WALT DISNEY WORLD VALUE RESORTS A DECISION GUIDE
A TOURINGPLANS.COM E-GUIDE
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INTRODUCTION Here at TouringPlans.com, one of the benefits of our research is that we end up with a good picture of what is popular among our readers. Where Walt Disney World hotels are concerned, more people are interested in the Value category resorts than any of the others — and it’s not close. The reason is simple: guests at Disney Value Resorts get all the benefits of a Walt Disney World Resort, such as bus transportation and access to Extra Magic Hours, along with many amenities like multiple pools and extensive food courts. What further sweetens Value Resorts is right there in the name; they are quite a value, at least compared to other Disney resorts. The goal of this guide is to give you enough information about each of the five value resorts to help you make a decision about where to stay. We’ll show you rooms, pools, food courts, and themes so you can make the most educated choice possible.
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THINGS FOUND AT ALL VALUE RESORTS
While we will cover almost everything at each of the Value Resorts, there are a few amenities that are exactly the same — or close enough to make no difference. The following items will not be discussed in detail in this guide as they will not help with any decision-making: Location – Okay, this one we will discuss a little bit, but there is an important thing about the location of all Value Resorts: it’s not great. While Pop Century and Art of Animation are slightly more centralized than the three All Star Resorts, the travel distances are similar. Additionally, only bus transportation or self-driving are reasonable options for getting to the parks from any of the Value Resorts. Sure, there are other transportation concerns that may help you make your decision (teaser!), but the physical location shouldn’t be one. Beds – Good news...all of the rooms have beds! To be specific, most of the rooms at the value resorts contain two full-size, or double, beds. While the beds are indeed smaller than those found in the other resort classes, they slightly increase the usable floor space. That may be a small comfort, however, to taller 2
MAP OF WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH VALUE RESORTS HIGHLIGHTED IN ORANGE
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guests or any that are sharing a bed with someone else. There are a very, very small number of rooms with king-size beds, but they are hard to come by. Family Suites are a completely different animal and will be covered in the All Star Music and Art of Animation sections. Room size and layout – All standard value resort rooms are the same size with the same layout. They are 260 square feet with two beds, a small table with two chairs, a dresser that holds the television and mini-fridge, and a nightstand in between the beds. The rooms are small enough that a family of four attempting to stay in one room might redefine "family values" by week's end. No rooms have balconies. The bathroom is particularly small in value resorts, with a shower/tub combo and a toilet barely fitting inside. In between the sleeping area
and the bathroom is a small changing area with a sink and a minimal amount of counter space, which will readily hold your toothpaste, a hairbrush, and maybe still have room for a toothbrush too…a child’s toothbrush. We exaggerate of course, but if you have a family of four sharing a standard value room, two of you will likely need to find another spot for your toiletries. The suites found at Art of Animation and All Star Music naturally do not adhere to any of the above, but that will be discussed later. Preferred Rooms and Room Views – Disney knows that some hotel rooms are better than others. Most people prefer to be close to the lobby and dining, and want something pretty to look at from their hotel room window. To capitalize on this, Disney categorizes all hotel rooms based on how long it takes you to walk to the lobby and what you see from inside the 4
