The Resorts Gal Guide to the
Walt Disney World Resorts
When it comes to planning a Walt Disney World Vacation, you have a lot of choices to make. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing a resort. We specialize in covering the resort hotels at Walt Disney World. We’ve stayed at each and every resort hotel and visit them regularly to keep our coverage as updated as possible.
Our mission is to provide the most accurate portrayal of the resorts. We offer in-depth guides for all aspects of hotel planning. However, we have so much coverage that sometimes it can be difficult to find. So, we’ve created this guide to help you quickly find the information you need. You can browse through our resort coverage below to find specifics.
Walt Disney World Resorts List
Here is a list of the resorts at Walt Disney World. Some of the resorts have villa resorts (Disney Vacation Clubs) that make up part of that resort. Those resorts are listed underneath their home resort.
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Gran Destino Tower
- Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Animal Kingdom Villas Jambo House
- Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
- Boardwalk Villas
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Bay Lake Tower
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
- Grand Floridian Villas
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
- Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resorts
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas
- Boulder Ridge Villas
- Disney’s Yacht Club
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
- The Cabins at Fort Wilderness
- Disney’s Old Key West
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
Which one of these resorts is the best? Now that’s a tough question. We’ve ranked each and every one of them based on their amenities and value. You might be surprised but our rankings. But we provide pros and cons for each resort and our reasoning for how we rank them.
Learn More >> Ranking the Disney World Resorts From Best to Worst
Disney World Resort Reviews
Our Disney World Hotel Reviews share detailed accounts of our stays at the Walt Disney World Resorts. These reviews are offered in a trip resort fashion. They discussed our arrival process and whether we had to wait in a room when we first checked in. We also touch on things like whether or not we dined at the resort, what we enjoyed, whether we used someone to help us with our luggage, and those sorts of things.
Preview all of our resort reviews >> Disney World Hotel Reviews
Disney World Vacation Planning
Our Disney World vacation planning process boils down to 10 simple steps. We’ve put together a guide that begins with creating a budget—it’s the most important part of the process. Then, we go to step two, where you take a quiz that helps you narrow down your resort options. After you take the quiz, you’ll receive a series of emails with our best resort resources. The next couple of steps shift to the decision-making process, where you’ll decide on whether or not to use a travel agent, purchase a dining plan, and select travel dates that work with your schedule. Then, it’s on to dining. We provide you with an overview of dining at Disney World and important dates for making reservations. Lastly, we get into things like tickets and time, itinerary planning, and finalizing plans. It’s a lot to take in, but we’ve covered every step of the process. It’s a guide that you can reference time and time again.
Are You Ready? >>Start Here To Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation
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Disney World Resorts by Categories
The Walt Disney World Resorts are categorized by pricing and amenities. Below, we’ve listed each resort category with a description.
Value Resorts: These resorts are the most budget-friendly options at Walt Disney World. Disney’s All-Star Resorts, Pop Century, and Art of Animation fall under this category. Both Pop Century and Art of Animation are considered a little more of an upgrade because they offer access to the Disney Skyliner, while the All-Star Resorts only offer bus transportation.
Moderate Resorts: These resorts are in the middle category. They aren’t the cheapest or the most expensive. However, most of them are spread out over significant grounds so you will likely have to up your step count. Naturally, there are always a few exceptions like Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter, which is more of a boutique resort. Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans Riverside are large but truly beautiful resorts.
Disney Villas: These resorts are all part of the Disney Vacation Club. They are expensive but have larger accommodations with amenities similar to those at home. Many refer to these resorts or resort areas as homes away from home.
Disney Deluxe Resorts: Deluxe resorts are the finest hotels Walt Disney World has to offer. From Grand Floridian, Disney’s iconic red-roof hotel, to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you can wake up to animals grazing on a savanna below, these hotels have all the extras! They also come with an expensive price tag!
Often, the deluxe resorts are the most appealing on paper. But depending on budget and other factors, they aren’t always the right choice. We put together a separate guide to help you discern whether or not it’s worth it to upgrade: Is a Deluxe Resort Worth the Upgrade?
Disney World Resort Guides
After you’ve selected a resort (or narrowed down the options) our resort guides are our best planning resource related to the resort hotels. It’s where we shine. We’ve stayed at each and every one of the resorts listed below and have spent countless hours photographing each of them to provide a complete overview of what to expect. So when you’re ready, browse the guide for the resort of your choice.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort: Disney’s All-Star Movies is a value resort (budget-friendly) in the Animal Kingdom Resorts Area. It sits on one large piece of property that’s connected to Disney’s All-Star Music and All-Star Sports.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s All-Star Music Resort: Disney’s All-Star Music is a budget-friendly value resort that sits in between the All-Star Movies and All-Star Sports Resorts. This is our favorite of the three All-Star Resorts because we love the music theming!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort: Disney’s All-Star Sports is the first in a row of three All-Star Resorts. This value resort is budget-friendly and often hosts large school groups who are visiting for various competitions.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: Disney’s Art of Animation is part value resort with budget friendly rooms and part family suites. The family suites are more expensive however they offer larger accommodations than the average room and include some of the amenities of home. This resort sits on the Disney Skyliner route near Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Pop Century Resort: Disney’s Pop Century Resort is the last of the value resorts. This room is themed to the past, including trends, fads and fun references from the 50s to the 90s! If you love a blast from the past, you’ll likely love the nostalgia this resort has to offer. It’s our top-ranked value resort at Walt Disney World.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a moderate resort that offers a Caribbean vibe with its tropical pops of colors and stunning landscape centered by a lake with beaches. This Skyliner resort is only a short ride away from both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Disney’s Coronado Springs is a moderate resort in the Animal Kingdom Resorts area. This resort features incredible landscapes with Southwestern and Spanish flairs. Guests have the option to stay in one of the villages, or can upgrade to Gran Destino Tower, an interior hotel that sits on the property.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort: This is the smallest of the moderate resorts and a perfect option if you’re looking for a resort with a small footprint (read: less walking). The French Quarter is also a romantic resort with lots of shade trees and pretty colors like you might find in the real New Orleans.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort: Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside is a tremendous resort that’s divided into the Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. The sections of the resort couldn’t be more different, and we like them both!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: We rank this resort as our top choice of all the Walt Disney World Resorts. It’s one of our favorites, and we think anyone who has dreams of visiting Africa one day or who’s interested in animals will enjoy a stay here. It’s a truly serene resort.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Beach Club Resort: This is our all-time favorite resort (even though we don’t rank it as our top choice). If you have plans to spend a decent amount of time at your resort’s pool, the Beach Club is worth your consideration. We love its tremendous pool area, Stormalong Bay.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Boardwalk Inn: Those who love nostalgia mixed with old-fashioned Boardwalk vibes can add this hotel to the top of their list. It’s a charming hotel with a little extra entertainment in the evenings on the boardwalk.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Contemporary Resort: This modern hotel is a Walt Disney World original. It’s the one with the monorail running through it. While we love the fact that you can hop on the monorail from inside your hotel, this resort has many other things going for it! Make sure to read more about it in our guide.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort: Those who like the finer things in life will enjoy a stay at this iconic flagship resort. It’s the one with the red roof across the lagoon from Magic Kingdom. You can walk, boat, or monorail from the Grand Floridian to the most magical place on earth!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: A stay at Disney’s Polynesian is sure to result in a relaxing vacation. This stunning resort has a magical way of making you feel like you’ve been transported to the Hawaiian islands. We find little fault with it.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Swan and Dolphin: These hotels are unique because they are owned and operated by Marriott. However, they do make up part of the Epcot Resorts Area and are within walking distance of both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you want to rack up or cash in Bonvoy points, consider a stay here.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: This incredible destination will take your breath away. It’s hard to explain how Disney was able to create such a unique environment right in the middle of Florida. The fireplaces are constantly burning inside so you can snuggle up next to one on even the hottest day, and you’ll love it!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Yacht Club: Yacht Club is sister resort to Disney’s Beach Club. This hotel is within a short walking distance of Epcot and guests have access to Stormalong Bay!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground: This resort is part campground and part cabins. The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are part of Disney’s Vacation Club. They offer spacious accommodations with some of the conveniences of home!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Old Key West: This is the original Disney Vacation Club Resort that’s themed to the Florida Keys. It’s a beautiful resort with pretty pastel buildings that’s only a short boat ride away from Disney Springs.
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Riviera Resort: This Disney Vacation Club Resort has a boutique, high-end feel. If you enjoy luxurious finishes, you’ll love the bow tie marble flooring and brushed brass bath fixtures. This is also one of our top resort choices for dining. Everything here is good!
- The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa: Saratoga Springs is a sprawling Disney Vacation Club Resort. Themed to the original New York’s Saratoga Springs, this resort is fun with a small town feel. Like the other resort’s, it’s very unique. It’s also across the lake from Disney Springs, which is only a short walk, boat, or bus ride away.
Disney World Resort Refurbishments
It’s important to check the resort refurbishment schedule when you’re planning a vacation. You probably wouldn’t want to stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian if it were undergoing a major overhaul or plan a trip to the Beach Club when their incredible pool area was closed for refurbishment. These things happen and are necessary. We keep a list of what’s going on at the hotels. However, sometimes things are scheduled after you book your dates. If so, you will get a notification from Disney ahead of time. Then, you can decide whether or not to stay based on the stipulations or move to another resort. In some instances, Disney has to move guests. If so, they will reach out and offer other options.
Learn More >> Disney Resort Refurbishment Schedule
Disney Resort Benefits
If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you could be privy to several benefits. Eligible guests will want to be aware of these extras and likely take advantage of them.
Early Theme Park Entry: This benefit allows eligible guests to enter the theme parks 30 minutes early and applies to each of the four parks daily. It is extended to all guests of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels and select Good Neighbor Hotels.
Extended Evening Benefits: This benefit is exclusive to guests of deluxe and deluxe villa resorts. Select parks stay open up to two hours after closing on select nights of the week. These nights are usually at Epcot on Monday evenings and at Magic Kingdom on Wednesday evenings. However, the parks tend to shift to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios during the holiday season.
Learn about all the resort benefits >> Benefits of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel (Through 2025)
Disney Resorts with Club Levels
The following deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World offer a club-level offering. This is a private floor for club-level guests with a lounge with varying services throughout the day.
- Royal Palm Club Level (Grand Floridian)
- King Kamehameha Club (Polynesian)
- Atrium Club (Contemporary)
- Innkeepers Club (Boardwalk)
- Stone Harbor Club (Beach Club)
- Regatta Club (Yacht Club)
- Old Faithful Club (Wilderness Lodge)
- Kilimanjaro Club (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Chronos Club (Gran Destino Tower)
Learn More>>Everything You Need to Know About Staying Club Level at Disney World
Disney Resort Pools
When the theme parks become too much, it’s often time to return to the hotel for a break. If you think you’ll take advantage of the pool regularly, you might want to choose a hotel based on the kind of pool it offers. We think that every resort has nice pool areas and amenities. But we do prefer a few over others. We have a guide that ranks the best pools at Disney World.
One of our favorite pools at Walt Disney World is Stormalong Bay. We stay at the Beach or Yacht Club every chance we get because we love it so much. When we stay at either resort, we spend most of our days at the pool. Then, in the evening, we visit the theme parks. Those trips are never park-heavy and are some of our best memories.
Disney World Resort Gift Shops
Every Disney World Resort has at least one gift shop. Why do you need to know about the gift shops? Well, if you’re staying at a hotel and run into a need for something, the hotel gift shop might have it in stock. We visit the resort gift shops about once every two years to take photos of the kinds of things you can expect. Sure, the merchandise changes from time to time, but the staples like medicine, groceries, and personal items are almost always the same. So, if you preview the gift shop article for the hotel you’re staying at, you’ll get a good idea of what will be available during your stay. It might save you a trip to the store during your vacation.
Preview Each Gift Shop>>List of Disney World Resort Hotel Gift Shops
Laundry at Walt Disney World’s Resorts
Each Disney Resort Hotel has laundry facilities. However, some of these hotels are so large that you’ll want to locate the laundromat nearest your room. We’ll help you figure out everything you need to know ahead of time about doing laundry during your vacation.
Learn More >> List of Laundry Facilities at the Disney Resorts
Disney Resort Rapid Fill Mugs
When you stay at a Disney Resort Hotel, you can purchase a Rapid Fill mug. These refillable mugs can be used at any self-service resort beverage station. If you purchase a dining plan, you will receive one as part of the cost of the plan. Our guide shares everything you need to know about refillable mugs at Walt Disney World. It also links to individual beverage locations for each and every resort.
Learn More>>Everything You Need to Know about Disney Resort Refillable Mugs
Off-Site Hotels Near Disney World
Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly hotel that offers extras like complimentary breakfast or a high-end hotel that provides a level of service you won’t find just anywhere, sometimes off-site hotel stays are warranted. We’ve reviewed a variety of off-site hotels near Disney World to provide our readers with a range of alternatives. We are exceptionally picky about where we stay. So, all of our off-site hotel reviews are places that we would return to and feel are convenient to Disney World.
Learn More >> The Best Off-Site Hotels Close to Walt Disney World
Is it possible to have a truly unique and memorable Disney World experience without breaking the bank? Yes, enroll in our free email course and get your first lesson today.
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More Planning
Are you planning a Walt Disney World vacation. You might benefit from some of our other popular planning resources. You can sign up for our 5-lesson quick start course on our home page, Resorts Gal.
Our Disney World Dining Handbook offers a complete overview of everything you need to know about dining upfront. It also links to guides that discuss the Disney Dining Plan, best dining spots, and subjects like character dining in more detail.
Our most popular guides fall under the Disney World Transportation category. We have a transportation guide for every single resort hotel at Walt Disney World. We also have extensive guides that discuss using the monorail, boats, buses, and the Disney Skyliner.
Lastly, if you’re hoping to meet characters at Disney World, we have you covered. We have photos of all the characters who meet regularly in the parks and a few rare ones! Or you might just like to browse our Disney World Park Guide to learn more about what’s available in each of the four parks.