7 Reasons Why Staying At Disney World Moderate Hotels Is A Terrible Idea 2024

There are 5 Disney World Moderate hotels. On the surface, they’re an enchanting and tempting option. However, your experience at these Disney World Moderate Resorts might not be as perfect as the commercials.

That’s right: despite their stunning appearance, they have flaws.

This post is all about 8 reasons why staying at Disney World Moderate Hotels may be an awful option for you.

Disney World Moderate Hotels

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I’ve always enjoyed staying at Disney World Moderate Resorts, but they’re certainly not flawless. What do you think is the biggest downside of the Moderate Resorts at Disney World?! To read the full post, check out caffeinebythecastle.com/disney-world-moderate-hotels/ 💛 #disneyworldresorts #disneyworldhotels
♬ Disney Western style Suwanee River(828893) – Yuumi Iida

There are currently 5 Disney World Moderate Hotels, which I am mentioning in this post:

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

1. Overall, transportation is worse than Disney Value Resorts

Prior to 2019 (with the opening of the Skyliner), Value Resorts had the worst transportation: buses. EVERYWHERE.

But now, there are 2 value resorts (Art of Animation and Pop Century) on the Skyliner – providing efficient (and fun!) access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

However, there is only one Moderate Resort on the Skyliner (Caribbean Beach).

Sure, Port Orleans – Riverside and French Quarter offer a water taxi to Disney Springs.

And, you can catch a boat from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom.

But overall (taking the Moderate Resort category as a whole), the transportation options are worse than the Value Resorts – even though you’re paying a premium to stay there.

2. The cost of staying at Disney World Moderate Hotels can be comparable to or more than renting DVC points

cheapest disney world deluxe resort. — The ‘Welcome Home’ Disney Vacation Club sign at Saratoga Springs 🐎

Sure, if you’re booking directly through Disney, you’re almost definitely going to pay less to stay in a Moderate Disney World resort than one of the Disney Deluxe Resorts.

But, if you rent DVC points, you could easily pay the same or less for a Deluxe Resort – which provides added luxuries, amenities and Extended Evening Hours.

I have rented points through David’s Vacation Club Rentals, DVC Rental Store and DVC Shop Rentals, and had positive experiences with all three companies.

For example, let’s compare the prices of Moderate Resorts and DVC Resorts for one night (November 11th-12th, 2023).

To keep it as fair as possible, we will be comparing Standard Rooms at Moderate Disney World Resorts to Standard Studios at DVC Deluxe Resorts.

Moderate Resorts (November 11th-12th) – Standard Room Rates – Without A Discount:

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $388
Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside Resort: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests):$369
Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $369
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $363

Deluxe DVC Resorts (November 11th-12th – Standard Studio – David’s Vacation Club Rentals (prices comparable on other DVC rental sites):

Animal Kingdom Villas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $336
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $441
Beach Club Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Resort – Studio (sleeps 5 guests): $441
Boardwalk Villas at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 5 guests): $357
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 5 guests): $504
Disney’s Old Key West Resort – Studio (sleeps 4 guests): $357
Villas & Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $525
Disney’s Riviera Resort – Studio: Standard View (sleeps 4 guests): $462
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort – Studio: Standard (sleeps 4 guests): $357
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – Studio (sleeps 4 guests): $420
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – Studio (sleeps 4 guests): $399

So, staying at in a studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk, Old Key West or Saratoga Springs is cheaper than all the Moderate Resorts at Disney World (assuming you don’t have a discount).

The rest are comparably priced or more expensive, but they might still be worth it – depending on how valuable the Deluxe amenities and benefits are to you.

3. The discounts aren’t always the best on Moderate Disney World Hotels

Discounts at the Moderate Resorts (excluding Coronado Springs, most of the time) are pretty lacklustre.

The lowest discounts tend to be for Port Orleans – French Quarter, as it is the smallest Moderate Resort, and, therefore, the easiest and fastest to reach capacity.

Discounts are also often low for Caribbean Beach – thanks to its increased popularity, as a result of the Skyliner.

I have found this is often the case if you are trying to book with an Annual Passholder discount.

4. Some Disney World Moderate Hotel amenities are not drastically different from the Value Resorts

Of course, Disney World Moderate Hotels offer more amenities than Value Resorts. But, they still share some similar qualities.

One similarity between the two is the external hallways, which provide a slight motel vibe. This isn’t a huge issue if the weather is perfect. But it’s hardly ideal in thunderstorms or extreme humidity.

5. Most of the Moderate Resorts are colossal, expansive resorts

Linking to point 4, Moderate Resorts (apart from French Quarter) are huge – just like Value Resorts.

This can mean a lot of walking around the sprawling resorts, and even internal bus loops!

This doesn’t bother me personally, but I can understand why you wouldn’t want to do lots of walking around your resort after a long day at the parks.

If convenience and proximity are priorities for you, a more compact accommodation option might be preferable. This is more common at Deluxe Resorts (though Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are also very large resorts).

6. The Moderate Resorts are home to subpar dining options

While Disney World offers a wide array of dining options, Moderate Resorts often fall short in this regard.

They all offer Quick Service and Table Service dining options, but most of them are missable.

I would, however, recommend dining at Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago, if you’re staying at Coronado Springs.

And it’s obviously imperative to try the Mickey Beignets at Scat Cat’s Club – Cafè at Port Orleans – French Quarter (even if you’re not staying there!).

If culinary experiences are a priority for you, exploring dining options outside the moderate hotels might be a better choice.

7. The number of Disney World Moderate Resort options is decreasing

It was recently announced that the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are transforming into a DVC property. So, very soon, we will be losing this Moderate Resort option. (The DVC Cabins are expected to open in 2024).

Although, this could present an interesting opportunity. If you are open to renting or buying DVC points, staying in a cabin at Fort Wilderness, may even be cheaper than the current prices – depending on Disney’s points chart, which has yet to be released.

Ta Ta For Now

I love staying at Disney World Moderate Resorts (I’ve got upcoming reservations at Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans – French Quarter, and I couldn’t be more excited!). But, these flaws can be a little disappointing.

What do you think? Do these reasons make Disney World Moderate Hotels less appealing to you?

This post was all about the 7 reasons why staying at Disney World Moderate Hotels may be a terrible idea.