There are more than two dozen hotels in Disney World, and fans have STRONG opinions about them.
Some hotels are fan faves, and others…are NOT. We recently reached out to our followers to find out which Deluxe Resort they think is the least exciting, and we were surprised by some of the takes!
We recently posted on Facebook, asking our followers, “What’s the worst Deluxe Resort at Disney World?” We received over 700 replies, and the results were pretty shocking.
This might be one of the most divisive questions we’ve asked — every single Deluxe Resort was listed at least once, but some were slightly more common than others.
Saratoga Springs Resort
Perhaps the most popular answer was Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, which is a Disney Vacation Club Resort. This hotel is fairly spread out, and it’s closest to Disney Springs as opposed to being near any of the parks.
It does offer boat transportation on the Sassagoula River, which has access to some other hotels and Disney Springs, but if you want to get to the parks, you’ll have to take a bus. On top of that, the resort is so large that there’s also an internal bus loop.
One reader said, “Don’t hate on me as all the Deluxe Resorts are great, but in my opinion, I would say Saratoga Springs.” Another person went more into detail with their response, noting, “We loved our room at Saratoga springs but not the resort. It’s too big. I like smaller, more contained DVC hotels.”
A different reader had similar thoughts, “Saratoga is the one that appeals to me the least, though, but that is mostly because it is huge and very far away from the parks.”
Get All the Details for Saratoga Springs Resort Here!
Wilderness Lodge
One really shocking response that was on the more popular end was Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. This hotel is in the Magic Kingdom area, but not on the Monorail loop. You can access Magic Kingdom via the water taxi service and take the buses to the other parks and Disney Springs.
This hotel has been one of our team’s favorites in the past (Quincy even ranked it as her #1 resort after she stayed in all the Disney Resorts!) due to its relaxed atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and incredible food. Territory Lounge and Geyser Point Bar & Grill are two of our favorite hotel lounges, and Whispering Canyon is one of Disney’s most unique dining locations.
But apparently, it didn’t capture the hearts of all of our readers. One person said, “The Grand Floridian is way too bougie for me…but I’d still stay there before Wilderness Lodge. I’m just not a woodsy kinda girl.”
Another reader commented, “I’ve stayed at a lot of them. Wilderness Lodge — the old DVC villas — that was probably the ‘least nice’ (lol) one that we’ve stayed at because it was dated, but it was still super awesome.”
Get the Rundown on Wilderness Lodge Here!
Contemporary Resort
Another kind of shocking answer on the list was Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This is one of Disney World’s oldest hotels and one of the Monorail Resorts. It has a mid-century modern theme with rooms themed to The Incredibles. You can either stay in the main tower or in the Garden Wing if you book a room at the Contemporary Resort proper (not Bay Lake Tower).
With the Monorail, you can ride directly to Magic Kingdom or you can transfer at the TTC and ride to EPCOT. The Contemporary also has a direct walking path to Magic Kingdom. Bus service is offered to the other parks and Disney Springs.
Dining here is also pretty iconic, with fan favorites like Steakhouse 71 and California Grill. It’s also home to arguably the most popular character meal in Disney World — Chef Mickey’s.
One person had rather harsh things to say about this resort — “Contemporary. Can’t stand it. I don’t understand why anyone chooses it over Grand, Polynesian, or any of the others.”
Another reader had slightly more moderate thoughts about it, saying, “I’ve only stayed at 3 different deluxe…I’d have to say The Contemporary, but only because of the lack of theming. Otherwise, it was pretty great too!”
See All the Must-Know Info for the Contemporary Resort Here!
Yacht Club
Last but not least, we have Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. This is the sister hotel to Beach Club, and the two hotels share the largest pool at the Disney World Resorts — Stormalong Bay. That’s a big draw for people to stay here.
Dining here is pretty decent, but it doesn’t have restaurants that you usually hear people rant and rave about, like they do with some other hotel dining options. It does win in the location game, though, because it’s walking distance or a short Friendship Boat ride away from both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. You’re also in proximity to Disney’s BoardWalk, where there are ample dining options and some nice nightlife.
One reader noted, “Tough to say ‘worst’ but I would say the one we enjoyed the least was the Yacht Club.” Another said, “Wouldn’t really say worst…but the fact that for our family we kept walking over to the Beach Club for some of the amenities instead of just staying within the Yacht Club, I would say probably Yacht Club unless I was doing a short day or it was just my husband and I without our kids.”
A common complaint about this resort is that the rooms are a bit dated. Pros and cons, friends.
See the Yacht Club Details Here!
So those are the top contenders for “worst” Deluxe hotel in Disney World. Which one do you think takes the cake?
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Which Deluxe Hotel do you avoid in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!
Being DVC has given us opportunity to stay at many of the resorts. We booked a last minute trip for January/February for 17 nights and had to take what was left, which amounted to 3 different resorts. The first 6 nights were at Saratoga Springs, which we’d never stayed at before but had heard all the objections about it being large and the long internal bus loop. We didn’t find it anywhere near as big as we thought it would be. It was only about 5 minutes from our room to the QS restaurant which had a great menu. We were near the first bus stop so always had a seat in the morning but if we didn’t on the way home, it didn’t matter too much as we were the first to disembark anyway. The boat ride to Disney Springs was relaxing and not too long and the walk back from there was quick too. The rooms had clearly been refurbished recently too. My husband said he’d take it over Old Key West any day, especially as the QS at OKW is just a window with just a small amount of outdoor seating.