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Value, Moderate, or Deluxe Resorts: What’s the Difference?

Value, Moderate, or Deluxe Resorts: What’s the Difference?


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One of the first decisions you’ll have to make when you book your Walt Disney World Resort Vacation is where to stay. Disney World offers over 25 different resort hotel options to choose from, and they keep building more! Allow me to break down the differences for you!

Walt Disney World resort pricing

As the names of the categories suggest, Value resorts are the least expensive and Deluxe are the priciest.  We decide on our accommodations based on the time of year we are booking.

Pic from Disney

Disney resort pricing is quite variable based on demand. So, if we go over a holiday break, we lean towards Value or Moderate stays. But for our traditional end of August trip, when most kids are back in school, we always go for Deluxe.

The same room might vary by hundreds of dollars a night based on whether its a low or high season, so we are content with All Star Movies (Value) for Thanksgiving or Port Orleans French Quarter (Moderate) for Christmas.

Walt Disney World resort amenities

All resorts have pools, recreation and food courts.

Moderate resorts also have a table service restaurant (Port Orleans has only one table service restaurant at Riverside, but amenities are shared between Riverside and French Quarter). Most Deluxe resorts have more than one table service option. While all resorts have pizza delivery, only Deluxe resorts offer full room service.

In terms of layout, the majority of Value and Moderate resorts are set up “motel style” with exterior hallways. Some people feel less secure with this setup, although the Disney resorts are very safe.

The new Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs (Moderate) and the Family Suites at Art of Animation (Value) have interior hallways.

Elevator queue at Gran Destino tower after park close one night

One thing to keep in mind is that Value and Moderate resorts hold a lot of people. While they tend to keep the buses coming quickly, the value resorts have uncovered, outdoor queues in which to stand to board the bus.

Moderate and Deluxe resorts have covered bus stops with benches and fans. I prefer not to book Value resorts during the summer in part because of the bus stops and the somewhat lackluster pools.

Value Resort bust stops get a bit hot in the summer months.

Moving from Value to Moderate also gets you some pool upgrades, in the form of water slides and hot tubs. Moderate and Deluxe resorts have a water slide and often include “splash pads” for the younger set. So, if pool time is important to you, you may lean towards booking a Moderate or Deluxe resort.

The Deluxe resorts tend to offer more structured recreation options, but do not have playgrounds like the Value and Moderates do. All resorts have an arcade.

The feature pool at All Star Movies has this fun fountain, but no water slide or hot tub.
The pool at French Quarter has a fun sea serpent slide and you can swim underneath his belly, which doubles as a bridge over the pool.
My son enjoying the hot tub at Port Orleans French Quarter.

I always advise people to consider adding the “plus” option to their park hopper tickets if they are booking a Value resort package with park hopper, because it isn’t much of an upcharge and then you can use the Disney water parks as your pool!

This works especially well for the All Star resorts + Blizzard Beach because they are so close to one another!

Here is a handy chart showing you the amenities available at each category:

 VALUEModerateDeluxe
Activities
Pool
Food Court
Playground 
Hot Tub 
Water slide 
Table Service Restaurant 
Room Service  
Covered Bus Stop/ Benches 
Interior Hallways  
Spa/Salon  ✔*

*Saratoga Springs and the Grand Floridian have full-service spas. Wilderness Lodge and Yacht and Beach Club have salons. Some of the other Deluxe resorts offer massages or nail services. Update July 2021: salons and spas have still not reopened at Disney World.

Theming of Resorts

Many of us describe the theming at the value resorts as more “in-your-face” than the Moderates or Deluxes. Disney states that the statues outside of each building are “larger than life.”

Kids adore these huge statues- All Star Movies.

Theming inside the rooms is a bit more tame.

the Murphy bed at All Star Movies reveals this Huey, Dewey and Louie mural when pulled down. Not much else “themed” in the room.

The Moderate level resorts generally have subtle touches reminiscent of their respective themes. The interiors of the rooms are similarly light on theming.

The pull down murphy bed at Port Orleans Riverside features Louis from The Princess and the Frog.

The Deluxe resorts tend to be more immersive. At the Wilderness Lodge, you wont see any palm trees. In fact, the entire property looks and feels like it is in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge from the Disney World site.
The headboard at Wilderness lodge features a wood carving of animals in the forest.

The nearby Polynesian resort features the sights, sounds, and smells of the islands.

Those are the main differences between the Value, Moderate and Deluxe resort options. They all have their charm, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our stays in all categories!

What’s your favorite resort? Are the amenities worth booking Deluxe or do you prefer to spend that money on park experiences?

Which category is your favorite to stay at? Share your experiences with us

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Candace Fanning

Monday 21st of October 2019

I love AKV Kidani. It doesn't have the "tourist" traffic that Jambo house does. The lobby isn't as nice and you have to walk to Jambo for QS but we don't mind. They make you feel so special there. It's so peaceful and relaxing. If you like quiet downtime than Kidani is the place for you. It's so removed from the hustle and bustle of the parks. The bus ride isn't as bad as people say either.

Rebecca Davis

Monday 21st of October 2019

Good call on Kidani village. We loved the pool there when we stayed at the lodge! I noticed it has a covered parking garage which speaks to me as a Jeep owner! We brought the Jeep convertible down on the auto train from Virginia one year. If we ever do that again we will stay at Kidani so we don't have to keep putting the top back up all the time! We started at Cabana Bay at Universal (which we loved) and they had covered parking, but contemporary and wilderness of course didn't.

kennythepirate

Monday 21st of October 2019

I enjoy Kidani as well and there's nothing more unique in America than waking up with safari animals in your backyard :)

Sapphire226

Monday 21st of October 2019

Nice article! One little correction, if I may- we stayed at Coronado Springs this year for the first time, and they also had full room service as well as a salon, and it’s a moderate resort. :-)

Rebecca Davis

Monday 21st of October 2019

That's right! I meant to do a section where I discussed what I call "Moderate plus" (Coronado) and "Deluxe light" (SSR/OKW). We are staying at Gran Destino Tower next week before our cruise and I'm looking forward to checking out the Coronado Resort! Thanks for reading!

Rose

Monday 21st of October 2019

My sister & I stayed at one of the value resorts in December a few yrs ago. Since we barely spent any time in the room except for showers & sleeping it wasn't bad at all. The only thing I'd recommend is asking for a room closer to the bus stop area. We were almost the last room and the jaunt to the bus stop coming or going was not fun since we were both in our 60's at the time.

Rebecca Davis

Monday 21st of October 2019

Like Kenny said book preferred for a few extra dollars per night! I bet you and your sister would like the value resorts even more now that they have been updated! Pop century and All Star Movies are done and they have begun the work on All Star Music!

kennythepirate

Monday 21st of October 2019

The ones nearest the bus stops are considered proffered and they charge a little extra. It never hurts to ask though :)

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