Deep Diving into Value Resorts!
Value Resorts are a super family friendly option and have incredibly strong theming throughout the Resorts. Kids of all ages will love seeing colorful decorations at every turn and will have so much fun exploring all that there is to see! As the most affordable of all Resort options, these are popular options for families and large group trips (ie. school, band, Girl Scouts, cheerleading, etc).
There are five Value Resorts including: Disney’s All-Star Movies, Disney’s All-Star Sports, Disney’s All-Star Music, Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Each Resort has it’s own theming that differentiates it from the rest, but the amenities are similar across the Resorts.
Amenities include:
Basic room amenities including hairdryer, in room safe, wi-fi, iron/ironing board and a beverage cooler
Quick Service Food Court with multiple cuisine options
In room pizza delivery during certain hours
Arcade
Themed swimming pools
From there each Resort really has a personality of it’s own!
Let’s Tour the Resorts!
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is one of three All-Star Resorts and is themed after… you guessed it Movies! (Surprising, right?!) This Resort showcases giant character icons throughout the resort including Buzz Lightyear, the Fantastia Broomsticks, Woody, Pongo and more!
Location: Animal Kingdom Resort Area
Number of Rooms: 1,920
Room Type: Rooms have two queen size beds or one king size bed
Maximum Occupants: 4 people per room
Building Themes: 101 Dalmations, Toy Story, Fantasia, The Mighty Ducks, Herbie: The Love Bug
Pool Theme: The main pool theme is Fantasia (complete with Sorcerer Mickey!). There is also the Duck Pond Pool themed after The Mighty Ducks.
Dining Options: World Premiere Food Court (American cuisine)
Transportation Options: Disney Bus
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports is another of the three All-Star Resorts and is themed after… Sports! (Are you seeing a trend?) Each building section of this Resort is featured after a different sport and showcases large icons from that sport.
Location: Animal Kingdom Resort Area
Number of Rooms: 1,920
Room Type: Rooms have two queen size beds or one king size bed
Maximum Occupants: 4 people per room
Building Themes: Football, Tennis, Baseball, Surfing and Basketball
Pool Theme: There are two pool options - Surfboard Bay Pool and the Grand Slam Pool. The Grand Slam Pool features a water squirting Goofy on a pitcher mound!
Dining Options: End Zone Food Court (American cuisine)
Transportation Options: Disney Bus
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music is the last of the three All-Star Resorts and is themed after… say it with me… Music! Each building section of this Resort is featured after a different genre of music and features decorations featuring that genre.
This is also the only All Star Resort to feature Family Suites! This is a great, very affordable and spacious option for larger families.
Location: Animal Kingdom Resort Area
Number of Rooms: 1,706
Room Type: Rooms have two queen size beds or one king size bed; Each Family Suite has 2 queen size pull down beds and one queen size bed.
Maximum Occupants: 4 people per Room; 6 people per Family Suite
Building Themes: Calypso, Jazz, Rock, Country and Broadway
Pool Theme: Join the Three Caballeros at the main Calypso Pool - watch out, they squirt water! For a quieter time, take a swim in the Piano Pool.
Dining Options: Intermission Food Court (American cuisine)
Transportation Options: Disney Bus
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Take a trip through time at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. This Resort is themed after the trends and fads of the 1950’s through 1990’s. From Records to Rubik’s Cubes to Roller Blades, this Resort brings these fads to supersize life!
Location: Wide World of Sports Resort Area
Number of Rooms: 2,800+
Room Type: Rooms have two queen size beds (one is a table bed) or one king size bed
Maximum Occupants: 4 people per room
Building Themes: 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s
Pool Theme: Take some time to chill out in the 1960’s theme Hippy Dippy Pool, the main pool for the Resort. Be sure to check out the flower shaped water jets! Or if a smaller pool is more your scene, take some time to relax at the 1950’s theme Bowling Pool or 1990’s theme Computer Pool.
Dining Options: Everything POP Food Court (American cuisine)
Transportation Options: Disney Bus, Disney Skyliner
Disney’s Art of Animation
Disney’s Art of Animation celebrates Disney’s new(er) classics - The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. Once of my favorite things about this Resort is the wall of Animation located in Animation Hall by the check in area! This wall showcases colorful sketches of all your favorite Disney Characters!
Location: Wide World of Sports Resort Area
Number of Rooms: 864 rooms and almost 2,000 Family Suites
Room Type: Each room has two queen size beds or one king size bed; Each Family Suite has one queen size bed, one double size sleeper sofa and one double size table bed.
Maximum Occupants: 4 people per Room; 6 people per Family Suite
Building Themes: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars
Pool Theme: Dive into the Big Blue World in the zero-entry Big Blue Pool! The Big Blue Pool is the single largest hotel pool at Walt Disney World Resort. This pool area also is home to the Schoolyard Sprayground and Squirt’s Righteous Reef - play areas that will keep littles occupied for hours! For a special surprise, dip your head under water in the Big Blue Pool and you can hear music from under the sea!
If you are looking for a quieter location, check out the Cars theme Cozy Cone Pool or the Little Mermaid theme Flippin’ Fins Pool.
Dining Options: Landscape of Flavor (American)
Transportation Options: Disney Bus, Disney Skyliner
Is a Disney Resort Right for Me?
With all these fantastic options, you may be wondering if a Value Resort is right for you. Just like any Disney Resort, be sure to look at your family’s needs and how you will be utilizing the Resort during your stay.
Reasons to choose a Value Resort:
You love fun, colorful and immersive theming. You will not find a level of Resort more immersive than the Value Resorts. All the theming is bright and bold and over the top in the best of ways.
You are looking for low key activities to keep you occupied during midday breaks or winding down in the evening, but are not planning on spending a lot of time at the Resort. Each Resort has it’s own mix of activities including arcades, poolside games, splash pads/water play areas and themed pools. These are a fantastic way to cool off and relax in the middle of the day or unwind at the end.
You are budget conscious. This is the most budget friendly Resort category and can’t be beat when looking at price point and amenities for the budget conscious. All-Star Music Family Suites, especially, are a great bargain for larger families (up to 6) that need a little more room. We loved staying in these Suites!
Reasons this may not be a good fit for you:
You are looking for a more adult oriented trip. Because these are budget friendly and brightly themed, you will find a lot of families with young children and youth group trips staying at these resorts. At times, they can be very loud and boisterous. The pools are hot spots of activity and if you are looking for quiet time and to relax when at the Resort, these may not be the Resorts for you.
You want a Resort table service experience and/or multiple dining options. The Value Resorts all have food courts available, but do not have sit down restaurant options available at the Resort. The food court cuisine is American based and offers food that the majority of families find appealing (think chicken fingers, burgers, fries and things like that). If you are looking for a table service dining experience and are staying at these Resorts, you will have to visit a Park, Disney Springs or another Resort.
Now that we have gone through ALL the Value Resort info, let me share with you MY Value Resort pick. Drumroll please…
Katie’s Value Pick: Disney’s All Star Music Resort Family Suites! For my family, this suite was perfect. We loved the extra room this suite provided. The Family Suites include two queen size pull down beds and a separate sleeping area with a queen bed, two bathrooms and a kitchenette. This gave everyone plenty of space (which if we are honest, sometimes we need a little space on family vacations!)
Katie’s Honorable Mention: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort! If you have little ones, you really cannot go wrong with this Resort. The first time we came to Walt Disney World with the kids, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort was brand new and my kids were 3, 6 and 8 and they LOVED it. The joy that was in those little smiles will be living in my heart for a lifetime.
We are so excited to hear whether you think a Value Resort may be the right choice for you and which you would pick - leave it in the comments below!
Next week, we will be touring the Moderate Resorts and sharing Katie’s Moderate Pick! See you back here then! Until then, stay magical my friends!
For extra help choosing the perfect Resort and booking your Disney vacation, I’d be happy to help! You can request your FREE quote from Dreams By Design with Katie T. at https://dbdkatiet.myflodesk.com/quote. Remember, all booking and planning services are offered at no cost to you!
