Staying at a Disney value resort on your next Disney World trip? In this post I share the Disney value resorts ranked an overview of our experience staying at them as a family of five.
Disney World Value Resorts offer guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort an affordable way to stay on-site and take advantage of the perks of staying at Walt Disney World.
The value resort hotels offer the most budget friendly accommodations at the Walt Disney World resort. With lower prices you will find less amenities than the deluxe resorts, but this is a great way to stretch your vacation dollars.
Disney Value Resorts Ranked
There are 5 value resorts at Walt Disney World. They are Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All Star Music Resort, Disney’s Pop Century, and Disney’s Art of Animation.
Deciding which value resort is best for your Disney trip is a personal decision but there are a few difference you should be aware of to help make the decision.
The All Star Resorts are the least expensive value resort options. They offer complimentary bus transportation to and from the parks, have multiple pools, and an on-site food court.
Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s Art of Animation will cost you a bit more because of their proximity to the Disney Skyliner transportation system.
The Disney Skyliner provides gondola transportation to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from these parks. Bus transportation is provided to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom as well as the water parks and Disney Springs.
If the Skyliner doesn’t matter to you it is worth checking out the All-Star value resorts to save the most money.
If I was going to rank the Disney Value Resorts it would be like this:
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation
- Disney’s All-Star Music or Movie Resort (Choose the theme you like best because I think they are all comparable.)
Disney’s Pop Century is first because it is in the middle of the price range for value resorts, it is on the Skyliner, and it has a great vibe.
I ranked Disney’s All Star Sports Resort second because we really liked the sports on our most recent trip, if you are not a sports family check out Movies or Music.
We also are a family of 5 and booked connecting rooms. This was less expensive than booking the family suites at Art of Animation.
Art of Animation is third for me because of the price point. Although it has the most “Disney” immersive theme the price is the highest of the value resorts. The family suites are often priced over $400.00 a night. If you have younger kids you may want to stay here but there other value resorts offer a better value.
The other All Star resorts offer the same value as All Star Spots, just different theme. If you are looking to book the least expensive option check prices for all three All-Star resorts and go with the cheapest.
Where are the Disney Value Resorts Located
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Located in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Area)
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort (Located in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Area)
- Disney’s All Star-Music Resort (Located in the Animal Kingdom Area)
- Disney’s All Star- Movies Resort (Located in the Animal Kingdom Area)
- Disney’s All Star-Sports Resort (Located in the Animal Kingdom Area)
All of these resorts offer complimentary transportation for their guests to and from the parks.
There are pools and playgrounds as well as daily activities for your non-park days. They also all have a quick-service restaurant for guests and evening pizza delivery.
Pop Century and Art of Animation resort are part of the Disney Skyliner Resorts and offer gondola transportation to and from Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
The All-Star resorts utilize bus transportation to all four theme parks. The All-Star resorts are the most budget friendly resorts at Disney World.
Disney’s Art of Animation
Disney’s Art of Animation would be my favorite value resort because of the theme, but it loses points because it is the most expensive of the value resorts.
The standard rooms are 277 square feet and have two double beds. The family suites are 565 square feet and have a queen bed, sleeper sofa, and fold out double bed.
The family suites can fit up to 6 people and are a great option for families. There is a master bedroom and 2 bathrooms allowing space for families.
There are so many fun attention to details through the resort. We loved the Nemo coral reef playground and exploring the Cars area.
Although Art of Animation is in the value category the suites can be priced at $350+ a night. It is the most expensive of all the value resorts.
If you are looking for extra space but want to be as budget friendly as possible, consider pricing out the cost of adjoining rooms at one of the lesser expensive value resorts.
- Rooms: Standard Rooms are The Little Mermaid Rooms (4 People) & Family Suites: Cars, Finding Nemo, Lion King (6 People)
- Dining: Landscape of Flavor Food Court in the Main Building
- Pool Area: Big Blue Pool and Splash Pad in Nemo Section, Smaller Pools in Cars Section and The Little Mermaid Section
- Playground, Arcade
- Daily Activities (Trivia/Games/Crafts) and Nightly Outdoor Movies
- Parking is free at the resort.
- Bus and Skyliner transportation that provides easy access to the theme parks.
- Gift shop
Art of Animation is one of the most popular Disney resorts because it is visually so much fun for for families. The con to staying here is that it is the most expensive value resort at Disney.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Pop Century was the resort we stayed in for our very first Disney vacation. It offers basic amenities and themed around different era’s like the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.
We loved Pop Century and it’s price point. They also recently updated the rooms.
- Rooms: Standard (4 People)
- Dining: Everything POP Shopping and Dining (Food Court)
- Pool: Hippy Dippy Pool, Bowling Pool, Computer Pool
- Playground, Arcade
- Daily Activities(Trivia/Games/Crafts) and Nightly Outdoor Movies
- Parking on-site is free.
- Bus and Disney Skyliner transportation to the theme parks.
Prices at Pop Century start around $185.00+ a night. There are not family suites at this resort but it is a favorite among a lot of Disney fans.
I stayed in the updated rooms and really liked them. Even though my family of five no longer fits in a standard room we are staying in connecting rooms for our next Disney trip.
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is decorated with bright colors and over-sized sports decor. It is a fun resort for the kids and offers basic amenities. If you have an athlete in your family you should consider staying here.
Disney’s All-Star Sports is part of the All-Star resorts which are the least expensive resorts at Disney World.
Prices start around $150+/night.
- Rooms: Standard (4 People), 260 square feet, 1 king bed or 2 queen beds.
- Dining: End Zone Food Court
- Pool Area: Surfboard Bay Pool and Grand Slam Pool
- Playground, Arcade
- Daily Activities(Trivia/Games/Crafts) and Nightly Outdoor Movies
- Parking is free.
- Bus transportation to and from the Disney theme parks.
Disney’s All-Star Movies
The All-Star Movies resorts are themed to five Disney movies: The Mighty Ducks, The Love Bug, Toy Story, Fantasia, and 101 Dalmatians.
Each has it’s own charm and larger than life characters to take your picture with. The rooms themselves are not themed to the individual movies.
Prices at the All-Star Movies resort start around $150.00+/night.
- Rooms: Standard (4 People), 260 square feet with 1 king bed or 2 queen beds.
- Dining: World Premiere Food Court
- Pools: Fantasia Pool and Duck Pond Pool
- Playground and Arcade
- Daily Activities(Trivia/Games/Crafts) and Nightly Outdoor Movies
- Parking is free at the resort.
- Bus transportation is complimentary to and from the theme parks.
Disney’s All Star Music
Disney’s All-Star Music is themed to Broadway, Jazz, and Rock and Roll. It is another fun themed resort with little frills.
All-Star Music does have family suites that can fit 6 and are usually a little less expensive than the family suites at Art of Animation.
The family suites have been recently updated to include 3 queen size beds. One in the master bedroom, and 2 murphy beds in the living area. There are also 2 bathrooms.
- Rooms: Standard (4 People, 260 square feet) & Family Suites (6 People, 520 square feet)
- Dining: Intermissions Food Court
- Pool, Playground, Arcade
- Daily Activities(Trivia/Games/Crafts) and Nightly Outdoor Movies
- Parking is free for guests of the resort.
- Bus transportation to and from the theme parks.
Prices start at $150.00+/night for standard rooms and $320.00+/night for family suites.
The All-Star Resorts are close enough to each other that you could take time to explore them all during your trip. The nightly price is also fairly comparable so I suggests choosing the theme you like the best!
Can a Family of 5 Stay at Disney’s Value Resorts
Yes a family of five can stay at the Disney value resorts. They have 2 options for accommodations.
Families of five can book a family suite at Art of Animation or All-Star Music or book 2 standard rooms that are connecting at any of the 5 value resorts.
Be sure to specify that you need connecting rooms to a cast member during the reservation process. If you book it online, just call to make a note.
When I am researching our Disney trip I will run prices for all three options: 2 standard rooms, a family suite, and a room at the moderate resorts (Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans have 5th sleeper) to see what is the best budget value for us.
It can depend on the special offers Disney is currently running as well as the time of year of visit and availability of rooms. Always check and compare prices to find the best value for your trip!
What You Don’t Get at a Value Resort
Staying at a Disney Value resort will save you money on your Disney trip but there are amenities that you will not have at a value resort that you may have at a moderate or deluxe resort.
If they are important to you, you may have to increase your budget for a moderate or deluxe resort.
Value resorts do not have on-site table service dining. They have basic pool areas that do not have water slides.
Some deluxe and moderate resorts are within walking distance to the parks or offer monorail transportation.
It depends on what type of trip you are doing. On our Disney trips we spend most of our time at the theme parks and really only sleep at the hotel.
It is not worth spending a large part of our budget on hotel. If you are spending a significant time at the resort you may want to upgrade.
Wherever you choose to stay at Disney World will be a great choice!
Disney value resorts offer a budget friendly way to stay inside the magic at the Walt Disney World resort. They offer clean and comfortable accommodations and are great for families.
Leah has been a Disney fan her entire life. From growing up with the movies to planning amazing Disney trips. She loves sharing her passion for Disney and helping others plan amazing Disney trips.
