Every theme park tourist has a favorite Walt Disney World resort. Their passion is understandable. I’ve said several times that I believe that many Disney hotels are cathedrals, dazzling architectural structures with immaculate theming. Like everyone else, I have Disney resorts that I cherish and others that, well, fall short of my lofty expectations. Here are the seven official resorts that I think are the worst at Walt Disney World.
7. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Image: DisneyLet’s start with a few acknowledgments. Yes, I’m going to make some people angry. I apologize for this, and I understand your emotional connection to your favorite Disney resorts. Whenever someone says something unkind about Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, I want to splash lemon juice in their eyes.
The thing about vacation hotel stays is that everyone has their own checklist for what’s good. To my family, logistics are essential. We also prefer more intimate resorts to labyrinthine ones that seem to stretch out for miles. And we like eating at the hotel. So, places with disappointing food options don’t work well for us.
Image: DisneyKeeping these criteria in mind, Caribbean Beach would have finished much higher on the list a couple of years ago. The new and updated restaurant options like Sebastian’s Bistro and Centertown Market have elevated our esteem for this property. When the Disney Skyliner arrives, it will get that much better, but that feature wasn’t available at the time of publication.
For now, Caribbean Beach is a massive complex with more than 1,500 rooms encompassing far too many bus routes and way too much needless walking for our tastes. Until recently, our favorite thing about this place was Fuentes del Morro Pool. I should add that we’re booked to stay here in a few months, so it’s not like we’re totally against the place. It’s just a fallback option for my family rather than a preferred choice.
6. Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside
Image: DisneyThe Port Orleans campus is one of the most visually stunning at Walt Disney World. I love how fresh and vibrant everything looks. The awkward part of the conversation about this property is that it’s effectively a pair of twins, and we like one twin oh so much better.
Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter would earn a spot on our top five Disney resorts list. It’s intimate and quiet and oh so laid back. Plus, the pool there is phenomenal. Riverside is the exact opposite. The place is mobbed, the logistics are nightmare-inducing, and the best restaurant is Boatwright’s Dining Hall.
Fans of Yehaa Bob Jackson would argue that River Roost Lounge merits a mention. I tend to agree, but despite his thoroughly entertaining show, I don’t like to eat at Riverside nor do I like to hang out here.
In my experiences – and all of us have different experiences that dramatically impact our perception of Disney hotels – Riverside is as congested as Magic Kingdom without any of the fun. Plus, you have to add 15 minutes to every bus ride to account for the many internal stops. French Quarter is delightful, but Riverside is the evil twin.
5. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Image: DisneyI’m not taking the easy way out here by listing all of the Value Tier hotel properties. You’ll find only one on this list. No, I’m not saying that the unlisted resorts are better than the ones mentioned here. To the contrary, I’ve spent plenty of time at almost every resort and would prefer them to Value Tier hotels, all things being equal. Things aren’t equal, though. The cost of the hotel is a factor in identifying the best and worst.
I’ve never seen Saratoga Springs as good value. It’s sadly lacking in quality dining options. The primary amenities onsite, golfing and spa days, don’t appeal to me. And its access to Disney Springs, while welcome, is only marginally better than Disney’s Old Key West Resort or either Port Orleans property.
In short, the selling points of Saratoga Springs don’t fit my needs as a traveler. While I love Disney Springs as much as the next person (and probably much, much more), the short walk from the hotel isn’t a huge amenity to me. The negatives, on the other hand, matter a great deal. Saratoga Springs is an extended bus ride away from any of Disney’s theme parks. Its closest neighbor is Typhoon Lagoon, which only helps me a couple of days per trip.
I understand that Saratoga Springs is a lifestyle choice for many. It’s laid back and calm, seemingly isolated from the rest of the Disney campus. To lots of travelers, that’s a huge positive. It just doesn’t work for my family. To us, the strongest selling point and only reason we’d stay at Saratoga Springs is the Treehouse Villas.
4. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Image: DisneyThis selection is again based on lifestyle. I’m not really an RV person. I don’t even have a hitch attached to my SUV. And I grew up next to a farm, negating the appeal of such rustic settings. When I’ve looked at the videos of The Cabins at Fort Wilderness, I’ve liked them well enough. They just wouldn’t hold any interest for me personally.
On occasion, I recommend this property to friends who DO spend time on RV adventures. So, I’m not opposed to them. I just don’t see the point of trying to mix a Disney trip with a dude ranch vacation. It’s a distinct either/or for me rather than two philosophies to pair. In conversations that I’ve had with others, this seems like a consensus opinion. A night’s stay at Fort Wilderness is undeniably niche, but park officials know that this niche is large enough to justify the existence of the resort.
3. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Image: DisneyEarlier, I mentioned that Caribbean Beach has risen in my estimation in recent months due to new additions. Had I written this article a few months from now, the same might be true of Coronado Springs. The resort’s massive 15-story building expansion, Gran Destino Tower, may change my opinion.
Until I stay there, however, my experiences with Coronado Springs are primarily negative, a rarity for Disney. The expansive resort is confusing, and the logistics are poor. The restaurants are forgettable as well. The only activity that I enjoy here is the Lost City of Cibola Pool, and even a brilliantly themed pool like this one won’t change my overall opinion of Disney’s worst Moderate Tier resort. I hope that Gran Destino Tower changes everything. I really do. Disney shouldn’t have any mediocre properties in its catalog.
2. Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Image: DisneyThe grass is always greener on the other side. In the case of BoardWalk Inn, the hotel across the water, the one that guests can see from their rooms, is vastly superior. I’m speaking of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, the home of Stormalong Bay. This pool is like having a water park in the backyard, but it’s only available to guests staying at Beach Club. Meanwhile, the pool at BoardWalk is the one with the creepy clown.
In terms of restaurants, BoardWalk Inn has none of its own, although it connects to a few on the actual BoardWalk. Two of them Trattoria al Forno and Flying Fish, are pretty good, but neither one is on my family’s dining must-list. Conversely, Beach Club has Beaches & Cream and Cape May Café, both of which we adore.
The primary positives for the BoardWalk involve logistics. It’s a 10-15 minute walk away from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a much shorter stroll to Epcot’s International Gateway. These amenities are terrific, but Beach Club has the same ones, although the Hollywood Studios walk is a few minutes longer. Since the two resorts cost the same, BoardWalk has never done a thing for us. Even as Disney Vacation Club members, we only book it when we’re desperate.
1. Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Image: DisneyDisney’s marketing team knows what they’re doing. They price everything efficiently. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. In the case of the All-Star resorts, the price is low because the value is low. You’re staying here for a cheap room, and that’s about it.
I actually think that the All-Star properties get kind of a bad rap. Most hotels in the country have similar rack rates if not higher, and none of them has special Disney touches or are, you know, at Walt Disney World. In terms of value, they’re fantastic. It’s just that they simply cannot compare to other Disney resorts in terms of amenities. Since Disney builds them to cater to a large volume of budget-conscious consumers, these hotels are also immense and crowded.
All-Star Sports is the worst of them for several reasons. Disney packages events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports with hotel stays here. When you stay at All-Star Sports, you’re in a low-rent (by Disney standards) hotel that’s swamped with loud kids, many of whom are brimming with adrenaline for their sporting events. It can be a nightmarish reminder of the horrors of elementary and middle school.
Unless you absolutely have no other choice, you should pick one of the other All-Star hotels over this one. To a larger point, it’s the worst resort at Walt Disney World, which borders on a compliment to Imagineers. What I am describing as their most significant failure is a triumph to most hoteliers.
