3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Stay in a Value Hotel in Disney World This Year

When it comes to staying at a Walt Disney World hotel, many guests opt for the Value Tier Resorts — the All-Star trio of Sports, Movies, and Music, as well as Pop Century and Art of Animation — for their (comparatively) cost-effective rates, especially for those who plan to use the hotels as nothing but a bed between theme park visits.

However, even if you’re typically a Value Tier guest, there are a few reasons you MIGHT want to skip these hotels in 2026.

Construction

Right now, three of Walt Disney World’s theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom — are home to massive construction projects, and in turn, mazes of construction walls. Given these projects, it’s arguably imperative to get extra time in the parks to make up for them, including taking advantage of hotel guest-only Early Entry hours.

Unfortunately for the All-Star Resorts, they’re quite far from pretty much all of Disney World’s theme parks, and the ONLY transportation method available to guests is buses, making them some of Disney’s most inconvenient hotels as far as transportation goes.

Pop Century and Art of Animation do fare slightly better, as the hotels share a Skyliner station that provides access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

Discounts

While the Value Tier Resorts are generally the best “value” at Disney World, that may not be the case this year, thanks to some unprecedented discounts that Disney is offering. These include savings of up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels for stays most nights from May 1st to July 29th, 2026.

Guests can save up to 30% for stays of 5 or more consecutive nights and 25% for stays of 1 to 4 consecutive nights at Disney’s Deluxe Tier Resorts, 25% off stays of 5 or more nights and 20% or stays of 1 to 4 nights at select Disney Moderate and Value Tier Resorts, and 20% off stays of 5 or more nights and 15% off stays of 1 to 4 nights at select Moderate and Value Tier Resorts, as well as the Fort Wilderness Campground.

So, anyone booking a Disney trip this year would be wise to keep track of and take advantage of these discounts, and see if a stay at a Moderate Resort, for example, might actually be a better “value” than the Value.

Cool Kids Summer

Disney is bringing back the Cool Kids Summer event from May 26th to September 8th, which includes some massive hotel guest perks, including:

• Scheduled Character Appearances: Meet some favorite Disney pals—like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse—during scheduled appearances.
• Special Libraries: Little ones can celebrate Disney stories in libraries provided by Disney Publishing, where the magic of their imaginations can come alive with tales of princesses, heroes and more.
• Pajama Party: Wind down with your family during story time! Participate in a “create your own bedtime story” activity, where the magic of a good book comes to life with the arrival of a favorite Disney Character.
• Pool Party: Make a splash at a high-energy poolside experience with games and music for the whole family.
• Campfire: Gather ‘round for a celebration filled with marshmallows and Disney-infused entertainment.

However, those perks are only available at the Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, as well as the aforementioned Art of Animation and Pop Century. So yes, they’re available at two Value Tier hotels; they’re NOT available at the All-Star hotels.

While Disney’s Value Tier hotels are often the best “value” on Disney property, they may not be the best option for 2026. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on 2026 trips.

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Are you planning a Disney World trip for 2026? Let us know in the comments below.

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