If you click on the links in this post, we may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post, at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
Disney World Deluxe Hotels
If you’re wanting to stay at a deluxe Disney World hotel during your stay in Orlando, Florida, then I don’t blame you! They are all wonderful resorts with a lot of great amenities; the only negative of staying a deluxe hotel is the price; however, there is a way around this. The cheapest way to stay at Walt Disney World Resort deluxe hotel is to book Disney Vacation Club room through David’s Vacation Club Rental. You don’t have to be a Disney Vacation Club member in order to book one of these rooms at a low price. You can find out more information on how to book a DVC room here. You can also watch this video here:
The next cheapest way to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort deluxe hotel is to book through Undercover Tourist, as they offer prices that can be even lower than getting a passholder discount.
Disney Hotel Deluxe Comparison
So now that you know you can afford a Disney Deluxe Hotel, the question is, how do you decide which hotel to choose? There are some amenities you can find at all Disney deluxe resorts (such as pools, fitness rooms, extra magic hours, free bus transportation to the parks, free bus transportation to the airport, etc.), but there are some differences. Therefore I have made a list outlining which hotel has which feature. Hopefully, this will help you decide which resort to choose!
Please note that for the sake of this comparison, I am combining Yacht Club & Beach Club because the hotels are so close beside each other (it’s easier to walk from the Beach to Yacht Club than to walk from different rooms at Saratoga Springs or Old Key West, honestly) so you can use a lot of the same features; in fact, you get to use the same pool, so it makes sense to me to list them together.
Since there multiple Disney deluxe hotels I am using abbreviations for this chart, but you can follow the key here:
- AKL: Animal Kingdom Lodge
- YC/BC: Yacht Club/Beach Club
- BW: Boardwalk
- POLY: Polynesian
- GF: Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- CR: Contemporary Resort
- WL: Wilderness Lodge
- SSR: Saratoga Springs Resort
- OKW: The Old Key West Resort
AKL | YC/BC | BW | POLY | GF | CR | WL | SSR | OKW | |
Monorail Access | X | X | X | ||||||
Boat Transportation to Magic Kingdom | X | X | X | X | |||||
Boat Transportation to Disney Springs | X | X | |||||||
Boat Transportation to EPCOT | X | X | |||||||
Boat Transportation to Hollywood Studios | X | X | |||||||
Character Dining | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Spa | X | X | |||||||
Salon Services | X | X | X | ||||||
Arcade | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Health Club | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Fishing | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Playground | X | X | X | X | |||||
Children’s Activity Center | X | X | X | ||||||
Pixar Play Zone | X | ||||||||
Volleyball | X | X | X | X | |||||
Pet Friendly | X | ||||||||
Bike Rentals | X | X | X | ||||||
Surrey Bike Rentals | X | X | X | ||||||
Community Hall (games, crafts, etc.) | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Pool tables | X | X | X | X | |||||
Basketball Courts | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Pool with lazy river | X | ||||||||
Campfires | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Near golf course | X | X | |||||||
Motorized Boat Rental | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Fireworks Cruise | X | X | X | X | |||||
Tennis | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Food Court with Indoor Seating | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Celebration Cruise | X | X | X | X | |||||
World Showcase Day Cruise | X | ||||||||
Poolside Cabana | X | X | |||||||
Water Skiing | X | ||||||||
Wake Boarding | X | ||||||||
Tubing | X | ||||||||
Parasailing | X | ||||||||
Personal Watercraft Rental | X | ||||||||
Sports Bar | X |
Disney Hotel Comparison In Videos
Another way to compare the hotels is to watch these virtual tours to get a feel for the hotels yourself. Here are some videos of deluxe hotels:
Polynesian Village:
Wilderness Lodge:
Beach Club:
Animal Kingdom Lodge:
Contemporary:
Yacht Club: