Resorts

When I was 7 years old, my parents took me to Walt Disney World for a couple of days and I fell in love. I heard it could be a costly vacation and never had the opportunity to go back......until one day after I was married and started researching on the internet and found out...it can be as affordable as you want it to be. There are so many options. While I was excited to finally have this opportunity to go back.....I didn't realize how much I had to learn.

In 2004 (the year I did my research), I planned our vacation to be as economical as possible. I found an inexpensive non-Disney hotel with a shuttle to and from the parks and didn't buy the Disney Dining Plan because I thought I could save money by getting what we needed here and there. WRONG. The shuttle at the non-Disney hotel only ran certain hours...which means we missed out on a LOT Disney has to offer. We paid the money for our all day tickets and didn't get to enjoy any of the night shows and our day was always cut short. (I'll get to the dining later on another page.) The perks of staying at a Disney Resort are well worth it and not that much more expensive than non-Disney hotels...if at all. Plus, if I pay for a full day at a park...I want my FULL day.

It was 5 years before we were able to go back to Walt Disney World, but from 2009 - present day, we have always stayed at a Disney Resort. The buses make life easy, the extra magic hours are great, and the fact you can have your in-park purchases shipped right to your resort instead of lugging them around all day - WOW! And that only scratches the surface of the perks that are offered when staying at a Disney Resort.

Amanda's Resort Rankings

# 1 - Disney's Port Orleans - French Quarter

# 2 - Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside

# 3 - Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

# 4 - Disney's Pop Century Resort

*Please keep in mind this only reflects my opinion from my experience. This may vary when vacationing at different times of the year as well as what you view as important in a resort. Also, these are only the resorts I have stayed at, I hope for the opportunity to try many other Disney Resorts in the future.

Early May 2009 - Disney's All-Star Music Resort (Value Resort) - We loved it. While it is one of the most inexpensive resorts to stay out while on the grounds, it was very clean, very DISNEY, and there was nothing to complain about. The rooms are smaller than at the Moderate Resorts, but for a couple or a couple with 1 or 2 small children. It was roomy enough and if you are like me, you only see the room for the amount of time you are sleeping and getting a bath. The only con to this resort is that it shares a bus with the All-Star Sports and All-Star Movies - so sometimes they can be very crowded. It's up to what you want out of a resort on whether this option is right for you.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d123531-r84367211-Disney_s_All_Star_Music_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

*Update July 17, 2016 - I have heard (and my stay at All-Star Sports November 2015 found it true) that the All-Stars have went down a bit. If these are the resorts that fit your budget - it's still better than staying off-property. But if you can upgrade to a moderate for not much more...worth it.





Mid April 2010 - Port Orleans Resort - Riverside (Moderate Resort) - Peaceful Paradise!
Always be on the lookout for the special offers from Walt Disney World. This year we were able to get a discount to stay at a Moderate Resort for the same price as a Value Resort. We chose this resort because of how beautiful and peaceful it appeared on the web site.
Again - we loved it. It is my 2nd favorite Disney Resort I have stayed at. It is very elegant with a New Orleans flair. I love antebellum homes and this had just enough of that feel to make me feel at home.

Above all of the perks of a Value resort, the room was bigger, the double sinks were nice for getting ready in the mornings. This particular resort had 4 bus stops and only occasionally shared a bus with the sister resort - Port Orleans French Quarter. This made transportation a little smoother than at the All-Star Music Resort. You could also catch a boat to Downtown Disney and that was neat.

Mid April 2011 - Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)- Beautiful!

Again - we were able to get a special offer because of the time of year we went. We try to catch our vacation AFTER Spring Break and BEFORE summer break. That way it is less crowded. Disney's Caribbean Beach is a  beautiful resort, but very large. You would need a whole day devoted to your resort just to be able to enjoy all of the benefits it has to offer. Please keep in mind this resort does NOT have an elevator.



 The package includes all of the perks of a Value resort, the room was bigger, the double sinks were nice for getting ready in the mornings

Keep in mind it is HUGE! While I enjoyed my stay, it was a little more time consuming to get around because it has 6 or 8 bus stops just at the resort itself and that can take quite some time. Also, no elevator in the building we stayed in.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d85983-r124981248-Disney_s_Caribbean_Beach_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

In Fall 2014 I stayed here again due to the fact it was one of few resorts offering the free dining plan. They had just started renovating and I was lucky enough to get to stay in a newly finished room. I enjoyed staying at Barbados. Even though it was a 5 minute walk to the dining hall and store, it was REALLY close to transportation and the main check-in which was easier to get to the morning we had to catch the Magical Express.

Last Week of October 2011 - Port Orleans - French Quarter (Moderate Resort)
My favorite resort so far! It had been recently renovated and was the smaller of the Moderate Resorts I had stayed out. However, I really liked the fact it was smaller and easier to navigate. It only had 1 bus stop which made this seem to go faster. It's a really neat and fun place to stay.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d120305-r124980930-Disney_s_Port_Orleans_Resort_French_Quarter-Orlando_Florida.html#UR124980930





Early/Mid April 2012 - Disney's Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
My favorite value resort I have stayed at. At the time we stayed it didn't share a bus with any other resort so that made transportation easier. The rooms were neat and clean.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d207235-r130125531-Disney_s_Pop_Century_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

Late April 2013 - All Star Sports Resort (Value Resort)
We were only there for 1 night so I don't feel I can really properly review this resort, but from what I could tell - it was almost identical to the All Star Music Resort - just with a different theme. It's nice, it's clean, it's Disney. You have to share a bus with All Star Movies and All Star Music which can cause quite a crowd on the bus at times. But seriously...you can't go wrong at a Disney Resort.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d84897-r160567764-Disney_s_All_Star_Sports_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

November 2015
We stayed here again due to the Free Dining Plan offer and budget. We were not as happy. The bed was so firm we could hardly sleep. The room was still clean, but had not been updated. However, when staying at an All-Star Resort, this is the first stop on the bus pick-up/drop off. I will say the only way we will stay at an All-Star Resort again is if it's the only one we can stay at without going off property.