A few months ago, we discussed the most immersive resorts at Walt Disney World, noting which ones would entertain guests while they’re away from the parks. Now, let’s take a look at the other resorts in the Moderate and Deluxe tiers to identify the best of the rest. The rules are still the same. We’re evaluating these gorgeous properties based on how well they match their underlying concept. Here are the other seven best themed resorts at Walt Disney World.
7. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Image: DisneyFor 30 years now, this resort has fostered a beachy vacation getaway theme at the Most Magical Place on Earth. While no one will ever confuse a few days here with a weekend in Jamaica, that’s Disney aspiration for the property. They’ve named six different sections of the resort after Caribbean islands. These Disney “villages” are Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad North, and Trinidad South.
Disney has crafted this theme cleverly. The villages all have “shores,” beaches that feature island activities like volleyball, fishing, and biking. There’s also a campground onsite plus a swimming pool at each village. The prime knock with Caribbean Beach that prevents it from being higher on the list is that the rooms are kind of plain and uninspired. Disney’s aware of the issue and currently renovating the entire facility to improve it.
6. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Image: DisneyI’ve always thought of Coronado Springs Resort as something of a mixed message. Disney owns this, as they list the resort as having twin inspirations: colonial Spanish architecture and Southwest American culture. Admittedly, these styles share many similarities, as any Breaking Bad fan knows.
You’ll notice the theming the most here at the pool. Named the Lost City of Cibola Pool, it takes the concept of Aztec ruins to the logical extreme. It’s a “dig site” close to a (fictional) piece of Aztec history. The pool features an abandoned Aztec temple, complete with overgrown tree branches! You can sit on the steps of the temple as you contemplate diving into the pool. It’s one of the most impressive wienies on display at any Disney resort.
The problem is that the imagination on display at the pool isn’t visible elsewhere on the Coronado Springs campus. The building exteriors and the fountain and ceiling in the hotel lobby are the only other remarkable examples of the theming, like icing on mediocre cake. Coronado Springs could be better than it is, and Disney knows this, too. They’re currently building a new 15-story tower on the property that could elevate the theming.
5. Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside
Image: DisneyWhile I believe that French Quarter is the superiorly themed resort at Port Orleans, I don’t want to undersell Riverside. It’s a wonderful facility, but the competition is fierce since a New Orleans theme is so tough to beat.
At Riverside, you’ll enjoy the beauty of the antebellum south, especially a specific part of the Mississippi River area. That gorgeous architecture along that body of water, the Sassagoula River, provides the backdrop for the resort. The setting is rural Louisiana from a simpler time, when time moved slower and people savored their surroundings more than their phones. The southern charm is on display in the buildings and at Boatwright’s Dining Hall, a restaurant set in a shipbuilding yard. It’s all quite lovely, just a bit underwhelming compared to its sibling at French Quarter.
4. Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Image: DisneyIn a way, the Contemporary suffers from the same problem that mars the themed land it overlooks, Tomorrowland. Both of them are supposed to represent something that’s difficult to define and always changing. Since Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the Contemporary has been there, shipping monorails to and from Magic Kingdom. And its theme is somehow both constant and impermanent.
The theme at the Contemporary is modernity. Every few years, Imagineers stylishly redecorate the interior trappings to reflect new and popular ideas in hotel décor. This frequent need for beautification is why the resort is so divisive. It has some features that will never change, specifically that monorail going through its A-frame design, and its proximity to Magic Kingdom.
Everything else is in a constant state of flux. I happen to like that the art deco style at the Contemporary will be different in ten years from what it is today, but others feel frustrated by the lack of familiarity. As such, it’s impossible to rank the Contemporary in the top three, even though I happen to spend more time at this resort than anywhere else.
3. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Lodge
Image: DisneyWhat do you choose when you want to spend your vacation at two different places? For example, what’s the best option in the unlikely event that you’re deciding between a dude ranch and Walt Disney World? Amazingly, Disney has you covered!
Imagineers built Fort Wilderness Lodge as a place where you can have a western adventure on Disney property! How authentic is the experience? You can even go horseback riding! The cabins at Fort Wilderness are remarkably detailed and rustic, creating the illusion that you’re in the middle of nowhere. In reality, you’re only a direct boat ride away from Magic Kingdom. These woodsy log cabin homes are impressive, and the escapism is a wonderful distraction away from the craziness at a theme park.
2. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Image: DisneyThere was a time before any of us were born when the springs at Saratoga represented the height of American vacation plans. Guests would flock to Saratoga, New York, from across the Atlantic coast. They all sought the comforts of those relaxing springs, which were purported to have healing properties.
When Disney planned a themed resort near what was then Downtown Disney, they plotted a Victorian era lakeside retreat. It would feature the babbling brooks that had previously made Saratoga a beloved vacation destination for previous generations.
The other fun part of a trip there involved horse racing, a popular form of entertainment even then. You’ll find touches of both the springs and the equestrian history at the resort. Oh, and it fittingly has a spa since Saratoga Springs is one of the places that made them famous in the first place. It’s a lovely place that suffers a bit only because it’s right beside Disney Springs, which tends to monopolize the attention of theme park tourists. Should you ever spend time here, you’ll appreciate the sublime theming at Saratoga Springs.
1. Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Image: DisneyI started this list with a beachfront locale, and the reason why it’s not ranked higher is that it pales in comparison to the best one at Walt Disney World. Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a masterfully implemented beachfront resort that backs into Crescent Lake near Epcot. Its theme certainly isn’t complex, but it merges perfectly with the surroundings.
At Beach Club Resort, you’ll truly believe that you’re spending the week at the beach. Part of the reason is the immaculate surroundings, straight down to a shipwreck. The pool here is large enough that it feels like an ocean, and Disney even added sand flooring to complete the effect that you’re swimming in the Atlantic.
Inside the hotel, you’ll discover plenty of pastels to perfect that beachy theme. You’ll feel like you’re in a beachfront condo the moment that you enter your room, and even the restaurants here fit the concept. Cape May Café serves the kind of seafood that you’d expect at an oceanfront resort. The reality is that you’ll feel swept away by the theme here the moment that you see the hotel. That won’t end until you check out, and it’s a true credit to Disney, even if the theme is simplistic.
