Walt Disney World isn’t merely a family vacation location! I realize that this statement won’t shock most of you, yet the perception persists in the mainstream media. People associate Disney with parents and their children, ignoring the fact that a trip to Orlando can be a marvelous couples getaway destination. And when you’re on the Disney campus, you should stay at an official hotel, one with a sentimental streak. Here are the seven most romantic resorts at Walt Disney World.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Please shut your eyes for a moment and imagine the perfect romantic vacation. It involves swimming and sunbathing, presumably at a beach, right? Somehow, Disney delivers something similar at a place right by Epcot’s World Showcase.
At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you’re only a five-minute walk away from the rear entrance to Epcot. Or you could hop on the Disney Skyliner and ride over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Then again, you might want to skip the parks for a day or two of your trip. It’s in this area that the hotel shines.
You’re staying at a hotel with unquestionably the best pool at Walt Disney World. Imagineers built Stormalong Bay as a fake beach of sorts. It even comes with sand-bottom floors in the pool, providing a distinctly beachy feel.
Combined with a fully stocked pool bar, Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill, you’ll have no reason to leave Stormalong Bay. You and your date can hole up here for as long as you like.
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness
When you visit Walt Disney World, you’ll struggle to find intimacy at the parks. However, some of the hotels come with unexpectedly private room options. The Cabins at this hotel prove this point due to their unique design.
Each of the cabins is its own dwelling. You won’t have any neighbors banging on your hotel walls, nor will you hear the sounds of nearby guests enjoying *ahem* their own romantic vacations. Loud noises at hotel rooms are sadly unavoidable in most places.
At Fort Wilderness, you can escape this hubbub. Your rustic hotel room provides an odd juxtaposition of isolation at one of the most crowded tourist destinations on the planet. While you’re inside your cabin, you’ll forget that the outside world exists. But you’re somehow just a short boat ride away from Magic Kingdom!
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
I’m an ardent proponent of the laziest kind of romantic vacation. I want to shop and eat and lay around and do nothing. Sloths think I’m sluggish when I hang out on the hotel grounds. In this manner, the Contemporary fits my traveling lifestyle perfectly.
At this hotel, we set up camp on the fourth floor, the place where the monorail travels directly past us. On this floor, we have access to two phenomenal restaurants, Contempo Café and Chef Mickey’s.
Even better, Bay View Gifts and Fantasia Market are open throughout the day. The shopping at these places is as good as it gets at Walt Disney World. During a recent trip, we didn’t even shop at Disney Springs. Instead, we just went nuts at Bay View Gifts and then carried the new goodies straight to our hotel room.
Oh, and did I mention that this place is walking distance away from Magic Kingdom? Whether you prefer to use your feet or the monorail, you’ll be walking down Main Street U.S.A. in a matter of minutes. For Disney couples, the Contemporary combines the standard trappings of tourism with the best logistics imaginable.
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
This property introduced the public to the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). This information’s vital because it identifies the lifestyle of resort guests. They’re frequent Disney travelers who don’t necessarily need to spend all of their time at the parks. Instead, they’re content with a more relaxed vacation environment.
Modeled after Key West, Florida, the adopted home of Ernest Hemingway, this hotel campus features outdoor sports like golf and tennis. Also, the swimming pools here are fantastic, particularly the main one with a lighthouse in the Hospitality House section. Old Key West even includes complimentary water taxi service to and from Disney Springs, giving couples access to all of the entertainment options available there.
Old Key West provides so many amenities that we’ve spent several non-park days hanging out here. It suits the lifestyle of DVC members who don’t need to spend all of their time at the parks. In other words, it’s perfect for couples who frequent Disney regularly.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
The exotic island getaway embodies everyone’s daydream about a romantic vacation. Even before Walt Disney World technically existed, park strategists understood this fact and leaned into it. While Orlando is theoretically land-locked, Imagineers managed to merge existing waterways with artificial ones, creating a de facto beach at Seven Seas Lagoon.
During a hotel stay here, the theming will transport you to the South Seas. You can walk along the sand and swim at the volcano pool. In fact, you can even grab your date and rock in a hammock while the nighttime fireworks light up the darkened sky.
Then, there’s the exceptional cuisine at ‘Ohana and Kona Café, or you could marry dinner with a show at Spirit of Aloha. Since 1971, Disney’s operated the ideal romantic hotel stay for friends of the Mouse. The Polynesian is the place in Orlando where my heart feels fullest.
Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter
The Port Orleans resorts remind me of the movie Twins. Port Orleans – Riverside is the Arnold Schwarzenegger, an oversized monstrosity, while French Quarter is more akin to Danny DeVito. It’s tiny and cute and quite endearing. Over the years, I’ve learned that Schwarzenegger doesn’t work for me, and I mean as an actor, a person, and as the subject of this metaphor. I’m a pretty big fan of DeVito, though.
I may have gotten off-track here, but the point is that the French Quarter’s size appeals to me. It’s one of the smallest, coziest Disney hotels in the world. And its theme of New Orleans somehow makes it feel a bit more uninhibited and free-spirited, too. I never feel looser or more comfortable than when I’m staying at this hotel, and when I’m not putting on airs, I’m a better date for my partner.
Over the years, we’ve developed a simple Disney rule. When we’re staying for a more extended vacation, we’ll pick a place with optimal logistics. When we are taking a shorter trip, a romantic getaway, we target Port Orleans – French Quarter as our first choice.
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Imagineers modeled Disney’s newest resort after vacations that Walt and Lillian took during the 1930s. So, the romantic options here are recursive! You’re walking in the footsteps of the founding couple of all things Disney!
The style of the hotel is decidedly European. Lounges, bars, and coffee spots are all designed to encourage relaxed conversation, the kind that accentuates the best aspects of coupling. And there’s even a breathtaking restaurant on the top floor called Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera. The bewitching setting here provides an idyllic backdrop for a vacation date night.
Also, while the rooms are difficult to book due to limited inventory, the Tower Studios at the Riviera have a hidden bonus. Due to the modest size of these rooms, lovers feel incredibly intimate here. It’s just you and your partner in tight quarters, assuring that you’ll be in constant contact. Now, this option isn’t for everyone, but when you want to get as close to your date as possible at Walt Disney World, book a Tower Studio.
