What To Expect at A Disney Value Resort (And What NOT To Expect)

I’ve stayed at all five of the Disney Value Resorts at least once, and one of them MANY times. I think they offer a fantastic  (and affordable) vacation experience for most people, but they certainly aren’t for everyone!

In this post, I’ll share what you should expect at the Value Resorts in Walt Disney World and what you won’t find there.

If you are interested in how I rank the Disney Value Resorts and my pick for families and first-timers, check out this post on the Best and Worst of the Disney Value Resorts.

What To Expect: Rooms at Disney Value Resorts

Disney World resorts are divided into three main categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. The resorts in the “Value” category at Walt Disney World are:

• All-Star Music Resort
• All-Star Movies Resort
• All-Star Sports Resort
• Pop Century Resort
• Art of Animation Resort

While most rooms at the first four Value resorts sleep four people in a standard hotel room, Art of Animation consists mainly of “family suites” that sleep six people. More on those soon!

All of the Value resorts offer basic but comfortable standard hotel rooms with two queen beds (a few accessible rooms have one king bed).

Above is what most Value rooms (except Art of Animation) look like presently. One bed transforms from a table and chairs into a queen bed, making the room more spacious and functional. 

All standard rooms at the Value Resorts are around 260 square feet and have a mini-fridge, coffee maker, table with two chairs, and drawers for storage.

You’ll also find cute Disney touches such as hidden Mickeys in the carpeting and bedding.

Check out a photo tour of the refurbished rooms at Pop Century here!

There’s a door you can pull closed to separate the bathroom area from the rest of the room, which comes in handy when you need to have the light on in the bathroom area while the kiddos are still sleeping.

There is a small room with the toilet and bathtub/shower and the one sink is outside of that room.

A feature of the remodeled rooms is bath products in a dispenser on the wall. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I actually love not having to worry about running out.

I also like saving waste from all of those thousands of tiny plastic bottles. 

All-Star Music and Art of Animation also offer “Family Suites” that have a bedroom separate from the main living area and kitchenette. The bedroom has a queen bed and there is a full-size pullout bed in the living room.

The suites at Art of Animation also have a second bathroom and full-size Murphy bed (you can check out my detailed review of the suites here).

While the rooms at Disney Value Resort aren’t fancy, they are designed to be functional and fun.

What to Expect: Disney Value Resort Cost

The cost of staying at a Value Resort varies depending on when you travel. In general, expect rates in the $130 – $200 range per night.

The most affordable times of year to visit are when kids are in school, such as late August, early September, January, and February.

My #1 source for the best rates on Disney Value Resorts is Priceline. Learn why I prefer to book Disney resort rooms on Priceline in this post.

All of the Value resorts offer free bus transportation to all of the Disney theme parks, Disney Springs, and the Disney water parks. 

Pop Century and Art of Animation are also on the Skyliner line, which gives access to Hollywood Studios and Epcot (though you might be faster taking a bus to Epcot). 

While I’m on transportation, I need to mention that most of the time buses from the Value Resorts will take you directly to/from the theme parks.

At the Moderate resorts (and some Deluxe resorts) you have to ride the bus around the resort itself while it stops up to six times to pick up guests.

This adds significant travel time to and from the parks and is one reason why I’ve leaned towards the Value resorts over the Moderates on many occasions!

What to Expect: Amenities at Disney Value Resorts

First, you should expect excellent customer service at any Disney World Resort hotel, include the Value Resorts.

You won’t get treated like a second-class visitor because you are staying at the lowest-cost resorts, and you’ll be treated like a VIP by all of the Cast Members.

The Value resorts all have fun, kid-friendly theming. In fact, they are widely considered some of the most “kid-friendly” resorts on Disney property!

Disney characters abound and everything is bright and colorful, so these resorts have a ton of kid appeal.

The Value resorts all have pools that tie into the theme of the resort, such as the Fantasia pool at All-Star Movies and the Finding Nemo themed “Big Blue Pool” at Art of Animation.

You’ll get towels at all of the pools. There are multiple pools at each resort and a pool bar at the main “feature” pool.

There are daily poolside activities led by Disney cast members and nice playgrounds at each resort.

Every night there is a Disney movie shown poolside on a giant inflatable screen, which can be a fun way to spend an evening away from the parks.

You’ll find quick service food courts at each resort and large gift shops, of course.  I think the landscaping and general maintenance of the properties are excellent, far above what you’d expect from a chain property at the same price point.

But the biggest pull for me of the Value resorts is that you get ALL of the perks of staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, including:

• Free transportation all around Walt Disney World
• The ability to book Individual Lightning Lanes at 7 am
• Access to Morning Extra Magic Hours
• The ability to add a Disney Dining Plan to your stay (get my tips and tricks for using the Dining Plan here)

These are just the main perks of staying at a Disney World resort hotel and you’ll get them with even a one-night reservation.

The perks are what keep me staying on Disney property, and I love getting them without a costly price tag at the Value Resorts!

What You Won’t Find at Disney Value Resorts

Now that you know what you’ll get at Value resorts, here’s what will you NOT find there.

While there are several fun pools at each resort, you won’t find water slides or hot tubs at the Value resorts.  You also will not find zero-entry pools or water play areas, with the exception of Art of Animation which has both.

You will not find any table service restaurants at the Value resorts. Other Disney resorts (particularly the deluxe resorts) offer some incredible table service dining options, but you’ll just find food courts at the Disney Value resorts. I think the food is excellent at the Value resorts, but you will have to navigate a sometimes crowded food court to get it.

 

One of the perks of staying at the Deluxe Resorts is the ability to get to a theme park without having to ride a bus. For example, at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort you can walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and you can take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot when you stay at the Polynesian. You will have to take a bus to get anywhere on Disney property when you stay at a Value resort.

And last, you also won’t find extensive resort activities at Disney Value Resorts like you would at the Deluxe Resorts. For example, Animal Kingdom Lodge offers daily cookie decorating, restaurant tours, cultural immersion experiences with cast members from Africa, and more. Poolside entertainment and nightly movies are mostly what you’ll get at the Value resorts.

I hope this post helped you know what to expect from a stay at a Disney Value resort. They are among my favorites of all Disney World resorts because of their fun atmosphere and valuable perks at an affordable price.

If you want help deciding which resort might be the best fit for your family, I highly suggest getting a free quote from an expert Disney travel agent at Destinations in Florida. They can help you plan every aspect of your Disney vacation at no charge to you!

If you have any questions about staying at a Value resort, please leave a comment below or join the discussion in the free private Facebook group for my Disney-only site, The Budget Mouse!