Unfolding a Disney Vacation, Part II

Have you decided when you want to go to Walt Disney World?  Now, let's try to decide where to stay.  There are many different options.  You can obviously stay off site in a hotel or rental home that is not on Disney property.  You will pay $14.00 to park every day when you get to the park.  If you stay on property, your parking is free, and you also have the option of using Disney transportation.

The resorts at Disney are divided into Value, Moderate, and Deluxe resorts.  The price is the major factor in this distinction, as there are activities galore at every resort, and there is excellent Disney theming every where you can stay.  Again, AllEars.net has a page that describes all the resorts and amenities that are included in them.  It is located at http://allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm.

The value resorts are All Star Movies, All Star Music, All Star Sports, and Pop Century.  The All Star Movies and Sports resorts can only accommodate 4 people, but the All Star Music resort has family suites that can accommodate up to 6 people.  The price per room at any of the resorts depends on what time of year you go, which is why that was my first step in this process.  The seasons are broken down into Value, Peak, and Regular, for different times of the year with more expensive periods being during holidays.  Weekends are also a different price than weekdays.  The value resorts do have food courts and pizza delivery, swimming pools, and bus transportation.  They do not have full-service restaurants, room service, or on-site recreation.

The moderate resorts are the Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Port Orleans - French Quarter, Port Orleans - Riverside (where we stayed in 2008).  Again, each of these has a different theme.  At Fort Wilderness, you can pitch a tent or stay in an air-conditioned cabin.  Port Orleans has a jazz feel to it and is very picturesque as it sits along the Sassagoula River which has a boat that can transport you to Downtown Disney.

Port Orleans - Riverside

Boatwright's Restaurant at Port Orleans
Partially made boat hanging from the ceiling

Port Orleans - French Quarter
This was taken during a horse and buggy ride, so it is a little bit blurry.

Tomorrow I will discuss the Deluxe Resorts, as there are more of them than Value and Moderate, and they offer many more amenities.