Which Disney Resort is Best for Me? 6 Important Questions to Ask Your Family
To begin, I recommend doing a bit of a ‘self-survey’ to figure out which resort is best for you. Disney appears to have something for just about everyone but you must decide which resort best fits the needs of your family as a whole.
If you have young kids you may want to choose a kid-themed value resort. If you are traveling as a couple that prefers fine dining and a round of golf you may choose a more upscale resort near one of Disney’s four golf courses.
I suggest sitting down as a family and deciding your family ‘vacation goals.’ Ask each family member a series of questions based on where each of your family members hope to spend their time:
1. Do you plan to spend most of your time in the parks experiencing the magic of the rides & attractions? If so, which parks do I plan to visit the most?
2. Do you plan to spend much of your time shopping?
3. Is my plan to relax in the spa, resort pool, or other amenities?
4. Is fine dining or character dinners important to you?
5. How important is a resort's theme to you?
6. How much do we have to spend?
Many guests visit Disney World for the major theme parks: the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, or the water parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. If you plan to spend most of your time in one or a few of these parks you may want to consider choosing a resort near that particular park. While location is an important factor in choosing your resort it likely won’t be the only one you consider. But, for some people who may want to visit just one or two parks staying close to those parks could be a deciding factor for them.
Disney World offers a shuttle service to every Disney resort, theme park and Downtown Disney. While these shuttles are great for families who want to leave the hassle of parking behind, they can be exhausting. To learn more about the shuttle system visit our article Doing the Shuttle Shuffle, Monorail, and More. Disney also offers its famous monorail and fairy boat systems to some locations.
For a map of resorts and their proximity to Disney World theme parks, click here.
Do you plan to spend much of your time shopping?
You can shop nearly everywhere in Disney World. Each of the theme parks have a gift shop around each corner. Some items you can find in many locations from your resort gift shop to Downtown Disney. Other items may be exclusive to just a few gifts shops in certain parks. This is the ultimate challenge for the savvy Disney shoppers. So, if your goal is to become the super Disney shopper you may want to plan to visit a variety of theme parks but you’ll certainly want to hit up Downtown Disney. Again, shuttle service is offered from the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney but if you’d rather shop in the parks themselves, you may consider a resort close by .
Is my plan to relax in the spa, resort pool, or other amenities?
If you enjoy the parks but would rather spend much of your time de-stressing we’d suggest choosing a resort that offers the amenities you are looking for specifically. Some resorts offer spa therapy, massages, manicures and pedicures, and room service. If this sounds like your kind of Disney vacation, I’d suggest paying a little more to stay in the resorts that offer these amenities. After all, who wants to walk in the heat and ride a crowded shuttle to go get a massage? It kind of defeats the purpose of relaxing.
Families with children may want to consider resorts with more kid-friendly pools. It’s always great to take a break in the heat of the day to take a dip in one of the resort pools. So, look for hotels with pools your kids would enjoy. All of the value resort pools are designed to accommodate kids, as are likely many of the moderate and deluxe resort pools too.
Is fine dining or a character dinner important to you?
While not a deal breaker, choosing a resort with your type of food options is important. If you enjoy fine dining you should try to find a resort that offers some of those experiences. Some resorts offer character dining as well, which is available for purchase or on some Disney dining plans. I’d suggest at least looking at the food options that are available in your resort before you book it. You may plan to eat in the park or to travel to other resorts for specific restaurants but you never know when your kids may get tired and just want to go back to the hotel to relax. It’s during those times that having a restaurant of your choosing in your resort is important. But again, you should plan to travel to the meals and dining of your choice whether it is located in your resort or not. It’ll be well worth the effort!
How important is the resort theme to you?
The magic of the Disney resorts comes in part from their various themes. From the Art of Animation value resort to the upscale Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, each resort offers fantastic themes that take you a world away from home.
For some people, the resort themes make a big difference as it sets the ambiance for their entire visit. While the themes certainly add to the experience, we’d caution you not to make the theme the most important factor in your stay.
Many guests find that they spend little of their time in their rooms. The parks have enough Disney magic in ambiance to keep you up at night. So, while the hotel themes are nice we’d urge visitors to look at the more practical factors like location and price.
How much do I have to spend?
This is perhaps the most important question to ask yourself. Without going beyond our family’s budget, where can you stay that will provide the best Disney experience for the entire family?
The general rule is that you’ll find the best prices in the Disney value resorts but the amenities there won’t be as plush as the moderate or deluxe. Still, many people go to Disney World to experience the parks and their hotel room isn’t quite as important. Also, the value resorts tend to be further from the Magic Kingdom.
Still, you may find that you can score a moderate resort for about the same cost as a value resort at certain times of the year. Disney is great at the up-sale. This means that ‘for a little more’ you can get a better hotel room or another amenity. You need to decide what your family can afford to spend and whether or not a full Disney vacation is in your budget. If it’s not in your budget at the moment, I’d suggest saving up and experiencing the full Disney magic (on-site resort, Disney dining plan, character dinners, the works!) It’s worth the wait!
Disney often offers discounts at various times of the year in the off-peak seasons. (Fall, Winter, Early Spring). These discounts generally come in the form of resort discounts up to 30% off or by offering FREE Disney Dining plans. For more discounts and money saving tips see our DISNEY DEALS section.
If you have young kids you may want to choose a kid-themed value resort. If you are traveling as a couple that prefers fine dining and a round of golf you may choose a more upscale resort near one of Disney’s four golf courses.
I suggest sitting down as a family and deciding your family ‘vacation goals.’ Ask each family member a series of questions based on where each of your family members hope to spend their time:
1. Do you plan to spend most of your time in the parks experiencing the magic of the rides & attractions? If so, which parks do I plan to visit the most?
2. Do you plan to spend much of your time shopping?
3. Is my plan to relax in the spa, resort pool, or other amenities?
4. Is fine dining or character dinners important to you?
5. How important is a resort's theme to you?
6. How much do we have to spend?
Many guests visit Disney World for the major theme parks: the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, or the water parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. If you plan to spend most of your time in one or a few of these parks you may want to consider choosing a resort near that particular park. While location is an important factor in choosing your resort it likely won’t be the only one you consider. But, for some people who may want to visit just one or two parks staying close to those parks could be a deciding factor for them.
Disney World offers a shuttle service to every Disney resort, theme park and Downtown Disney. While these shuttles are great for families who want to leave the hassle of parking behind, they can be exhausting. To learn more about the shuttle system visit our article Doing the Shuttle Shuffle, Monorail, and More. Disney also offers its famous monorail and fairy boat systems to some locations.
For a map of resorts and their proximity to Disney World theme parks, click here.
Do you plan to spend much of your time shopping?
You can shop nearly everywhere in Disney World. Each of the theme parks have a gift shop around each corner. Some items you can find in many locations from your resort gift shop to Downtown Disney. Other items may be exclusive to just a few gifts shops in certain parks. This is the ultimate challenge for the savvy Disney shoppers. So, if your goal is to become the super Disney shopper you may want to plan to visit a variety of theme parks but you’ll certainly want to hit up Downtown Disney. Again, shuttle service is offered from the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney but if you’d rather shop in the parks themselves, you may consider a resort close by .
Is my plan to relax in the spa, resort pool, or other amenities?
If you enjoy the parks but would rather spend much of your time de-stressing we’d suggest choosing a resort that offers the amenities you are looking for specifically. Some resorts offer spa therapy, massages, manicures and pedicures, and room service. If this sounds like your kind of Disney vacation, I’d suggest paying a little more to stay in the resorts that offer these amenities. After all, who wants to walk in the heat and ride a crowded shuttle to go get a massage? It kind of defeats the purpose of relaxing.
Families with children may want to consider resorts with more kid-friendly pools. It’s always great to take a break in the heat of the day to take a dip in one of the resort pools. So, look for hotels with pools your kids would enjoy. All of the value resort pools are designed to accommodate kids, as are likely many of the moderate and deluxe resort pools too.
Is fine dining or a character dinner important to you?
While not a deal breaker, choosing a resort with your type of food options is important. If you enjoy fine dining you should try to find a resort that offers some of those experiences. Some resorts offer character dining as well, which is available for purchase or on some Disney dining plans. I’d suggest at least looking at the food options that are available in your resort before you book it. You may plan to eat in the park or to travel to other resorts for specific restaurants but you never know when your kids may get tired and just want to go back to the hotel to relax. It’s during those times that having a restaurant of your choosing in your resort is important. But again, you should plan to travel to the meals and dining of your choice whether it is located in your resort or not. It’ll be well worth the effort!
How important is the resort theme to you?
The magic of the Disney resorts comes in part from their various themes. From the Art of Animation value resort to the upscale Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, each resort offers fantastic themes that take you a world away from home.
For some people, the resort themes make a big difference as it sets the ambiance for their entire visit. While the themes certainly add to the experience, we’d caution you not to make the theme the most important factor in your stay.
Many guests find that they spend little of their time in their rooms. The parks have enough Disney magic in ambiance to keep you up at night. So, while the hotel themes are nice we’d urge visitors to look at the more practical factors like location and price.
How much do I have to spend?
This is perhaps the most important question to ask yourself. Without going beyond our family’s budget, where can you stay that will provide the best Disney experience for the entire family?
The general rule is that you’ll find the best prices in the Disney value resorts but the amenities there won’t be as plush as the moderate or deluxe. Still, many people go to Disney World to experience the parks and their hotel room isn’t quite as important. Also, the value resorts tend to be further from the Magic Kingdom.
Still, you may find that you can score a moderate resort for about the same cost as a value resort at certain times of the year. Disney is great at the up-sale. This means that ‘for a little more’ you can get a better hotel room or another amenity. You need to decide what your family can afford to spend and whether or not a full Disney vacation is in your budget. If it’s not in your budget at the moment, I’d suggest saving up and experiencing the full Disney magic (on-site resort, Disney dining plan, character dinners, the works!) It’s worth the wait!
Disney often offers discounts at various times of the year in the off-peak seasons. (Fall, Winter, Early Spring). These discounts generally come in the form of resort discounts up to 30% off or by offering FREE Disney Dining plans. For more discounts and money saving tips see our DISNEY DEALS section.