Walt Disney World Value Resorts 101!
The resorts at Walt Disney World are so incredible that we could spend a week there just exploring them all and never set foot into a park! And the value resorts are no exception! While they are less expensive and you may not get all the same amenities that you would in a moderate or deluxe resort, they are still awesome Disney resorts with the same level of cleanliness, maintenance, service and magic you would expect at Walt Disney World! We have gotten TONS of questions about the value resorts from which one do we like best to why would you stay on property versus off property and everything in between! So we’re going to do our best to cover all the basics you need to know about the Walt Disney World value resorts!
Hang ten with Crush at the Art of Animation Resort!
All About Value Resorts:
There are officially five Value Resort Hotels:
All-Star Movies
All-Star Music
All-Star Sports
Pop Century
Art of Animation
While some folks do consider the Campsites at Fort Wilderness to be a “value” stay, they are their own category and not considered a value resort. (we will likely dive into those at a later date!) In recent years most of these resorts have been given refreshes and refurbishments to make them a little more modern and updated (with the exception of All-Star Sports which is the last one on the list to be renovated and Art of Animation which is the newest of the value resorts). So at majority of the All-Stars or Pop Century, you’ll find laminate flooring instead of carpet, USB plugs, coffee machines etc. All of the same type of ameninities you are used to as a traveler can now be found in these hotels.
Value resorts as a whole will also be a lot more “themed” than many of the moderate and deluxe resorts. While those resorts are themed in the sense that they transport you to the destination they are trying to evoke (eg. Port Orleans Resort transports you to New Orleans etc), the value resorts are full of bright colors, oversized statues, nostalgic icons and over the top decor that both kids and adults love. They truly evoke a very fun, very “Disney” atmosphere as you walk through the properties.
When it comes to physical space in the hotel rooms there is a difference in square footage of course, depending on which resort category you’re staying in. A value resort hotel room is roughly 260 square feet, a moderate resort hotel room is between 330-350 square feet and a deluxe resort hotel room can be anywhere from 350-450 square feet. Some other key differences include a value resort having one sink vs two in a moderate or deluxe resort. You may also find that your value resort room has a curtain to divide the sink area from the sleeping area while the higher category resorts have a door. You’ll also find some rooms offer a smaller beverage cooler versus a fridge (which is important to note if you have medications or baby food that needs to be fully refrigerated!) as well as generally no microwave in these standard value rooms.
As the time of writing this post, you will find that the newly renovated standard rooms at Pop Century, All-Star Music and All-Star Movies offer two queen size beds, one of which is a standard bed and one which is a pull down wall bed. The beds are exactly the same mattress however and you won’t notice a difference in the quality! When you’re not using the pull down wall bed, it flips up into the wall revealing a table for your use!
While a lot of the value resorts are standard rooms you can book family suites at two of the five value resorts! You can find a lot of them at Art of Animation as well as some at All-Star Music. These suites can sleep up to six and include additional amenities including two bathrooms, kitchenette, microwave and more.
One of two pools at Pop Century!
Each of the value resorts do also have multiple pools which is amazing but you won’t find a hot tub at these hotels. This may not bother some folks but if you’re someone who wants to sit and soak after a long day of walking in the parks, just know that you won’t find a hot tub here. You also won’t find waterslides at any of the value resort pools or fitness centers, though there are jogging trails if you’d like to walk or run outdoors! One thing that you will find near the pools at every value resort however are laundry facilities! There are pay machines available to you which is awesome if you find yourself needing to do laundry throughout your trip.
Every value resort does also have a playground which is amazing for kids to get their wiggles out! While your kids are burning off energy throughout the day at the parks riding rides and stuff, it’s not quite the same as just letting them run around and simply play!
There is also an arcade at every value resort which is a nice option for kids or adults who might like to spend a few hours playing video games in an air conditioned building! And every single Disney resort from value to deluxe does offer Movies Under The Stars as well as games by the pool and craft activities for kids etc.
Of course, we can’t forget about dining! All of the value resorts offer food court style dining where you can find a variety of things for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From Mickey waffles and omelettes in the morning to burgers, pizza or even salmon later on in the day, there really is something for everyone. The type of food that you’ll find here is definitely comparable to the quick service restaurants that you will find throughout the rest of the parks and resorts.
The All-Stars
These three resorts are right next to one another making it easy to walk between them if you want to explore another resorts property, dining or gift shops. They also all offer bus transportation throughout Walt Disney World resort. You may find that they sometimes share a bus line meaning you may have multiple stops before arriving to your destination but during peak times you might be lucky enough to not share a bus route!
These resorts all have two pools, one slightly larger main pool and one smaller more quiet option. As mentioned above, there are jogging trails throughout Walt Disney World and there is a dedicated one mile long paved trail connecting all three All-Star Resorts!
All-Star Sports
This resort has larger than life theming dedicated to, you guessed it - sports! You’ll find that this is a top choice for sports and school teams as well who may be traveling to Florida for sporting events at the ESPN World Wide of Sports complex so there is a higher chance that you may run into large groups of kids if you choose to stay here.
All-Star Movies
One of the best pools in all of Walt Disney World is at this resort! The big pool at All-Star Movies features a Sorcerer Mickey fountain that is so fun, so nostalgic and so magical! This resort also does have a second pool
All-Star Music
The theming for this resort is dedicated to all genres of music and each section of the resort has theming to go with those! You’ll find a broadway section, calypso section, country section and more!
Pop Century & Art of Animation
You’ll have no worries staying in The Lion King area at Art of Animation!
While these two resorts aren’t paired together or similarly themed as the All-Stars are, they do have a unique connection! Physically they are connected by a bridge over the Hourglass Lake which sits between them so they are easily accessible to one another. But they also WERE meant to be sister resorts! Previously, Imagineers planned to build a second resort to pair with Pop Century dedicated to the earlier half of the century (1900’s - 1940’s) that would be connected by the previously mentioned bridge, aptly named The Generation Gap Bridge, and started building one across the lake. However, before the resort was completed the events of 9/11 happened and as many of us remember, everything halted around the world and the buildings that had started to take shape sat empty for years. Later, when Imagineers returned to the project they found that there was a need for family suites and came up with a whole new idea for a resort largely geared towards families and groups that we now know as Art of Animation. The only rooms that aren’t family suites here are The Little Mermaid rooms and those are of course, the original buildings for the abandoned resort.
Now, its very easy to walk back and forth between the resorts should you want to explore dining or gift shops at the opposite one and they both share a Skyliner station! Along with the Skyliner transportation (a gondola running to and from select resorts to Epcot and Hollywood Studios), guests can utilize bus transportation here as well.
These two resorts both have THREE pools! Similar to the All-Stars you will find a main pool thats slightly larger and busier with two smaller pools that are a little quieter.
Both resorts do also offer a jogging trail that goes around Hourglass Lake if you are someone who enjoys getting a run in on your vacation! The entire loop around the lake is about 1.4 miles. Fun fact: the part of the trail in Pop Century is called Memory Lane!
Pop Century
This resort is themed all around pop culture with areas of the resort dedicated to the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s! You’ll find nostalgic decor throughout the property including a giant rubiks cube, nods to the disco era and more!
Art of Animation
This resort is possibly the most obviously classic Disney nostalgic theming for 90’s/00’s kids! With four areas each themed after a classic Disney or Pixar film you can’t help but feel all the good Disney vibes! You can choose to stay in The Little Mermaid area, The Lion King area, the Finding Nemo area or the Cars area though it’s important to note that The Little Mermaid area does not have family suites!
Now, the family suites are almost in their own category when it comes to price. They are closer in price to a moderate resort room BUT you do have the added benefits of sleeping more guests, the kitchenette etc so when it comes to planning and budgeting for your group it might work out in your favor to stay in a suite vs multiple roms.
Staying On Property Vs Off Property?
In previous years our answer to this question was a no-brainer - absolutely yes we recommended staying on property! There were so many added benefits to staying on property such as the Magical Express (Disney’s former transportation to and from the airport), early magic hours, early fast pass booking etc. But of course, in recent years there have been many changes and certain things have been eliminated so it was harder to justify staying on property for the price. BUT…BUT Disney has just announced (at the time of this writing) that certain things will be returning to Walt Disney World that would increase the benefit to staying on property. So at the time of publishing, we know that the following will be returning:
You’ll find tons of larger than life decor at Pop Century!
Disney Dining Plan (this is being updated and simplified) This is considered an add on to your Disney package (more on that below) so you do need to be staying at a Disney resort hotel to purchase this but it can be a really effective way to plan out and make the most of your dining at Disney!
Extra Magic Hours (this may be returning in a different way than they were before)
Some of the things that have always existed that we think make staying on property worth it are:
Packages! If you are staying off property and purchase your Disney park tickets everything is due in full at the time of booking and are non-refundable once purchased. BUT if you stay at a Disney resort you can book a package which means that you book your room and park tickets together only a $200 deposit is due at the time of booking AND is refundable up to 30 days prior to arrival! So you have a lot more reassurance when it comes to cancellation/refunds.
Transportation and parking! If you are staying at a Disney resort you have transportation throughout Walt Disney World via bus, skyliner or monorail included in your stay. Whereas if you stay off property you do have to factor in the cost of a car rental, parking, gas etc. Disney resorts also offer transportation constantly throughout the day and some off site hotels may only offer a shuttle once or twice a day at set times etc. It’s important to verify all of that before you make a booking!
Staying in the Disney bubble! For so many people, staying within the bubble and not having to worry about anything outside of the Disney magic is a huge part of their Disney trip. If you’re someone who wants to fully immerse into Disney and escape the outside world, its a huge benefit to staying right on property.
Questions from the Citizens of Disneyville!
We asked y’all over on our Instagram what questions you guys had about the value resorts and you gave us some good ones!
Q: How do you get rooms closer to the main building versus so far out at the edge of the property?
A: You can book a preferred room at the time of booking or you can call before your arrival and see if there are any preferred rooms available! (Or you can work with a Walt Disney World travel agent who can call ahead for you!)
Q: I’ve heard value resorts are loud and not restful, true?
A: We have not experienced that ourselves but if you want to be sure you have a quieter stay you can ask to be in a room facing away from the pool/common areas! At value resorts you don’t have a private balcony so don’t worry about the view or anything when thinking about where you’re facing.
Q: Are they less clean than the moderate and deluxe resorts?
A: Absolutely not! They are the exact same cleanliness, standard of care and attention to detail that you’d find in any Disney resort hotel!
Q: I noticed the food at value resorts seems to be lower quality than moderate or deluxe, do you think this is true?
A: We think this used to be true, in previous years you may have noticed a quality difference in the types of food you could get but it really does feel like Disney has shifted to make sure the quality is the same at quick services throughout the parks and resorts no matter where you go!
Q: Do they have free activities like the schedule we’ve seen in your vlogs?
A: Yes! They do Movies Under The Stars, pool games, trivia and more! It actually feels like they are even more fun at the value resorts because there’s so many families with kids and it’s so festive and energetic!
Be sure to follow us on Instagram to participate in polls, questions and more fun things that may show up in a future podcast episode and/or blog post!
Want to listen to the podcast version of this blog post? Or maybe watch the video? Click one of the options below!
Did you know that the amazing travel agents over at our partner agency People Mover Travel can help you plan your next Disney vacation completely free? That’s right, planning services are totally complimentary! Visit the People Mover Travel website for more information!