Unveiling Every Reason Why You Should Stay At Each Of The Disney World Moderate Resorts 2024

If you’re planning a magical trip to Disney World, you should check out the Disney World Moderate resorts.

They can be a blend of luxury, classy theming (and they can even be affordable!).

Value and Deluxe Resorts tend to be talked about more, but we should not overlook the Moderate resorts. After all, they are a step up from Disney Value resorts, but they’re much cheaper than Deluxe Disney World hotels.

This post is all about the reasons why you should stay at each of the Disney World Moderate Resorts.

Disney World Moderate Resorts

@caffeinebythecastle
I will always love the Disney World moderate resorts! My first stay at a Disney World resort was at Port Orleans – Riverside (in a royal room!). Since then, I’ve enjoyed staying at Disney’s moderate resorts. Which is your favourite?! To read the full post visit: caffeinebythecastle.com/Disney-World-moderate-resorts/ 💖
♬ Walt Disney Snow White insert song(1422132) – Yasuhiro Kono

There are 5 Disney World Moderate Resorts, including:

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

Why You Should Stay at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is on the Skyliner, which can fly you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

They have new Little Mermaid rooms (replacing the Pirate Rooms). These are tastefully themed (and are very different to the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation – a Value Resort).
Caribbean Beach has 6 pools! This includes the main pool (known as Fuentes del Morro Pool), as well as 5 leisure pools – for a more peaceful experience.
There’s a variety of dining options, including: quick service, table service and bars.
This is the kind of resort that makes you feel “on vacation”. With the tropical colours, you really feel like you’ve been transported to the Caribbean. I would compare this to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – but more colourful and affordable.

Why You Should Stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside transports you to rural Louisiana, and to call it ‘stunning’ is an understatement.

The choice of Standard Rooms (with a variety of views, including:

Standard View
Woods View
Pool View
River View

They also have Royal Rooms – which are truly magical. The first time I stayed at a Disney World resort it was at Port Orleans – Riverside, in a Royal Room.

If it’s your first stay or you’re celebrating, I’d highly recommend splurging – especially if you or someone in your party is a big princess fan. I mean, fireworks exploding on the headboard. That’s pretty spectacular! And something you will only find at Port Orleans – Riverside.

You can take a water taxi to Disney Springs for additional dining – and shopping – options.

Port Orleans – Riverside has quick service, table service and bar options.
It is within walking distance of Port Orleans – French Quarter (which means VERY close proximity to beignets!).
It’s a peaceful resort.
There’s one feature pool (Ol’ Man Island) and five leisure pools.
They have a twenty-five-minute horse-drawn carriage ride alongside the beautiful banks of the infamous Sassagoula River. Talk about a relaxed way of exploring a tranquil resort!
This is a dog-friendly resort.

Why You Should Stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter

Gorgeous New Orleans theming.
It’s the smallest Moderate resort, making it the easiest to navigate.
MICKEY BEIGNETS. Need I say more?

It is also just a water taxi away from Disney Springs.
They have quick service dining and bar options.
They have a feature pool, Doubloon Lagoon. Please note that this pool is closed for refurbishment from January 2024 to April 2024, so guests can swim at Ol’ Man Island pool at Port Orleans – Riverside instead.

You can walk to Port Orleans – Riverside for other dining options – if you get sick of beignets (which is basically impossible, but it doesn’t hurt to have options).

Why You Should Stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a breathtaking blend of Mexican, Spanish and Southwest American cultures.
In July 2019, the Gran Destino Tower (inspired by Walt Disney’s short film, ‘Destino) opened, and took this resort to another level. It took a Moderate resort and made it feel quite Deluxe.

There is only bus transportation. But when I stayed here for 14 nights in November 2022, it didn’t take more than about 10 minutes to get to each park. Apart from waiting an hour for an Animal Kingdom bus one day (which I’m sure – and hope – isn’t a regular occurrence), it really wasn’t an issue.

There are quick service, bar, table service and lounge options.

I’m going to break the rules slightly and be negative in a positive post, but I would recommend skipping the quick service, if you’re looking for a meal.

The last time I ate here, I ordered nachos from the KIDS’ menu, and it cost $14!

The saddest thing is that this used to be one of the best Disney resort quick-service locations (in my extremely biased opinion). The kids’ meals used to be about half their current price, and the quality was higher.

Unfortunately, this quick service is no longer managed by Disney, and the decline in quality is drastically apparent.

That being said, I highly recommend nachos and corn dip at Disney’s Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago. You can dine at Three Bridges or mobile order and take it away.

If you’re looking for nachos, they can actually be cheaper here than the quick service (at $12 for tortilla chips with guacamole or roasted corn dip).

disney caribbean beach resort — And if you want to go out for drinks, I highly recommend Dahlia Lounge. You can also view the fireworks 🎆 from Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The view isn’t the best, but it’s a nice addition to the experience.

There are 4 pools at Coronado Springs: the feature pool (known as ‘The Lost City of Cibola Pool’) and 3 leisure pools.

Why You Should Stay at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Please note that Disney is currently planning to replace the current cabins and turn this into a Disney Vacation Club resort in 2024

As the name suggests, if you stay here, you (and up to 5 other guests) get a cabin all to yourself! This cabin has a separate bedroom, a full kitchen (which can save you so much money on food) and one bathroom (which may not be ideal if you’re a party of 6, but probably wouldn’t make or break your stay).
You can decorate your cabin (as long as you follow these rules) – which can be especially exciting during the holidays

Because the resort is so large, you can hire a golf cart (which costs between $63 and $79 per day – before tax). You and three guests can have a lot of fun exploring the resort on an electric golf cart!
They have quick service and table service dining options, including The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (dinner show).
It is a dog-friendly resort.
There are a variety of activities, including canoeing, archery, and horseback riding.

Ta Ta For Now

Which is your favourite moderate resort? Let me know in the comments!

This post was all about unveiling every reason why you should stay at each of the Disney World Moderate Resorts.