5 Ways to Pick Your Disney World Hotel

There are over 30 Disney World resorts to choose from when planning a Disney World vacation. It can be overwhelming to narrow down your choices to which would suit your vacation best. It’s always nice to get suggestions from friends, but with so many options it’s best to sit down and look at what makes the most sense for you and your vision for your trip to Disney World. Here are 7 factors to consider when deciding which Disney World resort suits you best.

Location

Walt Disney World is massive. Pull up a map of the resort to get an idea how wide spread it is. Because of the grandiosity of the resort, certain hotels and resorts are found close to some things and far away from others. If you don’t want to be spending a lot of time on transportation then look at staying at one of the resorts closer to the parks. If you want to be able to walk to and from at least one park, then consider staying in the Crescent Lake area or the Magic Kingdom resort area. Plan on spending a couple days at Hollywood Studios? Then maybe staying on the Skyliner is the best plan for you. It’s also possible that you want to stay as far away from the busyness of the parks. Stay at one of the resorts that makes you feel like you’re not even on Walt Disney World property, like Old Key West or one of the Port Orleans resorts.

Price

The cost of staying at a Walt Disney World resort can range from $70 per night to $3,000. The price can vary depending on the time of year, the resort and the style of room. There are four categories that resorts fall into: value, moderate, deluxe and deluxe villas. For more on what makes each of these categories different click here. Price is certainly going to play a role in your deciding factor. But when you figure out how much you want to spend on your accommodations, take a look at which resorts fall into that range of cost. There will likely be three or four to choose from. So you can use the other factors to narrow it down to your best choice. Also, once you nail down your price you may not be limited to the resort category you expect, there are constantly new offers that you can tap into to create a cheaper vacation. For more on that click here.

Theme

Each resort has its own theme. This theme flows from the design of the rooms to the landscaping. The Animal Kingdom resorts have a safari theme, and are all focused on drawing guests attention to the animals the buildings are built around to accommodate. Wilderness Lodge resorts place guests in the heart of the Pacific forest, with grand buildings, waterfalls and geysers. All-Star Movies have guests surrounded by larger than life statues of their favourite movie characters. Choosing a resort that your family will love staying at will enhance your vacation.

Amenities

Not all Disney World resorts have the same offerings. Some have waterslides with their pools, some have community halls offering daily arts and crafts. There are resorts that offer bicycle and boat rentals. You can’t assume that because one Disney World resort has a water play area they all will. When you’ve narrowed down your resort choices, explore what amenities each one has. This will help sway your decision.

Rooms

The rooms found at Disney World resorts vary in design. The rooms found at a value resort will have a standard bathroom and main room. The main room is a shared space with the bathroom sink. The moderate resort rooms create a separate space for the bathroom sink with a curtain and the bathroom is again separate. A deluxe resort room is larger, with a seating area and a balcony or a patio. Deluxe Villas come in a variety of styles from a studio to a 3 bedroom villa. There are suites found at each price point, these suites offer more space to accommodate multiple families staying in one space or larger families. Picking a resort that has the style of room you’re looking for is a must.

Those are the 5 things to consider when you’re deciding which Disney World resort to stay at. For more information on Disney World resorts check out these previous posts:

My 5 Favourite Disney World Resorts

Disney World Resorts We’ve Stayed at Again and Again

A Detailed Review of Disney’s Boardwalk Villas

A Detailed Review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

Transportation at Walt Disney World