How to Choose Your Walt Disney World Resort

There is more to choosing your ideal resort than just looking at a picture and clicking “book now”. I’m always sad to hear that someone had a bad experience at one of my favorite resorts on Disney property, basically because they didn’t know any better!

Disney has many “on property” resorts in various categories: value, moderate, deluxe and deluxe villas. There is something for everyone but not ever resort will fit your ideal vacation experience.
You have to keep in mind that at each resort are multiple buildings of rooms and offer a variation of rooms at different price points. Much of the price is decided by proximity to the main building and/or transportation and the view. Standard view, water view, garden view, theme park view…these all effect the cost of your room. Just because you choose a standard view room doesn’t necessarily mean you have to look at a parking lot or roof tops.

So how do you find out which resort and which room will work for you?

• Know the differences in category-obviously a value resort and a deluxe resort are going to offer different amenities and have quite a different effect on your bank account. Even if you are going deluxe you need to research. Many people don’t know that not all the deluxe resorts are on the monorail system. For us Disney veterans it’s hard to believe…I know, but we can’t blame them…they’re newbies!

• Book what you can afford-If your bank account is saying “value” and your mind is saying “deluxe”…you need to book what you can afford. It’s much more reasonable to book a vacation you can afford than to book and plan way beyond your budget and have to cancel. We all would love concierge level theme park view rooms but fortunately for all of us Disney offers other accommodations as well.

• Research the various resorts: Disney has a ton of information on their own website about their resorts including photos, virtual tours, floor plans, etc. They also give detailed informational sites to Authorized Vacation Planners like this one to give you even more information to pick your perfect resort.

• Research the rooms within your resort: Once you decide which resort feels like home you still need to keep researching. Much of your vacation experience can be affected by your room location, for example if you are staying at the Coronado Springs resort your vacation from a room in the Cabanas can be far different than a room in the Casitas. While both are beautiful and have a lot to offer, perhaps you’d prefer to be closer to transportation or the main building or don’t feel like a 10 minute walk to the main pool. You need to research building locations and pick one that would suit your families needs. You CAN make requests about which building you’d like to be in, Disney doesn’t guarantee this but they do their best to accommodate requests.

• Make an informed decision-Picking a resort can be overwhelming and there are so many options. If you’re having a hard time making a decision use a Disney Authorized Travel Agent to help you. We can answer your questions and give you information that will help you make an informed decision. Not all resorts are created equal and someone’s “perfect resort” may not be perfect for your family. Know what the benefits of staying at your resort are and make an informed decision!

To view the Walt Disney World resort property maps, just follow the links on the left hand side of my page!