Two Fantastic Reasons to Stay at Every Walt Disney World Hotel
At Walt Disney World, several resorts are currently open, and more will return in a matter of weeks.
Since you still have plenty of choices, you may feel a bit overwhelmed.
Let’s reduce the situation to basics. Here are two reasons to stay at each Disney resort that’s open this fall and one reason you might look elsewhere.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Let’s set some ground rules and get a negative out of the way.
All Disney Vacation Club resorts are currently open and available for everyone to book.
However, these Deluxe Villas represent the most expensive rooms at Disney. If money is no object, you’ll love them.
I’m assuming that your vacation has a budget and a set arrival date. So, I’m focusing on the non-DVC resorts that are either open now or will be soon.
That brings us to the negative about the Art of Animation. It won’t reopen until November 1st, the latest return of the hotels we’ll discuss.
So, the negative here is that you may need something sooner.
The positives are the suites and the Disney Skyliner.
Art of Animation operates a slew of standard rooms, but large families love the place for its suites.
These rooms are 565 square feet and can host a party of four comfortably.
As for the Skyliner, one of the terminals is close to Art of Animation.
In fact, this will be a recurring theme, as three of the resorts listed here have Skyliner stations.
Reopens November 1st.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
I could cheat and list three advantages here, as it’s also home to a Skyliner station. However, I’ll pick two others instead.
At Caribbean Beach, you’ll love the Centertown area (near the Skyliner) and the cuisine.
Longtime Disney fans would call the main section Old Port Royale. It qualifies as the hub of the sprawling hotel campus.
When you hang out in the Centertown area, you’ll find a Quick Service restaurant and marketplace, a shop, a bar and lounge, and a pool, among other stuff.
We’re talking about one-stop shopping when you’re hanging out at the hotel, which is essential since Caribbean Beach is the largest resort.
In fact, that’s the negative. Some guests find the place a bit overwhelming.
The other positive here is the food, as the exotic Caribbean flavors on display will mesmerize your palate.
Disney didn’t skimp on the island flavors, making this place a destination resort for foodies.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
The two pros of the Contemporary are ones that Disney diehards know by heart.
One involves logistics, as the Contemporary is a monorail resort. In fact, the monorail travels straight through the middle of the A-frame hotel.
You don’t need to take the monorail, though. The Contemporary resides close enough to Magic Kingdom’s front gate that you can walk instead.
We’ve done this many times and love that we control our arrival time rather than find ourselves waiting on the next monorail.
The other positive is more of a place. The fourth floor of the Contemporary qualifies as one of my favorite places at Walt Disney World overall.
Here, you’ll find three shops, including the impeccable Bayview Gifts. You’ll also enjoy your choice of character dining (when available) or Quick Service.
Chef Mickey’s and Contempo Café, two of the best Disney resort restaurants overall, reside on the fourth floor, side by side.
In fact, when you dine at these places, the monorail will pass overhead, a truly hypnotic experience.
The negative of the Contemporary involves theming. This place embodies modern design elements. Some people find it less Disney than other resorts.
I don’t entirely agree with this criticism, but I understand the argument.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
At Coronado Springs, the primary negative mirrors Caribbean Beach. This resort also hosts thousands of guests, which means that it’s spread out.
You’ll spend time waiting for transportation, as buses must make several stops before leaving the hotel.
The positives are the pool and the price.
Coronado Springs features one of the most thematic pools at Walt Disney World.
The Lost City of Cibola pool resides under an abandoned Aztec temple. Kids will feel dazzled by the sublime theming touches.
The sound of children’s laughter resonates across the entire pool area, reason enough to want to stay here.
As for the price, Disney has made some hard choices during the pandemic.
The company operates resorts that it knows will turn a profit. So, more expensive places have opened first.
As a Moderate Resort, Coronado Springs is cheaper than some other options. Disney employs dynamic pricing. So, I can’t say for sure how you’ll pay.
Your best bet is to contact a MickeyTravels agent to get a free quote on your vacation.
Disney recently offered some outstanding discounts, making the hotel that much more affordable, too.
By the way, Coronado Springs comes with a lot of positives.
I didn’t even mention Gran Destino Tower, the state-of-the-art skyscraper hotel that opened last summer.
Reopens October 14th.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Like the Contemporary, the Grand Floridian provides monorail access to the parks.
During regular times, a stay here comes with quick trips to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
Obviously, the situation works a bit differently now, but the Grand Floridian will soon introduce a walkway to Magic Kingdom.
This amenity could open at any time, as Disney has added signage at Magic Kingdom.
When it does, you’ll have the same short trek to the park as at the Contemporary.
Of course, the other reason to stay here involves opulence. Disney has viewed the Grand Floridian as the crown jewel of its resort lineup for decades.
A stay here ensures that you’ll feel wrapped in luxury the whole time. However, that also leads us to the downside.
Luxury ain’t cheap. The Grand Floridian costs more than any other Disney resort, also. So, it will require a bit more money than other hotels.
Having said that, some of the Disney discounts I mentioned earlier are available here, too.
Speak with a MickeyTravels agent to learn whether a dream vacation at the Grand Floridian is more affordable. You may be surprised.
Reopens September 21st.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
First of all, Pop Century shares the Disney Skyliner terminal with the Art of Animation. So, there’s that.
However, I’d suggest two other reasons why you should stay here. The first is the theming.
You’ll know that you’re at a unique Disney resort when you stroll through the Pop Century lobby.
Imagineers have decorated the walls with pop culture mementos from the past several decades.
Even the hotel buildings theme by the decade. You may stay in a peace-loving 1970s building or beside a Rubik’s Cube.
Larger than life-sized bowling pins and gigantic Mickey Mouse telephones populate the grounds.
The theming here will put a smile on your face the whole trip.
The other positive is the price. Again, I cannot guarantee anything due to the way Disney employs surge pricing.
However, as I type this, Pop Century qualifies as the only Value Resort currently open. As mentioned, the Art of Animation will join it on November 1st.
So, if you want a cheap but stylish hotel room, this is the place.
The negative here is the inverse of the Grand Floridian. You still get what you pay for, which means that you’ll receive fewer amenities than at other resorts.
At Disney, even the Value Resorts still offer wonderful distractions, though.
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
I could list any number of reasons why you should stay at the Yacht Club.
This place possesses such strong amenities that MLB sometimes holds its Winter Meetings here. It’s fancy.
However, for Disney fans, the hotel possesses two amenities that matter the most.
The first involves logistics, as the resort resides within walking distance of EPCOT’s international gateway.
For you, this means that you’ll leave the hotel lobby and be standing in EPCOT in less than 10 minutes.
Also, when you stay here, you’ll have access to Stormalong Bay, the best pool at Walt Disney World.
Honestly, calling it a pool undersells it. A marketer would describe the area as a waterpark, with its sandy bottom pools and lazy rivers.
During a hot Florida day, Stormalong Bay’s my happy place.
As for the negative, Yacht Club is also among the most expensive Disney resorts.
PS: Yacht Club resides across the bay from Disney’s BoardWalk, which means it features terrific shopping and dining options, too.
Feature Image Rights: Disney