picking up and moving half way into the trip would throw us off supposedly. So we narrowed it down to The Royal Rooms at Riverside or Wilderness Lodge. My understanding of what you say on the site is Wilderness would be a better choice? The only things that are important as far as lodging is good pool, comfort, and convenience. What I have read of Riverside’s Transportation is quite scary. I would love to book poly but its soo expensive during the time we are going. Thanks again for your help!
Christina, yes, WL is by far the better choice than POR!!
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