Is It Worth It to Upgrade to a Deluxe Resort at Walt Disney World?

For months, a busy mom labored over choosing the right Disney Resort Hotel. This was a big trip, and given the expense, she wanted to get everything right. So far, the hardest choice had been picking the perfect resort. But she finally decided on Coronado Springs, a moderate resort that looked pretty in pictures and worked well with their budget. But was this the right decision? Out of all her planning, one question was relentlessly nagging at her: Was it worth it to upgrade to a deluxe resort?

This is probably one of the most common scenarios that plays out in many of our minds when planning a Disney World vacation. No, it’s by no means a third-world problem. But the amount of time many of us invest in this sort of decision and then wrestle over it is probably sinful. No, I’m not judging you. I have been guilty of this scenario countless times.

Here’s the thing: you can ask this question to anyone, and you’ll get various answers. Join a “resort-focused” group on social media, and you’ll see what I mean. Within 30 minutes, you’ll get 100 comments from passionate fans who can answer your question in a way that works for their family. The same goes with friends and family. As human beings, we are driven to help others, especially when asked. While many of the responses you’ll receive are true, they are often not helpful, leaving you in an even deeper state of bewilderment.

So, below, we will delve into the facts of the matter. Then, you can assess them and discern whether upgrading to a deluxe resort is worth it for your family. If not, Coronado Springs (or whatever resort you choose) is a lovely option. For most, an upgrade is not warranted. Likewise, if an upgrade is not within your budget, it shouldn’t even be a consideration. All of the resorts at Disney World have places to explore, dining options, and pools. Yes, some are nicer than others. But you can have a good time at whichever one you pick if you are open to it.

Deluxe Resort Amenities

Deluxe resorts are the finest Walt Disney World Hotels. They offer prime locations, amenities, dining, recreation options, and upgrades. Let’s look at a few of these amenities to understand better how they will benefit your vacation.

Location! Location! Location!

For many, location is a key factor when choosing a resort. One of the perks of deluxe resorts is that they are within walking distance of at least one theme park. Of course, there are always exceptions. For example, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are slightly more remote. You cannot walk to a theme park from either of these hotels.

If you plan to spend significant time at Magic Kingdom, the deluxe resorts in this area are worth considering. If you choose a monorail resort, you’ll have quick access to the park. Being within proximity of a theme park is a luxury amenity. This advantage computes to time = money. You won’t spend much time getting to and from the parks. You can also quickly return to the resort if you need a break. If you have small children or someone in your party who might need more time at the hotel, then a deluxe resort might be worth your consideration.

For example, if you have younger children and want to keep them on a schedule. You can wake up early, take advantage of Magic Kingdom, and then return to the resort for nap time. If you were at a resort further away, it could take up to an hour to walk to the bus stop, wait for a bus, and then return to your room after being dropped off. Again, these are only minor inconveniences. But if it only takes 10-15 minutes to return to your room, you’ll likely feel rested enough to return to the park later, and you won’t consider it a hassle.

This same situation applies to those traveling with special needs and multi-generational groups. If Grandpa gets worn out early in the day, you won’t feel bad about putting him on the monorail back to the hotel. He’ll be back in the room in no time. You won’t be worried about him locating the bus stop and returning to the room. He might even feel like returning later to see the fireworks. But if he doesn’t, he can watch them from the hotel, another benefit of select deluxe resorts.

Similarly, the Epcot Resorts are centered around Crescent Lake between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. These resorts include Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Disney’s Beach Club, Disney’s Yacht Club, and Disney’s Swan and Dolphin. From these resorts, you can walk or boat back and forth between both parks. When the crowds leave Epcot at night by the masses, you can sneak right out of the International Gateway and walk back to your room. It’s perfection!

Extended Evening Hours for Deluxe Resort Guests

As a regular resort guest, you’re privileged to early theme park entry. But as a deluxe resort guest, you receive an additional perk called extended evening hours. These nights are regularly scheduled twice per week throughout the year. Usually, they are at Epcot on Monday nights and at Magic Kingdom on Wednesday evenings. These specific parks remain open two hours later for deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests on these nights.

Extended evening park hours are a significant reason to consider staying at a deluxe resort. You’ll want to ensure you have these hours planned into your itinerary. Most attractions will have minimal waits on these evenings.

During the holiday season (November-December), these special hours often shift from Magic Kingdom and Epcot to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Disney will provide a schedule of these hours closer to the dates. If you do not have a park-hopper ticket upgrade, you’ll want to plan your days at the park where these special evenings are offered.

Spacious Rooms and Views

Most deluxe resort rooms average 350 square feet, significantly larger than the 260-315 square footage range at the lower category resorts. I don’t know about you, but every bit of square footage matters when we spend a week in a hotel room. We spent a few evenings at Pop Century Resort a while back before moving to the garden wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Our room in the garden wing felt huge compared to the one we left behind at Pop Century. This vacation was one of those split stays where we’d saved the best resort for last. Of course, Pop Century was much more reasonable in price. We moved to the Contemporary for the 4th of July, and the convenience of being close to the park for the fireworks.

For that stay, we had a lake view room, which is one of the most peaceful views at Disney World. I go back and forth on resort views a lot. In most instances, I do not think they are warranted. But if you have someone who will spend a good deal of time in the room, they are worth it. For example, if my parents were visiting, we would likely stay at the Boardwalk or the Yacht Club and upgrade to a water view. My mother cannot be out in the sun much. But she would be perfectly fine sitting on the balcony and being able to walk into Epcot later in the day. If we stayed at a lower-category resort, we wouldn’t have a balcony to take in views.

More Dining Options

Dining is another tremendous amenity when it comes to deluxe resorts. You’ll have access to more restaurants, lounges, and quick services. However, you won’t have as many quick service options as you would a moderate or value resort.

The value resorts have one food court and a pool bar for comparison. Moderate resorts have a food court, lounge, pool bar, and one table service restaurant. (Coronado Springs has a few more options at Gran Destino Tower.) Meanwhile, deluxe resorts have a pool bar with quick service, a counter-service dining location, a formal lounge, at least one table-service restaurant, and a signature dining location. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For instance, Disney’s Grand Floridian has three signature dining locations. Additionally, most of the deluxe resorts offer character dining. If you would like to learn more about the dining options among the hotels, we have a list of restaurants at each Disney Resort.

Better Pools and Recreation Options

Our next consideration is the recreation options at the deluxe resorts. All deluxe resorts have a minimum of two pools. Some resorts offer a feature pool and a quiet or leisure pool, while others have two feature pools. The only exception is Animal Kingdom Lodge, which has one feature pool. However, a second feature pool is available next door at Kidani Village. All guests of the lodge or village have access to either pool.

If you plan to spend a decent amount of time at the pool, you might choose a deluxe resort based on its pool. In our guide to the best pools at Disney World, almost every deluxe resort makes the list because of its pools. For instance, Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club share a feature pool called Stormalong Bay. It’s so large that it feels more like a water park than a pool. Stormalong Bay is one of our favorite places to spend the day at Disney World.

Several deluxe resorts also offer private cabana rentals, which are unavailable at the value or moderate resorts. We rented a cabana at the Beach Club to see if it was worth the price. While our experience had a rocky start, we ultimately enjoyed it and look forward to doing it again.

Feature pools at the deluxe resorts have zero-entry areas and a water slide. During the busier portions of the day, servers wait on pool guests, taking orders for drinks and quick service items. Many of the deluxe resorts also offer aquatic play areas.

More Transportation Options

Lastly, deluxe resorts offer more transportation options than value or moderate resorts. Again, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is an exception because it only provides bus transportation.

Guests staying at Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, and the Contemporary can enjoy access to the monorail, boats, buses, and walking paths. Guests of Epcot Resorts, such as the Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk, can take the Friendships or buses or walk from the resort to various locations. They can also walk to the Skyliner and use it if they desire.

So, if you’re interested in staying at a resort that offers multiple forms of transportation, a deluxe resort might be worth your consideration. We love taking different modes of transportation to get to certain places just for the fun of the journey. You don’t have to stay at a deluxe resort to use these options, but they are definitely nice to have nearby.

So the question remains:

Is a Deluxe Resort Worth the Upgrade?

After considering these factors, you’ll want to weigh them against the price difference. For example, I ran the numbers through Disney for two rooms for the same dates, the same number of tickets, and the same promotion. Here is a screenshot of the results for a moderate room at Coronado Springs, totaling $4204.20.

Next, we have a screenshot of a savanna-view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge totaling $5857.02.

We have a difference of $1652.82. That’s a significant amount of money. Would you rather spend $236.00 more per day to wake up to giraffes grazing on your balcony or wake up in a room that doesn’t have a balcony?

In this scenario, both resorts will have the same transportation options and similar locations. You won’t benefit from being within walking distance of a theme park from either resort. Both hotels are gorgeous. But Animal Kingdom Lodge is an interior hotel and will be superior in dining options to Coronado Springs. Both resorts have excellent pools, but Animal Kingdom Lodge will be slightly more peaceful.

If you or your children love animals and you imagine them constantly checking to see what’s outside, staying here would likely be worth it. But if you are not big on visiting zoos or learning about animals, you would likely be better off saving money and staying at Coronado Springs. You know your family better than anyone. So, if you’ve weighed all the facts, the ultimate choice should be pretty straightforward.

For the bottom line, ask yourself these questions.

• Does an upgrade to a deluxe resort fit in our budget?
• What amenities am I hoping to gain by staying at a deluxe resort?
• Will these extras positively affect the total outcome of our trip?
• Would we spend the money on anything else if we don’t upgrade?

I also want to point out one glaring thing. The scenario above is not anywhere near the total cost of your vacation. Things like food, travel expenses, and extras can quickly add up. When guests see a large number like this, they think that’s how much their vacation will cost. If you want to get to the actual cost of your vacation, make sure you have a budget prepared. We teach guests how to prepare a budget for Disney World that will get them nearly down to the penny, including snacks!

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. We’ve discussed all the major selling points of upgrading to a deluxe resort. For some, the upgrade will be worth it. But remember never to stretch your budget so far that you feel stressed on your vacation. That’s no fun.

Some of my best memories with my family are from when we stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music. We also have made some incredible memories at Disney’s Beach Club. Both resorts are a little extra special to me, and they couldn’t be any more different in pricing or amenities.

For more planning, you might enjoy the following:

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your Disney World Vacation
• The Ultimate Disney World Dining Handbook
• A Complete Overview of Disney World Transportation Options
• The Entire List of Character Meet-and-Greets at Disney World

In the Comments

Did this article help you decide to upgrade (or not) to a deluxe resort? Are there any other reasons you’re considering upgrading that we didn’t mention? Leave your thoughts and responses in the comments section below. We love to hear from you!