← The Sondgeroth Family Guide to Disney World
2026 EDITION · 1 OF 9
Where we stay, what we spend, and why transportation matters.
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We’ve stayed at Disney World a lot over the years and have had experience across all three levels of Disney resorts: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. There are definitely differences between them, but when people ask me where they should stay, price isn’t the only thing I consider. Transportation is a huge part of where we choose to stay because you’re going to spend a lot of time getting from your resort to the parks and back again. After a long park day, the last thing you want to do is stand in another long line waiting for a bus. For us, Disney transportation basically ranks Skyliner first, monorail second, buses third. That doesn’t mean we won’t stay somewhere that relies on buses, we often do, but if the price difference isn’t huge, I’m choosing a resort with Skyliner access almost every time.
Value Resorts
Disney’s Value Resorts are going to be your least expensive Disney-owned options. They include the All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, Pop Century, and Art of Animation Resorts. We’ve stayed at the All-Stars, and they’re perfectly fine places to stay, especially if your main goal is saving money. The theming is really fun, particularly if you have kids, and you still get the experience of staying at a Disney resort. The biggest downside for us is transportation. These resorts can be extremely busy, and you’re relying heavily on buses to get to and from the parks. At peak times, particularly first thing in the morning when everyone is trying to get to rope drop and at night when everyone is leaving the parks, you may spend quite a bit of time standing in line waiting for a bus. You can absolutely save money staying here, just understand that some of those savings come with a transportation tradeoff.
Pop Century
Pop Century is our favorite Value Resort and probably our go-to Disney resort overall when we’re paying for the room ourselves. You still get a lot of the fun theming you find at the All-Star Resorts, but the biggest advantage is the Disney Skyliner. The Skyliner connects Pop Century with Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, which means you can avoid taking buses to two of the four parks. That’s massive for us. The Skyliner is fun, especially for the kids, but more importantly, we find it much more convenient and efficient than relying on buses. After spending an entire day walking around a park, not having to cram onto a packed bus is a pretty significant perk. We also like the overall size of Pop Century. It’s large enough to have everything you need without feeling overwhelmingly big. If someone asked me where they should stay at Disney without giving me any other information, Pop Century would probably be my starting recommendation.
Art of Animation
Art of Animation is directly next to Pop Century and shares the same Skyliner station, so you get that same transportation advantage. The big difference is the availability of family suites. We haven’t personally stayed in the family suites, so I can’t give you a firsthand review of them, but they’re worth looking at if you’re traveling with a larger family or group and need more space than a traditional hotel room. You’ll generally pay more than you would at Pop Century, so that’s something to consider when comparing the two.
Moderate Resorts
Disney’s Moderate Resorts include Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. Of those, Caribbean Beach is the one we’ve stayed at and can speak to from our own experience.
Caribbean Beach Resort
We’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach and really liked it. The resort has a great Caribbean theme, multiple pools, and larger rooms than you’ll find at Pop Century. Most importantly for us, it’s on the Skyliner. There is one big thing you need to understand before booking Caribbean Beach, though: this resort is huge. Room location matters, and regardless of where you end up, you should be prepared to walk. Depending on where your room is located, getting around the resort itself can take some time. You’re paying more than you would at Pop Century, but you’re getting a little more space, the rooms often have a 5th sleeper option, while keeping the Skyliner access that we value so much.
Deluxe Resorts
Then you get into Disney’s Deluxe Resorts, which is where prices can jump considerably, often getting above $500 to $600 per night. Disney’s Deluxe options include Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, BoardWalk Inn, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village Resort, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club, along with Disney Vacation Club resorts and villas throughout Disney World. We’ve personally stayed at Riviera Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, so those are the only Deluxe-level resorts I’m going to give an opinion on.
Riviera Resort
Riviera is one of our favorite resorts we’ve stayed at anywhere in Disney World. It’s a beautiful resort that feels classy without being overwhelming, the property is fantastic, and it has one of our favorite Disney resort features: the Skyliner. That combination makes Riviera really appealing because you get the experience and quality of a higher-end Disney resort while still having extremely convenient transportation to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. It’s fantastic. It’s also expensive.
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Saratoga Springs is another resort we’ve really enjoyed, particularly because of the amount of space you can get. The rooms can be quite big compared with some of the other Disney options, which makes it worth considering if you’re traveling with a larger group. Another big advantage is its proximity to Disney Springs. You can walk over or take a boat, which is really convenient if you want to head there after a park day or spend some time there on an off day. The downside is the size of the resort. Saratoga Springs is a huge property, and the bus situation can be a lot. You can spend quite a bit of time riding around the resort itself before you even really get on your way to the park.
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
The Grand Floridian is one of the crown jewels of Disney World. It’s one of Disney’s older resorts, but it is extremely nice. The property is fantastic, the food is fantastic, and the whole experience feels top of the line. One of our favorite parts is being on the monorail. The kids love riding it, and having monorail access makes getting to Magic Kingdom incredibly convenient. You can also use the monorail system to get to EPCOT. It’s a great experience, you just pay for it.
A Quick Note About Disney Vacation Club
We’ve been fortunate to stay at some of the Deluxe resorts using Disney Vacation Club points with great thanks to my parents who are DVC members. There are ways to rent DVC points from Disney Vacation Club members, which can potentially give you another option for staying at some of these resorts. I’ve never personally gone through the DVC point rental process, so I’m not going to try to explain how it works. I would just know that the option exists and look into it if you’re interested in staying at one of the more expensive resorts.
So, Is a Deluxe Resort Worth It?
For us, generally, no. They’re fantastic resorts, and we’ve really enjoyed staying at them, but I don’t think you need to spend Deluxe Resort money to have a great Disney World trip. We’re usually spending most of our time in the parks anyway, so I’d rather put more emphasis on convenient transportation than having the fanciest possible hotel. We’re never going to turn down the opportunity to stay at one, but if the choice is between $700 a night and $250, we’re going to save the money.
Where I Would Stay
If I’m helping friends plan their first Disney World trip, I’d start by looking at Pop Century, Art of Animation, or Caribbean Beach. The Skyliner is that important to us. If the price difference between a resort that relies primarily on buses and one with Skyliner access isn’t huge, I’d pay the difference and stay on the Skyliner. Pop Century is probably our favorite combination of price, theming, resort size, and transportation. Caribbean Beach gives you a little more space and a Moderate Resort experience while keeping the Skyliner, although you need to be prepared for a lot more walking around the resort.
If you want to save as much as possible, the All-Star Resorts are perfectly fine, just be prepared for more bus traffic. If you want to splurge, the Deluxe resorts we’ve stayed at are fantastic, and Riviera, Grand Floridian, and Saratoga Springs each have things we really like. But when we’re spending our own money and choosing where to stay, we’re probably staying at Pop Century or Caribbean Beach.
Your next step: build a resort shortlist
- Write down your total room budget and how many beds you need.
- Choose two or three resorts from the guide to compare for your dates.
- For each, note the full stay price, room layout, and transportation to your priority parks.
- Decide whether the transport convenience or extra space is worth the difference for your family.
Once you’ve chosen your base, plan your Magic Kingdom day →