Best Disney World Value Resorts

What resort is best at Walt Disney World? This is an incredibly popular question and it is also impossible to answer. You cannot compare the deluxe, moderates, values, or off-property resorts. It is unfair and makes no sense. However, you can compare resorts in the same category. So what is the best of Disney World value resorts?

This resort list is probably the easiest for me to make. The moderates, deluxe, and off-property tend to vary a lot more. I would venture to say that this list is very similar for most Disney fans. While the All-Stars can be somewhat interchangeable, I can’t imagine anyone arguing with the placement of the first two.

#1 – Pop Century

It is no secret, I love Pop Century. If I am staying on-property and am looking for the most inexpensive option, this is my go-to resort. There are quite a few reasons I prefer Pop Century (something I go in much more detail about here).

The biggest reason I think Pop Century is the best of Disney World value resorts is the newly renovated rooms. There are plenty of outlets, they are still in theme, there is plenty of storage, and are nice and roomy! It absolutely makes a difference when you return from the parks and have a comfy and clean room.

Each room contains either a queen bed and queen murphy bed or a king-size bed. Also, some of the newly renovated rooms do not have a bathtub, they only have a shower. If you are traveling with little ones, be sure to speak to the cast members at the front desk.

The Skyliner is one of the other big reasons I think Pop Century is the best resort. I love flying, but more than that, I love not having to wait in line for buses at the end of the night. It also allows me to get to the boardwalk area without having to Uber or walk all the way through Epcot!

To learn more about Pop Century? Check out the complete guide to Pop Century Resort or 7 reasons you should stay at Pop Century!

#2 – Art of Animation

Art of Animation is an incredibly popular resort. While there are many reasons why the most common answer is the suites. Art of Animation contains three different sections of suites; Cars, Finding Nemo, and The Lion King.

All of the suite sections themes are represented by the larger than life characters as well as the design of each of the rooms. The suites sleep up to 6 adults and contain a queen bed, a double-size table bed, and a double-size sleeper sofa.

The suites have more space as multiple rooms, making it a favorite for larger families. You will also find a microwave and mini kitchen area.

Art of Animation shares access to the Skyliner with Pop Century. Take a stroll over the Generation Gap Bridge and fly away to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

The reason Art of Animation ranks #2 is The Little Mermaid rooms. There is a Little Mermaid section of the resort that has standard rooms with either 2 double beds or 1 king bed.

The Little Mermaid rooms have not been renovated in a while so they don’t have the same amenities as the newer rooms in Pop Century. Plus, if you need a room with two beds, these are only double beds instead of the queen size you’ll find over at Pop Century.

Art of Animation is scheduled to be renovated/refurbed in 2020. They are working on the lobby and will eventually move to the pool. I don’t know if the rooms are part of the renovation, but I’m hoping they will be! They have slowly been renovating some of the suites, but not as drastically as they have been for Pop Century or the All-Stars.

One other reason is the price. The suites, while popular, are typically more expensive than even a moderate resort. I understand why they are considered one of the Disney World value resorts because of the space and extra amenities in them. However, if you are looking for a truly inexpensive option, Art of Animation isn’t the resort for you.

To learn more about Art of Animation? Check out the complete guide to Art of Animation Resort or 9 reasons you should stay at Art of Animation!

#3 – All-Star Movies

The All-Star resorts tend to rotate which of the three are cheapest. There are good and bad reasons to stay at any of the resorts. If you only care about the theme for each, that is perfectly fine! However, there is a reason I believe them to be in this order.

All-Star Movies is my pick for best All-Star because it has the newly renovated rooms. I know you are probably sick of me talking about the renovated rooms, but they truly are that much better. We recently stayed in an older room and were shocked by how much of a difference it made for our trip.

All of the All-Star Resorts share a bus loop during slower times. They pick up sports, then music, and then finally movies. This means you are the last people on the bus and the last people to be dropped off when you return.

The bus sharing service is (supposedly) only when it is slow. This means during peak hours of the day or even peak part days themselves, each All-Star Resort should get their own bus. We typically did not share a bus to return to All-Star Movies if we left during fireworks.

Why is this #3 on the list? Simple. The Skyliner, overall theme, and food at both Pop & AoA are better. Now, All-Star Movies used to have a secret menu in their food court, which is another fun perk of the resort. However, it is definitely not a reason to pick it over another in my opinion.

#4 – All-Star Music

All-Star Music comes in at #4 on the list. It is currently undergoing the renovation to upgrade rooms. Clearly this is a big selling point for me and explains part of the reason it is above #5 (not the only reason, we’ll get to that).

The reason All-Star Music comes second is I don’t think the theme is as exciting as sports or movies.

In movies, you have your favorite classic Disney films come to life around you. Sports clearly target the sports lover in your family and have a great appeal. While I love the music theme itself, I don’t think it is as interesting for little ones as the other two.

This is one of the reasons it doesn’t come above movies for me. While I think the sports theme might appeal to more people, it’s one large negative that sticks it last.

#5 – All-Star Sports

All-Star Sports is a favorite for many because of the larger than life sports memorabilia and design. However, it is also home to hundreds of competitions throughout the year.

Disney hosts a lot of sporting events, such as cheerleading competitions, throughout the year. The majority of the time these groups tend to stay at All-Star Sports. This means hundreds of groups of kids aged anywhere from 6-18 are wandering around at all hours having fun. I sound incredibly old, but it is true!

Disney World can be exhausting and we like to take breaks throughout the day, or even sleep in occasionally. This is incredibly hard to do when All-Star Sports has groups pretty much throughout the year running around.

Yes, All-Star Sports is the first to be picked up during shared bus transportation, but this is hardly enough to make up for the crowds. When you aren’t sharing a bus with the other resorts, you will always be sharing it with the crowds. That is a dealbreaker for me.

There you have it! The best and worst of Disney World Value Resorts. Do you agree with the list? Which one do you think I got wrong? Let me know!