Last Updated: September 1, 2026
Choosing where to stay is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Your resort isn’t simply where you sleep at the end of the day. It can influence how easily you get to the parks, where you dine, how much space your family has, how you spend your downtime, and even how immersed you feel in the Disney experience.
With more than 25 Disney Resort hotels and villas to choose from, finding your perfect Walt Disney World Resort can feel overwhelming. Value, Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa? Skyliner, monorail, boat or bus? Elaborate pools and signature dining or something simple when most of your time will be spent in the parks?
The good news is that there isn’t one Walt Disney World Resort that’s best for everyone. The right resort is the one that fits your family, budget, priorities, and the way you want to experience your vacation.
Why Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort?
Staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel keeps you immersed in Disney storytelling even after you’ve left the theme parks. Each resort has its own atmosphere, theming, dining, recreation, and transportation options, which can make your resort an important part of the vacation itself.
Disney Resort hotel guests also receive benefits that can make navigating a Walt Disney World vacation more convenient, including complimentary transportation around Walt Disney World and Early Theme Park Entry at all four theme parks.
Disney Resort guests can also purchase Lightning Lane passes earlier than most off-property guests, while guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas may have access to Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at select parks on select nights.
But staying on Disney property is only the first decision. Next, you need to decide which type of Disney Resort best fits your vacation.
Understanding the Walt Disney World Resort Categories
Walt Disney World Resort accommodations generally fall into four categories, each offering a different level of amenities, dining, recreation, transportation, and overall resort experience:
- Value Resorts — Disney’s most budget-friendly resort category, featuring fun, larger-than-life theming and the essential benefits of staying on Disney property.
- Moderate Resorts — A step up in amenities and atmosphere, offering a balance between price, comfort, dining, and recreation.
- Deluxe Resorts — Disney’s most elevated traditional resort experience, often featuring desirable locations, extensive dining and recreation, and convenient transportation options.
- Deluxe Villas — Accommodations ranging from Deluxe Studios to multi-bedroom villas, offering additional space and, in larger villas, home-like amenities that can be especially valuable for families and longer stays.
The category you choose can have a significant impact on both the cost and experience of your Walt Disney World vacation. Let’s take a closer look at what sets each one apart and who each category may be best suited for.
Disney Value Resorts
Value Resorts are Disney’s most budget-friendly resort category and can be a great choice for families who want the benefits of staying on Disney property without spending as much on their accommodations.
These resorts tend to feature larger-than-life Disney theming, casual food-court-style dining and fun pools. Most standard rooms are designed for families who don’t need significant additional space and expect to spend much of their vacation exploring the theme parks.
Transportation depends on the resort. Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort offer access to the Disney Skyliner in addition to bus transportation, while the All-Star Resorts primarily rely on buses.
Disney Value Resorts include:
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground also offers campsites for guests looking for a very different type of Disney stay.
Who Should Choose a Disney Value Resort?
A Value Resort may be right for you if your priority is staying on Disney property while keeping your resort budget lower, especially if you plan to spend most of your days in the parks.
Families with younger children may also love the bold Disney theming at resorts such as Art of Animation.
Disney Moderate Resorts
Moderate Resorts are the middle ground between Disney’s Value and Deluxe categories, offering additional amenities and more detailed resort environments while remaining less expensive than most Deluxe properties.
Rooms are generally more spacious than those found at Value Resorts, and the resorts typically offer more recreation and dining options. Depending on the property, you may find table-service dining, lounges, feature pools with waterslides and additional transportation options.
Transportation varies considerably. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort provides Disney Skyliner access, while Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts offer boat transportation to Disney Springs. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort relies primarily on bus transportation to Disney destinations.
Disney Moderate Resorts include:
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Who Should Choose a Disney Moderate Resort?
Moderate Resorts can be an excellent fit for families who want to balance price with a more relaxed resort atmosphere and additional amenities.
They’re particularly appealing when you want your resort to feel like part of the vacation rather than simply somewhere to sleep, but don’t necessarily need the location or amenities of a Deluxe Resort.
Disney Deluxe Resorts
Disney Deluxe Resorts offer some of the most desirable locations, extensive dining options, elaborate pools and immersive environments within Walt Disney World.
Location is one of their greatest advantages.
Depending on the resort, you may be able to walk, take the monorail or travel by boat to a nearby theme park. Disney’s Contemporary Resort, for example, offers convenient access to Magic Kingdom, while Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn place guests close to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Deluxe Resorts also tend to offer a wider variety of restaurants, lounges and recreation, making them especially appealing to travelers who plan to spend meaningful time enjoying their resort.
Disney Deluxe Resorts include:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Who Should Choose a Disney Deluxe Resort?
Consider a Deluxe Resort if location and convenience are high priorities, you want more dining and recreation choices, or you plan to spend a significant amount of time enjoying your resort.
They can also be especially valuable for travelers who prioritize easy access to a particular theme park.
Disney Deluxe Villas
Disney Deluxe Villas can provide something traditional hotel rooms often can’t: additional space and many of the comforts of home.
Accommodations range from Deluxe Studios to multi-bedroom villas, cabins and bungalows. Larger villas may include separate bedrooms, living and dining spaces, full kitchens and in-room washers and dryers.
These accommodations are associated with Disney Vacation Club, but you don’t need to be a Disney Vacation Club Member to stay in one. Disney Deluxe Villa accommodations can also be booked by your Compass Rose Leisure® Travel Advisor, based on availability.
Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts include:
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Who Should Choose a Disney Deluxe Villa?
Deluxe Villas can be particularly valuable for larger families, multigenerational vacations, longer stays, or travelers who appreciate having more space.
A villa with separate bedrooms can also completely change the experience for families who don’t want everyone sleeping in one hotel room.
How to Choose Your Perfect Walt Disney World Resort
Understanding the resort categories is helpful, but category alone shouldn’t determine where you stay.
Before choosing your resort, consider these factors.
1. Decide How Much You Want to Spend on Your Resort
Your accommodations can represent a significant portion of your Walt Disney World vacation budget.
Ask yourself whether you’d rather invest more in your resort experience or put more of your vacation budget toward dining, park experiences and other extras.
The most expensive resort isn’t automatically the best choice for every vacation.
2. Consider Which Theme Parks You'll Visit Most
Location can make an enormous difference at Walt Disney World.
If you expect to spend significant time at Magic Kingdom, a resort with convenient Magic Kingdom transportation may be worth prioritizing. If EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are important to your trip, a resort with Skyliner access or one located in the EPCOT Resort Area may make your days much easier.
Don’t choose a resort based solely on how beautiful it looks. Think about where you’ll actually be going each day.
3. Pay Attention to Transportation
Disney transportation isn’t the same at every resort.
Depending on where you stay, your options could include buses, boats, the Disney Skyliner, the monorail or even walking paths to certain destinations.
For some families, transportation is simply a way to get from Point A to Point B. For others, especially families with young children, strollers or midday breaks, it can have a major impact on the vacation.
4. Think About How Much Space Your Family Needs
The number of people a room technically accommodates doesn’t necessarily tell you whether your family will be comfortable there.
Consider bed configurations, bathrooms, storage, privacy and whether you’ll want separate sleeping spaces.
For a family spending nearly every waking hour in the parks, a traditional room may be perfect. For a multigenerational family or a longer vacation, the additional space of a Deluxe Villa could be worth the investment.
5. Decide How Important the Resort Experience Is
Some travelers leave their resort early every morning and don’t return until bedtime.
Others love resort days, afternoon pool breaks, leisurely breakfasts and evenings spent enjoying restaurants and lounges.
If you expect to spend significant time at your resort, amenities, pools, dining and atmosphere should carry more weight in your decision.
6. Choose the Atmosphere You Want
This is where choosing a Disney Resort becomes personal.
Would your children light up when they see larger-than-life Disney characters at Art of Animation? Do you picture yourself relaxing in the tropical atmosphere of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort? Would your family love watching animals from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge? Or do you prefer the elegance of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa?
The right resort should fit the feeling you want your vacation to have.
Which Walt Disney World Resort Is Best for Your Family?
There isn’t one answer.
For one family, the perfect choice may be a Value Resort because they’re spending every possible minute in the parks. Another may happily spend more for a monorail resort because convenience with small children is their highest priority. A multigenerational family may value the bedrooms, kitchen and laundry facilities of a Deluxe Villa more than anything else.
That’s why choosing your Walt Disney World Resort should begin with your family, not simply a list of which Disney hotels are considered “best.”
Ready to Choose Your Perfect Walt Disney World Resort?
Choosing where to stay can shape your entire Walt Disney World vacation. With so many resorts, room categories, transportation options and experiences available, finding the right fit isn’t always as simple as choosing between Value, Moderate and Deluxe.
Our travel advisors can help you choose the Walt Disney World Resort that fits your family, priorities and vacation style, then bring the rest of your Disney vacation together around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different categories of Walt Disney World Resorts?
Walt Disney World Resort accommodations are generally divided into Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas. Each category differs in price, accommodations, amenities, dining and resort experience.
Is it worth staying at a Walt Disney World Resort?
For many families, staying on Disney property offers valuable convenience and benefits, including complimentary Disney transportation and Early Theme Park Entry. Whether it’s worth the additional cost depends on your budget and how much you value the resort experience and onsite benefits.
Which Disney World Resort category is best for families?
There isn’t one category that’s best for every family. Value Resorts can work well for budget-conscious families and park-focused vacations, Moderate Resorts offer a balance of amenities and price, Deluxe Resorts emphasize location and amenities, and Deluxe Villas can provide valuable additional space.
Which Disney World Resorts have the best transportation?
The answer depends on which parks you plan to visit. Some resorts offer monorail access, others connect to the Disney Skyliner, some provide boat transportation, and certain resorts are within walking distance of a theme park. Choosing transportation based on your planned itinerary can be more useful than simply choosing the resort with the most transportation options.
Can you stay in a Disney Deluxe Villa without being a Disney Vacation Club Member?
Yes. You don’t have to be a Disney Vacation Club Member to stay in many Disney Deluxe Villa accommodations.
How do I choose the right Walt Disney World Resort?
Start with your budget, then consider who is traveling, how much space you need, which parks you’ll visit most, transportation, dining, pools and how much time you plan to spend at the resort. The perfect Walt Disney World Resort is the one that best matches your family’s priorities.
Ready to Choose Your Perfect Walt Disney World Resort?
Choosing where to stay can shape your entire Walt Disney World vacation. With so many resorts, room categories, transportation options and experiences available, finding the right fit isn’t always as simple as choosing between Value, Moderate and Deluxe.
Our travel advisors can help you choose the Walt Disney World Resort that fits your family, priorities and vacation style, then bring the rest of your Disney vacation together around it.
Continue Exploring with Compass Rose Leisure®
Choosing the right resort is an important part of creating a vacation that feels right for you. Continue exploring our travel guides for a closer look at elevated Disney stays and another luxury family resort experience in the Caribbean.
Whether you’re dreaming of a magical Walt Disney World vacation or a luxury family escape to the Caribbean, Compass Rose Leisure® is here to help you create a thoughtfully planned vacation designed around your family.
