The Resorts Gal Guide to the Walt Disney World Resorts

When planning a Walt Disney World Vacation, you’ll face many decisions. One of the most important decisions is choosing a resort. We specialize in covering the resort hotels at Walt Disney World. We’ve stayed at every resort hotel and continue to visit them regularly to keep our coverage updated.

Resort List

Below, we’ve provided a list of the Walt Disney World Resorts. They are listed in order of their resort category: deluxe, deluxe villa, moderate, and value.

Deluxe

Deluxe resorts are the finest hotels Walt Disney World has to offer. From the 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. They aren’t always, however, the right choice depending on the budget and other factors.

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.

Moderates

These resorts are in the middle category. They aren’t the cheapest or the most expensive. However, most of them are spread over significant grounds, so you will likely have to increase your step count. Naturally, there are always a few exceptions, such as the 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.

Values

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. Pop Century and Art of Animation are considered more of an upgrade because they offer access to the Disney Skyliner, while the All-Star Resorts only offer bus transportation.

Hotel Offers

Throughout the year, the Walt Disney Travel Company releases discounts for travel that include room-only discounts, room plus ticket discounts, and sometimes free dining plans. Additionally, special discounts are sometimes available to Disney+ subscribers, Disney Visa Card holders, Annual Passholders, Florida Residents, Disney Vacation Club members, and more.

Preview the entire list of Disney World Resort Discounts for 2025. We have started a separate timeline with details for Disney World Resort Hotel Offers in 2026.

Rankings

From budget to premium, we’ve ranked every resort at Disney World. Find out our top choices for resorts based on value and other factors.

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

By Location

In addition to pricing categories, the resorts can be categorized by location. Here is a list of each resort location at Disney World.

Magic Kingdom Resorts Area: These hotels are all part of the Magic Kingdom Resorts. They include Disney’s Grand Floridian, Disney’s Polynesian Village, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.

Epcot Resorts Area: These hotels are all within proximity of Epcot. They include Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, BoardWalk, the Swan and Dolphin, and Swan Reserve.

Skyliner Resorts: These resorts all have or share Skyliner stations. They are all close to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century, and Art of Animation)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Area Resorts: The following resorts comprise this resort area: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s All-Star Resorts, and Disney’s Coronado Springs.

Disney Springs Area Resorts: These four resorts are only a short boat or bus ride from Disney Springs: Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, Old Key West, and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

Refurbishments

It’s essential to check the resort’s refurbishment schedule when planning a vacation. You probably wouldn’t want to stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian if it were undergoing a significant 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

Resort Benefits

If you stay 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. It applies to each of the four parks daily and is extended to all guests of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels and select Good Neighbor Hotels.

Extended Evening Benefits: This benefit is exclusive to deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests. Select parks to stay open up to two hours after closing on select weeknights. These nights are usually at Epcot on Monday evenings and the 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

Club Level

The following deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World have a club-level offering. This is a private floor for club-level guests with a lounge offering varying daily services.

• 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)
• Chronos Club (Gran Destino Tower)
• Kilimanjaro Club (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Learn More>> Everything You Need to Know About Staying Club Level at Disney World

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 the 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.

Some of our other pool and recreation resources include:

• A Parent’s Guide to the Playgrounds at the Disney Resorts
• Pool Changing Areas, Showers, & Amenities at Disney’s Resort Hotels
• A Parent’s Guide to the Splash Pads at Disney’s Resorts
• Walt Disney World Pool List and FAQs

Resort Hopping

If you love the resorts as much as we do, you’ll want to do a little resort-hopping during your vacation. To get started, check out our list of 5 Resort Hopping Itineraries. You might also enjoy our favorite resort crowd escapes. It includes a free PDF you can save to your phone to reference these cozy spots!

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 occasionally, 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

Each Disney Resort Hotel has laundry facilities. However, some 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

Resort 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 plan’s cost. Our guide shares everything you need to know about refillable mugs at Walt Disney World. It also links to individual beverage locations for each resort.

Learn More>> Everything You Need to Know about Disney Resort Refillable Mugs

Off-Site

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 various off-site hotels near Disney World to offer our readers 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.

Planning

We hope you found our resort planning resource page helpful in planning your vacation. For more on planning, the following guides are a good place to start. You can also sign up for our complimentary planning course at the bottom of the page.

Our Disney World Dining Handbook offers a complete overview of everything you need to know about dining. It is a resource for the following: reservations, quick service locations, table service restaurants, character dining, signature dining, dining at Disney Springs, the Disney Dining Plan, mobile orders, restaurant reviews, and so much more.

Our most popular guides fall under Disney World Transportation. We have a transportation guide for every resort hotel at Walt Disney World and extensive guides that discuss using the monorail, boats, buses, and the Disney Skyliner.

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! It’s the ultimate resource for finding characters during your vacation.

As far as planning for the parks, our Disney World Park Guide is a reference point for planning your time at four theme parks. It also includes planning information for Lightning Lanes and tips for must-dos at each park.

Those visiting the Disney Water Parks will want to check out our guides for both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. We have detailed coverage of every attraction in each park, dining, touring itineraries, and more!

Are you new to planning a Walt Disney World vacation? If so, you might benefit from our most popular planning resource, The Roadmap to Magic. Sign up below and you’ll receive instant access. It’s a self-paced course that has all the information you need in one place. It’s completely free!