Walt Disney World is known as the Most Magical Place on Earth, but staying in the Disney bubble can really put a strain on your vacation budget. Disney World has three Resort tiers ranging from expensive (Deluxe Resorts) to moderately priced (Moderate Resorts) to slightly more economical (Value Resorts).
Don’t be fooled by the cheaper price tag, though; Value Resorts offer a great bang for your buck, and you can still take advantage of all the Disney hotel perks!
We’re covering the good AND the bad when it comes to all six Disney World Value Resorts! Here are the best (and worst) Disney Value Resorts!
What is a Disney Value Resort?
First, let’s go over the basics. Disney Value Resorts are considered the “budget-friendly” hotel option if you’re staying on property at Walt Disney World. But just because you’re not paying top dollar doesn’t mean that you will miss out on the Disney experience! These resorts are themed with larger-than-life decorations and offer most of the amenities you can expect at a Disney hotel.
Because these hotels are more budget-friendly, the standard rooms tend to be a bit smaller in size with fewer “extras” that you might find in a Moderate or Deluxe Disney World hotel.
Each Value Resort also has one larger food court for dining where you’ll find options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Moderates and Deluxes have more than one dining option.) The food courts tend to be pretty large and to offer a lot of seating and diverse options for each meal.
Plus, you’ll also find a gift shop with merchandise and toiletries, two or more themed swimming pools, and at least one form of Disney transportation to the parks.
Click HERE to learn about Disney Resort categories
Why Stay at a Disney Value Resort?
If you’re a family that likes to spend most of its time in the Disney Parks when you’re visiting, Value Resorts can be the ideal option. When you’re just at the hotel to sleep you don’t need all the frills, and you can save some cash to use on your long days in the parks!
These hotels are also kid-friendly. Between the elaborate theming, large swimming pools, and variety of food options, it’s basically a kid’s Disney paradise.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about the best (and the worst) Disney Value Resorts!
Click HERE to read about the pros of every Walt Disney World Value Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Coming up at the top of the “best” list is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. This hotel is the most recent addition to the Value Resort options and was built in 2012. The theme of this hotel spans four iconic Disney movies.
There’s one section dedicated to Disney’s The Little Mermaid…
…another to Disney’s The Lion King…
…another is Finding Nemo…
…and the last is themed after Disney and Pixar’s Cars.
This hotel is unique in that it offers family suites (themed after The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars) in addition to a standard Value Resort room (themed after The Little Mermaid). The family suites are pretty cool. Each one has a master bedroom, a living room, two full bathrooms, and a kitchenette that has a mini-fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker. Oh, and they’re themed from head to toe — even down to the tile in the shower!
If you’ve got lots of little guppies with you on your trip, Art of Animation is home to the largest pool of all the Disney Resorts. You’ll find this giant pool in the Finding Nemo section, and it is appropriately known as the Big Blue Pool.
And if you can’t imagine taking a Disney vacation without Fido, this Value Resort is also pet-friendly!
Art of Animation also has two complimentary Disney transportation options that include buses and the Disney Skyliner. The hotel shares a Skyliner station with Disney’s Pop Century Resort and will take you from the hotel to either EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios via the Skyliner hub at Caribbean Beach Resort. Disney bus transportation is offered to the parks and Disney Springs.
Because Art of Animation features family suites and has two forms of Disney transportation, the price per night is on the higher end of the Value Resorts, but it is a budget-friendly way to take a larger group to Disney World.
Click HERE to learn why you should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Next up is one of the Disney hotels that has a lot of quirky, loveable qualities — Disney’s Pop Century Resort! This hotel opened back in 2003 but received a glow up a few years ago (more on that later). The larger-than-life theming centers around centuries running from the 50s all the way up to the 90s — a blast from the past! You can give your kids a nice history lesson on what a corded home phone was as you pass all the giant retro decorations.
All of the rooms at this Resort were refurbished in 2017, and they really got quite the facelift! They now feature one queen bed, laminate floors…
…and a murphy bed that is a table by day and a bed by night! The decorations also got a little upgrade to finish off the retro vibe that the hotel has going for it!
Like other Value Resorts, there is a large pool at the center (this one’s named the Hippy Dippy Pool). There’s another pool in the shape of a computer in the 90’s themed section (another history lesson for your kids here!) and a bowling pin-shaped pool in the 50s section.
As we mentioned for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Pop Century shares a Skyliner station so you have gondola transportation to and from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from your hotel. For all other resorts and Disney Springs, there are Disney buses to get you there!
Because there are two forms of transportation and upgraded standard rooms, the price per night is a little higher than other Value Resorts. But if you’re willing to pay the extra bucks, the upgrades do make a big difference.
Read about the ten bizarre things we love most about Disney’s Pop Century Resort HERE!
Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Now off to the All-Star Resorts! These are made up of All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, and All-Star Sports, and they were the first of the Value Resorts at Walt Disney World. But all three are no longer exactly equal, so how do you choose? Let’s start with Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, coming in right in the middle of the Value Resorts ranking.
This hotel is themed after a variety of legendary Disney movies. From Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story to 101 Dalmatians to Fantasia, you’re staying right in some classic Disney films. Besides being a great place to stay for movie lovers, this hotel was one of the more recent refurbishments, getting an updated look in 2018.
The standard rooms are now very similar to those at Disney’s Pop Century Resort with a queen bed, a murphy bed that doubles as a table, and laminate floors. Gone are the days of squeezing your family of four into two double beds!
The decor in the room even got a nice little upgrade, and now the bathroom features a nice sliding door giving more privacy than there was before.
All-Star Movies also has a few pools with the Fantasia pool being the largest at the center of the Resort. And this pool is pretty fun for kiddos! We can still remember swimming out to the fountains coming from Mickey in the center as kids.
Unlike the Value Resorts that we’ve covered so far, All-Star Movies only has bus transportation to and from the Disney Parks and Disney Springs. One thing to note is that the buses typically travel to all three All-Star Resorts on their rounds, and All-Star Movies is usually the last stop for pick-up and drop-off.
Keep in mind that this hotel may be a bit extra compared to other All-Star hotels because of the upgraded rooms.
Click HERE for our videos about Disney’s All-Star Movies Hotel!
All Star Movies Resort (Value Resort)
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Now onto Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, the second worst or fourth best Resort on our list! This hotel is themed after popular music genres like country, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, calypso, and Broadway show tunes. Because of its tribute to music, a lot of high-school bands, choirs, and orchestra groups will choose to stay here so you might stumble upon some larger groups when staying here.
Disney recently renovated this hotel so the standard rooms will look a lot like Pop Century and All-Star Movies — with a music twist!
One of the unique aspects of this value resort is that it offers a Family Suite option that can accommodate up to six people PLUS a crib for kids under 3 and has TWO bathrooms. It features a master bedroom with a queen bed, a living area with two pull-out beds, and a kitchenette.
The All-Star Music pool isn’t any average pool. It is shaped like a guitar! The Three Caballeros are at the center of one of the coolest-shaped pools squirting out some extra watery fun!
As we mentioned with All-Star Movies, this Resort has complimentary bus transportation to all four Parks, Disney Springs, and the Disney Water Parks (which all hotels offer).
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly place to stay with a large group, this is a great option to look into thanks to the family suites!
Click HERE for an overview of Walt Disney World’s All-Star Resorts
All Star Music Resort (Value Resort)
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
The last of the three All-Star Resorts is Disney’s All-Star Sports. This hotel is dedicated to larger-than-life sports be it football, baseball, surfing, tennis, or basketball!
This is the “oldest” hotel of the three and was the last to get the same renovations as the other All-Star resorts. You’ll now have the same room style here with one queen and one murphy bed as the other All-Star standard rooms.
Of course there are also a couple of pool options, including a funky surf pool designed to resemble waves and a baseball pool.
And the Disney bus transportation that stops at all three All-Star Resorts stops here, too (usually first!).
Though the rooms are pretty much identical, All-Star Sports does tend to be the cheapest option of the Value Resorts. So if you’re looking to get a really good deal, this might be the place to stay!
Click HERE to see how our readers ranked the Value Resorts at Walt Disney World
All Star Sports Resort (Value Resort)
All in all, staying at a Disney Value Resort gives you convenient access to the parks and all the benefits of staying at a Disney World hotel at a more affordable price. Each hotel is unique in its own way, and where you choose to stay really depends on what is most important to you! Bringing a large group? Hoping for the cheapest option? Want more transportation options? There’s a Disney Value Resort that is sure to fit most of your needs!
Click HERE for the Disney World rides we ALWAYS skip!
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What is your favorite Disney World Value hotel? Let us know in the comments!
The word “best” should never ever under any circumstances be used in the same sentence as WDW Value Hotel let alone used to describe such.