Favorite Disney World Hotel
last updated 1-2019
There are more than 25 current ONSITE Disney World resorts (vs only 3 at Disneyland), and they are categorized by price and amenities into 3 categories:
Deluxe $$$$, Moderate $$, and Value $.
Choosing a Disney World hotel can be challenging with all the great choices. After reading the pros and cons of each one, I was able to narrow it down to my top 4. I literally couldn’t decide between them so we resort hopped to stay in them all. It worked out ok since we had a rental car, but I don’t recommend adding the stress of packing up and switching hotels on park days to your trip. It would have been better to just book dining reservations at each hotel to get a taste of them all.
With that out of the way, here are the results from our resort hopping:
Coming in at #1 is……………….
#1 Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort!
If it surprises you that I chose a moderate level over the deluxe hotels, it was even more of a surprise to us. To quote from my favorite heroine,
“I think I would probably come to the conclusion that I’d like it for a while but in the end, I’d still prefer the sound of the wind in the firs across the brook more than the tinkling of crystal.”
-Anne of Green Gables
Ultimately what gave Port Orleans Riverside the edge in my ranking is the lower cost for a family, while still giving a quasi deluxe experience. If it was priced as a deluxe, it would be more difficult to make a case for it being the best WDW hotel. However I still feel that there is a theming and magical feeling at this hotel that could beat all the others if cost is equal.
Here are ten reasons why I chose the moderate Port Orleans Riverside over a deluxe hotel:
1.Magical Grounds: Pictures really don’t capture the beauty of this resort. From the horse drawn carriage walking down the cobblestone path, to the New Orleans music, we felt as if we were still inside Magic Kingdom when exploring around the property. The rooms have motel style outside doors, so anytime I walked around the resort and back to my room I was surrounded by this enchanting scenery all around. In contrast, deluxe hotels have long cold indoor hallways and long walks to the parking lot. I actually looked forward to running errands so I could walk around the resort to be surrounded by the canopy of Florida trees and romance of the river. Making runs to the car, laundry room, cafe, ice machine, etc. were actually fun! As San Diegans, we had no idea how gorgeous the grounds were going to be in Orlando, and I fell head over heels in love with it.
2. The mansions and Royal Rooms: Once my kids saw pictures of them, they had to stay there. The Royal Room is the best themed Disney room at Disney World! (with the exception of the Art of Animation suites) Light up headboards, Princess portraits on the wall, royal carpet, Alladin lamp sink faucets…….my kids were in heaven. From the photos I worried it might come off as cheap or tacky, but in person it is beautiful and truly royal. I wish they did theming like this at all the hotels. I also love that the mansions are only 2 floors high, and the layout of the resort is very easy to navigate.
3. Transportation: Despite having a rental van for resort hopping and dining, we used the Disney bus transportation to do the parks. We were very happy with the Disney bus system, and never had a problem our entire stay (and this was on a very busy Thanksgiving week!). We didn’t feel the enormous extra cost of having a monorail deluxe resort for quicker access to Magic Kingdom was worth it, unless money is no object. My only doubt on that point would be Disney’s Beach Club Resort, which is located right next to Epcot. It was really nice to be in walking distance of the World Showcase, and if my trip was focused on spending a lot of time at Epcot, Beach Club would be very tempting. If budget is any concern though, I would choose Port Orleans Riverside. If you are driving your own car, the parking lot access to the room buildings was the best we had of our vacation. The convenience of having our car close to the room was a big perk!
4. Access to French Quarter: Our kids were able to pool hop at the very cute sister resort Port Orleans French Quarter. You can walk there along the paved river trail, or take the boat. Both Riverside and French Quarter have really great pools, water slides, and hot tubs for the kids, and were just as fun as the deluxe pools we used. French Quarter also has Mickey Beignets at their food court, so that is a must during our stay!
5. Serenity: This resort was the most peaceful and romantic we stayed at, but it’s also a great resort for kids. Looking at the cheaper flashier ‘Value Resorts’ made me worry the kids could be overstimulated with too much noise and bright colors. I loved that our kids could decompress at Port Orleans after a long day in the park, and be immersed in nature. *note that my 4 kids range in age from 9 to 16, and the Value Resorts are targeted more for toddlers and young children.
6. BUDGET friendly: We found an average of $225 a night for a Royal Room with our holiday discount most days at the beginning and end of Thanksgiving Break, and $285 for Thanksgiving Eve and Day. It was $165 a night for the Alligator Bayou rooms (this pricing was in November 2016). In contrast our nightly rate at a deluxe hotel ranged from $385 to $500 a night with the 30% holiday discount. The beautiful Royal Rooms are going to be higher in cost than the Alligator Bayou or standard rooms, but worth the splurge if you have kids.
7. SERVICE: We had a medical issue that required some assistance at the hotel, and the management arranged for a taxi to and from the hospital, all complimentary. They also sent paramedics to our room to evaluate the injury, and helped us arrange a scooter delivery to our hotel. Two times the kind manager came back to make sure we were well taken care of, and to see if there was anything else we needed. We had stellar service from all the staff from the time we arrived, to the time we departed. We were even given extra fast passes since part of our day had been lost at the park due to the medical issue. Port Orleans Riverside went above and beyond with guest services for us.
8. DINING: Onsite dining options include the table service restaurant Boatwright’s Dining Hall, and the quick service restaurant Riverside Mill Food Court. The ambiance is food is great at both. There is also boat access to all the fabulous restaurants in Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) right at this resort, which is really convenient.
9. Cleanliness: We were very pleased with the maintenance and housekeeping of the rooms and grounds at Port Orleans Riverside. Surprisingly a couple of the deluxe hotels had dirty windows and carpet in need of updates in the common areas (rooms were clean though). I reported our experiences, and a month after saw a news update that there would be some Mousekeeping improvements to the hotel I called about. Disney really cares about customer feedback, and changes were made as a result.
10. Activities: My family loves biking, hiking, fishing, and the outdoors in general, which made this resort very appealing for us. The night we arrived there was a ‘movie under the stars’ being shown, right next to our room. They handed out free popcorn, and watching my kids enjoy the outdoor movie was a special moment of our stay. Honestly though, if you are busy doing parks without hotel down time, these outdoor amenities won’t matter much anyway. Staying at a resort in walking distance or with monorail access might be more attractive for families with little ones who need naps.
Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Pool
There are no guarantees this will happen, but we had an extended offer waiting in our room upon arrival giving us $100 off the Royal Room price if we stayed longer, so we immediately called to book it. This special offer was given to us every night of our stay during the busy Thanksgiving Break! Ironically, I had tried to book Thanksgiving Day for months but it was always sold out. We literally had not figured out yet what hotel we would be switching to on Thanksgiving day when we arrived at POR, because the prices were double everywhere. I really didn’t want to be packing up and resort hopping again since we were going to Magic Kingdom that day, and it had been this dark cloud of stress hanging over me on the trip. Getting this extended offer deal was a surreal moment!
We ended up taking a two night break in Siesta Key following Thanksgiving Day, and returned to Port Orleans Riverside to finish off the weekend. This time we stayed in the Alligator Bayou section, and once again the discounted extended offer was waiting in our room every night. I think booking a short one or two night stay is going to give you a better chance at scoring these extended offers at POR, but I’m not sure how often they do them. None of the other hotels offered them, and we had booked one and two night stays at all the deluxes.
Thinking of staying offsite?
It’s important to keep in mind that Disney resort rates include FREE parking and FREE Disney shuttle to the parks, with no extra resort fees. Offsite hotels often add in many extra fees. All Disney resorts offer this perk, which makes it an easy decision to stay ONSITE, instead of booking an offsite hotel. You are also given complimentary transportation via Magical Express to and from the airport, and resort airline check in. These perks make it very tough for me to stay offsite on cost savings and convenience alone. Then factor in the incredible Disney theming, dining, location, and service at Disney resorts, and I can’t stay anywhere else.
UPDATE from 2018: Disney onsite hotels are now charging parking at their hotels. It is still free parking at all the Disney Parks if you are an onsite guest, free bus transportation around Disney World, and free Magical Express Transportation from the airport. You also get free airline check in at your resort for departure.
Originally I had planned to stay at Port Orleans Riverside our entire Thanksgiving break to save money, but ended up cutting back our reservation to only the last leg of our trip after the deluxe Disney hotels kept popping up with our holiday 30% discount. I jumped at the chance to stay in these fancy resorts I had dreamed of going to, and decided to splurge. We stayed at the Disney Polynesian Resort night 1, Animal Kingdom Lodge nights 2 & 3, Beach Club Resort nights 3 & 4 (all deluxe level hotels), and ended our trip at the moderate Disney Port Orleans Riverside Resort for nights 5, 6, 9, & 10 (we took a break to Siesta Key Beach for nights 7, 8). In addition to that we booked dining at Disney’s Grand Floridian (deluxe) Resort, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel (deluxe). Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort was also on my favorites list, but we cancelled that reservation since it was under construction, and is very similar to our local Grand Californian at Disneyland.
Since Port Orleans was the last hotel of our resort hopping, I feared we would hate it after staying at all the deluxe resorts. Now that I know better, I wish we would have stayed at Port Orleans for our entire stay and saved a lot of money. However, there are definite perks to being in a deluxe luxury resort, so it all depends on what will fit the needs for your family and situation. It is not easy to choose a favorite Disney hotel because there were aspects of each deluxe that would entice me to go back for the right price. When I was doing research on all the hotels, Port Orleans Riverside and Animal Kingdom Lodge were the most common favorites for first timers on several discussion threads I read.
For a mini review of the other resorts we visited, read below. Of all the deluxe hotels we visited, my kids would say Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is their favorite, and I say it’s a tie with Beach Club. It really depends which park you plan to visit the most. Keep in mind that these rankings are based only on the hotels we stayed at.
UPDATE: I recently toured the deluxe Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk resort. Both are beautiful hotels, and offer something really special so you can’t go wrong staying at either. I do recommend dining at Wilderness Lodge for the Storybook Dining with Snow White for a very enchanting experience. The food and ambiance is the most magical of all the dining in Disney World. At the Boardwalk Resort, my other favorite dining experience is the Bon Voyage Breakfast with Rapunzel, Ariel, Prince Eric, and Flynn Rider. I would make those a priority for your trip.
#2 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge:
LOVED
This hotel is often regarded as having the most beautiful theming of all the Disney Deluxe resorts. Magnificent lobby and architecture, with incredible views of the free roaming animals in the savannah. We were blown away by the breathtaking ceiling to floor windows in the lobby, and other areas around the hotel. We often walked around in awe as we discovered new things exploring this African themed resort. I had booked this deluxe for my kids to get a balcony view of the savannah right from our room in the Jambo house, and they said it was their favorite hotel of all. It was very clean with excellent service and management. We had a medical emergency (minor) , and the medics were there within 5 minutes! Overall a very impressive hotel, and the most beautiful lobby I think we’ve ever seen. Peaceful pool area, and nice hot tubs. The resort restaurants offer some of the best dining on Disney property. Our stay was a dream, and we would return here without question. This hotel is more budget friendly than the other deluxe options because of it’s secluded location, and lack of monorail transportation (Animal Kingdom Lodge uses the Disney bus system).
DISLIKED
Had to take a bus to Animal Kingdom, which we weren’t expecting. Seemed odd that there wasn’t a special walking entrance to the park for hotel guests. Ironically it turned out to be the longest wait we had for a bus of our entire trip, and we missed our Everest fast pass. Thankfully a cast member gave us new fast passes for the inconvenience. I was disappointed that we rarely saw an animal from our balcony view room, and would probably not pay the extra cost again. In my opinion it’s not worth it unless you plan to spend more time in your room, but we had to try it once for my kids. The standard view room was almost $100 less a night, so if cost is a consideration, go with standard. You get plenty of animal viewing walking around the hotel with the ceiling to floor windows.
Update from 1-2019 stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge:
We once again had trouble with the bus system and missed important reservation times. At one point there was only one bus operating for pick ups from Animal Kingdom Park back to the hotel. The hotel is in need of some slight rehab right now. Carpets in the hallways were loose and need to be re-stretched. Windows were quite dirty outside walking down the hallways, which distracted from the beautiful views. On the positive, we heard great feedback from friends who stayed in a savannah view room and saw many animals from their balcony. We did pool view our last stay, and really enjoyed that setting.
#2 Disney’s Beach Club Resort:
LOVED
The New England ocean theme is very calming, clean, and simply gorgeous. The Beach Club Resort beds were probably the most comfortable we had on our entire trip. There was also an extra day bed for a 5th person if you have a larger family. I will never forget the scent of sweet tart candy in the lobby air every time we walked through there. The best part of staying here was being able to walk right into the World Showcase entrance at Epcot. Amazing location! The walk was so beautiful along the boardwalk with white sand beach and lake, and I would stay here again for the location alone. It’s a great spot for teens to hang out with the lively boardwalk and variety of activities. The Stormalong Bay pool is a big draw for people to stay here since it’s ranked #1 of all the Disney World pools. It was impressive!
DISLIKED
There really isn’t much to dislike at the Beach Club resort. If I had to come up with something though, it would be the pool/Stormalong Bay. After reading how this massive pool was rated the best of all the Disney hotels, we expected it to be our favorite. It is a spectacular pool and very fun for kids. Although my children loved the water slide and lazy river, it was actually not their favorite pool for a few reasons. First, it was really crowded. The Yacht Club shares this pool with Beach Club, so there was never space available in any of the hot tubs (honestly I didn’t mind skipping it since the water looked pretty cloudy). Second, the noise level was so much higher than any of the other pools we visited. Adding to the noise were pool games going on via the lifeguards, and it became quickly annoying. It was interesting that my children complained to me about the games and noise level too. The gate was left wide open our entire afternoon, allowing anyone to walk in and use the pool without being a guest. I have no idea if anyone abused the system, but it would have been very easy to sneak in. Third, sometimes bigger is not better. It was easy to lose track of each other due to the sheer size of the swimming area and crowd size. At one point when I needed to find 2 of my older children so we could get showered up for dinner reservations, it took me over 30 minutes to find them! In contrast, when we used the pool at Port Orleans Riverside, I could count on one hand how many people were there, and that was the day before Thanksgiving.
The other minor complaint I would have about this hotel is the long distance we had to walk down different hallways to finally arrive at our room. Next time I will make sure we book a room closest to the lobby elevators.
Overall, we really loved this hotel, and would stay here again if Epcot is the focus of our vacation, and the price is right.
#3 Disney’s Polynesian Resort:
LOVED
The volcano pool and hot tub were the impetus for choosing this one, and it was amazing! Ordering Pineapple Dole Whip floats right there at the hotel with no line was a highlight of our stay. Our room was really cute, but I hope they add more Disney accents in the future (especially since the release of Moana). My kids loved the polynesian theming of this room, and the bathroom wallpaper. The white sand beach next to the lake with Cinderella’s castle in the distance was beautiful. You can watch Magic Kingdom fireworks right on the beach with music piped in at night. Having the monorail loop stop right at this hotel makes it a great location for Magic Kingdom. Many people choose this hotel for that reason alone. Dining at Kona Cafe for the Tonga Toast was our favorite breakfast of the whole trip and a must eat! We also loved the bread pudding dessert from Ohana restaurant, and returned to the bar to order it again before we flew home. There was something about the tropical water smell of this hotel that is etched in my memory, and since this was the first hotel of our stay, it will have a special place in my heart. Entering the lobby with the waterfalls and tropical foliage, made us feel like we were in Hawaii.
DISLIKED
Hotel felt somewhat dated and lacking the deluxe quality we expected. The finish work looked cheap. We’ve stayed at some beautiful Hawaiian resorts, so we may have had high expectations. This is minor, but the lobby carpet on the stairs up to the monorail entrance was often dirty and in need of a good vacuum. To be fair, the carpet is dark and picks up lint easily, but it was really noticeable. When we entered the building to our hotel room, the hallway carpet needed to be vacuumed and the door glass was dirty with handprints all over it. The hallway walls were also in need of some TLC, and updating. Fun place to stay, but not deluxe quality in the overall finish work on the hotel. Interestingly, this was the most expensive room of our stay since it was a monorail loop hotel.
#4 Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
LOVED
We did not get to stay the night here, but dined and toured the hotel. The design is modeled after our local Hotel Del Coronado, and stunning both inside and out. The lavish Victorian theming is beautiful and romantic. Stepping off the monorail right into the beautiful lobby with the piano music playing is breathtaking. There is a feeling of class and elegance as you walk around this hotel, with the piano music in the background. Dining options at this hotel includes Victoria and Albert’s restaurant, reported to be the best restaurant in DisneyWorld, and many other Disney foodie favorites. It’s only one monorail stop to Magic Kingdom, and a fantastic location. I can’t wait to return and spend more time exploring this pretty resort, hopefully for an anniversary trip with my hubby!
DISLIKED
This hotel does put on airs, and was not as welcoming to children. When we checked in to the Floridian Cafe for breakfast, the hostess was snotty to us about the amount of children we had on our reservation, and made a disgusted face at the number (combined with my sister’s kids we had 6 children). Our children range in age from 9-16, and are very well behaved. There was no reason for her attitude, but maybe it was an off day for her. We were also 15 minutes late for our reservation time, which didn’t help an already awkward situation. This hostess acted very irritated about it and said we may not get a table. We were patient about waiting until “a table opened up” (even though half the restaurant had empty tables already), and politely waited on the sidelines. But she continued to act very rude to us & made another snarky comment as a new hostess seated us. Hopefully this was just a rogue employee, and not a reflection of the hotel standard.
#5 DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT
LIKED (we dined and toured here but did not stay the night)
We really loved the modern sleek feel of the lobby and the rooms are very nice. The swanky restaurant ‘California Grill’ is on the 15th floor and a must do on your vacation (the sushi is the foodie favorite, and views of Magic Kingdom and the lake are spectacular). We were able to watch the ‘Wishes’ fireworks show from the observation tower right after we were seated. This resort is in WALKING distance to Magic Kingdom, and the closest of all the hotels. The monorail runs right through the inside of the hotel, which is a really cool sight to see. Chef Mickey’s is a very popular character buffet here with the monorail view (mediocre food), and a fan favorite for first timers with little ones. You can’t beat the location of this hotel!
DISLIKED
When I researched Disney hotels, this one was last on my list from the pictures. Nothing about it appealed to me aesthetically, except the location. The hotel is unique but reminds me of an office building, and lacks the Disney theming of the other hotels. It made me feel a little depressed walking around the hallways, as it reminded me of a hospital. I also noticed that like the Polynesian, the carpets needed to be vacuumed and shampooed in the lobby more frequently.
I recommend visiting WDW Prep School to read in greater detail the pros and cons of each hotel to help make your decision, and visiting discussion forums like Disboards to get feedback on your top choices. Ultimately, you will choose the hotel that works best for your family needs, and my favorite may not be right for you. They all have something special to offer, so you won’t go wrong with whatever you decide! For the best website on everything about Port Orleans Riverside Resort, visit here. I was able to find so many answers to my questions there.
Please comment below with your favorite DisneyWorld Hotel or questions! 🙂