A trip to Walt Disney World brings with it hundreds of simple pleasures. Everything from the first sight of the “Walt Disney World” entrance plaza to the smell of the water in the Pirates of the Caribbean show building fills its own moment of magic in your mind — adding to the incredible story of your vacation.
In the 1990s, Disney realized that one element of that vacation experience was completely underleveraged: The resort hotels.
While a handful of hotels existed on Disney property in the years leading up to the famed Disney Decade of the 1990s, that period saw a massive explosion of resort development hit Walt Disney World property. Now, with 30 hotels to choose from, it can be hard to try and pick a place to stay from amid the insane cornucopia of options.
So, we decided to rank all 30 Disney resort hotels, from the least amazing to the most unimaginably wonderful, for your reading pleasure. Note: We left off any DVC properties, and only went with actual hotels on Disney property.
Which resorts took the proverbial cake? Let’s see the list.
30. Best Western Lake Buena Vista
Image: Best Western
The “worst” hotel at Walt Disney World is still better than most hotels anywhere else in the world, and that is certainly true of the Best Western Lake Buena Vista.
From the outside, it’s as mundane and basic a hotel as you could imagine. And, from the inside, it’s not really any better. It’s architectural style is very much of days gone by, but its location near Disney Springs is still useful. And, at the end of the day, it’s a comfortable hotel at Walt Disney World. That’s still pretty great.
29. Hilton at Walt Disney World
Image: Hilton
Do you have extra Hilton rewards points you need to use? Are you looking for a hotel that will be perfectly fine, and is close to each of the Walt Disney World parks? Here you go!
28. Holiday Inn at Walt Disney World
Image: Disney
While it might come as a shock, the Holiday Inn at Walt Disney World provides a surprisingly luxe stay for Orlando vacationers. While the exterior still feels dated, the hotel itself feels contemporary and comfortable.
27. Doubletree Guest Suite Resort
Image: Doubletree
One of the more iconic buildings in the Disney Springs resort area, the Doubletree Guest Suite Resort is an all-suite location within walking distance of Disney Springs. Most importantly, it has the famous Doubletree cookies — which is enough to stay out of the bottom of this list.
26. Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
Image: Wyndham
It’s a perfectly lovely hotel in a perfectly lovely spot on Disney property. If you’ve ever stayed at a Wyndham, your expectations will be met. That’s all you need in a bed, right?
25. B Resort
Image: B Resort
While some of the other hotels of the Disney Springs resort area feel like a stock photo of a Florida hotel, the B Resort distinguishes itself by simply making an effort.
It’s not quite the boutique hotel it claims to be, but you have to admire the attempt. It’s fun, and that’s perfect for Disney.
24. Buena Vista Palace Resort
Image: Hilton
Sitting next to a massive lake, the Buena Vista Palace Resort (by Hilton) would be a lovely vacation destination of its own. It has several pools, a character breakfast, and all of the trappings you’d associate with a luxury hotel — at a lower cost, of course.
23. Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Image: frikitiki, Flickr (license)
The rooms are smaller than some of the hotels below it on this list, there are fewer dining options, and it can often be more expensive. And yet, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort can offer one thing even the most luxurious Disney Springs resort cannot: the word “Disney’s.”
The Disney bubble is real, and while the All-Star Sports is the least excellent of the official Disney resorts, they tend to be in a class unto themselves.
22. Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Image: frikitiki, Flickr (license)
With theming roughly on par with the All-Star Sports’ phoned-in “giant ephemera” aesthetic, All-Star Music ekes out a lead because of its slower-paced energy. All-Star Sports tends to house rowdy school groups, while All-Star Music plays host to more basic budget travelers — and that vibe can make all the difference.
21. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Image: frikitiki, Flickr (license)
But the best All-Star Resort is definitely All-Star Movies. Offering a more robust food court that’s the other All-Stars, and much more engaging theming, All-Star Movies tends to be the most expensive All-Star Resort. But for an entry-level price point, it’s hard to find a better encapsulation of the Disney Bubble than All-Star Movies.
20 Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Image: daryl_mitchell, Flickr (license)
Often overlooked due to its flashier neighbor across the lake, Disney’s Pop Century Resort refines the budget concept Disney first introduced in the All-Star Resorts to something a bit more broadly appealing. While the themes are a bit esoteric, the resort is more charming than its fellow value resorts and represents something much more interesting at the price point.
19. Bonnet Creek Resort
Image: kungaloosh, Flickr (license)
Technically a handful of hotels, the Wyndham Resort, the Wyndham Grand, the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, and the Waldorf-Astoria overlap in so many ways that it’s hard to separate them entirely.
While the Waldorf-Astoria is not as luxe as its namesake in New York, it still represents tremendous value for its location on Disney property. And the proximity of the resorts to each other makes them into a quasi-entertainment district within Walt Disney World that remains a hidden gem.
18. Shades of Green
Image: Shades of Green
Originally known as the Golf Resort, Disney eventually gave Shades of Green to the U.S. Department of Defense to use as lodging for its armed forces while they visit Walt Disney World on vacation. It hasn’t lost its charm over the years, and is a lovely hotel completely worthy of its important position in American military life.
17. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Image: gardener41, Flickr (license)
Though it might defy classification as either a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe property, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort reenergized the Disney hotel landscape when it opened in 2012. Now, with the addition of the Skyliner gondola system, it is poised to remain a family favorite for generations with its great location, wonderful food, and charming theming.
16. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Image: kathika, Flickr (license)
Long an underrated and under appreciated masterpiece of Disney hotel design, Disney’s Coronado Springs resort is getting a facelift that will give it the attention it has long deserved. But the flashy new showpieces, like a large tower, do take away some of the resort’s classic charm — a survivable tradeoff, but a disappointing development nonetheless.
15. Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World
Image: Four Seasons
If you’ve never stayed at a Four Seasons, it might seem crazy to you that a non-Disney resort that isn’t within walking distance of a park would place this high on the list. If you have stayed at a Four Seasons, it might seem crazy to you that the ultimate name in luxury would place this low on the list. Those two forces cancel out and keep this stunning hotel right in the middle.
14. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Image: rickpilot_2000, Flickr (license)
The Sassagoula River is one of Disney’s greatest achievements in water management. The river, which goes from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside all the way to Disney Springs, is traversed all day long by ferry boats that shuttle guests from their hotels to the shopping district in peak serenity. Riverside is a gorgeous setting unto itself, but so-so dining and a potentially niche theme keep it slightly below its Sassagoula brethren.
13. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
Image: cdharrison, Flickr (license)
Leave it to Disney to take a concept as old as humanity itself — outdoor camping — and elevate it into something completely and utterly magical. Between the idyllic setting and the fun frontier vibe, Fort Wilderness is as unique a vacation experience as you will ever find.
12. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Image: princessashley, Flickr (license)
When it comes to thematic excellence, it’s hard to top Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Completely transporting, the resort closes you off from the real world in such a way that you can’t help but feel like you’re actually in the middle of the Caribbean while you stay there. With the addition of the Disney Skyliner and the renovated Centertown, this resort will be the quintessential example of what makes Walt Disney World so unique.
11. Walt Disney World Swan
Image: harshlight, Flickr (license)
10. Walt Disney World Dolphin
Image: pahudson, Flickr (license)
The Swan and Dolphin are so inextricably linked that it’s impossible to try and analyze them separately. Chock full of amazing dining, luxurious lodging, and exciting events, the Swan and Dolphin are the rare on-property hotels that aren’t owned and operated by Disney but are still beloved. While the Swan has the more diverse culinary offerings, the Dolphin’s rooms and exterior design are slightly superior.
9. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Image: harshlight, Flickr (license)
If you’re coming to Walt Disney World for the first time, you’d be hard pressed to find a better resort to stay at than Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter. The gorgeous recreation of New Orleans’ famed French Quarter area houses comfortable rooms and delicious food, and it showcases exactly why Disney hotels are in a class unto themselves.
8. Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Image: christiantlambert, Flickr (license)
7. Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Image: christiantlambert, Flickr (license)
Much like the Swan and Dolphin, the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts are so connected, you might not even be able to tell where one ends and the other begins. Their swimming pool, Stormalong Bay, remains the single greatest on Disney property, and the sheer number of dining options rivals some small towns across America. The Beach Club edges out its neighbor slightly due to its closer proximity to the International Plaza entrance of Epcot.
6. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Image: mblphotography, Flickr (license)
Arguably the most beautiful resort on Walt Disney World property, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a marvel of architectural beauty and sophistication. It’s joyous to behold, and its savanna views need to be seen to be believed. It features one of the best restaurants on Disney property in Jiko – The Cooking Place, and has stunning rooms at all price levels. It’s a bit disconnected from the parks, making commuting slightly harder. But if that wasn’t the case, it would have a strong argument to be the No. 1 hotel.
5. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Image: jeffchristiansen, Flickr (license)
Opulent and majestic, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is as luxurious a hotel as you will ever find. The food is outstanding, the views are outstanding, the rooms are outstanding, and the proximity to the Magic Kingdom is outstanding. However, so too is the price — and when you get to that level of cost for a vacation, it’s hard not to feel a bit out of place at all times. The Grand Floridian is Disney hotel perfection — but sometimes, perfection can be a bit suffocating.
4. Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Image: chad_sparkes, Flickr (license)
If the Grand Floridian Resort is Disney’s old money destination, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn is the nouveau riche escape — and, in effect, it’s that hotel’s rowdier step-brother.
With piano bars, delicious restaurants, midway games, and street musicians, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn is always entertaining — but its rooms are just as comfortable as any deluxe resort on property. Couple all of that with walking-distance location to two parks, and it’s hard to top the Boardwalk.
3. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Image: frankfranc, Flickr (license)
If you took Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and plopped it anywhere else in the country, it would still be one of the best hotels on the planet. That it’s so close to the capital of the Vacation Kingdom certainly helps its case, but the gorgeous architecture and incredible northwestern theming elevate it to something special, beyond even what we expect from the best of theme park hotels.
2. Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Image: jeffchristiansen, Flickr (license)
Synonymous with Walt Disney World, Disney’s iconic Contemporary Resort is itself an architectural masterpiece. But housed within that A-Frame is a ton of Disney charm — from the famed Mary Blair mosaic works to the delicious and stunning California Grill. But, what makes this resort No. 2 on the list has nothing to do with any of that:
With the monorail passing right through the heart of the hotel, it’s not possible for Disney’s Contemporary Resort to rank any lower.
1. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Image: christiantlambert, Flickr (license)
If aliens landed on Earth and demanded to know what all the fuss was about for this “Walt Disney World” they kept hearing about, we’d be wise to send them to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to get the full experience.
Its beautiful design, coupled with its near-perfect location along the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon, perfectly evoke the life of leisure Walt Disney World was meant to enable with its construction. It’s the ultimate Disney hotel, because it’s the hotel that is the most like Walt Disney World itself: traditional, comforting, brash, and just a tiny bit silly.
And you can get a Dole Whip or Tonga Toast there — that’s an assured No. 1 in any book.
