Looking for the Best Value Resort at Disney World? There are a few things to consider when choosing, check out this post to learn more.

When it comes to planning a trip to Disney World, one of the key considerations for many people is budget. With so many great resort options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the best value resort at Disney World for your money.

Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks that can help you make the most of your Disney budget, and choose the best Disney Value Resort for your trip.

This blog is all about How to Choose the Best Value Resort at Disney World.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Disney Budget: How to Choose the Best Value Resort at Disney World

First, let’s compare the available Value Resorts at Disney World but we should begin with what they all have in common. They all include free Disney Transportation. In the case of value resorts at Disney World that means Disney Buses or the Disney Skyliner. The Disney buses can take you to any of the Disney Parks, Water Parks, or Disney Springs. The Disney Skyliner can take guests to Hollywood Studios or Epcot.

Other perks they all have in common are Early Entry to the theme parks (30 minutes early), nighttime outdoor movies and snacks, fun pools with recreational activities, quick-service restaurants for catching a snack or a meal to fuel you up for the parks, and Disney theming.

You may ask what are the Value Resorts at Disney World? Let’s take a look at these value resorts and their unique details:

Table of Contents

1. Art of Animation Resort

Art of Animation is based on- you guessed it- animation! The lobby in this resort is filled with animation- it even traces the steps of over 60 characters and highlights their animation steps, from creation to completion.

The resort grounds feature playful and colorful statues of characters in the movies Cars, Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. I actually made this a destination on one of my trips just to visit these characters and we all had so much fun posing for pictures with them!

They have two pools- the large “Big Blue” pool and the quieter “Cozy Cone” pool (I adore this pool). They have a great quick-service restaurant with plenty of options for the whole family!

Art of Animation offers both standard rooms and family suites that are themed after the Disney and Pixar animation movies previously mentioned. Both the suites and the standard rooms have plenty of luggage space, storage space for clothes, and room underneath the bed for suitcase storage.

The standard rooms are Little Mermaid Themed and offer 2 queen beds or 1 King Bed, in a standard hotel room layout. The Family Suites sleep 6, and feature 1 Queen Bed, 1 Double-Size Table Bed, and 1 Double-Size Sleeper Sofa. They also have a small kitchenette with a mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, sink, and- the best part- 2 bathrooms!

2. Pop Century Resort

Just across the bridge from Art of Animation is another Disney Value Resort Hotel- Pop Century. Pop Century is a resort with buildings themed after 5 different decades- the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. There are so many fun-themed sculptures and accents representing each building’s decades- like the Rubik’s cube and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head for the 80s, and the giant computer and floppy disk for the 90s. The 70s building features giant foosball players, a Big Wheel, and Mickey, while the 60s features the Hippy Dippy Pool, giant peace signs, and Jungle Book characters! And finally, the 50s building features giant bowling pins, a jukebox, and Lady and the Tramp statues.

There are several different pools themed after the different decades, with the 80s/90s sharing a pool. The ’70s buildings do not have a quiet pool, but you can easily walk to either the ’60s or ’80s/90s pools. Dining options at Disney’s Pop Century include the Everything Pop food court, featuring various standard choices like burgers, fries, chicken, chicken nuggets, and pizza. This quick-service restaurant also serves pretty standard breakfast fare in the morning. There’s also the Petals pool bar located at the Hippy Dippy Pool, which serves snacks and adult beverages.

Both Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner resort station, where you can board and then transfer at Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort, and then go on to either Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

The rooms at Pop Century are newly refurbished and feature a standard queen-sized bed and a pull-down Murphy-type bed that converts into a table. The bathroom area contains two different rooms, one room with a toilet and one with a shower.

3. All Star Resorts

The All Star Disney Resorts are made up of 3 different themed resorts: Movies, Sports, and Music. The resorts are made up of 30 three-story motel-style guest-room buildings (like Pop Century), meaning they all have an exterior walkway, not an interior hallway. Each resort has its own distinct lobby, food court, and registration area. The All-Start resorts are the cheapest of all the Disney World Value resorts (except Fort Wilderness campsites, which are really in a category all on their own). These resorts are located in the Animal Kingdom area of Walt Disney World on the western edge of Disney World and aren’t on the Skyliner path, though free Disney Bus transportation is available to the parks, Disney Springs, and Water Parks.

The rooms at All-Star Resorts were recently remodeled and followed a similar design to that of Pop Century, with a queen-sized bed and Murphy bed that turns into a table. In fact, the rooms almost look identical to Pop Century rooms now. They have all of the essentials like a coffee maker, iron/ironing board (not essential for me but it is for some), mini-fridge, etc.

Each All-Star Resort has two pools, with the larger pool hosting the games and recreational activities, and serving snacks and drinks. The smaller pool is the “quiet” pool (though All Stars can be packed with large groups of kids during certain team sporting or cheer events so it can be difficult to find quiet). The pools are all themed according to the respective resort (movie, music or sports-themed).

There are quick service restaurants (large food courts) at each of the All-Star resorts that offer a variety of foods. They have standards like chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers, but also plant-based options and allergy-friendly foods (Disney parks and resorts are all great with allergy-friendly fare).

4. Fort Wilderness

Fort Wilderness is one of the O.G. resorts at Walt Disney World. I stayed here as a kid as it was what we could afford growing up. I include it here because it can be a value but read on for more detailed info. It has a gift shop (“trading post”), pools, and even a wonderful dinner show (Hoopty Doo Review) and a quick service restaurant (it used to be an amazing buffet) and bar/tavern.

A Good Option for Large Groups!

Though technically this resort is really in its own category, it is as “value” as you can get (though the prices have increased as of late). However many people travel to Disney World by plane and aren’t prepared to camp on their vacation. They do have rental tents that sleep up to 8 people and, at the time of this posting, cost $40 per night. If you add this to the cost you may be moving out of the value category, depending on the time of the year. The catch here is that you can have up to 10 adults at one campsite so if you have a big, outdoorsy group you can really save money.

There are larger sites for larger RVs, and the price goes up accordingly. The smaller campsite spots can fit either a large tent, or a pop-up style camper, van, or small camper. There are also local companies that will rent you a camper or RV but, again, not as budget-friendly as camping.

This resort also offers Cabins but these would not be considered “value” resort rooms as they are full, independent decked-out cabins and are priced more in the moderate/deluxe category.

Recreational Activities that stand out

If you do live locally and/or can drive and bring your camping gear (and don’t mind camping in the Florida heat and humidity), it can be a great budget-friendly resort that still holds the same perks as others, including early entry every morning to the parks, free bus transportation and even boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom! Fort Wilderness also offers a variety of unique recreational activities like archery, canoeing, pony rides, horseback riding, and even a campfire sing-along hosted by Chip N Dale.

This resort really shines during the Halloween and Holiday seasons as campers deck out their sites and RV’s in holiday-themed Disney decor!

Best Disney Value Resorts Family Suites

Any Disney Resort is family-friendly, particularly the Disney Value Resorts. But if you are looking for a larger suite style room then Art of Animation is the way to go. The problem is when you bump up to a suite that sleeps 6, then you also bump out of the most budget-friendly category. What you have in the Disney Value Resorts Family Suites category is All-Star Resorts Family Suites or Art of Animation Family Suites. At the time of this posting, the cost to stay in All Stars Family Suites is $424, and the cost for Art of Animation Suites is $591 (this varies from season to season so it could be a bit less or more depending on when you are traveling). This is much cheaper, however than the deluxe villas, and even cheaper than the standard rooms at the deluxe resorts.

Obviously, the All Star resort Disney prices beat others, but I love Art of Animation and its family suites. If your budget allows and you are looking for a family suite I would recommend Art of Animation, not only for the suite itself but the charm of the resort and the fun theming that appeals to kids. And of course, though not at all at suite level, if you like camping and or have a camper or RV, and a large group, then Fort Wilderness could be a great budget-friendly option.

Best Disney Value Resort for Adults

Pop Century wins my vote for the Best Disney Value Resort for Adults. It’s quieter than All Stars and usually not crowded with all the kids team events, and there aren’t as many kids there as at Art of Animation because the theming is more appealing to adults given the fun decades/nostalgia accents. Remember that all Disney Value resorts have limited options for dining and drinking. So, if that’s important to you then you may want to consider bumping up to the moderate category.

Disney Pet Friendly Hotel Value Options

If you are looking for a Disney Value resort hotel that will allow you to bring your pet your choices are Fort Wilderness (again, in it’s own category, see above), and Disney’s Art of Animation. There are others in the moderate and deluxe category which include Port Orleans Riverside (moderate) and Yacht Club (deluxe).

As of this posting the lowest price Disney Value Resort is All Star Resorts at $191, then Pop Century at $240, and Art of Animation at $267. The campsites at Fort Wilderness start at $173. These prices can vary quite a bit, see below.

Every person and trip is unique so choosing the best for you is quite different than choosing the best for me or my family. Consider the above facts and details, and check out my Disney budget posts for more help on budgeting and planning!

Other ways to save money

Finally, consider visiting during off-peak seasons when prices tend to be lower. This can also mean shorter wait times for popular attractions! Another option is to book a package deal that includes both accommodations and park tickets, as this can often save you money compared to purchasing them separately. Lastly, don’t forget to take advantage of any discounts or promotions that Disney may be offering at the time of your visit. You can check the Walt Disney World Special Offers page for more info or contact me to book your travel for free!

By doing some careful planning and being mindful of your budget, you can have a magical stay at Disney World without breaking the bank.

This blog was all about how to choose the Best Disney value resort.