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Where Should I Stay At Walt Disney World Florida?

Disney's BoardWalk Inn at night
Disney's BoardWalk Inn stands out amongst the 20+ official hotels at Disneyworld Florida
There are about 20 official hotels and resorts for visitors to Walt Disney World Florida. But which is best? 

The choice can be pretty overwhelming at first. The range is much greater than it is at Disneyland Paris as Walt Disney World is considerably bigger - Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is made up of four theme parks and two water parks whereas Disneyland Paris is just two theme parks.

We've attempted to narrow down the choice of Disney hotels at Walt Disney World Florida with a lot of number crunching.

Here's our summary for anyone who just wants the headlines:
For our full comparison we looked at everything from price and location right through to the number of swimming pools, age of constructions and the individual themes.

What are the main differences between the Walt Disney World Florida Resort Hotels?

We will get things underway with a summary of your options for hotels and official accommodation at Walt Disney World Florida, before narrowing things down by comparing prices, reviews and location.

We've ranked the four main types of hotel in order of price and written a short summary of what to expect.

1. Deluxe villas

Walt Disney World's Deluxe Villas are the most expensive and poshest accommodation at Walt Disney World Florida. I consider these to be the 'money-is-no-object' option.  

Instead of a hotel room, you get a 'villa' (8-12 people) or a 'studio' with a small kitchen (4-5 people). The accommodation is on a hotel complex so you have the big advantage of being able to use the hotel's facilities such as its swimming pools and restaurants.

The studios for 4-5 people are like a small apartment. The villas are much larger and some have several bedrooms, as well as a larger kitchen and good-sized living area.

Examples of these posh and pricey resorts include: 
  • Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa - themed around a 'late 1800s New York retreat famous for its spas and horse racing'. Includes seven bars/restaurants and five swimming pools.
  • Disney's Old Key West Resort - themed around the Florida Keys with palm trees and golf courses. Includes four restaurants/bars and four swimming pools.
  • Disney's Riviera Resort - a Europe-themed villa hotel with a French and Italian feel. This one only opened in 2019 and includes four bars/restaurants and three swimming pools.
Disney's Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World Florida
Walt Disney World Florida's ultra posh resorts include Europe-themed Riviera Resort...
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa swimming pool
...and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

2. Deluxe Resort Hotels

Walt Disney World Florida's Deluxe Resort Hotels are the next most expensive option. As we will see, they all get excellent reviews but there are notable difference between them.

There are eight of these posh resort hotels, including:
​
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - an African-safari themed hotel with views of zebras and giraffes, as well as two swimming pools and nine bars/restaurants.

  • Disney's Beach Club Resort - a New England style hotel which is all about 'elegance'. Includes a choice of 10 restaurants/bars and three swimming pools.

  • Disney's BoardWalk Inn - a 'turn of the century Atlantic City' themed hotel, which means it has things like carnival games and a 'Coney Island style boardwalk'. Includes 12 bars, restaurants and snack counters as well as three swimming pools.

  • Disney's Contemporary Resort - as the name suggests, it's a modern-style hotel which is similar to a major city hotel run by a big chain. It has a cool design, with a monorail which goes through the middle of the hotel. It's got two swimming pools and 10 bars and restaurants.

  • Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa - a classic Victorian style hotel with 13 bars/restaurants, two swimming pools and a monorail connection.

  • Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - a South Pacific themed hotel with a monorail connection, 10 bars/restaurants and two swimming pools.

  • Disney's Wilderness Lodge - a US-wilderness themed hotel with totem poles and traditional headdresses. There's a choice of four restaurants and two swimming pools.
    ​
  • Disney's Yacht Club Resort - similar to Disney's Beach Club Resort, with a New England yacht club theme. You can catch a boat to some of the theme parks. There's a choice of 10 bars/restaurants and four swimming pools.

These 'deluxe' resorts tend to offer nicer accommodation, a bigger choice of restaurants and you are also closer to some of the parks (compared to the 'moderate' and 'value' options below.

We will explore the benefits in more detail later (that's what they call a teaser in showbusiness...).

A couple of other things worth mentioning before we move on to the cheaper hotels at Walt DisneyWorld Florida:
  • Some of these hotels also have the option to upgrade to more luxurious accommodation, such as villas. These include the Kidani Village and Jambo House at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas or Disney's BoardWalk Villas at Disney's Boardwalk Inn. 
  • I'm also going to mention the Star Wars: Galactic Supercruiser accommodation at this stage. This is a two night stay in a hotel with loads of 'immersive' Star Wars experiences thrown in like lightsabre battles. We won't include this in most of our comparisons as you can't stay there for your whole holiday.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World Florida
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge offers views of safari animals from some bedrooms...
Swimming pool at Disney's Beach Club at Walt Disney World Florida
...whilst Disney's Beach Club has a classy New England theme

3. Moderate Resorts Hotels

Walt Disney World's 'Moderate Resort Hotels' are - unsurprisingly - the mid priced official resorts. You still get easy access to the parks but the accommodation is a bit more affordable. I wouldn't say that the hotels are basic though - you still get things like swimming pools, horse drawn carriage rides, movies under the stars and so on. 

There are four official hotels in the 'moderate' category including:
  • Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - as you may gather, this one is themed around Islands such as Barbados and Jamaica so you can expect palm trees and Calypso music. There are five bars and restaurants and a whopping six swimming pools at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

  • Disney's Port Orleans Resort - this one is unusual because it is split into two halves, each with its own theme. The Riverside part of the resort is themed around rural Louisiana, so expect things like steamships and white pillared mansions. The French Quarter part of the resort is themed around part of New Orleans which is famous for jazz and Mardi Gras. There are four bars/restaurants and six swimming pools between the two parts of the resort.

  • Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - a hotel themed around 'Spanish, Mexican and Southwest American cultures' including a big Mayan feature in one of the four swimming pools. There are 10 bars and restaurants to choose from.
    ​
  • The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort- woodland lodges spread across a pine forest. It's a little bit like Center Parcs in the UK but a bit more rustic. There are two swimming pools and six bars/restaurants.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort at Walt Disney World Florida
Disney's Port Orleans Resort resembles a Louisiana mansion...
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World Florida
...whilst Coronado Springs Resort is themed around Spanish and Mexican cultures

4. Value Resort Hotels

Walt Disney World's Value Resort Hotels are the cheapest of the official accommodation options. There are five of them, but the three All-Star resorts are quite similar to each other. One notable difference from the more expensive resorts is that the food is more of a self service dining hall rather than a series of restaurants.
  • Disney's Pop Century Resort - pop culture themed resort, covering 1950s-1990s and featuring things like yo-yos and rollerblades. There are two bars/restaurants and three swimming pools.
    ​
  • Disney's All Star Music Resort - a generic music-themed resort with guitar and piano-shaped swimming pools. Includes a food court and a bar.

  • Disney's All Star Movies Resort - budget hotel with giant statues of Disney movie characters such as 101 Dalmatians. Includes a food court and a bar as well as two Disney-themed swimming pools.

  • Disney's All Star Sports Resort - budget hotel with generic US-sports theme, including giant American football helmets. The food court is themed around American football and there's also a bar. There are two swimming pools, which are themed around surfing and other sports.

  • Disney's Art of Animation Resort - themed around 'the artistry, enchantment and magic of Disney and Pixar movies'. It's unusual amongst Walt Disney World Hotels as the rooms are themed around Disney films including The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. There are three swimming pools including 'the single largest hotel pool at Walt Disney World Resort'. There's a dining hall and a bar. It opened in 2012.​
Swimming pool at Disney's Art of Animation Resort
Disney's Art of Animation Resort has the biggest hotel swimming pool at Walt Disney World Florida...
Disney's All Star Movies Resort
...whilst Disney's All Star Movies Resort has some pretty large dalmatians!

What about 'partner' hotels and campsites at Walt Disney World Florida?

There are other options, but we won't explore those in detail in this guide - mostly because we think the official Disney hotels are better value and give a more full-on Disney experience. The two main alternatives are:

1. Official Partner Hotels

There are about 15 Walt Disney World Florida Official Partner Hotels. There are run by big chains like Hilton, Holiday Inn, Four Seasons and Wyndham but still have the Disney stamp of approval.

They vary in price a lot, as we will explore later.

You get a shuttle bus to Walt Disney World included with these but they don't have quite the same 'immersive' Disney vibe. 

You don't book these through the Walt Disney World Florida website. The ones which get the best reviews include:
Four Seasons Resort Orlando
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando is an ideal choice if you have recently won the lottery

2. Official camping

There is also an official Walt Disney World campsite at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. We aren't going to include this one in our comparison as I don't think it is particularly popular with UK visitors. You have to bring your own motorhome or tent, so it's not a very practical option. I wouldn't fancy taking a tent on an aeroplane or shopping for one when I arrived.
Camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
Walt Disney World Florida has an official campsite, but it isn't a very practical option for visitors from the UK

Which Walt Disney World Resort Florida hotel gets the best reviews?

Let's start with review scores for all the Walt Disney World Florida official hotels.

We added together Google review scores and TripAdvisor scores to achieve a rating out of 10:
  1. Disney's Riviera Resort - 4.8/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.3/10
  2. Disney's Wilderness Lodge (also home to Disney's Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodges and Copper Creeks and Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge) - 4.8/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.3/10
  3. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (also home to Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village and Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House) - 4.7/5 on Google Reviews + 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor = 9.2/10
  4. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (also home to The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resorts and Spa) - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  5. Disney's Beach Club Resort - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  6. Disney's Yacht Club Resort - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  7. Disney's BoardWalk Inn (also home to Disney's BoardWalk Villas) - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  8. Disney's Old Key West Resort - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  9. Disney's Art of Animation Resort - 4.6/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.1/10
  10. Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa - 4.6/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.1/10
  11. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter = 4.6/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.1/10
  12. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort (also home to Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows) - 4.7/5 + 4/5 = 8.7/10
  13. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside = 4.6/5 + 4/5 = 8.6/10
  14. The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort (also includes The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort) = 4.6/5 + 4/5 = 8.6/10
  15. Disney's Contemporary Resort (also home to Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort) - 4.6/5 + 4/5 = 8.6/10
  16. Disney's Pop Century Resort - 4.5/5 + 4/5 = 8.5/10
  17. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort = 4.5/5 + 4.5 = 8.5/10
  18. Disney's All-Star Music Resort - 4.4/5 + 4/5 = 8.4/10
  19. Disney's All-Star Movies Resort - 4.4/5 + 4/5 = 8.4/10
  20. Disney's All-Star Sports Resort - 4.4/5 + 4/5 = 8.4/10
  21. Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - 4.4/5 + 4/5 = 8.4/10

(Review scores checked in October 2023).
Mickey Mouse at Disney Riviera Resort hotel
Disney's Riviera Resort offers meet and greets at breakfast and it's a winner with customers
So, the best resorts according to reviewers are Disney's Riviera Resort and Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

These frontrunners are closely followed by Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Disney's Old Key West Resort.

Honestly, the difference between the top half of our league table is tiny so don't take it as the only factor. 

A couple of other things about Walt Disney World Hotel reviews...

There are a couple of caveats to mention before we move on. ​

Firstly, TripAdvisor ratings are given in half scores whereas Google reviews are more precise. That may explain why some Walt Disney World hotels get a very similar score on Google reviews but a much lower score on TripAdvisor.

Secondly, the scores above are for the main resorts but you can also dig out scores for the lodges and villas which are available at some of the more luxurious sites. These include:
  1. Disney's Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodges - 4.7/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor = 9.2/10
  2. Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  3. Copper Creeks and Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge - 4.7/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  4. The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resorts and Spa - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  5. Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9.2/10
  7. Disney's BoardWalk Villas - 4.7/5 + 4.5/5 = 9/2.10
  8. Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House - 4.5/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.9/10

You'll notice that there isn't generally much difference between the review for the main resort and for the posher villas. However, there are a couple of exceptions. Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows and Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort both get much better review scores than the main resort that they are attached to.
Picture
Disney's Wilderness Lodge has these rather nice Boulder Ridge Villas (for a premium price)

Which Walt Disney World Florida Hotel is in the best location?

This is a bit complicated, so stop slouching and pay attention at the back please.

As you are probably aware, Walt Disney World is four theme parks and two waterparks rather than one resort. So, the best location may depend on which theme parks you plan to visit.

For the purposes of a comparison, I am going to assume that you want to visit the four main theme parks including:
  • Two days at Disney's Magic Kingdom
  • Two days at EPCOT
  • One day at Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • One day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Of course, you might have a different plan but this is a common six day agenda for a Walt Disney World Florida holiday.

We made our calculations using the official resort transportation. You can hire a car but it adds a lot to the cost of your holiday as you will also be charged to park at the hotels overnight ($15-$25 per night).

We've ranked all of the official Walt Disney World Florida Hotels from shortest travel time to longest travel time, over the space of six days:

  1. Disney's BoardWalk Inn -  total travel time of 5hr 48m
  2. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort -  total travel time of 5hr 50m
  3. Disney's Contemporary Resort -  total travel time of 6hr 6m
  4. Disney's Beach Club Resort  - total travel time of 6hr 8m
  5. Disney's Yacht Club Resort -  total travel time of 6hr 32m 
  6. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa -  total travel time of 6hr 46m 
  7. Disney's Riviera Resort  - total travel time of 6hr 56m 
  8. Disney's All-Star Music Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 14m 
  9. Disney's All-Star Sports Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 14m 
  10. Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - total travel time of 7hr 30m
  11. Disney's Wilderness Lodge  -  total travel time of 7hr 42m 
  12. Disney's All-Star Movies Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 54m 
  13. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside and French Quarter-  total travel time of 8hr 4m
  14. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge -  total travel time of 8hr 14m
  15. Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa -  total travel time of 8hr 18m 
  16. Disney's Pop Century Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 30m 
  17. Disney's Art of Animation Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 46m 
  18. Disney's Old Key West Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 56m 
  19. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort -  total travel time of 9hr 26m
  20. The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort -  total travel time of 9hr 44m 
​
The data shows that over the space of six days, you will spend an extra four hours travelling to the theme parks if you stay at The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort compared to Disney's BoardWalk Inn or Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.

It is generally the case that the posher Disney hotels offer shorter travel times. The top six in our league table above are all in the Deluxe Resort Hotels category.

However, it's not always the case that the most expensive and poshest resorts offer the shortest travel times. Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are both Deluxe Resort Hotels but don't offer particularly quick travel times.

Two of the 'value' accommodation options at Walt Disney World which are quite near to the resorts include Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's All-Star Sports Resort. 

*To calculate this, we used the official Walt Disney World app, which is called My Disney Experiences. It doesn't include time spent waiting for buses to arrive etc. We used a variety of transport forms including buses, monorails, boats and the Disney Skyliner gondolas. We came up with the total figure by adding together the journeys you would need to complete over six days. For example, from Disney's BoardWalk Inn it will take you 39 minutes to reach Disney's Magic Kingdom, 20 minutes to reach EPCOT, 18 minutes to reach Disney's Hollywood Studios and 38 minutes to reach Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. For the full breakdown of times, see the bottom of the page. This will be useful if you plan to spend several days at one theme park.
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort is in one of the best locations for accessing the four theme parks at Walt Disney World Orlando

One other important note about travel times to the Walt Disney World theme parks

There is some difference between the type of transport between the hotels and the theme parks. Some just connect by bus, whilst others have the option of Skyliner gondola, boat rides and a monorail.

Personally, the idea of a gondola ride, a boat ride or a monorail is more appealing than a bus ride. However, if your children aren't keen on heights or water then I would stick to buses.

The Walt Disney World Hotels which offer Skyliner gondola transport to some of the theme parks include Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Pop Century Resort, Disney's Riviera Resort and Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

​The hotels with boat access to some of the theme parks include The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Inn, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. ​

​Some hotels also use the monorail which is another fun way to travel. These include Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or Disney's Contemporary Resort.
Skyliner gondola at Disneyworld Florida
Disney's Skyliner gondola connects with Pop Century Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort and Art of Animation
Monorail at Disney's Contemporary Resort
...whilst Walt Disneyworld Florida's monorail goes through the middle of Disney's Contemporary Resort

Which Walt DisneyWorld Florida hotel resort is cheapest?

Next up, let's compare prices for a typical holiday for a family from the UK.

We searched for the cost of a package holiday for a family of four including two adults and two children, aged seven and 10. We included:
  • seven nights in the cheapest accommodation at each hotel during August 2024
  • economy flights from a London airport
  • seven days of entry to the four theme parks at Walt Disneyworld Florida.

From cheapest to most expensive:
 
  1. Disney's All-Star Music Resort - £6756
  2. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter - £6780 (2023 price)
  3. Disney's All-Star Sports Resort - £7444
  4. Disney's All-Star Movies Resort - £7452
  5. Disney's Pop Century Resort - £7701
  6. Disney's Art of Animation Resort - £7958
  7. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - £8132
  8. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside - £8251
  9. Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - £8257
  10. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - £8282 (2023 price)
  11. Disney's Riviera Resort - £8530 (2023 price)
  12. Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa - £9317
  13. The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort - £9324
  14. Disney's Old Key West Resort - £9353
  15. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - £9516 
  16. Disney's Wilderness Lodge - £10,064
  17. Disney's Beach Club Resort - £10,131
  18. Disney's Yacht Club Resort - £10,192
  19. Disney's Contemporary Resort - £10,195
  20. Disney's BoardWalk Inn - £10,254
  21. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa - £11,425

That's a lot of numbers to take it in but here are my observations:
  • There's a difference of about £4500 between the cheapest and most expensive accommodation. Honestly, I expected it to be more but it's still a significant figure and would pay for a lot of extras.

  • The eight most popular Walt DisneyWorld Hotels with customers are all in the bottom half of our league table for prices. In other words, there's a strong correlation between customer reviews and prices (i.e. you get what you pay for). This may not be a big surprise but it's worth mentioning anyway.  

  • The cheapest hotels at Walt DisneyWorld Florida are three of the 'All Stars' resorts. These three resorts offer similar levels of accommodation so it's not surprising that they cost the same. We include Disney's Port Orleans Resort as being in the bottom three as we couldn’t get a price for 2024).

  • A couple of Walt Disney World Florida Hotels score well on our customer reviews league table and also on our price comparison. These include the French Quarter at Disney's Port Orleans Resort which is in the top half for reviews and for prices. The same is true of Disney's Art of Animation Resort. In other words, these resorts seem to offer better value than most.

  • Disney's Wilderness Lodge is also worth a mention as it gets outstanding customer reviews but is mid-table on price. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Beach Club Resort and Disney's Yacht Club Resort also seem to offer good value.
    ​
  • Our comparison only looked at the cheapest accommodation available when we searched. We didn't include upgrades such as the studios and villas which are more like apartments. These can be found at most of Disneyworld's deluxe hotels.
Disney's All Star Music Resort guitar
Disney's All Star Music Resort is a cheap option for a holiday at Disneyworld Florida

What about Disney's official partner hotels? Are they cheaper?

As mentioned earlier, there are about 15 hotels which are run by hotel chains such as Hilton and Four Seasons. These are official partner hotels which means that Walt DisneyWorld Florida has approved them and promotes them on their website. You get things like shuttle buses to the Disney theme parks included.

We haven't done a full price comparison of every official partner hotel but we've looked at a handful of prices to give you an idea:
  • Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista is one of the cheaper official partner hotels. It scores 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor and quoted us £5010 for a family of four in August 2024 including flights from London. That doesn't include entry to the Walt Disney World Florida theme parks - that will cost you another £2076, taking the total of £7086 - which is mid-priced on our league table of Disney hotels.
  • Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista is another of the cheaper official partner hotels. It scores 4/5 with reviewers and quoted us £4863 including flights. Once we add on the cost of entry to the theme parks, the total is £6939 which is mid-table compared to the Disney hotels.
  • The Four Seasons Resort Orlando scores an outstanding 5/5 on TripAdvisor. This is truly exceptional for a large hotel. However, a seven night stay for a family of four came in at £32,778 when we checked (yes, you read that correctly). 
Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Hotel
We found that partner hotels near Disneyworld Florida are a similar price to the official themed hotels (although we only did a small comparison)

What themes do the Walt Disney World Hotels in Florida have?

You might assume that every official Walt Disney World hotel is jam-packed with pictures of Mickey Mouse and The Little Mermaid. That's not really the case.

​We've split the hotels into different categories based on their theme.

A couple of hotels have a strong Disney movies theme:
Disney's Art of Animation Resort sketches
Disney's history of movies is celebrated at Disneyworld Florida's Art of Animation Resort
Twelve hotels are based around different times and places in the USA including:
Disney's Wildnerness Lodge Resort
Disney's highly-rated Wilderness Lodge Resort is themed on a 'turn-of-the-century National Park lodge'
Five Disneyworld Florida hotels are based around other parts of the world including:
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort at Disneyworld Florida
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort 'captures the essence of...Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba'
There are three exceptions which don't fit into those neat categories including:

Which is the newest Walt Disney World Florida hotel resort?

Next up, we decided to rank the Walt Disney World Florida resorts based on the year that they opened:

  • Disney's Polynesian Village Resort – 1971
  • The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort - 1971
  • Disney's Contemporary Resort – 1971
  • Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa – 1988
  • Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - 1988
  • Disney's Beach Club Resort - 1990
  • Disney's Yacht Club Resort - 1990
  • Disney's Port Orleans Resort – 1991
  • Disney's Old Key West Resort - 1991
  • Disney's All-Star Music Resort - 1994
  • Disney's All-Star Sports Resort - 1994
  • Disney's Wilderness Lodge - 1994
  • Disney's BoardWalk Inn - 1996
  • Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - 1997
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - 1998
  • Disney's All-Star Movies Resort - 1999
  • Disney's Pop Century Resort – 2003
  • Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa - 2004
  • Disney's Art of Animation Resort - 2012
  • Disney's Riviera Resort - 2019

It’s worth saying that Disney is constantly revamping and refurbishing its hotels. Just because a hotel opened in the 1970s or 1980s, it doesn’t mean it will be looking dated.

However, Disney’s Riviera Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort both stand out for being the two newest hotels. Personally, I prefer newer hotels which look slick and modern, but that's just me.
Disney's Riviera Resort dining resort
Disney's Riviera Resort is the newest of the official hotels at Disneyworld Florida

Would you mind putting all this information into a neat table?

Yes, of course, what a good idea. Here's most of the information above condensed into a single table.
  • Price is whether the resort is classed as deluxe villas (££££), deluxe hotel rooms (£££), moderately priced hotels (££) or value hotels( £). This ranking is the one offered by Disney - it doesn't take our price comparison into account.
  • Food is the total number of bars, restaurants, snack counters and food courts at each resort. 
  • Review is the total review score achieved by adding together TripAdvisor and Google review scores (as of October 2023).
  • Travel time is the total time you can expect to spend reaching the four theme parks on a typical six day holiday using public transport (see further up for exact details of how we worked this out).
  • Theme is a brief summary of the hotel's style.
Disney Resort
Price
Pools
Food
Review
Travel
​time
Theme
Riviera Resort
££££
3
4
9.3
6hr 56m
Europe
Wilderness Lodge
£££
2
4
9.3
7hr 42m
National Parks
Animal Kingdom
£££
2
9
9.2
8hr 14m
Safari
Grand Floridian
£££
2
13
9.2
6hr 46m
Victorian Florida
Beach Club
£££
3
10
9.2
6hr 8m
New England
Yacht Club
£££
4
10
9.2
6hr 32m
New England
BoardWalk Inn
£££
3
12
9.2
5hr 48m
Atlantic City
Old Key West
££££
4
4
9.2
8hr 56m
Florida Keys
Art of Animation
£
3
2
9.1
8hr 46m
Disney animations
Saratoga Springs
££££
5
7
9.1
8hr 18m
Victorian New York
Port Orleans
​(French)
££
6
4
9.1
8hr 4m
New Orleans
Polynesian Resort
£££
2
10
8.7
5hr 50m
South Pacific
Fort Wilderness
​Cabins
££
2
6
8.6
9hr 44m
National Parks
Contemporary
£££
2
10
8.6
6hr 6m
Modern
Pop Century
£
3
2
8.5
8hr 30m
US 50s-90s
Coronado Springs
££
4
10
8.5
9hr 26m
Spain, Mexico
All Star Music
£
2
2
8.4
7hr 14m
Music
All Star Sports
£
2
2
8.4
7hr 14m
US sports
All Star Movies
£
2
2
8.4
7hr 54m
Disney movies
Caribbean Beach
££
6
5
8.4
7hr 30m
Caribbean Islands
Port Orleans 
(Riverside)
££
6
4
8.6
8hr 4m
New Orleans

Conclusion - which is the best Disneyland Paris hotel?

There are six or seven official Disney hotels at Walt Disney World Resort Florida which stand out for me. 

If an affordable or cheap holiday at Walt Disney World Florida is your priority then I would start with Disney's Art of Animation Resort or Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter. Both of these offer good value for money in our comparisons of review scores and prices for a typical holiday. Disney's Art of Animation Resort is appealing for younger Disney fans because of its themed rooms, whilst Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter has a slightly more grown up New Orleans theme.  
​
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter has more swimming pools and restaurants and it offers slightly shorter travel times for a typical holiday. Personally, I would still plump for Disney's Art of Animation Resort as you can use the Skyliner gondola transport for some of the journeys - which is far more appealing than buses to me. It's also one of the newer resort, having been opened in 2012. 
Little Mermaid statues at Disney's Art of Animation at Disneyland Florida
Disney's Art of Animation is great value, it has Skyliner access and it gets excellent reviews
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge has the most appealing theme to me, as you actually overlook safari animals. It was also a lot cheaper in our price comparison than we were expecting. However, it is a long way from some of the Walt Disney World theme parks and doesn't have as big a range of restaurants. If you can afford it, upgrade to the 'savanna view' rooms or one of the spacious villas in the Kidani Village and Jambo House.
Dining area at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge has good value rooms and a nicely done African safari theme
If you want a luxurious Disney World experience then standout resorts include Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Disney's Beach Club and Disney's BoardWalk Inn. All three combine outstanding customer reviews with convenient locations and a big choice of restaurants. You will need to decide if you prefer the theme of a Victorian Florida residence, New England or Atlantic City. Personally, I would go for Disney's BoardWalk Inn as I like the carnival theme and the location is convenient.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
There are several excellent hotels in Disney's 'deluxe' category - including the Grand Floridian Resort
The classy European themed Disney's Riviera Resort is also worth a mention for its leading reviews. The accommodation is spacious villas or studio apartments and it is well located. However, it doesn't have a big range of restaurants and the higher prices will put a lot of people off. Meanwhile, Disney's Wilderness Lodge is exceedingly popular with customers, but it doesn't have a huge range of restaurants and bars.
Images are from Disney.
*Here's the detailed breakdown of travel times from each Walt Disney World Florida Hotel to the four main theme parks:

  • Disney's BoardWalk Inn (also home to Disney's BoardWalk Villas) -  total travel time of 5hr 48m (39 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 20 minutes to EPCOT, 18 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 38 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Polynesian Village Resort (also home to Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows) -  total travel time of 5hr 50m (20 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 24 minutes to EPCOT, 44 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 43 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Contemporary Resort (also home to Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort) -  total travel time of 6hr 6m (11 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 36 minutes to EPCOT, 45 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 44 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Beach Club Resort  - total travel time of 6hr 8m (41 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 18 minutes to EPCOT, 26 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 40 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Yacht Club Resort -  total travel time of 6hr 32m (45 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 19 minutes to EPCOT, 24 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 44 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa -  total travel time of 6hr 46m (16 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 44 minutes to EPCOT, 42 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 41 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Riviera Resort  - total travel time of 6hr 56m (46 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 27 minutes to EPCOT, 18 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 44 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's All-Star Music Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 14m (35 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 37 minutes to EPCOT, 39 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 34 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's All-Star Sports Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 14m (39 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 35 minutes to EPCOT, 37 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 32 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - total travel time of 7hr 30m (46 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 30 minutes to EPCOT, 21 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 52 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Wilderness Lodge (also home to Disney's Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodges and Copper Creeks and Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge) -  total travel time of 7hr 42m (33 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 39 minutes to EPCOT, 44 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 43 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's All-Star Movies Resort -  total travel time of 7hr 54m (40 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 40 minutes to EPCOT, 41 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 36 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park).
  • Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside and French Quarter -  total travel time of 8hr 4m (42 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 36 minutes to EPCOT, 43 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 43 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). ​
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (also home to Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village and Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House) -  total travel time of 8hr 14m (45 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 41 minutes to EPCOT, 43 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 32 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa -  total travel time of 8hr 18m (43 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 38 minutes to EPCOT, 43 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 44 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Pop Century Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 30m (44 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 53 minutes to EPCOT, 23 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 38 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Art of Animation Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 46m (47 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 42 minutes to EPCOT, 44 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 41 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Old Key West Resort -  total travel time of 8hr 56m (44 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 44 minutes to EPCOT, 46 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 46 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • Disney's Coronado Springs Resort -  total travel time of 9hr 26m (49 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 46 minutes to EPCOT, 48 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 45 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 
  • The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort (also includes The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort) -  total travel time of 9hr 44m (62 minutes to Disney's Magic Kingdom, 39 minutes to EPCOT, 45 minutes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and 45 minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park). 

Other guides from the Holiday Park Guru

Holiday-Park-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer: All the information on this page is accurate, as far as we know. However, facilities at holiday parks change so please check with the park before booking.