{"id":49005,"date":"2016-09-23T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T16:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=49005"},"modified":"2022-05-04T20:09:37","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T00:09:37","slug":"pros-cons-disney-value-moderate-deluxe-villa-resorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/pros-cons-disney-value-moderate-deluxe-villa-resorts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pros and Cons of Disney’s Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Villa Resorts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"pros<\/p>\n

With almost thirty Disney owned and operated resorts on Walt Disney World property, there’s really one (or more) for everybody! Disney classifies it’s resorts into four categories-\u00a0 value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villas.\u00a0 Let’s take a look at what some of the pros and cons of Disney resorts\u00a0are and what category you may make sense for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Value Resorts<\/a><\/h2>\n

The category name in and of itself lends itself to a pro – value (aka more budget friendly).\u00a0 The value resorts are the three separate All Star Movies<\/a>, Music<\/a>, and Sports<\/a>, Pop Century<\/a>, and the newest of the bunch, Art of Animation<\/a>.\u00a0 A second plus for the value resorts is the in-your-face theming woven throughout.\u00a0 If you want to feel like you’ve stepped into a Disney film, an over-sized sports game, or an era that you may have grown up in, these are the resorts for you.\u00a0 Children will find the over-sized characters and scenes they love brought to life.\u00a0 Parents will be fans of the cafeteria style food courts at each of these resorts.\u00a0 There is literally countless family-friendly options at the food courts making it an easy place to grab any meal of the day – there’s something for everyone and it’s affordable!\u00a0 There’s also the well known tie-dye cheesecake at Everything Pop that is a must-have for many Disney guests.<\/p>\n

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On the other hand, if you’re a family of five or more, your options in the value category are a little more limited.\u00a0 All Star Music and Art of Animation both offer suites that sleep up to 6 adults, but the rest of the rooms are for families of four or less.\u00a0 The All Star resorts also share a bus line, so you may have longer waits and more crowded buses.\u00a0 Of the five resorts, Art of Animation is the newest, with Pop preceding it, and then All Stars are the oldest, showing their age a bit.\u00a0 These resorts also have outside entrances – a more motel type feel, and the buildings can be pretty spread out due to the size of the resorts.\u00a0 This could make your walk to the bus stop or dining longer than you’d prefer.\u00a0 Since these resorts are priced at the lowest price point, they’re also appealing to large groups such as Pop Warner or youth groups which can make for a lot of noise into the evenings.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Pop Century Resort<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"All<\/p>\n

All Star Movies Resort<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Art of Animation – Cars section<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Art of Animation – Nemo section<\/em><\/p>\n

\"tie<\/p>\n

Tie Dye Cheesecake<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Moderate Resorts<\/a><\/h5>\n

The moderate category seems to be the smallest of them all, but the resorts themselves certainly aren’t!\u00a0 In this category, you can stay at Caribbean Beach<\/a>, Coronado Springs<\/a>, Port Orleans Riverside<\/a>, Port Orleans French Quarter<\/a>, and the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground <\/a>(this categorization is a bit odd to me, but let’s go with it).\u00a0 The most notable difference of Fort Wilderness and the rest of the resorts in this category to me is queen versus full-size beds.\u00a0 The cabins do not have queen size beds, and on the campsites, well, you bring your own bed.\u00a0 While the value resort pools are wonderfully themed, the plus at the moderate level resorts are that these pools have a water slide.\u00a0 Each resort also boasts a table-service restaurant in addition to quick-service. \u00a0Of course, this is a middle-ground of the price points. \u00a0You can get more amenities than a value, without the prices of an all-out deluxe. \u00a0 Most of these resorts will also accommodate families of five.<\/p>\n

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Drawbacks to the moderates are perhaps the size. \u00a0A few of these resorts are large in size but do offer preferred room locations which are closest to the main building (dining, shops, lobby). \u00a0Port Orleans French Quarter is the smallest in its category, but with that coziness, you’re missing a table service restaurant. \u00a0Port Orleans Riverside is considered a sister resort \u00a0to French Quarter, so you can enjoy amenities between the two when staying at either. \u00a0Coronado Springs hosts many conventions which turns some people away, but really, if you’re on vacation, does it really matter if others are attending meetings? \u00a0In this category, Caribbean Beach gets many reviews of being overdue for a refurbishment. \u00a0Then of course, there’s Fort Wilderness, which to me the drawback is being limited to owning\/ renting a camper or pitching a tent at the campsites.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Coronado Springs\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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\u00a0Port Orleans Riverside\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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Deluxe Resorts<\/a><\/h5>\n
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I’d have to say the number one pro for the deluxe resorts is the location of each. \u00a0The deluxe resorts have prime location next to the parks. \u00a0The Contemporary<\/a>, Polynesian<\/a>, and Grand Floridian Resort & Spa<\/a> all offer views of the Magic Kingdom, which is accessible via monorail (or walking from the Contemporary). The Wilderness Lodge<\/a> is in the same area, a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom. \u00a0The Epcot area resorts include the Yacht Club<\/a>, Beach Club<\/a>, and the Boardwalk Inn<\/a>. \u00a0They’re also within walking distance to Hollywood Studios. \u00a0Lastly, the Animal Kingdom Lodge<\/a> offers magnificent views of the savannas at Animal Kingdom. \u00a0There’s something to be said for going from your room to inside a park in about 10 minutes. \u00a0Next, the deluxe resorts offer an upscale, but comfortable stay. \u00a0The resorts are more traditional hotels with the rooms accessed from inside hallways. \u00a0Each resort has a theme that is subtle, yet exclusively unique and sprinkled with Disney touches and details. \u00a0The deluxe resorts all boast at least one table-service restaurant and the pools are more elaborate. \u00a0Stormalong Bay at the Yacht & Beach Club is the largest on property and well-known for its sand bottom, lazy river, and shipwrecked water slide. \u00a0The deluxe resorts can include multiple shops and quick service dining options.<\/div>\n
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The main drawback to the deluxe resorts is price. \u00a0You will pay for the amenities, comfort, and unique style each resort offers. \u00a0The only other drawback I can see, is that you may never want to stay at any other resorts once you stay deluxe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0\"pros<\/div>\n
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The Grand Floridian from the Magic Kingdom Boat Dock<\/em><\/div>\n
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The backside of Bay Lake Tower<\/em><\/div>\n
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\u00a0The Beach Club<\/em><\/div>\n
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The Yacht Club<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"pros<\/div>\n
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Stormalong Bay<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"pros<\/div>\n
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Wilderness Lodge<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"pros<\/div>\n
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Boardwalk Inn<\/em><\/div>\n
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Deluxe Villas<\/a><\/h5>\n
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The deluxe villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club (Disney’s timeshare option), but are available for anyone to book based on availability. \u00a0There are two stand alone villa properties, Old Key West<\/a> and Saratoga Springs<\/a>. \u00a0The other villa resorts are Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary<\/a>, The Polynesian Villas & Bungalows<\/a>, the Beach Club Villas,<\/a> The Boardwalk Villas<\/a>, Grand Floridian Villas<\/a>, Animal Kingdom Villas<\/a> (Jambo House & Kidani Village), and still under construction, the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge<\/a>. \u00a0All of these except Old Key West and Saratoga Springs offer the same outstanding proximity to the theme parks. \u00a0Both Old Key West and Saratoga are located next to Disney Springs though and is just a walk across a bridge from Saratoga. \u00a0What these villas offer above the deluxe accommodations, is living space and kitchenettes to full-size kitchens. \u00a0Deluxe studio villas include the kitchenette, while one & two bedroom villas and grand villas (three bedrooms) have full-size kitchens. \u00a0Families can save money cooking some meals, or even just storing some groceries. \u00a0The one-plus bedrooms also have a living room which is nice for families who may put kids to bed early or just want some additional living space. \u00a0When you stay at the deluxe resorts, you tend to want to spend time there and enjoy the resort itself – the living area lends itself nicely to relaxation and hanging out. \u00a0So on top of the deluxe amenities, you have more square footage in the villas.<\/p>\n

The cons of the villas is like the deluxe resorts, the price point. \u00a0While some of the villas are pretty new, the older ones are still slowly get their updates and may seem a bit dated. \u00a0The villas are sometimes further from the main building or transportation options which can be a drawback for some. \u00a0Also, if you’re staying with DVC points, housekeeping and trash & towel service is limited unless you want to pay an additional fee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0\"pros<\/div>\n
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Polynesian Deluxe Studio Villa<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"pros<\/div>\n
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Beach Club Villas (quiet pool)<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"pros<\/div>\n
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Lobby of the Villas at the Grand Floridian<\/em><\/div>\n
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So there’s a plus and minus no matter where you stay – it just depends on your priorities, and your budget. \u00a0No matter where you decide to stay, you can always visit any of the resorts. \u00a0If you’re a foodie, some of the best restaurants are at the resorts! \u00a0Around the holidays is a wonderful time to explore the resorts and the unique decorations at each. \u00a0Fort Wilderness Campground is known for it’s elaborate holiday decorations and the deluxe resorts boast gingerbread displays that are amazing! \u00a0The detail of every single resort in impressive, no matter which category!<\/div>\n
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What’s your favorite resort? \u00a0Which one is on your bucket list? Share in the comments section.<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With almost thirty Disney owned and operated resorts on Walt Disney World property, there’s really one (or more) for everybody! Disney classifies it’s resorts into four categories-\u00a0 value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villas.\u00a0 Let’s take a look at what some of the pros and cons of Disney resorts\u00a0are and what category you may make sense…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":49020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[507],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walt-disney-world-resorts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49005"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84452,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49005\/revisions\/84452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}