It may be hard to believe, but our team has stayed at EVERY SINGLE hotel in Disney World.
Disney World is home to 25 hotels and DVC resorts, each with its own unique theme, style, and perks. After staying at these resorts, we learned a few hotel hacks we wish we had known sooner. Disney World offers three different hotel categories to suit you and your group’s needs. There are Value, Moderate, and Deluxe resorts, each with their own perks.
Value Resorts are the most affordable and often have a very vibrant theme. They are especially good for families with young children who want to immerse themselves in a hotel with a specific theme. Rooms at Value Resorts tend to be the smallest rooms. There are five Value Resorts on property. These are:
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Moderate Resorts are in the mid-range category, one step above Value Resorts. They offer larger rooms and more amenities than Value Resorts. There are five Moderate Resorts on property, namely:
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Caribbean beach resort
The cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Finally, there are the Deluxe Resorts, the highest category of resorts. Deluxe Resorts are the most expensive, but they have great locations and are closer to the parks. On average, these rooms are the largest on property and offer the most perks and amenities, such as extended evening hours. There are eight Deluxe hotels at Disney World and they are:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Disney’s contemporary resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
After staying at all of these resorts, we discovered four hotel hacks you need to know!
Your dog can stay at a Disney World hotel
Did you know your dog can stay at a Disney World hotel with you?! With four resorts on property, it’s actually possible for your furry friend to stay with you in the most magical place on earth!
Disney’s Port Orleans—French Quarter, The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort each allow up to two dogs per room. The cost is $50 per night, but if you’re staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, the rate is $75 per night.
Your dog can even go home with his own Disney souvenirs as you will receive Pluto’s welcome gift.
If you don’t want to stay at one of these four resorts or want to bring your feline friend, you can accommodate him or her at the Best Friends Pet Hotel on Disney World property.
You can hop from pool to pool within your resort
While pool hopping used to be a big Disney tip, it is no longer allowed, but there is still a way to hop from pool to pool within your resort area!
Larger resorts such as Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort have several pools where you are welcome to swim as a hotel guest.
However, if you stay at one of the two Port Orleans resorts, either the Riverside or the French Quarter, you can use the pools at both resorts! Even if you stay at the Riverside hotel, you can hop over to the French Quarter and swim there, and vice versa.
The same goes for All-Star Resorts, and this is especially great when construction is underway because then there will still be a pool you can swim in. So if you stay at Disney’s All-Star Music, you can go to All-Star Sports or All-Star Movies and swim in their pools!
You can dine in other food courts
Speaking of construction, sometimes the All-Star Resorts food courts are closed for renovations and only offer a limited menu instead of a full menu. This was the case at All-Star Movies last month. If the food court is under construction during your visit, you can head over to the other All-Star Resorts food courts and order from a full menu!
Make a day of resort hopping
You can even visit other resorts outside your “hotel block” to try out their quick-service restaurants or table service locations.
One of our favorite things to do is take either the monorail or the Skyliner to the other resorts to shop, eat, and drink. This can be a fun way to explore other resorts on property and have a more relaxing day.
Next time you book your stay at a Disney World hotel, remember these four tips to make your Disney World stay even better. As always, follow AllEars.net for more Disney tips, tricks, and hacks!
What’s your favorite Disney World hotel hack? Let us know in the comments!
