Disney World Villas (The Complete Guide)

This article discusses the Disney World Villas that comprise Disney’s Vacation Club. Additionally, we rank the villas based on their amenities.

Are you looking for extra room to spread out on your next Walt Disney World vacation? Disney World Villas might be your best option.

These oversized units range from deluxe studios to three-bedroom grand villas. Guests who elect to stay in a villa will be privy to many of the amenities of home.

Below, we’ve provided a basic overview of Disney World’s Villas. Additionally, we’ve ranked them in order from our least favorite to the best. That said, we’d stay at any resort on any given day. They are all excellent options.

disneysworldvillaresorts 19 — *Papa’s Den is a sitting area at Disney’s Old Key West named after Ernest Hemingway.*

Disney Deluxe Villas

Disney World’s Villas, or Disney Deluxe Villas, are part of the Disney Vacation Club. These resorts are often referred to as deluxe villas because most offer the same amenities as the deluxe resorts. However, they are separately classified due to their unique accommodations.

Disney’s Vacation Club (DVC) is a private timeshare membership where members use purchased points to reserve rooms. DVC Members get a first-come, first-serve choice for these units when reservations become available.

Disney also rents these units to regular guests based on availability. Reservations can be made through a travel agent or directly through Disney. Points are converted to cash rates for regular guests. Additionally, most of the resorts are often included in special promotions.

Most of these Disney Vacation Club Resorts are located within a larger deluxe resort hotel. For instance, Beach Club Villas are part of Disney’s Beach Club Resort.

However, a few of the villas are independent Disney Vacation Club Resorts. For example, Disney’s Riviera Resort is a dedicated DVC Resort.

disneysworldvillaresorts 18 — *Disney’s Old Key West is the original Disney World Villa Resort.*

Disney World Villas List

Here is a list of the Disney World Villas:

Magic Kingdom Resorts Area

Disney’s Grand Floridian Villas
Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
Bay Lake Tower
Disney’s Copper Creek Villas and Cabins
Disney’s Boulder Ridge Villas

Epcot Resorts Area

Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
Disney’s Riviera Resort

Animal Kingdom Resorts Area

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas-Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani Village

Disney Springs Resort Area

Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
Disney’s Treehouse Villas

For a list of the other category resorts, you can refer to these articles:

Next, we’ll preview the different room types available at most Disney World Villas.

adisneyworldvillas 07 2 — *Big Pine Key’s rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian were recently converted to resort studios.*

Disney World Villas Accommodations

Each of Disney World Villas has room types that differ from standard hotel accommodations. Deluxe studios are the most common room type and closest in comparison to a standard room.

Most deluxe studios sleep up to five guests. However, a few of these units only sleep four guests. So you’ll want to be clear on how many beds you need when selecting a resort.

Each deluxe studio has a kitchenette with a microwave, a mini-fridge, dishes, a sink, and a few small appliances. Small appliances usually include a toaster oven and a standard coffee maker.

Most deluxe studio villas now feature a queen size bed with a pull-down Murphy-style bed. Rooms that sleep up to five guests have a small pull-down trundle bed or a sofa that converts into a single bed. Most older queen-size sofa sleepers have been replaced. However, a few still exist.

disneyvillasres 79 — *Most Disney World Villas deluxe studios have a Murphy bed that converts from a sofa to a regular bed.*

If you’re looking for larger accommodations, most of the Disney World Villas offer these options:

One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa
Three-Bedroom Grand Villa

Additionally, two-bedroom bungalows are available at Disney’s Polynesian Villas, and private cabins are available for rent at Copper Creek Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. Eventually, Disney’s Fort Wilderness will also offer cabins under the Disney Vacation Club.

Depending on which resort you choose, these larger units will vary in points and prices. All one-bedroom and larger villas offer a fully-equipped kitchen with an island. Additionally, they all have a washer and dryer in the unit.

Guests staying in a deluxe studio will have access to the villa laundry room at the resort. There is no charge for villa resort guests to use the laundry room.

Generally, a one-bedroom sleeps four to five guests, a two-bedroom sleeps up to eight, and a three-bedroom grand villa often accommodates twelve guests. As always, there are a few nuances here and there, depending on which resort you’re considering.

Lastly, the renowned grand villa offers three bedrooms, three full baths, a dining area, and a full kitchen with an island. The sky is the limit when you get to the grand villa category.

disneysvillaresorts 3 — The three-bedroom grand villa at Disney’s Riviera is one of the ultimate Disney World Villas.

Benefits to Guests of Disney Deluxe Villas

Guests staying at any Disney Resort will have access to early theme park benefits through 2024. Early theme park benefits allow guests to enter the theme parks 30 minutes before park opening time.

This benefit is available daily at every theme park. Therefore if you’re staying at a villa resort, you’ll have early access to the parks.

While this might not sound like a huge benefit, you’ll likely have time to ride a headliner attraction in the park first thing if you plan well. You might also have time to get in line for a second attraction before off-property guests can enter the park.

Additionally, guests staying at deluxe and deluxe villa resorts have access to extended park hours on select nights. You can preview the extended hours schedule with a list of available attractions on Disney’s site.

disneyworldvillas 42 — *Disney’s Beach Club Villas are within short walking distance of Epcot, making it easy to get to and from the park.*

Best Disney World Villas Ranked

Below we’ve ranked each villa based on several factors. Those factors include dining, transportation, recreation, and amenities.

disneyvillaresorts 1 — *A trundle bed pulls down underneath the television to make a small fifth sleeper.*

#12 Disney’s Boulder Ridge Villas

Boulder Ridge Villas is one of two Disney Vacation Clubs at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. This villa resort is in its own wing between the bus stop and the main lobby.

Boulder Ride offers the following room types:

Deluxe Studio
One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa with lock-off

For those wondering, a lock-off villa combines a one-bedroom villa and a deluxe studio. When the units are used separately, the door between them is locked.

Initially, when we ranked Boulder Ridge Villas last, it was due to the rooms being dated. However, those rooms have officially been completely renovated. So don’t let this ranking discourage you from planning a stay.

Boulder Ridge is only a short boat ride away from Magic Kingdom. Additionally, the resort offers excellent recreation and dining options.

disneyworldvillas 092 — *Boulder Ridge Villas has a private lobby that’s recently been renovated.*

#11 Disney’s Old Key West Resort

Disney’s Old Key West Resort is a dedicated Disney Vacation Club Resort. Additionally, it is the original DVC Resort, making it the oldest.

With that said, this resort gets rave reviews, especially from the owners. Here are the room types offered:

Deluxe Studio
One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa with Lockoff
Three-Bedroom Grand Villa

We recently stayed in a deluxe studio at Old Key West and found it more spacious than most. Unfortunately, studios at this resort sleep up to four guests. However, it’s nice that two traditional queen-size beds are offered.

Like its name, Old Key West is designed to represent the best of the Florida Keys. The resort also has a wonderful dining location, Olivia’s Cafe, that is considered a bit of a hidden gem.

Some concerns might be that it is a little further out from some of the theme parks. However, boat transportation is provided to nearby Disney Springs.

Perhaps, the biggest concern is that most buildings do not have elevators. So if you have an upper floor, accessing the room or dealing with luggage might be difficult. Our review of Old Key West discusses our experience with this issue in detail.

#10 Disney’s Boardwalk Villas

We’ve often stayed at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, including the Boardwalk Villas. This resort is charming.

However, the major advantage to staying at Boardwalk Villas is being within walking distance of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Not having to rely on transportation to get to the parks is a huge factor. But if walking too much is a concern, boat transportation to both parks is also available.

Here are the different villas offered at the resort:

Deluxe Studio
One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa
Three-Bedroom Grand Villa

Similar to Boulder Ridge, we initially ranked this option toward the bottom of the list due to a lack of updates. However, the entire resort is currently under refurbishment. Work is expected to begin on the villas after the inn side of the hotel is completed.

Guests staying in the area will find a nice variety of table-service dining options. Unfortunately, finding reasonable quick-service dining locations in the Epcot Resorts Area is difficult.

#9 Disney’s Beach Club Villas

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is our favorite resort on the site. So it may surprise you that Beach Club Villas are ranked lower on this list.

As much as I love to stay here, the deluxe studio has an uncomfortable sofa sleeper. It was so uncomfortable that I’d choose a standard resort room over the studio in the future.

However, you can’t beat the walkability to two parks and the surrounding Epcot Resorts Area. Unfortunately, like Boardwalk, counter service options are lacking in the immediate area.

Other than location, the biggest perk to staying at Beach Club Villas is having access to Stormalong Bay, which ranks at the top of our list of the best pools at Disney World.

As of mid-2023, Disney’s Beach Club Villas is undergoing a refurbishment. We’ve heard that the villas are receiving flooring updates, and some have a pull-down Murphy bed.

# 8 Bay Lake Tower

Of the villa resorts I’ve stayed at, Bay Lake Tower’s deluxe studio was the room I found most disappointing. While I love the tower, the deluxe studio has an odd layout, making the room feel smaller than most. You’ll either love it or hate it.

That said, if you have plans to spend a reasonable amount of time at Magic Kingdom, the larger villas here are outstanding.

Options at Bay Lake Tower include:

Deluxe Studio
One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa (and lock-off)
Three-Bedroom Villa

We have a complete review of Bay Lake Tower that details our last stay. Additionally, we have a room tour of a two-bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower. Now that’s a room with no complaints!

Bay Lake Tower is connected via a bridge to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Guests of the tower will have access to the monorail and other amenities available at the resort. Bay Lake Tower is also a short ten-minute walk to Magic Kingdom.

disneyworldvilla 3 — *A bridge joins Bay Lake Tower and Disney’s Contemporary.*

#7 Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa is one of the largest resorts at Walt Disney World. Additionally, it’s a dedicated Disney Vacation Club Resort.

This resort comes in as our seventh choice for location, which includes proximity to Disney Springs. You can walk or boat to Disney Springs from Saratoga, making this resort an excellent option for foodies. Disney Springs has a ton of excellent dining options.

Saratoga Springs underwent an entire resort refurbishment a few years ago, and the rooms have received rave reviews. Since the refurbishment, we’ve stayed in one of the new deluxe studios and loved the updates. Murphy beds replaced the old sofa sleepers, making a more comfortable sleeping situation for all!

Saratoga Springs also features one, two, and three-bedroom villas. So if you’re looking for extra space and a sprawling resort with tons of recreation, you might enjoy learning more about this resort. It’s a beautiful place!

Related: Saratoga Springs Resort Review

#6 Disney’s Copper Creek Villas and Cabins

Copper Creek Villas is one of the newer vacation club properties at the Walt Disney World Resort. A portion of these Disney World Villas is located off the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Like Disney’s Polynesian bungalows, this villa resort has cabins available for rent. The cabins at Copper Creek are waterfront with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a porch with a private hot tub.

Talk about a bucket-list trip. Unfortunately, they do come with a high price tag.

We’ve stayed in a deluxe studio at Copper Creek several times since this portion of the resort opened. Besides the deluxe studio having a sofa sleeper, we love the resort and the layout of the rooms.

Related: Copper Creek Villas Review

#5 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas-Jambo House

Our next choice for the best Disney World Villas is the Jambo House portion of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. Jambo House is located in the main part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Unlike most resorts, you won’t realize you’re staying in a separate DVC wing here. Instead, you’ll feel like you are staying in a regular deluxe resort, only the room will be laid out differently.

Here are the types of villas available:

Value Studio
Deluxe Studio
One-Bedroom Villa
Two-Bedroom Villa (and lock-off)
Three-Bedroom Villa

Additionally, the deluxe studio or larger units have a separate category booking that includes access to the Kilimanjaro Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is the only resort that offers a DVC concierge option.

The club level is a private floor offering concierge services and a lounge that’s open most of the day. Services at the lounge include continental beverages, light snacks, hors-d’oeuvres, and desserts with cordials.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge ranks as our top choice for the best deluxe resort at Disney World. So don’t discount this option because it comes in as fifth on our list. My main complaint is that the deluxe studio at this resort has a sleeper sofa, which is a deal-breaker when we need a second bed.

#4 Disney’s Grand Floridian Villas

Ranking these last few Disney World Villas has been challenging! But our next stop is the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian.

If you’ve always dreamed of staying at the Grand Floridian, the villas are the way to go! You get the best of both worlds, being a short monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom and having access to extra amenities in your room!

Not only that, the entire resort is undergoing an extensive refurbishment. We haven’t stayed in the new DVC rooms yet, but from what we’ve seen so far–they are drop-dead gorgeous!

The Villas at Grand Floridian is located in one large building on the far side of the property. They have a covered walkway to the main building. So, if it’s raining, you can walk to the lobby without worrying about getting drenched.

This building also sits on the same side of the resort as Disney’s Polynesian. Therefore, you can walk to the Polynesian Resort in less than 10 minutes! Of course, that walk will be much shorter when the new DVC Tower opens at the Polynesian next year!

In addition to the Villas at Grand Floridian, Big Pine Key has also been converted into resort studios. These rooms are also available for regular guests to rent and are considered Disney World Villas.

#3 Disney’s Animal Kindom Villas-Kidani Village

I hope you didn’t think the Animal Kingdom Lodge didn’t make it into the top three of our best Disney World Villas list. Since the resort has two villa sections, I felt one had the edge over the other.

Kidani Village, a separate resort on the Animal Kingdom Lodge property, is a dedicated DVC Resort. Guests get the best of both worlds when staying here.

You’ll have access to all the amenities at Kidani Village, including the pool and restaurants at Jambo House, the main lodge.

Kidani is a beautiful resort that is more boutique in size when it comes to the lobby. However, don’t let the size fool you. The resort is massive. So you could have a long walk to your room. But at least it will be air-conditioned.

Kidani Village and Jambo House are also home to exceptional dining locations like Boma–Flavors of Africa, Jiko–The Cooking Place, and Sanaa. We love to eat at all three of these table-service restaurants!

Kidani Village also ranks high on our list because of its pool area. The Samawati Springs Pool has one of the top water play areas for children. The entire site provides a fantastic place for parents to relax!

And let’s not forget the obvious, Kidani Village provides the opportunity to see animals on the savanna as you come and go each day. What other hotel has that?

#2 Disney’s Polynesian Villas Resort

If you haven’t heard, the Polynesian recently came out of a lengthy resort refurbishment, and the new rooms are fabulous. We toured an updated deluxe studio, and it quickly became a favorite due to the layout.

These rooms are fabulous and feature a queen-size bed, a pull-down Murphy bed, and a single pull-down sleeper. So they sleep up to five guests.

In addition to the deluxe studios, Disney’s Polynesian is home to two-bedroom Bora Bora bungalows on the water. However, these accommodations are pricey.

We toured one when we previewed the deluxe studio, and all I can say is WOW! They are stunning!

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a resort that promotes peace and relaxation. So if you’re looking for a tropical get-a-way, you’ve found it.

#1 Disney’s Riviera Resort

Finally, we’ve made it to our top choice for the best Disney World Villas. It’s none other than Disney’s Riviera Resort.

Disney’s Riviera Resort is a dedicated DVC Resort. The resort is only a Skyliner ride away from Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

You can expect a blend of French and Italian influences with a Mediterranean flair at Disney’s Riviera. This resort is stunning and provides a luxurious feel that you won’t find just anywhere.

Did I mention the food options here were phenomenal? Since the Riviera opened, we find ourselves continually going back for dining.

Between the character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace and the quick service at Primo Piatto, all the food options are excellent. You also won’t want to miss out on enjoying a treat from the coffee shop off the lobby!

For more information about the resort, we have these articles:

Final Thoughts on the Disney World Villas

Hopefully, this article gave you a complete overview of the Disney World Villas. Often, I have found that when I stay in a standard room, I miss the amenities offered in a deluxe studio, especially if that stay is longer than a few days.

However, the villas can cost more, so you’ll want to weigh the value of those amenities compared to the price of a regular room.

For example, if you prepare breakfast in your room each morning, it might make up for the price difference. But you’ll need to account for the cost of groceries. Personally, I love being able to order pizza or reheat leftovers in the microwave.

But if this is your one big trip to Disney or your only vacation for the year, you might not want to bother preparing food in your room. If that’s the case, a deluxe studio might not be necessary.

However, having one of the units with a split bathroom so multiple guests can get ready simultaneously is a huge benefit. You won’t find that layout in any of the standard rooms.

Overall, it’s hard to go wrong with the Disney World Villas if you’re looking to accommodate a larger-than-average party or need a few extras.

For more information, you might enjoy the following vacation planning articles:

In the comments

Which of these Disney World Villas sounds like the best option to you? Is there a particular studio or villa that sounds like the perfect fit?