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If you are planning a trip from the UK to Walt Disney World, you more than likely have plenty of questions you’d like to have answered in order to make your vacation one that you’ll never forget. The list of possible places to stay may seem endless and can be overwhelming especially if you’re traveling with a party of five or even more. This can be difficult at times because most often the standard rooms will only sleep up to four people. Quite often larger families will discover they may have to reserve two standard rooms that are adjoining and sometimes these requests can’t be fulfilled and this can really put a damper on things. So, do any Disney Value Resorts sleep 5? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Disney World does have a number of resorts that can sleep a family of five or more quite comfortably and at the same time enjoy a lot of the Disney extras.
In order to help those guest out there that might be on a tight budget, Disney offers guests a choice of a few Value Resorts. These are resorts that are budget friendly and are on the Disney property that are geared toward larger families.
Pop Century Resort
This resort has a pop culture theme all through the resort and it covers a variety of different decades from the 1950’s down through the 1990’s. You’ll be treated to different giant icons that represent each decade. You can enjoy Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head to roller blades and mood rings. Both adults and kids enjoy the different decades because it’s new and interesting to the young ones and it brings back memories for parents when they remember having a certain toy or gadget from different decades. Everyone will have a ton of fun in the 1960’s “Hippy Dippy” pool or they’ll just enjoy strolling all around the Resort while taking in all the different kinds of memorabilia from the different decades.
The food that they serve is very delicious and each of the Value Resorts have their own food courts with dining areas to relax and enjoy the variety of food to choose from.
Their suites will sleep up to six people and they all include a master bedroom that has a queen bed and the suite has a full size sofa bed and an ottoman that converts to a twin bed when put together with the twin chair. The suites also include a full sized kitchenette and two bathrooms.
All Star Sports
This one is for all those sports fans out there. They offer larger than life sports themes. They have a super big football field, a tennis court where you can watch Donald play against Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and they have a surf themed swimming pool, and a second pool that has a baseball theme that features a Goofy water fountain that squirts at passing swimmers. The theme is right on for all sports fans and kids really love it as well. It’s so well done that even non-sports fans will love this place.
They also have the End Zone Food Court that offers lots of snacks and meals for all of their hungry guests that include chicken wings, pizza, mac and cheese and a lot more.
Their suites sleep up to six people and they include a master bedroom with a queen bed. There’s a sofa that pulls out into a full size bed, twin chair and ottoman that converts into a twin bed. They have two bathrooms and a kitchenette.
Art Of Animation
This resort is really fun because it’s themed after all of their amazing animation from different Disney films. There are four different areas:
- The Little Mermaid
- The Lion King
- Cars
- Finding Nemo
Three of these four areas offer only family suites that sleep up to six people and they include a separate bedroom as well as an extra area for the kids to sleep in the living area of the suite. They offer a sofa bed and even a dining table that actually converts into a double bed, two bathrooms and a kitchenette.
If you can afford to spend a little more on a room that sleeps five or more you also might be interested in looking at Disney’s Moderate Resorts. These are middle of the road in price but they do have a few more amenities than the Value Resorts. There are three different ones that can accommodate five or more people.
Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter
These suites sleep up to five guests and they include two queen beds along with one pull-down twin bed that’s meant for a younger child. They have two bathrooms as well as a full kitchenette.
This resort keeps the spirit of Mardi Gras alive twenty-four hours a day. You’ll immediately feel like you are in the Big Easy as soon as you hear the incredible music of the French Quarter to the entire décor that surrounds you. They also have a wonderful Food Court that keeps with the traditional New Orleans food such as po’boys, beignets, and gumbo.
Their main swimming pool offers a giant dragon themed water slide that the kids will really love and for adults, the entire place is extremely romantic with its beautiful fountains and gorgeous walking paths to explore including a path that goes along their Sassagoula River. This is the same river that offers a boat to Disney Springs, which is a great center for shopping, eating, and entertainment.
Caribbean Beach
Their rooms offer the same thing as the Port Orleans French Quarter except that the theme for the rooms are all done in a tropical theme.
This resort is definitely a tropical paradise that’s close to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. They have five themed “villages” within the same resort that include:
- Aruba
- Jamaica
- Trinidad
- Barbados
- Martinique
Each village has their own swimming pool, white sand beaches, playgrounds, hammocks, their own laundry facilities, a private parking area, and their own bust stop.
All of the villages are all arranged around the Barefoot Bay Lake and it’s surrounded by a nice walking path which connects all of the villages to a common area. There in the center of the lake you’ll find Caribbean Cay which is an island that has a picnic area and a playground that’s surround by lush and beautiful plants.
To help take the stress out of organising your break, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney package holidays to Walt Disney World. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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Are you planning a holiday to disney world? If you are and wondering whether you should stay in one of the official onsite Disney properties we break down which Disney resort is the least expensive resort and how it could help you budget successfully for your trip to Disney if you wish to stay on site and experience the thrill of the onsite resorts.
The Five Value Resorts Include:
- All-Star Sports
- All-Star Music
- All-Star Movies
- Pop Century
- Art of Animation
Affordability
The Disney Value Resorts are the most affordable of the three different tiers then the Moderate Resorts come next followed by the most expensive being the Deluxe Resorts. The rooms start at $195.00 plus tax or £141.94 per adult per night.
Location
The Value Resorts are some of the furthest resort from the theme parks, however, they are still considered inside of the park and they still have a clear advantage over any resort that’s off-site.
Privileges
Like the Moderate and the Deluxe guests, the guests of the Value Resorts also receive a lot of plenty perks because they are staying on-site and are Disney owned resorts.
The privileges include giving guests free transportation to and from the airport in Orlando, a Disney dining plan, free “MagicBands”, extra “Magic Hours”, free parking for those who have their own cars, FastPass+ reservations up to 60 days prior, Advanced dining reservations up to 180 days in advance, room charging privileges, and package delivery to guest rooms.
Transportation
Guests of Value Resorts have easy access to all of the theme parks through the free transportation program offered by Disney. The only downfall with the Value Resorts is that the free transportation offered for guests here is a bus system and there’s no access to their boat system or the monorail. But, the good news is that the buses run all day long and the bust stops are located in the front of each of the resorts.
The Art of Animation and Pop Century both have their own bus service that takes guests to and from the Disney theme parks and the All-Star Sports, Music, and Movies all share one bus line to and from the theme parks.
Resort Themes
When it comes to being the most “Disney-like” and most kid-friendly the Value Resorts win hands down. Each of the individual resorts have their own individual themes with every wing/building of the resort having their own theme that revolves around a Disney movie, sport, musical, specific decade or other specific elements.
For instance, the All-Star Sports Resort has a surfing area, the All-Star Movies has a Toy Story area, and the Art of Animation has a wing of family suites that are themed around the movie Finding Nemo. These themes help to make staying at these resorts a lot of fun for both adults and kids.
The Room Decor
While the outside of the buildings are abounding with character and tons of fun themes and great Disney personalities, the inside of the rooms really have minimal décor. To be honest, the rooms are pretty basic with no frills.
Their standard rooms usually have bright colors but have very little design. They just have a basic closet with a rod and shelf, bathrooms just have the basic needs with a towel rod and nothing impressive. All the rooms do have cable TV as well as free WiFi. Except for the Art of Animation, the rooms of all the Value resorts are accessed from outside. Basically they are like an average Motel 6 room but still with Disney magic.
Room Size
A standard room at the Pop Century and the three All-Star resorts are all 260 square feet in size and the Art of Animation rooms a a little bit bigger at 277 square feet in size. Whereas most of the Moderate Resort room sizes are about 314 square feet in size. The standard rooms sleep up to four people.
The All-Star Music Resort does offer family suites that are 520 square foot in size and the Art of Animation offer suites that are about 565 square feet in size. These family suites can sleep up to six people.
Bed Size
The standard rooms at all of the value resorts either include two double beds or they offer rooms with one king sized bed. The family suites at the All-Star Music and the Art of Animation has a master bedroom that has a queen bed with different combinations of sofa beds in the family area.
Pools, Arcades, & Play Areas
Swimming pools are almost always one of the most family fun things about staying at a resort, especially for the kids in the family. None of the Value Resorts at Disney don’t have water slides, the do have their own themed swimming pools open only to their guests. The three All-Star resorts have two different heated pools each and the Pop Century and the Art of Animation have three swimming pools. Every pool at the resorts have kiddie pools that are all located near the bigger pools.
The swimming pools at the Value Resorts do tend to be a tad smaller than the pools located at the Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. But, there is one exception which would be the Art of Animation’s “Big Blue Pool” is the biggest swimming pool in all of Disney World.
Each of the Value Resorts also have their own arcade rooms, jogging trails, and playgrounds for the kids to enjoy.
The Food
There are two different categories of “dining credits”: the Quick Service and “Table Service”. All of the five Value resorts has their own food courts to enjoy. The food served at their food courts are considered “Quick Service” meals. None of the Value Resorts offer any “Table Service” meals. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider their “Dining Plan” that offers credits for their “Table Service” because if you want to experience some great food and classy service you can just go and visit the resorts that offer this type of food service.
You’ll find that their food courts don’t disappoint because they offer enough variety of food that everyone should be able to find what they are looking for when they’re hungry.
To help take the stress out of organising your break, The House of Travel offers some excellent holidays to walt Disney world Florida. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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If you’re planning a trip from the UK to Orlando, FL and want to visit Disney World, you know doubt will also want to also stay at one of their resorts. If you have been thinking about the different All-Star Resorts you may also be wondering which All-Star Resort is best. To be honest, no resort at Disney is bad and they all have their own special charm. Picking which one is the best can be a difficult task because in the end it really has to do with what you are looking for. However, we will try to give you some sort of idea on which one might be the best for you.
A Little History Of The All-Star Resorts
The All-Star Resorts; Movies, Music, and Sports were the very first “Value Resorts” that were built on the Disney World property. All-Star Music and All-Star Sports were both built in 1994 with the All-Star Movies coming after them in 1999. The other resorts considered value would be Pop Century and the Art of Animation didn’t open until 2003 and then 2012 respectively.
Even though over the years there are critics who have given these resorts bad reputations by saying “don’t stay there”, they are still very popular with many residents who don’t want to spend the outrageous money charged for the moderate and deluxe resorts. Quite often sports teams who come to visit Disney World will often prefer to stay at one of the All-Stars instead of one of the more expensive resorts. They are also favored by families who care more about spending most of their time at the theme parks and not at the resort. So, the extra amenities are of no interest.
There’s really nothing wrong with these less expensive resorts, they are extremely clean, they have wonderful staff working for them, and they actually have the better themes than the more expensive ones.
The Rooms
If you stay at the All-Star Movies or Sports, you’ll find the rooms are laid out pretty much the same. They are simple rooms that can accommodate up to four people. If you have more than four people, you can ask for adjoining rooms so that you can still feel like you’re staying together. The All-Star Music offers these standard rooms but they also offer family suites that accommodate up to six people, have two bathrooms and full kitchenettes. The offer 192 family suites but you’ll need to book one as soon as you can because they go quite quickly. All the rooms do have cable TV and free WiFi.
All-Star Amenities
Sadly, there are people who think about the All-Star resorts for some reason think they are run down motels, but that couldn’t be further from being true. All of these resorts are well taken care of and they do have plenty of their own amenities that include:
- Quick service food courts
- Multiple pools
- Pool bars
- Pizza room delivery or poolside delivery
- Gift shops with gifts and a grocery section
- Arcades
- Kids playgrounds
They also offer plenty of regular activities and events that often take place across the resorts that include:
- Nightly poolside movies
- Poolside dance parties
- Crafts
- Special events depending on the time of year it is
- 1.5 mile long private jogging trail
- Extra Magic Hours
- Magical Express transportation to and from the airport
- Free buss transportation to Disney Springs and the theme parks
All-Star Themes
The themes of these resorts are perfect especially for the kids and for any first timers to Disney World, and for those who just want to really feel like they are experiencing the spirit of Disney. If you are not at all familiar with the Disney resorts, the moderate and deluxe do have beautiful themes, it’s just that they are not Disney themed.
You will be treated to the fun of a giant Buzz Lightyear to many other wonderful Toy Story figures if you stat at the All-Star Movies. You’ll also be treated to some adorable Disney characters playing instruments at the All-Star Music resort. Everywhere you go at any of the All-Star resorts you will be enjoying the magic of Disney.
All of the resorts have colors that are fun, bright, and bold and you’ll find it difficult not to want to walk all around the resorts so that you don’t miss out on a Disney magic. Even though the themes aren’t as strong in the rooms, but they still have a touch of the theme of each resort in the individual rooms.
All-Star Resort Prices
When it comes to which one of these resorts is the cheapest everyone would agree that the All-Star Sports is the cheapest of the three and Music would be next with Movies being the most expensive of the three. Quite often these three resorts will include some sort of promotional deals for their standard rooms.
The standard rates for their peak season range from $100 to $150 or £72.39 to £108.58 per night plus tax.
So, Which All-Star Is The Best?
When it comes right down to it, choosing the best resort really depends on what your preferences are. For example, if you are a family and you love Disney movies, then the All-Star Movies resort is going to be the best one for you. It is the most expensive but if this is your thing it’s ideal. They also offer the best food court as well. This resort does offer some really great choices of food which includes a secret menu and the theme of the food court is the most Disney of all. Staying at this resort gives you the best chance of pleasing just about everyone in your party.
Even though the other two All-Stars have their own charm, the themes are more specific, you have to be a big sports fan or a big music fan because this is all these two focus on is either sports or just music.
To help take the stress out of organising your holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney world holiday packages. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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When it comes to booking your disney world package holidays we know that guests have many questions about the onsite hotels at Disney and which one they should chose for their stay. With a wide variety of hotels that Disney has to offer it can become a bit daunting sifting through information on which one you should book. Luckily as a leading UK travel agent that books Disney packages for it’s guest we know a thing or two about what each resort has to offer. In this post we discuss what is the difference between Disney deluxe and moderate resorts so you can get a better understanding before booking your holiday.
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Three Different Categories
Disney has three broad categories for their resorts that include deluxe, moderate, and value. Each category is based the kind of accommodation, which includes room sizes, the themes, amenities like access to pool areas, dining, gyms, spas, entertainment, transportation, and location.
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Moderate Resort Category –
These resorts offer guest some very nice middle of the ground options and they can be a great pick for those who plan to spend a good amount of time at the resort and they need rooms that have a little bit more room.
These are the cream of the crop resorts that offer luxury amenities and they offer unmatched convenience of their location with super quick transportation to all the parks and this means you’ll spend less time getting to where you want to go and much more. You pay a lot more, but you do get a super enhanced experience.
Much cheaper, locations are further away from the parks, they don’t have sit down dining, the rooms are smaller, themes are great however and these resorts are great for those who don’t plan on spending much time at their resort.
Perks You Get Staying At Any Disney Resort
No matter what resort category you choose to stay at, there are some things that come standard with all the Disney resorts. No matter where you stay you will be able to enjoy all of the following:
- Swimming pools fun for the entire family
- Gift shop for great Disney souvenirs plus a grocery section in each gift shop
- Plenty of dining options that have family friendly menus
- Free standard parking at the theme parks, Disney Springs, and water parks
- Early access to FastPass+ planning
- MagicBands that unlock guests Disney Resort rooms, enter the parks, charge food and merchandise to guests rooms, connect to their PhotoPass, along with check-in at different FastPass+ rides and attractions
- Extra Magic Hours so guests can spend more time at select entertainment and attractions
- Free motorcoach transfer on the Disney Magical Express that’s between Orlando International Airport and whatever resort guests are staying at
- Free transfer of luggage between different resorts
- Rooms that are Disney-themed and help bring the fables and adventures of Disney more alive
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry and dry-cleaning services although they do charge for this service
- Mail services offered at the front desk
- Refrigerators in all rooms
- Online check-ins
- Banking services for foreign exchange of currencies
Cost Of Deluxe Vs Moderate Resorts
For a lot of people, the main reason they decide to go with moderate over deluxe resorts comes down to the cost of the stay. One thing to note from the start is that all room prices in all of the resorts will vary by the season and from property to property.
If you’re looking at staying at a moderate resort, you can expect to pay anywhere from $220.00 or £159.02 to $350.00 or £252.98 per night. If you are considering staying at a deluxe resort you can expect to pay anywhere from $400.00 or £289.12 to $1000.00 or £722.80 per night. You also need to realize that things such as a club level room, suites, and preferred room locations will all add to the cost of your room.
Accommodations Of Deluxe Vs Moderate Resorts
Another key difference between the moderate and deluxe resorts would be the accommodations themselves. Generally, the moderate resorts are pretty similar to any standard hotel room when it comes to their size. When you compare them to the deluxe resorts gives guests more options, they can choose standard, large rooms that will sleep five or their massive villa rooms that have multiple bathrooms, bedrooms, and full on kitchen.
Another big difference between the two categories is that the moderate ones have a overall general theme and some of the moderate resorts do offer rooms that are themed and do often have some elaborate designs.
With the deluxe resorts they often take their themes to another level. Everything from their rooms to their bathrooms, to the swimming pools to the lobbies are themed in a way to give the whole property a very magical touch. In fact, if you stay at a deluxe resort you truly feel as if you’ve been transported to an entirely different world like a tropical island, a national park, or even an African Savannah.
Amenities Of Deluxe vs Moderate
All of the resorts have plenty of amenities and here’s the differences between deluxe and moderate:
The deluxe resorts have amazing pools with waterslides, waterfalls, hot tubs, lazy rivers, splash pads and wonderful poolside bars and much more. The moderate resorts are far less jaw-dropping but they still are loads of fun.
The deluxe resorts offer their choice of either eating at a quick service eatery or a table service along with fine dining. Overall, dining experiences at the deluxe resorts are far more upscale and much more expensive. The moderate resorts have a lot more food court type of dining options but they do have some table service restaurants you can enjoy.
There’s a lot more offered in entertainment with deluxe resorts like movie nights and bonfires and a ton of poolside events. Even though they offer events at the moderate resorts, they just don’t offer as much or as often as the deluxe.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent package holidays to Disney world Florida This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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If you are planning a visit to Walt Disney World from the UK, you more than likely will want to stay at one of their resorts to make the vacation complete. Many people stay at one of the Moderate Resorts and a common question is “Which Moderate Resort is closest to Magic Kingdom?” That’s really an easy one to answer. The Moderate Resort that is the closest to the Magic Kingdom would be Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Note For Magic Kingdom Fans
If you happen to be a huge Magic Kingdom fan then you will more than likely want to consider staying at the Contemporary Resort and this includes the Bay Lake Tower. The location of the Contemporary Resort makes it ideal for those who want the convenience of being close enough to the Magic Kingdom that they can even walk from the resort. Believe it or not, by walking from this resort instead taking a shuttle can actually save you some time because you don’t have to deal with loading and unloading of a shuttle or worry about any stops.
The Contemporary Resort
This A-frame resort biggest draw is that the monorail runs right through its atrium. Even though the A-frame and the monorail are the very first things that guests notice when they arrive, there’s plenty other reasons for people wanting to stay at the Contemporary Resort. Here’s a little information about this resort that you might not know.
Its History
This is one of the first two original resorts that Disney built, the other one is known as the Polynesian Village. The Contemporary opened up on October 1, 1971 and was deliberately built right next to their iconic Magic Kingdom. For it’s time, it was considered an engineering marvel and every room was built off-site if you can believe that. Once they were built they trucked the rooms in and then slid them into place, like a giant puzzle. Its contemporary design was deliberately created for it to mesh with the views of Disney’s Tomorrowland.
When you walk into the atrium you are awe struck by the 90 foot high mural done by Disney Legend Mary Blair that was painted especially for the opening day of the resort. This mural remains something to see and is jaw dropping in size and impresses anyone that sees it.
Disney added the Bay Lake Tower, in 2009, which is a Vacation Club hotel to add more rooms for their guests who wanted to be near the Magic Kingdom.
Location
If your main focus is going to be on the Magic Kingdom, then you are going to love this place because there is no other resort that is this close to the most magical place on earth. They have a sign that literally says “Walkway to Magic Kingdom”. All guests have to do is follow the the direction of the sign and you’ll be on your way to an enjoyable walk and entrance to the Magic Kingdom. It’s so close that you can walk the pathway to get your Extra Magic Hours in the early morning, then return to your hotel for a middle of the day break, and then you can quickly walk back to the Magic Kingdom for some nighttime fun.
There are more perks than just how easy it is to get to the Magic Kingdom. Depending on where your room is at, you might even be able to hear the quaint Ferry boat’s whistle, or see the monorail making it’s circular journey, or even watch the beautiful fireworks from your room balcony, or listen to the railroad whistle of the Disney World train. You’ll be able to enjoy a variety of other sounds and sights that are famous to most Disney fans. Some rooms also offer views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, which are beautiful views.
Other Fun Things
There really is a lot more fun at this resort than one might think. You can take a ride on the Disney boat over to Fort Wilderness or to the Wilderness Lodge. Once there, you’ll want to dine at the Trail’s End buffet located at Fort Wilderness because the food they offer is extremely delicious and really shouldn’t be missed. You’ll also want to check out the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge for some good food and a lot of family fun.
If you don’t have a room that has a view of Cinderella’s Castle, you can always go up to the 4th floor of the resort and go to the concourse where you’ll find a nice outdoor deck that’s open to all of their guests. It’s located right next door to the Fantasia Market. There you’ll get a beautiful view of the castle and a great view of the nighttime fireworks.
Another thing you’ll want to make sure to see is the Electrical Water Pageant. You can enjoy this water parade by going down to the Contemporary’s own beach. This water parade is a 14 barge long nighttime spectacle that has been going on since 1972 and you don’t want to miss this great tradition.
The Monorail
You can hop on the Monorail if you want to go to Epcot or if you want to shop or dine at the Grand Floridian Resort or the Polynesian Village Resort. And if you don’t feel like walking to the Magic Kingdom you can also use the Monorail to get there, however, to be honest, it takes more time on the Monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom than it does to walk there.
Rooms
Standard rooms are 394 square feet and offer two queen beds plus a day bed. Which makes them a pretty comfortable space to stay. However, the rooms are somewhat smaller than the standard rooms found at the Polynesian Village and Grand Floridian.
Amenities
Besides being super close to the Magic Kingdom, there are plenty of other nice amenities that include the following:
- Two pools
- Splash pad
- Beach hammocks
- Arcade
- Shops
- Sailboats
- Fishing
- Water skiing
- Tubing
- Parasailing
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney world package holidays. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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