You are almost guaranteed to have the best time at the Most Magical Place on Earth; but one way of making it even better is staying at a deluxe resort at Disney World.
That being said, these resorts are flawed (just like the Value and Moderate resorts), but for different reasons.
In some ways, these flaws can be even worse than the Values and Moderates, as you are probably spending a lot more to stay at these resorts. (Assuming you’re not renting DVC points or using your DVC points).
When hotel prices are high, so are expectations. And unfortunately, these aren’t always met.
This was a really difficult post to write, compared to the best reasons to stay at each Deluxe Resort. Other than the high prices, there aren’t many bad things about these resorts. But there are some.
This post is all about the reasons why you shouldn’t stay at each deluxe resort at Disney World.
Deluxe Resort at Disney World
@caffeinebythecastle Beware! Deluxe resorts aren’t all luxurious, magical wonderlands. They’re expensive, they can have bad transportation and terrible food! To find out more and read the full post, visit caffeinebythecastle.com/deluxe-resort-at-disney-world/
Just to be clear, Disney World has two types of deluxe resorts:
- Regular Deluxe Resorts – You can book these directly through Disney or from authorised third-party sites.
- Deluxe DVC (Disney Vacation Club) Resorts – you can book these if you’re a DVC member, renting DVC points or you can book them through Disney directly or third-party sites.
Deluxe Disney Resorts List:
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Est. 1971)
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (Est. 1971)
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (Est. 1988)
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (Est. 1990)
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort (Est. 1990)
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (Est. 1994)
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (Est. 1996)
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (Est. 2001)
Deluxe DVC Disney Resorts List:
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort (Est. 1991)
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (Est. 1994)
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas (Est. 1996)
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas (Est. 2002)
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (Est. 2004)
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House (Est. 2007)
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village (Est. 2009)
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Est. 2009)
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (Est. 2013)
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (Est. 2015)
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (Est. 2017)
- Disney’s Riviera Resort (Est. 2019)
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- The Main Tower (and the Garden Wing) is arguably ugly. It is very 1970s (as you might expect, as it opened in 1971).
- It can feel very crowded, as it attracts a lot of guests. This is potentially one of the cons of staying at a resort on the Monorail loop in general. There are also a number of popular dining locations at the Contemporary (including: California Grill; Steakhouse 71; and Chef Mickey’s – just to name a few).
- If you take the Monorail to Magic Kingdom, you have to stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian, before you finally get to the park.
- You have to take buses to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Sometimes, these buses are shared with other resorts.
- The rooms have been refurbished, which can be seen as a bad thing, due to The Incredibles theming. I’m learning to tolerate this, but I do think the theming cheapens the rooms a little.
- You have to pay significantly more to stay in the Main Tower than the Garden Wing. If you prefer peace, it would probably make more sense to stay there and save potentially hundreds of dollars per night
Why You Should Not Stay At Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Bay Lake Tower is arguably even uglier than The Main Tower and Garden Wing at the Contemporary
- The rooms look old (and not worthy of the ‘Deluxe’ name and prices). Luckily, Bay Lake Tower is scheduled for a Hard Good refurbishment in 2024. That being said, you may not want to stay there until the refurbishment is completed.
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- It can be difficult to book – especially if you’re a last-minute vacationer, and you want to stay in a Standard Room with a Resort View (views of the Parking Area, Monorail or Garden)
- Like the Contemporary, the Polynesian has a lot of visitors. Restaurants like Ohana attract a lot of guests, who aren’t staying there. When I stayed at the Polynesian last November, it was always busy!
- If you are coming back to the Polynesian after a day at Magic Kingdom, you have to stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Contemporary, before arriving at the resort
- If you are staying at this resort purely for the Monorail, it might not be worth it. It broke down twice during my four night stay!
- The new DVC tower being built at the resort is arguably “hideous” compared to the other resorts. I go back and forth about what I think, but I wish it looked more similar to the current buildings.
- The price of staying at the Polynesian is comparable to the Grand Floridian, but the Polynesian is a 4-star resort. The Grand Floridian, on the other hand, is a 5-star resort, so it warrants the high price a little more.
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- As I already mentioned, the DVC tower may not be the greatest addition
- At the moment, there are only Studios and Bungalows – no One, Two or Three-Bedroom accommodation options
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Some people would consider it “stuffy”
- Children are welcome, but not catered to as well here as they are at other resorts (such as the Contemporary and the Polynesian). Because of this, the Grand Floridian may not be one of the best deluxe resorts at Disney World for families.
- It is the most expensive Deluxe resort (which is unsurprising as it’s the only 5-star Disney World resort)
- Like the other Monorail resorts, it is busy with visitors. This is especially true at the Grand Floridian, with their infamous seasonal offerings, like the Gingerbread House
RELATED POST: Top 10 Places With The Most Festive Disney World Christmas Decorations
Why You Should Not Stay At The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- These are often the most expensive (or one of the most expensive – along with the Polynesian) DVC villas to stay at
Why You Should Not Stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort has a convention center – which may make the resort feel like less of a “vacation destination”
- To tie in with this, the theming is pretty low-key, which isn’t ideal if you want full-on Disney theming
- There are no Disney Vacation Club villas or studios, so you can’t save money by renting DVC points or using your own points
- The iconic Stormalong Bay pool is shared with Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- It’s a popular resort, so it may not be easy to book a room last minute
- The Stormalong Bay pool is shared with Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- It can difficult to book studios/villas here (especially if you’re renting DVC points. Or, if you’re a DVC member, and Beach Club isn’t your home resort)
- If you’re renting points, it’s significantly more expensive than staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Villas – which is within walking distance from the Yacht and Beach Club. If you’re using your points, they won’t go nearly as far as they will at Boardwalk.
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is in the Magic Kingdom area, but is not on the Monorail loop. Instead, you can catch a Water Taxi to the Magic Kingdom
- You have to catch a bus to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom
- Wilderness Lodge may be one of the cheapest Disney Deluxe resorts. But they tend to be on the smaller side for deluxe Disney resorts (most of them at 344 square feet)
Why You Should Not Stay At Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- These rooms often cost the same as Bay Lake Tower (if you’re renting or using points), but they are inferior, as you can’t walk or catch the Monorail to Magic Kingdom
Why You Should Not Stay At Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- The Deluxe Studios only sleep 4 guests and one of the beds is a pull-out couch (instead of a regular bed or a murphy bed)
- The prices are on par with Boulder Ridge, but the accommodation is arguably inferior since the Boulder Ridge renovations
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
- Some people find the theming outdated (though it is currently being refurbished, so this may change). I personally love the theming, and hope they don’t “modernise” it too much. After all, this resort is supposed to transport you back to the ‘turn-of-the-century Atlantic City’ – according to Disney’s site
- The Boardwalk can get busy and loud
- They have the Nanny chairs. Just avoid eye contact and keep walking …
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
- It might be noisy – especially if you have a Boardwalk View
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is far away from every park, except Animal Kingdom
- There is only bus transportation to the parks and Disney Springs
- Similarly to Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge has small rooms for a Deluxe resort (usually at 344 square feet)
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
- The DVC rooms aren’t the best – mainly because they have a pull-out sofa bed, instead of a murphy bed
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- If you stay at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, you have to catch buses to all the theme parks
- It’s one of the largest deluxe Disney World resorts
- There are no indoor quick-service dining locations
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- If you stay at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, you have to take bus transportation everywhere – except Disney Springs
- It is often viewed as the least desirable resort (due to subtle theming and average dining options)
- Saratoga Springs is the largest DVC resort, so it can be a trek to get to the amenities or to walk to Disney Springs (depending on which area you’re staying at)
Why You Should Not Stay At Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort doesn’t have a grand lobby – like the Grand Floridian. I find this interesting since these resorts are often compared, but this is one major difference between them
- If you buy a Disney Vacation Club contract for this resort, there are some undesirable resale restrictions
- It is a smaller resort, which isn’t ideal, if you like staying at resorts with lots of amenities and dining locations
- The European theming feels a little inauthentic, as you can see Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort from the Riviera
Ta Ta For Now
Which is your least favourite Deluxe Resort at Disney World? Let me know in the comments!
This post was all about the reasons why you shouldn’t stay at each Deluxe Resort at Disney World.
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Hi there! I'm an English 🏴 Disney fan who drinks a lot of iced green tea ☕️ with lemon 🍋 and spends most of my time missing the Disney parks! ✨