#AskIt Results: Does Disney Need More Value Resorts?

We asked and you answered. On Twitter and here on the blog, the question was “Does Walt Disney World need more Value Resorts?” But before we dive into the results, let’s specify what we’re talking about.

Walt Disney World has categories for its onsite resorts. Here they are, including the number of rooms at each. Check out our full coverage of Walt Disney World hotels on our main hotel page.

• Value (Pop Century [2880 rooms]; All Star Movies [1920], Music [1604], and Sports [1920]; Art of Animation [1984])
• Moderate (Caribbean Beach [2112], Coronado Springs [1915], Port Orleans French Quarter [1008], Port Orleans Riverside [2048]; plus Fort Wilderness Cabins [362])
• Deluxe (Magic Kingdom – Contemporary [655], Grand Floridian [867], Polynesian [467], Wilderness Lodge [727]; Epcot – Boardwalk [378], Yacht [630] and Beach Club [576]; Animal Kingdom Lodge [972])
• Deluxe Villa (Old Key West [761], Saratoga Springs [1320]; plus the Disney Vacation Club Properties at Deluxe properties – Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary [295], Beach Club Villas [282], Boardwalk Villas [532], Grand Floridian Villas [147], Polynesian Villas and Bungalows [380], Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village [458], and Boulder Ridge [136] and Copper Creek Cabins and Villas [220] at Wilderness Lodge)

This equals a total 27,556 rooms on Walt Disney World property owned and operated by the Mouse. And, of those, 10,308 (or 37%) are in the Value category.

The total rooms in the Value category includes Family Suites at Art of Animation (1119) and at All Star Music (216). While these rooms offer considerably more space than a standard Value room, they are usually twice the price of a value room, which makes sense as the original suites were built on the footprint of two Value rooms.

On to the results:

Yes, Walt Disney World needs more Value rooms – 1707✅
No, the number of value rooms is fine – 913

While there was a nearly 2:1 consensus on the vote, the comments were varied.

Many of you felt there’s a lack of options in the Value category that sleep five people. We’re definitely following up on this, but in the meantime, fire up the wayback machine for this article from Erin Foster on onsite options for five or more from 2013.

Others said that there’s value and then there’s “Value.” Because Pop Century falls squarely in the price range for this category, let’s use that for our data: a Preferred room for 2018 ranges from a low of $140 to a holiday price of $258 the last week of the year. You can often find discounts of 10-15% except in the most busy times of year.

Disney’s Pop Century began a room refurbishment last fall. Guy Selga has a fantastic review from his stay there. Expect to see this type of refurbishment in all the Value rooms in the future.

Our example Moderate is Port Orleans Riverside which ranges from $276 to $376 for a Preferred room, with fewer discounted rooms offered, but in the same 10-15% range.

And finally there’s the Deluxe resorts. (Because Deluxe Villas – Disney Vacation Club rooms – can be booked a number of ways: with cash, with your own DVC points, or with someone else’s DVC points, we’re not talking about their costs in this article.) A Deluxe property that is not directly attached to a theme park will cost less. A pool-view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge ranges from $412 to $903, with discounts sometimes available from 15-25%. The better located resorts with easier access to a theme park cost more. A Garden View room at the Yacht Club with its walking or boat access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will set you back from $479 to $1148. Discounts can be found at around 15-25%.

That’s a lot of words on resort categories, but it does show where the Value prices fall in the greater scheme of all onsite pricing.

Still others felt that the rooms at the All Stars, Pop Century, and Art of Animation compare unfavorably to the “Prime Value” resorts at Universal Orlando Resort, Cabana Bay and the soon to open Aventura. The non-suite rooms at Cabana Bay are very similar in price to a regular Disney Value room, though the true gems, the family suites are less expensive (though smaller) than suites at All Star Music or Art of Animation. There is no question that Cabana Bay is a nicer hotel than All Star Music. Whether or not it’s nicer than Art of Animation is up to your personal taste. I prefer Cabana Bay’s mid-century vibe to Animation’s child-friendly style, but YMMV.

Few people had specific ideas for what a new Value resort would be other than “cheaper” and “with more space.” Marvel and Classic Disney were the only two themes that were mentioned.

So to sum up, most people would like more perceived value for what Disney is selling and would like to pay less for it. In other news, the sky is blue. It was fun to hear your thoughts on Disney resorts. You’ve definitely given us some ideas for follow-up content. If you have even more to say about Disney, “value,” or anything else, party on in the comments. We have another poll for your voting pleasure coming out today on the blog.