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5 Best Walt Disney World Florida Hotels
Visitors to Walt Disney World Florida can choose from more than 20 official Disney hotels including 'value', 'moderate' and 'deluxe' resorts.
But which is best?
We've chosen our top five Walt Disney World Florida hotels, including a couple of outstanding 'value' options. We reached our conclusions after comparing price, facilities, travel time to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks, customer reviews and other factors (you can read the full comparison if you have a lot of spare time).
We've done a similar guide to Disneyland Paris's hotels and a Walt Disney World Florida vs Disneyland Paris face off, for those who are on the fence about which theme parks to visit.
Here are our top five official Disney hotels at Walt Disney World Florida.
But which is best?
We've chosen our top five Walt Disney World Florida hotels, including a couple of outstanding 'value' options. We reached our conclusions after comparing price, facilities, travel time to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks, customer reviews and other factors (you can read the full comparison if you have a lot of spare time).
We've done a similar guide to Disneyland Paris's hotels and a Walt Disney World Florida vs Disneyland Paris face off, for those who are on the fence about which theme parks to visit.
Here are our top five official Disney hotels at Walt Disney World Florida.
1. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (good value, themed rooms, modern, Skyliner connection, great reviews)
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort isn’t the most luxurious or poshest of the official resorts at Walt Disney World Florida. It also isn't the closest to the theme parks.
So, why is it in our top five hotels at Walt Disney World Florida, I hear you ask?
Well, we think it is exceptionally good value and has lots of plus points.
Unlike most other official resorts, Disney’s Art of Animation Hotel has Disney themed bedrooms, so you can have a Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo or a Lion King bedroom. It opened in 2012, making it one of the newest hotels at Walt Disney World Florida. Its theme is much more focused on Disney's films rather than on a part of the world, which is the case for most of the other official resorts.
Disney's Art of Animation Resort also punches above its weight by achieving excellent customer review scores (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.6/5 on Google Reviews) despite being one of Disney’s ‘value’ options.
The choice of swimming pools isn’t as wide as some of Disney's 'deluxe' resorts but it’s got the 'single largest hotel pool' at Walt Disney World Florida. The main pool has a Finding Nemo theme which will appeal to children (and some grown ups, I'm not judging).
There are some downsides to Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It is one of the less conveniently located of the 20 or so official hotels. We looked at travel times using the public transport provided and found that it will take you 41-47 minutes to reach the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. Over a typical six day holiday you’ll spend about three hours extra on public transport compared to the best located resort in our study (Disney’s BoardWalk Inn).
However, it's worth saying that Art of Animation is one of the Disney hotels which connects with the rather cool 'Skyliner' gondola. That means you can get to two of the Walt Disney World Florida theme parks in a really fun way rather than sitting on a bus (it connects with Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT). For that reason, I wouldn't let the location put you off too much.
Admittedly, Disney's Art of Animation has a relatively poor choice of restaurants compared to the more expensive official Disney hotels. It is more of a food-hall-dining setup rather than the choice of restaurants which you get at the ‘deluxe’ Walt Disney World Florida hotels.
The official Walt Disney World Florida website rates Disney's Art of Animation Resort as one its 'value' hotels. That matches up with our price comparison, which found it was the 6th cheapest out of the 21 official Disney hotel resorts for a typical holiday.
Price comparison: £7910 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. For our price comparison we looked for the cheapest accommodation available, including flights from London and entry to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks for a week.
So, why is it in our top five hotels at Walt Disney World Florida, I hear you ask?
Well, we think it is exceptionally good value and has lots of plus points.
Unlike most other official resorts, Disney’s Art of Animation Hotel has Disney themed bedrooms, so you can have a Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo or a Lion King bedroom. It opened in 2012, making it one of the newest hotels at Walt Disney World Florida. Its theme is much more focused on Disney's films rather than on a part of the world, which is the case for most of the other official resorts.
Disney's Art of Animation Resort also punches above its weight by achieving excellent customer review scores (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.6/5 on Google Reviews) despite being one of Disney’s ‘value’ options.
The choice of swimming pools isn’t as wide as some of Disney's 'deluxe' resorts but it’s got the 'single largest hotel pool' at Walt Disney World Florida. The main pool has a Finding Nemo theme which will appeal to children (and some grown ups, I'm not judging).
There are some downsides to Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It is one of the less conveniently located of the 20 or so official hotels. We looked at travel times using the public transport provided and found that it will take you 41-47 minutes to reach the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. Over a typical six day holiday you’ll spend about three hours extra on public transport compared to the best located resort in our study (Disney’s BoardWalk Inn).
However, it's worth saying that Art of Animation is one of the Disney hotels which connects with the rather cool 'Skyliner' gondola. That means you can get to two of the Walt Disney World Florida theme parks in a really fun way rather than sitting on a bus (it connects with Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT). For that reason, I wouldn't let the location put you off too much.
Admittedly, Disney's Art of Animation has a relatively poor choice of restaurants compared to the more expensive official Disney hotels. It is more of a food-hall-dining setup rather than the choice of restaurants which you get at the ‘deluxe’ Walt Disney World Florida hotels.
The official Walt Disney World Florida website rates Disney's Art of Animation Resort as one its 'value' hotels. That matches up with our price comparison, which found it was the 6th cheapest out of the 21 official Disney hotel resorts for a typical holiday.
Price comparison: £7910 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. For our price comparison we looked for the cheapest accommodation available, including flights from London and entry to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks for a week.
The swimming pool at Disney's Art of Animation Resort is the biggest of its kind amongst the official hotels...
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...and there is much more Disney film related décor than you get at most official hotels
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Similar Disney hotels to consider: Disney's All-Star Movies Resort is a similar sort of price to the Art of Animation Resort. It has plenty of Disney animation influence, including big statues of characters. It was slightly cheaper in our price comparison than Disney's Art of Animation Resort but customer reviews are a fair bit behind (4/5 on TripAdvisor, 4.4/5 on Google Reviews). On the plus side, it is in a slightly better location in terms of travel time for a typical itinerary.
2. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (mid-priced, safari views, outstanding reviews, slightly longer travel times)
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is considered a 'Deluxe Resort Hotel' by Disney. However, its cheapest rooms were more affordable than we expected in our price comparison and it has several other points in its favour.
Personally, I think its African safari theme is one of the most appealing amongst the official Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Some of the more expensive accommodation is described as 'savanna view' so you can admire safari animals such as zebras and giraffes from your room. You can also upgrade to super posh villas at Kidani Village and Jambo House which give you much more space including kitchens and living space.
Customer reviews for Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are outstanding. Overall, it was joint second in our comparison of scores on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews (admittedly, there were six other resorts with the same total score of 9.2/10). The resort opened in 1998, but it has had some updates since then.
There is also an excellent choice of places to eat and drink including nine restaurants and bars. Guests have access to a couple of swimming pools - Uzima Pool and Samawati Springs Pool. That's fewer than a lot of official Disney resorts but they are large pools which offer plenty of entertainment.
The biggest downside with Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is the location and transport connections. We compared total travel times using public transport for a typical six day itinerary and found that Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge was in the bottom third of the resorts. It's about 30 minutes to the Animal Kingdom Theme Park but it will take you about 40-45 minutes to reach the other theme parks which make up Walt Disney World Resort. Your only option for public transport are buses, whereas several other resorts connect by monorail, gondola or boat which is a bit more exciting.
Price comparison: £9594 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. That is the cheapest accommodation at the time of searching. IT also includes UK flights and a week's worth of theme park entry.
Personally, I think its African safari theme is one of the most appealing amongst the official Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Some of the more expensive accommodation is described as 'savanna view' so you can admire safari animals such as zebras and giraffes from your room. You can also upgrade to super posh villas at Kidani Village and Jambo House which give you much more space including kitchens and living space.
Customer reviews for Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are outstanding. Overall, it was joint second in our comparison of scores on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews (admittedly, there were six other resorts with the same total score of 9.2/10). The resort opened in 1998, but it has had some updates since then.
There is also an excellent choice of places to eat and drink including nine restaurants and bars. Guests have access to a couple of swimming pools - Uzima Pool and Samawati Springs Pool. That's fewer than a lot of official Disney resorts but they are large pools which offer plenty of entertainment.
The biggest downside with Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is the location and transport connections. We compared total travel times using public transport for a typical six day itinerary and found that Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge was in the bottom third of the resorts. It's about 30 minutes to the Animal Kingdom Theme Park but it will take you about 40-45 minutes to reach the other theme parks which make up Walt Disney World Resort. Your only option for public transport are buses, whereas several other resorts connect by monorail, gondola or boat which is a bit more exciting.
Price comparison: £9594 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. That is the cheapest accommodation at the time of searching. IT also includes UK flights and a week's worth of theme park entry.
Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge offers views of safari animals from some rooms...
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...and an African theme in the pool and restaurants
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3. Disney's BoardWalk Inn (expensive, shortest travel times, outstanding reviews, fun theme, lots of restaurants)
There are three similar Walt Disney World hotels competing for the next spot in our top five - but we've picked Disney's BoardWalk Inn which opened in 1996.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Disney's Beach Club are also excellent and offer something similar. Which one you pick is a personal preference - let's not fall out over it...
Disney's Beach Club Resort has an elegant New England theme, whilst Disney's Grand Floridian is more of a Victorian style Florida hotel. BoardWalk Inn is a different vibe altogether, with a traditional Atlantic City theme. There's a long boardwalk with carnival games, in the style of Coney Island. This one appeals to me more, but you might prefer something lower key.
On reviews, there is nothing between them. Grand Floridian, Beach Club and BoardWalk Inn all score 4.7/5 on Google Reviews and 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor.
Similarly, there isn't much between them on food and drink. They all have 10-13 different bars and restaurants and two or three swimming pools.
We reckon that Disney's BoardWalk Inn is the best located of all the Walt Disney World official hotels. Some will dispute this, but it came top of the league in our comparison which looked at travel times using public transport on a typical six day itinerary. EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studio are about 20 minutes away by public transport whilst the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Theme Parks are about 40 minutes.
One other thing we like about the BoardWalk Inn is that you can reach two of the theme parks by boat (EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios).
Price: £10,254 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. That includes entry to the four theme parks for a week and flights from a London airport. Disney considers BoardWalk Inn one to be one of its 'Deluxe Resort Hotels' which is the second most expensive tier. That fits with our price comparison, as it was the 17th most expensive of the 21 resorts we included in our study.
You can also upgrade to posher villas at BoardWalk Inn which give you more space.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Disney's Beach Club are also excellent and offer something similar. Which one you pick is a personal preference - let's not fall out over it...
Disney's Beach Club Resort has an elegant New England theme, whilst Disney's Grand Floridian is more of a Victorian style Florida hotel. BoardWalk Inn is a different vibe altogether, with a traditional Atlantic City theme. There's a long boardwalk with carnival games, in the style of Coney Island. This one appeals to me more, but you might prefer something lower key.
On reviews, there is nothing between them. Grand Floridian, Beach Club and BoardWalk Inn all score 4.7/5 on Google Reviews and 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor.
Similarly, there isn't much between them on food and drink. They all have 10-13 different bars and restaurants and two or three swimming pools.
We reckon that Disney's BoardWalk Inn is the best located of all the Walt Disney World official hotels. Some will dispute this, but it came top of the league in our comparison which looked at travel times using public transport on a typical six day itinerary. EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studio are about 20 minutes away by public transport whilst the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Theme Parks are about 40 minutes.
One other thing we like about the BoardWalk Inn is that you can reach two of the theme parks by boat (EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios).
Price: £10,254 for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. That includes entry to the four theme parks for a week and flights from a London airport. Disney considers BoardWalk Inn one to be one of its 'Deluxe Resort Hotels' which is the second most expensive tier. That fits with our price comparison, as it was the 17th most expensive of the 21 resorts we included in our study.
You can also upgrade to posher villas at BoardWalk Inn which give you more space.
Disney's BoardWalk Inn has a 'turn of the century' Atlantic City theme, with carnival games...
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...and a classy lobby with traditional themed designs
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Similar Disney Hotels to consider: Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Yacht Club are both very popular with customers and cost around the same price as Disney's BoardWalk Inn. Disney's Wilderness Lodge has a US national parks vibe whilst Disney's Yacht Club has a similar New England theme to Disney's Beach Club. Wilderness Lodge gets marginally higher review scores but the Yacht Club resort is a bit closer to the theme parks and has more restaurants to choose from.
4. Disney's Riviera Resort (expensive, newest hotel, best reviews, spacious rooms, mostly good transport)
Next up is the money-is-no-object choice - Disney's Riviera Resort.
It only opened in 2019 so it's still looking shiny which may explain why it is the joint highest-rated Walt Disney World Florida hotel with customers. On TripAdvisor it scores 4.5/5 whilst on Google Reviews, Disney's Riviera Resort scores a remarkable 4.8/5. That's not to be sneezed at.
The theme is a classy European hotel with Italian and French influence. It may appeal to teens and adults more than very young children, who might prefer the themed bedrooms of Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
At Disney's Riviera Resort, the accommodation is a mixture of villas and studios. Most sleep 2-5 people but they also have some for big groups of 9-12 people.
The idea of a villa or a studio is that they are more like apartments with access to hotel facilities. You get a generous living space including a kitchen, so have more flexibility over when and what you eat.
On the downside, the hotel doesn't have the choice of restaurants you'll find at Disney's BoardWalk Inn or the range of swimming pools that you get at the equally posh Disney's Saratoga Springs. However, the restaurants are good including a rooftop one and a Parisian style café ("mange tout Rodney!").
Another plus point is that Disney's Riviera Resort connects to the Skyliner gondola. That makes getting around a more pleasant experience than buses. Our comparison of travel times for a typical itinerary at Walt Disney World Florida concluded that Disney's Riviera Resort ranked in the top third. EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios can be reached in about 20-25 minutes thanks to the Skyliner, but the other two theme parks have a travel time of about 45 minutes by bus.
Price: We couldn't find a price for 2024. However, it was £8530 for a family of two adults and two children in August 2023, including seven nights in the cheapest room available at Disney's Riviera Resort. Also includes economy flights from London and entry to the Walt Disney World parks for a week. That makes the Riviera Resort one of the most expensive of the official hotels at Walt Disney World Florida.
It only opened in 2019 so it's still looking shiny which may explain why it is the joint highest-rated Walt Disney World Florida hotel with customers. On TripAdvisor it scores 4.5/5 whilst on Google Reviews, Disney's Riviera Resort scores a remarkable 4.8/5. That's not to be sneezed at.
The theme is a classy European hotel with Italian and French influence. It may appeal to teens and adults more than very young children, who might prefer the themed bedrooms of Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
At Disney's Riviera Resort, the accommodation is a mixture of villas and studios. Most sleep 2-5 people but they also have some for big groups of 9-12 people.
The idea of a villa or a studio is that they are more like apartments with access to hotel facilities. You get a generous living space including a kitchen, so have more flexibility over when and what you eat.
On the downside, the hotel doesn't have the choice of restaurants you'll find at Disney's BoardWalk Inn or the range of swimming pools that you get at the equally posh Disney's Saratoga Springs. However, the restaurants are good including a rooftop one and a Parisian style café ("mange tout Rodney!").
Another plus point is that Disney's Riviera Resort connects to the Skyliner gondola. That makes getting around a more pleasant experience than buses. Our comparison of travel times for a typical itinerary at Walt Disney World Florida concluded that Disney's Riviera Resort ranked in the top third. EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios can be reached in about 20-25 minutes thanks to the Skyliner, but the other two theme parks have a travel time of about 45 minutes by bus.
Price: We couldn't find a price for 2024. However, it was £8530 for a family of two adults and two children in August 2023, including seven nights in the cheapest room available at Disney's Riviera Resort. Also includes economy flights from London and entry to the Walt Disney World parks for a week. That makes the Riviera Resort one of the most expensive of the official hotels at Walt Disney World Florida.
Disney's Riviera Resort is the newest official hotel at Walt Disney World Florida...
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...and its modern restaurant and rooms get outstanding reviews
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Similar Disney hotels to consider: Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Saratoga Springs offer a similar level of poshness. Both get excellent reviews and have the same luxury villas which give you a lot more space than a typical hotel room. Disney's Old Key West Resort is themed around the Florida Keys which are a series of tropical islands. Meanwhile, Disney's Saratoga Springs is themed around a fancy part of New York during the Victorian era.
5. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter (low price, good reviews, lively theme, OK location)
Our final choice of the best Walt Disney World Florida official Disney hotels will be a surprise to some people as it's not the poshest, flashiest or most famous.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is in the 'moderate' pricing category, which is the third tier out of four. It's been around a while too, after first opening in 1991.
We've included it because it punches above its weight on value for money, much like Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It was one of the cheaper resorts in our price comparison, but it is also a high scorer with customers (4.6/5 on Google Reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor).
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is one half of a larger resort. The other half is Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. Both are themed around New Orleans, so you can expect plenty of jazz and Louisiana influence. The French quarter celebrates the city's big French influence such as the famous Mardi Gras festival.
The main restaurant offers food with a Louisiana Creole and Cajun influence. That means you can expect lots of shrimp creole and jambalaya, which is meat and veg mixed with rice.
In terms of location, Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is more or less equidistant between the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. It will take you about 35-40 minutes to reach any of them by public transport.
Overall, Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter came mid-table in our comparison of travel times using public transport for a typical six day holiday to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. You can also catch a boat from Disney's Port Orleans Resort to Disney Springs, which is a shopping and dining area.
Price: £8251 for a family holiday in August 2024. That includes two adults and two children, staying for a week and visiting all four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. That price also includes flights from the UK.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is in the 'moderate' pricing category, which is the third tier out of four. It's been around a while too, after first opening in 1991.
We've included it because it punches above its weight on value for money, much like Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It was one of the cheaper resorts in our price comparison, but it is also a high scorer with customers (4.6/5 on Google Reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor).
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is one half of a larger resort. The other half is Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. Both are themed around New Orleans, so you can expect plenty of jazz and Louisiana influence. The French quarter celebrates the city's big French influence such as the famous Mardi Gras festival.
The main restaurant offers food with a Louisiana Creole and Cajun influence. That means you can expect lots of shrimp creole and jambalaya, which is meat and veg mixed with rice.
In terms of location, Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter is more or less equidistant between the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. It will take you about 35-40 minutes to reach any of them by public transport.
Overall, Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter came mid-table in our comparison of travel times using public transport for a typical six day holiday to the four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. You can also catch a boat from Disney's Port Orleans Resort to Disney Springs, which is a shopping and dining area.
Price: £8251 for a family holiday in August 2024. That includes two adults and two children, staying for a week and visiting all four Walt Disney World Florida theme parks. That price also includes flights from the UK.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort is designed like a grand Louisiana mansion...
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...whilst the swimming pool picks up on the Mardi Gras theme
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