Which Disney World resort level is best for my trip?

A Value resort can deliver core perks for the lowest price in the Disney bubble, and can be a great option if you’re in the parks from open to close and just need a place to snooze. Moderate is the sweet spot if you want a quieter vibe and at least 1 table service restaurant. Deluxe is the way to go if resort time with feature pools, lounges, easy transportation, and extended evening hours are crucial to your Disney World vacation. Traveling as part of a larger family or planning an extended stay? A Deluxe Villa can offer a kitchenette and convenient laundry access.

Do all Disney World resort tiers include early entry and water park access?

Yes, all Disney World resort guests can take advantage of early theme park entry, which allows access to parks 30 minutes before regular park hours. Free water park access is available to all Disney World guests on their check-in day. Deluxe and Deluxe Villa guests can get extended evening hours on select nights, offering 2 hours of park access after standard park hours.

Which Disney World resorts have the best transportation options?

The best transportation options depend on where you want to go, but Deluxe resorts tend to offer the best transportation to the parks. If you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom, you can’t beat the ability to ride the monorail or walk from Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, or Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. EPCOT transportation is easy from Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, with a short walk or boat ride to the International Gateway entrance. Using the Skyliner to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios or EPCOT can add fun to your park day. Skyliner resorts include Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort. EPCOT resorts also have good access to the Skyliner. Buses are the only Disney transportation for visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge gets you as close as possible to the park for an extremely short bus ride.

Are Disney Value resort pools less fun?

Pools at Disney Value resorts are large and well-themed but lack hot tubs and slides. We loved the guitar-shaped Calypso pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. Moderate and Deluxe resorts add slides, hot tubs, and often have splash pads. For example, Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s Beach Club Resort is essentially a small water park, featuring a lazy river and a pool with a sandy bottom.

How do Disney resort room sizes differ by tier?

Value resorts typically have less than 300 square feet and most standard rooms sleep 4. Select family suites sleep 6 and add a kitchenette. At Moderate resorts, expect about 300 to 375 square feet, with most sleeping 4 standard but some with a fold-down bed for a fifth sleeper. Deluxe resorts generally have about 350 to 400 square feet or more, and standard rooms may sleep 5 with a daybed. These rooms typically have a balcony. Deluxe Villa sizes vary but are larger than other resort categories, adding at least a kitchenette, some with full kitchens, separate bedrooms, and in-villa washers and dryers.

Disney World Resort Categories Explained: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas

Updated: September 3, 2025, 3:00pm CDT

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Table of Contents

Disney World Resort Tiers
Money-Saving Tips for Disney World Resorts
When To Stay Besides Disney Hotels
Final Thoughts

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Where you stay at Walt Disney World can affect your overall experience, from park transportation to dining and resort rest days.

After comparing our stays across multiple Disney World resort tiers, the patterns are clear. Value offers on-property perks for the lowest price, while Deluxe properties deliver premium dining, transportation, pools, and exclusive late-night park access. Moderate properties offer a balance between Deluxe and Value.

Read our guide to Disney World resort levels to understand what each category gets you — and where those differences mattered during our recent stays, including extended evening hours and lazy pool days.

Disney World Resort Tiers

There are 4 resort levels at Disney World: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect from each resort category:

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	Value	Moderate	Deluxe	Deluxe Villas
Price per night	$150 to $300	$250 to $500	$500 to $700 or more	$450 to $900 or more
Space	Under 300 square feet	About 300 to 375 square feet; some have fifth sleeper	About 350 to 400 square feet; some sleep 5 standard	Studios to 3 bedrooms; kitchenette or kitchen and laundry
Dining	Food court and market; bar at many	Quick service plus at least one table service	Multiple quick service and table service, lounges; some character or signature	Villa kitchen; shares attached Deluxe dining
Pools and recreation	Themed pools, arcade	Themed pools, usually with slides, more activities	Feature pools, slides, hot tubs, fitness centers	Shares Deluxe amenities
Transportation	Buses, some Skyliner	Buses, some boats, or Skyliner	Varies, may offer walking, boat, monorail, or Skyliner plus buses	Shares Deluxe transport
Perks	Early entry, check‑in day water park access	Early entry, check‑in day water park access	Early entry, check‑in day water park access, extended evening hours	Early entry, check‑in day water park access, extended evening hours
Best for	Park open to close plans, tight budgets, strong suite value	Quieter vibe, more dining options	Using the resort, feature pools, lounges, proximity, late nights	Families and multigenerational groups, longer stays, saving with kitchen and laundry

All Disney World resort tiers offer amenities, including:

Early theme park entry
Complimentary water park admission on your check-in day
Lightning Lane access up to 7 days in advance
Access to dining plans
Disney park transportation
Hey Disney! voice assistant that offers wake-up calls, Disney trivia, and interactive experiences
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Complimentary standard self-parking at the resort and theme parks

Disney World resort tiers differ in price, location, amenities, and benefits, which can vary widely depending on your chosen resort tier.

Value Resorts

Value resorts are the most budget-friendly, and you can expect to pay a nightly rate of around $150 to $300 for a standard room. These resorts generally have Disney theming, food court dining, arcade rooms, and large pools without slides. Most are further from the parks than higher-tier resorts and often rely solely on bus transportation. Resort layouts can be large, and some rooms may require long walks to the lobby, food court, and transportation. The theming and atmosphere are generally bold and fun, with oversized Disney icons that appeal to families with kids.

Disney's All Star Music Resort theming — Disney’s All-Star Music Resort has delightful theming.

These resorts are the most affordable way to stay on Disney property and take advantage of resort benefits available to all guests, including transportation and early entry. These can be a great choice if you need a reasonable rate while accommodating more than 4 people, as family suites often sleep up to 6 guests, or room rates may be low enough to make booking 2 adjoining rooms affordable.

Rooms: Standard rooms sleep up to 4, but family suites can accommodate 6. Basic decor and minimal storage. Typically under 300 square feet for standard rooms. Most resorts have exterior room entries.

Disney's All Star Music Resort guest room — Our standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort.

Dining: Quick-service food court and market; may offer a bar.

Pools and recreation: Themed but basic pools without slides or hot tubs. Typically offers an arcade and playground. Movies and campfires on select nights. No fitness center, but may offer a jogging trail.

Disney's All Star Music Resort amenities pool Calypso pool and building — The Calypso pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort.

Transportation: Typically limited to bus transportation, though Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort have Skyliner access.

Perks: Early entry, free check-in day water park access, basic resort activities.

Our experience at Value resorts: At Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, we loved the large Calypso pool featuring characters from the “Three Caballeros.” Our room was comfortable, with a cute “Duck Tales” Murphy table bed that freed up floor space during the day, and we had great early entry success at Hollywood Studios. The arcade was a great spot to enjoy the massage chairs after a long park day. We had a long walk to our room at the Rock Inn. Our morning bus wait was fine with sun-exposed bus queues, but midday queues were in the direct sun.

Disney World value resorts include:

When to book a value resort: Disney World’s value resorts are best for families with young kids, all-day park visitors, and budget travelers who want to stay in the Disney bubble for the lowest price possible.

Moderate Resorts

Moderate resorts typically run about $250 to $500 per night, offering a step up in theming, larger rooms, and upgraded amenities, such as pool slides, table-service restaurants, and more scenic grounds. Some Moderate resorts offer upgraded transportation, such as boat access to Disney Springs or Skyliner connections to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Though you pay more to stay at a Moderate resort than a Value resort, the rooms are slightly larger, with more refined theming. You can expect at least 1 table service dining option, and pools typically have slides.

Rooms: Standard rooms sleep up to 4, but some properties sleep 5, such as Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside. Typically around 300 to 375 square feet for standard rooms. Most resorts have exterior room entries.

Dining: Quick-service and table-service restaurants.

Pools and recreation: Themed, typically with slides and sometimes hot tubs, may offer a pool. Resort activities available, including nightly campfires and movies on select nights. Typically no fitness center offered, except at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Transportation: Bus transportation available; some offer boats and Skyliner access.

Perks: Early entry, free check-in day water park access, moderate resort activities.

Disney World moderate resorts include:

When to book a Moderate resort: Book a Moderate resort if you want more comfort, a quieter atmosphere, and a step up in amenities, but also want a compromise between amenities and cost.

Hot Tip:

Club-level access is typically limited to Deluxe resorts, but there’s an exception in the Moderate tier: Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in the Gran Destino Tower. Guests in club-level rooms can access the Chronos Club lounge, concierge service, and complimentary food and drinks.

Deluxe Resorts

Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts offer the highest level of comfort, service, and convenience, with per-night rates around $500 to $700. With a Deluxe resort, you can expect closer access to theme parks and upgraded transportation, such as monorail, boat, and walkability to some parks. These properties have top-tier amenities, including signature dining, and feature pools, such as the sand-bottomed pool and lazy river at Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Theming is often elegant and immersive, such as the savannas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Disneys Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby wide view — Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has a breathtaking lobby leading to savanna views.

Guests staying at Deluxe resorts get exclusive access to extended evening hours with an extra 2 hours in select parks on scheduled nights. All of Disney’s Deluxe resorts have club-level rooms, which offer club access, complimentary daily refreshments, and concierge service.

Rooms: Standard rooms sleep up to 4, but some properties sleep 5 standard, such as Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Club-level rooms are available. Standard rooms are around 350 to 400 square feet or larger. Most resorts have interior entries.

Disneys Yacht Club Resort guest room sofa bed made up — Our standard room at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort had a sofa daybed.

Dining: Multiple dining options, including quick-service and table service, character dining, pool bars, and lounges.

Pools and recreation: Themed with multiple slides and hot tubs, a fitness center, and grills. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa offers a spa. Resort activities available, including nightly campfires and movies.

Disneys Animal Kingdom Lodge amenities activities string of memories learning station — String of Memories activities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge added an educational element to our resort stay.

Transportation: Bus transportation available (sometimes with multiple bus stops in large resorts, such as Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa); may offer boat, monorail, or Skyliner access, and some may be within walking distance of parks.

Perks: Early entry, extended evening hours, free check-in day water park access, extensive resort activities.

Disney World Magic Kingdom Peter Pans Flight and its a small world during Extra Magic Hours — Staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort got us extended evening hours access at the Magic Kingdom.

Our experience at Deluxe resorts: We loved the immersive theming at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, viewing giraffes and other animals on the savanna while taking in the educational resort activities and small museum of African artifacts in the lobby that made the resort a destination. Location was the highlight of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, where we caught a Friendship Boat to EPCOT and walked back easily through the International Gateway entrance. We loved taking advantage of the Deluxe-exclusive extended evening hours to enjoy rides with low wait times.

Disney World deluxe resorts include:

When to book a Deluxe resort: Choose a Deluxe resort if you want luxury and park proximity, especially if you plan to make resort amenities part of your vacation, will dine at the resort, or want better transportation access to the parks.

Deluxe Villas

Deluxe Villas are available at Disney Vacation Club (DVC) properties, but you can book them with cash if you’re not a DVC member (or even rent DVC points!). These villas offer features such as kitchenettes, separate bedrooms, and washers and dryers, ideal for families, groups, or long stays.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa pond — Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa has a peaceful atmosphere and lush golf course-adjacent grounds.

Rooms: Like a home away from home; include kitchens or kitchenettes and can accommodate larger groups, often with separate bedrooms. Most resorts have interior room entries, though there are exceptions for freestanding villas, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa room view — Our room at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was spacious, with a lovely fairway balcony view and a kitchenette.

Dining: Shared with the Deluxe resort they’re attached to; villa kitchens.

Pools and recreation: Shared with Deluxe resorts.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa amenities Paddock Pool — We had multiple pools to choose from at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. This leisure pool had a bar, hot tub, and barbecue grill.

Transportation: Shared with Deluxe resorts.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa amenities bus transportation close to Grandstand building — Bus transportation at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was so convenient that we could see the bus stop from our building.

Perks: Early entry, extended evening hours, free check-in day water park access, extensive resort activities.

Our experience at Deluxe Villas: Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa offered extra room, plenty of storage, and a kitchenette that added to our dining options. This was a great resort to enjoy the feature pools on a rest day, while taking a scenic boat ride on the Sassagoula River Cruise to Disney Springs for dining. The grounds were beautiful, and we had a shaded, covered bus stop just steps from our building.

Disney World Deluxe Villa resorts include:

When to book a Deluxe Villa: A Deluxe Villa makes sense if you want the amenities of a Deluxe resort with extra room and the ability to prepare meals. These are great for multigenerational groups and longer stays.

Money-Saving Tips for Disney World Resorts

How much you pay to stay at a Disney World resort depends on the tier, time of year, room type, availability, and special offers. You can expect higher prices if you book for peak seasons such as holidays or summertime. Each resort offers various room types, which can also make a difference. For example, a standard room costs less than a preferred room closer to dining and amenities with an upgraded view. Special offers available throughout the year can lower the cost of your stay.

Check out these additional tips:

Book off-season travel: Disney World is busy year-round, but avoiding the holidays or summer may offer savings.
Take advantage of discounts: DVC members, annual passholders, Florida residents, and cardholders of the Disney^® Visa^® Card and Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card may have access to special offers for Disney resorts.
Choose a preferred room: Booking a preferred room at a lower-tier resort could offer savings and add convenience with a better view and closer access to transportation, dining, and other amenities.
Compare resort tiers: Choosing the right tier for your stay can help you save money. If you just need a crash pad, a Value resort can get you in the Disney bubble at a lower cost, while a Deluxe resort is well-suited for rest days and enjoying top-tier amenities.
Consider a split stay: You can transfer to another resort during your stay. This can make sense if you want Deluxe or Moderate amenities for part of your stay, but stay at a Value resort for the rest to bring down your average nightly cost.

When To Stay Besides Disney Hotels

Orlando hotels and resorts beyond Disney World resorts may offer lower rates and competitive amenities. It can make sense to stay off property if you have a large family and find that Disney suites or villas are too costly, or if you want to use hotel loyalty program perks and redeem or earn points during your stay.

Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels offer features such as Disney theming, access to vacation packages, and resort shuttles to the parks. Some offer early entry to the parks. These hotels are typically near Disney World parks, but not as close as Disney resorts. For example, the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista has footbridge access to Disney Springs and shuttles to the parks.

Resort area hotels offer alternatives to Disney World resorts and Good Neighbor Hotels. They may offer a good balance — especially if you want to use hotel loyalty benefits. These properties include Walt Disney World Dolphin, Walt Disney World Swan, Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, and JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the parks from rope drop to fireworks and need a clean, convenient crash pad, Value resorts deliver the Disney bubble at the best price. Need more breathing room and a step up in theming and amenities? Moderate can provide a better experience at a reasonable cost. Deluxe can be worth the premium price if you want extended evening hours, transportation convenience, and top-tier amenities that make resort rest days more luxurious. Not sure which way to go? A split stay is always an option, allowing you to customize your cost and amenities depending on your plans for a particular day.