Pipe Down Out There!

Noisy rooms rank near the top of hotel guests' complaints every year. A well-designed room blocks both the noise coming from an adjacent room's television and from the swimming pool across the resort. Based on Unofficial Guide initial tests of both interior and exterior soundproofing, and for reasons outlined on the next page, we believe that a room's exterior door is the critical component in keeping sound out.

Our test equipment consisted of a digital sound meter, a portable CD player, and a copy of The Who's greatest hits. We first calibrated the volume of the CD player until Roger Daltrey's ear-piercing wail in "Baba o'Riley" reached 70 decibels on the sound meter. Next, we took the CD player outside the room and placed the meter on top of the pillow of the bed closest to the exterior door. We replayed "Baba o'Riley" and recorded the decibel reading on the sound meter. For good measure, we also recorded the sound level in the room with and without the AC running, and around the resort in general.

Walt Disney World Onsite Hotels - Sound Ratings
Hotel Sound Ratings
Swan at Walt Disney World A
Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside A
Disney's Old Key West Resort A
Dolphin at Walt Disney World A
Disney's All-Star Sports Resort A
Disney's All-Star Music Resort A
Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort A
Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort A
Disney's Yacht Club Resort B
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa B
Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter B
Disney's Pop Century Resort B
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort B
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort B
Disney's BoardWalk Villas B
Disney's BoardWalk Inn B
Disney's Beach Club Villas B
Disney's Beach Club Resort B
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins C
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas C
Disney's Wilderness Lodge D
Disney's Contemporary Resort D
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort D
Disney's Wilderness Lodge Villas F
Disney's Polynesian Resort F
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort F
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge F

Disney World Hotel Data
Overview Author Ratings Reader Ratings Amenities
Num. Rooms
Cost Ranges
Themes
Websites
Phone Numbers
Addresses
Overall
Rooms
Fitness Centers
Pools
Sound
Lighting
Pillows
Overall
Room Quality
Check-in Efficiency
Quietness of Room
Shuttle Service
Hotel Pool
Staff
Food Court
Fitness Centers
Water Sports
Marinas
Beaches
Tennis
Biking
Suites
Concierge Floors
Room Service
Wired Internet
Wireless Internet
Shuttle to Parks