So You Want to Stay at....Disney World!

Let's talk about Disney World resort hotels! Why should you want to stay at a Disney property? First of all, the transportation options are phenomenal. You can take the Magical Express from MCO airport for free and never need a rental car (unless you plan to visit other places while on vacation). If you have a vehicle, you can park for free at any property and take the bus from your resort - or any other resort - to the theme parks and Downtown Disney. If you choose to drive to the parks, all you have to do is show the parking attendant your MagicBand and they'll let you pass without paying (be sure to catch my post about MagicBands and other tools coming soon!) The resorts serve as their own source of entertainment, as well! You can spend an entire day hanging out at the pool, arcade, and food court. I will often divide my days at the parks with a "break" day to unwind and rest.

I've had the pleasure of staying at two Disney resort hotels so far: Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans - French Quarter. Check out my personal review of these properties in upcoming posts!

The hotels are divided by category:

Disney World Resort Hotels
Name	Category	Price/Night	Location
All-Star Movies	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
All-Star Music	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
All-Star Sports	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
Pop Century	Value	$0-$175	ESPN Wide World of Sports
Port Orleans - Riverside	Moderate	$175-$250	Downtown Disney
Port Orleans - French Quarter	Moderate	$175-$250	Downtown Disney
Caribbean Beach	Moderate	$175-$250	Epcot
Coronado Springs	Moderate	$175-$250	Animal Kingdom
Art of Animation	Value-Plus	Over $250	ESPN Wide World of Sports
Cabins at Fort Wilderness	Moderate	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Old Key West	Deluxe Villa	Over $250	Downtown Disney
Saratoga Springs	Deluxe Villa	Over $250	Downtown Disney
Wilderness Lodge	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Beach Club	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Yacht Club	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Animal Kingdom Lodge	Deluxe	Over $250	Animal Kingdom
Polynesian Village	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Boardwalk Inn	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Contemporary	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Grand Floridian	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Animal Kingdom
Beach Club Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Epcot
Polynesian Villas and Bungalows	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Boardwalk Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Epcot
Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Villas at Grand Floridian	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Villas at Wilderness Lodge	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom

The differences between the categories, aside from price, are the amenities and themes. Value resorts have minimal themed public areas and only offer the basics. There is a food court, several pools, an arcade, and gift shop located at each value resort but you will not find table-service dining or room service at these locations. The newer Art of Animation is considered "value plus" because it is mostly composed of family suites and boasts a nicer food court. The moderate resorts are extensively themed and offer the same amenities as the value resorts with the addition of table-service restaurants and additional activities such as boating. Coronado Springs sticks out in this category because it is newer and also offers a salon, health club, and room service. Deluxe resorts are at the top of the list with the most attractive decor and extensive amenities. Additionally, many of these resorts have more convenient transportation options. For example, Polynesian Village, the Contemporary, and Grand Floridian are all on the monorail line for Magic Kingdom (and Epcot via connection). Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk Inn are all within walking distance from Epcot and Hollywood Studios but also offer the convenience of ferry transportation. Wilderness Lodge offers ferry transportation to Magic Kingdom.

Disney's All-Star Movies Resort

Coronado Springs Resort

Contemporary Resort

You can camp at Disney World! The Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campsites are a fun and affordable way to enjoy your vacation. The campsites are designated as partial hookup, full hookup, and preferred hookup and offer the same ferry transportation to Magic Kingdom as Wilderness Lodge. Additionally, the cabins and campsites have access to an inexpensive buffet at Trail's End Buffeteria and a unique dinner show opportunity at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. There is also a marina nearby to rent boats and other water activity options.

You can save hundreds of dollars by booking at the correct time of year for your travel dates! Disney offers room-only and package specials throughout the whole year, but here is a glimpse at the dates when they offered discounts in 2014 and current offers for 2015. This chart is especially helpful if you think you may want to plan a trip more than a year in advance.

Checking into your Disney World resort hotel room is easy! Check your email inbox starting a month ahead of your trip for communication regarding "online check-in". The hotel will allow you to log in to your Disney account, select your time of arrival, and request specific room locations and extra options all before you leave home. If you elect to receive text and/or email alerts then the hotel will contact you the day of your arrival to let you know when your room is ready. You can skip the front desk and use your MagicBand to access your room! It's....wait for it....MAGIC! 

The next post is dedicated to everyone's favorite vacation topic - food! Stick around to see what's cookin' at Disney World!